Yesterday was a funny day.
It began with being interviewed over the phone by a BBC News journalist, who wanted me to go into the Coventry studio to do a full interview about yesterday's story on back-to-work 'incentives' for lone parents. Unfortunately, I was rather too busy working to flit into the studio - somewhat ironically, given the Government's determination to cast us all as feckless benefit frauds. As I also was too busy to listen to the news for the rest of the day, I don't even know if they used the bits we did over the phone... Ho hum. I wonder if Andy Warhol foresaw that we'd all be too busy to enjoy our 15 minutes?? This is really fucked up, though. I thought Blair was going to create an inclusive society? It seems to me that lone parents are singled out and labelled because they're easy to identify. It's really time we began to value parents who stay home with their children, regardless of their marital status; and support people who want to get back to work, regardless of their parental status.
I spent the afternoon being star struck by being within touching distance of Anthony Sher. Of course I didn't. Touch him, I mean. There are limits. He gave a wonderful speech, though; about the importance of being true to yourself and not denying your identity. Very moving. I wonder how many people in his audience were aware of his courage and presence before they happened to find themselves in the same room as him? I saw him in Richard III (can't believe they're trying to say that was in 1984!) and he was mesmerising.
DBO and I finished the day off with a trip to Wolfrun Hall in Wolverhampton to see Scott Matthews. It was a wonderful gig; small and atmospheric, and his voice live is as entrancing as the album promises it might be.