In the Masonic Hall on the Deptford Road a group of singers were preparing for another rehearsal<\/p>\n
In a few weeks they would be singing at The Royal Festival Hall with other singers from Israel, Bolivia and Finland<\/p>\n
The Rotherhithe Singers were looking forward to their visit, it was a great honour<\/p>\n
But there was one problem<\/p>\n
Tina T <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYou sing like a pig\u201d<\/i> said Faux Lounge the leader of her section<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not, I am just different<\/i>\u201d replied the tearful Tina T<\/p>\n
But it was too late and within minutes Tina T had been expelled from The Rotherhithe Singers<\/p>\n
But she was no longer upset<\/p>\n
Perhaps singing was not for her<\/p>\n
She went into the Caribbean Caf\u00e9 opposite the Masonic Hall and ordered a coffee<\/p>\n
The owner Yje an elderly Negro sat next to her<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not always here to sing\u201d <\/i>he said offering Tina T a joint<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in a few weeks\u2019 time I would have been at The Royal Festival Hall for a night of film music\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 <\/i>she said taking a deepdrag<\/p>\n
It was the wrong thing to do for within minutes she was asleep on the sweaty formica table<\/p>\n
When she awoke she found herself in a back room of the caf\u00e9<\/p>\n
Yje had gone<\/p>\n
But she was not alone<\/p>\n
A man of about thirty five was sleeping on a small bed near her. He was wearing a pair of jeans but was not wearing a shirt<\/p>\n
There was something about his appearance which suggested boyishness<\/p>\n
Tina T studied the man\/boy for a while but soon fell asleep<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name is Douglas D what is yours<\/i>?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question startled Tina T from her sleep and for a minute she did not reply and just looked at the man\/boy<\/p>\n
\u201cI am called Tina T\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYou have vomited down your shirt but I watched you to ensure your safety\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
Tina T felt strange, she found it odd that the man\/boy had watched her whilst she had vomited but strangely comforted that he had looked after her<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you care for my shirt as I have no use for it at present\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Tina T looked at her own shirt which was covered in vomit<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what of your comfort\u201d<\/i> she asked<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no use for it\u201d <\/i>the man\/boy replied throwing a floppy white shirt in her direction<\/p>\n
Tina T waited for the man\/boy to alter his gaze whilst she changed but he did not<\/p>\n
She thought him homosexual and changed within his gaze<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are a very beautiful woman Tina T and what a fine pair of lungs you have\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Tina T felt herself blush and looked at her feet<\/p>\n
She had lost her shoes<\/p>\n
After searching the caf\u00e9 for a while she gave up her search and walked barefoot into the room where the man\/boy was<\/p>\n
\u201cI have lost my shoes and the weather is so fucking foul\u201d<\/i> she said<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is of no consequence as my room is near\u201d \u00a0<\/i>the man\/boy replied springing to his feet<\/p>\n
It was then that she noticed the slightness of Douglas D; he was of above average height but painfully thin with rather long limbs<\/p>\n
She thought he looked like a puppet devoid of its strings<\/p>\n
They let themselves out of the back door of the caf\u00e9 into the cold wet street; it was a typical January morning<\/p>\n
A woman heavily wrapped in an overcoat and boots passed them and threw change in their direction<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thinks us foreign\u201d <\/i>The man\/boy said<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cBecause every morning that I pass her I speak an exotic language, sometime I speak the language of birds\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
Within a few minutes Tina T and Douglas D were in front of a scruffy house which seemed uninhabited<\/p>\n
\u201cMy room is on the top floor\u201d <\/i>the man\/boy said turning the key in the frozen lock<\/p>\n
The interior of the house surprised Tina T, she had expected the interior to be dank and musty but the house smelt of exotic spices and perfumes<\/p>\n
After she had climbed the steep stairs Tina T found herself in the man\/boy\u2019s room, it took her breath away<\/p>\n
The walls were covered with posters from films<\/p>\n
The Maltese Falcon<\/i><\/p>\n
