First there were too many holes in Blackburn, Lancashire (4,000 to be precise) but now it seems there are too many ice cream men vying for trade.
Recently there was an altercation between Mr Whippy and Mr Yummy as one tried to undercut the prices of the other. Things became frosty between the pair when Mr Yummy used a tyre lever to smash Mr Whippy's window. In retaliation Mr Whippy rammed Mr Yummy's van. Of course Mr Softee was nowhere to be seen, no doubt cowering some distance away. Someone must have dialled 99 (sorry, 999) as PC Plod arrived to try to thaw things between Yummy and Whippy.
It seems that the town isn't big enough for the both of them. They both sound a bit flakey to me!
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Monday, 18 June 2012
Bloomsday
In case you missed it, Saturday was Bloomsday, a celebration of one day in the life of Leopold Bloom. The day in question was 16th June 1904, the day depicted in the novel 'Ulysses' by James Joyce. By way of tribute BBC Radio 4 devoted the full day to broadcasting James Joyce related stuff including a five and a half hour adaptation of the novel.
Having attempted to read the book when I was in my late teens or early twenties, I wondered why. Personally I found it to be totally incomprehensible. I must confess that I came to the work of Joyce by a rather circuitous route. Somehow I had discovered the works of Dylan Thomas and I was particularly into his prose as opposed to his poetry (perhaps that is a theme for a future blog). One of his collections of short stories is entitled 'Portrait of The Artist as a Young Dog' which at that tender age I thought was a pretty cool title. I then learnt that Thomas had adapted that from 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man', a semi-autobiographical novel by James Joyce. That brought me to 'Ulysses', considered by some to be Joyce's greatest work.
The book takes the reader through one day in the life of Leopold Bloom doing unspectacular things like having kidneys for breakfast, wandering around Dublin, eating a sandwich and being tormented by the unfaithfulness of his wife Molly Bloom. I believe that it was considered revolutionary at the time because of the use of first person monologues. However, it was also banned in Britain for many years as it was considered obscene. The Director of Public Prosecutions at the time declared, 'Many passages are indecent and entirely unsuitable to bring to the attention of either sex'. Nevertheless, that has not stopped academics pouring over the novel seeking the enigmas and puzzles that Joyce claimed to have put into it. He also claimed that academics would spend centuries trying to find them!
The book clearly has many followers and even today Dublin thrives on fans who are intent on following the 'Ulysses' trail around the city. It is also cited in most polls as one of the greatest books of the 20th century. Personally I don't get it, I never got that far through the book but I gather that it ends with a sentence that runs to sixty two pages! See what I mean by incomprehensible?
Anyway if I should have whetted your appetite, the adaptation can be heard on BBC iPlayer.
Good luck.
Having attempted to read the book when I was in my late teens or early twenties, I wondered why. Personally I found it to be totally incomprehensible. I must confess that I came to the work of Joyce by a rather circuitous route. Somehow I had discovered the works of Dylan Thomas and I was particularly into his prose as opposed to his poetry (perhaps that is a theme for a future blog). One of his collections of short stories is entitled 'Portrait of The Artist as a Young Dog' which at that tender age I thought was a pretty cool title. I then learnt that Thomas had adapted that from 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man', a semi-autobiographical novel by James Joyce. That brought me to 'Ulysses', considered by some to be Joyce's greatest work.
The book takes the reader through one day in the life of Leopold Bloom doing unspectacular things like having kidneys for breakfast, wandering around Dublin, eating a sandwich and being tormented by the unfaithfulness of his wife Molly Bloom. I believe that it was considered revolutionary at the time because of the use of first person monologues. However, it was also banned in Britain for many years as it was considered obscene. The Director of Public Prosecutions at the time declared, 'Many passages are indecent and entirely unsuitable to bring to the attention of either sex'. Nevertheless, that has not stopped academics pouring over the novel seeking the enigmas and puzzles that Joyce claimed to have put into it. He also claimed that academics would spend centuries trying to find them!
The book clearly has many followers and even today Dublin thrives on fans who are intent on following the 'Ulysses' trail around the city. It is also cited in most polls as one of the greatest books of the 20th century. Personally I don't get it, I never got that far through the book but I gather that it ends with a sentence that runs to sixty two pages! See what I mean by incomprehensible?
Anyway if I should have whetted your appetite, the adaptation can be heard on BBC iPlayer.
Good luck.
