365 Days #98 - Pat Morris - We're Diabetic/It's Not The End Of The World (mp3s)

MP3:
1. We're Diabetic (3:46)
2. It's Not The End Of The World (4:08)

After trawling through a couple of hundred records in a local charity shop I found myself with only one solitary 7" single worthy of investigation, it just had the words "We're Diabetic So What!" on the front along with a picture of a bunch of school kids and their teachers all wearing British Diabetic Association t-shirts. As I approached the counter to pay for the record I noticed there was a man having a conversation with the cashier, getting within ear distance I realized the discussion was about the pro's and cons of being a diabetic, it turned out they were both diabetics. An instinctive reaction caused me to suddenly stop in my tracks and pretend to browse the nearby bookshelf whilst discreetly hiding the record so it couldn't be seen by the man and cashier at the counter. After a while the man made his exit and I was left with the tough decision of whether to buy the record, meaning I would have to be served by a lady cashier who I knew was diabetic herself or put the record back and make a quick exit myself. Curiosity got the better of me and after some contemplation I placed the record on the counter and tried to soften the embarrassing situation by saying how much of a coincidence it was that she had just been talking about diabetics etc. Thankfully the cashier didn't ask me why I was buying the record and seemed more interested in talking further about the problems she encountered being a diabetic. We ended up having a lengthy conversation about various eating disorders and being a vegetarian, which was fine by me because during this time I managed to pay for the record, put it away in my bag and avoid any tricky questioning.

Both songs on this record are composed and sung by somebody called Pat Morris who for some reason is known to the kid's as Posty Pat or W.I.N.D.Y. I have read the text on the sleeve and the label of the record over and over again but cannot find any clue as to what W.I.N.D.Y stands for or why he is known as it, but I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for it however strange it might be.

The new wave sounding A side "We're Diabetic" is far superior to the melancholy and reflective B side "It's Not The End Of The World", but after repeated listens even the B side grows on you, maybe because it's so horrible you can't believe it's happening, I'm not sure. Anyway two great songs, a great cover with the lyrics on the back and the fact that it's on High Fiberecords Ltd all adds up to my favourite record of the moment.

By the way you might have noticed from the scan of the back cover that a sticker with the "We're Diabetic" title on has been stuck over some writing, this is because the sleeve was printed with the side 2 credit "It's Not The End Of The World" twice, a strange mistake to make considering the title of the record is "We're Diabetic".

- Contributed by: Fraser Berry

Images: Front Cover, Back Cover, Label

Media: 7"
Label: High Fibrecords
Catalog: SRT 5KS
Credits: by Pat Morris (or Posty Pat or Windy). Produced by Jerry Stevenson.

Comments

[rocketboy]

That would have been one conversation I would have jumped into, had I heard it going on.
I'm Vegetarian AND Diabetic.
I would have also enjoyed a wind-up of Rolf Harris, called; "My Pancreas Won't Come Back".
(Some Hyperglycaemic humour for you.)

-Rocket(Insulin impaired)boy

[Art]

i really like this. the b-side particularly: it's so honest & real, and it's something that you don't hear about in songs everyday. great find.

[plasket]

::reads back cover of record::

SONGS COMPOSED AND SUNG BY PAT MORRIS
known to the kid's as (see centre of record)

::sees centre of record::

"Copyright Control"

hm.

[rocketboy]

After reading the lyrics, I'm glad that there are now such things as Glucometers! Before the test strips were invented, you actually had to DRINK a bit of your "wee" to see if it tasted sweet or not(!) Ahh, that's why it's also known as "Diabetes Insipidus".
Sad thing is, that the pharmaceutical industry would probably do everything in their power to prevent a cure. We're cash cows for them. One test strip costs a $1.00 (U.S.D.) A packet of 100....well, you get the general idea. Combine that with the huge cost of medications, frequent doctor visits and even trips to the Psychiatrist, as Diabetes often causes depressive disorders.
It may not be the end of the world, but you can kiss your finances bye-bye.(Unless you're lucky enough to live in a country with a single payer health care system.)
I will now step off the soapbox.

-Rocket-angry as hell-boy

[Chris R.]

I have to ask - the pros and cons of diabetes? What were the pros?

[michael farris]

"the pros and cons of diabetes? What were the pros?"

Better than death?

[LostInDaJungle]

Odd comments.

My wife is a diabetic and now so is my 5 year old. Aside from what Rocketboy says, it hasn't wrecked our finances.

In case you're curious, I played this for the wife last night, and she knew it back to front. Apparently this song was a quite popular sing-along at diabetes camps, etc... when she was a kid. (As mentioned on the back of the sleeve.) I remarked it sounded a bit like Madness' "Baggy Trousers".

Things have come a long way for diabetics since this song was recorded, and it truly isn't the end of the world anymore, but realize that when that song was recorded, it was much more of an optimistic plea. Now you have Adam Morrison who plays NBA basketball with Diabetes. Newer insulins and rapid testing all help.

Blood glucose monitors had just been invented and were not common. It wasn't until 1979 that Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes was formally recognized.

I'll invite everyone to read this short essay: Love and diabetes.
http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~abhu000/diabetes/love.html

"Diabetes, to the degree that it is a chronic, life-threatening disease, is similar to tuberculosis and epilepsy. That is, it's a constant and intimate reminder of our mortality, of the incredible fragility of the physical structure which permits us to live, to continue to live against all odds. And this knowledge, this inescapable, internal fragility, is unlike other kinds of knowledge, and represents an entirely different order of vulnerability than those threats that hover about all of us, but from beyond the borders of our own bodies."

[Ann]

Nice observation, thanks.