It's been a strange few days, due to a serious family illness we have been spending quite a bit of time in the hospital again. I'm not going to go in to much detail at the moment but things are looking much better than they were at the end of last week.
In between times we have managed to see the absolutely fantastic M Ward. It was a brilliant gig, he is a fantastic guitarist and blessed with an understated, hypnotic and beguiling voice, if he comes anywhere near you make sure that you go and see him.
On Saturday evening we went to see Alabama 3, they are one of those bands whose records can be a little disappointing, but when it come to live shows, they really have it cracked. Heavy on the irony and showmanship, they are always entertaining and this gig was no change to that rule. Due to our rather late arrival we were placed well towards the back of a very busy crowd, and one nice chap took upon himself to move people around so that Orynthia could see what was going on, how nice.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
So what’s be going on here then? Well, most unusually for us a lot of work around the house. We spent most of the weekend and last night painting our kitchen, It’s quite a satisfying thing to do once in a while but it’s not like real life, is it.
Talking of which, tomorrow evening we are off to see the splendid M. Ward at St Bonn’s. His latest album “Transistor Radio” has been a firm favourite round here over the past couple of months. It’s great that he is playing at St Bonn’s as it’s only a 10 minute walk from our house, how civilised!
Other than that, well not too much really. I’ve been enjoying singles by The Rakes, Yeti, Boca 45 and The Magic Numbers. Just had an unsuccessful trip to Boarders in an attempt to buy the new albums from The Coral and The Eels.
I do miss working in town, the only chance I get to go to any interesting shops is on weekends but I don’t want to spend the weekends just shopping. I miss the wandering around a record shop, seeing what other people are buying and talking about. A 30 second blast of something on iTunes just ain’t the same. Sure things are cheap to download, but I want to pour over the sleeve notes - who’s playing 3rd recorder on track 3? Oh it’s..... Where was the album recorded? Who’s doing backing vocals? Who produced it? ITunes gives you none of this, which is pretty poor.
I suppose I really miss the good old days of working 4 days a week, it gave me so much more time to do all sorts of things. Cooking for instance, I do enjoy cooking but I like to take my time. Cooking in the middle of the afternoon is a thing of joy, especially when you bought the ingredients that day.
It’s quite strange to think that at the start of next week I will have been doing my current jobs for 6 months. It has gone really quickly and we have enjoyed having the extra money, so I can’t complain. Sometimes though I do feel like a bit of an oddity there. It’s rather disappointing to be back in a world where the likes of Big Brother matter to people, indeed with a few notable exceptions, I feel like some sort of towering cultural genius. Yes I read books, go to interesting places and would rather go to see a band in a small room, than have the “30, 000 other people are here - so it must be good” mentality. I guess that’s the problem. Most of the people around me need to be told in big bold letters that something is good, so I never get the benefit of other peoples influence which Mark, RLF, Jay, Chris and Gaz gave me in Imperial. Whilst I was at Oxfam I was lucky enough to work alongside lot’s of fascinating people of all ages,so why is it not the case here?
I guess it’s just systematic of office work and office workers, as I’m lacking the creative gene, that’s where most of my working life has been spent, so what does it say about me?
Luckily Orynthia and my non work friends keep pushing things my way. Long may that continue.
Talking of which, tomorrow evening we are off to see the splendid M. Ward at St Bonn’s. His latest album “Transistor Radio” has been a firm favourite round here over the past couple of months. It’s great that he is playing at St Bonn’s as it’s only a 10 minute walk from our house, how civilised!
Other than that, well not too much really. I’ve been enjoying singles by The Rakes, Yeti, Boca 45 and The Magic Numbers. Just had an unsuccessful trip to Boarders in an attempt to buy the new albums from The Coral and The Eels.
I do miss working in town, the only chance I get to go to any interesting shops is on weekends but I don’t want to spend the weekends just shopping. I miss the wandering around a record shop, seeing what other people are buying and talking about. A 30 second blast of something on iTunes just ain’t the same. Sure things are cheap to download, but I want to pour over the sleeve notes - who’s playing 3rd recorder on track 3? Oh it’s..... Where was the album recorded? Who’s doing backing vocals? Who produced it? ITunes gives you none of this, which is pretty poor.
I suppose I really miss the good old days of working 4 days a week, it gave me so much more time to do all sorts of things. Cooking for instance, I do enjoy cooking but I like to take my time. Cooking in the middle of the afternoon is a thing of joy, especially when you bought the ingredients that day.
It’s quite strange to think that at the start of next week I will have been doing my current jobs for 6 months. It has gone really quickly and we have enjoyed having the extra money, so I can’t complain. Sometimes though I do feel like a bit of an oddity there. It’s rather disappointing to be back in a world where the likes of Big Brother matter to people, indeed with a few notable exceptions, I feel like some sort of towering cultural genius. Yes I read books, go to interesting places and would rather go to see a band in a small room, than have the “30, 000 other people are here - so it must be good” mentality. I guess that’s the problem. Most of the people around me need to be told in big bold letters that something is good, so I never get the benefit of other peoples influence which Mark, RLF, Jay, Chris and Gaz gave me in Imperial. Whilst I was at Oxfam I was lucky enough to work alongside lot’s of fascinating people of all ages,so why is it not the case here?
I guess it’s just systematic of office work and office workers, as I’m lacking the creative gene, that’s where most of my working life has been spent, so what does it say about me?
Luckily Orynthia and my non work friends keep pushing things my way. Long may that continue.
Saturday, May 28, 2005
After spending much of the last few months engrossed in the world of Japanese fiction, I wandered over the pacific to America, and to the world of the gentle humorist in particular.
Firstly I spent some time in the company of David Sedaris, by way of his book "Dress your family in corduroy and denim." Over recent years Sedaris has become a very popular figure in the states, though less well known over here. I'd listened to him reading a few pieces on the web and I think it helps to have the sound and tone of his voice in your head and you read in stories. The humour is gentle, and the slightly perplexed tone of his voice helps to set the mood, allowing these very personal stories to weave their magic.
Now I'm back in the company of an old friend, Wobegone Boy by Garrison Keillor is proving to be a real treat. I loved his early stuff, indeed Lake Wobegone days is still one of my favourite books. Whilst reading it, I would often stop to read passages to Orynthia. In fact when book reviews say that a certain book made them laugh out loud, I never quite trust them, mainly because I seldom laugh out loud whilst reading. To me the highest praise is to say that a book made me want to read out loud. It's got to be pretty good to that. Wobegone Boy does read as a more substantial book them some of his pieces, in fact it's reminding me of The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen at the moment, surely the best American novel of recent years.
Today we are off for a brunch meet with some friends before taking a look at the Hope Centre market.
Firstly I spent some time in the company of David Sedaris, by way of his book "Dress your family in corduroy and denim." Over recent years Sedaris has become a very popular figure in the states, though less well known over here. I'd listened to him reading a few pieces on the web and I think it helps to have the sound and tone of his voice in your head and you read in stories. The humour is gentle, and the slightly perplexed tone of his voice helps to set the mood, allowing these very personal stories to weave their magic.
Now I'm back in the company of an old friend, Wobegone Boy by Garrison Keillor is proving to be a real treat. I loved his early stuff, indeed Lake Wobegone days is still one of my favourite books. Whilst reading it, I would often stop to read passages to Orynthia. In fact when book reviews say that a certain book made them laugh out loud, I never quite trust them, mainly because I seldom laugh out loud whilst reading. To me the highest praise is to say that a book made me want to read out loud. It's got to be pretty good to that. Wobegone Boy does read as a more substantial book them some of his pieces, in fact it's reminding me of The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen at the moment, surely the best American novel of recent years.
Today we are off for a brunch meet with some friends before taking a look at the Hope Centre market.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Last night we went to The Cube to see the wonderful Wes Anderson film "The Life Aquatic", loved it. So funny, so odd, so unexpectedly touching in places. A real joy. Managed to get the seats in the middle of the back row, for the extra leg room and it was free as it was our free loyalty card visit - how great is that!
Sunday was spent walking the streets of Southville, for the southbank arts festival. We walked in and out of many houses where local artists were showing their work, It was also an interesting trip down memory lane for Orynthia as she grew up in that part of town. A very interesting way to spend the day.
Sunday was spent walking the streets of Southville, for the southbank arts festival. We walked in and out of many houses where local artists were showing their work, It was also an interesting trip down memory lane for Orynthia as she grew up in that part of town. A very interesting way to spend the day.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
THE CONVERSATION
“ Here we go, this is a great place.”
“Yep, can see it all from here.”
“Thank God, we got away from all those tall people, we never would have seen anything, stuck behind that lot.”
“You’d think that they would move aside, they must know that that people behind them can’t see.”
“ I love this one! It’s so gentle.”
“Yeah, I listen to it late at night, it’s almost like having a friend in the room with you”
“Spooky!”
“I know, but it is, it really is. It’s great when something really connects with you like that, not many bands can do it.”
“And have you listened to the words? I love the way the meaning can change depending on the mood that you are in. The other day I had a really bad row with Tony, and when I heard this again it said everything I wished I’d said.”
“But you didn’t?”
“No, you never do, do you. It’s only later that everything falls into place. I sometimes think that’s the reason people become writers.”
“What to make sure that they can win every argument?”
“In a way, wouldn’t it be strange if you had to argue like that. Right. stop! This is heading into a row - grab you pen and paper, go to separate rooms.”
“Could you do it via e-mail?’
“Oh no, that’s far too quick! The whole point of it, is that it gives you time to come up with brilliant, seemingly spontaneous, one-liners”
“Of course”
“Arguments could go on for days or weeks, but you wouldn’t be able to refer to them during normal daily life.”
“Brilliant”
“Yeah, so you don’t get any of that red faced, door slamming stuff”
“ I’m rubbish at that. One time the door just sort of went phhhwm. Useless! I wanted to rush back into the room and try again, loosing my big dramatic exit.”
“Sounds like you lost it anyway”
“I always do!”
“So under my new system, you could at least loose after a fair debate, not just because the other person throws more words at you.”
“That’s my other problem. I always end up using the same dumb words again and again. I know that each time I use them, they carry a little less weight, but I can’t think of anything new to say. I’m stuck in this ridiculous loop. In the end the other person doesn’t even have to say anything back, I whittle away at my own self confidence, seeing my reason and logic collapse around me.”
“Thesaurus!”
“What?”
“Thesaurus. You’ll be able to use all those words, you’d never dream of using in a normal row.”
“Of course.”
“Wow, I’ll sound so clever, no-one will dare to challenge me again”
“Shh - I’d like to hear the band, not you two nattering about rubbish”
(Quietly) “If only he knew. We could cut him down to size”
(Quietly) “As long as he gave us enough time to compose a suitable reply. I guess we would have to get his address, we’re posting our response to him - right?”
(Less quietly) “Someone would take care of that for us, a central database would take care of everything.”
(Not quiet at all) “ Genius, not only do we solve all arguments we create thousands of jobs as well. It’s...
“SHUT UP!!”
(Loudly) “Go and stand by the tall guys, they’ll give you all the peace and quiet you want! We’re coming up with a new way for the world to solve it’s problems.”
“Hey, not bad!”
“I’d still like to put it in writing!”
“ Here we go, this is a great place.”
“Yep, can see it all from here.”
“Thank God, we got away from all those tall people, we never would have seen anything, stuck behind that lot.”
“You’d think that they would move aside, they must know that that people behind them can’t see.”
“ I love this one! It’s so gentle.”
“Yeah, I listen to it late at night, it’s almost like having a friend in the room with you”
“Spooky!”
“I know, but it is, it really is. It’s great when something really connects with you like that, not many bands can do it.”
“And have you listened to the words? I love the way the meaning can change depending on the mood that you are in. The other day I had a really bad row with Tony, and when I heard this again it said everything I wished I’d said.”
“But you didn’t?”
“No, you never do, do you. It’s only later that everything falls into place. I sometimes think that’s the reason people become writers.”
“What to make sure that they can win every argument?”
“In a way, wouldn’t it be strange if you had to argue like that. Right. stop! This is heading into a row - grab you pen and paper, go to separate rooms.”
“Could you do it via e-mail?’
“Oh no, that’s far too quick! The whole point of it, is that it gives you time to come up with brilliant, seemingly spontaneous, one-liners”
“Of course”
“Arguments could go on for days or weeks, but you wouldn’t be able to refer to them during normal daily life.”
“Brilliant”
“Yeah, so you don’t get any of that red faced, door slamming stuff”
“ I’m rubbish at that. One time the door just sort of went phhhwm. Useless! I wanted to rush back into the room and try again, loosing my big dramatic exit.”
“Sounds like you lost it anyway”
“I always do!”
“So under my new system, you could at least loose after a fair debate, not just because the other person throws more words at you.”
“That’s my other problem. I always end up using the same dumb words again and again. I know that each time I use them, they carry a little less weight, but I can’t think of anything new to say. I’m stuck in this ridiculous loop. In the end the other person doesn’t even have to say anything back, I whittle away at my own self confidence, seeing my reason and logic collapse around me.”
“Thesaurus!”
“What?”
“Thesaurus. You’ll be able to use all those words, you’d never dream of using in a normal row.”
“Of course.”
“Wow, I’ll sound so clever, no-one will dare to challenge me again”
“Shh - I’d like to hear the band, not you two nattering about rubbish”
(Quietly) “If only he knew. We could cut him down to size”
(Quietly) “As long as he gave us enough time to compose a suitable reply. I guess we would have to get his address, we’re posting our response to him - right?”
(Less quietly) “Someone would take care of that for us, a central database would take care of everything.”
(Not quiet at all) “ Genius, not only do we solve all arguments we create thousands of jobs as well. It’s...
“SHUT UP!!”
(Loudly) “Go and stand by the tall guys, they’ll give you all the peace and quiet you want! We’re coming up with a new way for the world to solve it’s problems.”
“Hey, not bad!”
“I’d still like to put it in writing!”
Must mention the splendid 2-3-2 cafe on Gloucester Road, Bristol. We spent last friday evening in this lovely relaxed cafe / restaurant. It’s one of those places where you can have cake and coffee or lovely 3 course meal, well worth a visit in you are in this part of Bristol.
During the course of the evening, we had a very interesting chat about planning for old age with our friends Pete & Maggie. After seeing the struggles which have afflicted our respective parents over recent years, we decided that we need to get together with all our friends and move into some sort of sheltered housing.
That’s right - get rid of the houses which as you get older become more of a curse than a blessing and use the money to get a nice flat. we could use the common room for punk rock disco’s, arrange outings to the cinema and have a fine old time. Not long to go!
At the other end of the spectrum, we went to a very wedding reception of Sunday evening as old BT friends Ceri and Simon celebrated their wedding in the idyllic setting of Priston Mill. It was a chance to catch up with a few old friends, some of whom I’d not seen since leaving BT in that previous life of mine.
Ceri and Simon are now taking a month long break firstly in Kong Kong before moving onto Australia. Back in 1990 we went to Australia for a month and had a brilliant time but...Coming back to work after a 4 week break was a nightmare.
I’m the sort of chap who needs to be retrained after a lunch break, so after a month I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, the trouble is that everyone else thinks that you still know what you knew before you went away. This resulted in lots of very painful conversations, featuring me desperately trying to bluff my way through situations. I could just about manage my name and shoe size, anything was like being asked to explain nuclear fusion, somehow my colleges put up with and coaxed me back into some sort human state. I guess that it was a test run for those confused days of old age which await us all.
