There's a hole in my Bucket!

I couldn’t keep a lower profile if I wanted to and to be honest it feels like I have had my hands tied behind my back and I want to pull my zip down god what did we do before the internet I’ve had a few blogs on the boil but they have went by the way and I was tracking numbers a habit that seems equally hard habit to break,  but we died a death when AOL kicked us into touch honestly can anybody tell me why it’s  so fecking hard to organise a new connection and telephone number tracking numbers on both blogs new and old and the old blogs are averaging about 20 a week that may be people rereading  old blogs (it could also be our redneck infestation)but I’m not taking the  risk the old blog is dead long live the new blog..........

Work has been a major ball ache with people having pissing competitions I don’t play but I will piss on the back of your legs if you want to be a pain so it’s probably just as well that I’m on holiday I can’t believe how busy work has been even all those well laid plans although they worked it doesn’t take a great deal to put a spanner in the works so the holiday came just at the right moment not doing a lot even less without the internet can’t even fill the iPod cos I need the internet (ha ha ha ha ha ha ) so my list of jobs will be pottered on so to speak but we have had a great weekend so I think I had better fill you all in with  the details

I took a lieu day on the Friday I couldn’t face going into work so we got stuff ready we had been invited by E & G to fins and chrome a classic car rally (we went last year) they had bought a camper van so the experience would be even better than the one we had last year (which was great) so now there is a mobile Hotel Jagermeister we had arranged to meet part way so we set off but I had  to pick some gear from work we slipped in under the radar and got back out just as quick and were soon on our way E & G missed the rendezvous so kept going to the next discernible point and we followed them into the car park of an American diner were G had all ready laid some cable (if you don’t know don’t ask.........YUK! )  and we headed off we were close anyway but the first roadblock was soon thrown in our face as the price had increased from last year we didn’t care we wanted to have a good time so we got parked and set about making base camp G made the table and did technical stuff we took our gazebo (clever stuff it just pops up) so we put that up and pinned it down just in case the weather kicked in (oh boy did it) while E made mince and dumplings (wow and they were lush ) the wife had been really sick I was hoping that this was going to be the right medicine it certainly looked like it. The sun was shining we had some beer and the evening was great we had some canny crack (that’s conversation for peeps who aren’t familiar with Geordie speak and not drug related) a lovely walk in the grounds lots of rabbits and stuff and E wanting G to pinch stained glass plants libraries .....You get the picture and no E you with a snipers rifle on the roof is not really a good career move a bit limited really, We headed back and me and E were excited as we thought the bookstall was setting up close to us (boy were we wrong and disappointed) we had a bit more drink the wife had bought me a bubba keg so we got G one as well he reckoned you could get 3 cans in  I didn’t try it (lightweight I know) and we turned in for an early ish night G having an audience E had her hands full but the pillow fort was assailed and G was subdued (eventually) they had gracefully given us the main bed (gratefully accepted) mind you I would have happily slept under the bloody van cos we were having such a bloody good time. The rules of the camp stated that you had to be quiet that didn’t work out as we had a cackling witch to one side a crap band (they even had a bloody drum kit) and general drunken antics did we care...........no we had G to get to bed !

We awoke to grey skies but our spirits were not down in the dumps we soon got breakfast on the go bacon and sausage sarnies lush we tidied up and prepared for the big day we were expecting more friends to visit, while we waited we thought we would have a wander check out some of the cool cars as we went and the stalls as well.....the book store turned out to be a sweetshop (gutted)  and three quarters around on our circuit my knee popped (bugger) things started to look decidedly cack we stopped at another sweet stall as the girls wanted something sweet and me and G weren’t up to the task sweeties bought  we headed back to base camp just as the rain started somebody up there didn’t want us to have fun thankfully they don’t know us that well, Paul one of our neighbours had turned up while we were away and had a cunning plan he had brought a mini spider man chopper to display (peeps had cunning plans all weekend) he even had brought a tent to act as a garage for the chopper these guys take their motors serious Kev Bucket turned up on his Enfield (now I will be honest I know sod all about this kind of thing I know what I like and I liked this) we had a quick brew and then  the fun began people were starting to come onto the fields we thought we could get everybody together but some things didn’t pan out it was at this point we noticed the wife had eaten all her candy floss and most of her fudge so she was packed to the gills with sugar and boy could we tell, it’s at this point I have to congratulate Kev Bucket for not drawing our attention to the fact that if we had had a ceiling the wife would have been through it how E didn’t club her like a Canadian seal during the grand prix qualifiers I’m not sure, having said that she does deal with G on a daily basis (sainthood can’t be far away) others turned up and we went to help put tents up (not that the cripple here could do much) Kev Buckets girlfriend Charlotte (nice French person with a south shields accent) had driven down with their van with a tent on top which when folded out was wonderful obviously designed for those marauding zombie giraffes  out on the Serengeti but a great piece of kit, Caroline’s tent was a pop up affair that was to cause much pain later only for the wife to be the hero of the day!

