from Eastern Eye

Trickbaby’s big day out

I’ve always wanted to write one of those songs that people fall in love to, make up to, kiss and cry over. This week I shared the same air and space as some of the Western hemisphere’s finest songwriters at the swanky-darling Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane for the Ivor Novello awards. There I was in my glad rags and the pointiest pair of boots I could find gleaning tips in the craft of writing tunes from some badass wordsmiths. First I got introduced to Holland Dozier Holland (Brian, Lamont and Eddie to their friends). Between them these guys created the Motown sound writing songs for Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson. Their advice to me was “Keep it real”, Hot Chocolate singer Errol Brown said “tell it from the heart” (his head is so like a malteser I wanted to scratch the top of it to see if there was honeycomb underneath). I’d barely whipped the garnish of my terrine starter when a murmur of another Superstar arrival had me proper jumping in my VIP seat. Word was out – Whitney Houston was going to be there. Excellent I thought…I could get some tips on being a troubled Diva (although many believe I have a diploma in that already). Went in search of Whitney but no-one had seen her…an old pal from Island Records said they’d just walked past Ozzy Osbourne and The Sugababes outside having a crafty fag but that turned out to be a big flabby lie. I was gutted because I’m the hugest Ozzie fan (he reminds me of my Dad). Missed the main course altogether (too busy causing “masti”) but you’ll be relieved to know I got back to the table in time for my pudding - a trio of raspberry sorbet, mini vanilla panna cotta and dark deadly chocolate mousse. Charlotte Church walked past me…yeah whatever. She may have the voice of an angel but the way she was hanging onto her boyfriend she was thinkin’ pure devilish business. Trickbaby didn’t win anything this year – good thing really because the award wouldn’t have fit in my handbag anyway. Quick message for Funki who dropped me an email, yes you can get our cd on Amazon – as for the chokri crisis – as my new friends Eddie, Lamont and Brian told me the other day “You can’t hurry love – you’ll just have to wait” but go easy on the kebabs in the meantime.