Transcript

Text: Gawaine’s connection with Madcap goes back a long way.

GAWAINE

[00.03] I first started coming here about 14 years ago, something like that, because they used to have a lot of gigs here and so you know when I was roughly the age of the people that come here now’s age, I was coming here and getting drunk and getting up to shenanigans because they had a lot of music and a lot of bands and stuff playing here so I’ve been coming here for a while but about four years ago, I think Steve started here then and I came along to a gig and obviously ended up chatting to him and he showed me into the studio.

Text: Gawaine’s own past may help him relate to the centre’s more troubled users.

GAWAINE

[00.32] I was homeless for a while but I got myself a place, I was living in a hostel for a while and sort of been getting myself sorted out over time and sort of so I’ve been trying to move into a career which I actually enjoy doing because I can’t work in an office and I can’t work in a factory because you know they are not environments that I like, I like creative things and interacting with people and that.

GAWAINE (background chatter)

[00.51] The frequency switches the gate….the right frequency for that one…

Text: Gawaine was lucky enough to get a Musician’s Union New Deal placement at Madcap.

GAWAINE

[00.57] Well, I’m just trying to pass on knowledge mainly, that's what I mainly do. I want them to be able to do, you know do and you know that anything I know and I am more than willing to pass on to them. Do you know what I mean, so it’s like I’ve got a lot of technical knowledge which I’ve picked up over time from studying and if I can condense that and pass it on to someone who can use it in five minutes then it’s worthwhile and useful knowledge then. That’s what I see myself doing really, passing on knowledge and enabling people to do what they want to do, you know.

Text: Gawaine’s work at Madcap involves close collaboration with Steve.

GAWAINE

[01.24] Steve is um more, more of a musician, he works with a lot with bands and he’s been doing, has been working as a musician for quite a while so he’s more there, he can direct them from that kind of aspect, so he can get them to sit down, hum a few words and then write a tune around it basically. You know, work out the chords, play the melody and arrange it that way. I am more technical. I can handle you know the mixing and recording side of it more easily than Steve can and Steve is obviously more fluent at dealing with the musical aspects of it. So we’ve got different strengths but they work together kind of thing so I think that’s how it works really.

Text: This partnership with Steve has taught Gawaine a lot of new skills.

GAWAINE

[02.01] Dealing with people because I mean a lot of it is obviously dealing with people, social situations basically. You have got to try and coax them into giving their best performance, you’ve got to coax the creativity out of them, know when to go in and tell them to do this and know when to step back and to give them some space to do what they want to do.