Hi, my name is Neil Davidge, I write music, not books, or blogs for that matter.
Don't get me wrong, it's an honour to be in a position where I can write about what I do, I'm chuffed. It just doesn't come naturally. Getting round to starting this blog was like trying to find a place I've never been to before, in the centre of London, with no Sat Nav and two screaming kids in the back. I make music from the heart and from the gut, that's what I know how to do.
The music industry and media like to portray a certain image of what artists and careers in music are all about. You've seen the videos, superstars surrounded by girls by a pool in Beverly Hills, on top of a mountain sporting guitar and long hair blowing in the wind... and then the other side of it, seedy hotels, drugs and wild parties...
I'm not saying this is all bollocks, but for most of us the reality of being a music maker is far from either of these clichés. Whilst I passionately love what I do (which I don't take for granted), being beholden to some imaginary cool life that even your friends think you lead is alienating to everyone. So maybe it's time to expose that myth...
You've probably heard a few things I've done, maybe 'Teardrop' by Massive Attack, the title song for the TV show 'House MD', or the track I did with David Bowie for the movie 'Moulin Rouge'. You might even have a copy of an album by Massive Attack and played the video game 'Halo 4'. A lot of me is in that music, I produced / wrote / co-wrote that stuff. And my first solo album has just hit the shelves in America, so I'm writing this with a bucket over my head.
I've spent much of the last 25 years in the studio making music. By anyone's standards I'm successful, I've sold a lot of albums with Massive, and 'Halo' is one of the biggest franchises in history. I've written film scores, worked with some amazing artists, I have 3 kids, I rent a moderately nice house, I'm engaged to a wonderful woman and have my own studio in the centre of my home town of Bristol in the UK.
To be continued...