During the course of the evening, we had a very interesting chat about planning for old age with our friends Pete & Maggie. After seeing the struggles which have afflicted our respective parents over recent years, we decided that we need to get together with all our friends and move into some sort of sheltered housing.
That’s right - get rid of the houses which as you get older become more of a curse than a blessing and use the money to get a nice flat. we could use the common room for punk rock disco’s, arrange outings to the cinema and have a fine old time. Not long to go!
At the other end of the spectrum, we went to a very wedding reception of Sunday evening as old BT friends Ceri and Simon celebrated their wedding in the idyllic setting of Priston Mill. It was a chance to catch up with a few old friends, some of whom I’d not seen since leaving BT in that previous life of mine.
Ceri and Simon are now taking a month long break firstly in Kong Kong before moving onto Australia. Back in 1990 we went to Australia for a month and had a brilliant time but...Coming back to work after a 4 week break was a nightmare.
I’m the sort of chap who needs to be retrained after a lunch break, so after a month I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, the trouble is that everyone else thinks that you still know what you knew before you went away. This resulted in lots of very painful conversations, featuring me desperately trying to bluff my way through situations. I could just about manage my name and shoe size, anything was like being asked to explain nuclear fusion, somehow my colleges put up with and coaxed me back into some sort human state. I guess that it was a test run for those confused days of old age which await us all.
Friday, May 13, 2005
When Orynthia nipped along to Replay to pick up the new Teenage Fanclub album, she also grabbed the latest album by another band who threatened to move into the mainstream without ever quite managing it - The Go-Betweens.
Back in the late 80's I remember seeing them appear on kids TV (not that I was a kid then, although it would be lovely to think that I was), it was one of those strange moments when you initially have a little burst of excitement because one of "your" bands is on TV. Remember that this was before the all pervasive spread of MTV and wall to wall music video coverage, so any glimpse of favoured band was a treat. I then started to wonder how the band would be feeling, playing these meticulously crafted songs, to group of excited 8 year olds. I'm sure that Robert Forster enjoyed the delicious irony of the moment. Of course, it made no difference in the end, the band never got beyond cult status, much loved as they were.
We had an interesting evening yesterday, one of Orynthia's colleges has started to do some sort of cranial therapy, which involves her picking up on the movements of your cranial fluids and from that getting a feeling of areas of your body which could be in need of attention. I don't fully understand what was going on, but I did have a very relaxing time.
In fact it was a little strange, as I drifted away my mind started to play tricks on me. The passing traffic on the road outside started to sound like rolling waves washing up on a beach. In my mind, I was lying on a beach in Malaysia whilst the waves of the South China sea lapped at the shore, very nice indeed. Orynthia went after me and found herself walking around the streets of Prague! It could be a cheap alternative holiday service for the future!
Back in the late 80's I remember seeing them appear on kids TV (not that I was a kid then, although it would be lovely to think that I was), it was one of those strange moments when you initially have a little burst of excitement because one of "your" bands is on TV. Remember that this was before the all pervasive spread of MTV and wall to wall music video coverage, so any glimpse of favoured band was a treat. I then started to wonder how the band would be feeling, playing these meticulously crafted songs, to group of excited 8 year olds. I'm sure that Robert Forster enjoyed the delicious irony of the moment. Of course, it made no difference in the end, the band never got beyond cult status, much loved as they were.
We had an interesting evening yesterday, one of Orynthia's colleges has started to do some sort of cranial therapy, which involves her picking up on the movements of your cranial fluids and from that getting a feeling of areas of your body which could be in need of attention. I don't fully understand what was going on, but I did have a very relaxing time.
In fact it was a little strange, as I drifted away my mind started to play tricks on me. The passing traffic on the road outside started to sound like rolling waves washing up on a beach. In my mind, I was lying on a beach in Malaysia whilst the waves of the South China sea lapped at the shore, very nice indeed. Orynthia went after me and found herself walking around the streets of Prague! It could be a cheap alternative holiday service for the future!
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Last night was spent in the company of Teenage Fanclub, and what better way of spending an evening could there be.
When we first arrived there were worries about the gig going ahead, it was thought that the glare from the vast number of shiny headed middle aged males, could prove too distracting for the band. Luckily some younger people came in later, bringing the average hair follicle content up to EU approved gig levels.
As ever with the Fanclub, we got the normal mixture of classic songs and amiable bonhomie. I sometimes wonder what would have happened to the the band if the Grand Prix album had been as huge as it should have been. I sort of think that they would not be around to entertain us these days if they had been forced to go on the non stop touring treadmill. So although their bank managers may be upset, I think the rest of us should be pleased that the Fannies are still able to lighten up the darkest room.
When we first arrived there were worries about the gig going ahead, it was thought that the glare from the vast number of shiny headed middle aged males, could prove too distracting for the band. Luckily some younger people came in later, bringing the average hair follicle content up to EU approved gig levels.
As ever with the Fanclub, we got the normal mixture of classic songs and amiable bonhomie. I sometimes wonder what would have happened to the the band if the Grand Prix album had been as huge as it should have been. I sort of think that they would not be around to entertain us these days if they had been forced to go on the non stop touring treadmill. So although their bank managers may be upset, I think the rest of us should be pleased that the Fannies are still able to lighten up the darkest room.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
A new short story by Haruki Murakami - "Where I'm Likely to Find It" was in the May 2nd issue of the New Yorker. You can find it here
Monday, May 09, 2005
Arcade Fire were wonderful last night. A rousing, exuberant, crash, bang, wallop of a gig. Boy was it good!!
It was just the album plus a couple of other songs, but that was fine. The packed house cheered and clapped along, to a band which many of us were seeing for the first time. They really seem to have captured the imagination of a lot of people, I’m not sure if they are playing the big festivals this year, but if they are they will go down a storm. Can’t wait to see them again.
It was just the album plus a couple of other songs, but that was fine. The packed house cheered and clapped along, to a band which many of us were seeing for the first time. They really seem to have captured the imagination of a lot of people, I’m not sure if they are playing the big festivals this year, but if they are they will go down a storm. Can’t wait to see them again.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Bryan Munich
Well we managed a 5-0 win, so we ended the season in 2nd place in our division. We think that this means promotion!!
A busy day in prospect, this morning we have the final match of the season for Bryan Munich. A win or a draw (as long as it’s not 0-0, when things would get very complex!) should see us promoted. It’s our furthest trip of the season as we have to travel down to Weston-Super-Mare, it’s almost like playing for a proper team.
This evening Orynthia and I are off to see Arcade Fire. It’s a gig I am really looking forward to, I’ve read and heard so many great reports of their live shows. I love the slightly manic intensity of the album, from what I’ve heard this becomes a euphoric noise on stage - let’s hope so. Another gig coming up on Wednesday, when we see a long overdue return to Bristol of Teenage Fanclub!! One of our favourite bands, seeing them is just like having old friends round for a drink.
Yesterday we went to see the V.E. day 60th anniversary celebration in Bristol. Most striking was was watching film of the devastation of central Bristol following German bombing raids. Also heard several people telling their wartime memories on Radio Bristol in the morning, some of which hd me on the verge of tears.
This evening Orynthia and I are off to see Arcade Fire. It’s a gig I am really looking forward to, I’ve read and heard so many great reports of their live shows. I love the slightly manic intensity of the album, from what I’ve heard this becomes a euphoric noise on stage - let’s hope so. Another gig coming up on Wednesday, when we see a long overdue return to Bristol of Teenage Fanclub!! One of our favourite bands, seeing them is just like having old friends round for a drink.
Yesterday we went to see the V.E. day 60th anniversary celebration in Bristol. Most striking was was watching film of the devastation of central Bristol following German bombing raids. Also heard several people telling their wartime memories on Radio Bristol in the morning, some of which hd me on the verge of tears.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Small people or big sofa
Are Orynthia & her mum small, or is this sofa which are looking after for some friends rather large?
Monday, May 02, 2005
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Lot’s of dashing around over the last few days. On Thursday, I had my second visit to the BBC following my invitation to be part of the listeners advisory council.
This was rather different to the other visits I’ll be making, as it the induction event for all new members of the various council’s in the area. As such, we were asked to comment of the first 15 minutes of the local tea time news show - Points West. Interestingly enough the lead item on the show was a hopeless non-story, which gave us plenty to get our teeth into.
As you would expect the people from the BBC took the criticism with good grace. We then had a quick tour of the studio’s and the presenters, who were charming and welcoming, they dealt with the gushing admiration of some of my colleges with supreme grace.
Then it a quick walk down to Gloucester Road to hook up with a few former work mates from my time at Oxfam. Liz came up with brilliant idea that in the future a real socialist government would set up a sort of “luxury item” bank. It would allow you to have access to one luxury item which you could never afford to own, in fact if you could afford to own it, it would imply that you were earning too much money, which in the socialist paradise, would obviously not happen.
Anyway, the luxury item which Liz had chosen was a top of the range Cello. The thinking went like this, when she wanted to use the cello, she would pop down to her local Cello bank / library, collect her instrument of choice at no cost, play it to her heart’s content, before returning it for other Cello lovers to use. Simple really.
When it came to thinking up an item which I would like, I must admit that I struggled. Eventually, I came up with something. The only trouble was that It would be a difficult thing to share. I decided that I would like to have a retractable roof our house. What could be finer that waking up on a glorious sunny saturday morning, reaching across to pick up the remote control unit, pressing the button and watch the roof peel back, exposing a clear blue skyline, with the sunshine filling the room. Quite how this could be shared with my comrades in the socialist paradise, I’m not really sure, but I do think that it would be a wonderful thing. If anyone invents it, we here at tomorysworld are willing to be your guinea pigs.
On Friday I meet up with Orynthia at Spike Island, for the start of the annual open weekend at this eclectic arts centre. As ever it was a fascinating chance to see what some of our local artists are doing, it’s also a very social place to be as lot’s of our friends were out and about. To put the icing on the cake, they provided lots of free nibbles and this year saw the welcome introduction of Pieminister Pies to the catering options. Fantastic!
Then it was off to The Bell to catch with a couple of friends from Madrid, who were in town for the weekend.
Saturday saw what should be the last home game of a disappointing season for Bristol City. How surprising then that it should be one of the best games we have seen over the past 9 months. Searching for a win to keep our play-off hopes alive, our incredibly young side launched everything at Doncaster Rovers. Somehow we ended up drawing 2-2 rather than getting the win we deserved.
Yet the skill, determination and persistence of the side packed with lads in their late teen’s and early twenties was a joy to watch. If results do go our way, we could still figure in the promotion shake up, I think I’d rather see these young lads grow as team at a level where they can hop to win games, rather than being on the back foot all the time.
Tomorrow it’s Redland Fair 50’s kitsch, old books and records, strange clothing and furniture, it’s what bank holidays are made for.
This was rather different to the other visits I’ll be making, as it the induction event for all new members of the various council’s in the area. As such, we were asked to comment of the first 15 minutes of the local tea time news show - Points West. Interestingly enough the lead item on the show was a hopeless non-story, which gave us plenty to get our teeth into.
As you would expect the people from the BBC took the criticism with good grace. We then had a quick tour of the studio’s and the presenters, who were charming and welcoming, they dealt with the gushing admiration of some of my colleges with supreme grace.
Then it a quick walk down to Gloucester Road to hook up with a few former work mates from my time at Oxfam. Liz came up with brilliant idea that in the future a real socialist government would set up a sort of “luxury item” bank. It would allow you to have access to one luxury item which you could never afford to own, in fact if you could afford to own it, it would imply that you were earning too much money, which in the socialist paradise, would obviously not happen.
Anyway, the luxury item which Liz had chosen was a top of the range Cello. The thinking went like this, when she wanted to use the cello, she would pop down to her local Cello bank / library, collect her instrument of choice at no cost, play it to her heart’s content, before returning it for other Cello lovers to use. Simple really.
When it came to thinking up an item which I would like, I must admit that I struggled. Eventually, I came up with something. The only trouble was that It would be a difficult thing to share. I decided that I would like to have a retractable roof our house. What could be finer that waking up on a glorious sunny saturday morning, reaching across to pick up the remote control unit, pressing the button and watch the roof peel back, exposing a clear blue skyline, with the sunshine filling the room. Quite how this could be shared with my comrades in the socialist paradise, I’m not really sure, but I do think that it would be a wonderful thing. If anyone invents it, we here at tomorysworld are willing to be your guinea pigs.
On Friday I meet up with Orynthia at Spike Island, for the start of the annual open weekend at this eclectic arts centre. As ever it was a fascinating chance to see what some of our local artists are doing, it’s also a very social place to be as lot’s of our friends were out and about. To put the icing on the cake, they provided lots of free nibbles and this year saw the welcome introduction of Pieminister Pies to the catering options. Fantastic!
Then it was off to The Bell to catch with a couple of friends from Madrid, who were in town for the weekend.
Saturday saw what should be the last home game of a disappointing season for Bristol City. How surprising then that it should be one of the best games we have seen over the past 9 months. Searching for a win to keep our play-off hopes alive, our incredibly young side launched everything at Doncaster Rovers. Somehow we ended up drawing 2-2 rather than getting the win we deserved.
Yet the skill, determination and persistence of the side packed with lads in their late teen’s and early twenties was a joy to watch. If results do go our way, we could still figure in the promotion shake up, I think I’d rather see these young lads grow as team at a level where they can hop to win games, rather than being on the back foot all the time.
Tomorrow it’s Redland Fair 50’s kitsch, old books and records, strange clothing and furniture, it’s what bank holidays are made for.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
spike Island open weekend 2
If you live in or near Bristol, make sure you get along to Spike Island for the open weekend. It's also Redland Fair on Monday. Top weekend
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
The end of the book. I just finished reading The Victim by Saul Below, however it's not just me that's finished the book, no one will ever get to read this particular book again. It was a recent 2nd hand purchase for the princely sum of £2.00 and I enjoyed the book, so I certainly got value for money.
The only problem was that, many other people had evidently enjoyed the book as well. Consequently, chunks it were drifting away from the binding, like leaves from a tree on a blustery autumn day. So that's it, it will have to be thrown away, which makes me kind of sad. I have no doubt that there are already plenty of books, hanging around in our house which will never be read again, yet they can quite happily sit on our shelves in the hope that either one of us will read them, they might be leant to a friend (never to be seen again!) or taken to a charity shop.
This one is different, who knows how many pairs of hand it has passed through? Sadly the end is here.
I've started to read my next one, it's a lovely new book which hopefully has many yeas of being read in front of it - Strangers by Taichi Yamada.
On Sunday we went to The Coral and they really were great. My friend Geoff has been working with them over the last year or so, consequently I've seen them around quite a bit. They came into Imperial on a couple of occasions when I was working there and of course they played the Tsunami benefit gig's a few months ago. On Sunday they played a really good mixture of old and new songs, which went down a storm with the capacity crowd. Their new single is stupidly catchy, should be a huge hit for them.
The only problem was that, many other people had evidently enjoyed the book as well. Consequently, chunks it were drifting away from the binding, like leaves from a tree on a blustery autumn day. So that's it, it will have to be thrown away, which makes me kind of sad. I have no doubt that there are already plenty of books, hanging around in our house which will never be read again, yet they can quite happily sit on our shelves in the hope that either one of us will read them, they might be leant to a friend (never to be seen again!) or taken to a charity shop.
