Dangerous Music.

If you follow this blog you might know that I kind of like music, just a little, following the news of the death of Tina Turner, I got to thinking the artists that I have seen and those I haven’t, why Tina Turner, well myself and some friends had tickets for the UK tour I’m guessing it would be around 1984 there was about 8 of us and we got tickets for the whole of the tour and we didn’t see her once, why I hear you ask, we went to see the support act who was breaking big at the time “Bryan Adams” on his Reckless tour, she must have come on every night and went why the hell are those seats empty, to be truthful we were in the pub getting drunk, do I regret not seeing her perform, nope I get why people like her and she always put a first rate show on, it simply wasn’t my cup of tea.

I did nearly go and see her in 1990 simply because John Miles was her musical director, but I bumped into him at my previous place of work, so I didn’t bother, nice man and always great to chat too. The times I went to see support acts instead of the headline acts could fill a book, I saw the dickies support the Jam in 1980 four times never saw the Jam once, I saw It Bites a few times as support to other bands mainly over in Carlisle never saw the headline act once, saw girl, Diamond head, Anvil, Budgie (nearly as much as other bands who I loved) Samson with Bruce, the list goes on and on.

In the same token I have seen some shite supports as well, the worst and to be honest not their fault, a Greek version of Budgie called Socrates supporting UFO on their making contact tour just as it all went tits up, I actually sat through the entire set as they didn’t speak English so the patter between songs was non-existent, and the songs were…….erm nope! I have seen good bands play shit gigs, I have seen shit bands play awesome gigs, I have seen local bands that should have been huge, I have over time seen just about everybody I want to with one exception being Steve Walsh of Kansas, either solo or with Kansas itself, I saw Tom Robinson do an acoustic when he stomped  after about 5 songs, because it was (shite) in his words “not working” I saw Simply Red on their first tour and I cant remember who they supported we were out for a drink and they did around a 35 minutes, they were killer, I saw them on the next couple of tours and boy were they tedious, with a capitol T.

I have seem many “classic” acts from the 60’s and 70’s and surprisingly they were all great we used to go and see Engelbert Humperdink whenever he toured as we had a mate who was his drummer, who doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to heckle a drummer, he lost the gig after he told us all to “F*** **F, the drummer not the hump, I saw Don Maclean of American pie fame being the biggest cock walking I honestly though the sound guy was going to kill him, The electric boys another great band as a support , headlining they tended to go off into a jam, they were awesome but kind of went of down the wrong path, Bernie Marsden doing a solo acoustic set supporting FM, it shouldn’t have worked but it did and he was just the loveliest man afterwards another great night of pulling stories from the story box, a great night, Angelwitch again in Carlisle, it was a new line up and although I loved the gig the band were horrible, new line up and it was the second gig, a total car crash!

I saw Huey Lewis before he became Huey Lewis, and I saw Dr Feelgood (the original one) play a gig with around 40 people in and they played like their life depended on it, so cool, I saw Squeeze play a gig were Chris Difford was sick into the bass drum and then continued playing as if nothing had happened, I saw Mensi from the Angelic Upstarts fall off the stage and didn’t miss a beat, I saw the Toy Dolls tear numerous clubs to bits and then stand outside talking to the fans like they  hadn’t even started, I saw Twisted Sister play the Mayfair both times and still cant get over how awesome they were, I forget how many times I saw Slade in venues big and small, I even remember seeing the Mighty Hellenbach play Gimpsville in the Freemason's and they did make us feel like Gimpsville was the rock and roll capital of …..well Gimpsville!

The number of support bands we saw at the Marquee  the one that stands out was a band called Ore, they should have been huge, great songs great band, great vocalist, the only  trouble was he had short hair and weighed about 25 stone, he looked like he would eat the band if he got the chance! I saw FM play there for the first time in their snazzy suits, I saw my mate take the piss out of Joey Dimaio of Manowar who ran away with his tail between his legs simply because he couldn’t get a word in edgeways, Geordies talk much hell yeah!

