Meic Stevens 3 Lle

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-I don't feel a sense of longing.

-I've never felt a longing

-for this village.

-No, I'm not someone

-who longs for anything.

-I'm not saying

-there's no such feeling.

-It might be that others

-are more tender than me.

-I've travelled around too much.

-It's odd that you end up

-coming back.

-# I am the beginning

-# I am the word

-# My body is the land,

-the trees and the leaves

-# My hair is the blood #

-I was born in Harbour House.

-I lived in Harbour House

-until I was about eight years old.

-My great-great-grandmother,

-Ann Jenkins...

-..passed away when she was 97.

-The house was too big for Blodwen

-to look after and clean...

-..so we moved

-to my great-grandmother's house.

-We didn't have to pay a penny

-for the house...

-..which worked out well.

-There was no sanitation

-or electricity back then.

-They built bungalows

-for the elderly...

-..at the top.

-We moved up there

-when I was about 12 years old.

-That's where we lived...

-..until Data passed away

-when I was 14.

-Life was different up the top...

-..because there was electricity.

-We didn't need to use the oil lamps.

-They got rid of them all.

-We also had a bathroom

-with a flushing toilet.

-That was certainly different.

-Before that,

-we used to go in a bucket...

-..in a shed out the back.

-All the waste went into the river...

-..and washed out to sea.

-We couldn't do that nowadays.

-Health and Safety

-would have a field day.

-I used to spend my time

-fishing and rowing.

-I had a small boat,

-similar to those down there.

-I used to go out fishing.

-In summer, we'd all go swimming

-around that corner...

-..when the sun was out.

-It was just a wonderful place

-to live.

-# The infant's grey eyes

-# See the ships leaving #

-When you've grown up

-in a place like this...

-..you learn a lot about nature

-because you're in the thick of it.

-It's a habitat

-for all kinds of birds and fish.

-It's teeming with wildlife.

-The old people

-knew everything about animals.

-They would hunt

-and shoot rabbits over there...

-..as well as ducks

-and other creatures for sustenance.

-I'd fish

-and take home what I'd caught.

-Salmon, trout...

-..and other kinds of fish.

-As you can see,

-the sea is vital here.

-The tide comes in and out every day.

-You need a boat here.

-You must have a boat

-to be able to live in Solva.

-Not having a boat would be like

-living without arms or legs.

-Having a boat is essential.

-# The fishing boats of Dyfed

-# Echoes of men's voices

-# And their long oars #

-I feel at home on the open sea.

-It brings back memories

-of my childhood.

-Fishing in this bay

-in a little canoe.

-Being surrounded

-by these huge rocks.

-Porth Y Bwch is over there...

-..and Porth Gwyn on that side.

-Ogof Y Deigryn...

-..and Carreg Samson...

-..and Dinas Fawr over that way.

-I can't believe I climbed that...

-..without a rope.

-Just for fun.

-I was looking for driftwood.

-Planks and branches

-that had been swept onto the beach.

-It's nice, isn't it?

-It's great.

-It's a little bit misty today...

-..and a bit damp, but it's superb.

-I was surrounded by music at home

-with Mam playing the piano.

-There was a bust of Mozart

-on top of the piano.

-She played the piano.

-Walter played the accordion,

-but he drowned at sea.

-He left home with the accordion...

-..so Mam wasn't too happy

-about that.

-The accordion sank with the ship

-in the Skagerrak.

-I sent away for a catalogue

-that was advertised in the paper.

-It was among the first guitars

-around here.

-I sent away for the catalogue

-from Bells of Surbiton in Surrey.

-I just looked at the guitars

-at first...

-..and nagged my grandmother,

-my father's mother...

-..who lived in Shrewsbury.

-They gave in and bought me one.

-It was 15 by mail order.

-It wasn't a very good guitar.

-It was Italian.

-But it was better than nothing.

-All I wanted to do

-was play the guitar.

-That's how children are.

-By the time I left college...

-..I had developed

-into a serious musician.

-I played the folk music circuit

-in folk clubs all across England.

-I decided to move back here.

-My wife was pregnant...

-..so I thought it was a good idea

-to move back to Solva.

-That's when I started writing songs.

-I had written a couple of songs

-before that.

-I wrote Can Walter when I was 19...

-..when I lived at the old house

-in Bro Dawel.

-I'd had a taste of songwriting.

-Meic Stevens's contribution

-to Welsh rock and pop music...

-..and to Welsh folk music,

-has been prolific.

-Had it not been for him...

-..the Sain record label probably

-wouldn't have been established.

-He produced Huw Jones's

-first single, Sain 1.

-He also produced

-a number of artists...

-..in the company's first year.

-He more or less dragged

-the Welsh recording industry...

-..out of the Stone Age.

-When I was young,

-only local people lived here.

-There were no English people at all.

-Just Welsh-speaking Welsh people...

-..who had been born

-in the village or nearby.

-There were no strangers here at all.

-Very few of the original residents

-still live in the village.

-Most of them are incomers.

-Most of the old houses...

-..now belong to people...

-..who have moved here from England.

-There's certainly been

-a big change here.

-I'm one of the old people now,

-though I don't live here.

-To be honest,

-I wouldn't want to live here.

-The way the village is now,

-I wouldn't fit in.

-I wouldn't feel at home.

-It's out of the question.

-I'd never live here.

