As we reach the first Friday of a new month, I invite you all to come in out the rain, put your wet umbrellas over there, hang your coats and hats up and come and sit by the fire – help yourself to a refreshment – and tell us all, please, what have you been listening to, watching, reading, or otherwise distracting yourself from the real world with ?
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I am reading The Bat by Jo Nesbo, the first in his series featuring detective Harry Hole. The author is Norwegian. Crime fiction detectives must have a USP. Harry is a maverick who falls for the ladies, drinks too much and bends the rules. A familiar scenario but well enough done and entertaining. Trouble is I’ve seen/read this kind of thing too much so I tend to give up on it and then start again as I want something to read. One finds it harder to find something satisfactory to get into. There’s always music memoirs. Also become predictable.
I listened to the two new box set Revolver tracks on Spotify. I am in favour of the idea of this remix. The original stereo version was made for no one (get it?). People got used to it and have an attachment to it I guess but it was not given any time or thought in the first place. The remaining two give it a thumbs up or two so I’m all for it. There’s a Word in your attic or earhole or whatever it’s called with Giles Martin where he relates that there wasn’t going to be any separation of instruments as it was four track only but they found someone who could do it who worked on identifying speech on recordings for police investigations. All this stuff interests me, almost more than hearing the music. In other news I made a playlist of 80s dance type music like Chaka Khan and Womack and Womack. It’s really a pleasing listen. You don’t even need to dance.
We are watching House Of Dragon which I suspect many are a bit underwhelmed by, tired of, but it picks up when the princess becomes grown up and more tensions develop. Now I am more engaged. Shocking scenes.
Then there’s Handmaid’s Tale latest season. We stick with it out of loyalty like some stick with acts whose best albums are behind them. It irritates how characters you hoped had got their just desserts come back into contention. The first season had an impact, a relevance to current worrying trends (not to mention that this has been going on forever). What happened to new, outstanding streamed series? They just keep the old ones going, playing safe.
Yeah that Word in your Attic episode was fascinating. If this technology can separate instruments out into different tracks then the possibilities are endless. Having said that, I love the original stereo Revolver and don’t really feel the need to hear the remix. However, I’d love to hear all the original raw instrument tracks.
Brassic is really good. Sky don’t do a good enough job selling it IMO. Got quite a shock when Dominic West appeared in it. We just binged all 4 seasons and can’t wait for the next one. Just finished the latest season of The Blacklist. I think this last season was pretty decent but there is a danger it’s going to run out of steam pretty soon. Probably going to start the GOT prequel thing next. Still working through the A Campbell diaries. It’s April 2001 and Foot & Mouth is the latest crisis. Mandelson resigned earlier in the year. G Brown seems like a proper miserable git.
We’ve just bought tickets for our first gigs for 2023. Depeche Mode at Malahide Castle and Paul Heaton in Dublin. I’ll enjoy DM but really looking forward to PH – possibly Britain’s most underrated songwriter.
Brassic is great fun. I keep telling anyone who’ll listen but I suppose the fact that it’s Sky only means its potential audience is a bit more limited.
Watched
The Labour Files. ”The largest leak in British political history, examines thousands of internal documents, emails and social media messages.” Four-part documentary on YouTube. Totes one-sided, but with no shortage of seemingly solid evidence and credible interviewees to support its case. Plus, a nice touch documentary-wise is that each episode ends by presenting, without comment, some repudiations of its allegations.
I thought Episode 1: The Purge (about ditching the pro-Palestine Lefties) and Episode 2: The Crisis (about antisemitism in the party) were very convincing. But then I would – they largely support what I already believed and, as we all know, it’s always very jolly whenever that happens. I had a party.
Episode 3: The Hierarchy (about who gets told off the most for their alleged racism, out of islamophobes, antisemites and plain, old school, skin-colour racists) I thought was a lot weaker. In a twist worthy of M.Night Shyamalan (not a compliment) Episode 3 turns everything topsy-turvy by claiming that while antisemitism is now being tackled properly, under Starmer’s leadership, Islamophobia and old-fashioned racism are being ignored or tolerated. Basically, it starts flinging the same sort of accusations they’ve just spent two episodes calling absurd, except now Starmer and his supporters are the baddies and there’s a whole new hierarchy of racism going on! Well I never! Exciting or what? There seem to be a lot of “well, I think your accusations of racism are racist” type accusations in Episode 3. Gets a bit confusing trying to keep up with exactly who’s accusing who of saying what to whom. Bit like the Afterword “reply” function in that respect.
Episode 4: The Spying Game (something about Croydon. I got too bored to continue.)
Will the The Labour Files, change people’s minds? Damn right it will! Since when has a one-sided, agenda-driven political documentary on YouTube ever failed to do so?
Also, I rewatched Round Midnight after having not seen it since a lifetime ago. Fantastic movie. Anyone not seen it? You really, really should. The soundtrack, including Herbie Hancock’s Oscar winning score, is worth the very proverbial entrance price alone. But what really makes it worth watching is Dexter Gordon. Funny, tragic, sweet, pathetic and totally believable as both musician (of course) and character. He should’ve won the Oscar in ‘86, not Paul Newman for ‘Color of Money’. Incidentally, Martin Scorsese, who directed Color of Money, also has a small acting role in ‘Round Midnight, the greedy feck. They could just as easily have given Paul Newman an Oscar for his performance in his next film, ‘Fat Man and Little Boy’ (which I haven’t seen either, but the Washington Post singled out Newman as having given the film’s standout performance. “He is the only one in the ensemble who displays vital signs, and fitfully at that,” they gushed).
Mind you, at least I’ve heard of Color of Money. Guess what film won the Best Foreign Language Film in ‘86, above the extremely memorable ‘Betty Blue’? In a remarkable case of “no, me neither” it was a Dutch film called ‘The Assault’. I researched its director on my computer and I see he made a few Dutch films, then bagged that Oscar, which presumably helped him blag some international names on board for his next film, (Liv Ullmann, who I always confuse with Liev Schreiber, and Peter Fonda out of Primal Scream). That film promptly tanked and he never made another, Dutch or otherwise. Where was I?
Oh yes, telly series, the awkwardly titled Dahmer -Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. A dead eyed and drunkenly mumbling performance by the lead. I think he was aiming for chilling but hit sort of stoned soporific instead. Jennifer Lynch, David’s daughter, directs four episodes. Four would probably have been enough, but they’ve gone the full Sandinista! and dragged it out to ten. There are only so many scenes one can take of a youthful serial-killer-to-be dissecting animals. Or an older one dissecting humans, come to that. Things get a little more interesting after Dahmer is arrested. Especially when it focusses on Richard Jenkins as his dad. One of those actors whose face I vaguely recognize and who’s noticeably good at the acting malarky without being famous for it. And guess who plays Dahmer’s grandmother? Olivia Walton, no less! I get the impression a sizeable proportion of AWers are most probably obsessive fans of The Waltons, so you’ll be chuffed to bits to know she’s still recognizable from her younger days and a very fine actress at the age of however old she is.
