Home By the Sea (almost)

Feeling relaxed in the Phantom studio on a Sunday afternoon

It’s funny how places grow on you. For a long time after Phantom went legal, I missed the cosy intimacy  of our pirate-era studios in Wexford Street, the classic pirate-type location up flights of stairs in an old building. Looking out the old studio window you could see the bustling street below, a giant neon sign flashed “Eat!”  “Eat!”  “Eat!” all night long, and the studio was just the right size, with everything within easy reach.

Our current day mansion on North Wall Quay seemed soulless by comparison, although it offered the luxury of space and all mod cons. Not the prettiest building in Docklands, it stood on a section of quayside that could be pretty bleak in winter.

But the river . . and the ships. They won me over.

Not since my Caroline days had i been able to to glance out the studio window and see cargo ships passing by, tugs and navy vessels, or watch the ever-changing moods of light and water.

Studio with a view

I’ve fallen in love with the building now every bit as much as the old one, and am totally at home in my (almost) floating studio.

The days of the radio ships are past now, but I’m still spinning music by sparkling salt water, and I love it.

Steve

But step outside, and smell the salty morning air.

---