The Thatcher Years and Me

Margaret Thatcher has died today. I grew up in the Thatcher years being then around 12 years old when she was elected, I was rapidly approaching my mid twenties when she was ousted ... by her own political party. 

In my early childhood days I was probably a little bit oblivious to it all though it my early teens it was evident musicians at the time had a strong dislike for her (Billy Bragg, The Specials etc) as did many of the comedians on tv, Ben Elton immediately springs to mind. There is no denying Thatcher is a cultural icon of the 1980s but maybe not in a good way. I'll always recall Rik Mayall's anti Thatcher quips on The Young Ones.

My family were working class and had mixed fortunes during the Thatcher years, I'd say they steadily improved but that was through the hard work of my parents and not the successive Thatcher governments. I called in to see my dad today and asked him what he thought of the Thatcher years, he replied flatly 'Our mortgage doubled in cost'.

Reflecting back I can only convey here what I really remember and that was leaving school and going on the YTS (Youth Training Scheme) as my parents couldn't afford to finance me staying on at school or going to college. The YTS of course was very low paid labour but fortunately I managed to get on a scheme working with computers which was more training than work. It soon became evident that promises of a job through the scheme were merely transparent, I became restless, somewhat rebellious (I was still young and naive) and left the scheme to join another hopeless one. Fortunately during this time my parents didn't charge me board and lodgings, stating they wanted me to get used to having some money of my own and encouraged me to save and budget for my own clothing etc. The YTS scheme was in reality smoke and mirrors exercise, few gained jobs from it, though I do know people that did, however its main purpose was to lower unemployment figures.

Later of course, when I'd got a relatively low paid factory job the Poll Tax (also known as the community charge) came into effect and I saw my earnings plummet to pay some stupid tax even though I was still living with my parents. I refused to pay, as did hundreds of thousands of others and rioting occurred in some towns. I went to court and stood there with scores of others who'd refused. It was either pay or face the consequences so many of us agreed to pay the bare minimum. Soon after it was replaced and Thatchers reign ended.

Of course I recall other instances throughout her time as Prime Minister. The Falklands war in which a nation suddenly realised we had tiny islands thousands of miles away even though hardly anyone had heard of them beforehand. At the time I was probably patriotic and I remember the vivid images of sinking ships, burnt soldiers and the news reports on tv. I also recall riots in London and Bristol in deprived areas. I remember the miners strike and being spat at whilst leaving school and called a 'scab' by Yorkshire miners who had come to picket Crown Farm colliery mine and were encamped in a nearby pub before causing chaos. I wasn't the son of a miner but both my grandparents were miners so I have a mining background and I'm proud of it too. Thatcher divided Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire miners, a rift that is still apparent today. The epilogue to the strike was the unions were crushed (always a plan of Thatcher) and whole towns and communities were ruined. Nottinghamshire miners were favoured short term by the Thatcher government but in time their mines became no more and the local miners although receiving a period of prosperity followed by good pay off's found that getting work after was very difficult. The end of the mines saw the town where I used to live wither and slowly die, after the mines went other industries toppled and promises of cash injections never really appeared. A once thriving happy town seemingly capitulated, I witnessed its death, it affected me, I was there, it should have never have happened. Before the miners strike there always seemed to be work even low paid work, after it declined rapidly.

Can I say anything good about Thatcher? A strong leader or bully? All I can say is I liked the way she stood up to Europe and the then early makings of the European Union, that's about it really. Its fair to say life in the Thatcher years wasn't all bad, as a family we slowly prospered though I know my parents had periodic tough times. I recall the era well probably because as Thatcher came to power I was reaching that age where I took more notice, went to school, left school, struggled to find work and saw many social changes and influences. The Thatcher years will be always etched on my mind and shape how I think today.

In closing I don't think her legacy is a good one, though many will argue otherwise. She encouraged privatisation and private health. She divided communities and further widened the north-south divide. She crushed unions without mercy and destroyed what they'd spent years achieving. Manufacturing went to cheaper firms abroad. The coal mining industry was laid to waste. Deregulation of banks, social unrest, VAT from 8% to 17.5% etc etc, I could go on.

She died today in the Ritz Hotel where of course only the rich can afford to die in.

