On Coincidence

I am quite surprised that that my last but one post (here) about Theremins got only a few hits for some reason, it is probably because I couldn't directly post it on Facebook due to an apostrophe in the original title, I know my friend Jessica read it because she was asking about the sixties psychedelic music featured in it, and effectively she is part  the inspiration for this post, as you will see.

By the way I have been out this morning and the sky is blue but the wind is freezing,

Anyway a few months ago Ladbrokes completely inefficient back room set up effectively banned me from using their loyalty card. It isn't a deliberate ban but when I sent up an account they set me up with a different loyalty card number to the one I had, and then blocked the card I had because it was different to the one on my account. After phone calls and emails nothing changed, and as the offers weren't that special anyway I didn't bother.

A betting organisations including Ladbrokes have a betting offer called Best Odds Guaranteed which I used for small bets at my local shop.This week they limited this to loyalty cards (and also reduced it to single bets) which means I can't take advantage of it , but as it's on singles I wouldn't really use it anyway, so I won't be doing much horse betting at Ladbrokes now......

Also a few weeks ago I took part in a small Step Challenge and as a result I said I would do at least ten thousand steps a day from now on, and as a result I usually walk into Newcastle.

Yesterday Wildflower (Jessica and Asher's Vegan Café and Art Place)  were having a clothes exchange event. I had a bag of clothes bound for a charity shop but thought I would combine my walk into town and drop them into Wildflower.

My walk took me down Westgate Road and I was walking past Paddy Power which I knew did to the Best Odds Guaranteed offer as well. Spoke to a very nice girl in there called Nell, who offered me a coffee and told me nothing had changed and they still had the offer without strings. We got talking and I told I was going to Wildflower to drop some things in for Jessica.... and it turns out they're actually good friends, so an incredibly  unexpected coincidence that only happened because of a hell of a lot of unrelated events.

I really wanted to post this so I would just remember what actually happened, and why it happened.

So what piece should I choose? Because of what I have been reading there's been a lot of Tom Waits and Bowie appearing but I'm going the Tone Loc's "Funky Cold Medina" because that's one of the seven inch vinyl discs I've been spinning while writing this piece , and it's a great record and also very funny.

Enjoy your Saturday my friends.

On Mortality

A departed friend of mine once said we now die because something wears out, once we get that sorted we become immortal, that was decades ago. I've just started reading "The Age of Bowie" by Tony Morley after finishing "Tom Waits on Tom Waits". When I first opened the Tome Waits book , the writing was so tiny that I had difficulty reading it. I actually found a solution which was ....

.....to remove my glasses and hold the book a bit closer, then everything became crystal clear. When I opened the Bowie book the print was bigger so is easily readable using glasses or contact lenses, the books have similar numbers of pages but the Bowie book is larger format.

That got me thinking that without contact lenses and glasses my life would be far more difficult. I wouldn't be able to drive, watch TV properly or spot things from a distance. We now take these things for granted but visual aids have only really proliferated properly since the late nineteenth century.

When I was a child, people died because they died, there was the odd time there was a reason but , mostly they jsut died, the equivalent of "natural causes". Now there is always a reason. The thing is, we are still all mortal, but now have a lot more support in prolonging and enjoying life, although unfortunately the younger generations have a shorter life expectancy that older generations mainly due to junk food and sedentary lifestyles.

Today's media promotes that you child is under threat from any number of predators, when in fact that has always been the case. I taught my children to look out for themselves because I would not always be there to protect them , and also they needed their own independence. In all the time we once lost Juliet for three hours (pre mobile phone days) . it turned out she was with friends in a house across the road. We just emphasised to let us know if she was going to do that again. Another time Kirsty phone me at midnight:

"Dad can you come and get me"

"Where are you?"

"I don't know"

It turned out she had fallen asleep on the last Metro and missed her stop. Luckily she was at Manors station, not the best place to be but it was within walking distance for me (no car) and two nice guys had stayed with her til I came for her.

The thing is if you look after yourself , and keep in touch with friends and family , life can be very positive. You should always do things that you want to do , and don't procrastinate. Anyway I could go on and on, but I kept putting off writing this because I thought it would be too depressing, and I prefer positive things.

Despite all the bad things the media piles on us, we are living in great times. We have so many opportunities to enjoy life, experience things, and do things , alone and together and if you do all those things you will live long and prosper (to nick a line for Star Trek's Mr Spock I think , but am willing to be corrected).

I think in this post to have seen a little of how my mind wanders. I was going to include many more examples but I think I've have generally got some points across, and am now returning to the book that sparked this off "The Age Of Bowie" and Tony Morley keeps mentioning "Supermen" by Bowie from "The Man Who Sold The World" , although I first heard it when I bought the Glastonbury soundtrack from Palace Records and Coffee Shop next to the old Public Hall in Preston (where I saw my first live gig Uriah Heep on the "Demons and Wizards" tour) and spent many an afternoon there when I should have been in lessons. Wildflower on Westgate Road has very similar atmosphere but these students just go corporate brands. I wanted to "educate" one I heard walking through Newcastle yesterdat who proclaimed loudly:

"Newcastle has so much choice.... Jamie's Italian, TFI Fridays, Frankie and Bennies, Costa, Starbucks ...."

What an idiot. I desisted though.

Anyway my mind wandered again and I will leave you with "Supermen" by Bowie , because that is want we can all be (I am using it as a generic term).

Enjoy Good Friday Easter Bunnies.

