Picture yourself in a boat on a river

Well, we were once again told to expect thunder storms and yes it’s been overcast for some time but still no rain or thunder and still it remains hot. I, personally, hope it continues like this for the rest of the week. At night it can rain and storm as much as it likes, during the day it doesn’t have to be bright as long as it’s warm.

Lightning and water, beauty in Nature, all around if we choose to see it.

Boats, particularly steel or wooden boats, have been struck in the past but has anyone heard of any recently?

I came across this earlier

Listening to an anti drug song earlier by Roy Harper, the irony hadn’t escaped him either. As an introduction he mentioned that “Drugs for Everyone” was an anti-drug song he’d written some time ago, given his past relationships with chemicals and herbs, it was rather a strange thing for him to do.

I was reminded of another anti-drug song by Harry Nilsson called (I think) “The Ivy Colored Walls”, again not someone instantly associated as being anti-drug. A bit like Keef Richards dressed like a pirate and expecting us to believe he can act the part of Johnny Depp’s dad.

If there was ever a song of irony, however, it would have to be Ironic, by Alannis Morrisette. The thing about irony isn’t the fact it makes sense, it’s rather the fact that it seems strange. This is because we’re all strange in some way.

On that note I’ll bid you goodnight and catch you tomorrow.

A little bird told me

I was amazed yesterday by the amount of repeats on the tv, a lot of these I’m convinced, are due to the plethora of channels available. However, I don’t think anyone can justify not just 2 or 3 days of “chick-flicks” but the same films in the same order only change was the start time of the first one.

Anyway, the music channels have been treating us to the best of 2012, by genre, the worst of 2012, which is always subject to opinion anyway. How many of us have sat through the 100 best dance tracks AND agreed with every single entry?

I really must get round to listening to more of the 100 best rock tracks of 2012 because the year seemed to have more real music than rap (most of the latter starts with a silent c). I’m not knocking any artists in particular, just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean they’ve got nothing going for them. Take Justin Bieber (please take him). I don’t deny the kid can sing, he has a certain charm about him as well, he’s just not my cup of cake. He has a huge fan base and this is down to YouTube and the Internet. I take my hat off to him for his huge risk in putting himself out there. Then there are the likes of Plan B, Professor Green and Dizzee Rascal, home grown rappers with huge fan bases who do nothing for me. I just can’t get into them at all. I do like some rappers, however, such as Biggie (Notorious BIG) and Eminem, mainly because of the tracks they sample.

Most of my life, however, I’ve spent enjoying rock n roll music, from Little Richard, Muddy Waters, Buddy Holly right through to recently discovered artists such as Robert Johnson, Bettye Levette, and the longevity of the Stones. I was 8 when they started, 9 when I first heard them on the radio and saw them on Ready, Steady Go. God I feel old. My favourite groups at any 1 time reflect the changes in attitude and music of the times. In the 50’s I loved Buddy Holly, Little Richard and couldn’t access Elvis at all. In the 60’s it was the standard bearers (Beatles, Stones) as well as Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, the Kinks, Yardbirds, John Mayall, Cream and later Pink Floyd.

In the early 70’s there were the glam groups and artists, T. Rex, David Bowie, Roxy Music as well as the Stones and solo Beatles. In the late 70’s these had been joined by Kilburn and the High Roads, Sex Pistols, Clash and Siouxsie. In the 80’s John Lennon died and I felt as though my youth had ended, but there was still a lot of great rock music from the likes of Guns n Roses, PiL and more. The 90’s brought in Nirvana, Blur and Oasis, the noughties brought new hope in the form of Gorrilaz, never did enjoy the Archies in the late 60’s who were also cartoon characters. Now into this decade we have 2 of the most soulful women Britain has ever produced, Adele and Duffy, music from Jools Holland and his Later on BBC 2 keeps turning up new talent, the Hives, Maccabees, and a host of others.

Long may Later continue, as well as Hootenanny on New Years Eve. Here’s looking forward to more good music, some great music and some spectacular live events in lucky ’13.

What a day it was

Well it turned out to be an awesome day after all, I had started recording hootenanny just prior to turning over for Fletch yesterday morning and when there wasn’t anything worth watching this afternoon I watched it from the beginning again.