Iconic Kraftwerk

I'm not exactly sure how long I've loved the German band Kraftwerk. Having had a long search of my memory I suspect it was back around when I was 15, so around 1983 or possibly a bit later. Sitting in a small box room playing on my Sinclair ZX Spectrum I'd listen to music cassettes when games had loaded in. Though I was influenced by lots of different sorts of music electronic and synthesiser music were rapidly becoming favourites. On leaving school and getting a relatively low paid job I persuaded my mother to sign a credit agreement so I could get into debt buying a keyboard. I think it cost around £125 and in truth wasn't that good or professional added to the fact I was poor at playing it. In time the keyboard got sold but my love of electronic remained, it was the 1980s after all and such music was flourishing.

So to the present day. Kraftwerk are still touring and remain enigmatic and iconic in the music world. Only last week they played a series of concerts in the Tate Modern in London in which they played entire albums over several nights. I was caught napping regarding the announcement and was too late to get a ticket, so unfortunately I've missed them ... again. I still have some of their stuff on vinyl including a 12" luminescent version of 'Neon Lights' and many cd's.

Added to my woes there have been some amazing reviews, two of which are  here and here. One day I may get to see them though it would have been fantastic to have seen them in their formative years with the original line up. Here's a video of one of my favourite tracks called 'Numbers' though live with the extra bass sounds even more awesome, I have it on a cd somewhere, sadly YouTube losses some of the sound (but is still good).

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review

So there I sat, a happy little hobbit waiting for a film I'd always wanted to see, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey though the reality is this isn't an unexpected review!

*Warning the following review has minor rants and contains spoilers*

The film starts well with Ian Holm reprising his role as the original Bilbo Baggins alongside Elijah Wood playing Frodo in what is a nice little prologue piece linking the movie to the past Lord of the Rings trilogy via Bilbo's memoirs.

Then more back story follows regarding the Dwarven kingdoms of Erebor before Gandalf presents himself at Bag End and invites the new Bilbo (Martin Freeman) 'On an adventure'. So far, so good and it gets better when the dwarves 'come-a-knockin' at the shy hobbit's round door. The atmosphere is infectious, the dwarves are brimming with character and a couple of songs add to the proceedings and light heartedness. Peter Jackson's script writers have also injected some humour in there which works well and has the audience laughing along.

Bone of contention #1

I'm surprised that despite his eye for detail Jackson fails to explain how Gandalf and Thorin have actually met, to omit something like that didn't sit well with me. They both actually meet at the Prancing Pony in Bree before the main story begins and travel together to the Shire, both discovering mutual goals. It would have been so easy for Jackson to have inserted a brief scene of them meeting in Bree to explain things but no, you're left to work that one out for yourself.

Proceedings move swiftly on to the dwarven mission and off we trot seemingly with little deliberation for Bilbo except for a few moments of silence when he gazes around his empty hobbit hole but this is only a small gripe on my part.

Bilbo soon sets off and we are out of the Shire, which leaves me wondering why Jackson rebuilt the entire Hobbiton village again, because we see little of it, if at all, unless we see more in a future film.

So, onto the road we go, some more back story on Thorin from the excellent Ken Stott who plays the aged dwarven veteran 'Balin'. We were promised more of Middle Earth and I felt Jackson could have done a CGI Bree in the distance for a fleeting scene before the party enter the Lonelands. Suddenly its into the Trollshaws and the Trolls. 

Bone of contention #2

Balin mentions more of the back story of Thorin and the battle of Azanulbizar in which Thorin was wounded after fighting Azog (allegedly) but gains his name from using an oak branch as a shield. The film distorts this beyond belief. Page 1410, Appendix A, states that Thorin was wounded in the battle along with Thrain and there's a footnote to Thorin getting his name from the oaken branch but that's as far as it goes for Thorin in the battle, he's only a young dwarf then after all. Azog the orc is actually slain in this battle by a young Dain Ironfoot after Azog slays Nain his father. Dain despite his young years slays Azog and beheads him, he's shaken by it all but goes onto greater things, but the battle is won even though the dwarven loses are grievous (Return of the King, page 1411 appendix A). Despite all this in the movie Azog is alive and well and hungry for more despite having had his head hewn off and thrust on a stake in the book. So the stage is now set in the movie for Azog to be Thorins nemesis and for a purist like me its unforgivable. It will be interesting to see how they portray Billy Connelly who plays Dain in a later film but any credit of him killing Azog has been stolen from him by the meddling Jackson.

Moving on, we meet the wizard Radagast the Brown who is played very adeptly by Sylvester McCoy and isn't as irritating as earlier reports suggested, however...

