Jim is a piano man. A Scottish boogie piano man. He has left his northern homeland to play music in the Almería province of Andalucia in southern Spain.
His “attractive but critical” wife calls him depressingly optimistic. Jim is utterly hopeless at DIY, so this is not your typical ‘new life abroad’ book where the author rebuilds a ruin with his bare hands. In this book, he describes his hands as only useful for playing piano and “the odd bit of sensual massage”….
Jim came to Spain to say “Yes” to every chance of playing music of every kind. Jim’s wacky adventures include playing piano with an opera singer in prison, performing at a teetotal Scottish ceilidh and being stalked by a washboard player. Then there’s a violin-playing Elvis impersonator, a stretch Shirley Bassey, a jazz funeral and the most confusing Christmas carol service in Spain. And don’t miss Jim’s hilarious account of possibly the most unromantic Valentine’s night in history.
Apart from music, Jim’s other main interests are making chutney and collecting spatulas! He is reputed to have the largest collection of silicone spatulas in southern Spain.
But the real hero of this book is Jim’s rescue cat Sammy, who has turned his house in Bédar village into a Tom & Jerry film.
‘Stuff happens’ to the boogieman. This really is unlike any other book you’ve ever read about Spain, music, cats and spatulas.
“The greatest book in history” WHAT BOOGIE? MAGAZINE
“The book is ok, but there’s not nearly enough mention of spatulas” SPATULA DIGEST