Neil, who lives in Hurstpierpoint, admits it is exciting but also bewildering and surreal to have the songs out there so long after writing them.
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00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Now, lovely
00:07to speak to Neil Ferrigan. Neil, you have a remarkable story. After a career as a lawyer,
00:13you are now, at the age of 79, a recording artist. You have brought out an EP, five tracks
00:19of songs that you wrote many years ago for children. Tell me why now? Why is it happening
00:25now?
00:27The songs were recorded for the children, who've now grown up. We've got grandchildren.
00:32They stayed on the shelf. Married life leads you through years of work and children growing
00:39up. The songs still stayed in the background, but it had been my wife who was the inspiration
00:45for actually prompting me to say, get those recorded.
00:48Yeah, they hadn't been recorded beforehand then?
00:51No. I'd put them off in the sense of shelves full of folders, which I've still got, and
00:58they stayed there. But it was a move down to Hearst Pierpoint here, which really focused
01:04it because one had had a new viewpoint. There had been an appearance at the Hearst Folk
01:11Festival and then pressure came, Neil, get these recorded.
01:17Yeah. Are you pleased now that you gave in to family pressure, you capitulated to persuasion
01:25around you to do it? Are you pleased that you've done it now?
01:30Very pleased. And I think the nice thing is, with the craze out there, it is now the case
01:37that one can say, I've done it. Debbie Clare's played an important part together with Paul
01:43Phillips, a recorded engineer, in putting those out. And what stuns me sometimes, but
01:49it's a relaxing being stunned, is they're out there now for everybody.
01:53Yeah. And are you wishing you'd done this years ago, or was it a question of waiting
01:58for the right moment, which is now?
02:01Question, very good question, Phil. It's waiting for the right moment now. And I think what's
02:07of great benefit is that the technology is so much different. Before then, you'd have
02:13had to send to a publisher and very laborious and treacly. But now, the streaming factors,
02:22the ability to get music out there is absolutely brilliant. So it came together at the right time.
02:28Absolutely. And talking of waiting for the right moment, that's your approach to writing as well.
02:33You're saying you can't force the inspiration if you write more. In a way,
02:38you've just got to wait for it to happen, haven't you?
02:40You've just got to wait for it to happen. It might be an incident, it might be a story on TV,
02:44it might be noodling around on the guitar, just playing some chords or improvising. And
02:52I think each day one does get up and say, I'm open to anything that comes. It can be two notes.
02:59And it might sound weird to somebody, people who are outside being a musician or playing,
03:06but I think if you're in that world, you know, you might hear yourself, I like that,
03:10that's a chord I played by accident, but it's got a little melody in it. So it's all those
03:14bits of shapes thrown together.
03:16So it sounds like at the age of 79, you are getting a taste for being a recording artist then?
03:23Yes, I can't deny there is.
03:27You don't have to deny. Admit it.
03:29There's a liking for it. It's exciting, isn't it? And it's this particular age,
03:34for me, it's a new experience. Every experience within it is a new experience. And that sort of
03:39engenders a bit of fun as well.
03:43And what do the children think?
03:44I think they're stunned. I've got different names. I'm Popper in one household and Top Top in
03:50another. But they are, the youngest ones are three and two, so they're a little bit younger.
03:57Those are the grandchildren.
03:59Grandchildren. But the oldest are twins, come out to ten, and they're aware now. So, I mean,
04:05it's good for them.
04:07It must do wonders for your street cred.
04:10Well, I think there have been one or two around here who found out about it.
04:17So I think I'm going to get a mask, like a Zorro mask or something like that,
04:21to go down the high street.
04:22No, you should embrace it. Walk out there and be proud of what you've done.
04:28Brilliant. Well, congratulations on what you've achieved, that these songs are finally
04:32recorded and out there.
04:34Brilliant. Well, congratulations on what you've achieved, that these songs are finally
04:39recorded and out there. And you've just got to keep on writing, haven't you?
04:43Neil, really lovely to speak to you.
04:46And to you, Phil. Thank you for your time.