The Songwriter Forum - songwriting reviews, tips and chat

Songwriter Forum => The Bar => Topic started by: PopTodd on March 13, 2020, 01:20:35 PM

Title: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: PopTodd on March 13, 2020, 01:20:35 PM
Not sure how it is over in the UK, but the shit is starting to hit the fan over here in the US. Events are being cancelled. Schools are being closed. It's very surreal. Haven't had a feeling like this since the few days and weeks post 9/11. But I have a feeling this is gonna last a bit longer.
How is it effecting everybody over there? Has it hit you guys as hard as it has here yet?
Any cancellations? Lockdowns?
What effect is it having on your songwriting? Any?

Honestly I am sick of hearing about it over here, but it's inescapable and I am curious to hear a new perspective as I sit in this half-empty coffee shop.
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: Jamie on March 13, 2020, 02:58:15 PM
Hi, I went to the supermarket this morning and the car park was nearly full when it would normally be half empty. There were loads of people with full trolleys and many shelves are empty. My daughter school trip next month to Iceland has just been cancelled,and I’m trying to cancel a golf trip to Portugal in May and a trip with friends to Spain in June. Sports events are being cancelled.i also have a holiday in August that could be affected too.
I’m afraid to say that this is just the beginning, not to be too apocalyptic.
Jamie
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: pompeyjazz on March 13, 2020, 03:35:05 PM
Yeah, the shit is really hitting the fan now. I see that Trump is making a speech tonight about it. Should be interesting!
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: MichaelA on March 13, 2020, 03:53:07 PM
Looking on the bright side you can get 18 bottles of Corona beer for only £12 at Asda. I've paid up to a quid a bottle in the past.

I'm really hoping we get another virus soon called Merlot.
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: MonnoDB on March 13, 2020, 04:25:31 PM
We're on lock-down in Ireland. Nursing homes not taking visitors, Schools, Unis and childcare facilities closed, no indoor gatherings >100, outdoor >500. Home working being advised where possible.

People are relatively calm I think but things are going to get a lot worse - we've only had 1 death confirmed so far so it's difficult to tell.

All a bit surreal... And I don't drink Corona.. :)

K
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: nooms on March 13, 2020, 05:59:23 PM
surreal is the right word indeed..
wonder who wrote the screenplay for this..
lets hope it was walt disney !
an impending disaster and no loo roll !
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: shadowfax on March 14, 2020, 12:20:01 PM
The screenplay was written by China, however they are already spouting propaganda saying that the CIA made this virus and sent it to China... ::)

I think this is gonna be a terrible summer for everyone..particularly if your over 60 which is apparently the age group in which it could have the most dire consequences,
good luck to all...don't underestimate the power of this virus, be safe and consider others...if there are some older peeps in your street pop in and see if they need some shopping done before it's too late...
s'pose this is an excuse to spend even more time in the studio..

best, Kevin
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: jacksimmons on March 15, 2020, 04:41:51 PM
Pretty much the same where I am. Lots of stock gone in local shops though not as bad as it could be. However if mass gatherings are banned soon I am gonna lose all my work for the next few months. I work in theatres and ticket sales are taking a big knock at the moment. Think the entertainment industry is going to take a big big hit from this. As for me, gonna limit close contact to the bare minimum, would hate to be walking around like a big corona bomb and inadvertently effect someone who is much more at risk. Locking myself up, making music, and dipping in to my savings is the plan till this all blows over
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: Sterix on March 15, 2020, 05:33:26 PM
I work in IT. Most of my time in the last week has been setting people up for working from home (including myself!). I tell ya - I could set up a VPN/Remote Desktop in my sleep right now!