2001 a Space Odyssey <\/i><\/p>\n
Betty Blue<\/i><\/p>\n
were just three of dozens of posters which covered every available space in the room? To add to the confusion there were a number of stuffed birds displayed<\/p>\n
\u201cI take it you like cinema and birds\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 <\/i>Tina T said feeling a little stupid at stating the obvious<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the music of cinema but I absolutely <\/i>adore birds\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this bird?\u201d<\/i> said Tina T examining a small bird mounted on an even smaller branch<\/p>\n
\u201cA Nightingale\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a most beautiful songbird\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cNo it is much overrated\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what Is this?\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a Night Jar, a lovely bird but with a monotonous voice\u201d\u00a0 <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a great knowledge of birds then\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cNo I just record them in my book that is how I gain my knowledge\u201d and with this Douglas D threw a small book onto the chair near to where Tina T stood<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what is that?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cIt is my diary of birds\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Linnet <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Once a common bird of farmland and heathland areas the Linnet has undergone a major decline in the past few decades, due to the lack of seeds available on farmland in the winter.<\/i><\/p>\n
It was said that a Linnet\u2019s song was a delightful series of twitters and whistles but in reality it sings like a pig and should have remained incarcerated in the gilded cage <\/i><\/p>\n
Golden Oriole<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
This stunning but shy bird rarely reveals its presence apart from its distinctive and fluty song. Its lyrical voice is a series of four notes \u201cwee-la-wee-woo\u201d it said that once heard that it is never forgotten. Well this writer forgot its song within minutes<\/i><\/p>\n
Tina T <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is your favourite bird, the one with the fairest voice?\u201d <\/i>asked Tina T glancing up from the book<\/p>\n
\u201cWell apart from you my songbird it has to be the Coot\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI sing like a pig and you know that, but why a Coot, I have never heard a Coot sing\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Coot<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Though superficially resembling a duck a coot is in fact a member of the rail family which has adapted to swimming rather than walking (?).It has semi-webbed feet <\/i><\/p>\n
Its voice consists of a single note but is by far the most beautiful sound in the world <\/i><\/p>\n
Tina T placed the book on the chair and walked to the window. It was raining and a fog was beginning to form near the banks of the Thames<\/p>\n
\u201cI am hungry, have you any food, I can cook you breakfast\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI have no food in the house only tea\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cDid you bring me back here to fuck me?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI have no desire to fuck you\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYou prefer boys then\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI do not have any character defects that I know of. You are indeed beautiful but I have no desire to fuck you. I have brought you here to teach you to sing\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI have been told a million times that I sing as a pig would snort, snort, snort\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cIn time you will sing as I do and perform at concert halls all over the world\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Tina T laughed and sat in the chair she began reading from the book once more but did not note its comments<\/p>\n
\u201cI am sorry, you must think I am a right cow, I was just so disappointed to be rejected by The Rotherhithe Singers\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cSo you went to Yje\u2019s caf\u00e9 and got stoned and met me\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cDo you work there?\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI do\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI have never seen you there\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI have seen you, the girl with the golden voice\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cFuck off ! don\u2019t take the piss it’s a sensitive subject, I love singing\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a card to the left of you, stand up and read the contents to me\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
