peers cautiously out of the window
Well, it looks like spring is actually here this time!
So – gather round, help yourself to a drink from the coolers at the far end, or the flasks at this end, grab a snack if you like – these pies are all suitable for vegetarians, everything else is suitable for vegans, apart from the pork pie, obviously – and please tell us all what you have been enjoying / grinding through, etc
I haven’t provided my own update for a wee while, so here is a combined one.
Heard
I’ve been busy making my own music, both with The Primevals and The Beat Poets. The Primevals are playing in Barnsley on Saturday 2nd May, as part of the celebration of the General Strike, and The Beat Poets are playing at a celebration of David Byrne’s 70th Birthday in Dumbarton (where he was born), at Dumbarton Football Club, with Lung Leg, The Cords, and Radhika.
It’s Bandcamp Friday today, so here’s the latest batch of home recordings – https://tomrafferty1.bandcamp.com/album/the-journals-of-the-expedition-book-5
Listening has been rather fragmented, with lots of interesting things. I had a deep dive into Pharaoh Sanders – Black Unity and Karma both got lots of plays. I also really enjoyed sitting down again with Marshall Allen’s New Dawn.
There’s a great rock and roll box set on Rhino – Loud, Fast & Out Of Control. Beautifully re-mastered, very well assembled and sequenced. The acoustic guitars on the Eddie Cochrane tracks really leap out, and the whole thing is packed with gems. That got a lot of plays, too.
It’s hard to pick the best “Motown Chartbusters”, but Volume 4 is right up there – Marvin Gaye’s Too Busy Thinkin’ Bout My Bay, The Supremes Up The Ladder to the Roof and Jimmy Ruffin’s Farewell Is A Lonely Sound are particular standouts.
I had a work trip to Castleford a couple of weeks ago, and on the long train journey my iPod gave me some gems while on random play, including Frazey Ford’s wonderful “Done”, where she channels her inner Anne Peebles to great effect. This led me back to a great Hi records collection of Anne Peebles – St Louis Woman/Memphis Soul
Read
I picked up an excellent poetry collection – Emergency Kit – Poems for Strange Times.
I really enjoyed John Niven – The Amateurs, on a second re-read. Sweary, often laugh out loud funny, and sharp on family dynamics and the madness of golf.
I also enjoyed a re-read of David Belcher – The Newspaper Man. A warm, funny, thoughtful book, about men and women, drink, journalism, Glasgow and Italy.
As you would expect from David Belcher, it is very well written, with deft comedic touches around a well-developed plot. An interesting range of characters, many of whom reveal their hidden depths (or shallows) over the tale. A nice touch is that he uses comedy to show the characters as they really are – whatever they make jokes about is their essence (in some cases, their nastiness).
Becky Smethurst – A Brief History of Black Holes: And Why Nearly Everything You Know About Them is Wrong – an enthusiastic expert talks us through the history of the discovery of black holes, in a helpful, clear way
Seen
Nothing of note.
AOB
On the work trip, I had an overnight stop in York, which was lovely. I used to travel all the time for work, whether being at customer sites testing and installing systems for weeks on end or travelling around the country, three different places in a week. When I moved to my current company, 10 years ago, that was no longer needed, which was a great boon.
Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed going to the Amnesty International bookshop in York to buy a book (A collection of Poetry – Emergency Kit, Poems for Strange Times), which I then took to the pub for a couple of pints of local cask ale and a pork pie, in peace and quiet, reading my book. It’s rare for me to go to the pub on my own but it was a very pleasant way to spend an hour.
I like Frazey Ford’s ‘Done’ too. The video is great too.
Ringo has a new album out. While that fact alone is never going to revolutionise popular music, Sir Richard is having a bit of a late career renaissance, thanks in no small part to an association with T-Bone Burnett who weaves his production skills over Long Long Road. Like Ringo’s last, Look Up, it is a vaguely Liverpudlian country affair, a pleasant undemanding listen and actually quite good. One of his other ex-bandmates has an album out this month. Not bad for a couple of mid-octogenarians.
Other recent listens have included the Kurt Vile albums Watch My Moves and Back to Moon Beach (which is technically an EP, but full album length). I like his loose, meandering guitar style, drawling vocals and equally meandering lyrics. Kurt has a new one out at the end of May.
I wrote some bits but it disappeared due to clumsy finger syndrome so now you’ll never know my thoughts about the Hyperion box set of Romantic Concertos, Miles Davis Complete at the Plugged Nickle 1965, Michael Sanderling’s Shostakovich Symphony Cycle or Semyon Bychkov’s Mahler Symphony Cycle on Pentatone, let alone how much I loved listening to Bach’s Mass in B Minor from Raphaël Pichon & Pygmalion over the Easter weekend or my extended revisit to The Waterboys Fisherman’s Box amongst a plethora of other music.
You also won’t find out about my delving into Japanese Death Poetry or my rediscovered love of the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. The novels I have immersed myself in will remain forever shrouded in mystery.
As for television I won’t be telling you about the second series of Drops of God or Fallout. You’ll never know exactly why I started but didn’t finish watching Detective Hole or how much I throughly enjoyed Rivals.
You won’t be made privy to my thoughts on The Holdovers, Sinners, One Battle After Another, All of Us Strangers or The Ballad of Wallis Island amongst others.
Finally nobody will know or care about how much of a struggle I’m finding it to start painting once more after a two year enforced layoff or just how much walking I’m now embarked upon as I recover from THR surgery.
It’s all been just dream within a dream anyhoos.
Careful with that walking malarkey. After training my THR hip back to health, my other hip is now ‘letting me know’ that it too needs replacing. Sigh.
