A Friend Of The Triangle Player 

The expression “I m just a friend of the triangle player”  is sometimes used in English to own up to the fact that you have gate-crashed, or are about to gate-crash a party or event of some kind to which you have not been invited.

This particular song was written for the first Lakeside Stories CD, a compilation CD of original work from Singer/Songwriter’s and friends from the Hoorn area in the North of Holland. The song is about a fictitious person who has turned gate-crashing parties and events into a fine art. His greatest moment comes when he finds entrance to an gathering at the White House in Washington where he gets to meet the former US President Bill Clinton. In order not to cause Mr Clinton too much embarrassment when he steps forward to meet him, he whispers “I'm the friend of the triangle player, just smile and shake my hand”.

Subsequently after writing the song I was due to record it at Steve Phillips recording studio in Hoorn and had invited the late Ian Moffatt, our former drummer, to play triangle on it. I decided to write a final verse the night before the recording dedicating the song to Ian. During the recording session Ian had absolutely no idea that the extra verse had been added and heard it as we were recording it, tinging along with his triangle. More recently I have performed the song with a new triangle playing legend Laurens Reij who now receives the credits at the end of the song.

Final note. Although the story and character in the song are fictitious, he really is a bit like me in that I always seem to find my way around somehow or other. To coin a Dutch phrase they use in The Netherlands, “I'm always falling with my nose in the butter”