Today I had to go to the local shop, run by a Pakistani family, as I’d run out of sugar they charged me over the odds for it but at least I managed a cup of coffee and cereal. None of the other local shops were open when I went out, the wind was howling round my ears and got inside my pores and bit me to the bone. Today is a funny day, most of the shops are trading Sunday hours, but the shelves have been emptied as though people are stockpiling for a siege.

Only snow, so far, this winter was beginning of December not sure if that means we’re gonna escape for the second year in a row or if we’ll get lots soon. Hope your having a good 1st of January whoever you’re spending it with.

Lucky thirteen begins

I hope you enjoyed whatever you were doing to see in the New Year, I couldn’t have any alcohol, hence no hangover, and saw it in alone but I was not lonely, for a change. I had thought the neighbours from hell would mark the arrival with a bang and a huge wheelie bin fire, especially as they’ve been quiet for the past 2 weeks, but they went out by car early on.

I watched the New Year in with Jools Holland (as always) before turning over to watch Fletch, I just love Chevy Chase because he remains deadpan to deliver the one liners which makes them even funnier somehow. After Fletch I turned the box off and the lights on to wish my friends a Happy New Year, at least those I knew would still be up. I don’t have many friends which some might find strange, I go for quality not quantity and always have.

Anyway, I just want to say that I have every intention of putting some content on here more regularly in 2013 than I did in 2012, I hope you enjoy my rants, raves and laughs this year and everyone should enjoy life, living and not have any fears, whatever you do enjoy this year, and remember today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Happy New Year one and all.

Sorry I missed you

I was going to write this entry yesterday but went shopping instead, what can you do, I mean we all have to eat drink and make merry. Especially at this time of year, although in my case, this time of year makes me think of different ways to end it all. I suffer from manic depression (I think they call it bi-polar disorder now) and seasonally affected disorder (more commonly referred to as SAD). That means if I don’t see a whole lot of sunshine (and who has this year?) it brings me down, not just the blues, I get full on depression which I hide as well as I can until I get home. Probably explains why I go through women like liver salts through a body.

Anyway, I got to thinking what I’ve done with my life thus far, what I would’ve changed and how different things could’ve turned out. If I could’ve done one thing that would’ve kept my attention for more than 5 minutes it would’ve been something to do with music. Either playing it, making it or introducing it to an audience. Throughout my life music has been the only constant feature since I was 3 years old. My teenage cousin was into American rock n roll, Buddy Holly, Paul Anka, Little Richard, and Fats Domino, as well as the British contingent of the time, Marty Wilde, Adam Faith, Billy Fury, Joe Brown and Cliff Richard and the Shadows. I soaked all this up like a sponge so that when I heard music on the radio I put it into only 2 categories: music I liked, and music I didn’t like.

In the mid 70’s I was in London and, along with 4 friends from work, started rehearsing in a garage hoping to perform at one of the numerous pubs which featured live music at that time. The vocalist was another Dave and he also played guitar, I played drums, there was a John on bass, another John on keyboards and the rhythm guitar was played by Jon King (not Jonathan King) but we called him 3. We started rehearsing one Friday with a load of booze and only stopped when the police told us to keep the noise down, I think it was about 1:30 then. Anyway, the vocalist never thought we sounded tight enough to get paid and after 3 years Dave, 3 and I called it a day. My marriage was on the rocks and I decided to go home and lick my wounds with my then girlfriend. The other 2 were getting another group together but with nowhere to stay I decided to sell the drum kit and head North.

I went to college while I took stock of what to do next, one of the classes was drama and one of the assignments was to go off in pairs and create an imaginary radio show. As I was absent the day the assignment was given out (and the class had an odd number of students) I was given permission to do something “by myself”. When the tapes had been graded I was awarded an A+ as the only student to start with a theme tune, have “guests” chatting about music and a competition. I had also filled up 1 entire 30 minutes of tape which no pair had come close to. The tape was played to the entire class and I was asked who I’d had in to do the guest spots, I said it was all just me, a bottle of Jack and an ounce of herb which no-one believed. The teacher held onto my cassette while everyone else was given theirs back. Needless to say I passed that subject at the end of the year but I never did hear back from the lecturer so don’t know what happened to the tape, whether she used it as an example to other classes of what can be achieved I’ll never know.

That’s all for now so I hope you have a Happy and prosperous lucky ’13 I hope to catch you again soon.