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A Carnival of Snackery

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Author:David Sedaris

Those familiar with David Sedaris’ live readings will know that the highlight of the night is often his diary entries, which come sandwiched between the longer essays and the audience Q+A. This is the second collection of those diaries, and likely to be the last for a while as it takes him up to 2020.

Much as I enjoyed the first collection, Theft by Finding, I am less interested in his journey to writing success (the story his boyfriend Hugh calls ‘David Copperfield Sedaris’) than his finished style and that is what this book contains in great volume. Really, I would have said the short entries make this the perfect toilet book if it wasn’t such a tome at 566pp.

Although there are some running themes, around his family and other common presences in his life, the best and funniest entries and the unconnected mishaps and observations. His typical tone is that of the baffled outsider, wondering why such and such a thing exists, or why a stranger would behave in a certain way. If you are a tuned to his way of seeing things then so much the better, if not you might spend a long time » Continue Reading.

And afternoon with Bill Bailey and an evening with Heathers

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Venue:

The Royal Opera House and Theatre Royal Haymarket

Date: 07/08/2021

When The light decided that she wanted to see Bill Bailey we quickly discovered that the dates for his upcoming tour had been re-arranged due to Covid, and that the ones closest to us in Essex were either sold out (Southend) or had stopped operating (Brentwood). We leapt on Saturday matinee tickets for his residency at the Royal Opera House as soon as it was announced. Not much later we were watching Heathers, the pitch-black Winona Rider and Christian Slater comedy about an American high school nihilist who goes on a murder spree using fake suicides as cover. When I mentioned that Heathers was now a musical being staged in London evening tickets were added to the itinerary.

If that sounds profligate given the recent thread on the cost of tickets these days, these were all bargains. Stalls circle seats for Bill, about 5 rows plus the width of the empty orchestra pit from the stage, were £20 each. They were sold as ‘restricted view’ but that would only matter if you wanted to see an extravagantly staged opera with a huge set, when you don’t need to » Continue Reading.

Dusty Hill

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When the subject of long lasting band lineups rolls around these pages again, as it did recently, ZZ Top always get an honourable mention. Alas no more, as Dusty Hill has left the building. The band statement reads,

“We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX. We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the ‘Top’. We will forever be connected to that “Blues Shuffle in C.”

You will be missed greatly, amigo.

Frank & Billy

Folk by the Oak 2021

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Venue:

Hatfield House, Hertfordshire

Date: 18/07/2021

It was no surprise that the 2020 Folk by the Oak was cancelled, but more of a surprise that this years was able to go ahead, albeit with reduced ticket numbers and the usual Acorn Stage for newer acts removed to allow more space for distancing. So I was that on a blazing day in July we headed for a field in the grounds of Hatfield House near Welwyn Garden City for the novel experience of enjoying live music in the company of several thousand like minded people. I think it could catch on.

The 2020 lineup all signed themselves up for a like-for-like bill this year, though in the end Richard Thompson couldn’t manage the date. His spot was filled by The Young ‘Uns who were in turn replaced by festival compere Jim Moray after one Young ‘Un succumbed to Covid. In addition, Sam Sweeney was in a car crash the night before as he was going home from a gig, and although he says he was more shaken than hurt a glance at the state of his car on his FB page will be all you need to confirm that he’ll » Continue Reading.

Bill Bailey Klaxon

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I know there are plenty of Bill Bailey fans here, and those in or near London might want to know he is playing a week of dates at the Royal Opera House from August 2 – 8 (daily shows plus a Saturday matinee). The Saturday dates will be filmed and I’ve just bought a pair for the afternoon show.

The ROH is the most sumptuous venue in London, so this will be a chance to enjoy the building even if ballet and opera aren’t your thing, but comedy is.

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/bill-bailey-summer-larks-details

It’s Been a Year …

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Since @twang innocently enquired ‘Going out this weekend?’ (link at end) My own response was rather more bullish the the reality. I mentioned gigs that night and a few days later, both of which we went to, and a short break in Edinburgh after, which we cancelled after a sleepless night thinking about it.

So what have learned from a year unlike any other we have ever experienced and hopefully never will again? Some of my bullet point takes, and I’d be interested to see yours (or of course longer discussion).

Humans are extraordinarily adaptable creatures given the basics such as utilities and retail.

Retail workers seem to have been the forgotten heroes, and lets not leave out the supply chain which by and large kept shelves stocked.

Although the last 12 months have been ball-achingly dull they have, for someone like me lucky enough to stay well and stay in full time employment, not been personally unpleasant.

Speaking of work it’s plain that working from home, at least most of the time, if far better for a great many people and should have been introduced years ago.

My opinion of the government, never high, reached » Continue Reading.