This one is different, who knows how many pairs of hand it has passed through? Sadly the end is here.
I've started to read my next one, it's a lovely new book which hopefully has many yeas of being read in front of it - Strangers by Taichi Yamada.
On Sunday we went to The Coral and they really were great. My friend Geoff has been working with them over the last year or so, consequently I've seen them around quite a bit. They came into Imperial on a couple of occasions when I was working there and of course they played the Tsunami benefit gig's a few months ago. On Sunday they played a really good mixture of old and new songs, which went down a storm with the capacity crowd. Their new single is stupidly catchy, should be a huge hit for them.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Sunday, April 17, 2005
In our weekend battle of the canine against the feline, I have to say that the canine came out on top, with Freeze Puppy trumping Evil Kitty, when it came to the most entertaining night out.
We had a fine time at Evil Kitty, but did not do as much dancing as we had hoped too. Top marks on the DJ front went to Andy Jenks of Alpha, who played a great selection of tunes in the upstairs bar.
Saturday night at The Cube was most entertaining. A lovely set from Francois and his band set the tone for the evening, this was followed by the very entertaining idea of videos being shown of 5 different local performers doing versions of freeze Puppy songs. Some very entertaining and curious stuff here, my favourite being Team Bricks, crazed looped vocal take on one of the puppies songs.
Then the man himself, who produced another wide ranging show of musical delights. No two songs in the same genre, this guy really is a unique performer. The fact that cakes were handed to the audience during the set obviously helped as well!
In the bar afterwards, RLF played a great set of 60’s classics to get us dancing more than we had done on Friday. Lots of friendly faces were about, making it a top night.
We had a fine time at Evil Kitty, but did not do as much dancing as we had hoped too. Top marks on the DJ front went to Andy Jenks of Alpha, who played a great selection of tunes in the upstairs bar.
Saturday night at The Cube was most entertaining. A lovely set from Francois and his band set the tone for the evening, this was followed by the very entertaining idea of videos being shown of 5 different local performers doing versions of freeze Puppy songs. Some very entertaining and curious stuff here, my favourite being Team Bricks, crazed looped vocal take on one of the puppies songs.
Then the man himself, who produced another wide ranging show of musical delights. No two songs in the same genre, this guy really is a unique performer. The fact that cakes were handed to the audience during the set obviously helped as well!
In the bar afterwards, RLF played a great set of 60’s classics to get us dancing more than we had done on Friday. Lots of friendly faces were about, making it a top night.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
A busy weekend awaits us, starting on Friday evening at Evil Kitty. It's the 2nd night for the latest club venture from our friends John Stapleton and Ian Green (and another lovely chap who's name escapes me!). It's taking place at The Arc bar, one of the nicest city centre venues and with the special guest being Andy Votel of Twisted Nerve fame, so I'm sure that we're in for a good evening.
On Saturday, I'm off to see City play Wrexham, in what now look like a pointless game for us, although it could be a vital one for Wrexham and they strive to avoid relegation. Then on Saturday evening we are off to The Cube. One of our favourite local musicians Freeze Puppy, is launching his album by playing a gig with a few friends. My old Imperial college RLF is returning from London to DJ at the event, so it should be a top night. It's difficult to describe the music which Mr Freeze Puppy makes, it's unique and really rather wonderful.
I'm going to spend most of Sunday emptying out the kitchen, as we are having some work done next week, which includes replacing the existing ceiling. It's sure to be a messy experience, thankfully my lack of DIY expertise means that I won't actually be doing the work, it's in the safe hands of our friend Matt.
On Saturday, I'm off to see City play Wrexham, in what now look like a pointless game for us, although it could be a vital one for Wrexham and they strive to avoid relegation. Then on Saturday evening we are off to The Cube. One of our favourite local musicians Freeze Puppy, is launching his album by playing a gig with a few friends. My old Imperial college RLF is returning from London to DJ at the event, so it should be a top night. It's difficult to describe the music which Mr Freeze Puppy makes, it's unique and really rather wonderful.
I'm going to spend most of Sunday emptying out the kitchen, as we are having some work done next week, which includes replacing the existing ceiling. It's sure to be a messy experience, thankfully my lack of DIY expertise means that I won't actually be doing the work, it's in the safe hands of our friend Matt.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
I've had this passed onto me by Jessica, so here goes:
You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?
As Vixgirl said I haven't read Fahrenheit 451 -- but from what I can tell, this is a question about which book you would memorise and, accordingly, which book your life would come to resemble.
So with that in mind, I think that I would have to go for something by the marvellous P. G. Wodehouse. I think I’d plump for Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves as it features Bertie Wooster, Jeeves (of course) and the splendidly hapless Gussie Fink-Nottle. What joy, to be locked in that wonderfully daft world.
Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
Not exactly a crush, by I was thoroughly smitten with the enigmatic Shimamoto in Haruki Murakami’s South of the Boarder, West of the Sun. As with all of Murakami’s protagonists, she has very little to say, yet manages to cast a sublime spell over the book.
The last book you bought is?
A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell. Picked this up for £2 the other day. It’s the first book in Powell’s 12 volume series - A Dance to the Music of Time. It’s actually replacing an old copy which I foolishly lent to an old college and of course never saw again. Back in the the late 80’s I got as far number 8 in the series and one day I know that I’ll go to them and will complete series. For those that don’t know the books, it’s a wonderfully acidic look at the English ruling class. The book in question is delightful penguin 1st edition from 1962
The last book you finished is?
In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami. No relation to Haruki Murakami, this chap looks like becoming another fixture in my ongoing obsession with fiction from Japan. This is a very short but hypnotic journey into the dark side of Tokyo of life. As with many of his compatriots the style is detached and understated, even whilst describing some stomach churning events.
What are you currently reading?
The Victim by Saul Bellow. Another £2 pick up the other day. I tried reading Herzog by Bellow on a couple of occasions, without completing it. I read a lot about him since his recent death and thought it was time to try something else. I’ve only read 14 pages so far, it’s rather too soon to say if I’ll make it to the end of this one.
Five books you would take to a desert island?
Way too tough, this is the sort of list that would change every time I wrote it down. Anyway here is the list for today:
The Corrections By Jonathan Franzen. Plenty of time on a desert island to work my way through this masterful insight into family life. Everyone who moans about their family should read this. Fantastic
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Yet more upper class English twerps (something of a theme developing!). Still makes me laugh 25 years after I first read it, worth having just for the description of Uncle Podger attempting to hang a picture - genius.
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky. The first really grown up book I read, I’m still amazed at the way in which Dostoyevsky puts you right in the mind of poor Raskolnikov. The gathering despair and paranoia is mesmerising. This really is a book to lose yourself in.
Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami. I could have chosen any of his books, they all have so much to offer. This is one of his funniest books, as he links Sci-Fi with hard boiled thriller, few others writers could pull this off.
Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto. Another wonderful book from Japan, this one a classic coming of age book, which rewards repeated reading.
Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?
Joanna - Compulsive reader, brilliant writer
Pete - Reads lot’s of books I’ve never heard of and always engages my curiosity.
Tally Ho Sulky - Great insights from our native New Yorker.
You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?
As Vixgirl said I haven't read Fahrenheit 451 -- but from what I can tell, this is a question about which book you would memorise and, accordingly, which book your life would come to resemble.
So with that in mind, I think that I would have to go for something by the marvellous P. G. Wodehouse. I think I’d plump for Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves as it features Bertie Wooster, Jeeves (of course) and the splendidly hapless Gussie Fink-Nottle. What joy, to be locked in that wonderfully daft world.
Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
Not exactly a crush, by I was thoroughly smitten with the enigmatic Shimamoto in Haruki Murakami’s South of the Boarder, West of the Sun. As with all of Murakami’s protagonists, she has very little to say, yet manages to cast a sublime spell over the book.
The last book you bought is?
A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell. Picked this up for £2 the other day. It’s the first book in Powell’s 12 volume series - A Dance to the Music of Time. It’s actually replacing an old copy which I foolishly lent to an old college and of course never saw again. Back in the the late 80’s I got as far number 8 in the series and one day I know that I’ll go to them and will complete series. For those that don’t know the books, it’s a wonderfully acidic look at the English ruling class. The book in question is delightful penguin 1st edition from 1962
The last book you finished is?
In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami. No relation to Haruki Murakami, this chap looks like becoming another fixture in my ongoing obsession with fiction from Japan. This is a very short but hypnotic journey into the dark side of Tokyo of life. As with many of his compatriots the style is detached and understated, even whilst describing some stomach churning events.
What are you currently reading?
The Victim by Saul Bellow. Another £2 pick up the other day. I tried reading Herzog by Bellow on a couple of occasions, without completing it. I read a lot about him since his recent death and thought it was time to try something else. I’ve only read 14 pages so far, it’s rather too soon to say if I’ll make it to the end of this one.
Five books you would take to a desert island?
Way too tough, this is the sort of list that would change every time I wrote it down. Anyway here is the list for today:
The Corrections By Jonathan Franzen. Plenty of time on a desert island to work my way through this masterful insight into family life. Everyone who moans about their family should read this. Fantastic
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Yet more upper class English twerps (something of a theme developing!). Still makes me laugh 25 years after I first read it, worth having just for the description of Uncle Podger attempting to hang a picture - genius.
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky. The first really grown up book I read, I’m still amazed at the way in which Dostoyevsky puts you right in the mind of poor Raskolnikov. The gathering despair and paranoia is mesmerising. This really is a book to lose yourself in.
Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami. I could have chosen any of his books, they all have so much to offer. This is one of his funniest books, as he links Sci-Fi with hard boiled thriller, few others writers could pull this off.
Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto. Another wonderful book from Japan, this one a classic coming of age book, which rewards repeated reading.
Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?
Joanna - Compulsive reader, brilliant writer
Pete - Reads lot’s of books I’ve never heard of and always engages my curiosity.
Tally Ho Sulky - Great insights from our native New Yorker.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
I must admit that we had a few worries in the run up to Mat & Helens wedding last weekend. They were all linked to the fact that temperatures were plunging and the reception had been arranged in a marquee, it sounded like a recipe for a very chilly evening.
Well we needn't have worried. The weather turned out to be much better than anticipated and the marquee was very pleasantly heated by Helen's very thoughtful parents.
After a slightly delayed Saturday morning departure, we arrived in the village of Pandy , where our accommodation for the evening had been booked. We just had time to change into our glad rags and have a brief look around the splendid old house which we had been booked into. Peacocks and chickens strutted around the grounds, as we nibbled on pasties and sausage rolls (nothing worse than being the owner of a rumbling tummy in packed church). The church was a classic British village one, packed to the rafters with smiling faces. The mood was further enhanced by the vicar, who possessed a marvellously deadpan sense of humour. Whilst the all important paperwork was signed we were entertained by one of Helen's friends who sang wonderful versions of "Fly me to the moon" and "My baby just cares for me" accompanied by a surprisingly jazzy organist.
After a brief pause for pictures, we all took the short stroll to Helen's parents house for the reception, which as I mentioned before was taking place in a huge marquee. The canapes and champagne flowed nicely, then the speeches began. We had to nip off during the these to collect part two of the DJ double act. Part one - Ian Green had made the journey with us, the other half of the act, local legend DJ Derek preferred to indulge his passion for coach and bus travel. Anyway the pair of them did a great set, which resulted in lots and lots dancing.
The next morning I took DJ Derek off to the nearest coach stop, before the rest of made the short journey to Hay-on-Wye, to spend many happy hours wandering around the amazing bookshops of that unique town. Talking of books, I finally managed to get to the end of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Once I got past the dreadful middle section I enjoyed it, the problem was mainly down to me, as lost my reading rhythm at the midway point. Since then I've managed to wizz through "In the Miso soup" by Ryu Murakami. Short and beautifully written, although it does contain one section of eye popping brutality, I really enjoyed this dark and unsettling short novel.
Well we needn't have worried. The weather turned out to be much better than anticipated and the marquee was very pleasantly heated by Helen's very thoughtful parents.
After a slightly delayed Saturday morning departure, we arrived in the village of Pandy , where our accommodation for the evening had been booked. We just had time to change into our glad rags and have a brief look around the splendid old house which we had been booked into. Peacocks and chickens strutted around the grounds, as we nibbled on pasties and sausage rolls (nothing worse than being the owner of a rumbling tummy in packed church). The church was a classic British village one, packed to the rafters with smiling faces. The mood was further enhanced by the vicar, who possessed a marvellously deadpan sense of humour. Whilst the all important paperwork was signed we were entertained by one of Helen's friends who sang wonderful versions of "Fly me to the moon" and "My baby just cares for me" accompanied by a surprisingly jazzy organist.
After a brief pause for pictures, we all took the short stroll to Helen's parents house for the reception, which as I mentioned before was taking place in a huge marquee. The canapes and champagne flowed nicely, then the speeches began. We had to nip off during the these to collect part two of the DJ double act. Part one - Ian Green had made the journey with us, the other half of the act, local legend DJ Derek preferred to indulge his passion for coach and bus travel. Anyway the pair of them did a great set, which resulted in lots and lots dancing.
The next morning I took DJ Derek off to the nearest coach stop, before the rest of made the short journey to Hay-on-Wye, to spend many happy hours wandering around the amazing bookshops of that unique town. Talking of books, I finally managed to get to the end of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Once I got past the dreadful middle section I enjoyed it, the problem was mainly down to me, as lost my reading rhythm at the midway point. Since then I've managed to wizz through "In the Miso soup" by Ryu Murakami. Short and beautifully written, although it does contain one section of eye popping brutality, I really enjoyed this dark and unsettling short novel.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Us at Helen & Mat's wedding
What a great wedding. I'll write more later about our lovely weekend in the shadow of The Black Mountains.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Last night’s Rufus Wainwright gig at the Colston Hall was quite an evening!
Anticipation levels in the hall were pretty high, when Rufus and his 6 piece band took to the stage, but I think few were prepared for the roller coaster evening which was ahead of us. It all started normally enough, as the band made up for the lack of an orchestra, bu playing subtle versions of some of the more exuberant recent tracks from Canada’s latest musical star.
However a few songs in, the strain started to show on the the vocal chords of Mr Wainwright, yet rather than diminish the evening, the problems added something rather special to the whole event. In the middle period of the set the poor chap had a 30 minute spell, when about 20% time the words just failed to emerge. The lips would move, but not a sound was heard. To his credit, Rufus just brazenly pushed his way through some of his difficult (to sing) songs, wincing and laughing along with the rest of us at his vocal mishaps.
The sheer force of his personality, took him beyond the limitations of his troubled vocal chords to a place where his human frailty was exposed behind his oh so confident manner.
Suddenly the voice came back, just in time for the astounding encores, where to got see more of Rufus (and his band) than one would normally expect in the demure surroundings of the Colston Hall. It was hilariously funny and musically outstanding.
We were shocked to see that when the house lights came up it was 11:20. 2 hours had flown past, if you get the chance to see him make sure that you take it.
Anticipation levels in the hall were pretty high, when Rufus and his 6 piece band took to the stage, but I think few were prepared for the roller coaster evening which was ahead of us. It all started normally enough, as the band made up for the lack of an orchestra, bu playing subtle versions of some of the more exuberant recent tracks from Canada’s latest musical star.
