When music and books collide....

I have just made a hugely cool connection. 

Anyone who knows me knows two of my favourite things are music and books. So you can imagine my joy at realising two of my favourite things have collided in the most perfect way........ here’s the stories....... story 1, story 2, story 3, story 4, and then the thread that weaves them all together.......!

Story 1 

I love rock music. I have been attending gigs since a young age, often lying about my whereabouts in order to sneak off to attend venues I was too young to legitimately be in..... Thankfully I am more than old enough to attend gigs now without the need for parental consent. One of my favourites was some 8 years ago...... it was my birthday and we went to see a local band called NASA Assassin. Having consumed way too much tequila I found myself being pulled up on stage to ‘perform’ a mash up of Stevie Nicks’ Edge of Seventeen and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. And by ‘perform’ I mean dance like yer ma and sing along whilst trying to stand well away from a mic. This drunken night earned me the nickname #6 (the band has 5members), a title I have worn with honour ever since.

Story 2

My favourite book is The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I think my mum must’ve read it to me when I was a very young child. She passed away when I was 5 years old, but I can distinctly remember having a cuddly toy of a mole when she was still alive. I can’t think of any other books or tv shows that had a mole as a main character. Moley went everywhere with me, even when his orange felt nose wore through and his stuffing started to fall out.

Story 3

When I was first diagnosed with cancer I obviously spent a lot of time in hospital being treated. During this time I read a lot. My son bought me a gorgeous, illustrated version of my favourite book and I read it repeatedly. It gave me great comfort and helped keep me stay calm. Reading it transported me somewhere else..... to a peaceful place, surrounded by nature.  

Story 4

Our annual charity rock gig has raised thousands of pounds for Macmillan Cancer Support. My good friends in NASA have played at it every year. One of the things that was very important to me was being able to show tangible outcomes. I want everyone who’s given their precious time, energy and money to Triciafest to know they’re making a genuine difference to local patients and their families.

One of the things we are doing is refurbishing a Relatives Room in Causeway Hospital. It is a vision that’s been clear in my mind for a very long time and when work finally started on it last week I’ll admit to a few tears of joy. 

When asked for a theme for the room I had no hesitation...... The Riverbank Room has been my dream for the past two years! The reason I picked this theme is because I love The Wind in the Willows so much and with the hospital close to the River Bann and the general feeling of peace that naturally comes from water, it seemed like the perfect name and theme for a haven where patients and their families can seek quiet from the busy hospital environment.

The one thing I wasn’t sure about was the lack of a music link........ surely a room created by music lovers should have a music theme running through it somewhere??........

The Thread

The Wall is a Pink Floyd song and album first released in 1979. It’s a famous and iconic album. My Bez-like tequila hazed dancing did the song no credit at all! I’ve always loved a bit of Floyd...... the albums I had as a teenager were The Wall, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. What I’ve only just discovered....... and it’s blown my mind a bit........ is the name of their first album........ The Piper at the Gates of Dawn........ 

“....it takes its title from chapter seven of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, and was recorded at EMI Studios in London from February to May 1967”

Mind. Blown!! No more need to feel like the music connection from our Riverbank Room is missing. It was there all along......

“This is the place of my song-dream, the place the music played to me”

From The Wind in the Willows (Ch 7), by Kenneth Grahame