Eyeless in Gaza

Some weeks bring strange connections. My work as a guide at Chatsworth means that I spend some time talking about Tintoretto's Samson and Delilah to visitors, a 16th century Italian interpretation of the biblical story. A figure hides under a table, watching as a servant combs and cuts Samson's hair, as he lies against Delilah, oblivious in sleep.The hidden figure is waiting for his chance to blind Samson once his strength is destroyed. Some visitors are familiar with the story, others aren't. Last Saturday I went to see Doors Alive, a tribute to the Doors and Jim Morrison, at the Lowry. A review is due to be published on the Penny Black Music website. The show is called Perception, in acknowledgement of Aldous Huxley's book, The Doors of Perception, the source of the band's name. Aldous Huxley also wrote a novel, Eyeless in Gaza. Words and phrases, titles and names, all in a connecting wheel with their own associations. And then there is the news from Gaza each day.