Berwick

 

I have never been to Berwick, but in the Stuart Maconie book "The Pie At Night"  we find out that it was a favourite place of LS Lowry although we tend to associate him with the North West. We also are reminded of the Jewish origins of Fish and Chips, among many other culinary delights which has given me the ideas to write a Vocal post about the eateries in the Grainger Market in Newcastle.

I am also reading "Carol" by Patricia Highsmith, a recommendation from my work LGBT+ book club, so I will have two on the go, and that is not a bad thing.

He is also an excellent writer and DJ and worth checking out in print or on the BBC. 

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The music is "The Night Watch" by King Crimson from the album "Starless and Bible Black" that takes it's title from a line from "Under Milk Wood" by Dylan Thomas, because the only Lowry related song is the appalling Brian and Michael song "Matchstalk Men"

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
6. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
7. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
8. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Crown Green Bowling And Pies

The Stuart Maconie book "The Pie At Night" is coming along very well covering various sports in the North of England including Speedway which, along with the TT is the only going round a track sport I can watch. Also, Speedway bikes are the only ones I can ride coz they only have an accelerator, no clutch or brakes therefore I can concentrate on keeping reasonably upright.

I also found out that Crown Green Bowling is so-called because the green is raised in the middle where the target ball is placed,

I am also reading "Carol" by Patricia Highsmith, a recommendation from my work LGBT+ book club, so I will have two on the go, and that is not a bad thing.

He is also an excellent writer and DJ and worth checking out in print or on the BBC. 

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The music is "Take The Skinheads Bowling" by Camper Van Beethoven

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
6. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
7. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
8. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Pies

 

This is only the third post of 2024. Just back from holiday in Alnwick, my weight has gone up by 0.7Kg which is not too bad after a holiday.

This morning I nicked myself shaving and have gone through three plasters, there was a lot of llood.

I have finished "Pies and Prejudice" by Stuart Maconie and am now picking up "The Pie At Night" which covers a similar area slightly differently. I suppose the title caught my attention because of finally finishing "Supernatural".

I have also started "Carol" by Patricia Highsmith, a recommendation from my work LGBT+ bookclub, so I will have two on the go, and that is not a bad thing.

He is also an excellent writer and DJ and worth checking out in print or on the BBC. 

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The music is "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
6. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
7. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
8. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

I Predict A Riot

 

This is the second post of 2024

"Pies and Prejudice" by Stuart Maconie is excellent, moving slowly across the north and reaching Leeds and a lot about Tony Wilson. The Kaiser Chiefs "I Predict A Riot" has become an anthem for the north.

Two hundred and twenyt pages in I will probably be finished by the end of March

He is also an excellent writer and DJ and worth checking out in print or on the BBC. 

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The music is "I Predict A Riot" by The Kaiser Chiefs.

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
6. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
7. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
8. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer and this is her Instagram

Three Graces

 

This is the first post of 2024

"Pies and Prejudice" by Stuart Maconie is excellent moving slowly north and reaching Liverpool and the Three Graces (they wanted four but the final one was rejected, if you want to know why read the book)

So eighty pages in I will probably be finished in less than six months.

He is also an excellent writer and DJ and worth checking out in print or on the BBC. 

If you want to buy a book of my poetry there is one on the link below.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The music is "Heart As Big As Liverpool" by Pete Wylie .

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
6. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
7. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
8. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer

Scally, Scally Pride Of Our Alley

 

This is the final blog post of 2023

"Pies and Prejudice" by Stuart Maconie is an excellent read and I have reached chapter three, whose title I have chosen for this post. The writing, for me, is excellent and I can't skim-read it for fear of missing something. I must admit that Douglas Adams' "Mostly Harmless" had me skim-reading.

Anyway, Stuart has taken us through Crewe, Warrington and Wigan and explained the difference between Rugby League and rugby Union.

So sixty pages in I will probably be finished in less than six months.

He is also an excellent writer and DJ and worth checking out in print or on the BBC. 

If you want to buy a book of my poetry there is one on the link below.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The music is "Long Tall Scally" by Pete Wylie as I found the Gerry Monroe song from which the title was stolen (Sally not Scally) still makes my blood run cold.

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
6. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
7. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
8. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer

Two Pages At A Time

 

I am generally reading "Pies and Prejudice" by Stuart Maconie two pages at a time. This is because it contains so much interesting stuff like Port Vale is the only football league club not named after a place, it's named after Port Vale House where the club was instigated and Robbie Williams is a huge fan.

He is an excellent writer and DJ too and is worth checking out in print or on the BBC. I was worried that it was a book with no chapters but I have reached Chapter  Two.

Again I thought this would be a difficult read but it is not, at two pages at a time it will take me six months to finish, but we shall see.

If you want to buy a book of my poetry there is one on the link below.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The music is "One Piece At A Time" by Johnny Cash cos it sounds like Two Pages At A Time

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
6. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
7. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
8. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer

A Few More Pies With Prejudice

 

"Pies and Prejudice" by Stuart Maconie is about him returning north. He is an excellent writer and DJ too and is worth checking out in print or on the BBC. I was worried that it was a book with no chapters but I just reached Chapter 2.