However a few songs in, the strain started to show on the the vocal chords of Mr Wainwright, yet rather than diminish the evening, the problems added something rather special to the whole event. In the middle period of the set the poor chap had a 30 minute spell, when about 20% time the words just failed to emerge. The lips would move, but not a sound was heard. To his credit, Rufus just brazenly pushed his way through some of his difficult (to sing) songs, wincing and laughing along with the rest of us at his vocal mishaps.
The sheer force of his personality, took him beyond the limitations of his troubled vocal chords to a place where his human frailty was exposed behind his oh so confident manner.
Suddenly the voice came back, just in time for the astounding encores, where to got see more of Rufus (and his band) than one would normally expect in the demure surroundings of the Colston Hall. It was hilariously funny and musically outstanding.
We were shocked to see that when the house lights came up it was 11:20. 2 hours had flown past, if you get the chance to see him make sure that you take it.
Friday, April 01, 2005
A while ago I mentioned that our mothers were taking a holiday together. Well, sadly it was not a huge success.
I think they both ended up thinking that the other was a little strange! My mum was amazed at the way Orynthia’s mum was so involved with Bingo and other communal activities. conversely I think that Orynthia’s mum was surprised that my mum would rather go back to the room in the evening and watch TV or read. It wasn’t a disaster and I’m sure that they are closer friends than they were before, but I can’t see the experiment being repeated somehow.
We’’ve got a busy time coming up over the next few days. This weekend orynthia has gone away to Wales on a hen weekend. I’ve got a City game to watch tomorrow. Then on Monday it’s Orynthia’s birthday, we both have the day off work, so we are going to nip over to Bath on the train for the day. There are a few interesting exhibition’s taking place which should amuse us, in the evening we are back in Bristol for a trip to the Old Vic to see
“Turn of the Screw” By Henry James. The birthday celebrations continue at The Bell on Tuesday evening. although I have another match at Ashton Gate to take in before I join Orynthia & co.
On Wednesday evening we will be the Colston Hall to see Rufus Wainwright. I’ve seen his dad in action a few times over the years, but I think that the pair of them will have rather different ideas about stage craft! In a few weeks time Martha Wainwright is in town, I’m already booked in for something that night, so I guess my Wainwright collection will remain incomplete for a while.
I think they both ended up thinking that the other was a little strange! My mum was amazed at the way Orynthia’s mum was so involved with Bingo and other communal activities. conversely I think that Orynthia’s mum was surprised that my mum would rather go back to the room in the evening and watch TV or read. It wasn’t a disaster and I’m sure that they are closer friends than they were before, but I can’t see the experiment being repeated somehow.
We’’ve got a busy time coming up over the next few days. This weekend orynthia has gone away to Wales on a hen weekend. I’ve got a City game to watch tomorrow. Then on Monday it’s Orynthia’s birthday, we both have the day off work, so we are going to nip over to Bath on the train for the day. There are a few interesting exhibition’s taking place which should amuse us, in the evening we are back in Bristol for a trip to the Old Vic to see
“Turn of the Screw” By Henry James. The birthday celebrations continue at The Bell on Tuesday evening. although I have another match at Ashton Gate to take in before I join Orynthia & co.
On Wednesday evening we will be the Colston Hall to see Rufus Wainwright. I’ve seen his dad in action a few times over the years, but I think that the pair of them will have rather different ideas about stage craft! In a few weeks time Martha Wainwright is in town, I’m already booked in for something that night, so I guess my Wainwright collection will remain incomplete for a while.
All quiet here in Redland this evening. Well I say all quiet, iTunes is grooving away, attempting to set a rhythm for more hopeless typing.
Since we’ve become fully iPod friendly loading iTunes has become something of an obsession. We take it in turn to grab a handful of CD’s from around the house and transfer them to something wonderfully flexible and free. The only problem is that I seldom get to listen to full albums anymore, the dreaded “shuffle” mode is so addictive that I really have to force myself to play an album in it’s entirety. I know that it a few years time people will be asking what an album is and their thirst for the killer tune means that attention spans become shorter and shorter.
Of course the attraction of the “shuffle” is that it lets us host our own radio station, with the best music in the world and none of the inane chatter getting in the way. Although we know all the tracks locked within that miniature world, we still gasp at the audacity of a Tom Waits track following something by The Shirelles or maybe Bobby Darin followed by Bloc Party, it all so wonderful. And yet...
If all we ever listen too is the music we already own, where will find the music which will inspire and delight us over forthcoming years? Most of the new stuff I do find comes either from evening shows on BBC Radio 2 or BBC Radio 6, occasionally some web surfing will produce a few interesting results and then I can quickly nip around the web to find a few snippets and samples of songs to tempt me in.
Yet it all seems much harder than it was in the old days, which is odd, as in theory everything is more available than it ever has been. The trouble is simple, these days we have to filter the information ourselves. Previously whole armies of people spent their time deciding what would squeeze out of the narrow conduit which bought the music to us. I’m not sure that I have the time to do it. Anyone want a job?
Since we’ve become fully iPod friendly loading iTunes has become something of an obsession. We take it in turn to grab a handful of CD’s from around the house and transfer them to something wonderfully flexible and free. The only problem is that I seldom get to listen to full albums anymore, the dreaded “shuffle” mode is so addictive that I really have to force myself to play an album in it’s entirety. I know that it a few years time people will be asking what an album is and their thirst for the killer tune means that attention spans become shorter and shorter.
Of course the attraction of the “shuffle” is that it lets us host our own radio station, with the best music in the world and none of the inane chatter getting in the way. Although we know all the tracks locked within that miniature world, we still gasp at the audacity of a Tom Waits track following something by The Shirelles or maybe Bobby Darin followed by Bloc Party, it all so wonderful. And yet...
If all we ever listen too is the music we already own, where will find the music which will inspire and delight us over forthcoming years? Most of the new stuff I do find comes either from evening shows on BBC Radio 2 or BBC Radio 6, occasionally some web surfing will produce a few interesting results and then I can quickly nip around the web to find a few snippets and samples of songs to tempt me in.
Yet it all seems much harder than it was in the old days, which is odd, as in theory everything is more available than it ever has been. The trouble is simple, these days we have to filter the information ourselves. Previously whole armies of people spent their time deciding what would squeeze out of the narrow conduit which bought the music to us. I’m not sure that I have the time to do it. Anyone want a job?
Monday, March 28, 2005
The recent death of Jim Callaghan prompted a few memories for me. The memories are not really of the former Prime Minister, but rather of a particular holiday we had in the late 1970’s.
Mum and dad had some friends who lived in Sussex, in fact they were relatives of my mums best friend. And one summer we spent a few days staying with them.
It was rather like stepping into another world. The family had obviously made a lot of money over the years, and lived in a huge house with grounds and and cattle. They weren’t farmers you understand, just people who had land (and they had plenty) and the money to own 20 or so cows, just for fun. To make them seem even more exotic, the husband had been married prior to his existing situation, and I was amazed when his ex-wife came round to have tea with his current wife! At the time, divorce was still a pretty unusual and messy thing, so the seeing the two of them sitting and chatting amicably, seemed amazingly bohemian to a simple young boy from Fishponds.
One day we went for a walk in the countryside around the house, and Jim Callaghans house was casually pointed out as we strolled past a succession of ever more amazing properties. I was stunned to think that people we knew could live in such close proximity to the Prime Minister.
Back at the house a treasure trove of delights awaited me. Whilst the admittedly splendid scenery around the house did very little to excite me, I was very much of the opinion that the only real purpose for grass was to play football on it, not something you easily do if the grass was long and covered with cow pats!
However part the families considerable wealth had been spent on a huge record and book collection, so I spent many happy hours working myway through the cream of 1970’s rock music, whilst flicking through some stunning antiquarian books. I needed little else from the holiday, yet as well the vast array of recorded music available to me, the south eastern location of the property meant that I could also pick up Radio Caroline with almost crystal clear clarity, something that was virtually impossible in Bristol.
This I decided was the life for me, although we have never owned the big house, the land or indeed the cows! Also I’ve never had a Prime Minister living around the corner. Luckily I have been fortunate enough to surround myself with books and music. Bliss.
Mum and dad had some friends who lived in Sussex, in fact they were relatives of my mums best friend. And one summer we spent a few days staying with them.
It was rather like stepping into another world. The family had obviously made a lot of money over the years, and lived in a huge house with grounds and and cattle. They weren’t farmers you understand, just people who had land (and they had plenty) and the money to own 20 or so cows, just for fun. To make them seem even more exotic, the husband had been married prior to his existing situation, and I was amazed when his ex-wife came round to have tea with his current wife! At the time, divorce was still a pretty unusual and messy thing, so the seeing the two of them sitting and chatting amicably, seemed amazingly bohemian to a simple young boy from Fishponds.
One day we went for a walk in the countryside around the house, and Jim Callaghans house was casually pointed out as we strolled past a succession of ever more amazing properties. I was stunned to think that people we knew could live in such close proximity to the Prime Minister.
Back at the house a treasure trove of delights awaited me. Whilst the admittedly splendid scenery around the house did very little to excite me, I was very much of the opinion that the only real purpose for grass was to play football on it, not something you easily do if the grass was long and covered with cow pats!
However part the families considerable wealth had been spent on a huge record and book collection, so I spent many happy hours working myway through the cream of 1970’s rock music, whilst flicking through some stunning antiquarian books. I needed little else from the holiday, yet as well the vast array of recorded music available to me, the south eastern location of the property meant that I could also pick up Radio Caroline with almost crystal clear clarity, something that was virtually impossible in Bristol.
This I decided was the life for me, although we have never owned the big house, the land or indeed the cows! Also I’ve never had a Prime Minister living around the corner. Luckily I have been fortunate enough to surround myself with books and music. Bliss.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Sunday afternoon was really very pleasant. We made the most of the short spring interlude (we're back to damp weather again now) by meeting up with a few of our friends for drinks and food at our favourite dockside location Arabi 'n' Tap. Six of us worked our way through a succession of coffee's, teas, main meals and cakes, whilst sitting on the rooftop deck enjoying the sunshine. The afternoon was not however without it's perils, Orynthia and our poor waitress suffered at the hands (or should that be bottom!) of a passing seagull. Luckily the damage was not too great and did not tarnish a lovely afternoon.
We nipped home for a couple of hours before walking up to the Orpheus cinema in Henlease, to see "A very Long engagement" which stars Audrey Tatou and is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The film tells us the story of a group of French soldiers in world war 1, who were due to be executed for injuring themselves in an effort to be removed from the frontline. Jeunet sense of visual flair, gives the film some remarkable trench scenes. Over the course of the film, we focus in turn of each soldiers, learning what bought them to hideous situation. One of the soldiers situation takes centre stage as polio stricken Audrey Tatou attempts to find out the truth of what happened to her fiancée. It's an engaging yet confusing film, once again Audrey Tatou is captivating.
last night we went to see The Raveonettes at The Fleece. When I last saw them I was left feeling slightly disappointed, they seemed rather too controlled, contrived even. Well the months have been kind to them, and although they had only just flown back from SXSW in Texas, and by the look of it, left their collective wardrobe behind, they sounded great. They still use the dreaded "click-track" which means that all sorts of sounds were coming through the P.A. including the disembodied voice of Ronnie Spector at one point. Yet they managed to come across as being pretty free, and very enjoyable. Also on the bill were Dogs, who I quite enjoyed, despite the fact that without The Libertines or The Strokes having shown them the way, I can't imagine that they would be with us today. We arrived midway through Boxer rebellion, who left us both completely underwhelmed.
We nipped home for a couple of hours before walking up to the Orpheus cinema in Henlease, to see "A very Long engagement" which stars Audrey Tatou and is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The film tells us the story of a group of French soldiers in world war 1, who were due to be executed for injuring themselves in an effort to be removed from the frontline. Jeunet sense of visual flair, gives the film some remarkable trench scenes. Over the course of the film, we focus in turn of each soldiers, learning what bought them to hideous situation. One of the soldiers situation takes centre stage as polio stricken Audrey Tatou attempts to find out the truth of what happened to her fiancée. It's an engaging yet confusing film, once again Audrey Tatou is captivating.
last night we went to see The Raveonettes at The Fleece. When I last saw them I was left feeling slightly disappointed, they seemed rather too controlled, contrived even. Well the months have been kind to them, and although they had only just flown back from SXSW in Texas, and by the look of it, left their collective wardrobe behind, they sounded great. They still use the dreaded "click-track" which means that all sorts of sounds were coming through the P.A. including the disembodied voice of Ronnie Spector at one point. Yet they managed to come across as being pretty free, and very enjoyable. Also on the bill were Dogs, who I quite enjoyed, despite the fact that without The Libertines or The Strokes having shown them the way, I can't imagine that they would be with us today. We arrived midway through Boxer rebellion, who left us both completely underwhelmed.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Musical contrasts have been the thing for this weekend. By the way, I really like the way American TV shows like West Wing can use a phrase like “What’s The Thing?”. When we try to use it England it never sounds quite right, yet the American accent throws the right amount of weight and suspense being that simple phrase “The Thing”. It can impart a sense of gravity and intrigue onto the most mundane of subjects.
Anyway back to the music. Friday evening saw us make a long overdue visit to that strangest of all music venues in Bristol - Seymours in The Dings for the launch gig for the release of the new CD from Bucky - All the new mistakes. Seymours really is a great little venue, the music room has a wonderful “Phoenix Nights” atmosphere, from the glittering pillars to the pictures of Cliff and Shaky on the world, everything is fantastically uncool. Anyone with the sweet tooth of a 10 year old should also check out the amazing Tuck shop element of the bar, as it contains a startling array of goodies, many of which I have never seen before.
It was a top night, with multiple collaborations going on between Bucky, War Against Sleep and My Two Toms. We picked up a copy of the aforementioned CD, and rather good it is too. You can never accuse a Bucky song of outstaying it’s welcome as most them are only around 1 minute long, but the production on the album really brings out the best in the band.
Saturday saw us making a visit to the Colston Hall for an evening of Baroque music from the English Symphony Orchestra and the Bristol Choral Society. It was great to see a full choir of 100 + singers surging through the works of Handel and Bach, with the brilliant Zadoc The Priest proving to the big tune of the night.
Anyway back to the music. Friday evening saw us make a long overdue visit to that strangest of all music venues in Bristol - Seymours in The Dings for the launch gig for the release of the new CD from Bucky - All the new mistakes. Seymours really is a great little venue, the music room has a wonderful “Phoenix Nights” atmosphere, from the glittering pillars to the pictures of Cliff and Shaky on the world, everything is fantastically uncool. Anyone with the sweet tooth of a 10 year old should also check out the amazing Tuck shop element of the bar, as it contains a startling array of goodies, many of which I have never seen before.
It was a top night, with multiple collaborations going on between Bucky, War Against Sleep and My Two Toms. We picked up a copy of the aforementioned CD, and rather good it is too. You can never accuse a Bucky song of outstaying it’s welcome as most them are only around 1 minute long, but the production on the album really brings out the best in the band.
