An Amazing Day

Wasn't sure what today would bring. I'm certainly a little tired after a 600 mile round trip, but feeling good and buoyed by good news about good friends and being inspired by some great TED talks. I have finished up with a head ache , but that's not really surprising.

No Reason For This Being Here

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's High Bridge Festival for music and street food, then I have another gig on Monday as well as getting involved with a patient focus group.

One of the TED talks was the Peacejam one , watch it love the story about Desmond Tutu when he married them and and the MC5 Manifesto mission statement.

Anyway quite tired , thanks for all your good wishes.

There's Always Something New - Like IOS7

Just had a phone call asking me to be part of a Patients Focus Group for my doctor's surgery, I've agreed to it but going to have to fit the first meeting in between work and a concert.

I got my IOS7 this morning and not impressed so far. Icons look rubbish and first TED talk failed. Download worked OK , but hate new pin lock on it. Still I will get used to it, whether it's Apple , Android or Windows you are locked into their system.

But this, in theory gives us new places to explore and visit , and maybe there will be new frustrations but there will be great things to discover. Though still think the new Icons look horrible.

On the plus side the sun is shining again, and I'm still buzzing after last night's Wire gig , plus there's another gig on Monday. Chapter one of my book is coming along .

So I have my suit out , shirt ironed , tie put aside for tomorrow's interview. I sure tomorrow will be an eventful and successful day for me , and looking forward to it.

Inspiration Comes From The Oddest Sources

My Bedside Book Pile

Although today's source of inspiration is actually probably quite a normal source of inspiration. On of the reasons I write this blog is the hope that one day it will provide me with the idea to actually write a book. Well in six years the inspiration hasn't come , although it has kept my hand in putting pen to paper , or rather fingers to keys.

Anyway beside my bed is a pile of books which one day I should get round to reading. One of the books was "The Ode Less Travelled" Stephen Fry's book on poetry. Within a couple of pages I saw the obvious subject for what could be my book . No it isn't poetry , and while I've written a few songs , a book of my poetry would be a complete no go, though I have a few Felix Dennis volumes in my collection - but is one of the few super rich people I have time for , along with Richard Branson and Chris Blackwell.

Anyway my book has a title and the first chapter is underway , I know how it will end , and know big chunks of what will happen between start and finish.  Once I'm finished I have at least two literary friends who can advise about proof reading , editing , and will tell me if it's rubbish or not.

So it's a case of watch this space. I've downloaded the Amazon Self Publishing kit , but the main thing is the inspiration has finally hit.

A Brand New Day - I Will Tell You Nothing

It's 6:30 am and today has the potential to be a disaster , but let's face it so do most days and they usually turn out to be good. I feel I'm jumping in a the deep end with something that HAS to be done and the sooner I get into it the better. Unfortunately I can't say what it's about but I know you will all send me your best wishes and I know I will come out of the other end probably battered but intact.

I do find it amazing that I can write about something giving no indication what's it's about , but shall we say it's as necessary and annoying as filling in a tax return. So it's not anything like last week's ECG thing.

Anyway because I've told you nothing I'm going to include The great John Cooper Clarke's poem "Nothing" as a YouTube clip and as text: Enjoy:

Nothing by John Cooper-Clarke

"Something is but nothing
Something it is not
Nil plus nil is nothing
Nothings what I got
Nothing on the tele
Nothing going on
Nothing to get worked up about
Nothing by the ton
Nothing times a million
Nothing minus ten
Don't say nothing to no one
It's nothing to do with them
Come all the way from nowhere
And now I'm nowhere else
Where nothing is out of place
No one lives
And nothing smells
Talking to no one
It's like talking to the wall
I give you what I get
I give you bugger all"

You're My Inspiration

It's funny at the moment I feel the need to write. I still haven't come up with an idea for a book but obviously people are enjoying , or at least looking at what I'm putting down. While I know one or two of you are checking this out from things you have said to me , I also realise that there are quite a few others following this.



Today I was coming home from work and decided on a TED talk about the New Yorker catoons by Bob Mankoff. I'd not heard of him before , but he is one of the many intelligent denizends of the USA and very funny with it too. This is the talk and it is well worth twenty minutes out of your day if you haven't already seen it.




I do find it amazing that even though I didn't know what I was going to write about this talk made me put the words down. The thing I like about it is now , this will effectively be here forever and gives both me and Bob a sort of immortality bestowing God like status on both of us so to speak, except he is the talented one.




But really thanks for reading , love hearing from you all and have a great day and night, whichever part of this world you are in.

Beautiful Tits and The Vagaries of The English Language

A friend this morning liked a Facebook Group with that name , and I immediately thought it was a clever reverse double entendre for a page with pictures of birds. Well I was right , it was a page about birds , but there was no clever reverse double entendre applied. You can find the page if you look for it on Facebook. And it got me thinking just about the vagaries and rich tapestry that is the English Languages. By the way if you search for the phrase in Google you don't get pictures like the one below!

Beautiful Tits

I read a lot , and since the times of  Chaucer , Shakespeare who both used euphenisms and double entendres in their work. English folk songs are notorious. Let me tell you "The Bonny Black Hare" is not about an over-sized rabbit, although these days the use of the word rabbit takes you right back in there so to speak! And all the classical talk of swords and sheaths , well you know what that means.

Anyway thought I'd include the Reduced Shakespeare Company's Othello Rap which starts with a mis interpretation of the word "moor",another thread in the rich fabric that is our language. It's also very funny.

Rain Is Good

It's raining again, but only to be expected at this time of year. Maybe I should have mowed the lawn yesterday , but not to worry.

I'm almost shocked at the amount of good music around , if you want new stuff there's the excellent band from Northern Ireland The Strypes who are still under 17 , while at the other end of the age spectrum Yoko Ono has a brilliant new album out . Add to that new offerings from Franz Ferdinand, Janelle Monae,  Manic Street Preachers , Bill Callahan , Elvis Costello and The Roots, and many many more the music scene seems to be thriving. And next week I am going to see Wire for the first time in my life. You can find all of these on Youtube and Amazon or just go and see them if you get a chance.

Another success is that I finally manage to export a piece I'd put together in Garageband that I'd originally meant as an accompaniment for a World Book Night montage , but forgot about it and used some random Anthony Gormley images as well as the odd skyline. But it's nothing special , it just means now I can actually use Garageband as a studio now about 15 moths after gettin all the relevant bits and pieces.

So enjoy the rain , enjoy your day and enjoy your music.