ELEVATIO PRO DUOBUS

I was asked to pen a review of Afternoon Tea for Paramount in London - here it is.

Tea…is a religion of the art of life.

- Okakura

In his long essay ‘The Book of Tea’ in 1906, Okakura Kakuzō wrote in detail about how the tea ceremony can be practised to foster and promote harmony, discipline the mind, quiet the heart, and attain the purity of enlightenment. Teasim he called it. Well, we are not in Japan, and Paramount’s latest offering may not achieve all of the above, but it most certainly makes joyous steps in that direction.

Before I begin, a little history. In spite of its origins in the Orient, there can be few things more pleasing, or considered more quintessentially English, than the pastime of drinking tea. It was first made fashionable in this country during the 17th Century by Catharine of Braganza, Queen and Consort to Charles II, who was actually Portuguese. By the 18th Century tea gardens had became popular throughout society, whereupon ladies and gentlemen would take their tea together outdoors (weather permitting) surrounded by entertainers and arranging all manner of assignations.

But ‘Afternoon Tea’ as we know it today is generally considered to have come into being in the mid 1840’s by the hand (or stomach perhaps) of one Anna Maria Stanhope, the 7th Duchess of Bedford; clearly a Dame of the Empire with an appetite.

With an early light lunch then nothing until dinner at 8.00pm (to this day still the most popular time requested by those dining out) the Duchess complained of a “sinking feeling” by late afternoon. And so she began the indulged small feast of tarts, cakes, scones, and of course, pots of tea. Understandably this seemed a simply splendid idea, the Duchess acclaimed for her forward-thinking, and so the custom swiftly caught on. Now in the 21st Century, whilst perhaps not a daily affair, it has nonetheless become the perfect genteel luxury to indulge in with delight, all cares and woes thrown to the wind.

At last then it has arrived here, at the very pinnacle of the capital, to be supped and savoured at leisure against the backdrop of that unparalleled panorama. To be enjoyed with or without a glass of champagne (for me such an occasion rightly deserves the salute of bubbles), Paramount presents this wonder in all its glory. We chinked our glasses and saluted the day.

Your chosen brew is conjured before you into clear pots (which only added to the delight of my companion’s selection as we watched the Flowering Osmanthus unfurl its sweet blossoms). Myself, I’ve always felt the comfort in the smokiness of Lapsang, as if I’m retiring in my study, and this was poured for us into the crystal cups (with no handle, in a twist on the traditional Chinese style, a modern vacuum design making it cool to the touch), with the advised note of not allowing it to steep for too long else the taste become overbearing with liquorice intensity.

Then to the bites, a feast most certainly! Beautifully laid out for our eyes to dance upon were all manner of treats, graciously laid so temptingly vibrant in contrast to the tiered tray of ebony slate. Open savouries such as generous Smoked Salmon & Fromage Blanc on Rye Pumpernickel, and Egg elevated with Mustard Mayonnaise upon Toasted Brioche, to name but two, no needing of playful fight over in their plenty, and punctuated with a quiche that practically melted upon command. I would have been quite sated here, but… okay, we were most satisfied certainly, but the sweeter half of what was ours would be the proof of those appetites truly sated.

A ballet of sweet and bitter chocolate, Crème de Violet Macarons, as fine no doubt as those made for Catherine de’Medici by her Italian pastry chefs in the 1530′s, tangs of fruit softened with silken soufflé… they seemed unending, yet just, JUST, allowed room for warm bite-size scones with the perfect jam and obligatory decadent cream.

We sat back, marvelling at what we had eaten and with the ever-changing skyscape that cannot be beaten our constant companion, wondering for a moment if perhaps the cranes over the Crossrail site would have to be called into action to send us on our way.

Paramount had done themselves, and the 7th Duchess of Bedford, most proud; to the point we both skipped dinner at 8.

So to paraphrase one T’ien Yiheng when he spoke of tea, climb to the peak, sup for a few hours and just “forget the din of the world.”

