Squeeze man Chris Difford to drop in at The Platform in Morecambe for a spot of storytelling

It might be an idea to watch your words around Chris Difford, or else you just might end up being the focus of one of his songs!
Chris Difford will be performing at The Platform in MorecambeChris Difford will be performing at The Platform in Morecambe
Chris Difford will be performing at The Platform in Morecambe

This was his honest response on where inspiration comes from for his songs. "Listening, watching, just being around people, that's the thing. And picking up words that people are saying. So be careful!" he laughed.

So for someone with such an interest in words, it will come as no surprise that he has an autobiography out, called Some Fantastic Place: My Life In and Out of Squeeze.

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And what better way for a musician to promote such a book than to embark on a tour with it!

Chris Difford is on tour to support his autobiographyChris Difford is on tour to support his autobiography
Chris Difford is on tour to support his autobiography

Chris has teamed up with Boo Hewerdine on the Some Fantastic Acoustic Book Tour, which will see him regale the audience about some of the key events in his life in music from his autobiography and perform some of his biggest hits acoustically, alongside tracks from Pants, a best of album featuring songs from a stage play created by Chris and Boo a couple of years ago.

Chris explained: "It's me supporting the book, talking about the book on stage. It's got a story to it. And I'll be playing some songs - some Squeeze songs and some songs I have written with Boo Hewerdine."

He went on to say that after the book was published in August last year, he decided it would be a great idea to take it on the road and support it.

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"I just came up with a really good idea of telling the story around the book, and so far, so good.

Chris Difford is on tour to support his autobiographyChris Difford is on tour to support his autobiography
Chris Difford is on tour to support his autobiography

"We are three or four shows in and it seems to be going very well. People are turning up! We've been selling out everywhere, so I can't complain to be honest. It's just a bit of a tiring jaunt, but it is good fun."

Although Chris is a member of one of London's best-loved bands, the Squeeze co-founder has made a lasting contribution to English music with his songwriting. How he goes about this difficult task, he admitted: "It all depends on who I am working with. But normally I write the lyrics and pad them to whoever I am working with and they put the music to it."

And to make this hard job sound very simple, he added: "I wrote a song with Boo Hewerdine the other evening and it took five minutes! You know, we were just both sitting at the computer, it was late at night, I had this idea, I showed it to him and instantly he came up with an idea for it. You know, something for the future."

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Over the course of a 14 album career with Squeeze, it was clear even from the very beginning that Chris has few peers when it comes to smart, pithy lyricism. His 'kitchen-sink drama' style has drawn plaudits from fans on both sides of the Atlantic, while his influence is keenly felt today. The likes of Lily Allen and Mark Ronson, Kasabian, Razorlight and The Feeling have all recognised the debt they owe to Squeeze's music and to Difford's elegant way with words.

He was very humble about this influence he has, saying: "I never think of it like that really. It's never crossed my radar. I think we've spent a long time getting Squeeze off the ground, and writing 14 albums, which has taken 45 years, so the influence we've been on other people, I can't be really responsible for that - just very proud."

With such a varied and long career, you might expect Chris to have a favourite venue to play. He said: "There's so many of them these days I think. You know, arts centres and small theatres are great places to play because you are up close to the audiences and it's always good to see the whites of people's eyes. You know, Squeeze plays larger venues. Glastonbury was probably one of the most memorable of recent years."

He added: "I'm looking forward to playing in Morecambe, it's been a while. I'm looking forward to getting people through the door then I can play them the songs."

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For an evening like no other, head to The Platform in Morecambe on Saturday, March 31 for the Some Fantastic Acoustic Book Tour. Both the album Pants and the book will be available to buy at the show. The shows starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £17.50, available online at https://uk.patronbase.com/_ThePlatform/Productions/35/Performances or by calling 01524 582803.