-# Here now

-# The end of the song

-# I sleep with her in the grass

-# I'll throw the tears

-back into the sea

-# Into the green waves #

-Solva is just like a mother to me.

-I'm part of Solva.

-For people who have been born

-and raised here...

-..in a strange way,

-Solva has been embedded in us.

-It's part of our spirit.

-That's what it is.

-It's a spiritual place.

-I strongly believe that.

-The place is powerful.

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-Plas Glyn-y-Weddw is in Llanbedrog

-on the Lleyn Peninsula.

-It's a spiritual, historical

-and interesting place.

-I'm currently an artist

-in residence at the gallery.

-I'm preparing an exhibition

-of paintings and photographs.

-I started painting

-when I was four years old.

-An artist lived in Solva

-at that time.

-She was known

-as Miss Davies the artist.

-They invited her to the house

-where I lived at the time...

-..to see my paintings.

-She said,

-"Oh, yes, he's got possibilities.

-"Very good for a kid."

-I've always been interested

-in painting.

-I went to art college in Cardiff

-when I was 16 years old.

-I was given a scholarship

-to go there.

-I've been painting

-ever since then, really.

-This is the first exhibition

-of my work.

-At first, I painted animals...

-..and things that children

-are interested in.

-Cowboys, pirates

-and stuff like that.

-From there,

-I moved on to landscapes.

-That's what I did at college.

-Landscapes interested me...

-..especially those

-of north Pembrokeshire.

-Later, I started painting portraits.

-Lots of my friends at college...

-..all chose to paint landscapes.

-I thought, yeah, yeah, this is OK,

-but what about people?

-The terrain

-and the views of the land and sea...

-..are there forever,

-whereas people aren't.

-I thought it was important

-to paint people.

-More recently...

-..since about ten years...

-..I've been painting portraits.

-# Morning breaks

-# Over the hills

-# A painter

-# Colours his paintings

-# The wind skims over

-the golden wheat

-# Stars are spinning #

-People's reactions are important.

-The whole point of creating

-something like this...

-..is to connect with people...

-..and to show

-how interesting they are...

-..or how attractive

-or amazing they are...

-..or how they command

-your attention.

-You're drawing

-the audience's attention...

-..to that which drew your attention.

-# The sun's bearing down

-on his loaf of bread

-# And apples #

-Singing and performing

-is a bit like acting.

-It has to be a show

-because that's what people expect.

-They've heard the records,

-they've paid to come and see you.

-They've gone out of their way

-to come and hear you...

-..and have paid money.

-You have to give them

-something decent...

-..and something memorable,

-hopefully.

-That's the intention.

-Just as you frame pictures

-in an exhibition...

-..when you perform songs,

-you are the frame.

-You're the one

-framing the message.

-# Down on the quay

-# In the sunshine #

-I lived in Caernarfon years ago.

-It was a very happy time...

-..full of escapades

-and amusing people.

-# You are my inspiration #

-It's a historical place,

-as you can tell.

-For me, Caernarfon

-is the only town in Wales...

-..that has suffered

-from its history...

-..and it hasn't changed.

-# Down on the quay #

-It's an ordinary place

-and the people are rather dry.

-Their sense of humour

-is interesting.

-They also have a strange dialect...

-..which involves

-a lot of swearing...

-..as you'd expect

-in a historic port like Caernarfon.

-I was in college in Bangor

-at the time.

-I lived down there...

-..at the end of Segontium Terrace

-with Gwen.

-I bumped into many famous climbers.

-They weren't famous to me.

-I'd just met them in the pub.

-In the Black Boy.

-I became friendly with them

-and started hanging out with them.

-I then moved to Blue Peris...

-..and lived sparsely.

-There was nothing there.

-I slept in a sleeping bag

-and wandered the mountains.

-It was a strange period in my life.

-# I run to the mountain

-# I think the time has come #

-The climbers I met...

-..included Al Harris

-and Peter Minks.

-Joe Brown and Don Whillans

-were the top dogs back then.

-They were the ones who opened

-the pass for modern day climbers.

-They were rough boys

-from Manchester and Liverpool.

-But they loved the mountains.

-They just wanted to be

-in the mountains.

-At first,

-they just came back and forth...

-..but then they decided

-to settle here.

-# I think the time has come #

-I took an interest

-in their climbing.

-I'd done a bit of climbing

-in my time.

-I'd been captivated

-by the mountains back then too.

-I liked being

-on top of the mountains.

-As far as his music is concerned,

-no-one can touch him.

-He's so much more

-than the Welsh Bob Dylan.

-Meic has created

-a new kind of folk music.

-He has created new pop songs

-and new rock songs.

-He has covered the whole spectrum.

-He has created the most popular

-and catchy songs.

-Unforgettable songs.

-His influence can still be seen.

-I'm about to go to Canada...

-..to focus on my painting...

-..for the exhibition

-at the Plas Glyn-y-Weddw gallery.

-I'm going to live

-on Vancouver Island...

-..in the Comox Valley.

-There are all kinds of wild animals

-in that region.

-Wolves, deer and bears.

-You just see them walking around.

-They don't bother anyone.

-It'll be totally different

-from Wales.

-I don't know what to expect,

-to be honest.

-It'll be nice just being

-in a different environment.

-I don't have any expectations,

-actually.

-I just want peace to paint...

-..and to live

-a relatively quiet life out there.

-I never long for anything.

-I've wandered all my life

-and never felt a sense of longing.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

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