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.

One Nation Underground

Is the name of the album I listened to walking to work today. It's by a band called Pearls Before Swine and in the same psychedelic universe as Jefferson Airplane. The album I wanted to listen to was "The Use Of Ashes" but unbelievably I don't seem to have it . I have a compilation called "The Wizerd of Is" and that may have all the songs from "The Use Of Ashes".

The albums use some great artwork for their covers such as Hieronymus Bosch's visions of hell and the music is quite unsettling and not overly produced.

I've included the whole album of "The Use Of Ashes" for you to listen to , from 1971 and it clocks in at a little over half an hour. It will be on my playlist for tomorrow, as "One Nation Underground" was today.

You can buy your own copy by following the links, although it may just not be your thing. Pearls Before Swine were a vehicle for Tom Rapp's songs though later albums were under his own name.

Feel free to dip your toe in , you never know , you might just like it.

The Housemartins - The Greatest Marxist Band Ever To Pick Up Guitars

I read that statement twice when I read it in Jordan Ellenberg's "How Not to Be Wrong: The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life", I know the Housemartins were committed left wing and Paul Heaton definitely still is but does that make them Marxist.

Maybe Robert Wyatt could be Marxist, especially listening to his stuff post Soft Machine. His band after that was Matching Mole which is extrapolated from the French for "Soft Machine" , "Machine Molle" apparently. My french is only 'O' Level but Google translates as "Machine Souple" though the reverse translation comes out as correct.

There were a lot of bands that may have been Marxist  that are in my collection , a possible list here:

• Henry Cow
• National Health
• Crass
• Raincoats
• Art Bears
• Slapp Happy

And to some extent Billy Bragg, Woody Guthrie and the list could go on for a long time.

All these bands are well worth a listen whatever your politics, they are probably all on Youtube so go and have a look and listen. This is one of the great things about this digital age, you don't read this and then think I will have to go and research that tomorrow. I remember in the seventies when you read about a band you often had to look in the music mags like Sounds and NME scour the adverts and then order an album on import, hoping it would be as good as the title and blurmb made it sound.

Anyway I've included "Sitting On A Fence" the song that Jordan Ellenberg used to illustrate his point, and if you want to know what the point was you will have to read Ellenberg's book.

Have a good Tuesday.

Going American

I'm just loading up my phone with a lots of sixties and seventies American music. Although to me they are major players , the only ones you may have heard of are The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. Of couse that atter leads off to Paul Kantner and Grace Slick and the wonderful Hot Tuna featuring the amazing guitar of Jorma Kaukonen , who I saw at Knebworth in about '76 when The Rolling Stones headlined , 10CC had a three hour soundcheck, Todd Rundgren's Utopia went over the top with their pyramid and Lynyrd Skynyrd played one of their last gigs before we lost most of them.

I'm also loading up Tom Rapp , Pearls Before Swine and Dave Ackles , all class acts though seriously forgotten these days, but I will be pushing them over the coming weeks as I visit them on my walk to work. I don't think I've name checked so many bands and musicians in a post before, although I probably have.

I leave you with Hot Tuna's excellent cover of Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy" . Enjoy. It's time for bed for me.

Never Saw That Coming

Or maybe I should have done because the weather is unpredictable. I was walking home past St James' Park and suddenlt was hit by a torrential downpour soaking my pants, shoes and socks. The wind was threatening to destroy my umbrella so I sheltered in a covered gateway before chancing the downpour when the wind dropped. I got to a bus stop and eventually the rain subsided. As there was no but I walked a bit further and then the sun appeared. It had gone from torrential downpour to bright hot sunshine in little more than ten minutes.

I was still walking and listening to music. Today's album has been "English Settlement" a double album by XTC full of their angular folk rock and a lot of fine musicianship, The lead single I think was "Senses Working Overtime" and "No Thugs In Our House" is unfortunately very relevant now with the right wing racism being sanctioned by UK and US leaders. Some of my vavourites are the melodic guitar motifs of "Yacht Dance" and the title track Other stand outs are "Ball and Chain" and "It's Nearly Africa" before finishing up with "Snowman" which I will leave you with. One is a live version , the other soundtracking my first snowman at Chateau Dred

The weather is forecasting rain and 60 mph winds tomorrow, hopefully we won't get any snow ... yet.

Have a great evening.

That Was Lucky

An absolute deluge during the night, so glad it held off while The Great North Run was on. There were ceratainlt black couds about during the day. The sky looks a bit clearere this morning so a walk into work is going to happen, but I'll be keeping off the grass, and I won't be mowing the lawn tonight.

It's another Monday and even though it's halfway through September , the mornings are dark and this weather is not exactly the best , but weather is complicated so you take what comes and deal with it insted of moaning about it. Though there are people who are only happy when they are miserable and the weather gives them another reason to complain, and I am sure we have a lot of non sunshine on the way to cries of "We never had a summer" , in reality the last couple of years the weather has actually been excellent.

On my walk in today I will be listening to Primal Scream's "More Light" and I was vauguely thinking of including The Smiths "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" but my mind says have something more upbeat and better, so Primal Scream's "Trippin' On Your Love" would be a good start to Monday , I think.

Have a brilliant Monday everybody.

Early To Bed

"Early To Bed

Early To Rise

Makes A Man 

Healthy, Wealthy and Wise"

That's probably a maxim for the mill owners to get their workers in early. It certainly doesn't apply now. People are expected to work harder and longer for less and the status quo is maintained. It's not like there isn't any money about , there is. At the cash machine I see people withdrawing hundreds as I usually take ten or twenty , or sometimes fifty.

But life isn't really about money it's about having fun and socialising , though money does help you to do that. Anyway I actually am sleepy and intend to have a good night's sleep before walking to work tomorrow listening to Primal Scream and maybe Kate Tempest , "Let Them Eat Chaos" is a wonderful album.

Anyway it's time for sleep and what should we have to go to sleep to? What better than "When You're Falling" by Afro Celt Sound System with Peter Gabriel, sort of perfect. Good Night everybody.