Again I thought this would be a difficult read but it is not, but I can see it taking me all of January to finish as it has 352 pages.

If you want to buy a book of my poetry there is one on the link below.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The music is "London" by Thea Gilmore and Sandy Denny

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
6. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
7. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
8. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer

Pies and Prejudice

Finally  "Mostly Harmless" by Douglas Adams (#5 in a trilogy in five parts that combines wit and intelligent writing) is finished. This has been the most difficult book for me in the series. It is readable but sort of fizzles out although it jumps around a bit.

I wasn't too sure where to go next but settled on  "Pies and Prejudice" by Stuart Maconie about him returning north. He is an excellent writer and DJ too and is worth checking out in print or on the BBC.

One of the good things about this blog is that it seems to continually unearth interesting pieces that I can then share on  Vocal. Does that make me lazy? Maybe.

If you want to buy a book of my poetry there is one on the link below.

I recently discovered that my American Amazon Author page has a feed from this blog which you can see here. It only shows on the .com site but not on others. C'est La Vie.

The music I have included is "Ohio" by The Isley Brothers from the album "Givin' It Back"

Mike Singleton - Vocal Stories

I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:

1. Barter Books - An Amazing Bookshop In A Railway Station In Alnwick
2. The Plagiaristic Poetry Series - Poems Taken From Random-Themed Lines
3. Another Raven - A Take On Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"
4. The Cleaner - An Autism-Focused Christmas Special
5. An Owl In A Towel - A Beautiful Book by Lesley and Cheryl
6. Three Reasons Why I Love Settle - Scaleber Force, The Hoffman Kiln and Castlebergh Crag
7. The Accidental Book - Helping a Great Vocal Friend Resulted In Me Publishing My First Book
8. Call Me Les - A Great Friend and An Amazing Writer

The Heat and The Radio

Yesterday was the hottest day of the year and today looks like it's going to be similar. I've read that a cold shower is good for you so now when I get in the shower I don't wait for the water to heat up , juts let the cold water hit me that lasts for about 30 to 40 seconds. I know that's not an image you want it your head , fat old bloke in a shower, but that's what I do. This morning however the unheated water was actually lukewarm so hardly the normal kick I get out of it.

Also this weekend I have actually put the radio on (I have a preference for 6Music) and am currently listening to Radcliffe and Maconie and enjoying it. While working from home I have moved from listening to the radio to my own music collection , partly because the 6Music DJs don't play stuff that interest me as much. I did use to listen to Ken Bruce mainly for PopMaster  as a lot of the music is stuck in a particular time zone.

Generally 6Music does bring in new music , but sometimes has an enormous eclectic sweep like if you listen to Cerys Matthews. The benefit of listening to the radio is that you are there with people and also stand a chance of discovering new music , whereas with your own music collection you seldom discover anything new (but you do) and you are alone , but that is your own choice.

So keep cool to day and we'll go with "Too Darned Hot" a Cole Porter by Ann Miller from "Kiss Me Kate" based on Willam Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew".

More Words

I could have had a one word post title but was getting a bit bored with single word ones and the chane is that I will duplicate something, although that is always a probability.

Today is grey, wet and we have had a lot of rain, it's not even a nice Autumn day, just a drab grey day although it's always up to us to make something of the days that come our way. While sometimes we might feel hard done by I always try to look for the positives in any situation ( well as long as the situation is not really disastrous)  and you can usually find something to be positive about, well I do.

I am listening to Radcliffe and Maconie and they're playing "Future Days" by Can which is a laid back almost hypnotic stretch and I was thinking of including it here, but maybe not. I do remember watching Top of the Pops as a teenager and being shocked when Can were on there playing "I Want More", now that I would share but it's not available on Youtube (the Top of the Pops performance).

I was just thinking I done over 2K posts on this particular blog, and average, these days maybe 250 words a post (I did one of 2K words just to see if I could write that was back in 2011 here and very contrived  but my first one, a sort of mission statement for this blog was about 50 words here) so that is about half a million words that have flowed from my fingers, enough for a very short novel if it made any sense.

I was vaguely thinking of theming my October posts on drink because of the Octoberfest celebration, although I don't actually drink. So here's the thing I will do a post a day and there will be a song included that is drink related although it will be mostly alcohol related it will be anything that you can drink , so that will be thirty one drink related posts . By the way this post is about four hundred words (you can count them).

So what music should we go with, well "I'm Writing A Novel" by Father John Misty seems appropriate, although I am still hoping that inspiration will turn up and I will actually metaphorically put pen to paper and get my arse in gear to produce a pice of lasting art, although in a way tht's what this blog is.

Double Dutch

Again I switched on 6Music  and "Double Dutch" by Malcolm Mclaren on the Radcliffe & Maconie show and it is one of the most uplifting records you will here. "Double Dutch" has (ironically) two meanings:

1. unintelligible language. 
2. the jumping of two jump ropes rotating in opposite directions simultaneously.

