I was delighted to see that Brompton Oratory is part of your set list for your tour. This song captured me for some reason. Twenty years ago, I used to lie on the floor in my small apartment, playing this song on repeat. It made me sad, safe and hopeful at the same time. I remember thinking a lot about the lyrics and wondering what was behind them. Now I finally have the opportunity to ask you.
SARA @ Issue no. 294My wife and I are expecting a baby boy next week. All the tests are normal but I seem to swing from terror to euphoria and back again by the minute. Mostly terror! [ ] No real question, I just wanted to let you know.
MARIUS @ Issue no. 283I must confess I got to know you just today. One of my classmates said this website inspired her, and I got interested. We are at an art school in Chelsea. I was reading some questions – coronation, father’s death, tattoo, inspiration and love. I couldn’t help but start crying. I don’t know why. It’s 6 pm in the library. It’s sunny, and I am clearly sober. I wonder why this page makes me so emotional. I think it’s really beautiful what you are doing. It’s such a humane act. I just wanted to tell you this.
RYU @ Issue no. 238I’ve always felt some sort of relation between you and Nick Drake. If you haven’t heard of him he was an artist from England who wrote only about 60 songs about love, regret, happiness and some emotions I can’t really describe. He sadly suffered from depression and died from an overdose only 4 years into his career. I may be very wrong in thinking so but do you feel that you share more than your first name with Drake?
RAGHAV @ Issue no. 159I want to thank you for releasing Live at Alexandria Palace and especially for playing those Boatman’s Call songs. I listened to that record repeatedly as a lonely, bullied and suicidal 12-year-old girl and I think I took it as some kind of a fantasy of love and all the sweet, horrible pain and adventure it would bring. I remember around that time watching an interview where you said you felt somewhat ‘disgusted’ by certain elements of that record. I could not possibly understand what you meant by it back then. Now, 20 years later, I have experienced love, pain and adventure. Listening to your Alexandria Palace versions of those songs, they are not a fantasy to me anymore. They are as real as I am in my attempts at living. What were you disgusted by back then? What do those songs mean to you now and what made you revisit them? I wish you could have seen me as a 12-year-old trying to figure out what ‘an interventionist God’ means. Thank you for bringing so much light into my life.
ELINA @ Issue no. 132I used to play Into My Arms for my girlfriend. I came to your concert in Birmingham, but I had to leave early. It was far too emotional for me and reminded me of the amazing times I had with my girlfriend, which I know I will never get back.
STELLAN @ Issue no. 306