Saturday saw us making a visit to the Colston Hall for an evening of Baroque music from the English Symphony Orchestra and the Bristol Choral Society. It was great to see a full choir of 100 + singers surging through the works of Handel and Bach, with the brilliant Zadoc The Priest proving to the big tune of the night.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Recently we've been spending time a bit of time, trying choosing where to stay when we visit Berlin and Ljubljana in September.
Over recent years we have been amazingly lucky with our choices the highlights being our apartment in Chelsea, New york, which was so "New York" it hurt. When we went to Paris in 2003, we had a brilliant stay in the midst of one of those amazing Parisian apartment buildings, where you could almost feel the presence of Jean-Paul Sartre in the air. Then we we went to wonderful Vilnius and stayed in a show home for new rich of the Baltics. Last year it was Berlin and that lovely house and garden.
We picked out a few places which look really nice for this years trip. Part of the fun in doing this is the element of the unknown. The places we stay in, are not part of some huge global hotel chain, where everything looks the same, not matter where you are. Sometimes it can be tricky working out how things work, but that is part of the fun. Hotels just don't have that element of fun about them.
Over recent years we have been amazingly lucky with our choices the highlights being our apartment in Chelsea, New york, which was so "New York" it hurt. When we went to Paris in 2003, we had a brilliant stay in the midst of one of those amazing Parisian apartment buildings, where you could almost feel the presence of Jean-Paul Sartre in the air. Then we we went to wonderful Vilnius and stayed in a show home for new rich of the Baltics. Last year it was Berlin and that lovely house and garden.
We picked out a few places which look really nice for this years trip. Part of the fun in doing this is the element of the unknown. The places we stay in, are not part of some huge global hotel chain, where everything looks the same, not matter where you are. Sometimes it can be tricky working out how things work, but that is part of the fun. Hotels just don't have that element of fun about them.
Monday, March 14, 2005
My word, it's been yonks since I wrote anything here. No real reason, other than I've not found much time to sit in front of the Mac recently.
As ever a large finger of blame can be pointed in the direction of football. A particularly pointless weekend has just passed, watched City fail to win at home again, before losing 2-0 on Sunday morning when playing for Bryan Munich.
Also been catching up with a few old films, including "In the mood for love" (fantastic), "Spirited Away" (very good) and "Betty Fisher and other stories" (very clever).
Our mums have gone away on holiday with each other! How will it turn out? We are most intrigued.
As ever a large finger of blame can be pointed in the direction of football. A particularly pointless weekend has just passed, watched City fail to win at home again, before losing 2-0 on Sunday morning when playing for Bryan Munich.
Also been catching up with a few old films, including "In the mood for love" (fantastic), "Spirited Away" (very good) and "Betty Fisher and other stories" (very clever).
Our mums have gone away on holiday with each other! How will it turn out? We are most intrigued.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
We've been doing a lot of family socializing over recent days. It's all been pretty relaxed and quite nice, could be the lull before the storm though. This weekend will see both of our respective mothers going away on holiday together. Although they have obviously known each for many years, they don't really know each other that well, they also have very different personalities, so it will interesting to hear how their week together goes. It does feel as though we are masterminding some weird sociological experiment but it really is down to them, we hope it goes well.
Other than that, we saw Sondre Lerche at the Louie last Saturday. Once again he played it as a solo show and was really very good. A tad more scuzzy than when we saw him in Cardiff last year, he had the crowd lapping up everything he gave them. On occasions I thought the chat was a little too "cute" but I seemed to be alone in that.
I've finally started reading "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell, the trouble is that I got my copy of the book back in January, so I'm lugging around the huge hard backed version, even though the much lighter paperback version has just been thrust upon an excited nation. When the paper dust jacket is removed, the book does take on a vaguely biblical look, which has provoked a few concerned looks and remarks from some of my colleagues at work. The same thing happened last week, when I wore a T-Shirt with a nice picture of a toaster emblazoned across my chest. Apparently it was the cause of some debate and discussion before someone finally asked me, what it signified? I just replied with something along the lines of "Well it's just a toaster, everyone loves toast don't they" caused more confusion, as some people were sure that I was hiding some great meaning from them. oh well, sometimes it's best not to explain too much.
Other than that, we saw Sondre Lerche at the Louie last Saturday. Once again he played it as a solo show and was really very good. A tad more scuzzy than when we saw him in Cardiff last year, he had the crowd lapping up everything he gave them. On occasions I thought the chat was a little too "cute" but I seemed to be alone in that.
I've finally started reading "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell, the trouble is that I got my copy of the book back in January, so I'm lugging around the huge hard backed version, even though the much lighter paperback version has just been thrust upon an excited nation. When the paper dust jacket is removed, the book does take on a vaguely biblical look, which has provoked a few concerned looks and remarks from some of my colleagues at work. The same thing happened last week, when I wore a T-Shirt with a nice picture of a toaster emblazoned across my chest. Apparently it was the cause of some debate and discussion before someone finally asked me, what it signified? I just replied with something along the lines of "Well it's just a toaster, everyone loves toast don't they" caused more confusion, as some people were sure that I was hiding some great meaning from them. oh well, sometimes it's best not to explain too much.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
I need to say thanks to former Imperial customer Kristen for sending me a fantastic link, all the way from snowy Philadelphia.
We share a love for the music of Sufjan Stevens, and she kindly sent me a link to this wonderful Canadian site which hosts loads of concert and session recordings from interesting bands. As I write this I'm listening to a show he played with his band in Toronto last year. As well as that gem you can find full recordings of gigs by The Shins, The Magnetic Fields, Broadcast, Fiery Furnaces and loads more.
Talking of music and things Canadian, after reading masses of great reviews I picked up the album from Arcade Fire - "Funeral", yesterday. Only had a chance to hear it a couple of times so far, but I'm liking what I'm hearing. They are playing Bristol soon, so I may get a chance to see them in the flesh. I've also been enjoying the Bloc Party album and a lot of Rufus Wainwright in preparation for his upcoming Bristol visit.
We share a love for the music of Sufjan Stevens, and she kindly sent me a link to this wonderful Canadian site which hosts loads of concert and session recordings from interesting bands. As I write this I'm listening to a show he played with his band in Toronto last year. As well as that gem you can find full recordings of gigs by The Shins, The Magnetic Fields, Broadcast, Fiery Furnaces and loads more.
Talking of music and things Canadian, after reading masses of great reviews I picked up the album from Arcade Fire - "Funeral", yesterday. Only had a chance to hear it a couple of times so far, but I'm liking what I'm hearing. They are playing Bristol soon, so I may get a chance to see them in the flesh. I've also been enjoying the Bloc Party album and a lot of Rufus Wainwright in preparation for his upcoming Bristol visit.
Shoes - I know it's not something that men are meant to talk about, but I'm getting concerned about the paucity of the display on my shoe rack.
I think that I can point the finger (or should that be toe) of blame at Elvis Costello and Nick Cave. Both of these gentlemen have recently entertained me musically and sartorially, and both have been resplendent in their fine footwear. leaving me feeling somewhat inadequate in the shoe department.
It used to so different, back in the 80's I was quite happy to spend out on an ever-increasing range of fabulous 50's themed shoes from Bonie Maronie near the bus station in town. When that fine (if slightly overpriced) shop closed, I had a barren spell for several years before discovering a shop called Robot in Covent Garden and succumbed once again to the lure of the
pointy rockabilly shoe again. In between times I dabbled with the English gentlemen look, with several pair of fine brogues - leather soles and everything. Oh how sophisticated and grown up we were.
Then suddenly years after everyone else, I decided that general daily shoes were not important, but a lovely pair of Converse trainers were, and that was that. My shoes became more and more average and non descript, which is still true to this day. It could be time to have a change of approach again and to look for shoes which I won't need to keep hidden under the table.
I think that I can point the finger (or should that be toe) of blame at Elvis Costello and Nick Cave. Both of these gentlemen have recently entertained me musically and sartorially, and both have been resplendent in their fine footwear. leaving me feeling somewhat inadequate in the shoe department.
It used to so different, back in the 80's I was quite happy to spend out on an ever-increasing range of fabulous 50's themed shoes from Bonie Maronie near the bus station in town. When that fine (if slightly overpriced) shop closed, I had a barren spell for several years before discovering a shop called Robot in Covent Garden and succumbed once again to the lure of the
pointy rockabilly shoe again. In between times I dabbled with the English gentlemen look, with several pair of fine brogues - leather soles and everything. Oh how sophisticated and grown up we were.
Then suddenly years after everyone else, I decided that general daily shoes were not important, but a lovely pair of Converse trainers were, and that was that. My shoes became more and more average and non descript, which is still true to this day. It could be time to have a change of approach again and to look for shoes which I won't need to keep hidden under the table.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Well that Nick Cave chap certainly provided us with some entertainment on Saturday evening. In the one of the the most wildly incorrect pieces of promotional material, since a Bristol city chairman promised the fans European football a few years ago, this “solo” show, proved to be anything but. Cave and three members of The Bad Seeds, bludgeoned their way through around two hours of top notch stuff.
The man himself was surprisingly relaxed, joking and taking requests from the audience, whilst keeping his poor “lyric roadie” fully occupied. Eventually the poor chap ran out of patience and emptied a huge carrier bag full of lyrics on the floor, much to the crowd and Mr cave’s amusement.
After the show I managed to find time to nip across to The Bunch of Grapes, to catch 15 mins of my friend Yuki’s blues band who I think are called Mean Red Spider (sound right as that’s an old Muddy Waters song), before heading home for some sleep.
Sunday saw another impressive victory from the Bryan Munich boys. That’s two wins on the trot and no goals conceded in either match, it’s almost like being in a proper team!
After the match we hooked up with Katja and Jon for a belated Sunday lunch at Le Monde. By the way if you are looking for unusual nappies and quite frankly who isn’t these days take a look at Katja’s website.
The man himself was surprisingly relaxed, joking and taking requests from the audience, whilst keeping his poor “lyric roadie” fully occupied. Eventually the poor chap ran out of patience and emptied a huge carrier bag full of lyrics on the floor, much to the crowd and Mr cave’s amusement.
After the show I managed to find time to nip across to The Bunch of Grapes, to catch 15 mins of my friend Yuki’s blues band who I think are called Mean Red Spider (sound right as that’s an old Muddy Waters song), before heading home for some sleep.
Sunday saw another impressive victory from the Bryan Munich boys. That’s two wins on the trot and no goals conceded in either match, it’s almost like being in a proper team!
After the match we hooked up with Katja and Jon for a belated Sunday lunch at Le Monde. By the way if you are looking for unusual nappies and quite frankly who isn’t these days take a look at Katja’s website.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Whilst the forthcoming weekend won't be as busy as last weekends madhouse, it still promises to be pretty hectic. This evening we are going to a farewell party for one of Orynthia's colleagues who is going of to Sri Lanka for a while.
Tomorrow I'm off to watch City play Blackpool, can we make it 3 wins in row, for the first time in ages? Then straight after the match, I meeting up with Orynthia and several of my old workmates from Imperial Music. It will be good to see how everyone else is getting on 6th months after that fantastic shop closed. Although everything is going really well in my new job, I do
miss the shop in all sorts of ways. As well as the music, I do miss meeting such a vast array of people everyday. I also fear that I'm going to turn into a fat old man, I really used to enjoy being on my feet all day and dashing all over the place. Now I just sit in my chair and wait for that triple chin to emerge!
Actually, I think that one of the reasons I enjoyed last weekend so much, was because I was more or less constantly on the move. I'm lucky that my legs don't really get tired in those sort of situations.
Following the post Imperial bash, a few of us are heading off to see Nick Cave at the Colston Hall, it's around 20 years since he last played in Bristol, and the memories of that night at Trinity are still fresh in my mind. Can he be as good again?
On Sunday morning it's time for the latest match for the mighty Bryan Munich, we are heading all the way out to Backwell for the match, it's our equivalent of going to some far flung part of Europe for a champions league game (without the quality obviously!).
After than the plan is a nice walk on The Downs, we were hoping for some snow but at the moment it looks as though we are going to miss out.
Ohwe've booked a holiday in Sptember, we are off to Berlin and Slovinia!
Tomorrow I'm off to watch City play Blackpool, can we make it 3 wins in row, for the first time in ages? Then straight after the match, I meeting up with Orynthia and several of my old workmates from Imperial Music. It will be good to see how everyone else is getting on 6th months after that fantastic shop closed. Although everything is going really well in my new job, I do
miss the shop in all sorts of ways. As well as the music, I do miss meeting such a vast array of people everyday. I also fear that I'm going to turn into a fat old man, I really used to enjoy being on my feet all day and dashing all over the place. Now I just sit in my chair and wait for that triple chin to emerge!
Actually, I think that one of the reasons I enjoyed last weekend so much, was because I was more or less constantly on the move. I'm lucky that my legs don't really get tired in those sort of situations.
Following the post Imperial bash, a few of us are heading off to see Nick Cave at the Colston Hall, it's around 20 years since he last played in Bristol, and the memories of that night at Trinity are still fresh in my mind. Can he be as good again?
On Sunday morning it's time for the latest match for the mighty Bryan Munich, we are heading all the way out to Backwell for the match, it's our equivalent of going to some far flung part of Europe for a champions league game (without the quality obviously!).
After than the plan is a nice walk on The Downs, we were hoping for some snow but at the moment it looks as though we are going to miss out.
Ohwe've booked a holiday in Sptember, we are off to Berlin and Slovinia!
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Well we've had an amazing time since I last wrote anything here!
As previously mentioned Orynthia and I were working as part of the production team at big Oxfam / Tsunami benefit gig last weekend. Initially we thought that we were going to be working from Thursday onwards but a late change of plan meant that we weren't actually needed on site until the Friday morning. So at 9am on Friday the adventure began.
We just helped out in anyway that we could, a lot of our time on Friday was spent ensuring that everyone had enough to eat and drink, whilst the crew were setting up the stage and Massive Attack and Portishead went through initial sound checks. It was really quite odd to be hearing the bands going their stuff with only a handful of people around, on a couple of occasions I found it really difficult to stop myself from clapping! When the bands weren't in the main room everyone came into the impromptu dining area which we had set up, the atmosphere was really relaxed, everyone was chatty and friendly - no over pampered rock stars here.
Then at around Pam we had to dismantle everything as a different event was taking place at the venue that night. After a couple of quick drinks with John and Jane, we were back at home slumped in front of the TV beforeheading off to bed at around 11:30.
On Saturday we left the house at around 9am, to buy some additional nibbles for the day, before people assembled for a large group breakfast. Friday had been busy but Saturday was very busy indeed! As the day wore on more and artists arrived - Patrick and Alex, Fuzz against Junk, The Coral and surprise guest Damon Albarn from Blur. Also vast amounts of snacks and drinks had to be moved around for the dressing room area's later in the evening. By around 4 pm things were really hectic but everyone was still friendly yet focused. Eventually the dressing rooms and storage area's were stacked, all the bands had arrived and everything was falling into place.
It was time for the last servings of food before packing away all the catering stuff for the evening. I then had to give Damon Albarn and three of his friends a lift to a local hotel, in our VERY small car, which proved to be quite entertaining! By the time I got back the Oxfam people had started to arrive, a large group of them were trying to get audience members to donate more money and to get involved in the "end poverty" campaign. It was nice to catch up with a few old friends from Oxfam in the last few minutes before the doors opened and the public came flooding in.
