John Moody, an elder at Trinity Church Islington, London, reflects on his past experiences as lead guitarist and songwriter in the music business.
At 9 o’clock, one hot summer night, on the NME Stage at the Reading Festival, I stood, Fender Telecaster in hand, with my valve amp cranked up loud, and thrashed out the opening riff of my band’s current single.
The crowd started leaping around and singing along in response. They all knew the song — it had recently been on the playlists of XFM and Radio 1, and been Single of the Week in Melody Maker. I recall thinking to myself at the time, ‘Am I dreaming?’ No, this was real alright. And it was something that I had been working towards for a long time — like many, I had a rock star dream. Mine was of a distinctly indie flavour, although they come in many forms. But, looking back now, as a Christian who returned fully to Christ after my period in the music business, I can see what that rock star dream delivered, and, more to the point, what it didn’t deliver.