Bone of contention #3

How does Radagast move so quickly from Rhosgobel in Mirkwood over the Misty Mountains and bump into the company? Its a good old trek and bumping into the company by chance? I think not, there's fate and good luck but come on! I'm not against Radagast's appearance in the film but in the books he barely gets a line or two and the movie embellishes his role above and beyond its need.

So the trolls dealt with we have Azog in hot pursuit and suddenly the terrain changes from woodland to barren hills in the blink of an eye, the company descend into the safety of Rivendell and we get more story distortions on the council of the wise meeting etc, though it seems to work ok.

Thorin isn't a happy dwarf and heads off as he's working against the clock mission wise. So off the party head again and set about traversing the Misty Mountains. Not a wise move but the interlude where the giants enter is vastly over emphasised and adds nothing to the movie, its not a bone of contention I just didn't see the point in mountains moving and theatrics. The party take shelter, Bilbo isn't happy and then the goblins capture all but Bilbo.

Andy Serkis returns as Gollum, steals the show again and the riddle scene is faithfully recreated. The we get Gandalf returning to rescue the dwarves and like the mountain scene an overstated scene of escape in which rickety wooden platforms and rope bridges look more like a Keystone cops caper than able dwarves escaping, it doesn't feel right at all, though Barry Humpries works well as the Goblin king and there's some chuckles in there.

Bilbo having unwittingly discovered the one ring realises that it makes him invisible and makes his escape from the now maniacal Gollum and rejoins the dwarves. Though...

Bone of contention #4

Bilbo having gave Gollum the slip actually escapes from goblins and rejoins the dwarves, The Hobbit, Riddles in the Dark pages 85-86 but this is a minor moan really.

So on escaping Azog once again gives pursuit to our unlucky band having had a seemingly easier journey thus far. The dwarves get trapped up trees just like in the book but...

Bone of contention #5

Azog and Thorin bump heads and get it on and Bilbo joins in the battle with the rest of the dwarves before they are all rescued by the eagles. They do get rescued by the eagles in the book but the skirmish never actually occurs and of course Azog shouldn't even be there!

So, that really concludes the film and I guess if you're reading this that I didn't really enjoy it. On the contrary I did but I can't abide Jacksons meddling when it isn't necessary at all, the book provides plenty of material and so do later appendices and references. On a more positive note, when the closing credits came down my friend Dominic turned to me and said 'It feels like we've never been away'. He was right, it didn't, the one good thing despite new technological innovations is Middle Earth still feels familiar and that's a boon for the viewer and casual Tolkien fan. New Zealand does capture the feel of Middle Earth well but I can't help musing what if some bits had actually been filmed here in England, it would have been nice. 

Despite the bending of the original story the film works well enough, the actors hold the film up well, Ian McKellen being especially excellent as a returning Gandalf. Freeman is a revelation as Bilbo and fits the role fantastically and the actors playing the dwarves are all very commendable too, though some get more lines than others, of course this may change. I really liked Ken Stott playing the elder Dwarf Balin. The film is a little protracted but I never really felt bored as the pace moves along fairly well with the odd pause, Rivendell being the main one.

In all honesty it felt good to be back in Middle Earth, I suspect greater things will come (well I hope so) in later films and the characters will grow even more. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey isn't an epic but its not shabby either, Peter Jackson has taken many liberties with it and some of it works and for purists like me some is just downright wrong. I can't judge a whole trilogy on one film but it isn't a bad start all said and done but its nothing earth shattering either.

I can't help wondering what another director would do with it all but I guess that will never happen in my time. If I had to rate it out of 10, then I'd give it a solid 7 but I can't help feeling a little disenchanted by Jacksons meddling. I'll go see it again in 48 frames per second I suspect. The soundtrack is also noteworthy and like the LoTR's trilogy compliments things well.

So, to end with, not a bad movie experience by any means, I'd recommend it and I'd see it again but I think it'll be better to judge it as a trilogy than a one off film at the end of the day.

Army Of Mushrooms

Judging by the bands posts on Facebook this looks to be the new cover art for the upcoming Infected Mushroom album entitled 'Army of Mushrooms'. Personally I can't wait and as soon as it gets released this hobbit will be ordering it! I don't think there is a day goes by when I don't listen to them, total brain candy!

Song Of The Month

Here's my song of the month, a very topical one at that. The song is 'Jesus was a zombie' by the amazing Zombie Girl !

