Monday 1 August 2016

The Unkillable Human


Last night I cooked shepherd's pie for Jane Glitre. Word of warning. If I ever invite you for dinner make sure I am NOT cooking shepherd's pie. I have known Jane for over 20 years and first met her at the time of the Bosnian war. She and a group of brave women calling themselves 'Through Heart to Peace' walked across Mount Igman into besieged Sarajevo. She tells me how they entered the city through the famous tunnel, with the older members of their group at the front. As they emerged at the far end there was a line of open-mouthed Bosnian soldiers waiting their turn to go the other way. 'Don't worry' said one of the first women to emerge, 'the younger ones are at the back.' On one trip there they took in Frederick Franck's sculpture, 'Unkillable Human'. After the war Jane ran the Spitz music venue in Spitalfields market and I used to volunteer there. A wonderful place killed off by the developers who turned it into another expensive restaurant for expense-account bankers. Here is Eric Bibb who I saw there as well as Bert Jansch, Beth Orton, Tom Paxton, Honeyboy Edwards, Martha Wainwright and many others. Today she runs the Spitz Charitable Trust, bringing music to older people. Check her work out.  A great evening, reminiscing the years. And next time it will be a curry. Oh, and you can read more about Jane in Left Field.

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