Mood for a Day.

The world it would appear is tinder dry, I made a small post on Farcebook regarding how little electronic interaction I was having (it wasn’t a complaint) a simple statement and the world cared, well kind of, if only for a moment!

I had been working diligently on a new blog (no not this one) and I simply posted that I was missing my friends, some human interaction with the people I call friends, I thought it was such a simple statement, after all I have been stuck indoors for over 70 days, lots of people thought I was in a bad place (I wasn’t, I’m not, it’s kind of fluid) but it did strike a chord.

Do I come across as that kind of person that I need to have the world love me (erm fuck no) but it was lovely that so many people checked in, most who I have known for years but if we were to pass in the street I would probably only tip my hat (figuratively) all lovely people, but to be honest I was quite shocked (in a pleasant kind of way) I do take the temperature of my day, as long as I  can get up happy it’s a great place to start, I know I rarely end the day in the same mood, but I will take what I can get. Even under lock down I have been primarily “happy” my concern is mainly for the wife who is suffering with her back at the moment and she has an eye infection and she has to put up with me, so a perfect trifecta, she at least can exit the property. If only for a short while.

Shocks and surprises have been the order of the day (well week actually) we got our electric bill, we were dreading the long fall onto the mat, three people in lock down using electricity all day every day, it floated, we paid it and put it behind us, no complaints, nothing to see here move along, we had a lovely face time session with peeps and I wore an assortment of hats (don’t ask) and some furniture from Ikea turned up, honestly we will get the house in some sort  of semblance of order at some point, but at long last our vinyl has pride of place in the living room, our back room is 50% tidy now, it looks so different, and one of the wife’s Kiss jigsaws (I bought her two) is framed and on the wall, hurry up with number two, after 16 years its starting to feel like home.

I need to go back to work to stop me buying vinyl, well only for my Fish collection, I only need one album (£30 for a second hand album that’s over 25 years old……nope and about 8 various singles, promos and the such like should do it) at no point has the wife complained, I know I’m still waiting, cunning plan 1254671 is still inching ever forward, fingers crossed, and at most points I’m still kind of happy, I have no idea what the hell has gone wrong! At least most days I’m sleeping ok, well longer than normal although I have been padding around since six this morning, well I have a blog to produce, the last couple have done fab and I know this is a tad late but the huge showing of affection kind of stopped me  in  my tracks, I have another one (historical) 90% finished which I intend to put up there as soon as this one dies, the last one was still being read as of yesterday.

So, there’s the shock of the year, I’m happy, well as one can be, I’m fussing over the wife as she does need some TLC. Thank you for everybody showing that the world can be a nice place if even for a split second (it really does help) the name game on the last blog really does show that people use google to try and find the song, by the way it was The Rods off their second album, the only person who got it right was, Suki from Singapore and on her first visit to the page, sorry that’s as much as a prize that you will get I’m afraid, so onto another week in lock down, and to formulate more cunning plans (Guernsey) for the future, I hope everybody is doing well just remember stay safe and stay alive, I don’t want to lose any readers, how selfish am I?

So look to the skies for incoming, I’m trying to be a beacon of light in these dark days, if the disease isn’t affecting you then events are conspiring for people to kill each other and that’s really not what life or the blog is about (damn I am a bloody hippy) so take a deep breath we are over the hump, we can do this, listen to music (lots of it) love your family and  friends and there will be another blog along before you know it, so until then ………………Toodles!

Waiting for Tomorrow.

 I ain’t got nothing , well nothing resembling any kind of intelligence, I have been stuck in the house since March 23^rd and I have had enough, it would appear that I am part of a high risk group, diabetic, obese and  bald, ok so I’m not sure about the last one but this is driving me nuts!

Me and the wife have done well, we have had only two small world wars, and no I’m not holding a grudge, I have tried to remain positive but life kind of bubbles over the pan, the wife and the youngest have been brilliant, but they get to leave the house, I just have to sit and fester!

Why do I fester? do you not read the previous blogs? Its in my nature, the work of idle hands and all that kind of bullshit, I think I have done fantastically well considering, I’m missing my family, my friends (I really am missing my friends) damn it I’m even missing work, thankfully I return next week to mountains of tasks, one that I am looking forward to with relish!

Technically this week I am on holiday but it seems like forever since I have tasted the sweet fresh air of freedom, the only time I go out is to put out or collect the bins, we had new windows and front door put on just before lockdown I haven’t even been out the front door yet! my blood pressure is soaring, I have been crippled with high blood pressure over the last couple of days, something I need to concentrate on, more exercise required, my music collection is pretty damn near perfect alphabetically, chronologically and everything vinyl wise in nice shiny PVC covers, I bought the wife some Kiss stuff for hers (because I’m a nice guy) some Kiss jigsaws and they have been driving her more batshit crazy than she normally is, she has completed the Rock & Roll Over one she just needs a frame for it, then she will start on the Love Gun one, me with a cunning plan, no dear reader I’m just trying to occupy her and keep her sane, its in my interests to do so.

