I Knew A Teenage Jesus

When i was about 14 i had a Sanyo CD player that my mum got me when my Grandad passed away. I adored it, it had a flip up toploading mechanism and an in build radio that i used to tape Radio One sessions and the charts every Sunday night. That was my escape, my best friend and the focal point in my room, it was constantly on when I was home and all the songs I cherished were played through it. The huge number of CD albums and singles (yes remember them!), the CD's that were bought and played the most were The Bluetones, Oasis and Nirvana. The Bluetones have sound tracked my life right up until their farewell tour this year so what happened last night was a fitting send off personally.
The Bluetones were and are one of those bands I was fanatical about. I loved the intricate guitar playing from Adam Devlin who has been a massive influence on how I approached guitar, and the melodies and dry lyrical wit from Mark Morris who has been a hero of mine since my teens. The second wave of Bluetones material was the album "Return To The Last Chance Saloon" and the first single off it was the chunky riffage of "Solomon Bites The Worm" which went in at number 10. The b side to that single that was tucked away but became a fan favorite was "I knew A Teenage Jesus". For me the song had a real wistful uplifting feel to it and i used to play it on repeat for hours. It takes me back to those confusing teen years of never quite fitting in properly, scrabbling round for identity, and trying to find out who I was. Which were all constantly in a state of flux to that question arnt we? The bands and music I adored in that period became foundation for who I am now without question and will reference them for as long as I am here.
Last night I supported Mark Morris which I've had the pleasure of doing a few times now and for his encore we did an impromptu version of the song. For what is essentially, an under-rehearsed version of a Bluetones classic was for me a very poignant event which I thank Mark profusely for letting me crash in on. 
The year they split, was the year I joined him onstage two days before the end of the year to play a track that 13 years previous was playing on that little Sanyo toploading CD player in my bedroom....


Happy New Year
Stay Safe
Andy x