The Vauxhall Pogrom

Hello to you,

As a man with an indiviual sense of style, I do expect the street hecklers and laughing children (although expecting something doesn't mean that it should happen; for centuries, women could expect a life of subservience to their husband- It doesn't make it right). I do get the odd wolf whistle, "Oi grandad!" or "'Ere mate, you look like charlie Bronson!". To be honest I see myself more like Charlie Brown.

The antagonism that my look receives, however, has reached a new level this week. Going home through the entrance of Vauxhall station, I passed a man handing out "Good News!" religious pamphlets who said, under his breath as I walked by, "Ridiculous hat!". Now I was wearing a peruvian style woolen hat with a knitted bear head on top and I don't think he realised that I could hear through the wooley earflaps (To be fair, it is a ridiculous hat but not really his place to inform me of the fact). I promptly turned around, back out of the entrance, and asked him "Is that good News?".

He said "I wasn't talking about you…erm… it was that other bloke… er there… erm, he's gone now."

Therefore, as a recognisable disgrace to even the random man on the street, I thought I'd look to find a biblical verse that sums up this predicament.

"My disgrace is before me all day long, and my face is covered with shame at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me…"

Or the other one I found:

"Do not wear the heathen wooly bear"

Ritchie through time...

Hello all,

September being the month in which I turned 31, I thought it might be interesting to have a quick celebration of me!

Hurrah!

So here's a few pics to relish, starting (for all long-time fans) with The Lamy Brothers. Note the early instrumentation of guitar and trumpet didn't last long:

 

And now the iconic styles I have sported:

And I will finish with me today:

I hope you enjoy...

x

A view and a review

Friday- Another week accomplished, another soon to begin. The days continue to appear like photographs of the Queen Mother pulling a pint in the London Public Houses. Or like another silly "vote to win" competition- enough facebook likes could win you a record contract, a radio appearance, a chance to meet your heroes or simply plenty of pestered and vaguely disgruntled facebook friends.

These contests are normally set up by people and companies as a cynical way to build an audience. It's there in the How to Promote and Branding type books and websites; right next to viral campaigns and how to sell your music and soul to advertising companies. They are not looking for talent or progress; they are looking to make money (in some cases, it's true, they are looking purely to sustain themselves).

Of course, I do not think there is anything wrong with popular music being popular (although, like Blixa Bargeld said in an interview, "I didn't get into rock and roll to make rock and roll music"). If something appeals to the masses then that, to an extent, is fine. The problem is that most of these things are more about who can annoy enough of their friends to like something that they probably haven't even listened to.

I am on the mailing list for Yep Roc records. I do like Yep Roc and am a fan of the sort of interesting, kinda obscure bands they promote. They have been home to Heavy Trash, Nick Lowe, Rev Horton Heat. They have recently informed me that they are starting a competition for the best cover of a Yep Roc artist. This will be decided by facebook likes or hits or some other dreadful method. We are all going through hard times and I know that many of the great record labels have been subsumed or disappeared- Mute, Stiff, Island. But the heyday of those labels remain great because they showcase the music that the people who ran those labels loved. And if you are showcase the music you love, then why let a contest be decided by popularity by numbers (in all senses of the phrase).

Yes, for better or for worse, the days of the A and R man are over and what remains is meant to represent a more democratic state of musical affairs. And so I can add popularity competitions to beauty contests and any type of sporting event in the list of things I will never win.

And what do we have left?

The Critic. Some are great, some are terrible and they have the reputation for being wannabes and vultures. But all should, at least, have a self generated opinion- hopefully also a little insight. There have been good and bad reviews on what have become widely regarded classic album, fine art masterpieces and groundbreaking film. This does not mean that the critic that famously wrote a scathing review of The White Album was wrong though. I think the greatest works are all important and completely meaningless at the same time and I think that it is as important to recognise the flaws as the genius. It is as important to have the devil on one shoulder as it is to have an angel.

So on that note, there's a recent review of one of our gigs from www.forfolkssake.com by Becky Varley-Winter:
http://forfolkssake.com/gigs/18727/live-richard-lamys-a-disgrace-the-workshop-london

It describes me as a mustachioed giant who is a cross between Seasick Steve and the cookie monster. She also enjoy the band's "comic resistance to my enthusiasm". Nice. We thank you for it.

Take care all,

Richard the Mustachioed Giant

Who wants to get to Carnegie Hall?

For those of you yet to view, you can find a few photographs from our last gig at the Curiosity Shop in Hoxton here:

Photos

There are some early shots from the talented Douglas Slocombe (including a lovely shot of Ben dreaming of solder)...

Dougals Slocombe

...the parting shot, however, was left to us and, after the tight fluency of the two preceding bands, the auto-destructive set of A Disgrace was a peculiar climax.

Du Bellows were lovely hairy (in places) people that played with a proficiency well beyond us.

Then Blushing Melons took to the stage. They have been touring and are touring still and well worth a look. Folk Noir with panache.

And yet, dejected and half naked, I staggered home with the primal scream of A Disgrace ringing in my head and not particularly keen to get to Carnegie Hall.

What next?