LET THE MUSIC SPEAK

For me, there can be little more inspiring than being asked to write something for someone, whatever that might be. A letter, a biog, review... anything (to me the conjuring of words is like a painter daubing canvas). It often serves as a self-educator too as one delves into the subject. I recently received the honour of doing so for that maestro of music Tom Glide, towards his latest (blindingly brilliant) release 'SWEET HEAVEN' featuring the great Timmy Thomas. It was a joy and a privilege to undertake (always good when the request is well-received), and here it is.

TOM GLIDE - 'SWEET HEAVEN'.

An accomplished producer, composer, musician and singer in his own right (he’d taught himself to play guitar, drums, bass and keyboards by the age of 10), Tom Glide has become a name synonymous with the masterful musicianship of uplifting groove, and his new release, featuring vocals from the legendary Timmy Thomas, is set to further seal his stance as a maestro at the top of his game.

This latest release follows on from the highly acclaimed ‘In the Name of Luv: Tom Glide and the Luv All Stars’, his sublime 11-track smash collection of funk and soul infused tunes that, with soaring horns and accomplished vocals et al so beautifully bridges the old school with the new. Featuring some of the best artists in their field, whose collective credits, aside from their own, range from Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye and George Duke to Earth, Wind & Fire and the Rolling Stones, to name but a few, this album, the culmination of a long-held dream, holds up the vision of, in Tom’s own words “music that erases the distance between the past and the present, and looks ahead to the future; a universal celebration of togetherness, brotherhood and love”.

The ‘All Stars’ saw collaboration with luminaries including keyboardist Larry Dunn, bassist Alex Al, drummer James Gadson and the acclaimed trumpeter Rahmlee Michael Davis (Jackie Wilson, Michael Jackson, B.B. King, Donny Hathaway, Minnie Riperton… the list of that particular pedigree goes on). The latter, Tom says, was “…one of the most beautiful musical experiences of my musician's life. I learned a lot about music, human relationships and humility. His unique art to construct voicing as foundations inside my songs or how to distribute notes like characters in the cinema, or measuring ingredients as in fine cooking, and gastronomy - to have the perfect taste or colour.  Learning this art has been like a revelation for me.” 

It is a revelation that abounds in telling, shown not only in how Tom brings so many top talents of all ages together, but on with the tunes they create, ones that stand solid as new classics. So with this latest release Tom is set to continue in furthering his vision of bringing real musicianship into the lounge, the bedroom and upon a truly uplifting dance-floor to the fore.

With some four decades in the music business Timmy Thomas has given us golden gems like ‘Why Can't We Live Together’ (1972), with its memorable stripped-down production of Hammond organ and percussion to his soulful vocal, along with classics under the T.K.Disco label such as ‘Stone To The Bone’ and much more besides, seeing him consistently topping the R&B charts. Here now then, under the umbrella of Tom’s ‘All Stars’, another hit is assured. With remixes from the likes of the equally prolific talents of UK producers Matt Early and 12 Shades, along with some stunning keyboards by JD 73, this March release of ‘Sweet Heaven’, is another vibrant step in the on-going march of Tom Glide and company, here with Markus Kater and Stephen Tucker in Miami (the two guys who made the connection with Timmy Thomas happen) and supervised in studio by the acclaimed American bassist, songwriter and producer George “Chocolate” Perry.

The train shows no sign of stopping either, as this will lead on to yet another release in May, before the planned launch of a second album towards the end of the year.

And after his hugely successful 2012 UK tour ‘Soul On The Road’ together with Cool Million, Gary Poole and Westcoast Soulstars, along with vocalists like Laura Jackson and Tim Owens, as well as being on the road in Germany, France, Japan and the US West Coast, Tom is also getting focused on a second tour in the UK: “I’m hoping to bring a full horns section on stage, to make the full circus happen.”