Charlotte was as it turns out the support act but her time was keep getting moved further and further back so we dispersed back to camp and decided it was time for the Barbeque even though it was Bucketing down (you will understand the pun as you read on) we erected G’s gazebo (ooer missus) and cracked on with the food beef steaks, chicken kebabs naked and reggie reggie one’s a veritable feast was had by all but the main event was fast approaching and we were all looking forward to the legendary Bessie and the Zinc Buckets (get the pun now thank god for that) Charlotte did her short set and we enjoyed it she did win a lot of other people over who to be honest were there for Rock a Billy and they were going to get it, for the foreign readers of the blog Bessie and the Zinc Buckets are a local band who are legendary for having a vast array of musical knowledge and being able to play it in the style of Rock a Billy trust me you ain’t heard Ace of Spades till you have heard the Buckets play it they also play a lot of obscure authentic stuff which is fabulous trust me they play loads of gigs and if you ever get the chance see them they are awesome I have followed them diligently for the last 19 years and have seen them more than 80 times I cannot recommend them enough Charlotte did duet on one number giving Glen Bucket (see the thread) a chance to nearly die after drinking from a slush cup  full of Jack Daniels (ooops tee hee!) the real Rock a Billy’s eventually got up to Ten Pole Tudor (go figure) and then the night really began everybody got slaughtered we had took our cool box with us as we didn’t intend to pay £3 a pint the guy running the bar tried to be a hard arse but Les who runs fins and chrome sorted that out oooooooh and look the bar then dropped the price accordingly and the night rocked even the cripple had fun and hopefully I will post all of the photographs (along with suitable captions) at the same time as this blog go have a look and have a laugh the rain stopped around about 8.30 ish as E predicted and the night started and ended on a high, I had my fair share of drinkie poo’s but my knee was determined to stop some of the fun (it tried and it didn’t tee hee!) E & G slow danced as only a happy couple can, all that noise is just smoke and mirrors they may seem like they don’t care but sorry guys we know you do ha ha ha ha ha ! 

we start to rally the troops to head back to camp when we noticed as always G was up for some further partying (this could get nasty) and started to ask peeps back to camp Jagermiester thankfully me and the wife headed back to avoid getting blood on our selves when we were half way back they were just right behind us I have to admit at this point my knee was winning the battle I had to be helped to undress (yes I had a drink no I was fully competent just crippled with the knee)I would also like to thank G for climbing onto the bed and trying to sooth my fevered brow you did a sterling job and no I wasn’t worried at all ..........much!

 at this point G turned into Rupericht from the film Dirty rotten scoundrels and E really had her hands full now if anybody does know G when he goes into this mode he is really funny you don’t want to laugh as it makes him want to do it even more and E has her hands full (honestly sainthood can only be hours away never mind days) now at this point I would love to describe the rest of the events but I had my head buried under the covers choking on pillows as soon as G said he intended to have a shower E would have revenge in the morning but it was a close run thing and if you know me once I intend to sleep there’s not much that can stop me I was soon asleep even with all the mayhem in the camper van combination of being tired having a drink and being in pain.

