Applause for Doors.

I did some recording with one of my musical collaborators this week. He had managed to find a female singer who liked his music and was willing to add some backing vocals to our existing efforts. We turned up to the studio with our new find in tow and her backing vocals were added; she is very good. It transpires she is studying art and had recently had an open air installation on show in the local area which attracted a lot of attention. She showed us pictures of the installation and it was quite impressive. It would have been interesting to visit it and educate myself on a subject I know nothing about.

The thing about meeting new people is that they can open doors for you. Other people have hobbies, jobs and contacts that can lead you in completely new directions if you are curious enough. Take our new-found singer, we could develop a friendship which would involve supporting her in her artistic endeavours by visiting her exhibitions and meeting her arty friends. I could develop a lifelong interest and an insight into modern art which, at the moment, is a closed book to me. Alternatively my musical collaborator may give her a larger role in his music which would take it in a much more folky/country direction just by her being there.

When you are very young you believe that the way your parents do things is the only way and, as you grown up and mix socially, your friends open doors to alternative lifestyles and attitudes. I can still remember being fascinated by my friends' houses and the way they did things. My best friend at infants and juniors was a lad called David and his parents seemed to me to be so glamorous. His mum had long blonde hair and wore jeans. There was always food about and we could have whatever we wanted, she even kept glucose in a packet in the larder, imagine that, glucose. I didn't have a clue what it was but I knew we didn't have anything that exotic at home.

In my later years at secondary school there was another lad who took to knocking for me. He was well known for fighting and causing trouble. I remember how he once bragged that he managed to avoid the police by hiding in a coal bunker for several hours. I also remember being stop searched by the old bill just because I was walking down the road with him. I began to avoid him and that particular door stayed firmly closed.

As people get older and get settled with partners, life seems to become more insular. The opportunities for meeting new people with interesting doors to open diminishes. Eventually it ends up back where it started, slaves to habit and unwilling or unable to consider new things in case it rocks the boat. I suspect that keeping a curiosity about the world is what keeps people young at heart... or is it the alcohol.