I did a dry run on Thursday (working from home) but I'm nowhere near set up yet. I have to have a lot of equipment set up that's proving a bitch to set up. My boss wants me fully working from home ASAP (or earlier) as I'm diabetic and have had a lot of time of in the last 6 months when I picked up an infection because of it. I#m actually happy to work there. I enjoyed only having to walk a few paces from my bedroom to my "office"! :D

The most annoying thing about it all is the panic buying. No bloody toilet rolls for one, no milk (or at least no "normal" milk - I don't count all those fancy vegan and lactose-intollerent varieties as true millk - they taste like witch pee!). And loads of other stuff that people are hoarding. Supermarkets must be thinking it's bleedin' Christmas!
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: Misanthropist on March 15, 2020, 06:03:21 PM
Keep singing guys there's nothing else for it the
panic buying simply manifests the beast in all of us
We might need to revise what being civilized means as for asking people not to panic buy nicely it's the same as asking politicians who own or are affiliated with food conglomerates to limit the amount they sell ha ho ha lah de dah
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: cowparsleyman on March 15, 2020, 07:13:34 PM
Hope everyone close to all of you are well, and if they do get it they fully recover, its affect us a bit, Mrs Cowparsleyman had to cancel a flight to see her Mum in Germany, old motherparsleywoman had to cancel her flight to see us, I’m picking up Cowparsleydaughter from Heathrow tomorrow morning, she was studying in Boston College for a year, but not anymore, she’s really cut up...

But at least we’re all healthy...ish

I’m in IT too, lots of work...but very happy to help everyone, if there’s anything i can help with here ?

Put 2 fence panels up yesterday and didn’t put enough concrete in, they’re flapping about like jeff becks whammy bar...
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: PaulAds on March 15, 2020, 07:59:18 PM
I'm the daft bastard who drives around taking all the samples from suspected coronavirus patients through to the regional testing laboratory for £9.70 an hour. And that's with 28 years service in.

EDIT: I suppose it could be worse...I could be mopping up the floor after confirmed cases have realised there's no bog roll for £8.70 an hour.
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: pompeyjazz on March 15, 2020, 08:57:29 PM
I'm working at a centre for the homeless so have absolutely no idea wtf we are going to do. Currently reviewing the situation on a day to day basis. Also fall into the vulnerable group due to past medical history so everything is up in the air atm. Strange days indeed
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: adamfarr on March 15, 2020, 09:53:28 PM
Here in Spain noone’s now allowed on the street except for essentials. I work from home anyway so not much change.

Kids off school so trying to make sure they learn something rather than treating it as holiday.

Personally I prefer this to the UK approach but we are all making this up as we go.

I have a feeling that some changes will be quite profound - Amazon’s devouring of the high street will accelerate and pubs and restaurants will lose out to home deliveries. Cheap air travel may be done. Things that can go online will. All very efficient but not much community left. There won’t be work for everyone and governments will have to work out how to pay for this.

But that’s long term - short term I just want everyone to survive. The lock down here is really due to peeps not being responsible by themselves - Isolation is a bummer but just seems right if you can.

Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: pompeyjazz on March 15, 2020, 10:16:44 PM
Wise words @adamfarr (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20124)
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: Jamie on March 15, 2020, 10:18:53 PM
Unprecedented and scary. This will be a shitshow, but if people go native it will get messy. Time to be sensible and not over react but take heed of the health advice given. Whilst it might seem that we are not acting fast enough, the strategy is to delay that peak of the disease.If it peaks, our service cant manage,take care and follow the advice.
Stay safe and take care.
Jamie
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: pompeyjazz on March 15, 2020, 10:25:20 PM
Too right @Jamie (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=19125) I had to do haemodialysis with Jeannie for a lot of years and hygiene was the number one.  See you on the other side guys xx
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: Neil C on March 16, 2020, 12:05:52 AM
Just being sent home having got to France to ski. Have to say the holiday and transport companies really doing the biz, and people are pulling together :-)
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: Sterix on March 16, 2020, 01:27:27 AM
It doesn't help that the media are helping to stir things up. They make out like they're experts but don't have a clue about anything except how to scare the shit out of people.

They contradict themselves all the time - first telling you one thing, then tellingyou the complete opposite (usually on the same day and I've seen articles next to each other totally contradicting each other!).

And a lot of the medical "experts" are just as bad. They're contradicting each other just as much so who do you believe? I'm sorry but, unless they're experts in the field they should shut up and stop muddying the waters. Just because you've got a medical degree doesn't necessarily mean you know shit about this.

And don't get me started about the arseholes on social media flogging their at-best pseudo-science slash at-worst complete and utter bullshit about how to keep yourself safe...

/rant

...and breathe. :P
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: cowparsleyman on March 16, 2020, 03:05:40 AM
Cowparsley daughter was in Boston airport last night waiting for her flight home, there was a guy with a Wellie jammed on his head...honestly that’s true.

