Squeeze Concert including one odd tidbit
I saw Squeeze (or, more precisely, Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook of Squeeze) in concert at a local club last night. They performed mostly acoustic versions (tho Tillbrook played some electric guitar) of Squeeze's greatest hits and they did so with great style. The simpler arrangements still managed to capture a lot of the kinetic energy that is central to so many Squeeze songs. Overall, a very fun show and one worth catching for any Squeeze fan.
Squeeze is a band that I admire greatly: IMO, they combine outstanding songs (irresistible hooks) with excellent musicianship (Tillbrook is a fine, under-appreciated guitarist) and they often provide witty lyrics rife with clever wordplay. When the band performs, they rock with much more power than you might expect from such shiny songs. When they perform as a duo, however, the concert is less manic and involves more interaction with the audience. I've seen them do request-heavy shows in the past, but last night they had a guy with a mic walking thru the audience to take questions.
While most of Squeeze's best lyrics are probably best characterized as "clever good fun", one of their songs, "Some Fantastic Place", is a kind of pop elegy. The song is sung as a paean to a lover who died young. I've always wondered whether it was a true story or an imagined one. I've also always found it to be a tremendously moving and inspirational statement at a time of great sadness. I like a lot of Squeeze's lyrics, but I've always felt that "Fantastic Place" is a cut above anything else that Squeeze has done lyrically. (Actually, I find it a cut above all but a very few lyrics from anyone - there's just a very intense personal connection with that song on my part.)
When the mic came my way, I asked if a two part question was okay. They approved and I first asked:
"What lyric are you most proud of?"
Tillbrook hemmed and hawed for a minute ("That answer might change every day"), before he eventually settled on...... "Some Fantastic Place". Tillbrook said he was very proud of that one and then he thanked Difford for penning the lyric that told the story so movingly. He then asked me for part two of my question.
I told him that my second question was about..... "Some Fantastic Place". I asked whether the song was about an actual person in his life and, if it was, whether he might share that story.
He explained that his first great love died young of Leukemia. When Difford first provided his lyric shortly after her death, Tillbrook said the chords just spilled out of him in a spontaneous torrent. It was evident that it was a moving moment for him. It was satisfying to see that I had shared that sentiment with him regarding the power of the song.
It was a nice cap to a really fun evening with two terrific pop musicians. It also made it clear that a chance to interact with the people who write our favorite songs is an opportunity that happens way too rarely. If you like Squeeze, and Difford/Tillbrook comes to your neighborhood, I'd urge you to check this one out. Come armed with a question, too - it might make the night special.
