Take Me, I'm Yours

So. Glenn Tilbrook. If you have to ask who, probably best to skip this entry.

VH1 Classic was having a little get-together Monday night for some ad people and other individuals of dubious importance, and I'd been included. The purpose: Come have some cocktails and watch a short set by former Squeeze guy Glenn Tilbrook. As the 80s whore that I am, I just had to do it. Even though I figured it would probably be about 20 minutes worth of stuff I'd never heard (to promote whatever the new record was) and 10 minutes of classics and then g'bye and g'luck. I also assumed they were taping it for later airing.

None of the above. Glenn was there as our entertainment only, and I have to say that despite the wine and Amstel perhaps buoying my experience, he really kicked some ass. I've never seen Squeeze or Tilbrook live before, but for one guy with two guitars (the traditional and a 12-string) he really whooped it up for us. There was the behind-the-head playing pictured above (prior to which he insisted we simply watch him from the chest-level up), the raising of the beer to all of us, and encouraging us to toast with him between songs, the jumping off the stage to play, the leading us through "Black Coffee In Bed's" "da-doot-doo-doo-doo's" and making us the chorus on "Picadilly." He noted there would be a major motion picture about the formation of Squeeze out in 2009 (all tongue in cheek, natch) with Jude Law as himself, Ray Winstone as Chris Difford, and some unsavory actor whose name now escapes me as Jools Holland. It may be the same patter he uses at ever gig, but to his credit: Doesn't sound like it.

I also got lucky and later on managed to have a chat with the man (as well as some whiskey, yay us) and he was patient enough with my general non-Squeeze ignorance of what he's been doing, since, oh, say, the late 1990s. He told me about touring in an RV, of going out on the road into small clubs now, and so forth. Having now done a little digging I realize just to what extent his patience was with me, and I'm all the more humbled: Last week VH1 Classics aired a movie directed by Amy Pickering of his jaunts, and of course he's playing in New York City Friday night. Of course it would have been assholey for him to assume I knew all and to act as if I was just ignorant; instead, I have a lot of respect for the guy. And he was nice, at the same time.

I am glad that I thanked him for the show, though. Really great, sweaty stuff. And, of course, that unmistakable voice. Has anything ever sounded quite so rich and full and quirky and elliptical all at the same time? I think not. We should all be as happy in our work as he appears to be, some 30 years after cutting his first record. Nobody said it would be easy to go from stadiums to the back room at VH1 Classic, and he manages it with classy aplomb.