Diolch. I am being careful, warming up before setting out and taking rest days as and when. Thankfully my left hip is in good shape although my knees complain a bit if I push myself too much. I’m walking around 5k most days now and loving every step.
Good to hear you are recovering, but do take it easy on the recovery path, please
Splendid to hear you are back at the painting. My elder daughter has bought a flat with her lovely boyfriend, and when she was looking round at the various things we have on the wall, and she looked at your piece Copper Sun, which lights up our kitchen, and said “I’ve always loved that one, Dad …. I was wondering ….”, I smiled and said “Not yet”.
Diolch. I suspect my great nieces would start putting tags on my books etc if they thought they could get away with it.
Ah, I am on the conveyor belt toward a right THR just going through assessments etc, but it its quickly going down hill. Good to hear that you made a reletively fast recovery. Enjoy the walking. You have the right arena for it.
Diolch. It’s been a bit bumpy on occasion due entirely to my impatience in expecting to recover faster than in hindsight was ever going to be likely. I’m just approaching the eighth month post-op and I am feeling much better. It still aches if I over do it but compared to how my old hip used to be it’s negligible. It takes around a year to fully heal but frankly if it just stayed as it is now I’d be content. The THR along with the cataract surgery has given me my life back. Thank the gods for the NHS and good friends. Pob lwc.
I’ve been having a massive Woody Allen binge. I’ve always been a fan and have seen all his films over the years, but some of them decades ago and some of them dubbed in Italian. So I’ve decided to go through the lot afresh. I’m not watching them in chronological order, just whichever takes my fancy. I haven’t finished the endeavour yet; I think there are 50 that he’s directed and I’ve only clocked up 25 so far. It’s a lot quicker to name the ones I found boring (Stardust Memories, Celebrity, Miranda and Miranda, Everyone Says I Love You) than all the ones I’ve really enjoyed.
Annie Hall, Manhattan, Crimes And Misdemeanours and Hannah And Her Sisters are the ones that are generally most acclaimed, and they are excellent, but the ones I’ve most enjoyed are the ones that surprised me cos I didn’t remember them being so entertaining. Especially: Bullets Over Broadway, Blue Jasmine, Midnight In Paris and Deconstructing Harry.
Have done similar last few years having found nearly all his films on Blu-ray. For me Manhattan has dated really badly especially with a middle aged guy having a relationship with a 17 yr old. Best thing about it is the opening sequence I think.
My personal top 3 could include Hannah and her Sisters, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Crimes and Misdemeanours, bubbling under Radio Days. Guess I like 80s Woody. I think Midnight in Paris is a tad overrated but I loved Bullets over Broadway and quite liked Blue Jasmine. Annie Hall is great of course mainly due to Diane Keaton. Similarly Manhattan Murder Mystery is lots of fun
I really enjoyed Purple Rose Of Cairo and Radio Days, but absolutely loved the four mentioned above. The depictions of Earnest Hemingway (“Who wants a fight?”) and Salvador Dali (“I see a rhinoceros”) in Midnight were hilarious. And Owen Wilson made a great Allen substitute (as did John Cusack in Bullets).
I thought Cate Blanchett was just phenomenal in Blue Jasmine. A well deserved Oscar.
I think Manhattan Murder Mystery is my favourite, but I haven’t watched it again as I know it so well. The chemistry between Keaton and Allen in MMM is just as wonderful as it is in Annie Hall. Talking of chemistry, I thought Tracy Ullman was a really good partner for Allen in Small Time Crooks.
Yes she was
As is my wont I shall restrict myself (mainly) to:
Seen
One gig this month, The Guilty Men at Colchester Arts Centre. This is Clive Gregson’s new outfit, alongside long standing members of 1CC and Barclay James Harvest. That will give you an idea of what to expect – superb musicianship, well-written songs and old hands who know how to put on a show. It’s nothing revolutionary, but worth your time if they are playing locally to you. Personal history meant this song, played as a rather downbeat encore, cut deep. (‘Susan’s back drinking. Let’s cut to the chase, / She only feels human when she’s off her face’)
Next it was a cultural day in London, first for Caravaggio’s Cupid at the Wallace Collection (the first time it had ever been shown in Britain, on a short and now finished exhibition), then out to the Tate Modern for some contemporary art at the huge Tracey Emin retrospective. It was absolutely packed. Autocorrect changed ‘retrospective’ to ‘terrorising’ which may not be far from the truth. I couldn’t decide if she is a genius or a maniac who screams from her wounds and not from her scars. Her work certainly has power though, but huge canvases of reclining female nudes, dripping in blood and torn from lived experience will. We had to go to the Rothko Seagram murals as the visual equivalent of a gong bath afterwards.
The same evening it was back into the west end to see I’m Sorry Prime Minister at the Apollo on Shaftsbury Avenue, with Griff Rhys Jones as the aged Jim Hacker struggling with his irrelevance in the modern world. It was fine, and the performances as good as you would expect, though I doubt many would go back for repeat viewings.
A more rewarding play was The Talented Mr Ripley at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester, an interpretation which emphasised Tom’s sexual attraction to Dickie and didn’t shy from the plot’s violence. The cast were uniformly excellent, and the balletic staging created a dreamlike atmosphere which served the play brilliantly. It did however suffer from the current curse of the end-of-play lecture. I have seen 4 plays this year, and all of them (including I’m Sorry Prime Minister) ended with a prolonged scene in which characters have a chat which is clearly intended to drum home to the audience What We Have Learned. It’s rather tedious and not a little patronising, and I wish it would stop.
