The Artist, the town, the PM and the writer.

It was just then she told me she'd got an old man,

She said come round for tea on Sunday if you can,

He'll be in Margate for the day

And that's when I said 'no way'

It's time to walk back to my van.

Excuse that indulgence – a few lines from a song I wrote some time ago. It was in my head when we went to Margate last week; maybe I'll record it soon.

Yes Margate; it's a seaside town in Kent and the painter, JMW Turner, said 'the skies over Thanet (where Margate is) are the loveliest in all Europe.'

He painted over one hundred oils and water colours on his visits there which is a pancake flat semi island jutting in to the North Sea and is surrounded by water on three sides. It has vast skies and dramatic light which was perfect for his art.

He stayed in a guest house in Margate and if you go there today you will see the Turner Gallery on the spot where the guest house stood. 

From one of the windows you can see an impressive vista of the sky, the sea and what Turner must have experienced at the time.

But what is art?

Some people say that it you call yourself an artist you are pretentious and I say, 'Pretentious? Moi???”

There's an ongoing conversation with lots of American actors, and actors from other places, as to whether acting is an art or a craft. 

Personally I don't really care to join the conversation but sometimes it's a bit sickening to hear actors talk about their craft in nearly every sentence. I would just say this – yes it is pretentious to keep talking about your art but a craft?

With a craft you know how it's going to end up – it's going to be a table, a chair, a piece of origami whereas with art – painting, acting, singing or whatever – you don't really know how it's going to end up – and if you do then it becomes an craft.

Now I am not going to mention any names here but when I walked in to the Turner centre; and look at it (above) it's very impressive – I went along a corridor and on the wall there were some pictures and I immediately thought 'oh they are exhibiting some children's pictures; maybe from an infants' class close by?'

The first picture was of a face; just an oval face as any child would draw. It was maybe 18 inches by 24 inches.

An oval face, two dots for eyes, a line for a nose and a smiley mouth. 

In the background was a pair of lips as roughly drawn as the face.

There was nothing else in the picture.

At the side it mentioned who it was drawn by, told us what it was drawn on and gave the dimensions.

Along the wall there were other pictures, all, more or less the same size, and of the same standard.

On the opposite wall, in the corridor, was a monitor playing a DVD.

I put the head phones on and it was an old lady of maybe 70 who was the artist of the pictures on exhibit.

She was talking very seriously about her inspirations and influences and . . . .

What is art?

I haven't said anything derogatory about anybody here but you have to think.

Margate has been a renaissance town of late with quite a few films set there; a television series or two, lots of organic cafés, independent galleries and vintage clothes shops but the day we went it was closed.

The recent series there True Love, was improvised love stories so there must be some attraction – but the day we went not only were the shops closed Margate was closed.

The place has a reputation of all things artistic; Tracey Emin made her bed there, won the Turner Prize with it and contributed to the Turner Centre but, and I have to ask this what is art?

There are people totally devoid of art of any kind. 

Whether you like it or not people following soap operas on TV are following an art form – drama, acting whatever.

I remember in the sixties when a court case was reported in the media a witness would say they were listening to The Beatles or watching James Bond and the judge would ask 'what or who are The Beatles?' or James Bond?

They were obviously living in a different world from anybody else.

When we read Shakespeare there are sometimes funny lines we don't understand. 

These are the same kind of lines that are used in panto here when an act will refer to a TV commercial or programme in a joke. The judge wouldn't get the joke as they don't follow the zeitgeist. 

Politicians have tried to make jokes but when they take their kids to the panto at Christmas they don't get the jokes as they never watch television.

I heard the case of the Canadian Prime Minister of whom it was said never read a novel – just text books and the like.

He was also the Prime Minister who, upon the death of Pierre Tredeau, criticised him instead of paying tribute.

The Canadian writer Yann Martell, who wrote The Life of Pi, sent that Prime Minister, Stephen Harper by the way, a book every month and a letter and Harper didn't even acknowledge him. he sent 101 books and letters.

A very famous Canadian writer, as with The Beatles, who is Yann Martell?

The same Yann Martell wrote to Barack Obama who sent back a hand written note saying that he and his daughter had loved The Life of Pi.

Barack Obama aye?

Appreciate him whilst you have him, America, the road doesn't look too optimistic ahead!