THE ALLEY CAT – TAKE A BOW, PIDO.

(YOU’LL NEVER KNOW WHERE IT WILL LEAD YOU)

It’s great when you are once in a while brought down to a level of humility by being bowled over by someone’s god given talent.

Last night at Peel Fresco, a singer-songwriter guitarist whom we simply know as Pido blew us away- myself and visiting Welsh singer-songwriter Ben Semmens. When we went to the recently refurbished Peel Fresco- with Pido- we weren’t expecting much.

It was Rock night and we walked into a fun jam session- nothing serious, but something harmlessly enjoyable.

Ben sang a few songs and then Pido went up onstage and played a few James Taylor songs.

It was midnight, we had spent a great afternoon with jockey Dougie Whyte and were feeling good- and also perhaps a bit emotionally brittle for personal reasons.

And so when Pido did such a karaoke favorite like You’ve Got A Friend which has been flogged to death by nearly every singer around, the fact that his version had such an impact on us spoke volumes.

There was an honesty to it plus made me think that here is a guy who is far better than playing backup guitar for old Bobby Taylor and deserves his own space and place in the sun.

So, he might not be “young”, so he might be a Filipino, so he was doing some covers, but you know what? Who fucking cares?

Talent is talent and this fake snobbery and labeling of music must stop if this art form is to survive.