The next morning we woke to brighter skies and happier times G was the last out of the pit as E took great pleasure sticking him with a bloody big umbrella, we soon had breakfast on the go and peeps wandered across and were supplied liberally with bacon or sausage sarnies Kev Bucket needing sustenance and I actually turned down a doughnut from Charlotte for breakfast yes that shockwave will go around the world I was on cooking duties and had a great time doing it we then broke camp to have a look at all the cars that had started filling the field not before Caroline and Mowgli turned up having failed miserably in folding the pop up tent away it looked like it had come to life under a spell and was tied down with elvish rope (sorry the weekend was sprinkled with lord of the rings quotes I had to get at least one in sorry E) The wife sprung into action with a quick twist it was under control and zipped up to everybody’s amazement (well done Mrs Tomaso) we had a look around saw some nice cars I have to admit that I prefer early fords Cortina’s Consul’s I didn’t see any Anglia’s this year I’m not a fan of new cars does that make me old?

We set off to head home took a wrong turning but still made it back in one piece had a little relax took mother in law home who had been dog sitting had a quick bite to eat then got ready to go the rattler for round 2 in south shields with E & G we intended to see The Frog on The Tyne which was Kev Bucket and Charlotte doing a duet type of thing(and again it was good, different but good) I wasn’t really not expecting it to be bad but I hadn’t expected it to be that good the Rattler was rammed we should have known bank holiday full of buck nuts and knuckle draggers there was even a skirmish in the middle of the bar 2 punches thrown and a bit of bluster and the door men responded only 5 minutes too late to resolve anything then we wheedled our way down through the room Mowgli was there and was trying successfully to get seats for everybody my knee was still in pain (still is 3 days later) we enjoyed the show and a lot of good crack cunning plans being sorted the only thing holding us back is finances and time scale but like I said we have cunning plans and only ourselves to blame if it doesn’t happen (it will it will it will)  it was nearly 1 in the morning before we even bothered to check the time so we had to head for the hills while the rest of the gang hit the crab shack (boo hoo) we need a lottery win so we can actually move within walking distance of our friends ah well there’s always next week.

So far the rest of the week has been Cack (yes with a capital C ) story of my life whenever I have a holiday things happen to conspire against me /us (does that sound paranoid) I might as well spend more time at work that may be shit but at least I have company that I’m not arguing with (well sort of) and that is just about the blog I have a few more days to go so I might add some extra stuff if anything exciting (yeah right) happens internet should be resumed in 2 days time (yippee) . I have enjoyed the pleasure of my iPod over the last few days and I do intend to do some reading (fingers crossed) but I have watched Cheap Trick playing all of the Sergeant Peppers album which was nice bit Las Vegas but well played and a really horrendous Molly Hatchet DVD from some festival in Germany from 2004 I love the band but I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody they play ok but there’s lots of out of focus shots ho hum look at me I’ve turned all Barry Norman on you all right I’m out of here and I might just add a little something before I actually post this counting down the seconds till I have my beloved internet back!

So there you go i can't believe how old this blog is, the two nicest people in the world damn they know how to enjoy life, they should promote a college course! only one one @old@ blog to come and then back to writing until then..............Toodles!

Family

These have been coming out at random but it seems kind of natural that family has popped up straight after the rant that was the previous chapter.

My family is no stranger than anybody else’s but sometimes it feels like we were brought up by the CIA we don’t (as of yet but you never know) open up to each other we keep ourselves to ourselves some people might disagree I like being who I am and I might not get on with all of my family at the same time (who does) and I certainly don’t think that they are perfect (well we are compared to some) but here is a brief history of our secretive little clan.

I will be honest I don’t know my dad’s side of the family at all I know he had a brother called Robson who had two sons (the same age as me and my brother) I met my uncle once (that I can remember and the sons a couple of times, the last time I don’t believe I was particularly nice to either of them, one grew up to be a GP and one became an eye surgeon more power to their elbow! am I bothered to meet them to be honest I wouldn’t be as hostile towards them as I was then, but I doubt I would cross the road if I knew who they were. I never met my grandparents from my dad’s side so I suppose no great loss there then, if they had been that bothered they could have, because they lived directly across the road from my mum’s parents (but that’s a whole different story).

My Nana and Poppa lived in a small village called The Dene my Poppa was from Govan and was a hard little ginger Scotsman with a fierce temper (and yes although I never met him he died in 1963, I inherited ginger in my beard and that self same temperament) he came to work in the steel works at Consett at a time when unemployment was at unbelievable levels, and my Nana was his second wife, his first died years before, My  Nana was lovely (aren’t all Nanas) she was always a quiet thing, I loved her dearly (we all love our grandparents when in actual fact they are just carbon copies of our own parents who we usually fight with hahahaha) I remember when my Nana died she withered away before our eyes, it’s the first time we lost somebody that I was aware of and I still have the memory of her lying in my parents bed with the curtains closed I still have the last Christmas present she ever gave me a brown silk tie and its one of my most prized possessions.

