Twang welcomes Skirky, Carl and Feedback File to the pod for a general natter taking in Danny Baker, shameful admissions, definitive masterpieces, what we’ve learned, recommendations of the week, music, books telly, pleasures and pain of owning a dog and heron control.
The Afterword #85: The Nattercast returns
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Heron control? Leave the ISB aloooooooooooooone!
On paper, it’s the Dream Team. But I’m scared to listen in case it falls short of the discussion nirvana I anticipate!
Only on paper Colin ? You are mentioned BTW – so you will need to listen now !
Ha! You’re trying to tempt me in like the subscription people at ‘Academia.com’ – ‘your name has been mentioned by…’ 😀
15 minutes in – the Dream Team indeed! That comment by Feedback (I think – or was it Skirks?) ‘If someone starts a post about the Mahavishnu Orchestra…’ 😀 I mean, really, who else is going to do that? 😀 cf. ‘If someone issues a Papal Edict…’
This may have been mentioned before but has anyone ever seen Twang and BBC sport’s Mark Chapman in the same room? Uncanny. I kept expecting to hear the latest score from Gigg Lane….
Never heard him but he has my sympathy. I hate the sound of my voice!
He’s very good a real pro. I think you all sounded great!
Mark comes from Rochdale.
His accent may have developed over the years but as I listen to him most weeks he is proud of his heritage.
Any links to Rochdale Twang?
Umm, my grandparents came from there funnily enough but I’ve never even been there.
I used to have a stronger Northern accent. In my first job (in Staines) my boss sent me to elocution lessons as he said no one would take me seriously! Incredibly I didn’t tell him to go and swivel.
Here he is:
Any similarity in your ears?
No!
I think he sounds more like me than you Twang – although he comes from the wrong side of the Pennines.
Sounds like a slightly lower register version of Twang to me!
I think you need to get your ears checked!
Good luck with labradoodle @Skirky – I had one for 11 years – George the legend of Harpenden Common. Fabulous dog but year 1 was lets say a little challenging – endless nightmare stories of stealing ice-creams off kids in the park, knocking over old ladies and general destruction of the house and garden. Even after his nuts were removed he would shag anything that moved and many things that didn’t – especially soft furnishings and once brought an iron pole down on his head after giving the curtains a good seeing to.
Many people only refer to me as ‘George’s owner’ .
get your boy a dog @Twang – it opens up whole new vistas to your life !
I suspect people referred to you as “oh no it’s fucking George’s owner”. in fact.
Arf!
Are you quoting from Evelyn A Modified Dog ?
Great chat, everyone! After hearing the subject of the first few minutes it seemed apposite to post one of my favourite songs of the moment, Wait On The Wine, by Caroline Spence from her new album Mint Condition. It’s a stellar performance too. By the way, how was the Patty Griffin concert, Twang? Would love to see her live but can content myself with her album A Kiss in Time and there is one I’ve not heard, Live From The Artists Den I will check out.
Sadly the Patty gig was a real disappointment. The sound was terrible – first time ever for me at The Stables where it is usually perfect. Too loud, a bit distorted in the top end, too much reverb. The support was dreadful…I felt so relieved when she finished. Patty came on, with drummer (who remarkably played bass at the same time) and a guitarist, but she played almost exclusively from the new album which tends towards her bluesy side, mostly over one chord. So the soaring melodies etc were absent, replaced by frankly boring and annoying two or three note dirges, as I say, too loud and with too much reverb. I love her music and this was a complete bummer, I’m sorry to report. After the shit support I thought Patty would make it OK but actually I was more pissed off at Patty who should be great than the support who I’d never heard of. This is what I wanted…
Oh that sounds an extremely disappointing night what with the terrible sound, support act (apparently Erika Wennerstrom thought I’ve never heard of her) and then only the all-new fairly tuneless material. I did find some of the songs from her new album like that, and hard to warm to, and then some would suddenly take flight towards the end and win me over. Also her voice was noticeably ragged in places, though that is completely understandable as a result of the cancer treatment she has been through. Hope you have better gigs to look forward to ahead!
She did this one, for example, which sounds lush here but was awful with the crap sound…
Well, that has a lot of intricate guitar playing on the album which lifts it, so without that the song could sound very flat. Whereas say, Top of The World would sound fabulous with just a guitar or two (and of course, decent sound!) Am enjoying her album Live In The Artists Den v much, Patty on top form.
Speaking as someone who now drinks maximum 2 days a week with a limit of 2 (occasionally 3) drinks on each day, I sleep much better and I crave it no more. Taking 3 days off a week is admirable, but not sure it does much good if you then cane it for 4 successive days, the quantity is important! If you do need to drink 4 days a week may also be better to space it out more to give the liver a chance of recovery.
You are of course right Dai. I use an app and record my daily consumption ( if my 30 yr old self could see me now!).
I set my limit to 18 units a week -which is not that great but at least gives me a target that in the main I keep within. Interesting how the definition of a unit has got steadily more abstemious over the years. I’m sure there used to be 6 units in a bottle of wine now it’s about 12.
That’s sensible. I agree that alcohol units seem to have changed. However when I started drinking, gulp, nearly 40 years ago the beers we were drinking were 3.5-4% generally. These days most are around 5%. Was in a bar in Toronto recently and was recommended an IPA by the barman. Felt quite merry after 2 and then found out it was 6.5% ABV!
I’ve cut down on the other days too, especially looking back a few years. I can only manage a couple of pints now! Friday night probably a G&T and half a bottle of red (and I like the 12.5% French stuff not the really heavy stuff). Lightweight!
I don’t drink red wines, but I must say that as regards white whines, alcohol percentages have been going up in recent years. 15 years ago, say, it was quite rare to see a standard bottle of white wine at 13.5% or 14% alcohol, but now – especially in the new world – these levels are fairly commonplace.
UK alcohol units are based on the percentage of alcohol (a.b.v.) in a litre of the beverage.
e.g a litre of 37.5% gin contains 37.5 units. A 50ml pub spirit measure of something of that strength would be 1.875 units.
Beer requires trickier maths as it’s sold in pints but the number of units is based on litres. The units in a pint of beer would be roughly 4/7 of the a.b.v. That’s using the rough measure “A litre of water is a pint and three quarters”.
That means that a standard size (75cl) bottle of wine at 13.5% contains 10.125 units. A 250ml glass would be 1/3 of that. i.e. 3.375 units.
The units soon clock up and, as remarked above, the winemakers and beer brewers seem to have been upping the a.b.v. of their products. A higher alcohol content means the product keeps better.
I enjoyed this – esp how to spot a Vegan – and is this a first – no mention of Little Feat or Jethro Tull from Twang? 🙂
I’m slipping. What was I thinking!
Twangs no longer Living In The Past
Oh my aching sides !
Oh he is!
I enjoyed the chat, lads. Thanks.