One film this month too. Glenrothan is an undemanding tale of Alan Cummings’ Donal, a jazz club owner in Chicago, who returns to Scotland to see his brother Sandy (Brian Cox, who also directed) at the family’s whisky distillery. He has been away for 40 years and is going back as his brother’s health is failing. Donal was the son who wanted to stay to take over the distillery, but fled his tyrannical father, while Sandy wanted to travel but stayed put out of duty. There is plenty of lovely scenery, some rousing music and lots of ropey dialogue (‘Take care of time, Amy’, Donal philosophises to his daughter. ‘It sneaks up of you, like a shitstorm’. No. Me neither.) The main cast are all completely captivating though, and even if it verges on Sunday afternoon comfort viewing, I’ll watch it again when it appears on television.
AOB
It would be remiss of me not to mention that after 16 years together The Light and I got married, a lovely sunny day where we got dressed up and headed through the park to Colchester Town Hall and then on to lunch. I hope you don’t feel slighted because we didn’t invite you. We only invited two people, and they were my wife’s daughter and her partner or be the witnesses. We got exactly what we wanted, which was small private occasion without the Lah di Dah.
Congrats Gatz!
Finally made honest persons of each other.
Congratulations!
Lovely!
Marvellous! Well done. I love it when a couple defy convention and have the wedding they want.
True story – my wife has chosen to take my surname, but had we really defied convention and I had taken hers I would now be called Ken Dodd, and that would be tattyfilarious.
An ex work colleague told me that if she’d taken her partner’s surname she would have been Lindsey Lindsay.
Congrats!
Hearty congratulations to both of you.
It’s been a month.
Heard: The new Kris Drever, the few releases from the new Teddy Thompson, and Broken Chanter. They’re all the same: if you like the artist, you’ll like the releases; if you’re not already a fan, I’m not sure these would be the entry points. I enjoyed them all.
Read: Started Barry Cunliffe’s Britain Begins. I’m nowhere near finished, so I’ll leave my thoughts til then. I also (re) started Paul Doherty’s Father Athelstan mysteries. Well written, well plotted, and credibly researched.
The only thing of note I watched was the NRL. It might not mean much to most, but it was staple watching for me in Australia, and my wife insisted that we purchase the global app so I can remain in a vegetative state and not annoy her.
AOB: Well, dad’s in hospital. After a lengthy set of tests, he was diagnosed with discitis. Then he got a call from cardiology saying he needed to be admitted because he had endocarditis as well. Shortly after admission he underwent an echo, and promptly lost the use of his right arm. Subsequent diagnosis of sub arachnoid hemorrage. That’s all in the space of about 10 days.
He’s now on day 31. Some slight improvement, but constant pain that won’t improve. Things have been complicated by Mum’s cognitive decline, which has deteriorated significantly since Dad got unwell.
We flew over to see and help them, which turned into a saga in its own right. I have been simultaneously impressed and depressed by the NHS. The nursing staff have obviously been doing their best. But I was annoyed that communication and treatment seemed to take an upbeat onlty after I tactfully suggested that I was about to start kicking arses and I wanted to know whose arse was the best. Two of the doctors were great, the rest average.
It’s been exhausting, and I’m going to sit in a dark corner for a long time.
Loads of telly this month, but not much that stuck, irrespective glowing reviews from the Graun. So, that included Half Man, overtly and knowingly “challenging”, and boringly so, Mint, which was banal balderdash, and probably a few more. The Cage, with Sheridan Smith, was better and had us until the slightly wan conclusion. Have started Widow’s Creek, which is a hoot, thus far. Otherwise it is the ongoing compulsive awfulness of Married at First Sight, Australia.
Only one gig, when myself and @stevet ventured to Brum and saw the always excellent Ben De La Cour. Americanoir in self-defined style, just he, his voice and his guitar held us spellbound, with southern gothic fables of flyover state sepsis.
New music on the player aplenty. The new Michael Weston King has to be the best, Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore, an album whose songs are largely informed by the Southport massacres of a year or so back; his granddaughter was one of the 3 victims. An astonishing listen, with remarkably little bitterness or vitriol, if a lot of despair. The other main recommendation would be the latest from Brown Horse, the world famous in Norwich country-rockers. Called Total Drive, it manages a mix of REM, the Band and Crazy Horse, with pedal steel.
Still wrestling with Charlie Castanet’s The Teachings of Don Juan. It is still greatly entertaining, perhaps in a way unintended. I still imagine a grizzled bandido, in a cantina, soused up to the gills, as he gets plied, with tequila, to recount the hogwash he unfolded to the learned gringo pupil. Some of it is pure Vic ‘n’ Bob!
We gave up on the cage after one episode because we found the depiction of casino security so risible, despite never setting foot in one. I remember having the same issue with prison security in Waiting for the Out, but we did make it through that one.
I’ve asked by BIL who worked in the casinos if he’d watched The Cage he ended up in management so he knows a thing or two.
“Seen the first episode. Bit far fetched. A criminal gang wouldn’t be able to money launder as part of the ownership although that’s not to say criminal gangs don’t money launder over the tables. But it’s quite good. I wouldn’t have employed either of them though.”
Seen
I had a rare trip out to see the Big Star Quartet doing the songs of Big Star.
A gig I couldn’t make it to but always felt cheated for missing was decades back when Alex was still alive and he came to Dublin with The Posies as his band, so I was thrilled to get the chance to see this line up perform those songs.
A funny thing happened, though – at the last minute my music buddy had to pull out and I brought a sub who hadn’t so much as heard of the band. Consequently, for what I now realise was the first time in my life, I found myself, throughout the gig, having my own enjoyment somewhat compromised by wondering whether my companion was enjoying himself.
