Born in 1945 and raised in London, singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan released her debut album, Just Another Diamond Day, in 1970, inspired by a trip around the Hebrides in a horse-drawn cart. Initially overlooked, the album went on to be regarded as a classic. After stepping away from music for 30 years, Bunyan released Lookaftering in 2005 and Heartleap in 2014, and has collaborated with artists such as Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhart. In 2022, she published the memoir Wayward: Just Another Life to Live. Vashti Bunyan plays In the Round festival at Roundhouse, London, on 20 April.
1. Book
Denmark Street: London’s Street of Sound by Peter Watts
In the 50s and 60s there were a lot of music publishers in Denmark Street, and when I was 19 I went knocking on doors, trying to ply my own songs, though I didn’t get anywhere. I love the story of how The Old Grey Whistle Test TV show got its name. The test publishers applied to songs would be to see if the office doorman – who had grey hair or a grey uniform – could whistle the tune after the songwriter had played it. If he could, the song would be considered catchy enough. It’s a fascinating book.
2. Museum
Museum of Scottish Railways, Bo’ness
We have a grandson who’s crazy about trains, so we love to visit this museum. It includes the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, a 10-mile trip on an old steam train, which is reminiscent of childhood: musty carriages and smoke, the hypnotic clatter of wheels. There is also a great long room with a model railway with incredible detail, and lots of different trains running up and down the tracks. At the exit I caught a glimpse through a door of the people controlling these toy trains behind the scenes, and they looked like they were having such a great time.
3. Concert
The National, Edinburgh Castle
I’ve only been to one concert there – Elbow – and I was sitting way up at the back, looking down on a sea of people. It started in bright daylight and as the sun slowly went down and the stage became the only thing to see, the music seemed to get louder, as if it surrounded me more, though I could have been completely imagining it. I’m really looking forward to seeing the National play there in July. I’ve never seen them live before, but last year’s Laugh Track has become probably one of my favourite all-time songs.
4. Artist
John Byrne was an extraordinary Scottish painter. He died recently, and although I didn’t know him it was like losing an old friend. A local gallery had one of his prints called Newfoundland that I had been trying to find for a while: it’s a small figure with arms raised up looking at a huge yellow sun. I bought it online – a present for my partner after difficult times with surgery – and when I went to collect it, it was huge. So now I can’t decide where on the wall to put it, but I’m very pleased with it.
5. Place
The King’s Park, Edinburgh
I’ve lived in Edinburgh for 31 years and have always loved the Queen’s Park, though we have to call it the King’s Park now, as it’s named after the reigning monarch. After moving to the city from living in the hills for a long time, it’s been so good to have that great expanse of grass. I’ve only climbed Arthur’s Seat once, because I’m terribly lazy, but I do love to look at it in all kinds of weathers. There are always people standing on the top, and it makes me think that it looks like an upside down stubbly chin.
6. Song
Roving Woman by Connie Converse
What an incredible story she had. Nobody really took any notice of her songwriting in the 50s: because she was an academic, I think her contemporaries thought of it as more of a hobby. In 1974, she put all her belongings into her VW Beetle and drove away. Nobody knows what happened to her. But her brother kept her recordings. I didn’t know her songs until this one came up unbidden on Spotify the other day. It’s wonderful: so clever about how women were perceived then, and beautifully put together. I can’t get it out of my head.