My mum also had a fierce temper but was really good at holding it in check and before she had her stroke she was quick witted and independent, after the divorce she brought up two strong willed boys and put us before everything which I believe didn’t help her health her only pleasure according to her was having a smoke (it’s a habit me and my brother never picked up) she didn’t ask for nothing but worked as hard as anybody could, I get my work ethic from her, we only ever fell out once (or twice hahaha) and we always picked up where we left off  the very next day! my mum wasn’t one to hold a grudge ( so god knows who I got that trait from) she loved life and never complained and if truth be known you she had plenty to complain about. She loved music and even some of the music me and my brother liked including Rainbow (Stargazer being here favourite) and Manowar (Battle hymns “play the one with the drums”) we had fun at her expense after her stroke and she was mortified when she called the Pope a silly twat when in actual fact she meant twit!  We never ever let her forget that and there were many other times when she got muddled but that was a classic. She was (no surprise there) a fantastic cook, I still miss her cakes (drool) her rice puddings Tatty soup etc etc I could go on and on my only complaint about my mum she never let us do stuff it was always done for us and yes I know her argument that we both worked paper rounds as well as working in our local shop and had our school studies we wanted for nothing and although money was always tight and at times we were thread bare we never went without.

My brother and I fought each other every day totally and completely! he was totally evil to me at times (I’m hoping like all big brothers) but he was and has always been there for me when needed and has fought my corner on more than one occasion, we both share a love of music which I have to admit I blame on him completely and although there is a common thread between us I went off on my own as did he (I don’t think he will ever forgive me for talking him in to buying that single by that well known French heavy metal band Chic the single being le Freak the beating was well worth it) he is technical and a problem solver I’m not he looks like our dad except he has a full(ish) head of hair, he doesn’t suffer fools gladly and just gets on with stuff and if he cuts you out of his life trust me you have less chance than you do with me, he enjoys fine wine and even finer whiskey but suffers now through being diagnosed a celiac so can’t deal with gluten, we didn’t actually get on until I left home then we mellowed having said that he still has an evil streak but now he’s trained to be evil and I really don’t want to piss him off (that much anymore) he’s happily married to someone who I was great friends with and I went through all my school years with, they have one daughter who is so much like her dad it’s unbelievable the only thing we are both glad about is that the Irwin name dies out with us no sons going forward.

My Uncle Keith passed a few years ago and he was the Geezer of my mum’s family he had more edge than a broken piss pot (in  such a nice way) a great bloke who would do anything to help and once ran over three miles in about 20 minutes in his slippers to deal with two unruly boys I’m glad he had those three miles to run cos he scared me shitless that day and yes I got all I deserved, he was  a keen gardener another keeper of family secrets I loved boxing days going to his house and I will always remember when him and his wife (Aunty Maureen) took me to Bridlington in the summer of 1976 for a holiday (when he didn’t have to)and some lady dropped a jar of honey down the bus his quick wit had the driver telling him to stop otherwise he would crash the bus just to get some relief  for his ribs, a proud man who suffered several severe health scares a man who if he had got his hands on our dad would have pulled him limb from limb (bless him).

My Uncle Colin is like me in many ways I was named after both my Uncles Colin George and Keith Campbell to get Colin Campbell my Poppa must have a twisted sense of humour sticking Campbell with Macgregor, again my Uncle Colin reminds me of my Nana with his quiet ways but if he gets riled he’s a bit of a slow burner the main keeper of secrets who when I asked questions about the family history asked me “what did your mother tell you” “nothing” “then that’s the way it’s staying” I still see him wandering the streets of Consett as he likes a walk now and again (although I think it’s just to escape Aunty Ann and his daughter Lindsey).