Monday, 11 June 2012
Anais Mitchell & The Young Man Band at The Cluny2, Newcastle
I usually miss support acts these days through spending too much time in the bar. However last night the Cluny 2 was filling up early for Anais Mitchell so I took my seat in time to catch O'Hooley & Tidow who were providing the support. I'm glad I did as Belinda O'Hooley (formerly of The Unthanks) and Heidi Tidow provided us with a magical thirty minutes or so. With Belinda providing piano backing for most of the set, their voices intertwined beautifully, whether on their own unusual and thought provoking songs, or more traditional numbers. I found them very original and will be seeking out their latest album 'The Fragile'.
After a short break, Anais Mitchell and her three piece Young Man Band took to the stage without any introduction and immediately began strumming the opening chords to 'Ships', the hauntingly beautiful closing song from 'Young Man In America'.
I firmly believe that her songs are strong enough to be performed solo with just acoustic guitar accompaniment but nevertheless I was pleased that she was supported by this small band as it helped to flesh out the sound and partially recreate the atmosphere of her current album. The band is made up of husband/bassist Noah Hahn, long time collaborator Rachel Ries on keyboards, guitar and percussion and all round clever dick Ben Davis who played drums, glockenspiel, guitar, keyboards, banjo and assorted percussion.
Having almost reached the end of a mammoth tour to promote the album (they have one remaining gig at Dingwall's in London this Tuesday) they admitted to being sad and happy that it was coming to an end. Anais appears to enjoy visiting Newcastle and meeting the Geordie people. She even confessed to having watched one episode of 'Geordie Shore' and was now trying to fit the word "mortal" into conversations. I wish her luck with that one.
After seven superbly performed numbers mainly from the latest album, Anais was left alone on stage with her acoustic guitar. She invited requests from the audience and in response we were treated to a fine version of 'Venus'. Someone called for a Bob Dylan song and she duly obliged with a lovely version of 'A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall' during which you could have heard a pin drop. The audience were mesmerised. I'm no expert but she appeared to remember all the words in the right order and she sang and played beautifully. Sigh! If only Dylan could do that these days.
Rejoined on stage by the band members they then played a song from her 2004 album 'Hymns For The Exiled', which I am not yet familiar with, but if this song is typical of the album, I will rectify that soon. 'Tailor' followed, a song which had been played on her last visit to Newcastle, long before it was released. The set then ended with 'You Are Forgiven'.
Long applause and loud cheers brought them back to the stage for 'That's Why We Build The Wall' taken from her previous album 'Hadestown'. Then sadly it was all over.
Anais Mitchell is clearly a major talent and I am pleased I have now discovered her music. One guy told me that he had been following her (not literally) for eight years and was never disappointed with her albums or live shows. Personally I'm jumping on the proverbial bandwagon now. Roll on her next visit.
There are several You Tube clips of Anais Mitchell performing live and I know that several more will be available from last night's gig. Check them out if you can. Also I highly recommend 'Young Man in America', in my opinion the best album of the year so far. No mean feat considering we have seen releases this year from Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Jack White and Leonard Cohen.
After a short break, Anais Mitchell and her three piece Young Man Band took to the stage without any introduction and immediately began strumming the opening chords to 'Ships', the hauntingly beautiful closing song from 'Young Man In America'.
I firmly believe that her songs are strong enough to be performed solo with just acoustic guitar accompaniment but nevertheless I was pleased that she was supported by this small band as it helped to flesh out the sound and partially recreate the atmosphere of her current album. The band is made up of husband/bassist Noah Hahn, long time collaborator Rachel Ries on keyboards, guitar and percussion and all round clever dick Ben Davis who played drums, glockenspiel, guitar, keyboards, banjo and assorted percussion.
Having almost reached the end of a mammoth tour to promote the album (they have one remaining gig at Dingwall's in London this Tuesday) they admitted to being sad and happy that it was coming to an end. Anais appears to enjoy visiting Newcastle and meeting the Geordie people. She even confessed to having watched one episode of 'Geordie Shore' and was now trying to fit the word "mortal" into conversations. I wish her luck with that one.
After seven superbly performed numbers mainly from the latest album, Anais was left alone on stage with her acoustic guitar. She invited requests from the audience and in response we were treated to a fine version of 'Venus'. Someone called for a Bob Dylan song and she duly obliged with a lovely version of 'A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall' during which you could have heard a pin drop. The audience were mesmerised. I'm no expert but she appeared to remember all the words in the right order and she sang and played beautifully. Sigh! If only Dylan could do that these days.
Rejoined on stage by the band members they then played a song from her 2004 album 'Hymns For The Exiled', which I am not yet familiar with, but if this song is typical of the album, I will rectify that soon. 'Tailor' followed, a song which had been played on her last visit to Newcastle, long before it was released. The set then ended with 'You Are Forgiven'.