Normal service to be resumed what the hell is normal these days, I was doing really well blog wise (as always the numbers have been great) but I seem to have hit a road block since the trilogy, it was all good, no negativity but now nothing, hence this drivel, now I know what Rudolph Hess was feeling, actually I’m trying to make light of a crap situation, I certainly have no intention of causing harm to myself or others!

The TV has been very seductive and I have actually been binge watching bits and pieces, mainly historical documentaries, but I can see how seductive it is, definitely an opiate for the masses! So I hope every one of you is safe and sound, I hope you and yours are coping better than me (I really do need to stop buying vinyl for my Fish collection)music has been soothing the savage beast, but in the words of the animals I really do need to get out of this place!

As I’m back to work next week I’m hoping interaction with other people will help fire up the synapsis in a positive way, I really want to get back to the winning ways of late, people have started sending in questions for one last “Now Hear This” that wont be happening until nearer number 500 but its getting closer with each blog so if you want to know something, send it in don’t be shy!

The name game as always is in play, I have been blasting this beauty on repeat since I got up, lets see how many get it, hopefully the log jam will break and there will be a better blog along soon, keep watching the skies for incoming, until then stay safe and stay alive…………..Toodles!

Misplaced Childhood.

There was no intention to turn this into a trilogy, however I have felt I have driven off the road in wanting to write anything, it did take more out of me as I thought it might, numbers were damn good and I have had a couple of “conversations”  with peeps in the blogs and not in the blogs. The peeps in the blogs will remain private, as it was great to reconnect with one or two people, not as in sit in a pub and have a piss up type of thing, but simply nice to draw a line under things and move on down the road.

Some people were simply intrusive, this happens when I write this particular type of blog, I get it, and some of you guys don’t, I also lied when I said normal service will be resumed, this is late and really just a post script to finish off this train of thought, some peeps had probing questions, again lets keep them private, but I wasn’t rude and hopefully I answered them all as honestly as  I could. There are some unanswered questions as always in life, I wish there wasn’t but that’s how the cookie crumbles, if I can put up with it I’m afraid you guys will have to as well!

The blogs were written about a specific part of my life there is no mention of my life and friends in Gimpsville purely and simply as there wasn’t a great deal of drama, we were country bumkins who enjoyed what we had and made the most of it, again although I’m still friendly with these people, I see them in the street in passing about every ten years, the world moved on, I wish it hadn’t but again there’s an awful lot of cookies crumbling in this blog!

I haven’t written about the people I call friends these days, again I’m not a misery thanks to the wife’s work patterns and my own shifts, we rarely get the chance to see everybody, its great when we do as we have some wonderful friends now, admittedly most of them are the wife’s friends and after thirty years together it would appear they don’t all dislike me, that’s strange in itself, if I was a single bloke I probably would live in isolation in a cave out in the country some where thankfully the wife helps me to stay grounded and in touch (kind of) with the outside world.

So what has been happening, well sod all, we still have cunning plans, I haven’t done anything as much as I should  have, seven weeks stuck in the house will do that to you, mind you my record/CD collection is near as damn perfect as it can be with plastic covers for all the albums and I’m now working on our singles, stuff that hasn’t seen the light of day in years I have started to log everything, I should do for insurance purposes, yes that’s how sad I have become dammit I have even started watching the television, I know me with my reputation, the intention is to give my head a shake a and try and return to a proper blog rather than drivel, however it would appear that I cannot promise anything as allegedly I have been writing drivel for the  last few years!

That’s the blog for this week, keep doing what ever you lot have been doing as the numbers have been fantastic, it makes this old man happy to see that some one wants to check in on me, so until the next time watch the skies for incoming…….Toodles!

Escape from Childhood.

I had  to split the last blog into two parts as it was going on and on (and on and on) not that I minded that, it was good to reminisce, to be able to finally put those friends that were out of mind to the front, if only for a little while, the blog has done really well and is still going (the lockdown is throwing me some weird metrics for the blog) this is the second part and concluding part and my intention is to close this out, 99% of you have no idea who these people are/were, I probably could do a full blog for every single one of them (cheques can be sent to the usual location).

The people in this blog floated in and out of the circle but they do mean quite a bit to me, as at some point we definitely had a connection: -

Aldo Fazio was our resident mad Italian (actually a Yank) who hated all music except Italian opera (why the hell did he knock around with us….I have no idea) if he worked in a bar we usually frequented it, for no other reason than the bars he worked in were usually fun, and boy did he like to have fun, he moved back to Akron Ohio around of the time I last Steve (see The Dawn Patrol Blog) a lovely guy and a solid friend.

Danny Corke a great bass player who succumbed to mental health issues, he tried to strangle his father in law (nobody knows why) it was his father in law who picked him up after he finished serving his six-year sentence and has stood by him every step of the way! I haven’t seen Danny for more than 20 years, I’m told that he is better now, but is a bit of a recluse, still married but a tad fragile these days.

Ronnie O’Malley The most crooked person that I have ever met, every time he shook my hand I checked to see if I still had my watch, he couldn’t lie straight in bed, having said that he was a nice guy (you simply couldn’t trust him) he was an accountant (not mine) and I’m told he did a runner around 1998 with a boat load of money, allegedly not his, who would have thought?

