A very short post today . Something I noticed last night. Clouds are probably the the biggest things that we see everyday . The affect our lives , blocking the sun and cooling us down , raining on us , distributing water, colours from black to white with sun influenced shades of red.
Very often I will see an amazing cloud formation and seconds later it has gone , and really sometimes life can be like that. If you don't take the opportunity when it's presented it's gone. Cloud's are the epitome of that , especially on a windy day. The number of times I have looked for a better perspective and then lost the image is countless, however because of what I have lost , and the fact I carry a phone that can take a decent photograph I can now capture images that previously would have just existed in my memory,
Yesterday Leicester City became Champions of the English Premier League for the first time. This may not sound hugely unexpected given that the Premiership is only 25 years old , but this this the first time they have topped English football in their history. They survived by the skin of their teeth last season thanks to an amazing run in under manager Nigel Pearson , who they proceeded to sack , and replace with Claudio Ranieri , much to the hilarity of the media.
Throughout the season the media rammed the Arsenal / Man City / Chelsea / Ma United down our throats , like most seasons as though no other clubs exist. Most pundits were expecting the wheels to fall off when key players got injured . This was at a time when key players WERE injured. Any week that Leicester didn't win that was the end and the pundits would be proved right and with Chelsea going off the rails it would be Manchester City or Arsenal who would take the title and Manchester United maybe third.
Leicester established themselves as everyone's second favourite team, they got the title through had work and the skill of knittng together as a team. Whenever they hit a problem Ranieri dealt with it.
Also included in this amazing season was the fact that James Vardy scored in eleven consecutive Premiership matches surpassing Ruud Van Nistleroy's record of ten
Meanwhile Watford and Bournemouth established themselves and in the top four the only realistic threat to Leicester was provided by Tottenham Hotspur , with West Ham als punching for a top four place.
Sir Alex Ferguson got it wrong though , he said they'd have it won with three games to spare.
There are two matches to go.
Leicester City are Champions
And already the pundits are predicting their demise next season.
They have conquered the most difficult league in the world , because they are competing against money and the media. Since the formation of The English Premier League only Blackburn Rovers have broken the hold of the the money clubs , and that was with the backing of Jack Walker's millions.
There is money behind Leicester but when they beat Chelsea earlier in the season a chastening fact was that Diego Costa cost more than the whole Leicester first 11.
There will be moves afoot to make sure this doesn't happen again because of the potential effect on revenues , or maybe that's just me being cynical. This may be rose coloured spectacles time but I remembered when you didn't really know at the beginning of the season who would win it , I remember Carlisle topping the First Division , anyone could do it. Now you need outside billions to compete in the Premiership .... but the teams mentioned in this piece have given us a great season. Savour it because this is not what the money men want.
I'm reasonably visible on social media and have a few followers on Twitter and Instagram , but sometimes get friend requests on Facebook from people who I have no apparent connection with, usually these have virtually no content of often are young ladies wearing beach apparel. Needless to say the delete button is employed.
I got one from a Spanish Lady this week , and deleted , mainly because of no connections, but I saw she had followed me and in particular liked an instagram photo I had posted while in the Tyneside Bar and Cinema watching one of their afternoon silents , Der Golem but I thought it was Faust . I'd done a retouching of the photograph and thought it looked pretty cool. Ruth obviously thought the same . We are friends on Twitter but not yet Facebook friends.
So I know this is just a short post , and I haven't posted for a week, and yesterday was Beltane , so it's not as though I haven't had things that I could write about, but really it's just to try and not miss things because you become numb to the normality of events.
SO if you want to be my friend make sure I have a reason to be yours
Today I stumbled across another wonderful find , under The Tyne Bridge , next to Popolos , the Long Play Cafe. This place is gorgeous , it does coffee , cake on settees and couches , with retro record players from RPM , wonderful wall art , Bowie and The Beatles caught my eye and they sell second had vinyl , T-Shirts and other music..
They have an Anti Record Store Day wall display . When I asked them about this they told me that to participate in Record Store Day you have to pay a £300 registration then commit to buying NEW vinyl every month. If you deal in second hand stuff that's an overhead you can't justify. Record Store Day started out as a celebration of independence but it's turned in to another commercial troughing.
