Tracey Thorn

The Writing on the Wall Festival is still in full swing and it was with great excitement that I headed to Leaf this evening to see one of the musical staples of my student years, the great Tracey Thorn, in conversation with DJ and journalist Dave Haslam and reading from her latest book. And very entertaining it was too!

Just 4 years older than me, Tracey started making music while she was very young and, as a teenager, her work with the Marine Girls and her brilliant solo album,  A Distant Shore were very much on my radar. But it was when she collaborated with fellow Hull University student, and future husband, Ben Watt that she hit the big time as half of Everything But The Girl.

35 years or so later, she and Ben are still together and both of them have produced critically acclaimed books in recent years. Ben's memoir of his fascinating parents, 'Romany and Tom' as well as 'Patient' his memoir of his near-death experience with the rare illness, Churg-Strauss syndrome and Tracey's memoir of her musical youth, 'Bedsit Disco Queen: How I Grew Up and Tried to be a Pop Star' and her current publication 'Naked at the Albert Hall: The Inside Story of Singing'. 

Just recently, Tracey's made a return to recording and I love the way she's writing from the perspective of a middle-aged woman - something that's all too rare in 'popular music'. She also wrote the music for Carol Morley's film, The Falling, which Spokes and I saw a couple of weeks ago. Oh, and she writes a regular column for the New Statesman as well.

Spokes was running the book stall at tonight's event and sold a sizeable pile of Tracey's books, which was an added bonus.

In other news... My schedule unexpectedly coincided with that of infamous 'Man of Letters', Prince Charles, today when we both found ourselves at Liverpool World Museum - not for the same reason, I hasten to add! I didn't get a chance to question him on any future plans he may, or may not, have to influence government policy which was a shame. I could've offered a few suggestions! I have, however, added a quick paparazzi-style snap of him as my extra photo for today...