On the stamina of rock stars (bonus Richard Thompson claxon)

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Richard Thompson has announced a short set of solo UK and Ireland dates for October/November (link at the end). I’ve already bought tickets for London of course. Not only would I hate to miss out on a chance to see him, but by the time these dates roll around Richard will be 72. He’s always kept fit, hasn’t touched alcohol for decades and so on, but who knows how long he will want to, or possibly be able to, keep on touring.

And that is what got me thinking. The night before London he’ll be playing in Cardiff. The night before that in Manchester. The night after London he’ll be in Dublin. That sounds utterly exhausting. The travel, the different bed every night, the daily technical checks, maybe some interviews and other press duties, the adrenaline rush of the show late at night and the pressure to give your best for the audience.

I’m almost 20 years younger than Richard and reckon I would collapse after a week of that. Rock stars are just made of different stuff I guess.

https://www.richardthompson-music.com/tour-dates

666 The Number of the Massive

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Glancing down at the bottom of the front page of the blorum I can’t help but notice that we on page 666 of blog posts, forum fillers, recommendations, ATMs and general sociable internet-nattering. That’s all the reason I need to post this.

Two Extraordinary Facts about Reginald Bosanquet

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In this even quieter than usual gap between Christmas and New Year let us dig out our favourite obscure celebrity singles, the ones which people don’t believe exist until you play them (unless the other person is @beaney of course, in which case he probably has several copies already).

I found myself contemplating Reginald Bosanquet, the be-wigged and permanently soused news reader, when I posted the video below on another thread. Here are two remarkable facts about him:

1) He was only 53 when he died. 53! You would happily stick a decade or two on top of any reasonable estimate.

2) He once recorded a remarkable proto-dance single, which I present below for your entertainment and edification.

Your go.

He Was In Heaven Before He died – A Tribute to John Prine

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Venue:

The Jazz Cafe, Camden, London

Date: 09/12/2020

A night out you say? In London? In late 2020? Well, yes. Thanks to cabaret style table seating, table service for drinks and face coverings when not actually seated I was able to go to my first gig since my birthday in March. Even in a normal year when we would go to a gig or two a month this would be have been an excellent show, but in 2020 when audience and performers alike are starved of being in the same (socially distanced) room with a group of like minded people making and listening to music it was just the boost everyone needed.

This was an evening at The Jazz Café in Camden to celebrate the legacy of John Prine, who succumbed to Covid earlier this year. This first half was made up of covers of Prine songs, the second by the artists’ own material, from a line up of (deep breath) Angie Gannon, Beth Rowley, Felix Holt, Joe Harvey-White, Josh Flowers, Laura Tenshert, Louis Brennan, Michele Stodart, Naomi Larsson, Pat Ralla, Ren Harvieu, Robert Chaney, Romeo Stodart and Zak Hobbs.

The Jazz Café has been refurbished and greatly improved » Continue Reading.

Haven’t we suffered enough already, 2020?

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It is my painful duty to inform you that Robbie Williams And Jamie Callum have done a swing-lite cover of Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody, just when the US election and the Covid vaccines were in danger of bringing some glimmers of hope to this wretched year.

I heard it earlier so I don’t see why shouldn’t suffer too. I say ‘heard’, but I saw it on The One Show and turned over after they had sung one line each. I would have been quicker but the remote had fallen behind a cushion. I think that should take you to around the 30 second mark, and if you can stand any more you’re a stronger person than me.

So what do we have planned for tomorrow?

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Tomorrow. You know, Thursday 19th November. That’s right! It’s International Men’s Day! We are overwhelmingly men on here so I’m sure the date has been flagged in our calendars for months.

I admit I have really known what this day is for, other than a quick rejoinder to those whose response to International Women’s Day is to ask, ‘When is International Men’s Day then, tell me that, eh?’ ‘It’s on Thursday mate.’ ‘Oh.’

According to the website of the UK organisation the three core themes for International Men’s Day in the UK are:

• Making a positive difference to the wellbeing and lives of men and boys • Raising awareness and/or funds for charities supporting men and boys’ wellbeing • Promoting a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity

The website goes on to list areas of concern around male wellbeing, both tangible such as health and suicide, and more nebulous, such as expectations of men as fathers.

So what do we think here? Does the modern world place strains on the twenty first century man which need to be discussed and addressed? How about assumption of the place of men in families? I don’t have any kids (though » Continue Reading.

Julie Fowlis – Ceòl aig Baile

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Here’s a great for the folkies among us, a series of performances filmed in lockdown curated by Julie Fowlis, who also presents (in Gaelic with English subtitles). There are individual and collaborative performances from across the world, the collaborations often being filmed in separate locations. It is only broadcast in Scotland but the first two episodes are on iPlayer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m000j48p/julie-fowlis-ceol-aig-baile

Brian May (*Still* Not Dead! Hurrah!)