Coincidentally, in The Jeffrey Dahmer Story as in The Labour Files, there’s a bit of a brouhaha as to the extent of racist motivation.
I’m watching the last episode of Sherwood as I type. And that too has a strong political theme that brings into question the usefulness of name-calling (in this case, “scab”) and entrenched tribalism. And, just like The Labour Files, after a while it starts banging on about spies for some reason and I lost a considerable portion of my interest. I thought it was a silly plot, but apparently it’s based on facts that my computer can’t be bothered to look up.
Read
Ukraine – What Everybody Needs To Know by Serhy Yekelchyk (2015). A concise overview of the country’s history and politics, divided into brief question/answer sections. Yekelchyk (a Ukranian, currently Professor in the departments of Germanic and Slavic Studies and History at the University of Victoria, Canada) tackles pretty much every question I wanted answers to and more (not hard, I only had a couple) and you can easily skip the really boring ones.
He is blatantly pro-western/pro-Ukraine/anti-Putin but he obviously knows his subject very well and is good at writing about something as daunting as Ukranian history and politics in a way that’s readable even to an eejit (I imagine). Natch, recent interest in the country helps its readability, though I’d say the book is all the more interesting for having been published a few years before the invasion – the author’s analysis isn’t coloured by the subsequent worldwide reaction to it, not subject to accusations of being part of any pro-war propaganda or anti-Putin hysteria.
Heard
Martin Hairnet (not his real name) and Kaisfatdad have got me listening to Japanese ambient music, which I enjoy for reasons that I’m unwilling to discuss.
A.O.B.
I’ve become European again! Yay to that! After having confronted five years of torturous bureaucracy with an almost Eddie The Eaglean level of bravery and optimism, I’ve just this morning been informed I’ve been granted Italian citizenship – despite my having recently actively engaged in anti-Government protest by writing “People called Fascistes they go the house” type stuff all over an Afterword thread for the whole world to see! I thought Meloni’s was supposed to be a proper fascist government and everything, but it seems they turn a blind eye to immigrants posting whatever pro-democracy diatribe they want on the internet. Some fascism that is, ffs. So I’ve written a letter rejecting their offer of citizenship and citing the famous Groucho Marx club-membership quote.
Nah, not really. I’m honoured and grateful to become an Italian after all these years. And I still get to be British when it suits. Of bilaterally ambidextrous nationality, as they say.
Very cool re rejecting all that is British and fully embracing the Land That Gave Us Pizza.
Seriously, hearty congratulations. Did you have to pass a language test? Here in France they still seem to put you through a face-to-face interview where with perfect pronunciation and grammar you answer questions like “Name the fifty best cheeses” or “Jean Paul Sartre or Kylian Mbappé – discuss”.
Thanks. I applied before the language test was introduced. Shame, I would have like to praise the virtues of cheddar above mozzarella, or discuss why Jean Paul Sartre is better than Kylian Mbappé on account of my having heard of him.
https://youtu.be/RSLYZBnczOU
Fab goal. Which one of them was that?
Jean Paul Sartre. Camus in goal, plus ca change.
Congrats on the citizenship, Gary. A mixed week, in which the Italians lost Super Mario’s accent, but gained you, which has to be considered a narrow win overall.
Thanks Bing. I don’t see any logical way they could have retained both.
Apropos of the above: when my first boss at my current place of employment gave his leaving speech a few years back he included a line that’s always stuck with me as being quite brilliant:
“I originally joined the studio the same week Stanley Kubrick died. One in, one out, I always say”.
Life is swings and roundabouts, isn’t it? Like when Notre Dame Cathedral burnt down it got me looking for a photo of a hitchhiking trip to Paris one summer and during the search I came across a photo of our old cocker spaniel, Shandy, that I thought I’d lost.
That’s EXACTLY what life is like. Sunrise, sunset, spaniel.
I’m thinking Bingo AND Gary are in fact a spaniel
@bingo-little, do you want to deal with this? Do you think we should contact the mods? If only we knew what he’s consumed this evening.
Which one is the floppy ears and which is the ..er.. tail.?
To those of you who have DM-ed me for further information, out of “genuine curiosity”, my dog’s name wasn’t really Shandy. It was Rover. And I’ve never used it as a security question anyway. In fact, I didn’t even have a dog.
And I can’t remember my mother’s maiden name except that it definitely didn’t begin with an “H”.
The Japanese comment is troubling.
Oh, ok then. You’ve persuaded me. Imagine the scenario: a shaved donkey, a bathful of jelly and Japanese ambient music soothing everyone there into a false sense of harmony and security. Then, when no one expects it… (I think I can leave the rest to your imagination!)
Shaved? Classy.
Thank you. More for hygiene than aesthetics though.
Listened:
My Genesis journey continues. This month it was Trick of the Tail from early ’76. I started playing it through gritted teeth as I wasn’t sure what strange road they might have gone down since the angel Gabriel left them, and I love The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway so much it almost felt like a betrayal to put it aside and continue my journey.
But… It’s good. My first impression was that it was… listenable, not earth-shaking, but a decent effort to keep the band going after the loss of such a key member.
And then…. certain earworms and little bits of lyrics keep coming back to me… and after a few listens over a couple of weeks I’ve decided I love it:
– By this album they had really honed their sound, and at this point were sharper and more confident than I have heard in their previous albums, really gelling together well
– Phil Collins… Like many, many people of my generation, I kind of wrote him off as an embarrassing 80s figure, and I’ve slowly gotten more respect for him over the years when you realise the sheer amount of good music he has been involved in. But here, taking over as lead singer: he’s magnificent. I can’t believe there was ever any doubt he could fill that space. He’s maybe not as expressive as Peter Gabriel, but to my ears he sounds more technically competent, and has a very distinctive and compelling voice of his own. He dun good here. With the exception of….
– Robbery, Assault and Battery: Nah, this cockney comedy song is a step too far. I get Phil was trying to emulate that Peter Gabriel story-song style, but Gabriel did it with much more assuredness and panache. Phil just sounds a bit like he’s overacting in a school musical.
– Best song is Ripples, which I just found incredibly moving. It’s a simple idea, but really effective, and has one of those big soaring choruses that Genesis do so well.
– Squonk: I’ve read this was trying to emulate Led Zep’s Kashmir. But surely it’s the wrong way about? I feel that Kashmir was always a bit of a steal of Fly On A Windscreen from The Lamb, those stomping drums and that mellotron drone.