The gig went like a dream, all the bands were brilliant, it was fantastic to be able to hear Liz Frazer and Beth Gibbons wonderful voices ringing out loud and clear on the same evening. What a treat! The audience reaction was fantastic, especially when they did the massed backing vocals for Damons solo version of "Tender". I was still doing a bit of dashing around to make sure that the performers had everything they needed, Including nipping out at around 10pm to buy some milk for Robert Plant and Ciggies for The Coral! Orynthia went one better on Sunday when she bought a kettle for Robert Plant, for use on his forthcoming tour. So if you go to see him, look out for his kettle on stage and think of Orynthia.
We were far to tired to hang around for the after show party, so it off home and into bed at around 2am. It had been a long but glorious day.
On Sunday we all gathered again at around 2:30 pm. Despite some serious hangovers, the mood was one of joy following the undoubted success of the previous evening. That time and atmosphere was one of my happiest memories from a weekend which was overflowing with them. After yet more sound checking the tempo slowed somewhat, everything was in place, for the second evening of entertainment. Orynthia went out on her shopping mission for Mr Plant whilst I listened to lots of men getting very excited about effects pedals!
Once all the food and tables had been cleared away and the dressing rooms prepared, we then said our goodbye to head off to see The Go! Team at The Fleece. Luckily we managed to find somewhere to sit down and rest our weary legs. 1st band up - Attack and Defend were amusing in an ironic art school sort of way. Next up were The Pipettes who provided retro kitsch of the highest order before we suffered a brief and hideous interlude from a crazed MC type. Then finally along came The Go! Team for their 35 minutes of punchy and energetic fun.
Then it was a quick journey across town just in time for the Massive Attack/ Portishead finale, which was suitably awesome.
The only disappointment of the weekend was that our good friend and founder member of Fuzz Against Junk Steve Dew missed out on this amazing event, due to previous commitments. It would have great to have seen him up their on stage in front of that packed crowd. I'm sure his time will come.
You can watch it all at Crisis in Asia
As previously mentioned Orynthia and I were working as part of the production team at big Oxfam / Tsunami benefit gig last weekend. Initially we thought that we were going to be working from Thursday onwards but a late change of plan meant that we weren't actually needed on site until the Friday morning. So at 9am on Friday the adventure began.
We just helped out in anyway that we could, a lot of our time on Friday was spent ensuring that everyone had enough to eat and drink, whilst the crew were setting up the stage and Massive Attack and Portishead went through initial sound checks. It was really quite odd to be hearing the bands going their stuff with only a handful of people around, on a couple of occasions I found it really difficult to stop myself from clapping! When the bands weren't in the main room everyone came into the impromptu dining area which we had set up, the atmosphere was really relaxed, everyone was chatty and friendly - no over pampered rock stars here.
Then at around Pam we had to dismantle everything as a different event was taking place at the venue that night. After a couple of quick drinks with John and Jane, we were back at home slumped in front of the TV beforeheading off to bed at around 11:30.
On Saturday we left the house at around 9am, to buy some additional nibbles for the day, before people assembled for a large group breakfast. Friday had been busy but Saturday was very busy indeed! As the day wore on more and artists arrived - Patrick and Alex, Fuzz against Junk, The Coral and surprise guest Damon Albarn from Blur. Also vast amounts of snacks and drinks had to be moved around for the dressing room area's later in the evening. By around 4 pm things were really hectic but everyone was still friendly yet focused. Eventually the dressing rooms and storage area's were stacked, all the bands had arrived and everything was falling into place.
It was time for the last servings of food before packing away all the catering stuff for the evening. I then had to give Damon Albarn and three of his friends a lift to a local hotel, in our VERY small car, which proved to be quite entertaining! By the time I got back the Oxfam people had started to arrive, a large group of them were trying to get audience members to donate more money and to get involved in the "end poverty" campaign. It was nice to catch up with a few old friends from Oxfam in the last few minutes before the doors opened and the public came flooding in.
The gig went like a dream, all the bands were brilliant, it was fantastic to be able to hear Liz Frazer and Beth Gibbons wonderful voices ringing out loud and clear on the same evening. What a treat! The audience reaction was fantastic, especially when they did the massed backing vocals for Damons solo version of "Tender". I was still doing a bit of dashing around to make sure that the performers had everything they needed, Including nipping out at around 10pm to buy some milk for Robert Plant and Ciggies for The Coral! Orynthia went one better on Sunday when she bought a kettle for Robert Plant, for use on his forthcoming tour. So if you go to see him, look out for his kettle on stage and think of Orynthia.
We were far to tired to hang around for the after show party, so it off home and into bed at around 2am. It had been a long but glorious day.
On Sunday we all gathered again at around 2:30 pm. Despite some serious hangovers, the mood was one of joy following the undoubted success of the previous evening. That time and atmosphere was one of my happiest memories from a weekend which was overflowing with them. After yet more sound checking the tempo slowed somewhat, everything was in place, for the second evening of entertainment. Orynthia went out on her shopping mission for Mr Plant whilst I listened to lots of men getting very excited about effects pedals!
Once all the food and tables had been cleared away and the dressing rooms prepared, we then said our goodbye to head off to see The Go! Team at The Fleece. Luckily we managed to find somewhere to sit down and rest our weary legs. 1st band up - Attack and Defend were amusing in an ironic art school sort of way. Next up were The Pipettes who provided retro kitsch of the highest order before we suffered a brief and hideous interlude from a crazed MC type. Then finally along came The Go! Team for their 35 minutes of punchy and energetic fun.
Then it was a quick journey across town just in time for the Massive Attack/ Portishead finale, which was suitably awesome.
The only disappointment of the weekend was that our good friend and founder member of Fuzz Against Junk Steve Dew missed out on this amazing event, due to previous commitments. It would have great to have seen him up their on stage in front of that packed crowd. I'm sure his time will come.
You can watch it all at Crisis in Asia
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
So since I've last been here I've seen another miserable performance from BCFC, been to a 65th birthday party (no not mine!), watched Elvis Costello in imperious form and watch the highly rated film "Sideways".
Firstly the sad case of the football, Friday nights home defeat looks like it could be the hammer blow to our hopes of making the promotion play-off's. It's hard to know where to start when talking about city at the moment, the team just are not functioning at any sort of reasonable level.
Still we did have one highlight, the amazingly awful half time entertainment! Now the weather on Friday evening was pretty shocking, the wind and rain swirled around Ashton Gate with an energy that our woeful team never came close to matching. The perfect conditions then for a portly middle aged gentlemen and his two underdressed assistants to wander on to the pitch, in order to confirm his status as "Britain's top Neil Diamond tribute act" The concept of a pecking order for tribute acts such as this is a strange one indeed.
The voluminous sparkly blue shirt and flowing (but thinning) hair where funny enough to observe in this wonderfully inclement weather, then when this entourage reached the centre circle, they turned to face us, just as the backing tapes kicked in. Sadly for them the P.A. is Ashton Gate has long history of being very low quality, so as our main man was frantically gesturing for the volume to be turned up, with the microphone well away from his mouth, it came as quite a shock to hear Mr Diamonds voice coming from the speakers high above our heads. Our poor friend in the middle realised that he had been rumbled, but quickly moved the mic so that he could lip-synch his way through the next five or six minutes of excruciating embarrassment.
So in effect what does the act of "Britain's top Neil Diamond tribute act" consist of? Well as far as I could make out it's a sparkly shirt and an American accent (he did speak to the bemused crowd on a couple of occasions). I hope he was well paid for his work, in a strange sort of way it was the most entertaining thing we saw all evening.
The film "Sideways" has received almost universal price from the critics, however I must admit that initially I did not warm to it. It had the makings of a generic "mismatched buddy" film with little new to say. Yet as the film developed the quality of the script and the performances to it to another level.
As for Elvis - well he was just fantastic, one of his best shows for years in Bristol.
Firstly the sad case of the football, Friday nights home defeat looks like it could be the hammer blow to our hopes of making the promotion play-off's. It's hard to know where to start when talking about city at the moment, the team just are not functioning at any sort of reasonable level.
Still we did have one highlight, the amazingly awful half time entertainment! Now the weather on Friday evening was pretty shocking, the wind and rain swirled around Ashton Gate with an energy that our woeful team never came close to matching. The perfect conditions then for a portly middle aged gentlemen and his two underdressed assistants to wander on to the pitch, in order to confirm his status as "Britain's top Neil Diamond tribute act" The concept of a pecking order for tribute acts such as this is a strange one indeed.
The voluminous sparkly blue shirt and flowing (but thinning) hair where funny enough to observe in this wonderfully inclement weather, then when this entourage reached the centre circle, they turned to face us, just as the backing tapes kicked in. Sadly for them the P.A. is Ashton Gate has long history of being very low quality, so as our main man was frantically gesturing for the volume to be turned up, with the microphone well away from his mouth, it came as quite a shock to hear Mr Diamonds voice coming from the speakers high above our heads. Our poor friend in the middle realised that he had been rumbled, but quickly moved the mic so that he could lip-synch his way through the next five or six minutes of excruciating embarrassment.
So in effect what does the act of "Britain's top Neil Diamond tribute act" consist of? Well as far as I could make out it's a sparkly shirt and an American accent (he did speak to the bemused crowd on a couple of occasions). I hope he was well paid for his work, in a strange sort of way it was the most entertaining thing we saw all evening.
The film "Sideways" has received almost universal price from the critics, however I must admit that initially I did not warm to it. It had the makings of a generic "mismatched buddy" film with little new to say. Yet as the film developed the quality of the script and the performances to it to another level.
As for Elvis - well he was just fantastic, one of his best shows for years in Bristol.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
On Sunday evening we had a chance to enter the strange and mercurial world of Adam Green again. The last time we saw him was, oh yonks ago when he was in full Robin Hood outfit as one half of Mouldy Peaches, when they supported The Strokes at The Fleece.
This time he was headlining the same venue, under his own name. Although the place was not at the crush levels which were witnessed on the night of The Strokes gig a pretty healthy crowd turned up to see what he had in store for us. No costumes to report on this occasion, but the same dry sense of humour was well to fore, as he shimmied his way through a succession of hilariously pathetic "moves", whilst gently putting the people of Bristol in their place.
The music was simple and straightforward, ensuring that the full range of his very strange lyrics could be easily heard. In the main, the crowd loved in it, although one poor chap behind us was obviously distressed that Mr Green made a couple of mistakes regarding geographical references to this part of the world and was so manifestly un-"rock" as to be virtually cotton
wool. That is really the delight of the Adam Green live performance. You feel as though you could be watching some sort of camp, cabaret show from the 1950's a delightfully knowing and self assured performance, some of the songs aren't bad either.
Talking of music our friends Fuzz Against Junk have been added to the bill at forthcoming Tsunami benefit gigs in Bristol. Orynthia and I are actually going to be working as part of the production team for the event. We don't yet know exactly what they have planned for us, but we will be working as part of a small team from Thursday to Sunday trying to ensure that things run as smoothly as they can. Should be an interesting few days!
Less happy news is that The Metropol, the excellent venue in Bedminster which opened before Xmas has fallen foul of licensing laws and has been forced to cancel all upcoming gigs. Hopefully they will able to get the issues resolved, it's exactly the sort of place that Bristol needs.
I must also say how much I am loving the latest album from The Dears - No Cities left. It's just fantastic!
Books - Forgot to say that I finished Murakami's latest - "Kafka On The Shore" a couple of weeks ago. Thoroughly enjoyable, although not quite in the top echelon of his work. At the moment I have a couple of books on the go Francis Wheen's "How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered The world" and Jonathan Franzens collection of essays from a few years ago "How To Be Alone". Both of them are great reads, Wheens free wheeling attack on superstition, greed and hypocrisy takes the moral and intellectual high ground from the start, launching into a variety of targets with gusto. Franzens is a slightly more
contemplative book as he ruminates of everything from the death of the American novel, to the state the postal service. They make a good pair, so I've been reading chapters from each book in turn.
This time he was headlining the same venue, under his own name. Although the place was not at the crush levels which were witnessed on the night of The Strokes gig a pretty healthy crowd turned up to see what he had in store for us. No costumes to report on this occasion, but the same dry sense of humour was well to fore, as he shimmied his way through a succession of hilariously pathetic "moves", whilst gently putting the people of Bristol in their place.
The music was simple and straightforward, ensuring that the full range of his very strange lyrics could be easily heard. In the main, the crowd loved in it, although one poor chap behind us was obviously distressed that Mr Green made a couple of mistakes regarding geographical references to this part of the world and was so manifestly un-"rock" as to be virtually cotton
wool. That is really the delight of the Adam Green live performance. You feel as though you could be watching some sort of camp, cabaret show from the 1950's a delightfully knowing and self assured performance, some of the songs aren't bad either.
Talking of music our friends Fuzz Against Junk have been added to the bill at forthcoming Tsunami benefit gigs in Bristol. Orynthia and I are actually going to be working as part of the production team for the event. We don't yet know exactly what they have planned for us, but we will be working as part of a small team from Thursday to Sunday trying to ensure that things run as smoothly as they can. Should be an interesting few days!
Less happy news is that The Metropol, the excellent venue in Bedminster which opened before Xmas has fallen foul of licensing laws and has been forced to cancel all upcoming gigs. Hopefully they will able to get the issues resolved, it's exactly the sort of place that Bristol needs.
I must also say how much I am loving the latest album from The Dears - No Cities left. It's just fantastic!
Books - Forgot to say that I finished Murakami's latest - "Kafka On The Shore" a couple of weeks ago. Thoroughly enjoyable, although not quite in the top echelon of his work. At the moment I have a couple of books on the go Francis Wheen's "How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered The world" and Jonathan Franzens collection of essays from a few years ago "How To Be Alone". Both of them are great reads, Wheens free wheeling attack on superstition, greed and hypocrisy takes the moral and intellectual high ground from the start, launching into a variety of targets with gusto. Franzens is a slightly more
contemplative book as he ruminates of everything from the death of the American novel, to the state the postal service. They make a good pair, so I've been reading chapters from each book in turn.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Well, what a hectic week off that was.
Firstly we had a leisurely drive through mid and north Wales, for our visit to Snowdonia. The views became increasing more beautiful the further north we travelled. We had an overnight stay in a lovely, if slightly ramshackle B&B in Betws-Y - Coed, before driving around the mountains the next day.
The scenery was spectacular, heightened if anything by the amazing weather fluctuations. One minute rain, then fog, the next bright sunshine, then somehow all three at the same time - leading to bizarre changes in the views as we drove along the narrow and winding roads.
Wednesday saw us staying in Bristol for the day, zipping around in tourist style using our bus pass to hop on and off any bus which took our fancy.
Then on Thursday it was an early start in preparation for our flying visit to Belfast. Given the history of recent years, it's hardly surprising that Belfast has a strange feel to it. Whilst I'm sure huge strides have been made in the past 10 years, the centre of town it somewhat lacking in character. Although it has to be said that The Crown pub is absolutely fantastic, as is City Hall. We took a bus ride around the sights of Belfast which inevitably includes the Shankill and Falls Road area's. The level of division in those communities are still shocking, let's hope that the peace process can run it's full course and that people never have to live in conditions like that again. Some famous words from Johnny Rotten kept ringing through my head as drove round the more desolate parts of town "A cheap holiday in other peoples misery". Whilst things are looking up for the people at the moment it looks as though many of them still have a long way to go before they can live in a situation which most of us in the rest of the UK (or Ireland) would consider normal.