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Earlier this year I posted with the header Brian May (Not Dead! Hurrah!), the bit in brackets clarifying that he had not fallen victim to Covid but had instead ‘shredded his buttocks’ in a bizarre gardening accident.

Now it seems that he believes he may have had it, and that it could have triggered a heart attack for which he was prescribed medication which ‘made his stomach explode’. Poor chap’s having one hell of a year with his health, and while I’ll never be a Queen fan he’s always come across as one of the good guys and I wish him well.

https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/27/queens-brian-may-grateful-to-be-alive-after-heart-attack-and-stomach-explosion-13485652/

A question about the US election

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I’ve asked this in a couple of replies on Twitter today but not had any response. I’m hoping the hive mind of the Massive can help.

The news, and especially Twitter, is full of photos of people queuing, often for many hours, to vote in the US presidential election. The tone always invites the reader to be appalled that this is happening and suggests that making voting difficult is a deliberate tactic (typically to deter Democrat voters in the posts in my Twitter bubble).

Is there an unavoidable reason that these voters compelled to queue for that long, and so long before Election Day? November 3rd is still a couple of weeks away couldn’t they just come back another day some time between now and then?

Bill and Ted Face the Music

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Year: 2020 Director: Dean Parisot

*Mild Spoilers ahead*

Anyone who rejoices in youth, optimism and companionship will feel a warm glow when they remember the triumphant final scene of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, in which the two teenage Californian slackers, with the aid of persons of historical significance gathered from all ages, triumph in their history report and and are hence able to stay together so that Wyld Stallyns can create the music which will unite mankind. It’s one of the most joyous scenes in film, guaranteed to leave the hardest bitten cynic with a wide grin. The second film, Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, in which robot doppelgängers are sent to thwart their future, had its moments but lacked the first film’s charm, as well as its uplifting final scene.

Now Bill and Ted are back, as middle aged losers, still married to the medieval princesses from the first film and with a daughter apiece. Bill S Preston’s daughter is called Theodora, and Ted Theodore Logan’s daughter is called Billie. Age has not been kind to Wyld Stallyns. They start the film playing the latest wedding of Missie, Bill’s step mother in the first film, Ted’s in the » Continue Reading.

WFH

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Another working week done, so I switched off the laptop, went for a walk, and returned to exactly the same room I’ve been working in every work day since late March.

For those of us working from home, how is it working out for you, especially if it was a significant change from your previous routine? From my point of view the huge, and frankly unexpected, success of the remote working experiment which was forced upon us has been one of the few good things to come from the Covid crisis. It seems odd then that in recent weeks the message from central government has been to get ‘back’ to work in the office, as if those of us in this position hadn’t been working just because we are not all in the same building.

It was pointed out that jobs which can be done remotely can be exported overseas. I dare say they can, but now it has been demonstrated that the jobs can be done remotely there is nothing magical about ‘the office’ which will put that genie back in the box. Jeremy Hunt said that people need the ‘fizz and excitement’ of the office, and that » Continue Reading.

Diana Rigg

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Awful news breaking that Diana Rigg has died. Younger people will remember her from Game of Thrones or The Detectorists, and she was said to be an extraordinarily charismatic stage actress, but I will of course be in mourning for Mrs Peel.

I saw her at the National Film Theatre a couple of years ago for Q+A to mark 50 years of The Avengers and she was wonderful. Although she was in pain from a bad knee (daughter Rachael Stirling had to help her to the stage) she was full of life and gossip.

I may watch Theatre of Blood tonight. Diana spoke about that at the NFT and described how she played matchmaker for Vincent Price (‘I loved Vincent, but he was meaner than mouseshit.’) and Coral Browne (‘I don’t want much at my time in life dear, but I don’t half fancy that Vincent Price.’).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54106509

Phil Pirrip RIP

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Some terribly sad news. Long standing Afterworder and Word stalwart before that Phil Pirrip has passed away. His wife posted the following message on his Twitter feed ( @Phil_Pirrip ) :

This is Lucy (Pollewolledoodl) sad news I’m afraid my lovely husband passed away on 22 June (not) covid. He was 58, on the 19th he’d gone out for a walk and was found by a member of the public who started CPR helicoptered to hospital and unfortunately never regained consciousness.

Astrid Kirchherr RIP

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‪Mark Lewisohn has posted on Twitter that Astrid Kirchherr has died, shortly before her 82nd birthday. Her involvement with The Beatles came years before I was born, but even as a kid I realised they would never look as cool again as in those early shots in Hamburg. Anyone who has read Lewisohn’s Tune In will realise what an important introduction she was to European culture. Great haircuts too.