– Some bits of the album teeter into kitsch, but I think that makes it all the better. There’s a bit on Mad Man Moon (“Hey man! I’m the Sandman!”) where it all speeds up and I swear I can picture the Legz Akimbo community theatre troupe swanning in for a bit of interpretive dance. But these bits make me smile lovingly rather than cringe.
..
Anyway, so really enjoyed A Trick of the Tail, and curious to see where they go next with Wind and Wuthering (good title, good cover, so the signs are good).
Also (as I mentioned on the Wonderful Albums thread) Radio KAOS by Roger Waters. His 1987 album which is panned as an incomprehensible concept album mired in the sludge of dated 80s production techniques. Maybe the low expectations helped, but I love it.
Read:
Nothing to report really. Started a Pink Floyd biography, Pigs Might Fly, so I’m bound to devour that.
I also read a book called Isn’t This Fun? by Michael Foley (a kind of potted history /travelogue investigating what it means to have Fun) and was seriously underwhelmed. I had to struggle to finish it. It’s strange because his book The Age Of Absurdity is one of my favourite books. He just doesn’t seem to have written anything since which has grabbed me in the same way.
Watched:
I finished Breaking Bad. It was… all right. I know we had a big discussion on here about whether it was “slow” or not. So just to be clear, when I say it was “slow” I just mean that although I recognise plenty was going on at any one point, there seemed to be a LOT of filler to stretch it out over so many series (sorry, “seasons”). I would have much preferred a tighter, shorter story where you had more of an idea where it was going from the start.
I’m in two minds about the last series. It many ways it was the most satisfying as it seemed to have a lot more incident and action, more at stake, more set-pieces. But I think it started to feel a bit like “Oceans 11 on meth” with all the japes and heists. It was a bit of a leap from the relative realism of the first series.
I think overall it suffered from being forced to make the story bigger as it went on, presumably to keep pulling the audience in. It went from “mild mannered chemistry teacher who just happens to be good at cooking meth because he is a chemistry teacher” to “chemistry GENIUS who is a CRIMINAL MASTERMIND and is the BEST EVER at cooking meth and NO ONE can match him”. It became harder and harder to relate to Walt, which I think was an element that was sorely needed.
I actually really liked the standalone follow up movie, El Camino. With the main series all finished and with no expectations, it was a great, tense little thriller with a nice payoff.
Trick Of The Tail really is one of those albums that burrows into your mind. I may not play it in years but when I do it seems like I only listened to it yesterday.
Re Breaking Bad – on my recent Route 66 tour we stayed in Albuquerque for a couple of days and did the breaking bad tour with a local resident. It made me realise I have forgotten many of the key scenes and made me realise I need to watch it again.
Re Trick of the Tail – I think Wind and Wuthering is much better – in fact the best of the post Gabriel albums.
Another comment on music reinforcing my belief that you know fuck all about the subject Black Cnut Tree Boy.
It interests me that Seconds Out features the half of the album that was considered crowd-pleasing, but over the years, it is the other four tracks that I have grown to love more. In time, you may come to realise that Entangled is ‘the one’.
Oh I love Entangled, don’t worry about that. Gorgeously sinister, isn’t it? I don’t think the lyric is specific enough to be about any one thing but it definitely seems like someone who is dying or in a comma or something retreating into some kind of fantasy world. The chorus is stunning.
You know, you’re absolutely right about Seconds Out. It’s basically the four worst tracks on the album! The best songs are the other ones: Entangled, Mad Man Moon, Ripples and A Trick of the Tail. Mind you, they are all fairly mellow songs so not sure they would have worked so well in a live context? Los Endos must have been a great experience to see live back in the day.
I think “worst” is a bit strong…the “worst” tracks on ATotT knock spots off some of their later work…they just picked the rockier ones for the live show.
Did you see the 1980 BBC gig on the telly a few nights ago? Los Endos in all its glory…
No I didn’t! Sounds good, will have a look for that (presumably on iPlayer?).
Yes, okay the word “worst” is a bit harsh and I was being flippant 🙂 But by definition if the other four tracks are better then those other four are the “worst” out of that eight, aren’t they? You can’t argue with my logic!
I’ve always loved the review (in Select or something, can’t remember) when Led Zeppelin brought out a two disc set after their big four disc Remasters set in the early nineties. Basically the two disc set contained everything from their output that hadn’t already been included on the big box. So this reviewer made the (logically correct) observation that what you were effectively buying if you bought the two disc set was the “worst” of Led Zeppelin! (Arguably still better than any other of yer blues rock combos of that era, but still logically correct).
Damn your logic, sir!
Damn your eyes!!
Damn your duckpond!!!
Yes, I recommend that concert – I think most reasonable people would consider Duke to be the best (least worst?) of the post-Hackett albums, and they play a good chunk of the Duke suite, along with some AToTT tunes and In the Cage, well worth the time spent (about 40min).
I certainly saw “Ripples” performed live by Genesis at Knebworth in 1978, and according to fan sites, “Entangled” was performed live by the band on the Trick of the Tail tour in 1976.
But neither Mad Man Moon nor the title track of “A Trick of the Tail” were ever performed live. Strange. I like both songs a lot.
Watched:
– Rewatched The Beatles Anthology – hard to believe in 1995 there was little media aboutThe Beatles (Mojo has single-handedly rectified that).
Interesting to see the interviews filmed at Friar Park – the dynamic between Paul and Georg is much the same as it was in 1970. Paul takes the lead, George sounds exasperated, and Ringo is just happy to be there
(PS Get well soon Ringo)
– Series 2 of The Capture was superb (glad I caught up with series 1 first)
– ITVs The Stranger and Ridley could’ve been great, but ended up being a bit ho-hum. Watchable, but ho-hum
– Happy to see a new series of Professor T is back
– Bloodlands (series 2) is so far more watchable and follow-able than the first series
– Best thing this month was Inside Man – both Stanley Tucci and David Tennant acted brilliantly
Read
Dave Grohl – The Storyteller. Interesting read, but haven’t really found anything new yet
Heard
– Suede have released a contender for Album Of The Year with Autofiction
– Frank Turner’s FTHC is better than I remembered 6 months ago
– Enjoying the new Otherish album that arrived yesterday
Takes will vary, but Inside Man was a decent cast led by two great actors doing what they could with a script which was utter, utter bollocks. I stuck with it and tried to persuade myself that it was enjoyable hokum but really it was utter, utter, and I cannot stress this enough, utter bollocks. I wasn’t a fan, and I like Tennant enough to get tickets for his new play at the end of the month without having any idea what it is about.
Admittedly the concept was laughably unlikely, and the conclusion a bit Oo conveniently neat, but it was well delivered and enjoyable (if that’s the right term?) watching
I watched one and a half episodes of Inside Man, I had to stop halfway through the 2nd episode to answer the phone. Put the phone down and thought fuck it because as @Gatz says it’s utter bollocks.
