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London Mingle – 20/03/15

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20/03/2015

Hi all, deputising for Carl, the results of the vox populaire are that the next Mingle will be at the King and Queen as previously, on the 20th March. Sadly some I’d love to see can’t make it but there’s a clear majority including those who didn’t do the Doodle poll who prefer the 20th, so the people have spoken. See you all then. Anyone wishing to bring swag to offload or comestibles to eat are more than welcome.

PS the logo has no significance but you have to put one, so it’s a bit

2

Comments

  2. Hi Alan – Mingles are basically meetings in real life of people from the blog. They’re open to all (hence the above message), generally feature the trading of CDs, books and baked goods and are, by all accounts, tremendous fun. Never been to one myself.

    • Thanks for the information and heads up.

      Sounds right up my street. 45 years ago I used to work just around the corner from The King & Queen boozer. It used to have folk evenings in a room above it. I often come to London so will try to make it coincide with the next “happening”.

      Bingo Little? Wasn’t he a a character in the Peter Wimsey books?

  3. Please pop up the exact timings, address etc for those tempted to wash away the images our avatars espouse, allowing our rich natural dudedom to be displayed, along with pates, guts and sensible shoes.

  5. Sorry I wrote it in a hurry. It is at

    The King and Queen pub
    1 Foley Street, London W1W 6DL, United Kingdom

    Goodge St tube.

    From 6ish.

    For people who haven’t been before there’s a table on which you can deposit books, CDs, records etc you no longer want and others hoover them up. Anything left goes to the charity shop.

    Those of a culinary bent bring cakes, buns, pies etc.

    If you haven’t been before, be reassured, a more welcoming bunch of people you will not find, and I speak as one who shrinks from most social gatherings.

    Come along!

    • We generally congregate in the upstairs room, where some bloke called Bob Dylan used to make noise on his harmonica a great number of years ago.
      The pub don’t charge for the room but they appreciate a donation for one of the cancer charities, so a glass will be passed around at some point.

  7. I may actually be able to poke my head round the door for half an hour at the very start.

    Will see what I can do, would be nice to actually meet some of the fine folk I’ve been gabbing away with these last four or five years.

  9. It’s a shame I can’t make it this time, but I’ll raise a scone heavily loaded in Devon’s finest clotted cream in celebration. Thanks for organising.

    If anyone is nervous about heading along, don’t be. The London Minglers are a great bunch of people.

  12. Well, here’s the thing. I have a boozy lunch scheduled for that day which will probably develop into a boozy afternoon. Would it be okay for an arseholed bloke in a suit to turn up and fall over spectacularly at regular intervals throughout the evening?

    The last Mingle I was at was two and a half years ago at the Last Night of The Word – that’s me in the link below trying to look unimpressed while Mr Ellen talks about his day with Keith Richards. Incidentally, whoever says “No, thank you” at the end of this is a comedy genius.

  13. I think I can do it, depending on some family things.

    Probably first in and first out, as per.

    Re. that clip above – is Richie B still around?

    Hope to see you all.

  14. Just bumping this thread up to remind people that Friday 20 is the first London mingle for a while, so feel free to roll up, especially if you’ve not been before. It’s very friendly, and as you can imagine, you’ll soon be chatting about your favourite music, the crappest gig you’ve ever been to, the esoteric and the stoopid. It’s always a right giggle. I’m trying to wangle babysitters to get there early doors, so if anyone is going on their own and wants me to hold their hand (or alternatively wants me to stay right out of their personal space), drop me a message via my profile.

    • I do intend coming down to see all my chums one day but the 20th is now Beany’s belated birthday bash with beer and Bootleg Beatles in Buxton. Bugger. Have fun x

  15. What’s the protocol? I’m in London for a 2pm lunch with the boy (my son) being left, aimless and brainless at 4 for him to go to his work. Do I turn up prompt and fall over at 7 pm or delay? Surprisingly nervous………

  16. Having read the above, looks a toss-up for Chiz and I to be the most early refreshed, so question: where to go between 4 and arrival? I will by then probably fancy visiting arcane record emporia, to buy LPs I then leave behind in the pub……..

  18. Does anyone want the hardback of David Peace’s ‘Red or Dead’? I am resigned to never reading it; so if anyone wants a book chock full of Bill Shankly’s repetitive imagined internal monologues, let me know. Otherwise I’ll leave it at home as it’sheavy.

  19. Will be bringing my laptop and a few blanks: seems less wasteful than printing off a few blindly. Suggestion that others might do the same?
    My trove might include the alternative earlier versions of Shoot out the Lights and Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.

  21. I will be there. Working in Liverpool Street until 5:30 then heading to the pub. I’ll be the overly talkative drunk one making friends* all over the place.

    *Annoying people by invading their personal space and talking loudly at them.

  26. Still hoping to make it, having missed the last one – most likely 7ish, as usual. I may still have the Nile Rogers “Le Freak” from a previous mingle, if so I’ll bring it along.

  27. I should be getting there around 5.30ish if the trains from ye olde Bedfordshyre are on time. If we’ve not met, you should be able to spot me: I’m built like a (short) brick sh*thouse and will be sporting a Word Bird badge. Anyone who hasn’t been before, remember it’s upstairs (there’s usually a sign on the door near the far end of the bar saying Private Event or something like that).
    I’m very excited. And glad to see a growing contingent of (After)Word Birds!

    http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a493/drakeygirl1/Word%20Bird%20Badge_zpszynal5tu.jpg

  32. Tig? Tig… Is that you?

    Oh god, oh god. It’s all gone wrong, man. All wrong.

    Everybody’s dead. There’s blood everywhere: cake smeared across the walls, smashed bootlegs on the floor. I’m hiding under a table typing this as quietly as I can, but they’ll be back for me in a minute.

    There’s so much I want to say, but there isn’t time…. there just isn’t time. I can hear them coming closer…. oh god, they’re chanting Fall lyrics.

    I never thought it would end like this… crouched under a pub table, dressed as Wes Borland. Fuck, I’d never have worn all this tinfoil if I’d known. Another lesson learned too late.

    Tell the blog…. tell them that Bingo says that whatever they do they mustn’t

  41. Oh and I scored a Charles Mingus 5 CD set, a Man album and, within 10 seconds, hugged Drakeygirl, Hannah and Ruby Blue. That, my friends, is a night out.

  43. A great evening.

    Note for Hannah: if your blog (thewinninglines.com, for the benefit of others) doesn’t already have Ganglesprocket’s thrash metal gig anecdote on it, do get him to repeat it to you. It’s a worthy addition to the canon.

  44. Damn and blast. That’s what happens when you don’t come onto the new site for a while.

    As it happens I couldn’t have made it as I was flying back from a work conference in Copenhagen, after a Thursday night out that reduced my life expectancy and liver function ever so slightly……

    Glad people had a good time. Been to a couple and had a great time, will go to more in future I’m sure.

  45. Will be there later in year – have 2 trips to London in next couple of weeks for gigs, a third would have necessitated taking time off work. Glad you all enjoyed it.

  46. Back in the real world again, but a very jolly way to spend 4 hours in the company of strangers no more: thanks all for being gentle during my initiation, I won’t ever wash my elbows and knees again. But as I said (again and again and again and again after too many pints of Surrey something), it doesn’t half sound daft saying I’m retropath2

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