The second being the subject of the Malcolm McLaren song which is obviously included here. It is a Saturday so for people like me there is no work, but I am sure that I will find plenty to do.

Currently "The Illuminatus Trilogy" has veered into HP Lovecraft territory in which a protagonist stumbles into a church with rats running between pews and a rusted marble altar, it's not rust it's blood, so obviously not High Church.

That takes me to "Fleabag" which I finished watch ig last night, superb cast and writing and only six episodes in each series so I will continue with "Parks and Recreation" on the Amazon Prime subscription. I am quite surprised, but it's a good business modell to make money, how many people have Netflix , Now TV and Amazon Prime subscriptions but never watch them.

So time to get off now and wander round

May The Fourth .... Be With You ..... Star Wars Day

Today is a very sunny May 4th to start the Bank Holiday Weekend. Peter Mayhew who played Chewbacca died this week aged 74, he was 7'3" and played Chewbacca in all th elive action Star Wars films.

May blogging is a lot more leisurely, this being my second May post in four days. The song I'm going to play is "Take It Easy On Me" by Irish band A House, just because it came on The Chain just as I started to write this, and it's just one of those moments when one of those great records you had forgotten about comes on the radio (This time RadMac on 6Music)

So today is going to be a mowing the lawn and posting things day, assuming that the weather holds but we shall see how that goes.

I know this is a very short post as I can't really think of anything more to say at the moment so will leave you with A House, and have a good weekend.

My First Chain Appearance

Well I was chosen for The Chain once before but pulled at the last minute for what was deemed a better connection. I gave up when I heard a connection that was basically "Ronnie Wood or Keith Richard had a similar hairstyle", What? That week Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie were away so not to blame for that aberration.

Anyway yesterday I got a text from Sarah at 6Music as I had put in a suggestion that I had then forgotten about. I then remembered it was the Peter Schilling song "Major Tom" which is the theme song used in "Deutschland 83" (and 86 and 89) , the eighties cold war  German drama (with some very funny dry comedy).

The song is perfect eighties a la Flock of Seagulls, although I originally that it had been especially commissioned. It wasn't, but I had never heard it before in my life.

Then I met my friend Katie for a meal at Bohemian (now Junk It Up) which also had a vinyl section (yes I know, unusual cross selling) and the single that was at the front of their section was "Major Tom" by Peter Schilling, so I had to buy it.

While the lyrics sometimes hit the creakiness of Abba's (it is their second language after all) the very short chorus is wonderful and the overall song is great and sticks in your mind like all great pop music.

The Chain link is from Bowie's "Warszawa" from "Low" part of the Berlin Trilogy. The two connections are Berlin (via "Deutschland 83") and "Major Tom" with the "Space Oddity" connection. The show will be available for a bit here and my appearance is around 72 minutes in, 1.14.26 according to my friend Nigel.

So this is just to mark that I've been on The Chain. and my entry is recorded here, number 7868.

RadMac

Listening to Radcliffe and Maconie on 6Music and just as they have come on the radio, the rain has stopped and the sun has come out. It's the second day of May and I intend to keep up my million steps every three months, but today looked like a no go because of the weather, although I have already hit 2K steps and intend to visit Helmsley Castle this afternoon so there is a possibility I may hit todays step target after yesterday's trip to Whitby.

I did go for a walk and followed a direction marker into a field and it turned out there was no exit. The field was one of the most securely fenced fields I have ever seen and it was almost over run with rabbits and rabbit holes.

Radmac have Microdisney on as guests as they have just reformed, and I was going to give you "GaleForce Wind" but they have started playing Jane's Addiction's "Just Because" and the guitar riff on that is such a killer that I have to share that with you.

Enjoy the rest of the second of May when you are finished.

The Last Few Days

Has been sore and painful, and I'm not talking about that pair of morons Trump and May leading our nations into oblivion. Monday was and work and having to go for a wee about every fifteen minutes, but felt ok, Tuesday morning was  lots of horrible bodily stuff resulting in me be unable to eat, and feeling like I'd been punched from the outside and the inside, Tuesday night was unable to sleep but finally decided to take a couple of Ibuprofen which seemed to ease the pain. I've not slept so much for ages as I have over the past two days.

I was in bed but had 6Music on and in a really weird turn Stuart Maconie talking about The Chain entered my dream and I was just about to say something to him when I woke up about 3pm. The dream involved me working at BT based in somewhere that was vaguely familiar, meeting a lovely girl called Kiki and Stuart Maconie and moving desks and being on a rather odd bus ride that involved being covered in a protective tarpaulin, you know the average sort of dream that I have.

While I am not back to 100%, I have managed a tomato sandwich and some pea and ham soup and toast, so hopefully I will be fit and raring to go tomorrow.

Was wondering what song to put on this and somehow Randy Newman's "Putin" came up in my feed. I didn't even know this song existed but it's Newman at his satirical best,  I sure Vladimir would agree.

I didn't intend this post to have any political content, but I managed to mention Trump, May and Putin and that makes them sound like a firm of bailiffs, which I suppose they really are.