An Englishman going to New York

By: Andrew Sunnucks

Date:: 30 Aug 2011

An Englishman going to New York

For the first time in my life I am about to become a foreigner.

In a couple of weeks’ time I am moving with my wife to New York City.

We will be there, on and off, for the next 6 months. My children are being put into storage in an English boarding school and will be posted to us during half terms and holidays. At 14 and 16 they see this as an exciting, unpredictable and exotic adventure. I tend to agree with them.

Musical Talent
The purpose of the relocation is to find musical talent from all around the States and to produce totally authentic American music in the American way.

I will be travelling the country, from sea to shining sea, going to gigs and trying to find the best musicians, writers, players and producers the country has to offer. I will base myself in our rapidly expanding New York office from where I'm very much looking forward to meeting our clients already established in the US. Then, like the prospectors of old, I will head out West in a quest for musical gold. Not a bad job. Not bad at all.

‘Comfort Zone’
I am always telling composers that in order to keep on top of their game it is important not to be isolated.

Music composing is a solitary and potentially insular business and there is a danger of getting into a rut. Real creativity relies on new inspiration, ideas and experiences. This is why I always encourage composers to collaborate with each other and share their experiences, it keeps them fresh.

It’s high time I was given a bit of freshness, so I hope and believe that by immersing myself in American music and culture for a few months I will learn things that will also change my perception of what I do at home.

American Music
I have always loved American music and like to think that the Brits and Americans have always influenced each other. A country with some 300 million inhabitants is likely to have influenced us rather more than we them, but I feel we’ve held our end up pretty well and have generally matched them even if we didn’t actually invent Jazz, Motown/black soul, early Rock n Roll, Blues, Cajun, Classical Minimalism, Country…..

I am also looking forward to finding out what the Americans think of me/us.

Culture
I am about as English as it gets (I have Labradors) and I know I will find elements of American culture difficult to understand. I wonder whether the British stereotypes will work in my favour (should I say favor), or against me.

What is English?

I’m not sure I want to be thought of as ‘quintessentially English’. In the US, Englishness is probably defined by Tony Blair, Bertie Wooster, rioters, Benny Hill, Ozzy Osbourne and Elton John. If they represent Englishness there is presumably some sort of common thread through them all, but I’m not sure I can see what it is and certainly not sure that I want it in me.

In days of yore it was quite exotic to be a Brit in the US. They thought our tea room accents were kinda cute and that we stand for fair play, decency and good manners. I fear the game might be up on that score, but I remain hopeful that our friends across the Atlantic notice our good points more than our questionable ones. In truth of course, few of the stereotypes will do at all.

In the same way, I mustn’t expect ‘American’ to mean anything in particular. A pride in their country perhaps, a certain ‘brusqueness’ in Manhattan probably and an overriding ‘can do’ approach certainly, but they are no more David Hasselhoff, Joan Rivers, Boss Hogg or Zsa Zsa Gabor than I am Simon Cowell.

What I hope and believe the US will mean to me is a huge, limitless mine of wonderful, exciting, inventive and passionate music and I simply can’t wait to get stuck into it.

Ever upwards
The New York state motto “Excelsior” roughly translates to mean ‘ever upwards’. Thomas Wolfe said “One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.” I do hope these both turn out to be right.

I shall blog again in a few months’ time and report whether I think they are or not.