Smart move. It actually got worse if you imagine such a thing.
The defining moment of Anthology is when the Threetles are sitting in the garden and Ringo looks at his watch.
I’ll need to rewatch Anthology again. I’ve watched it two or three times since it first aired, and from what I remember it still stands up.
I watched the last episode again recently after watching Get Back. It’s amazing how blurry the January 69 footage looks after seeing the sharpened footage: I didn’t realise how much Peter Jackson cleaned it up. And it’s amazing how condensed Anthology is! At the time it seemed like a massive, long series, but it just crams it all in. The Let It Be stuff is only about 8 minutes or something.
Paul speaking to camera as he sails his boat is cringe worthy. George sitting in his garden referring to getting those MBEs for ‘selling all that corduroy’ is just class.
Another vote for The Capture. Well done, the BBC.
Old papers… football etc.
A sideline, inspired by a thread on here a couple of months ago that 200 or so people in Soho were the only ones who experienced the 60s (bollocks – see Robert Elms and his generation – well, they would, wouldn’t they), has got me multi-tasking about the scene in West Penwith and believe me, that view is definitely COMPLETE bollocks.
On the back of that, it’s been rediscovering those obscure acts who had 2 45s on Pye (both worth £300) who pitched up in Penzance on a Thursday night in 1966!
How to experience the Who on Thursday, 14th October 1965 at Camborne, 15 days before the release of My Generation? – the first eight or so tracks of the BBC Sessions… the only Who I will ever need… not to be confused by the bollocks (again, COMPLETE) put out by the Guardian this week…
Don’t they want Labour to win?
Well that month flew by!
Read
Managed to get through 3 this month. Young Mungo by Douglas Stewart is pretty much a rewriting of Shuggie Bain. It is well written & an engaging read but both books are quite interchangeable.
Radiohead: Life In A Glasshouse by John Aizlewood was a good write up on the band. It’s quite a straight forward bio & has made me go back & revisit some of the albums I wasn’t keen on first time round with fresh ears , notably Kid A (it’s ok) & Amnesiac (aged well).
Mel C is someone who I’ve always liked so I was excited about reading her freshly released Bio. It was great & confirmed what I already thought (i.e. she is pretty sound) & that living through that whole time as a member of the biggest girl band of all time was mental!
Watched
Saw the comedian Glenn Moores new show (Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, Glenn I’m, Sixty Moore) & have never laughed so much. It was a brilliantly executed show with some of the best call backs I’ve ever seen. If you are a fan of a one liner comedy & he is near by then give it a go.
Katy J Pearsons show at Gorilla in Manchester was the only gig of the month & she was great. Her new album is good & recreated brilliantly live. A cover of The B-52s Roam with BC Campbell as an encore was really special.
TV wise it’s just been Only Connect on a Monday night. The best show on TV by some distance in my opinion
Heard
My children (7 & 4) keep asking for the ‘Cup Of Tea’ song so we have been playing a lot of John Shuttleworth whilst pottering about the house this month. His A111 & other ones album is belting & they find it funny so a bit of a result all round
There have been some great podcasts this month, notably The Guardians ‘Can I Tell You a Secret’ & Tortoise Medias ‘Hoaxed’. Both are excellent although i’m only half way through the latter.
September, eh? Good in parts, excellent, even, if on going techie hell. Got me MacBook back and spent a day reconstituting content from the many and varied. So far so good, until I plugged in the remote and found the fecking ports weren’t working. Back to shop to administer giant aural fleas, so they took it away again. Would have been easier to just get a new one, the insurance seemingly up for that, but no, I said, vaingloriously thinking my files might have escaped unharmed. Hey ho. Doing WordPress and blogger on a phone is, um, quite challenging, I have discovered.
The good was a fortnight away, swimming aplenty. First a week in North Wales: Llyns Padarn, Gwynant and Dinas, and then the Western Lakes, Derwntvwater, Crummock Water and, the best, Lake Bassenthwaite. Glorious.
No live music for a while, and I daren’t book while I await gallbag surgery. Had the pre op this week, so hoping to be match fit for end of next month, with Cowboy Junkies and Peat & Diesel lined up, not together.
Telly highlight has been Bear, worth another months sub to Apple TV, a manic overview of kitchen mayhem in Chicago. Old Man, with Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow lined up to start tonight. Began the Tucci/Tennant vehicle but haven’t got around to following it up yet.
Read. You’re kidding me, right? The music comics and Wild Swimming.
Woops, Disney for Bear and Old Man. Apple is for the excellent Bad Sisters, which proves that in the pecking order of cussing, there is swearing and then there is Irish swearing. Claes Bang is superb as the nasty bro in law, reprising his Dracula persona, but with none of the redeemable features.
I hope the op goes well retro, Richie
Cheers!
@retropath2 Give me a bell when you are ready for that overdue pint
Cheers, too, in anticipation.
Ouch. My sympathies. I had one attack and one only of gallstone pain about 5 or 6 years ago, but it was enough to persuade me that it’s definitely not something I want to repeat.
It was enough to send me to my GP who arranged a scan which confirmed the presence of gallstones, but thankfully they haven’t caused me any problems since. Wishing you a swift recovery from the surgery.
Thanks.
I’ll join the others in wishing you an uneventful operation and a speedy recovery, Retro. I too am a sufferer of gallstones – last attack I had, I ended up in the cardiac stream!
Not doing the op yourself Retro? All you’d need is a pair of scissors, a mirror and a laugh track.
Retro this may help. I know it’s for the appendix but the principle is the same, dig in, broddle about, remove.
From those helpful chaps at Python.
Oh and all the best. Have some kali.
I ‘risked’ twiglets last night. Big mistake….
As to the top tips around d.i.y., I fear the day is too short. I did actually remove an appendix, in 1981, it taking well over 2 hours for a 15 minute procedure. Never again.
Not judging, but you’re meant to put them in your mouth.
What appendixes? (or is it appendices?)
Getting into Duke Ellington.
Re-reading ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ after many years.
Watching Michael Gambon’s ‘Maigret’.
This is impeccable. Your house sounds great.
Listening – not much. Time Fades Away finally got a stand-alone CD release, so I felt duty bound to indulge. I liked the release of Cowboy Junkies rarity Sharon, which is the sessions that ultimately led to the Caution Horses album. If anything, I think Sharon may have the edge.
Reading – listening to Cowboy Junkies led me back to Dave Bowler’s biography of the band, Music is the Drug, which I got half way through last year before becoming bogged down. It’s not an easy read. Bowler seems unable to leave anything out and consequently the book is far too wordy. But it’s the only thing that’s been written about the Junkies, so I’m ploughing on.
