Yesterday was Albania’s birthday or something. They had a party for it in that there London and things kicked off a bit, apparently. Turned into a right old ruckus. Shame that. I really like Albania. Gorgeous country, lovely peeps, great beaches. I once saw a bloke leading a bear on a leash along the seafront of Vlora. And Norman Wisdom is/was rightly very popular there. He’s even on one of their postage stamps.
Albania was not much fun between the years 1944 and 1985 when it was ruled by the dictatorship of communist leader Enver Hoxha. His secret police kept the country controlled by fear; political opponents were jailed; use of the death penalty was not uncommon. Hoxha banned Western movies from Albanian life, meaning film stars were practically non-existent. Except for Norman Wisdom. Why him? Because his characters’ perennial struggles against ‘The Man’ were viewed as a communist parable on class war (Mr Grimsdale was, apparently, capitalism personified).
Here’s Norman Wisdom & The Pitkins singing Big In Albania (written by Tim Rice).
And here’s his postage stamp.
Here’s Alexei’s homage.
I have this single. Albanixey or something similar.
Albanians seem to love the UK too – especially our appetite for sex workers and drugs.
I wonder if that’s what really attracted them to Norman Wisdom?
See the current issue of Private Eye for the alarming stats on this!
In the psychological therapies team I work for if we have a referral for a woman from Albania the assumption is that they were trafficked to the UK for the sex trade. If it’s a man then they are likely to be seeking asylum because of some sort of blood feud back in the old country (as it were). After Afghanistan and Sri Lanka its the country/background we have the most non-UK clients from.
Is this in your head or an actual thing Moose? I can never work out your seriousness with the 90:10 ratio of taking the piss: serious
I guess that’s your schtick lol
Mate I don’t know any better than you do 😉
HaHa…I will amend my ratio for your posts going forward !
One of my younger colleagues last year married a Russian lady who was in Cambridge on a student visa. Bonus: she no longer has to return to a nation at war run by a psychopath.
Anyhow, they had their summer holiday in Albania and in their holiday snaps it looks like the Scottish Highlands, but with better weather (and more cabbage soup).
I must admit, I’ve never been impressed with their cuisine. Actually, “cuisine” seems the wrong word to describe it. “Food” seems more apt. I’ve never been impressed with their food.
Have any other Afterworders read “Free”, Lea Ypi’s account of growing up in Enver Hoxha’s Albania in the 1980s? It’s a cracking little book!
I went to see a talk she gave here in Stockholm, too. Very interesting.
Don’t know if anybody needs to know this, but Hoxha is pronounced Hodger. Carry on.
Rhyming with Dodger and Todger! How coincidental! (Given something about them on another thread somewhere.)
I have, quite the insight into a different life
We were in the Waterloo area on that night last year. They created havoc; screwed up all the surrounding roads and made a horrible din. Not a way for an expat community to endear themselves to the locals.
I do get the impression that they export all the nasty and ugly people and keep the nice and better looking ones for themselves.
The reverse of the UK, eh Gary?
Exactamundo!
One of the Lab Technicians at work is Romanian and tries his best not to be casually sexist, homophobic and racist. When it comes to Albanians, though, he can’t help himself.
I don’t know his family history, but I think an Albanian must have dissed his family.
Albania is high up on my list of places I want to visit – I am interested in combining it with Montenegro and Macedonia.I need to go before it is sanitised by the EU or before Putin tries to interfere with it
From what I have seen and heard it is a pretty special place.
I thoroughly recommend it. Loved Tirana and loved the coast. The roads are bit dodgy and some bits of Tirana do seem held together with sellotape and string, but I’d happily live there if the language weren’t such unintelligible gobbledegook. It’s a wonder they can understand each other.
Interestingly, Albania have qualified for the Euro 2024 football tournament, topping their group above the Czech Republic and Poland. The days when Albanian football was a bit of a joke are long gone.
Dua Lipa is a proud Albanian. That’s enough to endear the country to me.
didnt know that but in that case me too.