I watched an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man on tv which I realised I must have seen as a child, because there’s a funny bit I remembered where someone asks Steve how he can possibly see so well in the dark and he quips that he eats a lot of carrots. Other parts clearly went over my head when watching nearly fifty years ago. At one point Steve seduces Soviet agent Britt Ekland and then leaps out of bed to get back to work. He’s miles from shore on a yacht with armed guards patrolling the deck, so he makes his escape by ripping out part of the side wall of the boat, then turns to post-coital Britt in the bed and says “Sorry for violating your porthole”, which is like something Archer would say..
In the same episode, while on a plane, Steve is recognised by another passenger as being “that guy that walked on the moon”. The lovely Lindsay Wagner who played the Bionic Woman was one of the best tennis players in the world (I mean her character was). Was it a seventies thing for world famous people to be employed as agents? For every time it might be an advantage, there must have been a dozen times when anonymity would have been handier.. Maybe I’m just naive in thinking Andy Murray and Tim Peake have never been called on by their country’s secret service..
Work commitments prevented me from sitting down for THE GREATEST FOOTBALL MATCH OF ALL TIME but, happily I am totes available for the second leg on Wednesday.
Heard
I can’t remember which Afterworder recommended the Railcard album, but I’m pretty sure our boy deramdaze writes some of their lyrics as the stand out song and alternative universe smash hit open with the line
“Too late for the golden age/ Born in ‘62”
It’s a delightful record and they only have 256 monthly listeners on Spotify so, whichever platform you employ, I suggest you give it a try.
Still loving that Heavenly album I was bigging up last month.
Nepo rocker Maya Hawke has a new one out this week which, so far, I am liking a lot.
I’ve also been vibing with Soul Woman by Michelle David & The True Tones which tries its hand at a few soul flavours but, as its retro-style cover suggests, is primarily that Daptone-style recreated classic soul sound. There are times when Michelle sounds quite a bit like the late Sharon Jones..
Read
Sad to report that the only thing I’ve read lately is the World Cup preview in the latest issue of Four Four Two comic
Useless trivia: if I had taken my stepdad’s name when my mum remarried, I would have become Steve Austin.
I’m not worth a million dollars, let alone six.
I am lucky because I had the choice. I feel sorry for those who have their names tarnished by slebs, every other Donald Trump in the world must be cringing now.
Gaaaah! That should read The Big Star Quintet. I’d like to blame the machine but, since I failed to notice reading back, it may be I was that dopey when first typing it..
April was another weird, stressful month. Every time I thought that the following week would be calm and appointment-free, some pressing engagement suddenly made its way into my calendar. All of my personal plans and projects had to be postponed, and I’ll still have a couple more weeks of chaos in May as well.
Perhaps I’m extra sensitive to stress and the lack of time for myself after having had the “luxury” of almost a year on sick leave – which, although filled with physical pain and restricted abilities, and doctors appointments/visits to the gym, still left me with a lot of time to fill with both practical and enjoyable things. Not so much now…
Anyway; all this to say, I didn’t get to do a whole lot in April! But here’s the little I did experience:
Seen:
The first couple of episodes of a documentary series about early Swedish cable channel ZTV, which was a channel nisched for “the youth” in the style of “MTV meets experiMental, unscripted activities by trendy people willing to work non-stop for hardly any pay and with no budget for shows”. I was part of the target audience at the time so this is pure nostalgia for me.
And because I didn’t have the time to begin any of my film watching projects this month either, I very slightly scratched that itch by watching YouTube reactors watch films instead…not only quicker thanks to the ruthless editing, but also no need for note-taking during those…but hopefully mid-May I might find time to actually watch an entire film, unfiltered! Or not, since I still have most of the work left to do on my gift for mum’s 95th birthday, mid-June…I’m busy at the moment painting mushrooms of all kinds, but that’s just the first chapter of the book, so…
Read:
Cameron Crowe’s memoir The Uncool was a quick and mostly entertaining read. I didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped however, probably because it didn’t feel all that personal or intimate – it’s written in an anecdotal style that is perfectly good for the tales from his start in rock journalism, but also puts a filter between the reader and himself, IMO. Still, the anecdotes of old rock stars and their drug-infused follies are quite engaging, and his mom is an interesting character that takes up a lot of space in the story and in his life; taking the role of the angel on his shoulder shouting words of wisdom in his ear during every potentially dicey situation in life (if mostly just “Don’t Do Drugs!”) The move into the film industry is covered so little that I suspect it was left out for a future sequel.
Then I made the wrong move of choosing another non-fiction book centered around music; Too Much Too Young – The 2Tone Records Story by Daniel Rachel.
Not really a bad book, but I probably didn’t need any more anecdotes from the music industry that soon after The Uncool… Also, too many instances of several people being interviewed about the same incident and each giving a slightly different version of what happened and why; it gets tiresome, and isn’t very interesting to begin with. I’m only sort of half-way through it, but so far the portraits of the people involved feels a bit shallow as well. I’m thinking of putting it down for good, actually. I’d rather listen to the music than read about the chaos of trying to keep it all afloat. I’m in the mood for a novel! In fact, I’m coming to terms with the fact that a non-fiction book/biography has to be extremely interesting and well-written to keep my attention…I find a lot of them a bit dull.
I’m also reading Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis graphic novels, or rather re-reading, as I did buy and read them all when they were first published. But somewhere along the road, perhaps during a move, I’ve either gotten rid of them or hidden them away in some storage where I can’t find them…so when I saw a bind-up of parts 1-4 for a reasonable price, I re-bought them. If not right now, then when should you re-read them?
I’m mostly done, only about twenty pages left. I really like them, especially part 3, but I can see why some people don’t get the hype.
Heard:
The same albums I listened to last month, mostly.
