Elton John

Elton John sounded rough this morning. But perhaps I’m not the best man to judge. I always think that Elton sounds rough. Sit him behind a piano and microphone and he reminds me of bullfrog trying to swallow a fat bluebottle. He’s the antithesis to everything I want from my music but I didn’t particularly warm to the sight of the cloying loveliness of the Tarquins and Theresas smooching in the audience as dear Aunt Elton coughed up his lyrical syrup. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this about me but I don’t do ‘sweet’. I also don’t go in for large toothed, high income, big collar, Range Rover driving accountants snogging their pearly perfect wives/girlfriends/secretaries on my TV while I’m still trying to digest my morning yoghurt.

I was also feeling tired. I’d been woken at 7am by the children playing in the bedroom next door. The great benefit of living in a semi-detached house is that we can all enjoy the noises of children playing whilst their parents sleep off their New Year’s festivities in whatever strange bedroom or bedsit they’d found themselves.

Despite the above, I am in a better mood. Yes, I sometimes get up feeling cheerful and today was one of those days. I put this down to now being on the other side of the ‘festive season’. I’ve also just finished a sketch of Elton’s lead guitarist which I’ve posted over there, for the few of you who have asked to get in (I do need your email address to invite you in). I’m quite pleased with it, having been studying my Ronald Searle to get the face just right. I’m now going to spend my day printing out gags. I bought some quality HP inkjet paper and have the ‘Artist and Writer’s Yearbook’ beside me. I have no idea how to go about this process of submitting cartoons. I also think that most of mine are too surreal to get accepted. However, I’ll give them a try in the belief that with a new year, anything is possible.