Everyone we spoke to was delightful, friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. I wish them all well for the future.
On Friday we spent our 18th wedding anniversary by having a rather decadent lunch in the luxurious surroundings of the Royal Hotel in Bristol. The meal cost twice as much as our trip to Belfast, it was a chance to put on our glad rags and live the high live for a few hours, and very nice it was too.
Firstly we had a leisurely drive through mid and north Wales, for our visit to Snowdonia. The views became increasing more beautiful the further north we travelled. We had an overnight stay in a lovely, if slightly ramshackle B&B in Betws-Y - Coed, before driving around the mountains the next day.
The scenery was spectacular, heightened if anything by the amazing weather fluctuations. One minute rain, then fog, the next bright sunshine, then somehow all three at the same time - leading to bizarre changes in the views as we drove along the narrow and winding roads.
Wednesday saw us staying in Bristol for the day, zipping around in tourist style using our bus pass to hop on and off any bus which took our fancy.
Then on Thursday it was an early start in preparation for our flying visit to Belfast. Given the history of recent years, it's hardly surprising that Belfast has a strange feel to it. Whilst I'm sure huge strides have been made in the past 10 years, the centre of town it somewhat lacking in character. Although it has to be said that The Crown pub is absolutely fantastic, as is City Hall. We took a bus ride around the sights of Belfast which inevitably includes the Shankill and Falls Road area's. The level of division in those communities are still shocking, let's hope that the peace process can run it's full course and that people never have to live in conditions like that again. Some famous words from Johnny Rotten kept ringing through my head as drove round the more desolate parts of town "A cheap holiday in other peoples misery". Whilst things are looking up for the people at the moment it looks as though many of them still have a long way to go before they can live in a situation which most of us in the rest of the UK (or Ireland) would consider normal.
Everyone we spoke to was delightful, friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. I wish them all well for the future.
On Friday we spent our 18th wedding anniversary by having a rather decadent lunch in the luxurious surroundings of the Royal Hotel in Bristol. The meal cost twice as much as our trip to Belfast, it was a chance to put on our glad rags and live the high live for a few hours, and very nice it was too.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Sunday, January 30, 2005
We're off to Snowdonia for a couple of days, before going to Belfast on Thursday. Sounds like a pretty good way to use our week off.
Last night we went to see 2046 at The Watershed. As with director Wong Kar-Wai's previous film "In The Mood For Love" it's a sumptuious visual treat. The slightlty strained plot is not always easy to follow, but when it comes to atmosphere and style few people can touch him, it's like bathing your eyes in honey.
A shock 6-0 win for Bryan Munich today, for once we had 15 players, so we could really use the rolling subs rule. It certainly paid off, now we can't wait for the next match.
Last night we went to see 2046 at The Watershed. As with director Wong Kar-Wai's previous film "In The Mood For Love" it's a sumptuious visual treat. The slightlty strained plot is not always easy to follow, but when it comes to atmosphere and style few people can touch him, it's like bathing your eyes in honey.
A shock 6-0 win for Bryan Munich today, for once we had 15 players, so we could really use the rolling subs rule. It certainly paid off, now we can't wait for the next match.
Friday, January 28, 2005
Talking of the 70's (which I was earlier), I've been thinking about my complete inability to wear anything which looked even remotely good during my school days.
It appears that kids these days know exactly what they want to wear the moment they emerge from the womb, "Take that Next baby grow away - I'll only be seen in ...(add your designer label of choice)". For me it was all so different, I was the classic kid who has his clothes bought for him by his mum. According to Orynthia, the photographic evidence from that period indicates that I was in receipt of some rather fine knitwear.
My main memory however is of complete bafflement as my schoolmates emerged butterfly like into adolescence, wearing all manner of clothing which was wider, brighter and texturally stranger than anything I could understand. In hindsight I suppose that my mother protected me from the worst excesses of the period, however to compensate for that I was subjected to a collection of clothes which were sensible to the point unreasonableness.
In the later stages of my schooling, a quiet rebellion of sorts started to rumble, within my nylon clad chest. I decided that the black sensible shoes from the Tuff factory outlet shop in Kingswood were no longer right for me. I put my foot down (no doubt clad in the black plastic shoe of my mothers choice) and said that I needed to have a pair of platforms, like every other boy in my school. Of course it was a dreadful mistake, the hideous pair of brown shoes I chose were ugly, ungainly and ultimately unwearable. Needless to say, fairly soon I was dutifully following my mum back to Kingswood for another pair of generic black shoes.
An earlier, more painfully memory around schoolboy clothing, is of my first trip to school in long trousers. This was in good old days of junior school, which is probably known as "year zero" or something in the new fangled American style school systems which we have now. I guess that I was probably one of the last 3 or 4 boys in my class who was still turning up for school, on freezing cold winter mornings wearing dark grey shorts and socks, which were nicely offset by the lovely blue of my freezing legs.
Eventually my parents took pity on me and I was taken to Hodges on Fishponds Road for a pair of full length trousers. The following Monday, I proudly marched into school feeling every inch the mature young man about town. Sadly disaster lurked just around the corner, that day my classmates and I embarked upon the making of a spectacular papier-mâché creation. I eagerly joined my young friends as we set about the task of creating a wonderful mountainous landscape.
The day ended with us standing back, admiring our handiwork, quite impressive it was too for a bunch of 8 year olds. I did what I'd been doing all day, wiped my gluey, gunky hands on my trousers! Then for the first time I looked at my previously impressive new leg wear - OH NO! They were of course covered in the detritus of our endeavours.
I returned home and was greeted by my stony faced mother, the next day I was back in the shorts. I had proved that I was not yet ready for the extra responsibility that comes with being grown up and the guardian of full length trousers. It was several weeks before, I was given the chance to test my maturity again.
It appears that kids these days know exactly what they want to wear the moment they emerge from the womb, "Take that Next baby grow away - I'll only be seen in ...(add your designer label of choice)". For me it was all so different, I was the classic kid who has his clothes bought for him by his mum. According to Orynthia, the photographic evidence from that period indicates that I was in receipt of some rather fine knitwear.
My main memory however is of complete bafflement as my schoolmates emerged butterfly like into adolescence, wearing all manner of clothing which was wider, brighter and texturally stranger than anything I could understand. In hindsight I suppose that my mother protected me from the worst excesses of the period, however to compensate for that I was subjected to a collection of clothes which were sensible to the point unreasonableness.
In the later stages of my schooling, a quiet rebellion of sorts started to rumble, within my nylon clad chest. I decided that the black sensible shoes from the Tuff factory outlet shop in Kingswood were no longer right for me. I put my foot down (no doubt clad in the black plastic shoe of my mothers choice) and said that I needed to have a pair of platforms, like every other boy in my school. Of course it was a dreadful mistake, the hideous pair of brown shoes I chose were ugly, ungainly and ultimately unwearable. Needless to say, fairly soon I was dutifully following my mum back to Kingswood for another pair of generic black shoes.
An earlier, more painfully memory around schoolboy clothing, is of my first trip to school in long trousers. This was in good old days of junior school, which is probably known as "year zero" or something in the new fangled American style school systems which we have now. I guess that I was probably one of the last 3 or 4 boys in my class who was still turning up for school, on freezing cold winter mornings wearing dark grey shorts and socks, which were nicely offset by the lovely blue of my freezing legs.
Eventually my parents took pity on me and I was taken to Hodges on Fishponds Road for a pair of full length trousers. The following Monday, I proudly marched into school feeling every inch the mature young man about town. Sadly disaster lurked just around the corner, that day my classmates and I embarked upon the making of a spectacular papier-mâché creation. I eagerly joined my young friends as we set about the task of creating a wonderful mountainous landscape.
The day ended with us standing back, admiring our handiwork, quite impressive it was too for a bunch of 8 year olds. I did what I'd been doing all day, wiped my gluey, gunky hands on my trousers! Then for the first time I looked at my previously impressive new leg wear - OH NO! They were of course covered in the detritus of our endeavours.
I returned home and was greeted by my stony faced mother, the next day I was back in the shorts. I had proved that I was not yet ready for the extra responsibility that comes with being grown up and the guardian of full length trousers. It was several weeks before, I was given the chance to test my maturity again.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
So last nights American Music Club gig left me none the wiser about the adoration which is often heaped upon the band. Occasionally the quality of the songs really did shine through, but in the main too many of the songs just sounded too clunky and unfocussed, the lyrical quality being lost in the average musical clothes which they were dressed in. I’m glad we went, but I don’t think that we will rush to see them again.
We just caught up with last nights showing of The Rotters Club which started on BBC2 last night. It looks like a perfect recreation of a time in my life which I well remember. Gently funny, yet prepared to show the horror of some of the events of the time, it was an impressive and enjoyable first show. Loved the brilliant review of “Tales From Topographic Oceans” by the Philip Chase character. Ah the happy days of my first flirtations with the world of prog rock.
For a while my musical world consisted purely of the likes of Pink Floyd, ELP, Genesis and Yes. I well remember the smug disdain my friends and I had for anyone who did not enjoy 20 minute songs about some sort of crazy hippy nonsense. Of course within a few years everything had turned full circle and we shook our heads in stunned amazement at our gullibility.
We just caught up with last nights showing of The Rotters Club which started on BBC2 last night. It looks like a perfect recreation of a time in my life which I well remember. Gently funny, yet prepared to show the horror of some of the events of the time, it was an impressive and enjoyable first show. Loved the brilliant review of “Tales From Topographic Oceans” by the Philip Chase character. Ah the happy days of my first flirtations with the world of prog rock.
For a while my musical world consisted purely of the likes of Pink Floyd, ELP, Genesis and Yes. I well remember the smug disdain my friends and I had for anyone who did not enjoy 20 minute songs about some sort of crazy hippy nonsense. Of course within a few years everything had turned full circle and we shook our heads in stunned amazement at our gullibility.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Well it’s been very exciting here over the past couple of days. We bought ourselves a lovely shiny new iMac on Sunday. So now we spend most of our time saying things like “wow, it’s so fast” Indeed it is!
It also means that we finally get to use out ipod with avengence, car journeys will never be the same again.
Tomorrow evening we are going to see American Music Club, must confess that it’s not a band that either of us know much about. Several of our friends are big fans and during the course of Friday evening they (and a few bottles of wine) persuaded us that it was high time we knew about them.
Friday turned into a very long, tipsy and enjoyable evening. A few of us gathered at the excellent Sergio’s to help Babs celebrate her birthday. After a lovely relaxed meal, most of the gang walked back up the hill to our place. The next thing we knew it was 3.30 in the morning. Saturday morning was not good!
Next week we both have the week off work, rather than go on any major trip, we are going to spend some time in Bristol and take a couple of day trips. One of those will be to Belfast. Thanks to Easyjet the pair of us can get there and back again for only £38.00 - at that price it would be rude not to go.
It also means that we finally get to use out ipod with avengence, car journeys will never be the same again.
Tomorrow evening we are going to see American Music Club, must confess that it’s not a band that either of us know much about. Several of our friends are big fans and during the course of Friday evening they (and a few bottles of wine) persuaded us that it was high time we knew about them.
Friday turned into a very long, tipsy and enjoyable evening. A few of us gathered at the excellent Sergio’s to help Babs celebrate her birthday. After a lovely relaxed meal, most of the gang walked back up the hill to our place. The next thing we knew it was 3.30 in the morning. Saturday morning was not good!
Next week we both have the week off work, rather than go on any major trip, we are going to spend some time in Bristol and take a couple of day trips. One of those will be to Belfast. Thanks to Easyjet the pair of us can get there and back again for only £38.00 - at that price it would be rude not to go.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
You can't say that watching Vera Drake is an easy night out. Sure there are quite few laughs in the early stages of the film, as we grow to understand the life of a straightforward looking working class family in London, in the early 1950's. Everything seems set for another "life was hard, but look at the simple pleasures they enjoyed" type wander along a happy nostalgic byway.
Of course that is not what we get. The fabric of the family is ripped apart and all they hold dear is shattered, very slowly and painfully as we watch. The performances are beyond exceptional, much has been written about Imelda Staunton and her performance, everything is true. The way she shrinks and crumbles before you, is so brilliantly portrayed that it left me feeling distinctly uncomfortable and voyeuristic. Much of the strength of the later stages of the film comes from the almost oppressive levels of silence. No words or music to distract you, just watching people realise the consequences of what has gone before, it's amazingly powerful stuff.
When the credits started to roll, nobody in the packed auditorium moved for quite a while. A stunned silence fell over the auditorium, a lady behind me joked to her friend that the film had left her feeling depressed and that she wanted a happy ending. Her friend quickly replied, saying the happy ending is that women no longer have to live under those conditions.
Of course that is not what we get. The fabric of the family is ripped apart and all they hold dear is shattered, very slowly and painfully as we watch. The performances are beyond exceptional, much has been written about Imelda Staunton and her performance, everything is true. The way she shrinks and crumbles before you, is so brilliantly portrayed that it left me feeling distinctly uncomfortable and voyeuristic. Much of the strength of the later stages of the film comes from the almost oppressive levels of silence. No words or music to distract you, just watching people realise the consequences of what has gone before, it's amazingly powerful stuff.
When the credits started to roll, nobody in the packed auditorium moved for quite a while. A stunned silence fell over the auditorium, a lady behind me joked to her friend that the film had left her feeling depressed and that she wanted a happy ending. Her friend quickly replied, saying the happy ending is that women no longer have to live under those conditions.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
On Sunday evening we went to see the revitalised Trashcan Sinatras at The Fleece. After a promising start in the early 90's, they suffered a series of misfortunes which culminated in them being declared bankrupt. Unsurprisingly the few dribbles of music which did emerge in recent years, had lost much of the spark and free flowing glorious melodies which marked them out as a special band.
The gig saw them picking the top tunes from their albums, avoiding in the main the rather more languid approach of some of their work. The crowd was full of men of a certain age and for some reason I found it slightly distressing to see a couple of chaps sporting rugby shirts. I really find the wearing of sportswear for anything other than sport to be totally inexcusable. Stupid I know, but it's my own special prejudice. Then again, it was quite easy to divert my gaze from these sartorially challenged fellows and watch Orynthia beaming from ear to ear, as one of her favourite bands came back to form.
Tonight we are off to the Watershed to see the filmVera Drake. it's rare for a film with such a potentially controversial point of view to receive such widespread acclaim. We popped into the newly expanded Watershed cafe/bar area before Sundays gig, very nice it is too. They have somehow managed to increase the previously tiny no-smoking area quite dramatically. All that we need now is for the refurbishment of cinema 1 & cinema 2 to be completed and all will be well in the world. Well actually that will be the Arnolfini reopens after it's major refit, never could understand why the two best arts places in Bristol had to be partially or totally closed at the same time.
The gig saw them picking the top tunes from their albums, avoiding in the main the rather more languid approach of some of their work. The crowd was full of men of a certain age and for some reason I found it slightly distressing to see a couple of chaps sporting rugby shirts. I really find the wearing of sportswear for anything other than sport to be totally inexcusable. Stupid I know, but it's my own special prejudice. Then again, it was quite easy to divert my gaze from these sartorially challenged fellows and watch Orynthia beaming from ear to ear, as one of her favourite bands came back to form.