Watching – M*A*S*H boxset (got as far as series 7), a few French flicks and a dash of film noir. The new series of HIGNFY seems to have been hamstrung by events. Delayed for a couple of weeks on account of Her Maj, and now studiously avoiding any mention of the Ukraine war. It’s a shame, as laughing at the deranged scumbag in the Kremlin seems to be about the only thing we have left.
I went on a trip from Australia to the UK.
It wasn’t the holiday I had planned. My intention was to catch the train all the way to Inverness and back while stopping off along the way. I figured out an itinerary I was happy with and a few weeks before I left I went to make some bookings but the rail website had a huge banner across it “Industrial Action!”
That was the first I’d heard of it so I quickly did some research and realised I ran the risk of finding myself caught in a snap strike and stuck somewhere like Aberdeen the day I was meant to fly out of Heathrow.
Cancellation was not an option, the air ticket cost me an astronomical sum and I wasn’t going to waste it. I had tried getting in touch with Thai Air previously about something else via both phone and email for no response. I may as well have tried a seance for all the good it did me.
I decided to fly out as planned but to stay put in London, I figured I’d be able to entertain myself and I did.
I’d been there a couple of times before and done all the things I considered the heavy hitters. I’d been to The Tower of London, British Museum, Churchill’s War Rooms so I was on to the attractions that were for me the next level down.
For example I’d been to Lord’s for a county match before, so this time I went to see a game at The Oval. I was surprised to find I much prefered The Oval. The new stands were beautifully done, it reminded me of Adelaide Oval (a big compliment, it’s easily the best cricket ground in Australia) On the other hand the new stands at Lord’s look like they’re made out of Lego.
I went to the Cutty Sark, the Maritime Museum, St Pauls and a bunch of other things I never got around to previously.
As I collect DVD’s I did the rounds of close to the tube station CEX stores so I went to a whole bunch of unusual places. Watford, Brixton, Camden, Deptford, Elephant and Castle.
Hopping around on the Tube like that means you find places easily but you don’t figure out how they all fit together. For example I had no idea Waterloo station and Charing Cross were so close to one another until I walked from one to the other in fifteen minutes.
In terms of population London is twice the size of Melbourne, it feels many, many times larger. In Melbourne and Sydney you feel thronged only in small pockets. In London there are people everywhere and everything is so condensed. While I was in Kensington I looked at one of those local area maps and saw that Kensington Palace was just around the corner so I went for a look. Try doing that in Australia!
My most Afterword friendly moment was while CD shopping in Sister Ray’s. As I left a light drizzle was falling and I was so pleased with my luck as I got to “walk through the streets of Soho in the rain…”
Equally delightful to me as I wasn’t expecting it was on a train trip to Streatham Hills I went past the power station from the cover of Animals. I remember pointing at it and saying out loud, “What the, what the, what the fuck!”
On that trip to Streatham Hills I had one of my few moments of regret. I saw my first Wimpy’s hamburger shop I knew it was a British chain so I wanted to try it but I’d only just eaten so I never went in but resolved to try them out before I left. I never went past another one.
One thing that has changed since my last visit was how many gambling establishments there are. I walked a lot of your High Streets and believe me they are EVERYWHERE.
They reminded me of a conversation I had with a young London lass some thirty years ago. I made a comment to her about gambling in the UK and she said, “You think London is like an episode of Minder don’t you?” I couldn’t think of a snappy rejoinder so I congratulated her on her perception and changed the subject.
I have recently been to the USA as well one thing I noticed is being an Aussie in the USA is to be incredibly exotic. You feel like Crocodile Dundee just leaving a trail of smiles everywhere you go. They can’t seem to believe they have met someone so unusual. “Where are YOU from?” Being an Aussie in the UK though you’re just another swinging dick and no one gives a toss.
My most stereotypical “Aussie”moment was I walked into a shop and the lady behind the counter asked me, “How are you coping with all this heat?” I just went “What?” It was 20 degrees outside. I was wearing a jacket! That is what Australians think England is like. My most stereotypical “Only in England” moment was I saw a bunch of people queuing up to get into McDonalds. I couldn’t believe that.
My most ironic moment was while I was looking through some cds in a charity shop. A spider jumped out at me! What are the odds?
Queen Elizabeth passed away a day or two after I left. It was weird watching the TV seeing places like Windsor Castle and that hall at Westminster both of which I’d been in a few days before. I was glad I missed it I couldn’t have handled the crowds.
Brilliant post!
It’s Battersea Power Station, now converted into luxury apartments.
It’s the Blogger Takeover Travel Section!
Tremendous post, Cookieboy.
Great post – loved reading a foreigners view pf London. That is if Aussies are foreigners!!
re bits of London being closer than you realise.
It was only in the last 5 years or so I discovered that Hyde Park is a 5 minute walk from Paddington. And from there, 20 minutes/ half hour to Park Lane
I would have thought the most striking thing about central London these days is all the “Candy” stores, completely empty of customers and by absolutely no means money-laundering front-shops. As usual the UK leads the world in being the clearing house of choice for every bent bastard on Earth. Makes ya proud.
Call me naive but I’ve never thought that of those shops. There are tonnes in Glasgow. You’ve made me think.
There are lots of allegations about the London ones, and this is just what was thought safe to put in print on a mainstream website https://www.timeout.com/london/news/revealed-the-shocking-secrets-of-oxford-streets-sweet-shops-and-souvenir-stores-050522
I’m a Private Eye reader. I’ll leave it at that.
Those candy places are ubiquitious enough that I know what you are talking about even though I never went in one. I saw plenty of them but I don’t have a sweet tooth, I’m more your pie and hamburger man.
I did however go in quite a few of those weirdo gambling places. They come in handy, to me they were just public toilets.
Also ubiquitious are those Pret a Manger joints! What are they up to?
Splendid post, Cookmeister!
Heard
I’ve only listened to the new Bjork album a couple of times, so way too early to make any kind of judgement. However I have certainly heard enough to suggest there is plenty more to uncover with more listens. She really is one of a kind.
Read
The shock of the appalling attack on Salman Rushdie sent me to ‘Joseph Anton’ his memoir of life under the fatwa. I am about two thirds of the way through; its good stuff. Rushdie has paid a heavy price for writing a novel which (amongst many other things) contended that no religion should be above challenge, criticism or satire, and everything that has happened to him since makes the point even more forcibly.
Seen
Watched three music docs over the last three days. Hitsville USA which tells the story of Motown, was great for the footage and some entertaining interviewees, especially Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy. On Friday the BBC repeated its 2016 Arena film about Loretta Lynn after her death last week. Like the Motown film it was a tad hagiographic and definitely not warts and all, but still well worth watching, and made a good case for her as an incredibly powerful and influential songwriter for women. Also watched the new Creedence documentary covering their Albert Hall concert in 1970, on Netflix. The documentary scoot through their history is OK if somewhat workmanlike, but the concert footage is fantastic. What a band.