As Berthold Auerbach once put it: “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”  Tom and his unrivalled collective don’t just wash the dust away, they buff the soul to the highest gleam. In his own words: “We pray we’ve created music to uplift people; to bring people closer together.”  One listen and that becomes undeniably true.

Giles Addison – March 2013

A HOUSE IN ORDER

They’re currently electing a new Pope.

So I looked at some facts.

According to Avro Manhattan, in his book: ‘The Vatican Billions’, The Vatican has “…large investments with the Rothschilds, with the Hambros Bank and Credit Suisse. In the United States it has large investments with the Morgan Bank, the Chase-Manhattan Bank, and the First National Bank of New York to name but a few. Billions of shares are held in the most powerful international corporations such as Gulf Oil, Shell, and General Motors; in fact the wealth of the Vatican in the U.S. alone is greater than that of the five wealthiest giant corporations put together…

…The Vatican's treasure of solid gold has been estimated by the United Nations World Magazine to amount to several billion dollars. A large bulk of this is stored in gold ingots with the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, while banks in England and Switzerland hold the rest. That doesn’t include all the art, real estate, property, stocks and shares it holds.”  

Let us not forget that the Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 313 A.D., since when its power has been in near-constant growth. For more than a thousand years, tithes and tributes flowed in from all over Europe. Non-Christians and even fellow Christians were killed and their property confiscated.

The Roman Catholic Church is now a greater possessor of material riches than any other single institution, corporation, bank, giant trust, government or state of the whole globe. The Pope therefore, as the visible ruler of this immense wealth, is consequently the richest individual of the twenty-first century. I know, much like our Queen, he doesn't exactly own it, but nonetheless, he could alter its distribution.

In the last few years more than $2 Billion dollars has been paid out as settlements by the church for sex-abuse allegations in the United States alone. Less than a tenth of its current wealth is ever used on humanitarian projects such as disaster relief, medical aid, and help to the poor in developing nations, children and refugees.

Funnily enough, the Catholic Church considers the “excessive accumulation of wealth by a few” to be a mortal sin. And yet half the world's population starve.

Long live The Pope!

Oh.. Fashion. I'll be in fashion, when I'm done.

My latest piece for To Be Continued.

As a man who knows little of haute couture… A term originating from the French, meaning: "high sewing". That is the funny thing about language – to the English language 'haute couture' sounds expensive, glamorous, other-wordly; whereas the term 'high sewing' to me conjures up an image of a woman called Pam knitting argyle mittens on a ladder, or else a chap called Keith frantically botching a home-made oven glove for his Aunt Eileen whilst having a spliff…

I digress… Again, as a man who knows little of haute couture, I have to admit I find it admirable I can so digest an exhibition such as this (or my earlier issue on the V&A Ballgowns) when actually I know nothing betwixt a flounce and a godet.

"Review, don't critique" I long remember. After all, what is a critic but one voice believing themselves to be an arbiter of taste, and who can truly claim to be an authority on that? Yes, my taste is impeccable surely (my taste in friends proves that), but it is not a benchmark by which others should adhere, or feel they must follow. In life, as in everything, “make it your own”.

For example, I love coffee, one lump or poo, but even if I was the biggest euromillions winner ever I’d not pay £30 a cup for one made using beans digested and then picked from the dung of elephants. (True: called ‘Black Ivory’ and produced at £685 per kilo).

Anyway… here is my Valentino piece. :-)

http://www.tbcmagazine.com/?p=3129

THE UNKNOWN COLOURFUL WORLD OF M&M's®

Above is a picture of Europe's first M&M's World® store which is in London’s Leicester Square.

The official blurb says it is ‘Dedicated to the colourful fun of M&M's®…’

The company behind it, Mars, states that it is committed in ensuring that their “…actions should never be at the expense, economic or otherwise, of others who we work with. We strongly believe that only success that is shared can be sustained and it is our goal to achieve this in all we do.”

As the makers of some of the world's most-loved confectionery products, they are a major user of cocoa, and “for over 30 years Mars has supported cocoa sustainability.”