I tried giving Father John Misty another chance for his new album Pure Comedy, but I find his music quite dull and repetitive. A few interesting and amusing lyrics, but he does go on a bit…the songs mostly outstay their welcome for me.
I also bought the album Memento from Marilyn Crispell/Anders Jormin, since I’ve enjoyed most of Jormin’s musical collaborations before, but I haven’t been able to get through this one yet! This is so sparse and (I guess) meditative that it makes me a nervous wreck. The piano and the bass doesn’t really communicate (on the couple of tracks that I’ve sat through some of…) and very few of the noises made have any beauty.
This album takes nerves of steel and perhaps even tone-deafness to enjoy, I suspect.
No, jokes aside – I tend to get on with stark, experimental jazz in most cases, but this album is hitting some button in me that makes all of my alarms go off. I’m sure others may like it just fine, but try at your own risk. Holy moly! It’s been a while since I misjudged an album this hard, even with buying all of my albums unheard.
I also got an album of the cello concertos of Dmitri Shostakovich, randomly selected because I wanted to hear cello music, but not something I already knew. But I haven’t had enough time to listen to all of it yet, so haven’t been able to form much of an opinion, apart from a first impression of being more depressing than uplifting, so this one was probably not a great choice either… Oh well, I’m sure there are some lovely parts hidden in there somewhere! 😀
Next month should be a lot better though – lots of interesting new albums making their way through the mail should get here on Tuesday at the latest, I hope (but neither my online vendor nor the Swedish Mail are what they once were, so could possibly take another week).
Isn’t it the case that almost everything by Shostakovich is depressing, Locust?
Wash your mouth out with soap and water, young Colin! It’s true that a lot of his music was written under depressing conditions, and he doesn’t look like he’d be a huge laugh down the pub. But his music is full of wit and passion, and some of it is just beautiful, eg the 1st movement of his 8th string quartet.
Nice. There’s a bit at 3:44 – .48 that brought Brahms’ Haydn variations to mind.
I’m a big fan of Shostakovich. Some days, I regard his fifth as the greatest symphony ever written. He created most of his music under duress but, my word, it’s exciting.
I’m guessing you never liked Joy Division, Locust?
Shosty is one of my goto dot scribblers and whilst some of his work can fairly be described as less than jolly (Babi Yar) he does have moments where the sun peeks out from behind the Stalinist clouds. I’d recommend checking out his film scores. Bags of fun for all the family.
The two cello concertos and the two violin concertos are among my favourites of his output, along with all the chamber music – but then, I find apparently gloomy music speaks to me in a way that I, er, enjoy…but then, I also like his waltzes and jazz suites…I’m an enigma.🙂
@Locust: I’d suggest having a listen to his ninth symphony, it’s a little gem and some distance from his big bombastic statement symphonies. There’s a subtext, of course – but there usually is…
Speaking of gloom, I’ve been on a bit of an Allan Pettersson foray of late, amongst other things and he could teach old Shosty a thing or two about the dark recesses of the human soul. The new-ish releases on Bis are highly recommended if you fancy a wander around in the stygian depths.
I shall investigate! Diolch!
Well, thank you all for the suggestions regarding Shostakovich. Truth be told I think I got my composers mixed up and didn’t expect the misery I got!
I grew up listening to a LOT of classical music, both recorded and live, with my dad playing in the Philharmonic Orchestra, but in the last twenty years or so I’ve mostly stopped listening to classical music – apart from a few favourite albums.
After dad died I’ve felt a desire to return to classical music, but explore it beyond what I already know. This was one such attempt…but as I didn’t research or stream in advance (or even remember “which one was Shostakovich again?”) I managed to pick something not quite up my alley. I like melancholy, but not depressive, and I also prefer melodies to be a little more beautiful or exciting than these were (on first listen, anyway).
There is of course also the possibility that mine isn’t a very good recording of these pieces of music! That can make a huge difference (not even just “good/bad” recordings, I also mean the choices a conductor/soloist make, if they suit your taste or not).
Now I’m intrigued – what are the “few favourite albums” that you mentioned?
@pencilsqueezer –
Randomly listened to Allan Petterssen symphonies 7 & 8 today – really good!
Glad you enjoyed. His seventh is widly regarded as his most accessible but you’re an old stager so you’ll have no issues with his despair. I think if memory serves me right that all bar one of his symphonies are single movement frolics in misery but I may be misremembering.
“Frolics In Misery.”
Afterword T Shirt?
Ill judged unreleased Joy Division album?
I’ve realised that I am spending way too much time on the internet – I am endlessly going down YouTube/Reddit/etc. rabbit holes. Given that I worked in ‘that’ industry, the one that works out how to continually advertise to you, I should know better. I’ve resolved to spend less time on the internet and more time in front of a book. That might mean less time here (honestly, does the world need to hear my opinion on Raye…?)
I think I covered what I’ve watched and listened to in the ‘favourite things’ thread a few days ago. I mentioned briefly that I was obsessed with the White Album. This has continued and is very welcome – it’s easy to forget how much that the Beatles were ‘my guys’ as the kids say. I really enjoy the later period where Paul found his ‘screaming with a mouthful of potato’ voice (e.g. backing vocals on I’m So Tired.)
Anyway, my musical instruments beckon…
I know what you mean. The campervan we hired at Easter was 10 years old and neither the radio nor TV worked, there was only one bar of 4G and the site WiFi was pretty useless. No more shouting “that orange c*nt can f*ck off” at the news.
We just lived in the moment for the week. It was brilliant. I’ve barely looked at the news websites*, or listened to R4, since.
Cheddar Gorge was there a long time before Trump, Farrage, et al and it will still be there when they’re long gone.
(*) except to keep track of Raye, obvs.