And we’ve also been to the theatre three times in the last fortnight which is more than over the last two years. The Glass Menagerie at the Royal Exchange Manchester was flawed as a production, but the play still packs a punch. We went to the new Shakespeare North Playhouse, a stunningly beautiful Jacobean style intimate theatre somewhat bizarrely located in Prescot just outside Liverpool. Their opening production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is very enjoyable if broad in its comedy (I don’t remember quite so many ‘fuck’s in the original text, or Puck calling Oberon a bellend). Well worth seeing and I really hope the theatre is a success.
And best of all, I finally saw Girl from the North Country, the musical using Bob Dylan songs to tell a story of 1930s depression-era America, currently on its national tour. Beautiful arrangements and a fascinating choice of songs – heavy on late 70s and 80s Dylan – which really work well in the context. Loved it.
Seen
Big up to whoever recommended Ramy – the thought-provoking comedy about a young New York Muslim – before. Finished series two this month and found it even better than the first.
I will have to watch Everything Everywhere All At Once again (and will be happy to do so). Unfortunately, this is a film I came to following stratospheric recommendations and consequently, as much as I did enjoy it, it fell short of my “movie of the year” hopes.
It’s the unspoken tragedy of having friends: without them every great film would come as a fantastic surprise. Then again, without their recommendations, I’d have to rely on you lot..
In the comfort viewing slot, I watched most of Saxondale again. Still hits the spot and how great to see the actor Kevin Eldon once more in what’s probably my favourite episode.
Stewart Lee has let himself go…
Reading
Because of a throwaway remark on here some time back, I’m presently reading Gyles Brandreth’s Oscar Wilde And The Vatican Murders in which the PODGH teams up with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to solve a murder mystery which comes their way because the chap who fell for the Cottingley Fairies receives all correspondence, however nutty, addressed to Sherlock Holmes. It’s entertaining enough, so far, with GB doing a decent job of writing in the style of SACD and giving Oscar suitably witty and arrogant lines.
Heard
I’m delighted for those who are enjoying the new Suede album Autofiction. I have to say it leaves me cold and I particularly don’t like the sound of it (if you know what I mean). I’m particularly miffed as I was excited by the advanced description i.e. that it was a concerted effort to return to their Bolan Boogieish early As and Bs. I have not given up on it, but am not optimistic that my head will be turned.
It reminds me of earlier in the year, when many here were singing the praises of the latest Spiritualized album. Here’s another act who have made music I’ve absolutely loved in the past where others who felt the same way are lauding a new release but, to my ears, while it throws many familiar shapes, it falls well short of what they can do.
For contrast, I was very pleasantly surprised by Ali, the new album by Vieux Farka Toure and Khruangbin. I know they are loved on here, but I’ve previously found a little Khruangbin goes a long way. Turns out, a spoonful of Monsieur Toure really helps the medicine go down.
Even better is Midnight Scorchers, Horace Andy’s follow up to his Midnight Rocker collection earlier this year. MS is a bit more spacey and, IMHO, a more satisfying set.
AOB
My favourite person became the latest victim of Brexit. A gift I ordered for her was held up by customs as it came from the accursed U.K. (99% of the stuff I order from the same site comes from friendly Europe) and, consequently, was a teeny bit late for her birthday.
The Unspoken Tragedy of Having Friends….
…. woah….dude….heavy
I don’t think any of Suede’s records sound that great. I like them, but their records have a thin, trebly sound that lets them down.
The possible exception is the Stay Together 12″, which I also think is the best thing they did.
Eerie how much of that I found myself nodding along to while reading, from saxondale and spiritualized to a birthday disaster to the beloved in Berlin, ruined by Brexit
Khurangbin have been busy this year. What do you think of Texas Moon with Leon Bridges?
Neither slotbadger nor Tigger’s words above do I understand. Not one.
SHUDDAGONTASPEXAVERS!!!
….and… listening to that album right now, Mr Tiggs. I didn’t know about it and am partial to a bit of Leon Bridges. Pleasingly mellow, so far – would fit right in to the “late night listening” thread..
It’s a follow up to Texas Sun from 2020, which is a bit more lively.
Read:
For the first time in my life I shouted Hurrah! when the announcement for the Nobel Prize for literature came on the news. I’ve been devouring the books by Annie Ernaux in the last few years and she’s become a great favourite of mine. Just days before the announcement I’d just read L’Événement (“Happening”) – a non-flinching account of the illegal abortion she had in her youth, and I was very happy to see her win. If you haven’t read any of her books before, I’d recommend The Years especially.
Other than that novel, and The Snowchild by Eowyn Ivey on my commute (it was fine, but not quite my cup of tea), all I’ve done is reading for the project I mentioned last month: to read/re-read all of the crime novels by a popular Swedish author and, as well as writing reviews for all of them, write an essay on her body of work when I’m done – just for my own amusement of course.
After the eight I read in August, I managed to read 23 more in September (and four, soon five, so far in October). I’m having a blast, and now I’m done the re-reading part of the project and have bought a stack of her novels which I haven’t read before. Just five more to go, if my maths is correct…
I do really enjoy a project, and I love these books for what they are, but I can’t lie: it will be lovely to be done with this particular reading project soon, so I can get back to reading books that are more challenging and meaty! And the next reading project I choose will probably not be as vast…
Seen:
The usual suspects: University Challenge, Only Connect. And YT reactions to that Tolkien series and that GOT-prequel (I can’t think of their names, I’m obviously not that invested as I’m only watching reactions and not the actual shows!) Both seem pretty dull. Also on YT: some frantic guy cooking from the Julia Child French cookbooks; both entertaining and frustrating when he gets things wrong. But again – it’s quicker to watch him do it than to do it myself, and I probably don’t gain as much weight.
Heard:
Just the same old albums from earlier in the year – only yesterday I got around to ordering a bunch of new stuff: Dungen, Courtney Marie Andrews, Bonny Light Horseman, Dr John, Alela Diane, Tove Lo, and pre-orders for Alice Boman, Taylor Swift, Goat, Andy Partridge, First Aid Kit, Iris Dement, Marc Almond.
Considered buying tickets to see Dungen and The Tallest Man On Earth live (two separate events), but it’s for spring of 2023 and I couldn’t be bothered. I’ve seen both acts live before anyway.
Is that the Swedish Goat, Locust? I thought they had split up. I’m up for that if they have a new one.
Indeed it is, new album Oh Death coming out October 21.
Here’s the first single, which is giving me slight Tom Tom Club vibes (partly the video, but also the female vocals and the funky beat):
Locust:
Goat not only have a new album coming out, but they’re also playing live in Stockholm on 27 January 2023.
