Salut! Live

The Northern Front were a team in as much as everyone knew their role. I’m not sure what my role was after the initial excitement – a great team, as in football, is one where players work for each other.

I last saw Nick in about 1981. I heard from a Birmingham group recently that he had stopped performing, but was preparing a comeback.

I was a teacher for 30 years in a little former mining village called Boldon Colliery. The pit closed, new houses were built, Asda arrived with 24 hour shopping and the place was 90 per cent middle class when I left in 2003. I wrote pantomimes – some of them political – for the kids and now I get regular e-mails from pupils and they are always about singing. Hamster Sid is legendary for them. I am a dad. I have three girls. My life really revolves around songwriting and keeping track of past material.

During the Miners’ Strike of 84/85 I wrote a song, recorded on an album called Heroes (launched at The Albert Hall with Mick as compere in 1985) called They’ll Never Beat The Miners. It was sung by The Wildon Brothers and people were defiantly jiving in the Albert aisle. Yes I was wrong but occasionally still sing out defiantly – there is an old saying re footy “don’t leave anything on the pitch” . I think it means give it your best shot. I think as long as you do that – Edith Piaf like – that’s OK.

Following on from that question, I recall going down the shaft on last shift of closing collieries and listening to older miners saying they were glad their sons wouldn't have to follow them down. Less than 20 years later, they were on strike trying to keep another generation of threatened mines open. Is the paradox simply a function of there having been alternative work in the 1960s, not in the 80s, or is it more complex?

I think the reaction to a pit is summed up in my song Strange Lover is a Coalmine, recorded very well last year by Tom McConville. It is a dichotomy; most old miners I meet miss the camaraderie.

I have always used my reactions to events –sometimes just personal – like a friend’s death – not always of course, but sometimes – as in “inspiration” to create a song – maybe it is just my way of marking an event.

Do you listen to today's folk artists? If so, who gives you pleasure and is there anyone - or any sub-genre - that leaves you cold?

I regret the demise of the socially conscious folkie. I think that role has been taken on by “pop” and new punk. If I was starting now I would be a punk singer going to open mike sessions and singing songs reflecting what is happening now. I love all singer songwriters: folk or non-folk old favourites like Tom Waites, Harry Chapin, Hank Williams, Tom T Hall, Springsteen, Rod Stewart ... everybody – the whole lot – even Paul Simon.

What I have been doing recently is – as always through the medium of song – getting back to my pitmatic roots in Shiney Row and writing songs. The last one was autobiographical called Tommy Lie Down about advice given to an uncle of mine who fought all his life and never won a fight – he had a cauliflower arse – which contain “thee” and “thou”. I have no idea if people speak like that now but it puts me in touch with the past, and it makes people laugh ... so far.

I find I am contacted by a lot of young people who see no divisions in music. They might say they are off to an open mike session to sing Pound A Week Rise etc from the USA to Australia. I like that. Even a punk group called - wonderful name - The Dropkick Murphys sing a song of mine, The Workers' Song, which gives me a great street credibility with my daughter's friends.

On infinitely more important matters (than football, how to work MP3s etc), how is your health? Are you four years into that prognosis and doing well, and/or has the prognosis changed for the better?

Healthwise I have a regular checkups as part of a system. What one learns is very simple and not earth-shattering at all really. I've seen it many times at the cancer centre in Newcastle. People just get on with things; that's all you can do really.
Personally, I'm OK about 80% of the time and can do what most 65-year-olds can do and - like everyone else - today is another day.
Life is tenuous. I know of a few people - no longer with us - that were wishing me well four or five years ago.
This songwriting thing is very selfish really. I've always wanted to contribute - and I have - even to the extent of things like Ah Cud Hew and Farewell Johnny Miner being regarded as "traditional". Two examples recently: a group that had it's origins in Leeds University but seem to have an American recording company, reissued a CD in 2005 (the group is called The Mekons) - containing Farewell Johnny Miner and I wasn't named on the credits.
Another two hand American girl group called The Lady's Cutlass brought out a CD containing FJM and have it down as "traditional" in the credits. The CD was called We Be Pirates and I thought: "Yes, you bloody well are!"
An Irish singer did the same last year so for technical reasons, leaving royalties to my kids. I chase down these situations but if you stand back then you can see it is a compliment, being regarded as "traditional". That's how anyone wants to be remembered, producing work that is of some use to someone.
I have e-mail contacts with lots of people all over the world about songs I wrote specifically about Durham or the UK. There is a lesson for me here: I do not try to do anything other than what I feel like doing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not but I don't care. I just try to do the best I can.
Songs are very strange. Why is a song like Pound A Week Rise - rescued from my personal "scrapheap", because it was about a miners' wage claim in 1962 and I did not think it relevant in the 70s, by Dick Gaughan in about 1975 - still recorded by Americans, Australians etc - I mean it mentions seven and six [old money]?
I always say there is no such thing as an old song because it is new to someone if they have not heard it before.
Being "remembered" is not important to me. The songs being used, maybe remembered, is important. Remember Stephen Foster died penniless and a "failure" financially but his songs are still remembered although his genius is tarnished by some of the lyrics being of their time.