Tried to take the wife there on our honeymoon. Got as far as Corfu, but the ferry to Albania had been suspended for some reason.
There are a number of Albanian communities dotted around the South of Italy in places like Molise and Basilicata that have been there for centuries.
On a different note, I remember when Celtic played Dinamo Tirana back on 1982 or so, the TV footage of the away leg was in black and white.
How could you tell what colour the ball was that they were trying to pot?
On a clear day I can see Albania from my roof. At least with a telescope I should be able to. In theory. I’ve never tried. Don’t have a telescope.
There was a fascinating article (I thought so anyway) in the FT recently written by an Albanian about his mother’s experiences in Italy and how Albanians are no longer Italy’s “scapegoat” immigrants, Africans are. I posted it here somewhere. I’ll try and find it again.
Edit: Here it is, but it seems to be paywall. Wasn’t when I first read it. But if you have access to the FT it’s worth a read.
@pawsforthought might interest you too, if you can access it.
https://www.ft.com/content/059b9ad6-46ae-4c1c-b049-90fe4bd88212?fbclid=IwAR2Zj30KZl_EcVYKUSK_I5bibZl8h_QkOwGO6UKRZ-lMuWG2lKw47rCxUAs
On a clear day… On a clear day…
You can see Albania…
For ever…
And ever…
And ever more…
But sadly not the FT’s website. Thanks anyway @Gary
@gary Regarding the video in the original post, may I just clarify that the song is a co-write between Tony Hawks (his idea) and Tim Rice.
Tony is, of course, famous for his mega hit “Stutter Rap”, credited to Morris Minor and the Majors.
His involvement with Albania, Norman Wisdom and Tim Rice is explained here: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/tony-hawks-big-in-albania-184573.html and I vaguely remember that his book is quite entertaining.
Not the skateboarder guy? I read recently that Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love’s daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, is married to the skateboarder guy’s son. However the skateboarder guy’s name, whilst ornithologically relevant, wasn’t pluralised. So I’m pretty sure my comment doesn’t really have anything to do with anything.
Edit: Interesting article though. Ta.
The musician/comedian constantly gets messages intended for the skate guy. He has published some of his responses on his website, which are very funny.
I mentioned Morris Minor and the Majors only last week, does this represent a career boost for the Hawkster? He’s probably writing a book about it already.
There’s a young guy on TikTok who is the absolute spit of the SRH Tony Hawks from 30 years ago.
He’s called Troy Hawke and is no relation. Rather than try to explain what he does, here’s a clip.
I read his book “Around Ireland With A Fridge” some years ago after someone whose taste I thought was good recommended it.
I thought it was complete shite and I struggled to finish it. My attitude to Hawks has been tainted ever since by the experience.
These days I know better than to finish a book that I’m really not enjoying. Life’s too short for that sort of foolishness.
A tad harsh, methinks. OK a lightweight book with little to value, but easily winnable before the end. Problem is the nice and affable blokes, of which he is one, are great for an hour, but pall for longer.
He did write one of the worst sentences I have ever read in one of his later books (I haven’t read the fridge one). It went something like, ‘Rock stars like you to think they live close to the edge, but the nearest they get is being close to the hedge of their enormous garden.’ He hadn’t even written himself into a corner where some sort of pun about being close to the edge was necessary, let alone the weakest pun in the history of the printed word.
In 1989 Attila the Stockbroker went to Albania with Bill Brewster and the When Saturday Comes boys to see the England game. It made the news.
PS Bonus Mode for the boys
Back in day spent a fair amount of time in Albania. A land of contrasts. Most people warm and welcoming but others the most disgustingly racist, homophobic, sexist fuckers I have ever met.
As for walking a bear along the street, most probably it was on the way to an arena where it was forced to “perform”.
Can’t imagine falling in love with Albania, more like WTF?
Yeahbut, I bet if you went back now you’d find that relatively modern inventions like electricity and television have brought about some considerable social changes.
True, very true
Yes, they’re watching Mrs Brown’s Boys and saying “British people are idiots, let’s sell them drugs”
🎯