Tonight we are off to the Watershed to see the filmVera Drake. it's rare for a film with such a potentially controversial point of view to receive such widespread acclaim. We popped into the newly expanded Watershed cafe/bar area before Sundays gig, very nice it is too. They have somehow managed to increase the previously tiny no-smoking area quite dramatically. All that we need now is for the refurbishment of cinema 1 & cinema 2 to be completed and all will be well in the world. Well actually that will be the Arnolfini reopens after it's major refit, never could understand why the two best arts places in Bristol had to be partially or totally closed at the same time.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
So the first official word of the Bristol Oxfam Tsunami benefit night has been released go to Crisis in Asia for the initial news. It should be a pretty amazing night – Massive Attack and Portished will be both be playing and indeed collaborating!
There are loads more brilliant performers who names will announced during the run up to the gig, which takes place on February 19th at the Bristol Carling Academy.
If you can’t make it to Bristol for this extraordinary evening you should still be able to see and hear all the action via a live web broadcast.
Gigs are also taking place at The Thekla and The Louisiana on the same night for the same cause, featuring more of Bristol’s finest. If all that wasn’t enough, Saturday 12th will see many of Bristol’s top DJ’s – Boca 45, Geoff Barrow, Daddy G, John Stapleton, Queen Bee and Stereo 8 joining forces to present what should be another brilliant night at the Carling Academy (along with live sets from top Bristol Hop-Hop crew Aspects and the always entertaining Babyhead).
There are loads more brilliant performers who names will announced during the run up to the gig, which takes place on February 19th at the Bristol Carling Academy.
If you can’t make it to Bristol for this extraordinary evening you should still be able to see and hear all the action via a live web broadcast.
Gigs are also taking place at The Thekla and The Louisiana on the same night for the same cause, featuring more of Bristol’s finest. If all that wasn’t enough, Saturday 12th will see many of Bristol’s top DJ’s – Boca 45, Geoff Barrow, Daddy G, John Stapleton, Queen Bee and Stereo 8 joining forces to present what should be another brilliant night at the Carling Academy (along with live sets from top Bristol Hop-Hop crew Aspects and the always entertaining Babyhead).
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Ice on the windscreen this morning, could it signal the start of a colder period of weather? I really enjoy waking up and looking out on a frost covered garden - better still if it's snow. Sadly in Bristol we are blessed with an extremely mild and temperate climate. What a shame.
Nothing quite beats the fun of adding layer upon layer of clothing, before opening the door and plunging into the icy blast. Part of the fun is definitely the dressing up, I must admit to being a bit of a coat junkie and the colder weather is the perfect opportunity to indulge the habit. I've got a couple of overcoats with varying levels of density. My favourite option though is the classic American hunting jacket which I picked up in a Greenwich Village 2nd hand store back in the early 90's.
It weighs about the same as Orynthia and I put together, so it has to be really cold to justify the strain on the shoulders. Should the temperature drop to the required level, this beast of a coat comes into it's own. It comes with a multitude of pockets, including one which appears to around the whole back of the jacket, and is accessible from both hips. At first Orynthia used to joke that it was a hugging pocket, indeed if the huggers arms are long enough to work around those extra layers which have to added to my normally svelte body it would be a lovely thing. Sadly Orynthia's arms proved to little on the short side for a full blooded hug, especially whilst wearing her extra thick winter coat. Then someone told us that lovely voluminous pocket was actually a place for the hunter to keep his catch for the day! Suddenly Orynthia was not so keen to hug me anyway!
I'm at about the halfway point in Kafka On The Shore, the latest Haruki Murakami and it's the proceeding along very nicely. As is often the way with Murakami (and an increasing number of novelists these days) we are lead through the novel by a dual narrative, as we hear the story of two seemingly unconnected people. Inevitably their paths are starting to cross, as they do more questions arise. Some of these issues may get resolved, but Murakami normally likes to leave a few threads hanging in the breeze.
Nothing quite beats the fun of adding layer upon layer of clothing, before opening the door and plunging into the icy blast. Part of the fun is definitely the dressing up, I must admit to being a bit of a coat junkie and the colder weather is the perfect opportunity to indulge the habit. I've got a couple of overcoats with varying levels of density. My favourite option though is the classic American hunting jacket which I picked up in a Greenwich Village 2nd hand store back in the early 90's.
It weighs about the same as Orynthia and I put together, so it has to be really cold to justify the strain on the shoulders. Should the temperature drop to the required level, this beast of a coat comes into it's own. It comes with a multitude of pockets, including one which appears to around the whole back of the jacket, and is accessible from both hips. At first Orynthia used to joke that it was a hugging pocket, indeed if the huggers arms are long enough to work around those extra layers which have to added to my normally svelte body it would be a lovely thing. Sadly Orynthia's arms proved to little on the short side for a full blooded hug, especially whilst wearing her extra thick winter coat. Then someone told us that lovely voluminous pocket was actually a place for the hunter to keep his catch for the day! Suddenly Orynthia was not so keen to hug me anyway!
I'm at about the halfway point in Kafka On The Shore, the latest Haruki Murakami and it's the proceeding along very nicely. As is often the way with Murakami (and an increasing number of novelists these days) we are lead through the novel by a dual narrative, as we hear the story of two seemingly unconnected people. Inevitably their paths are starting to cross, as they do more questions arise. Some of these issues may get resolved, but Murakami normally likes to leave a few threads hanging in the breeze.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Last night I spent an interesting hour or so at the BBC here in Bristol, when I was invited to attend a selection meeting for the BBC Bristol listeners committee. A small group of us gathered to discuss our opinions of various shows which the people at the Whiteladies Road put together.
As the group came together in a reception room, there was that deliciously strange atmosphere that I last experienced on the assessment day for my new job. I may be a bit strange, but I quite enjoy the nervous tension that such gatherings generate. In last nights case most of us spent around 10 minutes in each others company with hardly a word being exchanged. It's always fun trying to guess what sort of personality traits people are going to have from the way they look. Obviously any of them looking at me would have been thinking - well he looks sophisticated, well educated, witty and charming. How disappointed they would have been when I opened my mouth!
When the meeting started the group proved to be a lively bunch, most of my guesses about the respective characters were, as ever hopelessly adrift. My favourite comments came from a woman who lives in a small town quite a way from Bristol, she explained that previously her impression of Bristol was that it was a big, chaotic place which was really best avoided. Recently however some of her family members had moved here and she thought that she had needed to know a bit more about the mysterious place. Consequently she has been listening to Radio Bristol over recent months and found that ratherthan the dark forbidding place she had imagined, Bristol is full of wonderfully varied and interesting places and people. She now finds herself coming into the city to see things which have caught her attention, a pretty good advert for the good that radio can do, when it comes to changing peoples perception of things.
As the group came together in a reception room, there was that deliciously strange atmosphere that I last experienced on the assessment day for my new job. I may be a bit strange, but I quite enjoy the nervous tension that such gatherings generate. In last nights case most of us spent around 10 minutes in each others company with hardly a word being exchanged. It's always fun trying to guess what sort of personality traits people are going to have from the way they look. Obviously any of them looking at me would have been thinking - well he looks sophisticated, well educated, witty and charming. How disappointed they would have been when I opened my mouth!
When the meeting started the group proved to be a lively bunch, most of my guesses about the respective characters were, as ever hopelessly adrift. My favourite comments came from a woman who lives in a small town quite a way from Bristol, she explained that previously her impression of Bristol was that it was a big, chaotic place which was really best avoided. Recently however some of her family members had moved here and she thought that she had needed to know a bit more about the mysterious place. Consequently she has been listening to Radio Bristol over recent months and found that ratherthan the dark forbidding place she had imagined, Bristol is full of wonderfully varied and interesting places and people. She now finds herself coming into the city to see things which have caught her attention, a pretty good advert for the good that radio can do, when it comes to changing peoples perception of things.
Monday, January 10, 2005
So what's been going on around here then? Well Just the usual dashing about really, we popped down to Devon on Saturday to see my dad. As ever when weare planning a trip to that part of the world, something goes awry with the weather, so it came as no surprise to see the weather forecasts predicting doom and gloom, with the occasional side helping of plague and pestilence thrown in for good measure.
As it happens thinks weren't as bad as expected, the heavy winds and rain of Friday evening left us relatively unscathed in this part of the world, leading to trouble free journeys both ways. Whilst at my Dad's we amused ourselves by watching the crazy antics of thesheep in the field on the other side of the valley as they ran around in ever decreasing circles. Who needs TV?
Later, we joined in the general excitement in the Devon area, as non league Exeter City managed to hold Manchester United to a draw at Old Trafford. The Radio Devon live coverage was only on good old crackly medium wave, so for the last 20 minutes of the game poor dad was getting himself into increasing bizarre positions as he tried to manipulate the aerial into a location where the ever decreasing signal would hold. Memories of night time radio listening came rushing back from my teenage years, as the commentary reception ebbed and flowed, whist all the time the wonderfully exotic sounds of Bhangra would be battling for supremacy. We just about managed to hear the end of the game, what a wonderful performance by Exeter!
Talking of radio, Sunday marked the end of the temporary broadcasts by the team at Caroline Rocks. I've really enjoyed having a different source of musical entertainment and the occasional technical glitches just made it even more fun. The weekend broadcasts from Adrian and Geoff of the group Portishead saw them confirm their participation in the forthcoming tsunami relief fund benefit gig. This is the gig which I mentioned previously and if all goes to plan a host of great names are also due to take part. Hopefully it should raise lots and lots of money for this most worthwhile of causes.
As it happens thinks weren't as bad as expected, the heavy winds and rain of Friday evening left us relatively unscathed in this part of the world, leading to trouble free journeys both ways. Whilst at my Dad's we amused ourselves by watching the crazy antics of thesheep in the field on the other side of the valley as they ran around in ever decreasing circles. Who needs TV?
Later, we joined in the general excitement in the Devon area, as non league Exeter City managed to hold Manchester United to a draw at Old Trafford. The Radio Devon live coverage was only on good old crackly medium wave, so for the last 20 minutes of the game poor dad was getting himself into increasing bizarre positions as he tried to manipulate the aerial into a location where the ever decreasing signal would hold. Memories of night time radio listening came rushing back from my teenage years, as the commentary reception ebbed and flowed, whist all the time the wonderfully exotic sounds of Bhangra would be battling for supremacy. We just about managed to hear the end of the game, what a wonderful performance by Exeter!
Talking of radio, Sunday marked the end of the temporary broadcasts by the team at Caroline Rocks. I've really enjoyed having a different source of musical entertainment and the occasional technical glitches just made it even more fun. The weekend broadcasts from Adrian and Geoff of the group Portishead saw them confirm their participation in the forthcoming tsunami relief fund benefit gig. This is the gig which I mentioned previously and if all goes to plan a host of great names are also due to take part. Hopefully it should raise lots and lots of money for this most worthwhile of causes.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Two things to be very pleased about if you live in Bristol.
1) Arbi ‘n’ Tap – Fantastic floating café type place moored just across from The Watershed. Wonderful tea and coffee (including coffee made with condensed milk!), fantastic cakes and all manner of quirky and delightful furnishings and fittings (many of which you can buy).
2) The reopened Sergio’s restaurant. Now conveniently located only a short walk from our house. Amazingly tasty and inventive, yet unpretentious it’s the perfect local restaurant and better still it’s a B.Y.O.
1) Arbi ‘n’ Tap – Fantastic floating café type place moored just across from The Watershed. Wonderful tea and coffee (including coffee made with condensed milk!), fantastic cakes and all manner of quirky and delightful furnishings and fittings (many of which you can buy).
2) The reopened Sergio’s restaurant. Now conveniently located only a short walk from our house. Amazingly tasty and inventive, yet unpretentious it’s the perfect local restaurant and better still it’s a B.Y.O.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Well the whole Xmas / New Year shebang is almost over; soon it will be time to get on with real life again.
Sadly much of the period has been dominated by the truly stunning and hideous news from South East Asia. We spent an anxious hour or so trying to establish whether Orynthia’s relatives in Burma would be affected. Luckily for them, although sadly not for so many thousands of others in the region, the news was good.
We have had a reasonably quiet time of it, which has been quite nice. It was a sure sign of the advancing years of my friends and I, when it emerged that all of us chatting in the Nova Scotia before BCFC’s new years day match had spent the preceding evening either at home or at a friends house. The days of wild nights on the town appear to be over. As midnight approached Orynthia and I were actually getting soundly thrashed at Scrabble by Orynthia’s mum – how rock n’ roll!
So after the turmoil of 2004, what do we have to look forward to in 2005? Well first up is the long awaited new novel from Haruki Murakami – Kafka On The Shore, which will be with us on January 6th. His only worthy UK challenger, David Mitchell has the paperback version of his latest work – Cloud Atlas, published on February 21st. Lot’s of live music to look forward to over the next 6 or 7 weeks, Adam Green, Sondre Lerche, The Go! Team, Elvis Costello, Nick Cave, Trashcan Sinatras to name a few. There could also be a very special Bristol event to raise money for the disaster relief fund, but the plans are still sketchy at the moment, so I can’t say too much.
Talking of things musical, during this festive period the good people of Bristol have been enjoying the treat of having an alternative radio station again. Radio Caroline or Caroline Rocks as it is now known had been broadcasting on 87.7FM. People who aren’t lucky enough to live here can always listen via the net at the Caroline Rocks website. In fact if you tune in this Monday evening at around 10:30 you will be able to hear a live set from top local lads Aspen Woods.
Oh and I’ve added another blog to bookmarks – Cage Of Monkeys, well worth taking a look at if you are interested in music.
Sadly much of the period has been dominated by the truly stunning and hideous news from South East Asia. We spent an anxious hour or so trying to establish whether Orynthia’s relatives in Burma would be affected. Luckily for them, although sadly not for so many thousands of others in the region, the news was good.
We have had a reasonably quiet time of it, which has been quite nice. It was a sure sign of the advancing years of my friends and I, when it emerged that all of us chatting in the Nova Scotia before BCFC’s new years day match had spent the preceding evening either at home or at a friends house. The days of wild nights on the town appear to be over. As midnight approached Orynthia and I were actually getting soundly thrashed at Scrabble by Orynthia’s mum – how rock n’ roll!
So after the turmoil of 2004, what do we have to look forward to in 2005? Well first up is the long awaited new novel from Haruki Murakami – Kafka On The Shore, which will be with us on January 6th. His only worthy UK challenger, David Mitchell has the paperback version of his latest work – Cloud Atlas, published on February 21st. Lot’s of live music to look forward to over the next 6 or 7 weeks, Adam Green, Sondre Lerche, The Go! Team, Elvis Costello, Nick Cave, Trashcan Sinatras to name a few. There could also be a very special Bristol event to raise money for the disaster relief fund, but the plans are still sketchy at the moment, so I can’t say too much.
Talking of things musical, during this festive period the good people of Bristol have been enjoying the treat of having an alternative radio station again. Radio Caroline or Caroline Rocks as it is now known had been broadcasting on 87.7FM. People who aren’t lucky enough to live here can always listen via the net at the Caroline Rocks website. In fact if you tune in this Monday evening at around 10:30 you will be able to hear a live set from top local lads Aspen Woods.
Oh and I’ve added another blog to bookmarks – Cage Of Monkeys, well worth taking a look at if you are interested in music.