Douwe Bob, Kensington, Di-rect, Triggerfinger: a selection of names appearing in the recently released book INSPIRATION – An elusive phenomenon explained by music journalist Bert Middelbos from Nijeveen. Together with his companion and music photographer Raymond van Olphen, he mapped out what inspiration means for 32 well-known Dutch musicians.
“All the great work that has ever been written is subject to inspiration,” emphasizes Middelbos, who after his debut book First Band (2009) was looking for new writing to publish. “That was so much fun, so we came to the conclusion: one plus one equals two.” With Van Olphen he went for a second music book. “My wish was mainly to be more substantive, to go in depth. Not just ‘bland stories’, but serious. That it really matters.”
Niels Geusebroek was at the cradle of what resulted in INSPIRATION. At the bar of the Ogterop theater he started talking with Middelbos. “He said: let’s start it together. Then we met in Zandvoort, on the beach.” After Geusebroek, 31 more songwriters followed, all of whom exposed themselves to the question of inspiration: what is inspiration, when should it be served and: what if it does not come?