Remember that autobiography I had out last year? IT’S STILL OUT!!! Oh and I’ll be at the @PetworthFest Petworth Literary Festival on (Remember remember the) 4th November! ! #TikTok vm.tiktok.com/ZN8Df12yY/
3 screen-grabs from my book "THE CLOSEST THING TO CRAZY" - the bit about discoveriing @katiemelua
Mike Batt retweeted
For anyone that hasn't read / listened to @Mike_Batt 's autobiography, I heartily recommend it.
Funny, touching, insightful - you'll be richly rewarded!
An excerpt from my memoir "THE CLOSEST THING TO CRAZY" - " I don’t know what it was about my songs that so much attracted Prince, but to be doing two of mine on stage was a great surprise that gave me an enormous psychological boost. More heady, still, was the day when he called me up at home.
“Hey man, I love your song “If You Were A Sailboat” but it’s got girl-centric lyrics. Can I change a cuppla words, would that be OK?”
He was ultra laid back but very polite and I was impressed by his courtesy, because most artists would just change the words and not tell you. He wanted to change the line” If you were a cowboy I would trail you” to “If you were a gypsy I would trail you”. That was it. Of course I agreed, I was delighted.
About a week later his office sent me an mp3 of the track. It sounded fantastic. He’d made the lyric changes and added a really cool beat to it. What I didn’t notice in my excitement, was that he’d snuck another word change in. Where I had written “If you were a preacher I’d begin to change my ways” he’d substituted “If you were a witness I’d begin to change my ways”. I’d forgotten he was a Jehovah’s Witness. Anyway it didn’t bother me when I noticed it." mikebatt.com/store/p/signed-…
An excerpt from my memoir "THE CLOSEST THING TO CRAZY" - " I don’t know what it was about my songs that so much attracted Prince, but to be doing two of mine on stage was a great surprise that gave me an enormous psychological boost. More heady, still, was the day when he called me up at home.
“Hey man, I love your song “If You Were A Sailboat” but it’s got girl-centric lyrics. Can I change a cuppla words, would that be OK?”
He was ultra laid back but very polite and I was impressed by his courtesy, because most artists would just change the words and not tell you. He wanted to change the line” If you were a cowboy I would trail you” to “If you were a gypsy I would trail you”. That was it. Of course I agreed, I was delighted.
About a week later his office sent me an mp3 of the track. It sounded fantastic. He’d made the lyric changes and added a really cool beat to it. What I didn’t notice in my excitement, was that he’d snuck another word change in. Where I had written “If you were a preacher I’d begin to change my ways” he’d substituted “If you were a witness I’d begin to change my ways”. I’d forgotten he was a Jehovah’s Witness. Anyway it didn’t bother me when I noticed it." mikebatt.com/store/p/signed-…
Good morning. Anywhere you want to go? youtube.com/watch?v=ajthWjav…
Mike Batt retweeted
Idiot me: of all the lovely things I’ve done, I had a songwriting session with George Harrison at his house at Friar Park. We had something half-finished but I didn’t think it was much good yet so we went downstairs and had kitchen dinner with our wives and watched telly. We never got round to finishing that song. I would love to have had a co-write with him. He was such a great person. 🫢
Idiot me: of all the lovely things I’ve done, I had a songwriting session with George Harrison at his house at Friar Park. We had something half-finished but I didn’t think it was much good yet so we went downstairs and had kitchen dinner with our wives and watched telly. We never got round to finishing that song. I would love to have had a co-write with him. He was such a great person. 🫢
Imagine something yesterday... [a respectful tribute] youtube.com/watch?v=uEns8WEs…
















