Sharing the Good Things

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Here comes this year’s Christmas Table Talk. And my guest is singer, songwriter, bandleader, actor and author Spottiswoode.

As I wrote in my ‘In Tune’ post [‘In Tune’], I had the privilege of seeing and hearing an amazing musician at the beginning of the year 2024. And he posed a theory that I just had to follow up on: “Good music is like a good meal.” So here is my TableTalk with Spottiswoode.

Mag: This question probably comes as no surprise: How is good music like a good meal?

Spottiswoode: In so many ways! Let’s start with individual songs. Each song is like a dish, some are like appetisers, some are more substantial, some are desserts. Of course a set of songs is presented in sequence very much like the menu for a meal.

Mag: As “Chef du Musique”, what is your approach to the meal and the menu you prepare for your audience?

Spottiswoode: During the course of such a meal I like to offer the audience a balanced diet! A juxtaposition of fast/slow, major/minor, rich/light etc. I’m quite old-fashioned, a product of the 1960s, so I still almost always include at least one or two humorous songs in a set. Indeed it’s the emotional juxtaposition that’s particularly important. I often play my most sentimental ballad right after some hilarious toe-tapping ditty.

Mag: Yes, I noticed that. I was a little surprised when you first did it, but then I realized that it’s actually quite delicious.

Spottiswoode: It should be. Like a meal, a set of songs should offer sustenance as well as entertainment. Yes, it can include some guilty pleasures but it also must offer some food for the soul! The most important thing that I’ve only truly come to appreciate in recent years is that a great meal like a great concert is a shared experience. Indeed it’s a ritual. These days I often encourage the audience to sing along. I also engage with them more between songs and ask them questions. The sharing of food, music and stories is the essence of community. It’s as primitive and as powerful as ever.

Mag: On the subject of solid traditions: Walk me through a typical festive (holiday) meal. What foods would I find on your table and why?

Spottiswoode: I live in London now and my family reflects the unusual times we live in. You will often find the three of us at the table – my partner Clare, myself and our nine-year-old daughter – eating three separate meals! Clare may nibble on a salad; our daughter – a very picky pescetarian – will eat tuna, eggs, pizza or pasta and not much else; meanwhile I consume just about anything with the exception of shrimp and large shellfish. Then in the festive season we’re often joined by Clare’s mother, a Chinese woman who grew up in Singapore but who spent a decade of her early adulthood in England. She cooks a wonderful medley of dishes that were fashionable in England in the seventies – stroganoff, lasagna etc. – as well as delicious Chinese and even Malay specialties such as Mapo Tofu and Beef Rendang.

Mag: You told me that your partner Clare is excellent at making food. But obviously her mother is a brilliant cook as well. Will you be spending Christmas with her again this year?

Spottiswoode: Yes. Clare is an exceptionally talented cook. But when we spend Christmas with her mother, she sets the menu. The year before last Clare’s mother invited the extended family to her home in Singapore and served beef wellington, roast turkey and an entire baked salmon! The main reason she likes me – besides being partly responsible for the existence of her beloved granddaughter – is that I will gladly eat anything she serves me. And I always say thank you! This year we will be in Hokkaido for Christmas. What foods will be on the table? I’m really not sure. All I know is that it will be plentiful and I will eat happily.

Mag: What’s next for you after Christmas and New Year’s?

Spottiswoode: What’s happening in 2025? Well, a lot! I’ll be releasing a new collection of songs about fatherhood under the title “It Wasn’t In The Script”.

Mag: Yes, kids are the true artists of life. They will rewrite everything. Just in a fun way of course… Will you be touring again in 2025?

Spottiswoode: I’ll be touring back to the East Coast of the USA where my band Spottiswoode & His Enemies is still based. In Europe I’ll be touring again with my European accompanists in Germany, Denmark, Holland and Belgium. But that’s just the first half of the year. Beyond June I have no idea.

Mag: What else would suit your musical appetite next year? Any ideas for the perfect menu?

Spottiswoode: I’m hoping an old musical of mine, “Above Hell’s Kitchen”, will be produced by a small theatre company in New York. The company will do an in-house reading of it in early 2025 and make a determination after that. So fingers crossed!

Mag: Your musical “Above Hell’s Kitchen” sounds fascinating. You played some of the songs at the concert and I really liked them. So I do hope it works out. And if it does, make sure you produce a movie or stream it. I really want to see it live on stage. Do you have any special food aspirations for 2025?

Spottiswoode: Food aspirations? I am something of a cosmopolitan philistine / progressive dinosaur. Like I already said, my partner Clare is a wonderful cook. We have now been together for almost fifteen years. During that time my cooking skills have atrophied. However I’m proud to say that, in addition to a basic pasta or egg dish, over the last few months I have made a concerted effort to cook at least one warm meal a week – soups, dals, stews, roasts etc. So for my food aspirations next year I’d like to keep experimenting with soups and dals and cozy recipes during the remainder of the winter. And to count my blessings for all the amazing meals that seem to come my way both at home and while on the road.

Mag: Thank you so much for taking a seat at my table to talk about the good things to share, Spottiswoode. I could not have asked for a more fitting way to spread the truth about mindful eating and good food. It should be like real music. And like good music, it should always feel like an honest gift to share. Merry Christmas to all of you out there! And have a wonderful change of years.

Side Notes:

  • I am delighted to share with you the trail to the unique and excellent recipes for good music that Spottiswoode has cooked up with ‘His Enemies’. Although it’s really hard to imagine that such a wonderful person and gifted musician could have any enemies. If you want to enjoy the feasts he and his colleagues have prepared, you can find more information on the [InfoByteSized] page under ‘T’ as in TableTalk and ‘Spottiswoode’.
  • Leaving me to say: May you all have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season with celebrations among your loved ones and a peaceful change of years. And from a food lover’s point of view: Love is a central ingredient not only for any special dish. It is the central ingredient of life. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
    See you after the Christmas intermission and the edition break on January 10th in 2025.