CHIRPY Holiday Autos UK managing director Tony Seaman has celebrated his 40th birthday like any other respectable high-flying travel exec – by releasing his own CD.
The musical classic has nine self-penned tracks and a glossy cover showing him ruefully gazing across a cornfield.
Not yet willing to settle into middle-age with his pipe and slippers, the car-rental broker extraordinaire spent a year writing and recording the tracks before having them laid down on disc.
He handed them out to 100 close friends and family at his birthday bash.
It should be explained that Tony is no novice to the pop scene – he was a session musician with ’70s supremos Shalimar and Shakatak and regularly played with glam rockers Marmalade and Mud.
Said Tony: “A year ago my wife Jane turned forty and she asked me what I was going to do for my fortieth. I told her there were a couple of songs I wanted to record.
“I still have all my gear and it developed from there and I thought I’d do my own album.”
Tracks on the album, 4T, include You Only Cry When You’re Asleep (a reference to a bad dream Clive Jacobs once had about Hire for Lower), Time Must Heal The Pain (the healing words Tony said to Clive after a particularly hard hitting Hertz summer deal) and Marbella (a joyous celebration of the 1998 ABTA Convention).
The funk-rock effort is – it has to be said – an acquired taste. And it’s one that Backchat has so far failed to acquire even though we’ve given it a fair go.