So today I listened to the radio, and it was Tina Turner hit after hit, again do i regret not seeing her, nope not  really as I said simply not really my cup of tea, the name game is and album title and yes I saw this person play with Magnum, support Magnum and play Trillian’s on a Friday night with Sean Harris of Diamond Head in a band called……….LIFE, all great memories , life is too short enjoy it while you can its not a rehearsal until the next one comes along…………………..Toodles

Stagnation.

Its so easy to be derailed while writing, well it does for me, chaos seems to reign, my writing has not only stalled but it has completely stagnated, I wanted to write something about being on a boat and viewing the shoreline from a distance, s in a metaphor for what’s going on in my life at the moment, oh boy it was grim, and if I’m being honest I’m not in a grim frame of mind (well not today anyhow)when the flow is good its really good, but when the well goes dry it goes really dry!

Thank you to all of the lovely people who thought that I was in a bad place, I wasn’t I was simply perturbed, I was not sure if I did indeed do something wrong, I still haven’t had an answer to my query as too how I breached the terms of the site? I still don’t think I had, me overthink things, maybe just a little bit! I wasn’t in a bad space, and I’m still not in a bad place, I just seem to have gone a tad dry, not with ideas but with being able to express myself in a fulfilling way!

I have oodles and oodles of little bits and pieces but trying to expand on that original thought and its like a river in central Africa at the height of the dry season, the year started so well with so many cunning plans, it feels like someone has put a stick through the spokes of my bike and I have simply gone head over the handlebars and I’m lying in a heap on the pavement, well only figuratively speaking, so many people have come back and thought I was in a deep dark hole, honestly I’m not, I have a lot going on in the background I’m as good as I can be honest!

I do intend to try and doodle a little bit more because I know once I do something I like it will break the dam, and ideas will pour down like the rain, it is all about the metaphors, there has been some minor negativity regarding the four on the floor blogs, but its just that, minor, and yes I do agree with some of you, however I’m writing it for myself to start with, its music and that makes this old boy Happy so I probably won’t dial it back to a dull roar, I mean I have only a slack handful, if I was being a major pain I would be doing one every other day! Now there’s an idea…….only kidding!

There’s so many social occasions and friends that we are missing because of this thing called life, we simply cant be away from home for anymore than two hours at a time, even when we do our weekly shop, I have taken over and its like Germany invading Russia, it’s a total blitzkrieg, its taking us 35 minutes to the weekly shop for the two households, give me a task to complete and I will make sure it happens, even though my body is falling to bits there seems to be very little that I can do but soldier on, oh to win the lottery and to pay to see a physio every day of the week, just to get my weary bones back into shape,

As I keep saying, and if I say it often enough, I’m hoping that some of the doubters just might believe, yes  there’s stuff going on in the background, thankfully it means I simply  have to be supportive, that I know I can do, and I will do it to the best of my intention, as  I always do, no I wont go into details its personal and its private no doubt when it reaches its natural conclusion there will be a blog regarding the whole ghastly bloody nightmare, that is something I can promise.

So for now keep yourselves safe, I’m hoping that there will be another blog soon, the numbers are indeed going back up, so that’s a positive step in the right direction, yes the name game is in play, not my fave band or even their best song but it popped up as I started to scribble my thoughts and as a title its quite apt, but I do intend to do more and do better so keep an eye out you never know what might float in with the tide, until the next time, please keeping spreading the word…………………Toodles!

My Own Reality

I haven’t been in the frame of mind to write anything, I’m doing this blog simply to let people know that I am indeed alive and kicking, there’s some kicking I would like to do but it appears that I’m not allowed to.

The last blog was complained about, and I was informed by some faceless wonder that it doesn’t conform to the standards expected of the host site, I have trying without much avail to find out what the issue was but no the great and mighty Oz has decreed,, I didn’t think it was bad, there was no swearing, acts of violence, nudity, or anything that anyone could take umbrage at.