Really? At what cost? By that, I do not mean to them, but from a humanitarian point of view. Yes, we can read their claim that they were “…the first global chocolate company to commit to sourcing only certified cocoa, and we will do so by 2020.”  They go on to proudly claim that as of June this year, “all MALTESERS® in the UK and Ireland will carry the Fair Trade logo.” My, that does sound good.

Well first this is 2012, not 2020. And secondly, Mars is a company that is behind a great deal more products than just MALTESERS®.

So let us look at some of the facts.

Côte d’Ivoire (The Ivory Coast of West Africa) produces 43% of the world’s chocolate. Due to increased poverty, changing traditions, and corrupt governments, Africa is rampant with child slavery in many areas, and there are currently around 300,000 children who are enslaved in the cocoa, coffee, and cotton industries.

You read that right. 300,000 child slaves (not forgetting the adult ones). And this is the year 2012.

These children are subject to the most horrible conditions, abuse, and punishment for any resistance, in little or no way similar to the abhorrent treatment that went on in the plantations during the Transatlantic Salve Trade. It is not unknown for a child (some as young as 7 years old) to have their feet chopped off in order to prevent them running away.

All of the major chocolate manufacturers are fully aware of the atrocities occurring daily on the many cocoa plantations in West Africa; Mars/M&M's being one of them, along with Hershey’s and Nestlé.

On September the 19^th 2001 the Harkin-Engel Protocol was signed (including by Paul Michaels, the President of Mars/M&M’s) to ensure the end of child labour in all chocolate farms. The deadline for this to be completed was 2005. It was then put back to 2008, and then to 2010 (incidentaly, in that same year the revenue of Mars was $30 billion, a One-Year Growth of 7.1%).  This agreement still remains unfulfilled, and in fact, the 300,000 child slaves entrapped in the trade today is an increase on the figure as it stood in 2001, so the problem is getting worse, not better.

Fair Trade on a bag of MALTESERS® brought in the UK may sound a jolly decent thing. However, when one thinks of how much confectionary is sold around the World by the Mars Empire, does this statement of intent not seem a little empty of gesture, let alone to be one truly embodying considerable change?

Besides, the simple fact is that we the consumers have no sure way of knowing if the chocolate we are buying has been tainted with the blood of child slaves, and it was only in 2010 that the founders of the Fair Trade Certification process had to suspend several of their West African suppliers due to evidence that they were using child labour. This is something that these huge corporations seem more than happy to continue ignoring, which they will continue to do because we continue to be happy buying.

Drissa, a recently freed cocoa slave who, like most of those who farm the cocoa for our consumption, had never even tasted chocolate, was asked what he would tell the people who eat chocolate made from slave labour, he replied: “When people eat chocolate they are eating my flesh.”

That is the truth behind Europe's first M&M's World® store in London’s Leicester Square, so dedicated to the colourful fun of M&M's®…’ It is coloured with the blood, sweat and suffering of children.

Suddenly, that treat doesn’t taste so sweet.

A MAESTRO PLAYS

(This is the unabridged version of an article that appears in Issue 3 of TBC Magazine: http://www.tbcmagazine.com/?p=1387)

MISTA PIERRE

With just basic equipment, recording snippets of songs from the radio on a tape deck and then splicing them together, this was something many of us of a certain generation did in our youth, how we compiled our birthing music collection. There was of course no internet back then, and even if one could afford to buy a single from Woolworths each week, it would hardly go towards to amassing a large collection of tunes. This was how it was done back in the day, by being creative. Some, like Mista Pierre, took that creativity to a whole other level.

                                  

Like any true and great connoisseur of music Pierre wasn’t limited in his tastes to one genre, he embraced everything from classic to pop, the musical understanding of each giving him a solid and lasting foundation. However, as a young kid growing up in Peckham, it was the cultural explosion of hip hop that took predominant hold, and so set him on a direct path through and out of South London and to a wider world.

