Sounds,Pictures and Letters

I've just finished Alexei Sayle's "The Weeping Women's Hotel" and must say that the title is probably opne of the biggest McGuffins I've ever come across. This isn't a put down of the book, becouse the title is where it starts and then you har pushed back into the story of how the protagonist got there, and are soon into a completely different place. While the situation is fairly ordinary , the way that Alexei Sayle presents it keeps your attention and wanting to find what happens next and when you end up where you started it almost comes as a shock, although it shouldn't be. I am really glad I picked it up and thoroughly enjoyed it and think you will too.

I'm just listening to 6Music and have just heard that Alexei Sayle is DJing on there tomorrow afternoon, another coincidence in the tapestry of life.

I'.m now reading "David Bowie: A Life" by Dylan Jones , ex Loaded editor and a birthday present from Fiona and it's a fairly hefty volume , and I was worried I already had a copy but was getting it mixed up with the Paul Morley biography. As Jones says Bowie's departure has unleashed a tsunami of books. While it still has to really grab me there's a couple of bits that caught my attention.

When Bowie's death was announced he was covering a mens fashion event and as the news spread he said everyone was in tears. Part of me railed against this, thinking most of those people probably would even know the title of a song (Q:"What's your favourite song on the album" A:"Track 4", that answer is only acceptable for Blur's "Song 2" and Scott Walker's "Track 3" and "Track 5") , but Bowie himself was a fashion icon and everyone has a different take on everything.

In th eintroduction to the book, Jones tells how he ws talking to his dad about the book, saying how when he first saw Bowie on Top of the Pops with his orange hair and rainbow body suit, he was totally hooked. His dad's reply was a killer. "You know we only had a black and white telly". That gem made sure that I will read the book , I am expecting more.

Anyway after the number of bland albums I've chosen over the last few days, I decided to play it safe with Halm Man Half Biscuit's "Cammell Laird Social Club" which I managed to mix up with "McIntyre Tradmore and Davitt" and was rewarded with song after brilliant song which also brough a lot of smiles to my face, such as "The Referee's Alphabet" the night after the pedestrian torpor of the England match at Wembley.

Last night  I was privileged to attend my friend Sheena Revolta's "Garageland" photographic exhibititin in Arch Sixteen, with Lady Annabella looking lovely and DJing opening with the excellent "Rumble" Link Wray. I don't think Arch Sixteen has ever had so many people in (it is a lovely place just over the High Level Bridge in Gateshead) just showing the love that her fans have for Sheena's work. Most of the photos are black and white and are beautifully presented. The exhibition is on for a couple of weeks so get yourself along there and enjoy a visual feast.

So what song to choose, I am torn between a Half Man Half Biscuit song and something to celebrate "Garageland" and trying to think of someting that will merge the two, but I think "27 Yards of Dental Floss" will be just fine, have a brilliant Saturday.

Parallel Lines

Yesterday on my walk in I listened to "Let Them EatChaos" by Kate Tempest. I've always been imprest by this multi talented artist , she's a writer, a rapper , a poet and probably a lot more. The format of the album is rap poem vignettes of seven capital dwellers in flat land at 4:18 AM. These rap poems are punctuating songs including the towering apocalyptic "Don't Fall In" which I used recently in this post.

I was surpised at the similarities between this album and The Alexei Sayle book "The Weeping Women Hotel" which is nbased in the midlands and London with similar characters, though as yet the book hasn't contained any swearing (I don't think).

I am going to include the excellent "Perfect Coffee", a sad song about being forced out of your home by increased rents, which must happen on a daily basis to a lot of people. I had to include this powerful poem about our evil government. 

Sorry this has turned into a bit of a downer, but the album is rivetting, and sometimes what passes for entertainment can carry a very poerful message, and this ceratinly does.

Have a good Wednesday.

Still Reading, Still Walking, Stll Listening

It's not yet six o'clock on Sunday morning but I have had a decent night's sleep, though I could probably just go back to bed, but I'd probably start thinking about something. Yesteday I found a 16Gb iPod in the street, I'm not ssure if it is working or if it has been stolen or lost. I am going to hand it in at the local police station as I have no way of checking whether it's working and the may be some kid who has lost their entire music collection (mine currently stand at 500Gb so 16Gb is not a huge collection for me and my phone has about twice that much on at the moment).

Anyway I have finally started reading some fiction after months of music biographhies and history, and mathematics, and I am loving "The Weeping Women Hotel" by Alexei Sayle. It seemed a bit awkward at first because Alexei Sayle is a man and the main protagonists are women, but why that should matter is just a result of sixty years of socity's conditioning on me, but I am past that now and looking forward to picking it up each day. I was possibly expeing some Marxist anarchic comedy or something dark in the realms of someone like Tolstoy or Ibsen but it's anything but, it's well written , easily readable , enjoyable with a sense of humour without being comedic and I still haven't a clue what's going on.

