2023
A round-up of everything I have been up-to this year
As of December 18th, I have completed the last of my New Year’s Resolutions – to go a year without drinking alcohol. Although I was a problem drinker by the end of my twenties, and a binge drinker for most of my thirties, it wasn’t that difficult, because it was more about inaction than action.
When it comes to action, here are some of the worthwhile things I did in 2023 that will hopefully bear fruit in the long term.
Work
From September, I started the most stable employment I have had for five years. It involves accompanying university students to their classes and taking their lecture and seminar notes. There are also other duties, like pushing wheelchairs. It enables me to absorb knowledge and cutting-edge thinking from a variety of academic fields, help vulnerable people, and also get paid (albeit not much).
Other paid gigs have included teaching guitar in a church and teaching Business Studies A-Level. I have started uploading online guitar lessons, and intend to keep doing so, but it is hard to spot gaps in the market.
In the summer I read ‘A Rule-Breaker’s Guide to Social Media’ by Damien Keyes, and finally got more systemic about using it. Step one has been to upload a Mandarin lesson to YouTube every week. Traffic is paltry but unlike other platforms like TikTok, old videos don’t necessarily just disappear like tears in rain, and hopefully it will build some momentum eventually, especially if I improve my camera and microphone setup.
The Kev
This was probably the busiest year yet for my musical comedy alter-ego The Kev. As well as performing two headline gigs and being invited to perform comedy for the first time, I released my third album. This was complete with between-song skits, which were a huge step out of my comfort zone.
Songs I wrote which rank along my strongest material include ‘Talking about The Kev’, and ‘You Can’t Say Anything These Days’, which will get formal releases in 2024. I also completed a poetry course at Oxford University, which will hopefully bear creative fruit going forward.
I also released an instrumentals album, and commissioned some covers. These included an African-American cover of ‘Cheap Hotel’ and a female vocalist recording ‘Empty Your Mind’.
Several of my best ever on-stage moments happened this year:
麦凯文
Although I wrote my last ever Chinese song in 2022, this has been my most ‘successful’ year yet as a Chinese-language songwriter. The song 《希望会这样》(the Chinese version of ‘Hope It Might Be So’) got six-figure viewing figures on Chinese platforms, leading to features in both Chinese and Western media. The catalyst was a press release that I solicited on Fiverr.
Music
Every month, I recorded a miscellaneous movie soundtrack. Personal favourites include ‘Gonna Fly Now’ from Rocky and ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ from Clueless. I set up the new YouTube channel ‘Kevin McGeary Guitar’, specifically for non-silly music. I will continue to upload regularly in 2024.
Essays
My body of published non-fiction is still far short of where I wish it was. I wrote a piece for the 50th anniversary of Sam Peckinpah’s Western ‘Pat Garret and Billy the Kid’ and pitched it everywhere, but ended up self-publishing. I did the same with the 1967 film ‘Belle de Jour’, and will continue a series titled Film Focus.
I also wrote the odd book review, including one of Comma Press’s ‘The Book of Beijing’ from the thriving Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing.
Spanish
I practiced Spanish on Duolingo every single day this year. I enjoy it and get a lot out of it, while trying not to lose sight of the fact that it is ultimately a glorified computer game.
When studying a language, I like to have a body of work to show for it. In the case of Spanish, I released a cover album of Spanish songs.
You can buy the EP here.
Well done Kevin, so proud of you and all you've achieved this year. I can imagine the effort you've put into staying sober and it takes a lot of effort to stay the course, especially given the prevailing culture in the music industry. Well done as well on the paid work and how you've juggled that with your writing and music. Hope you have a happy, produtive and fulfilling 2024.
Wow, Kev, you've been so busy! I'm in awe of your productivity. Also, I'm so glad you found the Damian Keyes book helpful. I think he has a very sensible, clear-eyed way of looking at social media.