They’re playing at Slaktkyrkan, a stand-up venue in Slakthusområadet that I must confess I’ve never been to.
https://luger.se/nyheter/2022-10-12/goat-gor-spelningar-i-sverige-nasta-ar
Yes, but as with Dungen and Kristian Mattsson I don’t think I’ll go. I’ve seen Goat live twice (hmm…or is it three times?) and as good as they are live, I think that’s enough.
Mostly because I feel a lot of resistance towards going to gigs these days…it needs to be an all time favourite and preferably one I’ve never seen live before, to make me get off my sofa and order tickets!
Been a strange month, struggling to remember what’s actually happened – I had to check back on last month’s BT to make sure I wasn’t going to repeat myself.
WATCHED: Minx was good fun, a 70s-set comedy series about a solemn young feminist who is desperate to start a Spare-Rib-type magazine and falls into the clutches of a sleazeball porn mag publisher. Sounds sleazy and is (spoiler alert: there are todgers), but terrific script and characters, not to mention impeccable 70s clothes and set-dressing make it thoroughly entertaining.
https://youtu.be/UTc5I86to_8
Also: Unstuck in Time, the Kurt Vonnegut doco, a lovely and moving labour of love by the guy who took 25 years to get it made. Which led me to:
READ: Inevitably Vonnegut’s hideous experiences in Dresden led me to Dresden by Frederick Taylor, which is an account not just of the Dresden firestorm raids but of Dresden itself, not to mention of the history of bombing. (I discovered that the very first bombing raid by a purpose-built bomber, as opposed to chaps just chucking bombs over the side, was on my current home town of Folkestone in 1917.) Contrary to popular wisdom, it seems that the city was a legitimate target after all (or as legitimate as targets ever get), since the Germans had cunningly hidden all sorts of strategic stuff in what was supposed to be the baroque jewel of Europe. Massively informative and – dare I say it – entertaining, though I haven’t got to the full hideousness yet. Taylor is a historian in the Beevor league, in absolute control of his material. (I’m listening to the audio book, read by my favourite reader, the incomparable Sean Barrett.)
Also: A Killing in November by Simon Mason, the first in a new detective series set in Oxford. The copper is an uncouth yobbo – Morse he ain’t – who continually falls foul of authority but somehow solves crimes anyway. Enjoyably readable, and readably enjoyable.
HEARD: went to a gig, remarkably, at the old Sally Army citadel just down the hill from us. Two lovely folkie ladies called Ivy and Mabel Windred-Wornes who perform as Charm of Finches, with a lad called Riley Catherall as support. They’ve just come back from a months-long tour of UK and Europe (they supported the Spooky Men on some gigs) so some of you may have encountered them. Great way to spend a wet Thursday evening, and only 5 mins to get back home!
Riley had a nice song about his mum.
Charm of Finches are quite, um, charming, as well as being impossibly young. One of the better albums I got to review the year before last was their Wonderful Oblivion. They look and sound straight out of a Burne-Jones painting, let alone their anachronistic (real) names.
A nicely ribald sense of humour too.
I can only add a “seen” but can thoroughly recommend “Am I Being Unreasonable” on the iPlayer and the BBC. My wife and I never binge stuff, but after a few episodes we just had to finish it off. Hilarious, very intriguing, and Daisy May Cooper is tremendous (as is Lenny Rush who plays her son). I won’t say any more than that cos it’s worth watching from cold.
I fully support this recommendation. It is very good
(I’m not binging this, preferring the old fashioned wait til next week approach)
SEEN: The second weekend of September is absolutely the last weekend of the year to consider camping. Bromyard notoriously sits in a frost pocket, and as soon as the sun disappears it gets bloody parky. The festival was mostly about singing and dancing for me, but I did catch the rare sight of Mike McGoldrick and Family closing the festival. Naturally, I’ve seen Mike loads of times, consummate musician that he is; he was proud as punch to have the next generation of his family with him. Interesting to me was the strength of that Irish-Mancunian heritage even on the next generation. They were all very gifted no doubt, but I was left with the impression of having seen a Gaeltacht talent competition, rather than having been moved. They are but young; their time will come.
Hackett doing Foxtrot was as notable for me for his well chosen first half of his own material. It was commented elsewhere that Foxtrot isn’t that strong. I’m not so sure about that, as it gave the band a big step up back in the day, but I have always found Get ’em out by Friday to be the worst of prog – wordy, overcomplicated, disjointed. But I’m prepared to pay that price to get Canutility.
HEARD: Working my way through the summer’s festival CD purchases. Standout is Nancy Kerr’s interpretations of Leon Rosselson’s songs. Two masters of their crafts for the price of one – she the singer, he the songwriter. This developed from a YouTube project where Nancy performed a Leon song per day through May 2022. Her choice of songs demonstrates the brilliance of his gift and will chasten me to go through his back catalogue. Their political alignment makes her versions buzz with conviction.
Sid Goldsmith’s new project Tarren leans more to the dance-inspired instrumental. Lovely tunes, graceful musicianship, and just a few songs which stretch Sid’s frail but genuine voice just a little.
Bryony Griffith & Alice Jones clearly enjoy delving into their native Yorkshire’s traditional songs and comfortably pass the Ewan MacColl test of authenticity, not that I have much truck with that idea; the main thing is that their delight in finding local characters shines through both their live and recorded work.
Hannah James does not rest on laurels and will always innovate and explore. She found an opportunity rather than a hindrance in being locked down in Slovenia, and her disc with Toby Kuhn chronicles that, peppered with folk tales.
Listening: The new Afghan Whigs release ‘How do you burn’ got a lot of airplay. It’s good, bordering on very good, and has absolutely everything you expect from them, good and bad. It will probably be known as “Mark Lanegan’s last album”. That led to a lot of comfort listening to Greg Dulli’s oeuvre in toto, which (for some reason) made me go back through the Idlewild catalogue.
Watched: I have convinced Sharon to watch the Mystery Road/Goldstone series with me. It’s very very good, and the quintessential modern Australian Western. I’m enjoying She-Hulk Attorney at Law, which is light, and deft of touch.
Read: Peter Temple; some I’ve read lots before (the Jack Irish series) and some new (The Broken Shore). He is a writer who can say more in one line than most writers do in a page. Laconic and dry doesn’t do him justice.
AOB: the MBA got pushed out because I have a form of dyscalculia right now, and await tests to know if it will improve or not. We have a small holiday coming up to Adelaide, and then a longer one to NZ, which is helping my mood.
What an eventful month:
Heard: Lots.
Garage Psychedelique = 1965-2019 – real sucker for these compilations. This one is excellent.
Broken Bells – Into the Blue – superb with a heavy dose of Danger Mouse who I love (His Cheat Codes album from last month is contender for my year end list).
Makaya McCraven – in these times is lovely – Jazzy snapshots and ideas for something at a future date but great playing and some wonderful tunes.
