Aztec CAMRA

I’m in a small pub (I know – get me!) watching a band prepare for a gig (roadie’s PIN number of 1212 has had a regular outing). I reckon I’ve already heard, through their rehearsing, some of their ‘best bits’. They seem to be an Americana / alt country type of outfit and therefore would be fine playing unplugged in such a small venue. Yet they have a guy with an iPad monitoring their every sonic nuance as if they were the Stones about to play Wembley.

I’ve witnessed this phenomenon quite a bit recently – covers bands only appearing on stage after 10pm for example. I mean Jesus H Christ..*

*not the band’s name but an expression of exasperation 😉

Here’s three for a kick-off:

“If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all”

“I was looking for a job and then I found a job, and heaven knows I’m miserable now”

“I’m so tired, I’ll have another cigarette, and curse Sir Walter Raleigh – he was such a stupid get”

Following the farce of Scotland playing in pink at Wembley, I’m watching City v Arsenal at the moment and Arsenal are in yellow. Since when were sky blue and red similar colours?

I have an (by the dizzying standards of the day) ageing laptop in an Acer Aspire 5750. Have been happy with it in general but it is now struggling with ever more resource hungry apps.

I’ve taken the decision to end my monthly subs to Adobe CC and to delete Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator et al from my laptop and go all out open source (Gimp, Inkscape etc).

I should state that I have a regular, non creative 9-5 job but have worked on the fringes of graphic design in the past and would like to do so again but my requirements would be small fry – the minimum being an ability to produce hi-res PDFs for printers.

Any open source tips welcome!

I was going to say ‘the thinking person’s Soccer Saturday’ but that’s not quite right as the godlike Jeff Stelling justifiably has many admirers.

Let’s just say I recommend watching this.

James Richardson’s wit regularly on display, e.g. tonight to Howard Webb: “I know your team Man Utd are not in it this year but who do you fancy?”.

Obscure but articulate pundits – James Horncastle, Julien Laurens, Raphael Honigstein.

All it’s lacking is the bold James, cappuccino at the ready, in his Gazetta Football Italia days, looking like an extra in a Style Council video. Great stuff.

https://youtu.be/mAo7TrQ0aXw

If, that is, you’re not enamoured with ‘false 9’s’ or ‘forwards who contribute a lot to the team, even when not scoring (i.e. most of the time).

Costa is a good old-fashioned centre forward who can hold his own against the meanest defenders but who can also, crucially, score goals.

Last season, his negative aspects undoubtedly dominated but this season he has been on fire. In a good way…

At his best, he’s my favourite kind of player. From a Scottish perspective, the closest equivalent would be Duncan ‘Disorderly’ Ferguson – a great unfulfilled (to some extent) talent.

Obviously all will be forgiven if Scotland go on the most unlikely of unbeaten runs from the next distant qualifier (late March!) onwards.

But as this is a remote possibility based on the evidence of the past two years, I and a great many others found the SFA’s unanimous backing of the manager (after the great man went golfing in Portugal for a few days to decide whether he felt able to continue) quite depressing.

The mantra of ‘well, he just doesn’t have the players’ has been blown out of the water by several similar or in theory inferior nations who have had vastly greater success over recent campaigns.

I also find his patronising media interactions increasingly grating. For Pep Guardiola (or his nemesis Jose) to come back with a pithy retort (‘my style of playing is not to pass to the opposition’s striker’) is one thing, but I think oor Gordy would be well advised to tone this stuff down, or at least use it more strategically.

As some of you know, I am a huge admirer of Martin Samuel. He believes the England manager’s job must always be filled by an Englishman as ‘the point of international football » Continue Reading.

at least based on their last few results, particularly today’s majestic demolition of a more than decent Everton team. Watched it live and the MOTD highlights and pleased to note that my real-time impressions of the quality of their play were backed up, even by notoriously hard to impress Paul Scholes. Scintillating.

Sad Café – Every Day Hurts.

Just a great record. A musicologist could probably expand on the importance of the ‘every single day’ and ‘just a little more’ backing vocals and Eric Stewart’s production but for the rest of us it’s just pure enjoyment.

Also – another tune used very effectively in Peter Kay’s Car Share.

https://youtu.be/FyyFpn1bS-Q

Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Elton John, Billy Joel, Macca & Stevie, MJ, Prince, Lionel Richie, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, The Police, Bill; Medley & Jennifer Warnes, The Travelling Wilburys…. (it would be easier to list the young pups than continue with this list).

The above is a small selection of artists who shifted mega / giga / tera units in the 80’s.

Things have become a tad more youthful since then, no? Both in actual years on this planet and attitude?

Just, like, sayin. Noticed it the other day when Tina’s epic ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ was on the radio (not R1, obvs)

Depressing but all too accurate in my view:

Last month Comedy Central broadcast a ‘roast’ of the actor Rob Lowe. Among those invited to take part was the right wing author and Trump supporter Ann Coulter. Before a glittering celebrity audience, broadcasting into millions of homes, one after another of the ‘roasters’ focused less on needling Lowe, more on viciously abusing Coulter. A procession of famous men queued up to call Coulter the ‘c’ word, vilify her looks and — in one case — advise her to kill herself. The liberal media were delighted and ran with it for days, before switching gear to profess outrage about the misogyny of an 11 year old recording of Donald Trump. But it is as though America as a whole has failed to find any mute switch, let alone the ‘off’ button.