Tina T picked up the card which was blank<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this another of your games?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cJust sense the words and read them to me\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cTilly T was minding the shop as Pavel P visited the sewerage farm to reclaim his bicycle. Tilly stayed dry but Pavel became soaked in the heavy rain but at least he did not small of shit<\/i><\/b>\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cNow sing it to me\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat this, it has no rhythm\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cImagine the rhythm\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
Tina T began to sing the words and surprised herself as her words contained a kind of lyricism<\/p>\n
\u201cSing it to my accompaniment\u201d<\/i> said Douglas D as sat at the small piano in the corner of the room<\/p>\n
For the next hour Tina T sang the same words over and over again until she was exhausted<\/p>\n
\u201cI will bring you a cup of tea\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI am hungry that dope has made me hungry\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not hungry, do not imagine hunger it is imperfect\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYou speak in riddles Douglas D\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cThen associate with fine riders\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat!\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cNever think of yourself as imperfect, I shall bring you tea and then we will listen to Nana Mouskouri\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI can take or leave her\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cShe has one of the most perfect singing voices in the world as you shall have quite soon. We shall listen to my favourite Only Love\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
Tina T lay back in the chair looking at the strange man\/boy opposite her with his long limbs, slowly her eyes grew heavy listening to the song and soon she was asleep<\/p>\n
A sudden jolt woke Tina T and she sensed a number of people looking at her. She had been singing, there was a polite applause<\/p>\n
Tina T blushed, smiled lightly and looked at her feet<\/p>\n
She was wearing shoes and was travelling on an underground train and was dressed in her tedious work clothes<\/p>\n
The train stopped at Baker Street<\/p>\n
Tina T alighted from the train and stood on the platform; she was feeling dizzy and decided to sit down<\/p>\n
For a while she was alone but an elderly man in a dark suit soon joined her<\/p>\n
He was carrying an evening paper<\/p>\n
Tina T ignored the man and stared at the railway lines trying to collect her thoughts<\/p>\n
The elderly man opened his paper and as he did so Tina T noticed its headline which jolted her from her lethargy<\/p>\n
Missing Castrato Found Dead in Thames <\/b><\/p>\n
The body of world famous castrato Divemato who had been missing for three weeks was discovered in the River Thames yesterday evening not far from The Royal Festival Hall \u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Tina T did not read more<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you like the newspaper my dear, you seem to have more need of it that I?\u201d<\/i> the elderly man said suddenly<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease may I have it\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI also have a note for you; it was given to me by a most peculiar young man\u201d \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
The elderly gentleman handed Tina T the newspaper and a small note written on a page torn from a diary<\/p>\n
She waited until the old man was out of sight then opened the note<\/p>\n
Tina T <\/i><\/p>\n
By the time you read this I will be no more, you might have read of me. But do not be sad as I had always planned to end it this way, to fill my wretched lungs with the filthy waters of the city<\/i><\/p>\n
Although we only knew each other for a matter of hours I was aware of you for many weeks and your amazing voice<\/i><\/p>\n
Your so called friends said that you had the voice of a pig, how wrong they were. It was not your voice but the way they heard you sing<\/i><\/p>\n
You have the voice of a paradise bird <\/i><\/p>\n
So had I <\/i><\/p>\n
A soprano, mezzo soprano and a contralto rolled into one <\/i><\/p>\n
But what a price I paid <\/i><\/p>\n
But you have no price to pay, just achieve the tasks that I set you and as an inheritance you will share my voice along with your own <\/i><\/p>\n
I will ask you to always sing without shoes so that you may feel the life beat of the world through the soles of your feet <\/i><\/p>\n