My Cousin Keith who now resides in Sunny Scunthorpe (with his wife Geraldine) where I used to head off at every opportunity but then I got married and became boring hahahaha we still visit infrequently but I love them to bits and to a degree he was the pirate of the family here one moment then gone the next as a kid I idolised him,(truth be told I still do) he used to look a little like Rod Stewart (well it was the 70’s) with a cheekier grin.

And that’s about it there are one or two others out on the perimeter who sometimes come into view and then disappear just as quick as they appeared and that just leaves the kids.....

The eldest I met when she was about 18 months old and I have to admit I wasn’t a children type of guy but she slowly melted my heart and for about 12 years we were inseparable doing all manner of jolly japes and walks together then at 14 she changed and although we still have many differences I still love her dearly and I know enough that she couldn’t stay a little girl forever, but I have to admit to being disillusioned the way she turned out, all I know is that I can hold my head up high knowing I did my very best for her and was there for her many many times although for reasons known only to herself ,I am now the enemy and will probably remain that way, the bridge is always there but there is only so many times she can pour petrol on it and for it not have it totally destroyed that choice is entirely up to her, she has a lovely son 11 months old (at the time of writing this) and he is a right hand full and just looks like his mother did at that same age and we do the right thing by providing free childcare for not very many thanks! Since this was originally written the eldest has been through the mill and is now hopefully on the climb back to happiness, she has matured into the lovely person she was before!

The youngest is a star looks just like my brothers daughter and has the hair of her father’s Poppa , hard working and caring and totally scatterbrained  bless her not a bad bone in her body (until she gets riled like both her parents) she goes with the flow and can be just a little too laid back for my liking at times but hey ho she seems to be quite level headed and like her mother could get on and make friends in an empty room, has a keen sense of humour and has as yet hidden talents in that deep soul of hers.

My father I leave till last because I don’t really have an opinion of him and I didn’t get really upset about him until when I was trying to discover the exact where a bout’s of my Poppa’s grave ( a thrifty Scotsman buried in an unmarked grave) when the local curate told me all that I needed to know plus a little extra, I wasn’t too bothered about that my grandfather from the other side of the family lived across the road from my mother’s family ( that I all ready knew) but what came as a total shock and sent me into a terrible rage was that he lived at that address until he died in 1982 with his son Norman who never made any attempt to contact his two sons, who didn’t know whether he was alive or dead who lived about three miles away and at that exact time his youngest son worked half a mile from his front door  I try not to dwell on it too much because it’s such a small community where everybody knows each other I struggle to think that some of my beloved family were aware that he was there, this was the first time I had thought of him in over twenty years and now it comes back to haunt me on a regular basis something I can never understand somebody who doesn’t want to know his own children or grandchildren, me and my brother have the same hope that he’s getting buggered in some old folks home..... Ah you can but hope!

Ah and what about the wife I hear you all scream I hope to give the good lady a blog all of her own, it might not be as long as this but it will be heartfelt as always and truthful!    

The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing.

Ok so it had been all quiet on the western front and G was away on a mission on the utmost secrecy, even Cookie didn’t know where he was allegedly he was deep cover somewhere in the old Soviet Bloc he was armed and extremely dangerous .......ok so he gone for a boys week of surfing in Cornwall but the other stuff sounded better! we still decided to have ago for a drinkie and for a change we decided to go to the Brit instead of our usual haunt there was only the four of us, so as always the wife was running on her own time zone and all though I did encourage her (shout) it was to no avail and when we finally got there after picking E up we got through the door and poor SMOR was sitting there all forlorn. 

We got ourselves an alcoholic beverage and sat and generally chatted amongst ourselves enjoying the banter as we normally do, a few more drinks and a decision to move venues just across the road to the Maltings an ok pub but upstairs and being buoyed by drink I jogged up the stairs like the crippled person that I am, I wasn’t overly enamoured by the prices either but we soldiered on but the atmosphere was also a drag and we wanted to fun so we headed back to the Brit and that’s when it happened time stood still and all other things in the universe ceased to matter we were obviously missing G as we all started to talk like him (nobody can walk like him certainly not me with my knees) and so we decided that we had to get the word “Potato” into every single sentence, utterance anything we were naming fave CD’s such as Dark side of the Potato by Potato Floyd you can guess what went on which even now I wouldn’t dare to put anything further as the space time continuum would rupture and spew “potato’s” everywhere. Needless to say we all nearly needed an ambulance and a team of specialists for heart and brain surgery cos we chuckled so much, I like the fact that we all channelled G so much that we were all nearly carted off to the loony bin ah well all good things do sometimes need to come to a close….well not quite!