Andy Hamilton was Ronnie’s partner in crime again a lovely guy he simply hated working for a legit living, a total scam artist it seems he became a Muslim and moved to Dubai, I wonder what the scam was?

Susan & Bennett Taylor My publishers who signed me all those years ago to Streetbeat, Susan said she saw the raw talent, Bennett realised that I would work hard and make him money, the partnership was great until the stupid bastard had a heart attack (a fatal one) Susan had to sell  the company due to some VAT being owed and people were not being forthcoming in paying her the money the company was owed, that was the start of my troubles, if only I had heeded her advice I might have gone on for a few more years within the music Biz, to be honest I was losing interest , it had become a chore, Sue eventually bought Streetbeat back from the Russian/Polish Mob who bought the company off her, she took great pride in telling me the court case they chased me for seventeen years (yes you read that right 17) cost them a little over £400000 (yes you read that right four hundred thousand, talk about being stupid, I can be a tad stubborn), and to this day she credits me for being the reason why they sold the company back to her, allegedly she sold up to Universal music group and now breeds Bees somewhere outside of Bristol, still one of the best bosses I ever worked for (and yes I know she reads the blog LOL).

Mad Mark (we all used to call him mad and he answered to it) he popped up into our lives around 83 and disappeared around 86, I’m told that he became a vicar for the Church of England, which is quite funny when you consider that he was totally and utterly nuts for Black Sabbath, to this day he is the only person I ever knew who did play his records backwards, I’m also told he was Tasered by the police about four years ago in Manchester (it seems it was big local news) he has since disappeared of the face of the earth!

Dave Palmer was our resident Chef, when we had to stay in because of lack of funds, boy could he work his magic in the kitchen, he joined the merchant Navy in 88, and yes I have spoken to him as he was the first of my group of friends to discover the blog.

Steve Newton the original and longest vocalist in Satellite, it was illness that pushed me to the front in 84 when they were about to have a showcase, thankfully he recovered and I didn’t  have to go and totally destroy the band completely, Steve has been a vocal coach for many years has toured with lots of artists including Cliff Richard, Van Morrison and Bryan Ferry, Steve was the quiet one in the group and it turns out the reason for this was because he was gay and he thought we would shun him (WTF) never would have happened, he married his roommate and lifelong partner Ian McFarlane they have both been an item since 1981, good luck to them.

Pat Cox was a window cleaner whose accent changed as well as his life story hourly, he wanted to buy my flat from me but didn’t want to meet the asking price, so I sold it to Jeff Hughes who would, it would appear that he is now driving a taxi in Dublin although when Mike collared him he denied it all and said he had the wrong man before morphing into a welsh person in front of him, I often wonder how many people actually inhabited his brain as he really was a fruit loop, but nice with it, at his best think of the mad Irishman in Braveheart…..it really was his island!

Graham Turner our resident tech guy could fix anything it seems he found god got married and had a huuuuuuge family! He still works for Radio 4, it happens people do work there it would appear!

Peter Trew (or as we called him little Pete) is again a really sad story, he was diagnosed with Cancer and gassed himself in his car out on Saddle Worth Moors in Manchester, he would do anything to help anybody, one of life’s good guys, and the reason why I have a habit of saying good guys always finish last.

Mark Stephenson another one who found God, Honestly it has had nothing to do with me, I bumped into him at my place of work, he was a wild man in his younger days a total berserker , he is very centred and calm these days, still a great guy with a similar sense of humour, SICK!

Mick Ross (no relation to Andy Ross) was obsessed with bus’s he could wax lyrical on them like I could about records it would appear he is now a bus driver living out his dream in Norwich.

Tony Robb the only member of the team who could out sleep me in any position, he was last seen pissed as a rat asleep in an upright position, going in the totally wrong direction on the tube from where we thought he lived I don’t think I ever spent anytime with him and he was sober.

That’s the lot, there were others out there on the periphery who floated in and out, would my life had changed if I had moved at the beginning of 1986 to the United States with Stella and Steve, most definitely but in my heart of hearts it simply wasn’t for me, we dragged the group on for another five years here and there, but it splintered with the tragic loss of my two all time best friends, and I still miss them and think of them every single day, again this was all before mobiles and the internet, we splintered into a number of factions, some with scores to settle or axes to grind (myself included) me I was simply full of rage, thankfully I met the wife and she has moulded me over the last thirty years into the man that stands before you now, a better man, I miss these friends but all things happen for a reason, I wish we could all talk and reminisce in a good way, I know for some the nerves are still raw, but if me and Mike can make peace I’m sure we all can, if not stay safe and stay alive.

We were really like a family that exploded all those years ago (30 bloody years were does the time go?)  some of this information is over 12 years old if anybody would like to update me, I’m really not that hard to find, if you found the blog you know where I work, I’m very easy to contact and I’m no longer that angry little shit! Ask the wife she can verify it for you!

There you go normal service shall resume with the next blog thank you for all your kind comments and to those that have reached out, I really  have turned the other cheek, its thirty years boys and girls the world kept spinning, so stay in stay safe and stay alive, I need all the readers I can get, so until the next time enjoy and click like or share, until then……Toodles!