Fail we may, sail we must
Keep on keeping on…the DJ and the fisherman
There’s no peloton in today’s Lessons from…
Today I want to tell you about seminal 90s music producer and DJ, the sadly late Andrew Weatherall. Specifically, about one of his tattoos.
Weatherall was the production magician behind many classic tracks and remixes by Primal Scream, Björk, Happy Mondays, New Order, and Saint Etienne, to name a few. And he was as famous for his distinctive look as he was for his unique sound.
It’s like USA super-domestique Quinn Simmons went in a different direction… (see cover photo)
I’ll admit I didn’t know about the tattoo until last Friday. I was listening to Miranda Sawyer’s excellent Talk 90s to Me podcast, where she recounted the story of how in 2008, he met 21-year-old Irish fisherman Gerard Sheehy.
Sheehy told Weatherall about how, aged 18, he’d captained a trawler through a Force 9 gale after his father broke his leg. When Weatherall asked whether he ever woke up and simply ‘couldn’t be arsed,’ the fisherman replied, ‘Fail we may, sail we must’. Or so the legend goes.
The response from Sheehy had a big effect on Weatherall. He realised that if 18-year-old Sheehy could step up when needed, Weatherall could surely get off his bum and do a gig.
In fact, it had such an impact that he tattooed the phrase on his arms and even named a track after it on his next album.
And I’ll be honest. It could be the motto for my last two years.
In October 2024 I was in a world of anxiety. Stuck in a job with no security that made me sick with worry every day. Trying hard to impress people who didn’t get it.
I’ve told the story before of how one day I decided to take back control of my life, but for now I’ll fast forward a couple of months. To the morning in December where I told my boss I was leaving on New Year's Eve to set up my own business.
No clients, no pipeline, just enough in the bank to cover the mortgage and bills for a few months. I didn’t have the words back then, but this was my moment where I knew: ‘Fail I may, sail I must.’
And that’s kept me going through the highs and lows of building my own business. No regular salary, no guarantee of work; but a whole heap of autonomy, control, and fun.
I’ve learned new skills, had some memorable moments, travelled as far as Malaysia, and met a bunch of amazing people. Other solopreneurs, business owners, and indie consultants. People who live by the same mantra.
So today, the lesson may not be from the peloton, but it is from a hardworking, determined young fisherman from Ireland.
If you are stuck, petrified of what comes next, that’s exactly how most people feel. Everyone I’ve met who’s made a shift away from what others expect of them has gone through that fear.
Whatever is coming – a conversation, a decision, a next step – one thing is true for us all:
Fail we may, sail we must.
What’s the one thing you've been putting off because you might fail at it?
And if it feels too scary, or you want someone to talk to: I’m here for you. Get in touch and we can set up a chat.
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Photo credits:
· Andrew Weatherall: Spencer Hickman, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
· Quinn Simmons: Hugo LUC, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
