mostly david ephgrave

What do you get for the vain keyboardist who’s in need of storage space? THIS. It ticks all the boxes. Any aspiring Rick Wakemans, Elton Johns or Myleene Klasses (awkward plural) can play away to their heart’s content as they stare at their own faces (I’d look away if were Rick or Elton, but who am I to talk?). They could reach into a drawer with their bass-hand to pull out a sweater without missing a beat – though they’d best approach the bottom one two-handed, not least because they’d need to move the floral display first. (I’m misunderstanding for comic effect.) I saw this musical dresser in the window of a charity shop. I don’t think it’s a good way to display either item. There’s little crossover in interest: a cabinet is as much a keyboard stand as a Casio is an ornament.   (Musical nans: feel free to disagree.)

I’ve got into the habit of playing a handful of YouTube clips of songs that put me in a good mood, when I’m in the bath in the morning. This is not without risk. I keep my mobile on the window ledge above the bath: reaching up to it with the driest hand that I can muster, to switch from one clip to another. It’s my personal take on an extreme sport. If only there were other ways I could do it, such as listening to a playlist I’d set up in advance or - God forbid - an ALBUM, there’d be less chance of me making an insurance claim in the near future. What can I say? I like to live dangerously. The music I choose tends to go around in cycles. I’ll listen to the same few songs for a week or two, then move on to something else. I’m quite careful about my selections, never wanting to play anything so maudlin that it makes me want to slip my head below the surface. I’m like the priest in Father Ted who listens to the Theme from Shaft to lift himself from depression, without the co...