Long applause and loud cheers brought them back to the stage for 'That's Why We Build The Wall' taken from her previous album 'Hadestown'. Then sadly it was all over.
Anais Mitchell is clearly a major talent and I am pleased I have now discovered her music. One guy told me that he had been following her (not literally) for eight years and was never disappointed with her albums or live shows. Personally I'm jumping on the proverbial bandwagon now. Roll on her next visit.
There are several You Tube clips of Anais Mitchell performing live and I know that several more will be available from last night's gig. Check them out if you can. Also I highly recommend 'Young Man in America', in my opinion the best album of the year so far. No mean feat considering we have seen releases this year from Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Jack White and Leonard Cohen.
Friday, 8 June 2012
Flaming June
I've found little time this week for blogging but over a mug of coffee this morning, while gazing out at the rain and wind swept trees, I flicked through a few photos stored on the laptop. These were of a few local scenes I snapped while we were having our summer. You may remember that - it happened back in May!
I decided to post a few in the hope they may cheer you up. It worked for me. (Or maybe it was the coffee).
Nice to see blue sky again isn't it?
Off to see the wonderful Anais Mitchell (see 28th May) on Sunday evening. Looking forward to that and hope to give my views (and some photos) in a future blog.
Till next time.
I decided to post a few in the hope they may cheer you up. It worked for me. (Or maybe it was the coffee).
Nice to see blue sky again isn't it?
Off to see the wonderful Anais Mitchell (see 28th May) on Sunday evening. Looking forward to that and hope to give my views (and some photos) in a future blog.
Till next time.
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Terry Reid - Gateshead Old Town Hall
He was introduced onto stage as the man who has a TV programme named after him. The Voice - Mr Terry Reid!
And so the hundred or so people who had managed to obtain tickets, welcomed him to the stage, resplendent in pale blue jacket over blue shirt, white jeans and black deck shoes. His dress as eccentric as the man himself. There was a brief reference to the last time he performed in Gateshead when by his own admission he was "really unwell". Now thankfully he seems in far better spirits.
Reid is currently at the beginning of a tour which will culminate at the Isle of Wight Festival on 23rd June. That got him talking about his first visit to the festival site back in 1970. He shared a tale of how Keith Moon of The Who burned his hands larking about with arc lamps prior to going on stage. That is very much part of Reid's stage show these days. It's almost as much about the stories of encounters with other well known rock names as it is about the music. Call it name dropping if you will but I think it is just Terry Reid enjoying himself.
During the two hours he was on stage, the audience were treated to several such stories. Then of course there was the music we had all come to hear. Kicking off with 'Bend in the River' a song by Marty Robbins, he then launched into his own material. 'Faith to Arise', followed by a more recent song 'Night of the Raging Storm' about the effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Then one of my personal favourites 'To Be Treated Rite' which was in turn followed by 'The River'. Between songs Reid kept up his patter. Delivering stories in his own eccentric way utilising strange hand movements and expressions. This is all very much part of the Terry Reid persona.
A new song still in the development stages came next and then Reid did his own take on The Beach Boys' 'Don't Worry Baby'. Stories about his time living in Hong Kong led to a song written during that period and he then delivered a wonderful version of 'Brave Awakening' his acknowledgement to the coal mining roots of his family. This is a song which has been recently covered by Rumer (Sarah Joyce) on her album 'Boys Don't Cry' in which she gives her interpretation of songs by people like Townes Van Zandt, Ronnie Lane and Todd Rundgren. It demonstrates that there is a younger audience who will appreciate these songs. A conversation between Rumer and Terry Reid has subsequently led to them agreeing to perform together at The Jazz Cafe in a couple of weeks time.
By this time, the curfew hour had arrived and Reid was getting signals to wind up his set. He seemed in no mood to stop but after 'Seed of Memory' he said his thanks and ambled off stage to rapturous applause.
The voice is now a little rougher round the edges than it once was but then that can be said about a number of his contemporaries. Nevertheless he can still belt out a song and with his repertoire of songs and stories, a night in his presence is never less than entertaining.
And so the hundred or so people who had managed to obtain tickets, welcomed him to the stage, resplendent in pale blue jacket over blue shirt, white jeans and black deck shoes. His dress as eccentric as the man himself. There was a brief reference to the last time he performed in Gateshead when by his own admission he was "really unwell". Now thankfully he seems in far better spirits.
