KT Tunstall Diary

10th October, 2005

Now to be known as Q-award Monday, Oct 10th

OH…MY…GOOOD!!!!! I am still in shock. I thought, i’ll stick some slap on, go along to the awards, have some lunch, watch some band equivalent to a small country scoop my category, and get to rehearsals by 5pm.

Well, i got to rehearsals, half pissed on champagne, balancing said award on my head, having met Bjork, Coldplay, Oasis, Yoko Ono, Michael Eavis, The Prodigy, Damon Albarn, Nick Cave, and wait for it…Mr. JIMMY PAGE!!!!!! And i can say, although rather over-whelming, it was all an utter pleasure. I got a bit mental talking to Bjork and Jimmy Page – a little struck by their brilliance i was, but still got to have a memorable hello.

I just had no idea i was going to win it. In fact, thought there was no way i would. When it was announced, i hadn’t thought of what to say (or who to slag off! hehe!) as it felt faintly ridiculous to win best track against Coldplay, Oasis, U2 & James Blunt. I gloriously managed to fail in thanking ANYone, but i think my genuine wide-eyed surprise was fairly apparent! The video did look crackin up on that massive screen though!!

Gutted i couldn’t get down and party after, but southampton will thank me tomorrow night. I have a month a parties ahead. Ah the joy. My left hand fingertips are rock solid and ready for the onslaught, boots are waiting at the door, this is what it’s all about folks…brrrrrrrrrring it on!!!!!!

See you somewhere on t’road, KT xx

Posted by KT on the 10th October, 2005
8th October, 2005

Saturday, October 8th, nearly nearly tour time

Eh up.
Had an amazing Thursday; i went to Paris for the day. My delayed plane meant missing a couple of interviews and heading straight for tea and toast at Jane Birkin’s house. She’s making a new album and might record an old song of mine. She wanted to talk about doing it differently from the recording – which of course was fine – so i spent a couple of shiny hours in her company, shooting the breeze.

Her appartment is magical; it reminded me that i never want cups that match, and that no object has an excuse to be dull. The thing that touched me most was that she has used the same (frenetic!) wallpaper in her kitchen wherever she’s lived over the last 30 years so it always feels like her kitchen. Pictures of her & Serge Gainsbourg, and her gorgeous daughters…then one of them, Lou, came over with her young son and it struck me what a ripe environment it must be to grow up in, with a celebrated family history such as theirs. You’d have to try hard not to be special.

Rehearsed the last couple of days…ho ho hoooo! You’re sooo in for a good show….it’s great chewing through it all, working out the new stuff, stretching the skin of the old. But it’s properly knackering too, we’re all absolutely spent by the end of the day. On my way home, i spoke to my Other Side of the World muse, and the good news is, they’re getting married!! Long distance love aint hard when someone moves eh. Part 2: “Now We Live Together (Is It As Good?)”. Joke people, joke.

Watched the first part of the Scorcese Dylan film, kind of spooked me a bit. Really good, but i need to see the next half…it’s strange seeing a myth condense into a bloke…

I’m off. Brain needs a bath. x

Posted by KT on the 8th October, 2005
3rd October, 2005

Oct 2nd, Sunday night, must go to bed...

Ah!! Back in the rehearsal room with the boys. Next to being on tour, and the island of Bora-Bora (which admittedly i’ve only seen pictures of) it’s my favourite place to be. Or Skye. Okay, A rehearsal, with tropical cocktails, followed by a tour, on the isle of Skye. Talking of which, there are rumours of film-making and music making along those very lines…i’ll tell you more when i know more…

Bob Dylan. I must admit, the entire experience of doing the Dylan tribute night led to a real awakening for me. The lead up co-incided with a stay at the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York. I usually stay in pretty clinical, ‘nice’-looking hotels when i travel doing gigs and interviews, but my first night in NYC was spent at the Chelsea, where scores of legendary names have shacked up – including Dylan Thomas, our man’s namesake. As New York goes, it’s a bloody old hotel.

I was a little freaked out at first – this is the kind of place where people live; weird 80’s fake leather furniture mixed with antique lamps, and god knows what leaving spectacular stains on the rug. If you climbed through the faded curtains & out the window onto a little iron balcony, you could see old garden furniture and plastic flowers tied up all the way along. But within half an hour, i remembered how much it meant to me to not stay in ‘nice’ places. I could’ve stayed there for months.

A friend took me to Jimmy’s Corner – a bar run by Mohamed Ali’s trainer. The walls were covered in boxing memorabilia – some incredible old photos – Ella Fitzgerald & Frank Sinatra hogged the jukebox. We met Jimmy, and he said he liked ‘Glas-gaow’, it was a good town.

When i got back to London, i got a phonecall from Billy Bragg to ask if i’d do a duet with him; of course i’d love to, and he was so friendly and up-front. The guys and i worked hard on getting Tangled Up in Blue & Simple Twist of Fate as good as we could while sounding like ourselves, and all the time i was getting more and more excited about being invited to join in.

We had some great gigs in Paris, Baden-Baden in Germany (where we got magnificently hammered with Athlete – i still have sambuca stains on my boots), Milan (where i got grabbed by some drunk maniac who managed to get on stage – he then took a swing at the security guard, missed, and fell 5 feet off the stage, landing on his nose), and Cork (where i’m sure people were also drinking heavily).

The Bob night at the Barbican was, with the Mercury’s, Glastonbury, T in the Park, and my 30th party, a highlight of my year. The royalty of folk music were playing, and queen of the night was Odetta. She had such immense grace and presence and soul. And we were all wide-eyed little bunnies when we realised John-Paul Jones was sitting next to us in catering.

At the end of it, we all felt totally inspired and grateful and relieved to have kept up. Billy Bragg was a joy to meet and sing with. I learnt alot. I remembered not to want for too much, because i don’t need that much. We just get made to feel like there are certain things we should have.

Working out tunes and a new semi-acoustic guitar, rooting out what sounds good, what seems old-hat, the tour is close and we all have christmas-eve insomnia because this is why we play…

xx

Posted by KT on the 3rd October, 2005

KT Tunstall Diary

10th October, 2005

Now to be known as Q-award Monday, Oct 10th

8th October, 2005

Saturday, October 8th, nearly nearly tour time

3rd October, 2005

Oct 2nd, Sunday night, must go to bed...

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