Lovely week in Wollacombe in Devon, the memory of which is only slightly besmirched by the journey back. Due to a suicide on the M4 the entire 30 miles around Bristol was at a standstill and it took 9.5 hours to get home as opposed to the usual 4 exacerbated by it being the the last day of school holidays. I am fast coming to the conclusion that it is pointless trying to go anywhere.
It’s been old pals month. We saw two sets of old friends dating from the late 70s. I love how you can not see old pals for several years then pick up seamlessly from where you left off. Had a couple of days with another old pal enjoying the spring sunshine and getting 300 miles in on our motorbikes. We’re off to France and Germany in early June.
Got my dad’s old banjo out of the roof and started having a go at learning clawhammer (aka folky not bluegrass style). It sounds awful and is deafeningly loud but I see glimmers of progress. Soon I won’t have to wait until Mrs. T goes out before playing it.
I’ve been reading Tim Shipman’s “Out” – the third part of his series on Brexit, this volume also covers the implosion of the Tory party which is excellent fun. We’re currently mid-Partygate and Johnson has the hounds snapping at his fat arse.
Watched
The Swedish Connection – delightful film on Netflix about the passive resistance to the Nazis deployed by bureaucrats in Sweden, saving thousands of lives in the process. True story.
Folk Britannia – all three parts are on YouTube. Seen it before but excellent
Mint – Beeb thing which fails to live up to its promise but Laura Fraser is reliably excellent
How to get to Heaven from Belfast – highly recommended by friend of Mrs. T but so OTT I was twin screening throughout and delighted when we finished it.
The Five Man Army – obscure spaghetti western I saw over 50 years ago and always wanted to watch again. It’s extremely hard to find and @vulpes-vulpes kindly helped me track it down. It came out around the same time as The Good the Bad and the Ugly and the Morricone soundtrack shows some serious overlap. Uncomplicated fun and I loved it.
No gigs other than one I was playing in which was excellent fun.
All the roads around Bristol are always at a standstill
Not much to report on from station Sal in the last month.
Nature’s Broken Clocks is an interesting, if sad read into the cycles of nature disrupted by human action, such as migratory birds no longer finding the food sources because their growing season has already passed by the time the birds arrive, and the emergence of Grolar bears – a hybrid of Polar bears and Grizzlies suddenly finding they can share the same ecosystem, yet the new species emerging being primed for neither arctic nor forest existence.
Musically, I have started preparing for Green Man by listening to some of the bands who will be playing there. Wilco, a band I know who is loved by some here, had always passed me by as generic, unthreatening American rock music. I started listening to ‘Being There’ and it has actually started to catch on my ears after several listens. Sky Blue Sky and A Ghost is Born await.
Similarly I was never that impressed by the Beta Band. No matter how many times I have heard Dry The Rain, I was never enamoured by its mumblecore repetitiveness. I listened to it again this month until it reached earworm status. But it still sounds like an outtake from a Primal Scream recording of Loaded.
The one song that has been ubiquitous this month, thanks to my daughters, is ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ – only 10 years old, it is a lovely song that we all like to sing along to, and show off our moves in the kitchen. What can be better than that?
Last month I said I had a new girlfriend. Shortly after posting that, she dropped me by WhatsApp. So I am not going to tempt fate by reporting further. However, I have had various other encounters, online and in real life. It remains an emotional rollercoaster,
All the best for another month.
A month topped and tailed by my wife’s birthday and our wedding anniversary.
Much food and drink was consumed.
Culturally:
Seen:
The Cage – it’s OK, but not brilliant
The Grand-ish Tour (Amazon Prime) – “New Episodes”, or more correctly a compilation of clips. Entertaining with a beer when there’s nowt else on
And some other stuff that I’ve forgotten …
Read:
Umm … Mojo
Heard:
(and this is the reason I’m posting this threadbare almanac of the month)
Joe Jackson – Hope and Fury. Great stuff indeed. Joe Jackson has history of operating in various styles/genres, and on this album he bungs most of them into a single outing.
Other:
Been doing a lot of walking – I was 40 years old before I realised that Hyde Park is but a 10 minute walk from Paddington.
I was 55 years old before I realised that St John’s Wood is only 20 minutes wander from Paddington, and Camden just over an hour along the Regents Canal.
And from Camden, it was about another hour (or just under) following the Canal to Kings Cross.
Am now on the look out for some upgraded Walking Boots.
Good quality running shoes often make better walking footware than purpose made walking shoes do. I wear Hoka Bondi 9 or Brooks Glycerin 23 both are incredibly comfortable. If you visit a good runners outfitters they can measure your gait and advise you on exactly what shoes will suit your needs best.
Interesting option / thought … thanks Pencil, will investigate
Evidently a lot of podiatrists recommend them. The sheer amount of options though is bewildering.
They’re the gaitkeepers?
Can endorse Brooks.
Saw The Drama. Some bits are reminiscent of Triangle of Sadness and The Menu, with a soupcon of The Graduate in the mix. Entertaining but the central premise and the reaction it produces are a little unrealistic. Both Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are terrific in it though. The recent French version of Count of Monte Cristo – now streaming on iPlayer – is a really entertaining romp and looks lovely. Started watching The Cage – not for me – and caught up with the first two series of The Capture, which is entertaining hokum.
I am still going through Dance to the Music of Time. I took a quick break between The Soldier’s Art and The Military Philosophers, and read a couple of other books. Nicole Flattery writes a column for Sight and Sound, which I subscribe to, and I always find her opinions interesting. So, I picked up her novel Nothing Special on a whim and read it in a couple of days. Its narrator is a 17 year old girl who stumbles into a job as a typist in Andy Warhol’s Factory during the sixties. She is tasked with transcribing tapes Warhol has recorded with his coterie. It is based on the production of a: A Novel, which in reality was anonymously transcribed and credited to Warhol as the author. It is about trying to define yourself and mark out out who you are while at the same time vicariously living through a world of celebrity. Without stating it explicitly, its relevance to contemporary social media-driven, performative lifestyles is apparent.