Politics in Britain hasn’t become such an unreality TV show yet. But we have not avoided it entirely. Here too the divide between politics and showbusiness has occasionally grown alarmingly thin. Although Alan Sugar didn’t get near Downing Street, the UK Apprentice star was put into the House of Lords by Gordon Brown. And David Cameron promoted his co » Continue Reading.

then are people seriously suggesting that everything was rosy in the world of established Republican / Democrat or cross-mainstream party consensus on membership of the EU?

If not, then what would be the tipping point? I only ask as it seems that established left liberal opinion seems to be four-square behind the everything rosy viewpoint.

I feel some ‘warts and all’ support for anti-Brexit views would be a tad helpful, as the numerous Daily Mash et al attacks are somewhat perplexing. ‘Well known satirical website voices support for largely unelected distant bureaucracy’ might not have gone down so well.

Fact is, there was no widespread great love for the EU, pre-referendum. I, for one, find its subsequent adoration utterly bizarre.

Just playing a bit of TFF, as one does, and it struck me that there is a marked similarity between Roland Orzabal and Karl Wallinger in their musical and lyrical style. Probably blindingly obvious to all but me but never occurred to me before!

Love this track (Call Me Mellow)

Now acoustic guitar à la yer Fairports, yer Nick Drakes and yer James Taylors is all well and good, but there’s something undeniably thrilling about its use in a more electrified context, no?

Things We Said Today

That’s Entertainment

Senses Working Overtime

Bigmouth Strikes Again

There She Goes

and Sugar’s uncommonly thrilling IICCYM…

Highly recommended. As addictive as the Class A narcotics that feature heavily throughout. I mainlined it over three nights. First time I’ve done that since The Wire, with which it shares much DNA.

http://www.hbo.com/the-night-of

Fortunate enough to live within walking distance of many decent watering holes. But ‘blessed’ as I am with an introvert personality, I find that this is less of an advantage than it may appear.

Ventured out earlier to watch the Barnsley v Millwall play-off, even though I could have watched it at home. Found it an unfulfilling experience to be honest, as I have on similar occasions in the past. Full of pre-existing groups with no likely prospect of an outsider being welcomed in.

Drinking alone is of course seen to be the work of the devil, but I’m now back at base, in touch with friends back home through FB and keeping an eye on this place, and it’s really not too bad you know.

http://www.drunkard.com/the-zen-of-drinking-alone/

Bloke from Barnsley with a sore arsehole asks chemist: “Nah then lad, does tha sell arse cream?”

Chemist replies: “Aye, magnum or cornetto?”

Yes, yes, I know the correct answer is: ‘neither, just eat a bit less and move a bit more’, but that aside, interested to know what people have found most effective as both bits of kit are around the same price.

Minded to go for the constant reminder of the wristband as opposed to the soon to be coathanger of the crosstrainer but thoughts welcome…

As, er, no-one in Hull will be saying tonight! Well done to Bernard Cribbins lookalike and all-round top bloke Steve Bruce.

Still, Wednesday will be back I feel. Gives me a tenuous reason to post my favourite Tim Vine joke:

“This bloke said to me, ‘can you tell me your availability to run a football team in Sheffield?’… I said, ‘I can’t manage Wednesday’.”

Thinking of getting myself an iPad mini 2: http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/FE279B/A/refurbished-ipad-mini-2-wi-fi-16gb-silver

I’d use it almost exclusively for streaming Sky Sports and BT Sport via Virgin TV Anywhere plus Netflix and Spotify.

Thoughts welcome on whether this is sufficient, bearing in mind the amount of memory taken up by iOS.

Apologies if done before, but watching Falkirk v Hibs (cracking game) put me in mind of REM’s heartfelt endorsing of The Bairns’ move away from their traditional home.

Don’t Go Back to Brockville.

Another couple:

Duran Duran – Ochilview to a Kill

Rolling Stones – Tumbling Tannadice

Any more for any more?

I work in what some may describe as an unreconstructed, somewhat politically incorrect environment.

Just wondered if any of the massive have ever unilaterally brought about a change in attitude in such a setting.

There are a lot of positives to where I work, and strong camaraderie is definitely one of them. But the way friendship can often be expressed is by finding a real or perceived weakness in someone and mercilessly taking the piss out of them about it. Forever.

Without doubt, I have seen occasions when this has crossed the line to outright prejudice. My response, to be honest, has been little more than just not participating – not joining in, but not making a big deal about it either.

Hope this doesn’t come across as apologist, but I do feel that even though it is a heavily straight- white-male dominated environment, others can be and are accepted warmly.

But difference is seized-upon ruthlessly and the subsequent ribbing is merciless, if, that is, the ‘victim’ is basically ‘one of us’. For clear outsiders however, there is an awkwardness (on the part of the ‘in’ group) which may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I do feel that tough environments, » Continue Reading.

Can’t really see Giggsy as a manager, and certainly not of Man Utd, even allowing for his stellar playing career*.

To be fair to him, sitting beside an ego-on-stilts like LVG I’m sure it’s difficult to make your mark, but I’d like to have seen some more spark from him during games. He just seems to maintain the same part befuddled, part disgruntled expression throughout.

*no insult. Denis Law – a bona fide United legend if ever there was one – would have been a similarly unlikely managerial candidate.

Have noticed a trend towards cans rather than bottles in craft beer recently. Will slightly miss the myriad ways of opening a cold beer bottle (bottle opener, table top, teeth) but hard to argue against a can being a better receptacle for the contents than a bottle (better seal, total light protection).

330ml format is perfect. 440ml is a bit too ‘Special Brew’ 😉