John Mellencamp – Strictly a one eyed Jack. His songwriting has got even better with age and this one is a cracker.
Stereolab – Pulse of an early brain – in parts excellent, in parts average. A good reissue but not their absolute best.
Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot boxset- absolutely superb. What other band can release a set of outtakes and alternative versions that are in places better then the original versions. Plus lots of new. This is a template of how to do an expanded version of an album. Blown away.
Notable mentions too for Dr.John – things happen that way and Vieux Farka Toure and Khruangbin – Ali.
READ: Highway Blue by Ailsa McFarlane a modern day Bonnie and Clyde which was nicely written but ultimately didn’t go anywhere and left unanswered questions.
Reading Ian Clayton’s biography of Plainsong and their In search of Amelia Earhart album.
One of my all time favourites and hotly anticipating the expanded release sometime this month.
SEEN:
Tom Robinson – rolling back the years, a night of pleasant nostalgia – still a savvy live performer.
Andrea Bocelli – not normally my cup of tea by the GLW is a big fan and I bought the tickets two years ago – extortionate and they have kept my money for two years. To be honest it was a very good show with a lot of variety. The female Soprano was excellent and when his 10 year old daughter came on stage and sang Halleleujah it was saccharine and jaw dropping too. His son also appeared and it is clear they are an extraordinarily talented family. At those prices it is not an experience that will be repeated though.
The redemption of Tommy Shelby – theatre production of Peaky Blinders by Rambert Opera. The ensemble dance to Cave’s Red Right hand was sensational and the overall production very good.
On TV we have been watching all the episodes of Gone Fishing seasons 1-3 again and have to say this is just lovely tv that calms when your mood is frayed.
AOB: We had a great holiday on Route 66 that straddled August and September – will try to get round to writing a review of it time permitting.
Sadly on 3rd October my mum passed away. She was 91, had a great life and passed the way she always said she wanted to which was peacefully in her sleep. Rather than a flood of tears I have been strangely reflective. When I was 8 years old she bought me my first ever album – Merseymania by Billy Pepper and the Pepper pots which was a collection of covers of Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers songs amongst others. I developed a compelling need to get this album again and thankfully secured a copy from Discogs. Its not very good but has a huge emotional value for me and introduced me to I saw her standing there which remains my favourite Beatles song. I guess the tears will come at her service. God bless you mum.
Very sorry to hear about your Mum, Steve. Sending positive ones your way.
Sorry for your loss, and I know what you mean. I have very little from my pre-17 years, but I’ve been sorting out my records recently and came across Peter Ustinov narrating Peter & the Wolf – 45 years on, I still involutarily flinch where the click is, and even seeing The Paul Daniels Magic Album made me smile. I doubt I’ll be able to play the Unit 4+2 once my mum goes.
My sincerest condolences to you and yours Steve.
Condolences, Steve. Very sorry to hear that.
One positive aspect of bereavement is the chance to get unashamedly nostalgic and remember old times, old songs. The David Gates song Anything I Own was a family favourite on car journeys when we were wee, and was a powerful song for us and for my mum in particular after my dad some years ago now. I made up a big playlist for his wake and it was all a great comfort.
My father in law had requested Gerry and the Pacemakers’ You’ll Never Walk Alone when his coffin was carried out of the church. There’s a football (Celtic) connection, but it’s also just an extraordinarily powerful song, and it was a very emotional moment.
You are right it is just an immensely powerful song and a fitting send off for anyone.
Sorry to hear about your mum, Steve.
My parents are 91 and 96 and, although in quite good health, I’m starting to feel nervous about how much longer they will be around. I can’t quite imagine life without them.
Very sorry for your loss, Steve – I hope that your mother having a great life and passing in the way that she wanted to, may provide some comfort for you and yours.
Commiserations, Steve.
Passing peacefully after a long and happy life is the way to go.
*Saw* I saw some very good gigs in Sept. Firstly Brandy Clark at RNCM doing her Storyteller Show , accompanied by a Kiwi Duo who are usually an act called Tattletale Saints. The lady played double bass and the bloke played acoustic & electric guitars. They were both top notch backing singers and they demonstrated that a singer-songwriter doesn’t need a big band, just some great songs and 2 excellent accompanists. I saw Rowan Rheingans do one of the final performances of Dispatches on the Red Dress which was terrific. 75 minutes of solo narrative, all in character, interspersed with playing, singing and movement. I saw her 9 days later, playing with her sister Anna at St Cuthbert’s Church Allendale as part of the Allen Valleys Folk Festival. They are a class act. My other festival highlight was Sam Gillespie of The Brothers Gillespie who had to perform solo when his brother James lost his voice the day before the gig. He was brilliant and had the audience in his pocket. My folk club hosted JIB, that’s Jim Mageean & Ingrid & Barrie Temple singing shanties and seasongs. They were great! And finally I saw McCusker, McGoldrick and Doyle at Bury Met, excellent as always.
*Read* I read Cruel To Be Kind, the Nick Lowe Biography by Will Birch. I found it interesting in the main but felt it ran out of steam before the end.
*Heard* just the one Mrs Wembley. Following a Twitter recommendation by Pete Paphides I bought and am really enjoying Calum MacColl’s debut CD (at the age of 59) “About Time”. He does a splendid version of his Dad’s song “The Joy of Living” but the rest of the CD is not folky. I can’t yet put my finger on who it reminds me of but there are some fine songs there with intelligent lyrics and some earworm melodies.
I was expecting the * before and after the category word to turn it into bold font. I’m sure I’ve previously done it my mistake. How should I have done it?
HTML tags. to start the bold and to end it.
Argh, this is hard to type as it keeps making the code invisible.
I give up.
Nick Lowe biog – not just me then. The later years felt a bit compressed. Word count and page limitations no doubt, but I felt could’ve gone a bit deeper
My favourite bit was the story about his Dad’s war wound giving him gyp in later life. He did it falling off a table in the Officers Mess, New Years Eve 1943
Interest tailing off seems to be a common thing with musician biographies.
Could it be just that the career stuff tends towards repetition once they become established and it’s less interesting than how they got there?
Glad that The Rheingans Sisters have made a mark with you too. Had a chat with Anna on Thursday night after a Lady Maisery gig and assured her that, as far as I’m concerned, Receiver is up there with Led Zep 4. Quite apart from the fact that, somehow, their bal at Shrewsbury Folk Festival cured my slipped disc.
And I’d like to thank @thecheshirecat for introducing me to the Rheingans Sisters and it was good to meet him earlier this year at their concert in Leeds and see that he was able to dance last weekend. I have photographic proof and if he cares to offer financial reimbursement then they shall not be released to the world.
@retropath2 has previously posted me in my hi-viz kilt, so I have nothing to fear.
Curses foiled again.