Once a wealthy village and hunting ground of Kings, with the arrival of the Industrial Revolution and the rapid expansion of the capital, trains saw Peckham became accessible to those working in the City and the docks, and the area grew rapidly. Heavily redeveloped in the 1960s, with high-rise flats built to house people from still existing slums in other areas, this initial high quality and modern standing of living, had, by the late 70s/early 80s fully entered a decline that turned it into one of the hardest residential areas, an archetypal London sink estate. It was here Pierre spent his youth, an area that seemed to hold little prospects: “There were triads and yardies” he says, “it was all gangs and drugs and within that you had no choice but to take your role.” There seemed very few, if any, ways out.

Music was therefore, undeniably Pierre’s escape, and without over-glamourising, his salvation. From a young age he dreamt of being a conductor. But how on earth could a young lad growing up in South London enter that far away world of classical music? Instead, he looked at what was around him, the hip hop culture and its four elements of rapping, DJing, dance and graffiti. He picked up an old turntable, repaired it, and with the few records he had in his possession, taking inspiration from Grandmaster Flash, he began to teach himself how to scratch. Someone heard him, was impressed, and the next thing he knew he was, at the age of just 14, placed alongside and pitted against those far more established in the Reggae Dance Hall in Peckham. It was competition, it was bravado, and despite the darker aspects it was still about team and community spirit. His talent swiftly assured him his place, and so gave him his accepted ‘role’, meaning that he didn’t have to take another within the gangs or drug-dealing. With just two small crates of records he had to learn how to make them work in a new way; every track had been heard before, so he had to ensure they had never been heard in quite the same way. It is well-established that, at its best, hip hop has given a voice to the voiceless, particularly in inner cities and neighbourhoods suffering from urban blight, and showcased their artistic ingenuity and talent on a global scale. Here is no exception, and so in the young Pierre a DJ was indeed born.

As time went on, wishing to see him removed from the still-troubled area, he was sent to stay with relatives in New York. Here was a young man with the knowledge already his now becoming immersed in all that was new and bold across the Atlantic. He played in the clubs of Brooklyn, and picked up extensively used samples blending the sounds of classic disco, the Chicago sound, and elements of hip-hop from the likes of the legendary Todd Terry and Def Jam. This lead to him achieving the highly-impressive stance of supporting ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ as DJ on their US Tour, an accolade few could match. For the next four or five years he travelled back and forth from New York to London, bridging the two and giving him a freshness to everything he played, wherever he played.

So it has been ever since, playing across the globe. With his early start, also being an accomplished exponent in break dance and pop lock, he soon learned how music can make people dance differently, and how as a DJ you can move them to a new mood. “Hip hop gave me the courage to experiment, to know how to take people on a journey with music.” says Pierre. “Real DJs know it is not about them, it is about the journey they take the crowd on, embracing their physicality and how music influences that”. Talking with him brings a realisation as to the true and real craft of a DJ. “You have to gauge the crowd. You have to study them, closely observe, so you know where to take them.”

Once a hip hop purist (never particularly piqued by the Acid electronica) and then onto house (as well as delving back further to all its origins) his music tastes are understandably all-encompassing. Hip hop being a genre that follows in the footsteps of earlier ones such as blues, jazz, and rock and roll with additional inspiration from soul, funk, and rhythm and blues would undoubtedly ensure this, leading one to look further back and dig deeper. And as Pierre himself acknowledges his ability to scratch way back then was born, in part, from the change in tempo found in his early passion for classical music.

Asked what the first ever record he owned was the answer that comes is perhaps unexpected. Adam and The Ants – ‘Ant Music’. “It begins with 8 bars of [drum] rim shots at the start, and I just used to play those on constant repeat”. Assuredly then, Pierre’s music repertoire is of not just the origins of his youth or subsequent years but that of a man with decades of music at his fingertips. Accessibility to all kinds of music has become readily available for us all, and so, even more so now “a DJ has to think and work. They no longer have the exclusivity of tunes as they did in the days of vinyl, now they have to be even more creative with their choices – a melange”. Many accomplished DJs have subsequently fallen by the wayside in this shift, just as many more (albeit less gifted ones) have arisen; it takes far more than just putting one track after another with a bit of beat matching to make a true DJ. As Mista Pierre proves.