My latest #AlbumoftheDay is Todd Rundgren's "Faithful" which at the time drew criticism because sied one consisted of note for not covers of classic rock songs. Admittedly Todd didn't choose easy targets includeing two of the greatest pop sings ever in The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" and The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" and I've just thought "Rain" which was the 'B' Side of "Paperback Writer", and apparently the bass line on the original songle was so heavy that it could make th eneedle jump the groove. Anyway the problem is that side still comes over as a Music For Pleasure "Rock Classics" album, ie an album of cheap covers. It is more than listenable but it comes as a relief when "Black and White" kicks in on side two. I will leave you with the gorgeous "Clichés" from side two of "Faithful".

Enjoy your Sunday and I will also include Preston's dismantling of Birmingham yesterday which pleased me no end.

On Writing

The thing is, like anything you do, writing is easier the more often you do it. I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but the numer of hits per post have also actually gone up. The "Coincidentally Opencast" post is still the most read one currently and that is getting a lot of hits despite being more about the Happy Mondays and their John Kongos covers and the fact that John Kongos was the first person to use a recorded sample in the single "He's Gonna Step On You Again" . Follow the OpenCast link for video and download links.

I've now started reading Alexei Sayle's "The Weeping Women Hotel" and after the Jordan Ellenberg book I was struck that the pages will be solid text, no diagrams and graphs breaking it up every few pages, but words have the ability to stimulate the imagination, though for some reason I found it a bit odd about about a man writing about a woman's experiences. I'm only ten pages and it has my attention so I am looking forward to enjoying it.

So it's time for another walk to work, it's a couple of weeks since I bought a weekly bus ticket now (and they are good value for money), but if I don't have a ticket I will walk and I get to listen to lots of music.

I now look at people at bus stops and think, "You could probably walk to where you are going".  It's true we have inbuilt laziness programmed into us. Twice in recent weeks I've seen people panic because they have missed their floor by ONE floor, as they press the button then go up to the 7th floor before (I assume returning to the second or third, when it would take them a minute to WALK DOWN to their floor)

I've been selling a few CDs that I don't really listen to on Discogs. The pile I had would probably bring me in fifteen pounds from CEX or a bit more for one of Newcastle's second hand record shops. Amazon wouldn't let me sell CDs but the four I have sold on Discogs have brought in £50 so it's been a success. My store is here.

Given how I have been critical of people not walking , I found some film of Deep Purple performing "Lazy" in 1972 for you to enjoy.


Anyway I'm going to set off again so enjoy your Thursday.

Coincidence, Marxism and Roald Dahl

I have finished the Jordan Ellenberg book , and it was worth reading although hard going for the second half. It seems that maths encompasses a lot more than just addition , subtraction, multiplication and division. Although these are the basics and starting points there is a whole world of concepts out there that are beyond my limited intellect, but I do now know about all these things.

I've now picked up Alexei Sayle's "The Weeping Women Hotel", which is the first novel I've picked up in a long time (I've been reading mostly factual stuff), and Alexei Sayle is an intelligent person, a great comedian and a Marxist (see the last but one post). It's funny how you get these unusual and unexpected connections in writing.

The weird thing about this blog is that you go to log in , then you are presented with a screen inviting you to start a new blog, even though you are logging in to update your blog. It's just a slight annoyance, probably caused by the fact I clear out cookies on a regular basis.

Today is wet and grey but brightening up. I am hoping to listen to "The Use Of Ashes" by Pearls Before Swine (see last post if you want to listen) on the walk to work although if it raining I may have to take the bus then I will dig out a TED talk.

It is the 13th today and I have written about the number 13 several times, and everyone has their own opinions , but 13 being unlucky belongs in the realms of astrology and superstition. It is a prime number so does not fit into many boxes, but that's about it. And remeber a Baker's Dozen where you would can an extra loaf or cake just in case one wasn't up to scratch so that is a case of 13 being lucky for the recipient an dgenerating good will for the supplier.

And today is apparently Roald Dahl day, an author who my girls always loved and wrote some wonderfully subversive children;'s books as well as a lot of great adult books too. If you haven't read any, do something abit it NOW.

I think a sensible music choice would be Terrorvision's "Tom Petty Loves Veruca Salt" and you know why that is ......

....have a brilliant Wednesday

I was just mentioning the 13 wasn't unlucky and my internet went down so I couldn't publish this. So I've just taken this draft and published it on a public computer. C'est La Vie.