The week returned to normal (well as normal as we actually allow it) frivolity soon raised its head with the sending of various photographs of you guessed it “potato’s” I even set up a page on Farcebook for The Potato Liberation Army yes even at my advancing years I still like to be just a tad silly.  On the Thursday SMOR got us in to see The Union Actually that was a story in itself as we met up in The Mile Castle in Newcastle for a pint and a bite to eat, Curry being the order of the night the wife wasn’t too happy because she knew I would be loaded for bear afterwards but she smiled sweetly and got on with it, we weren’t to bothered about the support bands (it must be an age thing because when I was younger I wanted to see everybody) so we wandered up with about 10 minutes to spare annoyed to see that it was upstairs and that it was sold out (the band deserved it but in the interests of safety it should have been moved downstairs because it was a disaster zone) me and the wife decided to head back down the stairs and sit and listen to the great music, I tend to agree with SMOR that’s as big as they are going to get a great band but rock music is dead at least in it’s present form we headed out the doors early took SMOR home well we did have to have a cheeky drink in the “Wouldhave” well we would have been naughty not to call in we were only being social able honest…..

We dropped SMOR off and headed off into the darkness heading back to that mythical land where potatoes live wild and free without fear of being stripped naked and smashed to bits ok I lie but it does sound like a heavenly place, a dream that might one day be a reality and not a pipe dream of a lunatic Russian billionaire intent on freeing our beloved “pomme de terre” damn I have started talking in tongues somebody get this boy a doctor or a drink ......actually I prefer the second one but if it has to be the first one can it be a female one and pretty as well ooops time to move on

So the week came to a juddering halt work beckoned and I was looking at 10 days on nightshift doing Christmas decorations at work I wasn’t happy I wasn’t even pretending to be happy it’s the one part of my job that I hate, but it did mean that I could take the time to catch up on as much work as I possibly could, not that ever goes to plan obstacles and diversions always get thrown in the way but hopefully with a bit luck these would be navigated to a satisfactory result.

Well what happened to all the “potatoes”  I hear you ask well that really would be telling I have a feeling that this potentially could run and run so watch this space or even the stars because you never know when the Potato liberation Army will strike ready to strike fear where ever a potato lives in fear and oppression ..... Ok I need my meds now and I need to lie down in a darkened room but don’t say that you haven’t been warned

Music

I don’t read the music press because I think they are all failed musicians bitter at others hard work, I like music actually I love music it’s the one thing I cannot do without, I could live without a TV I could at a push live without something to read, BUT and I really do mean the capital letters I COULD’NT live without music it helps me get through the day sometimes through the night and as always through the shitty thing that can be at times my life!

I like comedy as well, but its music that sooths the savage breast, my first single (which I still have) was Alice Cooper Hello Hooray, my first two albums (I remember when I bought of my music who I was with and the such  thing) was Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells and Blue Oyster Cult On your feet or on your knees an album I still play at least once a month, Tubular bells I can live without but I do need a regular dose of BOC!

I was influenced by my brother to a degree, but then punk happened and although I still liked those “hippy” bands as they became known, I just liked the faster more aggressive music to be honest most of them were just pop bands masquerading under the new guise until pop was fashionable again, I loved quite a few of the one hit wonders as well as the more serious contenders, I still play the first three Stranglers albums on a regular basis, I do find it funny that not many made it past the debut album stage live fast die young was certainly the motto that captured punk, there were a fair few good debuts but some really crap follow ups I love The Tom Robinson Band’s Power in the darkness, but TRB2 while it does indeed still have  some charm to be honest its dross! The dickies managed two albums but then drugs kicked in, The Vibrators were cracking they just couldn’t sustain it, The Boomtown Rats were just a pop band, Stiff Little Fingers were good but were soon turned into a pop band (a cracking good one though) and The Jam just believed their own hype, The Adverts were cack, Sham 69 were just that a sham! Then the freaks came out like Lene Lovich and well we then descended into hell!

