I feel I owe followers a little bit of an explanation. The site has been quiet in 2020, and that’s something of an understatement. Just about nine posts since the turn of the year.
Now it’s certainly true that nothing much has happened with Paddy or Prefab Sprout this year, though it hasn’t been absolutely nothing: Martin’s chaotic but nonetheless rather wonderful renditions of songs on the virtual Sproutfest were an absolute joy, and he’s been popping up all over the place with, I think, increased self confidence and his own identity. Bass players generally stand in the shadows, but the more Martin steps out of them the better as far as I’m concerned. A humble but very astute guy, a great depth of quietly expressed knowledge. But anyway, the lack of Sprout activity wasn’t the reason for the site being quiet.
Nor was COVID19. Actually in principle that provides a lot more time to do things. It’s just that the things I found time for were different things.
It’s in my nature to get deeply fascinated by subjects, descend into them in obsessive depth, and spend pretty much every waking hour either doing that or thinking about doing that. That’s one of the reasons I “get” Paddy I think. I understand that level of compulsion and how it squeezes everything else out, and that even when on a rational basis you know you ought to be doing other things, you don’t. Or you resent doing them, or even being asked to. So when I hear Paddy’s explanation of why he doesn’t just press the record button, I nod in agreement. I understand the feelings that lead him not to do that.
But the difference is that Paddy has a single compulsion – songwriting – and for me my compulsions are cyclical. They don’t have fixed cycle times, but usually they’re about 10 years long. I’ve had quite a number, I enjoy them, I learn an incredible amount, and it keeps my mind active. There’s usually a bit of an overlap, but when things change it’s a bit like when there’s a new Dr Who: you never quite know how it’s going to manifest, you sort of find out as you go along. So in about 2019 I started getting really interested in aviation, flying commercially or in vintage aircraft, earning frequent flier miles, all that sort of thing. And as usual I’ve done it in enormous depth. I don’t do anything with the intention of superficiality. All-in or not at all. My route map looks like a crazy spiders web, and at the end of each line has been an adventure. I’ve been to Easter Island, I’ve watched cremations in Nepal, I’ve flown in 80 year old aircraft and taken the controls of a biplane. It’s been great.
And so really that’s why I’ve been a lot less active here. A lot of the things I hadn’t quite completed – the interview translations, quite a few audio discoveries including concerts from Italy and more recently Sweden, have been sitting on the virtual shelf, glaring at me. I avoid their gaze. But I have still been keeping an eye out on developments, on Ebay too, and there is still a slight flame glowing, so I’ve resolved to cross a few of these T’s and dot as many I’s as I can reach, and if there’s ever a new album, it may reanimate me and the site completely.
I’ve been doing this for a long time. Sproutology began I think in 2014, my second Prefab Sprout phase started in 2009. There is a thing where the diminishing returns – less material turning up, it is really tough to find things, and even more so when you stop looking quite so hard – reduces the rewards for the effort, and you start losing the buzz of discovery. And you forget things: For example, I had to really work at remembering my workflow for audio restorations, and even what I had in the pipeline, and blowing the dust off this sort of thing also acts as a brake to restarting them.
Certainly the page views have been maintained throughout the quiet period, and I do feel I owe readers some new content. I’m deeply grateful to those who keep the faith and keep coming back. The site will continue. I can’t promise it will be as busy as it was in recent years, but I’ve been on the other side of this, when a resource I valued has fallen into the digital ditch, and I don’t want that to happen here. I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to say I’ve been keeping the flame burning, but I hope this is and remains a worthwhile resource for people wanting to learn more and dig into what lies behind the music.
So on we go, and here’s hoping for something new in 2021.
You are always an busy B Tim! Well done.
From my perspective you have nothing to apologise for, your passion has given many of us much joy and access to Sproutliness that we would never have seen or heard otherwise. Many thanks.
Good to hear from you Tim. Thanks for keeping the flame lit.
You’ve done an excellente job !!. We all know more of Prefab Sprout thanks to you. Now, let’t hope Paddy is ok and gifts us with a new master piece on the 2021, It would be like fresh air after this horrible year we’ve been through.
Thanks so much
You’ve got nothing to be sorry for! Sproutology is an incredibly valuable, immeasurable resource for fans old and new (speaking from experience)! Thank you for all the work you’ve done! Continue doing what you’d like, please! Not only will it make you happy, but others as well, as evident from this website.
Ah, imagine listening to The Sound of Crying whilst soaring over South America… A dream…
This is the best website by a country mile for any artist that I like. How you’ve managed to pull together so much information on Prefab Sprout is beyond me. Please don’t give this up in the future, as it keeps the flame alive for Paddy MacAloon and his wonderful music. Paddy should be paying you for services above and beyond promoting all things Prefab Sprout.
I still play Sproutmash and it is hard to stop once started!
Roll on some new music in 2021, even though what we have is ever enduring.
Your work on this site is so so much appreciated over here in the states. South Dakota, to be exact. I check everyday, always hoping something new will pop up, no matter what. I’m not a collector, but the interviews are the real nuggets I treasure and this recent one from 2001 is another wonderful addition. The Jordan demos were also a revelation for me. All that being said, no matter what you decide to continue doing, know that you’ve left a credible and wonderful archive on one of the greatest songwriters of the present popular age. Thank you for your efforts!!
CB
Really, you have nothing to be apologetic for – you would be a very strange person indeed if you had no other personal interests beyond Prefab Sprout. As fans, I think we all appreciate that the increasing paucity of any new Sprout related news – let’s face it, they are now essentially a “heritage act” – means that updates here will, necessarily, be few and far between, but it’s still good to know that you intend to keep this site ticking over occasionally. Thank you for your efforts to this point in making an interesting and informative resource.
this site is excellent. I’ve used it, and been impressed by it, many times over the years.
I came here today looking for a song written about Paddy and Prefab; it has the lyric “… soft like peppered sprouts” in it. Can someone please tell me what the song is? Im tired of looking at results for Brussle Sprout “delicacies”.
cheers!
JpD.
You’re thinking of “Jackson”, made famous by Johnny Cash and June Carter, and despite what many believe absolutely nothing to do with Prefab Sprout. “We got married in a fever/hotter than a pepper sprout”. The connection was a joke made in interviews regarding the origin of the band name, which stuck.
https://dylanmondegreen.bandcamp.com/track/come-with-me-to-albuquerque
The Norwegian singer/songwriter Børge Sildnes records under the moniker Dylan Mondegreen. His ode to Paddy is the first track on his 2009 album The World Spins On.
Hi JpD.,
The song you heard is called “(Come With Me To) Albuquerque” by a Norwegian singer-songwriter who records as Dylan Mondegreen. It’s the first track off his 2009 album, The Worlds Spins On.
The song is filled with Paddy lyric references and begins:
I trawl the megahertz to find a soothing verse
A chorus that may appeal to me
Then off my radio comes a softish blow
As Paddy Joe sings of New Mexico
Let’s find a prefab house
Where it’s hot like pepper sprouts
So come with me
to Albuquerque
I tried to reply with a link to his bandcamp page where you can hear the song, but this WordPress site may have thought it was spam. Hope you’re able to find it. Cheers!