My main read though was Space is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra by John Szwed. I think it is one of the best music bios I have read. It helps that the subject is so sui generis It also meant that for most of the month I have been listening to Ra and his Arkestra. Apart from the wig-out free Jazz, I have always liked his simple piano releases, which are not a million miles away from Thelonius Monk. Piano Recital: Teatro la Fenice is particularly good. Then there is the earlier, more conventional big band stuff like Jazz in Silhouette.
Oh I also had a significant birthday and MrsBJB and elder daughter took me here https://jororestaurant.co.uk/ which was nice.
Read
I’ve been making my way through the Xmas book tokens.
Miranda Sawyer – Uncommon People, Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs. One song per each of the 20 chapters, not just about the songs but the people behind them, from her insider’s view at the Britpop coalface.
Nick Banks – So It Started There. After getting Jarvis’ book for Xmas, I got a cheap copy of this one. It’s really rather good for a drummer’s memoir. So much so that I’ve just bought a cheap copy of the guitarist’s scrapbook.
Helen O’Hara – What’s She Like. She’s done a lot more than Dexys – I loved her appearance on the Giddy Carousel of Pop podcast and this was a much easier read than Kevin’s memoir.
Heard
Nothing new has grabbed me except the Talking Heads RSD release (which I already had on a bootleg LP).
AOB
Going part-time at the end of March has turned out to be excellent, so far. I’m not sure if that’s because work is less manic than it was before year end, or because I now turn down a lot on the grounds of “Sorry, but I only work three days a week now and I won’t have the time.”
Mrs F and I had a lovely five nights away in a hired campervan in Cheddar and Devizes, except for the night it was bitterly cold and I mistakenly flipped the heater switch to ‘hot water only’. We woke, shivering, throughout the night and got up to a tank of steaming hot water. Doh!
Devizes, it turns out, has a proper record shop, a large second-hand stall in the covered market and loads of charity shops. I could have stayed there all day and done some serious damage to my wallet.
We left Devizes, dropped the van back at the hire place near Newbury, then went to Portsmouth and thrashed out the exact spec for a campervan of our own at the importer (they had about a dozen different models on site which, between tham, had all of the options we wanted to see). The only thing we don’t know is the exact total, as the 2027 price list isn’t yet published. We’ve put a small deposit down and it should arrive early next year. I can’t wait…
@fentonsteve
I need to talk to you about campervans…
You really need to go the NEC show, Fred. There’s a massive one in October and a (slightly) smaller one in February.
https://ccmshow.co.uk/
Once you’ve found a few you like, hire it/them. Nothing beats actually driving and living in it – 24 hours will give you an idea of what you (don’t) like.
“Why do I have to get on my knees to open the fridge? / why does the toilet door handle stab me in the back when I’m cooking? / which cupboard is the bloody table leg in? / why does making the bed feel like a game of giant Jenga?”
Ta!
Fräu Steady are actually looking at a Motorhome when we both retire this summer. From my small amount of research so far, I understand campervans and motorhomes can be quite different beasts. I’m sure you’re right that we need to see/try them out before we make the plunge. The range and variety of vehicles is mind boggling!
Roughly speaking:
Campervan: a panel van (think: Amazon delivery van) with seats/bed, cooker, fridge & toilet/shower squeezed in the back. But also covers Mystery Machine style VW Campers, pop-tops (sort of tent on the roof, where the bed is up a ladder). Pro: they drive like a large car. Con: can be a bit cramped.
Motorhome: a horse box with beds, kitchen, etc, instead of stables in the back. Drives like a lorry.
C-class: flat-bed truck with cab, and the body of a caravan plonked on the flat bed. Drives more like a slightly wider campervan.
We want a campervan because, believe it or not, I don’t really much like driving, and anything too big will put me off. The
shortarsepetite Mrs F isn’t keen on driving my Golf Estate and, although I can probably get her to drive a panel van on motorways, there’s no way she’d get behind the wheel of a lorry. Honestly, after about half an hour I was able to drive the hire campervan just as confidently as I do my car.It’s a huge amount of dosh to spend, roughly the price of two nice cars, so make absobloodylutely sure it is the right one for you. Hire a few different ones, then buy, is my advice.
Fred, this might be a handy tool – most/all vans available to buy in the UK and you can filter by type/number of beds/etc. We used it to narrow down the number of stands to visit at the NEC show.
https://findmyleisurevehicle.co.uk/
This looks great thanks @fentonsteve
We , I think , only want a two berth motorhome which might cut down on the size a bit I guess.
I’ve also got a good book written by experienced motorhomers which contains a lot ( a lot!) of practical advice.
The campervan updates sound great @fentonsteve , out of interest, where did you camp in Devizes? We’ve camped there many times, either at the Foxhangers site next to the Caen Hill Locks or the Camping & Caravanning Club site just up the road. We really like Devizes as a town.
We stayed at the C&CC site at Melksham, and walked along the canal to path, past all the locks, to Devizes on our first afternoon there, which was lovely. And then took the bus back ‘cos we are lazy gits. Ideal for a bike ride, but we had no bikes.
Composing this from a brief business trip to Canada. Although officially retired I do some consultancy work that keeps my brain working and helps to pay for holidays.
Heard:
Mainly RSD releases – the pick of which is the Jayhawks Two meter sessions and John Prine Found dogs.