With that then he now brings us the podcast you can enjoy with this issue. “I wanted something funky, soulful, and distinctly edgy London, bridging gay, straight, black, white.” Because isn’t that what music does, cross boundaries and break down barriers? It can alter who we are, change where we are. It travels, and it transports us. 

“I’m a maverick. I didn’t get out of one ghetto to be put in another.” Mista Pierre says. What really compels him? Ultimately, his reward is to make people feel good, to see happiness coming back to him as he plays. That is surely the true mark of a DJ.

Enjoy.

Giles Addison

THE MOUNT ON HIGH

It will not last. Nothing does. That is the very nature of life. But today, Monday the 13th of August 2012, let me mark one of several quotes. That of Boris Johnson, Mayor of London: “London this morning to me really does feel like the capital of the world. Over 17 days we have shown the world that if we put our mind to it there is nothing this city and this country cannot do.”

In a constant deluge of double-dip recession, corruption and all other negative aspects of life both home and abroad, the crimes of humanity seemingly ever growing rather than diminishing as they should in a more enlightened age, hasn’t it been good to focus elsewhere for a while and have a city, a United Kingdom and indeed much of the globe look somewhere else entirely.

An oft used quote, and with good reason, is that of the chap who gave us the first dictionary (Dr.Samuel Johnson): “When (one) is tired of London, (one) is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

So true then as is now. Living here, being a Londoner, be it born and breed, long or shortly adopted, can take its toll. We know this. As with every relationship in life, there is good and bad in all that which we hold dear. But hold it dear we nonetheless do, and for a myriad of reasons.

One of them, where London is concerned, whether we consciously recognise it or not, is that we live in what is, undeniably, the richest city on the planet, in the sense of history, culture and unparalleled cosmopolitan wealth. (This isn’t entirely London-centric either – I believe the essence of what I express here permeates throughout our four nations upon two isles.)

I don’t know how many friends you have from different nations, but I doubt it surpasses the 300 + different languages that speak in this metropolis each day (even linguistically this is the most diverse city in the world). I don’t know what unexpected wonder, discovery and delight you have been educated and enlightened with, entirely free, but it must be (or else, you should strive more for it to become) considerable.

For all its faults, its weaknesses, errors and expense – London holds and offers much. I could wax lyrical on that alone, but it is, now, mid-2012 I write of here.

So they came, the Olympics 2012. I will freely admit, I gave it little care or joy. In truth, I was more concerned with the huge expense and the inexhaustible and shameful greed of corporate sponsorship (two things that must not be forgotten entirely – not out of pessimism but awareness that we can/must fight for rightful change). I’d also been led to think there was a going to be a crippling disruption of our capital, and well, to be honest, I really had little interest in these sports. Yes, I’d enjoyed sporadic moments with each Olympics over the years, but not with more than a passing enthusiasm. These Olympics would come, they’d be noted, but with little care or impact to me if I could help it.

I was, of course, wrong. Very wrong. All too soon I was returning from work and catching up on the day – the action and the commentary my only interests. (Note: BBC surpassed themselves). I openly wept, I cheered loudly, bounced on my sofa, crushed cushions fiercely and punched the air in acclaimed joy - As I wrote on my facebook upon the closing night:

“The joy of effort is more important than the thrill of victory.”

-Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement (1894)

But what victory we have witnessed these past two weeks! Not just the great Team GB, but from the showmen of Jamaica and all over the world. I really didn't think I'd get much Olympic fever - how wrong I was. Thrilling, moving, inspiring - bravo Great Britain, bravo the World - it is a good thing to celebrate the goodness of human spirit and endeavour.

It truly was.