Reid is currently at the beginning of a tour which will culminate at the Isle of Wight Festival on 23rd June. That got him talking about his first visit to the festival site back in 1970. He shared a tale of how Keith Moon of The Who burned his hands larking about with arc lamps prior to going on stage. That is very much part of Reid's stage show these days. It's almost as much about the stories of encounters with other well known rock names as it is about the music. Call it name dropping if you will but I think it is just Terry Reid enjoying himself.
During the two hours he was on stage, the audience were treated to several such stories. Then of course there was the music we had all come to hear. Kicking off with 'Bend in the River' a song by Marty Robbins, he then launched into his own material. 'Faith to Arise', followed by a more recent song 'Night of the Raging Storm' about the effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Then one of my personal favourites 'To Be Treated Rite' which was in turn followed by 'The River'. Between songs Reid kept up his patter. Delivering stories in his own eccentric way utilising strange hand movements and expressions. This is all very much part of the Terry Reid persona.
A new song still in the development stages came next and then Reid did his own take on The Beach Boys' 'Don't Worry Baby'. Stories about his time living in Hong Kong led to a song written during that period and he then delivered a wonderful version of 'Brave Awakening' his acknowledgement to the coal mining roots of his family. This is a song which has been recently covered by Rumer (Sarah Joyce) on her album 'Boys Don't Cry' in which she gives her interpretation of songs by people like Townes Van Zandt, Ronnie Lane and Todd Rundgren. It demonstrates that there is a younger audience who will appreciate these songs. A conversation between Rumer and Terry Reid has subsequently led to them agreeing to perform together at The Jazz Cafe in a couple of weeks time.
By this time, the curfew hour had arrived and Reid was getting signals to wind up his set. He seemed in no mood to stop but after 'Seed of Memory' he said his thanks and ambled off stage to rapturous applause.
The voice is now a little rougher round the edges than it once was but then that can be said about a number of his contemporaries. Nevertheless he can still belt out a song and with his repertoire of songs and stories, a night in his presence is never less than entertaining.
Friday, 1 June 2012
Terry Reid
The man who almost fronted Led Zeppelin is how many people
have now come to view Terry Reid.
After The Yardbirds had disbanded in 1968, guitarist Jimmy
Page began assembling musicians for a new band that he intended calling The New
Yardbirds. His choice for lead singer was 18 year old Terry Reid but Reid
declined the offer preferring to focus on his own career. He did however
suggest a midlands based singer by the name of Robert Plant for the role. The
band name changed to Led Zeppelin and the rest, as they say, is history.
Terry Reid was born in Huntingdon in 1949 and by the time he
was 15 years old, he was playing as a professional musician in Peter Jay’s
Jaywalkers. When they broke up in 1967, Reid signed with renowned producer
Mickie Most and recorded his first album ‘Bang
Bang, You’re Terry Reid’. The album was not a commercial success but Reid
had secured live work supporting Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull and ultimately in
1969, The Rolling Stones. Fronting a powerhouse trio along the lines of Cream,
Reid played lead guitar and sang in his inimitable style. It was in fact his
voice that caught the attention of most, leading to no less a figure than
Aretha Franklin to declare that ‘...there are only three things happening in
England; The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Terry Reid’. Dubbed ‘Superlungs’ after a Donovan song recorded for his
second album, Reid has been described as ‘the most soulful British vocalist
ever’.
Blighted throughout his career by poor management decisions
and atrocious luck, Terry Reid has never reached the commercial heights of some
of his contemporaries. Nevertheless he has released a string of fine albums and
his songs have featured in films and been covered by others who recognise his
talents. Most recently Jack White’s band The Raconteurs included Reid’s song ‘Rich Kid Blues’ on their album ‘Consolers of the Lonely’ and this year Rumer included 'Brave Awakening' on her album 'Boys Don't Cry'.
I first became acquainted with the music of Terry Reid in (I think) 1969 when he supported Jethro Tull at Newcastle City Hall. I was so impressed I went out the following day and bought his latest album. I have followed his progress ever since but never got to see him live again until 2009 when he played at The Sage in Gateshead. Sadly he was not in good form (he was unwell on the night) and I left after half a dozen numbers. I returned to see him at The Cluny in Newcastle last year and like the rest of the audience I was blown away. Performing solo with acoustic guitar he demonstrated that those superlungs are still in fine shape. Tonight (Friday 1st June) he plays as part of the Evolution Festival at Gateshead Old Town Hall. Getting a ticket has been a nightmare (that's another story) but I will be there and hope to report on that in due course.
Wishing all you UK readers a great holiday weekend.
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