If anything it was quite short it had been done on the fly, just to keep interest in the page, once the notice went up , it was like it hit a brick wall, no new hits other older (more salacious) ones were still ticking over, but the last four on the floor it was like it had been shot in the back of the head and rolled into a ditch, I was annoyed, if there was something offensive I could understand, ok I know there was an Ian Gillan album reviewed but surely even that couldn’t work out what the issue was, this had happened once before but there was interaction with the site.

This time nothing just silence, and if I am being honest it made me question what I have been doing these last 15 years (because that’s how long I have been Blogging in all its forms).

Do I have an answer no I don’t, I’m still not sure what I should do, the last blog was the worst read blog in 14 years, by a long way, and although I still love this kind of one sided communication, I don’t know where I go from here, I had a new surge of intensity, I was enjoying my writing, I had big plans ( cunning plans as always) these had been bogged down by what is going on in the background within the family, serious illness and the wife trying to tend to the sick, but this has literally taken the wind from sails, my mojo has gone or for the want of a better way of saying it my boat has been holed below the waterline.

I’m missing my muse, if I’m lucky I might see the wife for an hour every other day, I need her insanity in my life for me to realise actually I’m ok, so I’m here but I don’t know what the future holds in store for the state of the blog as soon as I know you lot will be the first to know, so until then……………………..Toodles!

Oh and yes the name game is in play, its not the original title but when I discovered that the original one had over 12 different songs of the same title I thought I better change it, and as I sit and listen to the album this has come from I’m kind of glad I did!

Four on the Floor – Deep Purple Solo Stuff.

 

So, over the last few weeks music has helped sooth the savage beast (that’s me if you hadn’t worked it out) and I have been playing a lot of older material, I had a couple of ideas for a couple of these, Deep Purple are a major influence to my musical path, I’m going to do some of the lesser known stuff, if you are a fan you will know them, I’m not saying that these are undiscovered gems just what I have played lately.

Glenn Hughes – Play Me Out.   8/10.

I remember hearing this and thinking, this is a tad different not what I was expecting at all, the single “I found a woman” is so soulful its lovely, it has a who’s who of players including Pat Travers, Mark Nauseef, Mel Galey and Dave Holland to name but a few, it’s not a rock album by any stretch of the imagination, Glenn speeding of his tits, but I do like it, I always used to think I was sophisticated when I played it, I always liked weird! And this is weird!

Ian Gillan Band – Clear Air Turbulence. 8.5/10.

I loved this from the first bar, I think my brother paid £1.99 for it, six tracks of jazz rock!  I bought it on cassette for 50p from our local Woolworths, I was gutted when it eventually got chewed up, it was one of the first albums I downloaded in those early days of Pirate Bay, this was such a fruitful time for the guys from Purple, they released so much good music in such a short period of time, it’s the only album I like from this part of his career, but boy does he sound good on this!

David Coverdale – Northwinds.    9/10.

Again, not what I was expecting, and it annoyed me when he went off and did whitesnake, not there was anything wrong with the band, I just love this, songs like Only my soul, Say you love and Keep on giving me love and ending with the barnstorming Breakdown, again only 8 songs but everyone of them hit the mark, it’s a shame that he stuck to the formula of his famous band! I would love to see him tour with these songs, it would suit his voice, at least he wouldn’t have to screech like a banshee!

  Roger Glover & Friends - The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast.     7/10.

Again, a different kind of album, I first heard the best track “Love is All” sung by Ronnie James Dio long before he joined Rainbow, on Blue Peter the kids programme (hey I was a kid I was 9) it’s not a rock album, and it has again a huge roster of stars on it I probably play it once every 5 years, but when I do, I love it!

Not the albums that I bet peeps were expecting, but they will pop up soon enough! So enjoy hopefully the blogs can be back on track now, until the next one……. Toodles!

Better Man.

So, things are still a tad difficult, the house is still upside down and still bloody dusty, but I am getting there slowly, this will be another small quickie (ooer missus).

So, everybody knows I’m a bus wanker, I travel to and from work via public transport, and after a while you get to know the people and their foibles, all their quirks and so on, I usually sit-down stairs as I struggle to get back downstairs because of my issues with my knees! It was the same old faces, but this morning a lady sat in front and actually turned to me and actually said my full name (WTF!) it turns out she went to the same school as me, two years below me but she knew me, I didn’t have a clue, I still don’t know her name.