There is enough darkness present in humanity as a whole, and yes, we must continually strive to rectify that, even if it takes a millennia.

But amongst that darkness, there is such brilliance to, and how it was shown to us through the Olympics 2012. Here were individuals who sacrificed much, pushed their bodies beyond the norm, to achieve a marvellous majesty that most of us could only dream of doing. Many of them also showed a huge humility in doing so, and even those showmen who more embraced their understandable  elevation akin to demi-god still did so with grace too, loved not only because they still fulfilled and surpassed promise, but because how we adore those with a deserved swagger – rock stars would not be so without it.

Team GB – there was/are many names that will now be etched on our memories for ever. Ennis, Hoy, Trott, Rutherford to name but a few. We loved their stories too, such as how Anthony Joshua (winning the Men’s Super Heavyweight with Team GB's 29th gold) at just 22 had only taken up the sport four years previously after his cousin took him to Finchley Amateur Boxing Club – one of many tales illustrating the tenacity within us all, the ability to achieve the unexpected. I can’t for a moment say most of us we will ever hit such heights, or how many future Olympians have now seen a spark within them flame, but nonetheless inspiration to many has been given.

As a nation we have been gripped by magnificence. Let us not forget that in Atlanta 1996, Team GB won a solitary gold – and that now in 2012 there were 29, with 65 in total, only pipped on the leader board by the super-states USA and China.

Of course, one strength we have (and let us embrace this rather than brush it aside) is that our country, when best, has always been everyman (and woman). Mo Farah (double Olympic Champion with gold on both the 5,000m and 10,000m) may hail from Somalia, but yes, he is British as British is. This is his home, where he found direction, love… greatness.

We are a people of many creed. One of the most powerful aspects of the Olympian tradition is the birth of the idea that it transcends the bounds of nationality, but in that we must also embrace that this land has always, and continues to be, a land made up of all. In the best sense, One Nation made of many, all (when best) under one groove.

‎As my friend Trojan put: “It is truly amazing to see so many people from different countries, religions and colours are together, in peace and having fun. Pity it can't be like everyday.” True. How good to see it though, even if for a while.

Yes, we revelled in the flag and spirit of heralding our own. But we also embraced the greatness of others. The strength and charisma of Usain Bolt for example will be legendary across generations, to name just one true star of these games.

I must also say, that as with this surprise of how much the Games themselves held such impact, I also did not see Sebastian Coe as a Statesman. In the closing moments (I pass singers miming et al – and acclaim a tragedy-struck Gary Barlow for not - though as a whole the show wasn’t bad) he proved he was:

“On the first day of these Games I said we were determined to do it right. I said that these Games would see the best of us… On this last day I can conclude with these words: When our time came - Britain we did it right. Thank you!... We lit the flame and lit up the world.”

With a global unity unparalleled thus aiding us, yes, indeed we did. We were that fire. The somewhat criticized NBC proclaimed the London Olympics the most-watched television event in the whole of U.S. history, whilst our own (and much acclaimed) BBC coverage was watched by 90% of UK population, not to mention the billions more worldwide.

This was monumental, this was history made, undeniably one of the greatest times of our modern age. Yes, there will be fault found, critique cast – that is how things are in this world. But right now, here, I mark simply what was good.

For, in amongst the agony and ecstasy of such pinnacles in sportsmanship, through all that engaged and made us feel such passion, it was no small joy to hear that by far the loudest and longest magnificent accolades of applause during the speech of Lord Coe came when he spoke of those 40,000 volunteers who had tirelessly played their part, individually tiny but collectively huge. It said not only appreciation of what they had done, but showed acknowledgement that the best in humanity comes from strength in comradeship, done selflessly, without personal gain, towards a common good.

Imagine that more often.

As Felix Sanchez (of the Dominican Republic) said: “It was heaven.” Something about it certainly was. For it showed greatness in human achievement. And so I hope all of us who got something from these past few weeks, be it large or small, can continue to hold some of that spirit within us.