I am almost done with David Mitchell’s book “Utopia Avenue”, about a fictitious band in late Sixties in London, and wish it would go on and on. It’s a great account of a band and makes me wonder whether Mitchell himself was in a band at some point. The guitarist is the most unstable one in the group, of course. :-)

I like this little paragraph about the scenius:

“Our friend Brian talks about ‘The Scenius'”, says Elf. “The genius of the scene. Art’s made by artists, but artists are enabled by a scene – non-artistic factors. Buyers, sellers, materials, patrons, technology, places to mingle and swap ideas. You see the fruit of the scenius in Medici Florida. The Dutch Golden Age. New York in the Twenties. Hollywood.”

It is so true. Nothing blossoms in a vacuum and yet we have allowed politicians to hack away at the scene that creates art and music and culture. They got rid of music in schools, they got rid of art in schools and what replaced it? Social media? Of course one is going to be obsessed with social media when one hasn’t been given tools to create.

I have read most of Mitchell’s books and am a fan of his work. I recommend “Utopia Avenue”.