The Streets and Me

Mike Skinner and his lyrics have been a huge influence to so many people on a global scale. As one of those people I feel it only right and logical to do my first music themed blog on a man who will be sadly missed as he leaves the music scene as The Streets for good.

I pondered doing a general, complete, potentially flattering summery of Mike Skinners persona the Streets but decided i couldn't beat this, http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jan/02/mike-skinner-streets-interview-computers-blues - the guardians full length interview and compressed evaluation of all five albums and the ten years incorporating them. Having never interviewed him i decided instead to do it from my own relative angle and my own inner experiences.

When the first Streets album 'Original Pirate Material' was released in 2002 i would only have been 8 years old so it wasn't the sort of thing I happened on stumbling across in Primary school. In April 2004 the first single from the second album A Grand Don't Come for Free was released entitled Fit But You Know It. I vaguely remember hearing it but it wasn't until late July of the same year when the chart topping single 'Dry Your Eyes' was released that my ears were pricked and my attention grabbed. At that time as a young boy arriving at teenage life's door, musically I was what Mike would have called a 'normal person'.

"It wasn't until I got to the second album that I really felt like I hit the people that I was aiming to with the first album, and that was just 'normal people.' But actually the only way you can get to normal people is by… being big."

I then remember 'Fit But You Know It' being the first song I could recite every word to after having it on repeat whilst playing Fifa 2005 on my PlayStation 2. The next domino in line to accelerate my initial interest was an older friend who I knew and respected, on our journey to play Powerleagues every Wednesday night, he would play on cassette a mixture of all three Streets albums. This must have been 2006 as my strongest memories were laughing at quirky comments and phrases from 'War of the Sexes' such as,

"Your not playing hard to get, your playing at not getting a hard on yet" and "And remember not to get hammered either, because people who get hammered, don't get to nail!"

and schemes like the one from 'Can't Con An Honest John'.

It was around this time that I downloaded my first ever single for 99p, purchased from the 3store on my first camera, Internet phone. It was 'War of the Sexes'. This immediately got me banned from my phone once my dad cottoned onto the lyrics. After buying one of the original AAA battery powered MP3 players I had another friend download all three albums for my sneaky listening pleasure.

By this point the dominoes were at full speed and although not whole concepts or the full meaning of songs were clear to me, it was Skinners voice that grabbed my attention at that time. If only he had been my maths teacher. I would steal triple As in order to stay plugged in to my fuel for life as a teenager growing up in a lions den. Maybe my dad was correct in saying I had selective hearing as I zoned in and focused on certain words and phrases that applied to my situation at that time.

My First MP3 player

When musing with thoughts of flirting with a girl I would pull out my little MP3 and share with them the knowledge, "if she played with her hair shes probly keen"

As a very troubled school child I not only used Skinners lyrics to help me get away from all the teachers by running away to wire in under a stair well or on a lonely bench, but i had 'alot of anger pent up inside of me' so with clenched teeth and fists i would twist the lyrics to my own gratitude as an unnaturally violent person preparing for a fight.
I left school in May 2008 and matured very quickly as I adapted positively to life outside of the school environment. As I again went through a shock induced period of maturity after starting college in August I started to become very deep and coupled with feelings of very little self worth whilst wondering the meaning of life. A very wild illegal party opened my eyes to the way of the world and I couldn't take take life and attempted suicide. I changed my outlook on life yet even when surrounded by great conditions and what I thought was love I would become immersed in waves of depression and again to a more serious level attempted suicide. To get back to The Streets, some of these bouts of darkness curled in a ball under the covers were fed with piano mellow tracks as 'Dry Your Eyes' and 'Its too late'.

On the release of the fourth album entitled 'Everything Is Borrowed', I was beginning to try and move away from my problems. As 'Everything is Borrowed' hit the shelves it seemed Skinner had also moved on from his own problems and eleven tracks were filled with light tunes played by live instruments behind lyrics of homemade wisdom and quirky parables. The song which made the most immediate impact on me at that time I feel could have saved me being third time lucky. 'On the Edge of a Cliff' relates a fictional scenario where the protagonist is on the edge of a cliff and ready to jump when an old man passes by and whilst, passes on the profound wisdom,

"For billions of years since the outset of time, every single one of your ancestors survived, every single person on your mum and dads side, successfully looked after and passed on to you life"
This was also the first time an album hadn't received a parental guidance sticker so I bought it and played it monotonously in the car to everyones dismay.
       In 2009 I attended T in the Park, where Mike and co. were set to play on the sunny Sunday afternoon. I still believe this to be one if not the highlight of my life. Crushed up front row against an unforgiving steel barrier couldn't have been more pleasant. I shed a tear along with Mike during 'We Never Went To Church' and enjoyed an ecstasy filled set until he finished with 'Blinded by the Lights'.
       On the seventh of last month the long awaited and final Streets album 'Computers and Blues' was released. Filled with more wisdom on day to day life all themed on modern and advancing technology. I hoped it would contain some more gems of inspiration and wisdom of use to me and i wasn't disappointed. He has again pulled it off. Reviewed as an equal to his early albums you could ask me which I prefer, what is my favourite album? Well I simply don't have one. Each album is special to me and contains so many private memories and helped me through so much.

       I was present as Mike began possibly the last ever tour of the UK in Edinburgh at the HMV picture house. Emotional as it was, it was amazing to see him in action again. I hope to see him perform for the last time at T in the Park in July. Although sad its all over I am also contented that it ends now. He has helped me through so much and now I'm out the other side I am so grateful. He has inspired me in so many ways and now as I have my own band our main aim is to write, produce, edit, perform, absolutely everything involved in making a record and for Mike to be the first person in history to do so with Computers and Blues couldn't be more of an inspiration.

I look forward to which ever direction he takes next in life, whether it be film or literature he will leave his mark of wisdom on people wherever he goes.

Mike Skinner thank you.