We made polite small talk (I wanted to sleep but that wasn’t an option) nothing serious only took 40+ years to make a connection, anyway she prattled, I listened, she hadn’t seen me since I left school (then how the hell did she recognize me?) it gets a little hinkey as she got up to get off the bus a couple of stops before me, “I’m glad you’re no longer a dick like you were at school” again WTF! As you can imagine I had just a few questions, why did she think that I was a dick at school? and how did she know I wasn’t the same person that I was then, now I don’t think I was the most popular person or even in the top ten of good guys, but why was I considered a dick!

It hasn’t given me any sleepless nights, but I do in my quiet moments, wonder, how was I a dick? Again I’m not saying I was fabulous, but I wasn’t bad or even her words “a dick”, I’m not sure where I go with it, to be honest it will soon consigned to a distant memory, but I thought I had better get it out there while it’s in the small grey matter, so if anybody has a clue as to why I was a dick, answers on a postcard to Idontactuallygiveafuck.com I needed a blog and this was it!

Hopefully in the coming weeks we will be back to something classed as normal, so stay safe and be good, now I’m off for a cup of tea and to have a couple of doughnuts, so until the next time play nice and be good……………….Toodles!

Life Goes On – Part 545.

And so, life goes on, unfortunately life has been upended (that’s my excuse for no blogs) Health wise, work wise, home wise, even family wise, a veritable perfect storm that has had me on the ropes simply as I’m getting old and cant keep up, its nothing major in the grand scheme of things, just everything all at once has turned life and its ongoing dealings into a total cluster f**k!

Family wise everybody is having issues, again nothing that I really want to go into in a wider forum, we are all having issues, the wife is being a brave soldier and fighting the good fight, she’s still not home, she’s still wearing the nurses uniform, and is getting worn down, I am doing my best to help, it doesn’t always work, but I am trying, it is definitely taking its toll on her and her health all I can do is a little more than usual.

My health is a slow grind, again nothing serious or life threatening (I hope), just a culmination of a lot of other things kicking my arse all at the same time, this getting old malarky is shit! I feel worn out and drained most of the time I don’t get to see the specialist until July a full 19 months after seeing the last specialist, I’m not hopeful, with all the industrial action, I reckon it will get put back for a second time, strangely, I’m fairly happy in myself (all things considered) but this isn’t what I signed up for health wise, they simply keep peddling more medication, they never seem to get to the bottom of it, 8 years this has been going on and I’m still no further forward, good thing its nothing “serious” add the injuries from my fall from last year and it’s not good I keep trying to get a vet to put me down! And let’s not even bring my hips or knees into the equation, I feel way old before my time.

Home, well we are finally getting a new kitchen fitted (its only taken me 18 years to get around to it sue me I ran out of money, and then life keeps getting in the way) the house has been upside down I had been sleeping on the settee for over 9 nights thankfully the work is nearing its conclusion, then the heavy lifting of putting everything back into its new home, onwards is the only word going through my brain I can see the finish line as I keep stumbling towards it, at least the end result will be worthwhile, because I feel like a virtual cripple at the moment literally every single task is taking a lot longer than it should, I honestly didn’t think I would feel this shit at this age (Boo Hoo).

So writing has had to take a back seat, not because I want to, life has a way of taking precedent and as I’m a responsible adult (yeah right) there simply isn’t enough hours in the day, so this isn’t the longest blog in the history of my blogs, I simply thought I owed you the discerning reader an explanation, don’t worry the intention is too come back harder and stronger, Watch this space.

So, there you have it, watch the skies for more incoming normal service will be resumed quite soon, stay safe stay alive, until then ……………………Toodles!

Looks That Kill.

 

I have simply been a busy bee, what with work, pulling the house to bits in preparation for the ongoing building works, the family and a multitude of other stuff, writing has unfortunately had to take a back seat, not because I want to, simply because life has been getting in the way, yesterday I decided I needed a little break, I decided to call to my previous place of employment for my quarterly fix of music from an ex colleague (874 albums but who’s counting).