Anyway apart from everything I've mentioned they put on gigs , serve food, sell very reasonably priced vinyl (I resisted the Prince picture discs), I bought a copy of Genesis' Lamb Lies Down on Broadway , just so as I could read the libretto.
It was great chatting with staff and visitors , lots of people had just discovered the place like me.
Really it's worth a visit if you like good food , good company , good atmosphere , comfy chairs and vinyl , 7" and 12" , black , and other colours and picture discs.
Back In NYC is one of my favourite songs so it's an excuse to play it
It was incredibly sad that we lost Prince this week , and while I do say the older we get the more this is bound to happen to us , he was younger than me , and infinitely more talented and sexier. A small man without a Napoleon complex, he let his talent do the speaking. My first album was the double 1999. He was soul and rock and rock and roll , sex and fun.
I actually heard some snide comments about him. "Well I wasn't surprised , he was just the same as Michael Jackson" . I can't even begin to educate that sort of idiocy.
With Spoon we even considered some of his songs 1999 , Cream and Peach come to mind . The guy could do anything . Two of his albums were given away free , because he could. He would sell out gigs , cared for his fans, got a bit arsey about his contract with Sony , and showed a sly sense of humour (or should that be humor) when he became "The Artist Formerly Know As Prince" , when asked how it was pronounced Prince Rogers Nelson answered "Christopher".
Now is the time to drag out your Prince collection and listen to it. And if you you haven't got a Prince collection , Why Not? Don't you dare use Spotify.
Anyway today is World Book Night where I join in marking William Shakespeare's passing by giving away copies of Matt Haig's Reasons To Stay Alive. A truly wonderful exhilarating book about how one man has dealt with a sever breakdown and depression. It is gorgeous, uplifting and if you don't get a copy from me BUY a copy . It is an amazing book.
And it also happens to be St George's Day. I have no problems with National Celebrations but I do have with Xenophobia , Racism and turning it into a marketing exercise for London based beer brands (Like St Patrick and Guinness) . Today at Newcastle Castle there is a big real Celebration with a Dragon and god knows what else.
Have a great day everyone , I'm gonna be in Newcastle giving books away and possibl visiting my friend Karen to see her new puppy in Kazbat's Den.
Yesterday I went to my friend Paul Campbell's 50th Birthday Party. I was thinking if he had known me when I turned 50 he could have bought be a bottle of the Singleton Whiskey , but a can of Campbell's Soup , I don't think would have been appropriate, unless it was a Warhol Print and then he would have to find somewhere to hang it.
Anyway as Paul is in London and I am in Newcastle there was a train journey involved. And I am a giver for World Book Night. The book is Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig which is about how he has dealt with and effectively overcome his depression (I know I am not in a position to comment on depression) , and at first I thought maybe this isn't the book to give to a really good friend but .....
The book is easy to read , full of white space , and brimming with hope and positivity , I was hoping to get part of the way through it but I finished and felt really good after reading it. Two years ago I gave away The Humans an novel in which he addressed his depression in a different way and well worth reading. I instagrammed several pages from the book and lots of people reacted positively.
A friend of mine had book the book but could not face it , because she thought it would be difficult. It isnt't . Read it and you will feel great.
Anyway , it's Monday Morning and time to kick off the week , and here is a total feelgood song for you
Well it's the first time this year that I have mowed the lawn. Today has been a lazy day but I have had a headache but managed to get a few things done. I have been listening and learning to play the songs for the band so as usually am trying to do too many things that I don't have time for . The reality is that I would hate to be bored and it's always good to stretch yourself just to see how far you can go.
When I walked over the lawn there was a squelch of water and I thought maybe it's not time but it is mid April so I should be starting . It turned out easy to mow , just two
lawn mower bag fulls of grass and now the lawn looks half presentable.
The instagram video is . here. The thing is once you start , everyone else has to do theirs . I can imagine lots partners pointing out that I was mowing the lawn so their partner should be doing it too.
Anyway as I say it's been a relaxing weekend and tomorrow work starts again. Have lot's of songs to learn , but am going to post Rick Nelson's Garden Party which is just a totally wonderful song
