Tony Morris has just been featured on the “Today” programme on Radio 4. He is a 72 year old Glaswegian, who graduated with a 1st in psychology in 1976 and, by his own admission, has spent the years since then trying to work out to do with life. A few years ago he went to a class to learn how to play the bongo drums and quickly discovered that was another thing he wasn’t cut out to do. But his teacher introduced him to electronic dance music, recorded at home and then released on social media. After a serious illness, Mr Morris could only perform for around a minute before needing a rest, but that was perfect for short electronic clips, which can be joined together for anything longer. His recordings have sent the dance music scene in Glasgow and Edinburgh alight and he is now about to release his first single.
Heart-warming though this story may be, what really caught my attention was the title of the new single. It is “Going to Church”, one of Mr Morris’s great pleasures. In it, he tells of how a church can uplift him. In a recent interview (How Tony Morris became Scotland’s most unlikely pop sensation | The Herald (heraldscotland.com)) he explains why he recently described himself as “ancient and justified”.
” I am an extremely religious person and the Biblical term to be ‘justified’ before God has a special nuance. And since I believe that God wants us all to find our niche in life and so use our talents well, I am happy to use the word justified in that sense too. Also, Wittgenstein [a philosopher] was a strong believer in human beings realising their humanity by finding a niche where their talents can be unleashed, and he is a hero of mine.”
The dance scene in Scotland may soon find itself dancing unawares with both Wittgenstein the philosopher and the Holy Spirit.
Rev David Poyner