I Have A Theremin And I am Going To Use It

For some reason I decided I wanted a theremin, then found this theremin app on Amazon. If you want I'd suggest you get the free version and I use the play store as Amazon decided I didn't own a number of apps I'd downloaded from them. Suggestions were made that I could deinstall go and do something online and then reinstall and then they might work. My time is worth a lot more than the the few pounds I've lost, so I use Google Play Store, as my Samsung Note 4 is Android (although BlueTooth doesn't work now and Google & Samsung like Apple won't acknowledge that the problem exists, so I have to use wired headphones).

Anyway I'm still playing with my Tascam home studio and the theremin will be great fun to add to the recordings. My phone also has a great drum machine on that I paid for from the Play Store (Rock Drum Machine) so along with my guitars, keyboard and voice I have everything I need to do what I want apart from the ability to play or sing properly, but it's amazing that now you can have a full studio effectively in your bedroom.

Apparently the theremin was invented accidentally (it was meant to be an alarm) but Leon Theremin (Термéн) patented it in 1928 (see here)and it's been a staple of many science fiction soundtracks and even Midsomer Murders!

I've included "Noises For The Leg" by The Bonzo Dog Band so you can hear a theremin in action, and a live take so you can see a leg theremin in use in Brighton. Have a great Tuesday everybody.

Sunday Night

It's 9PM Sunday Night , knowing that tomorrow is work again.  As an added task I now am trying to walk 5 miles a day as well. Given that it means I can listen to what I want, walk where I want and when I want it's probably a good way to exercise. Today I decided to walk into town , then decided to walk back and ending up doing about eight miles. From May 1st I'm going to do the million step challenge , that's one million steps (500 Miles) i three months. There is a Diabetes UK 1 Million Step Challenge to raise money for research into diabetes here but I won't be taking part in it as my diabetes is self inflicted (several people have pointed out that diabetics are overweight and if they would just lose it they'd be be fine) . I don't let it bother me, I am to busy enjoying life.

The weather at the moment is wonderful and we have a couple of short weeks coming up, so opportunity to lie in and enjoy not having to get up for work.

I managed to miss a celebration of the release of the first Clash album , forty years ago yesterday,  and I remember it was dismembered and re assembled for the American market, so I ended up buying two copies of it. Although there are lot's of brilliant songs on there my favourite is still "London's Burning" but I'm sure there will be lot's of other favourites on there.

Anyway I could have chosen The Proclaimers "500 Miles" but I will go with "London's Burning".
Enjoy your Sunday night my friends.

Changes

Again this is more linking of the Step Challenge and reading Tome Waits on Tom Waits. He's been releasing albums since the early seventies and been covered by people who, shall we say, are easy on the ear, and I chose a Tom Waits song to kick og my random play as I walked into work.

The song I chose is "(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night" and it's a beauty, and Waits' version could fit on any easy listening station although it is undoubtedly a Tom Waits song with him delivering  the song. If it's not in your collection it should be. I got a live version which is slightly more edgy that the studio version but worth your time.

Fast forward to "Bone Machine" and this is real end of the world / Armageddon delivered by one of Lucifer's stormtroopers. "Earth Died Screeaming" really hit me when I first heard it, this is Tom Waits taking no prisoners, and I love it.

It is amazing to hear the change in his music, yet retaining his essential magic.

If you are not into Tom Waits , why not?

He isn't easy ... but he is worth it.

A Devilishly Short Post

I wasn't going to post anything this morning, as I need to get off to the doctors, pick up a book from the Post Office, then go to work. But again, reading "Tom Waits on Tom Waits" I come across an interview with Terry Gilliam. That's two of my favourite artists talking together (well the words transposed to paper) , how good is that.

I also saw a great mural in Edinburgh featuring Gilliam (see here) and below:

Gilliamesque

I suppose it's natural that imaginative people gravitate towards imaginative people and Waits ended up cast as The Devil in Gilliams' "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" , which I loved (As I do with most of Gilliam's films"

I'll include "Down In The Hole" from "Frank's Wild Years" (which was the theme to "The Wire") and references The Devil heavily.

Anyway I just wanted to tell you about that before I went off to pick up my book. Have a brilliant Tuesday everybody.

Everyone Will Hate Me Even More Than They Already Do Now ....

Well all the male members of the various neighbouring houses will do, because I think I'm the first one to mow the lawn this year, so you know what that means, people will be saying "Well he's mowed his lawn". It actually looks very well after the first mow, but this means I'll have to do it at least once a fortnight. Also there's still quite a lot of leaves so the brown bin is full and ready to be emptied.

We're only two days into April and I'm still keeping up my five miles a day. I'm sure I'm going to miss my target one day, but I want to do it every day in April if possible, the everyday after that. It's a simple way of getting a little exercise although I need to vary my toutes, and today I ended up in a fenced off cul-de-sac.

It's funny ever since seeing the film "Eden Lake" with is JG Ballard type premise, all estates make me go cold. I am fine in normal streets, but when I hit a housing estate, especially if it's walled, I do start to feel more than a little threatened. Obviously "Eden Lake" had it's desired effect on me.

I decided to mow the lawn yesterday but it began to rain so that's why I did it today, and I am glad I've got that out of the way..

Today , surprisingly I didn't actually listen to any music on my walk, but it actually kept my attention.

I also watched the film "Youth" featuring great verbal  sparring between Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel, and also cameos from Paloma Faith (Good in Bed apparently) and Diego Maradona (Rather portly but a great back tattoo). I was wondering what song to include and really it has to be "Michael Caine" by Madness hasn't it?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday my friends.