I will ask you to always wear my shirt no matter how warrn it becomes <\/i><\/p>\n
And finally today you will have to travel the Circle Line in full six times in each direction changing at a station of your choice<\/i><\/p>\n
This must be done without interruption or rest <\/i><\/p>\n
Attached to the underside of the seat you will find a key <\/i><\/p>\n
This is the key to my rooms <\/i><\/p>\n
Spend as much time as you require there <\/i><\/p>\n
The rooms are yours<\/i><\/p>\n
All I ask is that you feed my birds <\/i><\/p>\n
Drink as much tea as you like <\/i><\/p>\n
Any further questions you may have will be answered in my papers <\/i><\/p>\n
You will not hear from me again Tina<\/i> T<\/p>\n
Tina T looked under the wooden seat and there was the key. She held it in her hand for a while<\/p>\n
Two trains passed<\/p>\n
She stepped on the third and began her epic journey<\/p>\n
The task took Tina T many hours and as she walked barefoot towards the rooms of Douglas D she felt an extreme exhaustion overcome her<\/p>\n
When she awoke she was in the rooms once more but everything had changed, the birds were no longer exhibits but were flying from room to room in gay display<\/p>\n
The film posters were no longer static but were now live cinema<\/p>\n
She was watching a dozen films at once<\/p>\n
Tina T decided to take a bath but when she entered the bathroom the tub was already full and the steaming water was changing its colour as if lit from beneath<\/p>\n
Turquoise<\/p>\n
Lilac<\/p>\n
Shocking Pink<\/p>\n
Aquamarine<\/p>\n
Tina T slid into the colourful waters and stared at the ceiling<\/p>\n
Birds of Paradise were flying from branch to branch and singing the most wonderful songs<\/p>\n
Tina T stayed awake all night amazed at the display<\/p>\n
And slept the following day<\/p>\n
The rooms were ordinary during the short daylight hours<\/p>\n
Nothing moved apart from the fading light<\/p>\n
But as soon as darkness fell the spectacular commenced<\/p>\n
She read the diaries of Douglas D but did not learn anything new about him<\/p>\n
But she learnt a great deal about singing<\/p>\n
And music in general<\/p>\n
Douglas D dismissed The Rotherhithe Singers as Sunday Singers and warned Tina T not to re-join them<\/p>\n
In his final diary the initial chapter was devoted to Tina T<\/p>\n
He told her to busk on the underground for the next year<\/p>\n
She should sing songs from the movies<\/p>\n
But always start with a song by Joan Baez<\/p>\n
The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti \u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
From the film of the same name<\/p>\n
The Rotherhithe Singers had sung at The Royal Festival Hall and their contribution to the evening was widely praised<\/p>\n
But soon forgotten<\/p>\n
In the subway of an unnamed underground station in the centre of the city Tina T began singing<\/p>\n
Nervously at first<\/p>\n
Soon people began to stop to listen to her<\/p>\n
A crowd gathered<\/p>\n
She gained more confidence<\/p>\n
Her voice gained its range<\/p>\n
Father, yes, I am a prisoner
\nFear not to relay my crime
\nThe crime is loving the forsaken
\nOnly silence is shame<\/i><\/p>\n
And now I’ll tell you what’s against us
\nAn art that’s lived for centuries
\nGo through the years and you will find
\nWhat’s blackened all of history<\/i><\/p>\n
Against us is the law
\nWith its immensity of strength and power
\nAgainst us is the law
\nPolice know how to make a man
\nA guilty or an innocent<\/i><\/p>\n
Against us is the power of police
\nThe shameless lies that men have told
\nWill ever more be paid in gold
\nAgainst us is the power of the gold
\nAgainst us is racial hatred
\nAnd the simple fact that we are poor<\/i><\/p>\n
My father dear, I am a prisoner
\nDon’t be ashamed to tell my crime
\nThe crime of love and brotherhood
\nAnd only silence is shame<\/i><\/p>\n
With me I have my love, my innocence
\nThe workers and the poor
\nFor all of this I’m safe and strong
\nAnd hope is mine<\/i><\/p>\n
Rebellion, revolution don’t need dollars
\nThey need this instead
\nImagination, suffering, light and love
\nAnd care for every human being<\/i><\/p>\n
You never steal, you never kill
\nYou are a part of hope and life
\nThe revolution goes from man to man
\nAnd heart to heart
\nAnd I sense when I look at the stars
\nThat we are children of life, death is small<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the Masonic Hall on the Deptford Road a group of singers were preparing for another rehearsal In a few weeks they would be singing at The Royal Festival Hall with other singers from Israel, Bolivia and Finland The Rotherhithe Singers were looking forward to their visit, it was a great honour But there was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1257"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1257\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}