First though I had to get there I wasn’t looking forward to the journey as it makes me melancholy (for some mundane reason) and I do still miss the place and some of the people but not the job (anymore) I was at my point of departure with time to spare (as always) I pissed the driver off straight away simply by paying for my fair with a ten pound note (bragging not me) and it would appear I took all of his loose change, oh dear, how sad, fuck off not my problem, ya whinging twunt! Bus drivers of late have been really good this is the first grumpy one I had seen in ages, I took great delight by staying in his line of sight and smiling at him with great delight.

What I had realised was that I had set in motion a cascade of chaos of biblical proportions, people started getting on and it appears that I had sat in someone’s seat, ha me with my reputation, who knew, by the time I got to the bottom of the hill, imagine my surprise when I spied Jabba the Hutt waiting, I hadn’t seen her in ages, it appears that she hasn’t missed me, I don’t remember the title but I have told you all previously about Bus Seat Bingo and the fun I had teasing her and “her” seat, I believe its called public transport for a reason, with gnashing of teeth she sat close behind me lasers burning into the back of my head, the journey got better as I bumped into somebody I hadn’t seen in over three years who sat next me and we gossiped all the way to the centre, thankfully he was staying on until the end of the line so I’m afraid Jabba wasn’t able to slide down bus into her favourite seat, lol it’s the simple things in life that cheered me up.

Onwards to the designated meeting place a cup of tea and a chin wag about a lot of nothing, music collected I set off to head home, bumping into old tenants who actually missed me and I did answer a couple of queries, because I’m helpful and I want them to be as awkward as I can to my former employers (just quote the legislation and they cant do sod all to you bless them) some staff who actually seemed pleased to see me (no I’m not coming back) and then a long slow ride home on an empty bus, that’s the luck of the draw, but I enjoyed it like a slow boat off the coast of China, I simply sat and enjoyed the scenery, soon I was home awaiting the youngest who was going to assist me move stuff around for the mammoth works that are coming my way.

A quiet lunch and some small talk, its nice to see her, I actually like to see all of my children, their partners and even the grand kids I’m not the grump people think I am, well I am but I am trying to improve my image, then a hike to a local charity shop to unload three bags of cookbooks and some kitchen utensils that don’t get used often, then a slow walk home ( I was shattered) to await the wife to take the youngest to see her nana and then after that to take her back down the hill away from the delta to that god forsaken hell hole….Bensham,  actually its not hat bad (not  that great either lol) I was simply using artistic liscence (no not autistic) then home to buy the wife some chocolate (she has been down in the dumps ) and to buy me something for supper, a dodgy korma that was pfft (2/10) I was distracted at this point and I headed up the wooden hill around 10.30, I might as well as no matter what time I go to bed I have a tendency to be up around 5 (actually 6.30 this morning, huzzah a lie in).

Today more of the same small chores chipping away at the mountain of tasks, but I was determined to put fingers to the keyboard (and not pen to paper) some shopping of the food variety, nothing for me this week as I am still trying to go through what’s in the freezer although I did buy a stroganoff at the same time as my curry last night, please god I hope it’s a damn sight better than the curry! Tomorrow, well its back to work, a busy couple of weeks before I’m on a weeks holiday, well I say holiday but with the list of tasks I believe I could be looking forward to going back to work just a little bit!

So, there you go, done and dusted, some fluff to keep the thread active although someone sat and read over 80 blogs yesterday, some people might just need to get a hobby (what do you mean me included) there are a couple of things fermenting and hopefully there will be something coming down the line hopefully mid-week, after shopping I will be doing some more small task, more rubbish to dump in the yard, the wife needs to organise a man with a van to get rid off it all as the pile is slowly starting to turn into a hill, after that a mountain who knew, so there you go keep spreading the word and keep an eye out for incoming, thanks for all of the kind words they do actually make a difference, actually it just proves some peeps are actually reading the bloody thing, so until next time………..Toodles!