By which time I was being dragged back into rock music I do prefer a melodic singer rather than a rabble rousing shouter, and as for this cookie monster stuff that passes as vocals not my cup of tea, I like to think that I don’t pose, just because something comes along that’s new doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good, I have friends who jump from to ship to ship to this day and they probably do have a better knowledge of music than me but I would rather have quality over quantity every day, I’m as guilty as the next man there are only so many hours in the day and I will admit to liking new music less and less, I return to what I know and love.

There’s not much I don’t like Prog rock I like, Punk rock I like, Rap some of it I think is clever while most of it is repetitive, Pop well let’s be honest you can’t beat a good tune can you, Rock music Metal whatever you want to call it that goes without saying, but it has to be good I prefer somebody with a voice and who can hold a note, I’m not a fan of stuff without a proper drummer on it but I bet there is about 99% of the music out there I will at least listen to it before I say I don’t like it!

Led Zeppelin (yes boys and girls we are going down this road) most people rave over them and they leave me stone cold, I understand why they appeal to the mass public but sorry they do absolutely squat for me, most people look at me blankly when I say I don’t like them, am I not entitled to an opinion, if you like them good luck to you but sorry that’s not the altar I kneel at! when it comes to music and I can guarantee you that 99.9% of the stuff I like has people going WTF that’s what it’s all about if we all liked the same, the world would indeed be a very boring place.

There’s a few bands that I have gone to watch (free tickets and the such like) and if they have been good I will admit it, the biggest shock to me was Marc Almond who supported Cher, and he rocked! no pitchy notes or anything a good set that I enjoyed, I didn’t want to but I did my toe was tapping from the word get go! Some bands that I love have done some of the worst gigs I have ever seen, Queen at St. James Park stands out a country mile and trust me I’m a huge Queen fan, usually it’s the set list well it was in that case! I’m not a fan of greatest hits sets I want to see the good stuff, I have seen some local bands  that have put on better shows than any stadium band could ever hope to, simply because they still have the belief that they enjoy it as opposed to it being a pay check!

Yes I had my little stint in the music business and it was fun but that’s all it was I personally think I was adequate, I had the help of some very good friends but it really was just a moment in time, some fun while I figured out what I wanted to do with my life (still don’t and still don’t care!) it’s very much like a muscle if you don’t use you lose it and I haven’t used it for over 30 years properly so rest assured I won’t be stepping back into the frame anytime soon. Music has been with me through good times and bad times I even know what music I want played at the service when I die, Ivor Biggun will figure prominently hahaha. Music has been the driving force for me, it drives me up the wall I can’t play an instrument or the fact that I can’t sing (I could when I was younger but that’s another story for another blog) or whistle hell as I have stated in various other blogs and stuff I couldn’t hit a bloody chime bar in time!

This has been a far shorter blog than anticipated purely because I have no desire to be picked up and transported to the nearest loony bin, I have done some silly things in the past that are related to music, actually far too many to mention but I did have fun, both of my kids like music and to me that’s a plus, I keep rattling on about winning the lottery it’s probably best I don’t because after buying a house I would more than likely spend a fortune going to see bands both big and small, buying merchandise and official copies of all and sundry maybe it’s just as well hahaha! When I think of what I have spent over the years it’s actually frightening I probably could have bought a couple of houses (couldn’t we all) but life’s for living or so I’m told!

Music is what keeps me feeling vital my favourite album from start to finish (which really does make people go WTF) is John Wesley under the red and white sky and it really can be a bit depressing but the songs speak volumes to me, I saw him sing most of the album in the sunshine outside a pub in Haddington many years ago and it has been played constantly where ever I go I love it! Your favourite album does not necessarily need to be the biggest album in the world! Music means different things to different people at different times, that’s why there is so many different forms out there from grind core to house to pop back to country and all that’s in between a good song is a good song it’s just depends what you consider that song to be!

I remember vividly a friend’s dad who claimed the music we (his sons and me) liked was cack but that the music he liked was the best, just as Tutti Frutti came on the radio and I sarcastically said that they don’t write lyrics like that anymore, and he didn’t pick me up on it he honestly thought that I meant it hahaha, each to their own enjoy and pass onto to your children they may not like everything you like and we certainly won’t like everything that they themselves call “music” but that is what life is all about!