Rumours that Boston will be ring fenced like that area of NY soon.

Must go now to pick her up.

Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: cowparsleyman on March 16, 2020, 07:14:10 PM
Got a photo of boot man, if anyone wants it, astonishingly gnome like
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: Sing4me88 on March 16, 2020, 08:29:34 PM
Was the boot supposed to be a protective measure or had the guy just taken a massive break down?
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: Jamie on March 16, 2020, 08:31:58 PM
@cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308)

Does welly boot man know that rubber doesn’t have the same effect on coronovirus as it did on STD’s?

Cheers

Jamie
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: PaulAds on March 16, 2020, 09:17:37 PM
Pinch of salt time...and this is just something I read and found interesting that I'm trying to relate in my own ham-fisted way...

Around 7,000 people across the world have died with coronavirus...this World Health Organisation pdf suggests that approximately as many as 100,000 people may well have died because of influenza in the same period...which would make coronavirus around 7% as deadly as 'flu.

https://www.who.int/influenza/surveillance_monitoring/bod/FAQsInfluenzaMortalityEstimate.pdf?ua=1

From this article...

https://off-guardian.org/2020/03/16/panic-pandemic-why-are-people-who-should-know-better-buying-the-covid19-hype/

Wikipedia editors seem to have been very busy revising the death rate of the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak down. It almost begins to look like they are trivialising that to make this look much worse than it is.

Other opinions are available 😃
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: pompeyjazz on March 16, 2020, 09:53:02 PM
Smart work Paul. I'm sure that other folks have been googling stuff about past pandemics. I usually shop on Monday morning as everywhere is very quiet but today it was like Christmas Eve without the Stollen. I'm totally bemused by BJs approach. Sure he doesn't want to cause total panic but saying stuff like "should probably not" will probably not reflect on him too well in the future
Meanwhile,  local pubs are posting stuff on T'Internet like come on in as long as you haven't got a cough and enjoy a few pints with us.
Having an emergency meeting tomorrow to discuss how we feed the homeless guys during all this shite. Big love to all and spread the love through music and positivity xx
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: Jamie on March 16, 2020, 10:32:55 PM
@PaulAds (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20253)  @

Good discussion guys!

One of my best mates who is a very bright guy sent me a link to an article about this and it is the scariest thing I’d read about it. I googled the writer and he’s a psychologist selling online training. A publicity hound. If you look hard enough you’ll find plenty of scary stuff. As I understand it Covid  19 is more deadly because it is more infectious than normal flu. The world has had 100 years of experience with normal flu, meaning the will be antibodies circulating and there are vaccines  which many people who are in the most at risk category have had . Also, the death rate for it is 3 times the average for all ages for flu,and 6 times the average for those most at risk, ie over 60.
My niece is a doctor and she says she is scared, as I am.
Don’t underestimate this..........

Jamie
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: cowparsleyman on March 17, 2020, 06:43:59 AM
@cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308)

Does welly boot man know that rubber doesn’t have the same effect on coronovirus as it did on STD’s?

Cheers

Jamie
Will we see giant condoms on heads?
Or miniature boots on...maybe not.
Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: cowparsleyman on March 17, 2020, 04:06:13 PM
@pompeyjazz (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20269) - Yeah, the plight of the homeless is never far from me, I saw 2 homeless guys in about 1970 tearing each other apart under Blackfriars bridge over a piss stained mattress in the tipping rain in the depths of Winter... taught me so much.


Title: Re: Coronavirus and creativity
Post by: Sterix on March 17, 2020, 06:42:21 PM
Working from home now and it looks like I'll be doing so for a while. Just told my dad I'm not playing darts tonight and he said neither was he - we're both type-1 diabetic and he's just hit 70. I'm one of the most laid-back people you could know regarding these things but even I would rather be safe than sorry. I'd like to be around long enough at least to hear Boydie finish off my song (I can die happy then and only then!). My wife is also diabetic and she's petrified for the both of us - especially me (I coughed twice today and she was positive I'd caught the damn thing!). She does have reason though - ever since I picked up that infection in my toe (that took about 4 months to get rid of) my health has been poor and I've been picking up colds like nobody's business.

Still. I plan to live forever. Either that or I'll die trying...