Commuting

This city is full Of people who
Willingly walk infront of bicycles.
And the cyclists run the red light
In a vain attempt to die.
Sometimes I'd like to see my brains
Smashed against the front of an oncoming train
And the envious commuters will say
"What a selfish bastard to go and ruin everybody else's day".

Ritchie to take over the revolution

Life with a Disgrace is revolutionary.

So join the party at The Curiosity Shop in old street on Monday 16th

http://www.facebook.com/events/318919991525141/

You don't want to be the first against the wall...

Do you need a ride?

Wotcha peeps,

A little pic from Launchpad Gig, I'm sure there are still more to come. 

I have recently splashed out on a cymbal for personal use (that's a drum joke). As a band leader I play many roles; from task master, to advisor, to teacher and it is true that to an extent the intense musicians that make up A Disgrace were pushed into performing with me.

They consist of brilliant and peculiar individuals; one does not like to be touched, one to be seen and Ben, on drums, thinks that using cymbals is cheating. I'm open to opinions so can any body tell me-

Do you need a ride?

Try a Giif

Soundcheck at the Launchpad gig. 

a little animation. Includes SWEEPING!

a lot of fun, n'est pas?

Continuing a theme (poster)

Wotcha peeps,

I don't know if any of you little chaps are design types but here's a little poster I've made starring me. 

I'm also going to attach another one for forthcoming gig but more of that to come...

Here's a little banner I created using GIMP. not too bad for a first attempt.

Summer time (and Authenticity)

I'm omniverous in my desire and, if I could, I'd have you all. The symmetrical and the lop-sided; the bountifully swollen and those with small hard bodies; the tall, the short; the disgraced and the disgraceful.

But I wasn't always the hoary old badger that you know and tolerate, I was a sweet and romantic lad- devastated by human contact and the fallout of relationships. Once, after being dumped, I was physically sick every morning and then spent a week in Hull.

After another relationship ended I spent the whole night colouring in every letter "G" in Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". More than anything I knew it was going to be seen. It was a bitter and knowing act- born out of pretence, a dramatic gesture at a remove, pretending to be a romantic hero. Then again, maybe the act is enough? It was a kind of expression of how I felt.

Authenticity is prized highly in music more than any other art form but I truly believe that you can be authentic without being truthful. And heightened gestures are not for the rich and beautiful (it seems you can't be one without the other), they are for us. We, the brittle and the distorted, are more honest in our posturing and pretending than anything else.

x

A band with a banjo...

Hello all,

When people hear that I play banjo quite a few guess that I "must be a fan of Mumford & Sons". Ahh, the robust looking Mumford with his head like a swollen potato and his one good song. I'm afraid we are A Disgrace; we do not (unlike many bands and songwriter-y types) apologise before playing. We do not edge round folk and rock trying to create a inoffensive crossover. We plough blindly into the murky depths of genres, combining styles into fabulous reconstructed zombies of music.

We thank all of you beauty, awkward and crooked people who edge closer to the vortex of our monstrosities.

The Antifolk Festival Score...

The experience of playing in the cramped confines of an Edwardian prison cell, prepared Richard Lamy's a Disgrace well for the manouvreing required for the small footprint of the 12 Bar stage. Luke would have contirbuted his be-socked footprint to the melee but had been held up by some Austrians. This was a shame but may have been for the best as he would have had to play upon Ben's shoulders.

The antifolk crowd may not have been prepared for the full force of A Disgrace at full pelt but they managed admirably, gyrating those goodlooking little bodies with a twinkle in their eyes and a drum playing carrot named Geraldine in their hands.

What next for a Disgrace?

Antifolk off!

Nothing divides opinion quite like antifolk (even key proponents of the genre are in two minds whether they like it or not) and A Disgrace likes to divide opinion (Divide and play conkers!).

That's why you will find Richard Lamy's a Disgrace at the Spring 2012 Antifolk Festival at the 12 Bar in Denmark St on Friday 18th May. We shall be shambling onto stage a little after eleven so make sure you are ready for it. Have a stiff drink, steel yourself and buy the tickets.

There's 2 days featuring a host of Antifolk luminaries ("knights of the magical light"?- sorry that was visionaries) so make it a weekend that you will never remember (ahem)...

http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/291184110970318/

An Eventful Weekend

Friday the 13th April saw Richard playing a solo song or two for Late@Tate at Tate Britain. In honour of Sir Henry Tate, he played "Sugar, Sugar" as part of Harry Pye & Gordon Beswick's entertainment. It was all going sweet until he managed to trip over his own equipment (a neat trick if you can do it; his father would be proud).

Monday 16th, The Real JD Sessions heralded a triumphant return to the Windmill, Brixton for Richard Lamy's a Disgrace. A Disgrace, being primarily formed of the mercenary wing of the artistic avant-garde, found themselves with new guitarist Luke, but without drummer Ben. They were, however, ably-backed (ahem) by Gareth John of The Patio Set.

http://youtu.be/EEUuwXE68xw

Luke insisted on removing his boots for the performance so as to avoid conscription should the call up come.

The natural animosity that could have arisen between us and the headline act was avoided by the peace-pipe - which they smoked outside during the length of our electrifying set. More videos to come.