Really like the new Kacey Musgraves and concur with @retropath2 that the Michael Weston King is most likely his best album to date.
Read: Currently reading Willy Vlautin’s The left and the lucky which is as visceral as the Delines songs he writes and compelling. Hugely enjoyable and confirms to me at least that he is America’s best current novelist. Next up is a reread of Neil Dunn’s Up the Junction which I guess is the British version of Vlautin’s despair and grime.
Seen:
Ben de La Cour was my gig of the year so far. Just him, his superb songs and a voice that matched the fragility of the people he chronicles. Superb.
Also saw Hayes Carll and Corb Lund at Bush Hall with @Carl. An enjoyable gig that could have been better if they had integrated their own voices into each others songs. It was rather like an In the round concert which is not what I was expecting.
On the TV I really enjoyed The Cage mainly I guess because I rate Sheridan Smith as one of our best actresses
Also as ever Race Across the World is hugely enjoyable not least because this seasons skirts through the 5Stans which we hope to visit in September assuming the World hasn’t run out of jet fuel by then.
The new Kacey is great (I reached the six listens very quickly and she can do little wrong for me anyway, mind you). Certainly a return to county roots but she always retains that lyrical edge that sets her aside from the pack (no surprise that Dry Spell is getting a lot of traction ) and, as always, the Daniel Tashian involvement raises things up to another level.
Somewhat late to this again…
SEEN
Started watching “Mint,” a BBC series about a young woman from a Scottish crime family…a thoroughly modern and absorbing story which once it had got over its initial “aren’t we clever”ness settled down into a really good piece of drama, a couple of nice unexpected plot developments, if not necessarily twists.
HEARD
Indie-pop veteran outfit Heavenly’s new album “Highway To Heavenly” is a sort of lighter Ramonesy treat from start to finish. “The Sound Of The Colourfield” a ludicrously comprehensive comp from Terry Hall’s mid-late eighties outfit is another joy although its glories do fade a little towards the end. A late month Beatles binge provided some nice undemanding comfort listening and sometimes that’s enough.
READ
Not a lot apart from Mojo and a rare look at Uncut. Just didn’t really have the headspace.
AOB
Another thanks to those on here who said some very kind words of comfort when my Dad died in March. The funeral was in mid-April and I managed to get through my reading OK, feeling relieved but also oddly good after it. Once the alcohol started to flow a bit at the wake, a nice afternoon in a lovely setting was had, which turned into funny stories and fond reminiscences. Just how these things things should be really. I think the old boy would have approved.
Exactly how a wake should be – I remember feeling relieved when I got through my Dads eulogy and proud that it went smoothly.
SEEN:
The month opened well with Hejira at Band on the Wall. Hattie Whitehead and friends have been well-appraised on this blog, and they are excellent, none more than Hattie herself. She doesn’t sound like Joni; she doesn’t try to sound like Joni, but her voice is sweet, clear, transparent, throwing light on the songs. The setlist has shifted since last year which suggests continuing ambition to keep this show on the road. I recommend.
But at the other end of the month and the spectrum, I saw The Songs of Nick Drake at Stoller Hall. I’m not cruel enough to name the performer, but it was thoroughly disappointing. In a rare occurrence, I left at the interval to minimise the loss of the evening to my life and caught the last of the sunshine to cycle home. The voice was faltering, lacked conviction; there was no stage presence to give context; no arrangement that enhanced what you already knew. If they’d appeared to do a couple of songs at the folk club on a singer’s night, I wouldn’t have given them a second’s thought, and certainly wouldn’t have offered them even a support slot.
DANCED:
In the middle of all that, Eelgrinders came up from Devon to grace a village hall in Flintshire. If you dance in my circles, you know how momentous an occasion this was; otherwise, you will not have heard of them. God, I love dancing to twin Border pipes, and that’s apart from master-dance-tune-composers Helena Torpy and Steve Turner. Suffice to say that I want Helena’s Attingham Waltz played at Birches Crem on my way out.
HEARD:
New arrivals from Topette!! (more dancing – hurrah!); the Wakefire collaboration of Lady Maisery with Jimmy & Sid; Kris Drever. Most played has been Ascending by Stevens and Pound. This is the hard copy output from a collaboration and tour last year (look over here if you wish https://www.folknorthwest.co.uk/live-stevens-and-pound-ascending.html). Interesting to me that, live, I was more aware of Will and his harmonicas; recorded, it is Delia who leads, though I can still savour the live memory and visualise her dynamism at the centre of her array of instruments. Robert Macfarlane also makes an appearance, contributing to a joint composition at the heart of the album. I think this would have worked live for me, but I don’t respond well to spoken word on albums – see also the Wakefire collection.
READ:
On the bedside table is some book-length journalism from Tom Doyle on Kate Bush. Like many hardcore fans including many on this site, he holds a candle for The Dreaming. This prompted me to revisit one of my long time favourites, and what a fantastic evening’s enjoyment was that.
Likewise, another boundary pusher has won my affections. Juana Molina’s Doga, from last year, is still on repeat play, giving ambience to my evenings at home. I am satisfied that it’s her second best work, and that is no damning with faint praise. I just wish I wasn’t having to listen to it on YouTube. C’mon Juana, give us some product – put it out on CD.
Hejira have a second live album in the pipeline, following on from their Live @ The Cockpit album from 2024. All of the material they’ve introduced to their shows since then. Possibly featuring their two substitute singers Immy Churchill and Jana Varga on some, recruited for the gigs when Hattie is unavailable, pursuing her solo career.
Here they are with Immy singing.
And playing near me in October.
Here’s another with Jana singing.
They’re going to the USA to play a few dates in July. New Hampshire, New York State and Pennsylvania.