Song Of The Month

I've been having an eclectic month musically but I stumbled across an old album by 'Tangerine Dream' which brought back fuzzy warm memories of my 20's. This song is pretty synth and quite blissfully trippy!

The official Tangerine Dream website is here.

The Ridicule Factor

Ok I confess, I watch the X Factor, not avidly nor do I worry if I miss the programme but I watch it if I'm at home on a Saturday. The show I feel is pretty irreverent about music and has always been irreverent in the way it portrays people. I'm guilty as charged for laughing at the misguided souls trying to impress. Of all the thousands auditioning the ones deemed to have genuine talent progress and so the process goes on. I guess with most it's just a punt at making the showbiz life and there's nothing wrong in that. Others have been told they can sing by friends (who lied) and have wholly bought into it. A minority have unashamed arrogance in their capabilities or lack of them and some to be blunt are just plainly deluded, there's no easy way of saying it.

There's many different tiers of talent on the show from the raw yet to be moulded talent, the entertaining pub/club types that can belt out a half decent tune, the unusual or bizarre and as I have mentioned the above the wishful thinking or deluded types. One last type remain though and that's the vulnerable, the sort the show will shameless showcase for the entertainment of the rabid British tv viewing proletariats. The nation must echo with laughter as we watch couples such as the Sinclairs or individuals like Ceri Rees attempt to sing and fail dismally.

Let's be honest here though, such people however nice clearly aren't as intelligent or astute as the majority, I think there's a line between delusional and perhaps not the sharpest tool in the toolbox to coin a phrase. That is in no way intended as disrespectful, the flat fact here is that some of us are more intelligent and perceptive than others in society and that's how it will probably always be, the intelligent and the not so.

What angers me about the show is that they know this too yet the sensationalist producers will still lead the vulnerable lambs out to the slaughter because it's good for ratings, like jesters of old they entertain the kings of the living room armchair thrones and its all very sad if you ask me. I've got to the point where laughter now eludes me, I just shake my head in pity and question why the producers of the program would (a) readily make fools of people knowing they have no musical ability (b) air something that doesn't have the alleged X factor or is remotely musical and (c) create a cause and lasting effect scenario for unfortunate people.

Now you could argue that regardless of any intelligence, ability or skill you have a right to audition and in essence I concur however I do think there is a small percentage as recently demonstrated that could be clearly regarding as vulnerable in some respects. According to reports the Welsh woman Ceri Rees shown on the last audition show has been in tears ever since and the producers were contacted by a singing teacher who had befriended her and pleaded with them not to show the footage. If Ceri Rees had failed four times to progress in the show why build her up again only to destroy her hopes and dreams all over again? It's even disconcerting for die hard fans of the show. As for the Sinclairs, they seemed a lovely couple who probably now will receive ridicule and humiliation in the high street resulting from their footage. Unless the show vets people better before allowing them a very public demise on stage I suspect one day it may end in tears with something very real happening on a reality show that really isn't very nice at all.

Usually mature adults in this country make allowances for people who perhaps aren't the brightest or who may have mental health issues and morally look out for them in many respects so that they retain their dignity, yet a national family show has no such disposition or concern. The irony is that a contestant before who did have mental health issues was pulled from the show after progressing which can only have been a massive blow to the persons morale. People with low intelligence or indeed mental health suffer enough as it is in society without national media portraying them as buffoons. I'm not saying those people can't be gifted in many ways because they can but the reality often is that they don't see things as we do and that's the simple fact of it, if they were to progress the trappings of fame and publicity would only end up confusing them more and doing real psychological damage.

In closing I think the X factor needs to concentrate more on the potential talent than highlighting no talent at all. Everyone deserves the right to apply but everyone needs to be treated with respect and moral understanding of the implications of being on the show. I don't like what Simon Cowell stands for basically, the X Factor is all about finding potential talent for financial gain, the contestants also gain short term but when they fall out of the brief attention span of the public they are released from (as I understand) a very stringent contract and then who knows what will become of them, remember Steve Brookstein? In March 2010 Mr Brookstein was performing in a pub in Cornwall where punters paid £2.50p to hear him sing, if you bought a pie and a pint that was then waived, his two albums were on sale for £3 each. Despite his 5 minutes of fame he's a very bitter man.

Musically the X Factor has and never will give us anything other than commercial produced pulp pop tunes where the contestants are propelled to fame without any real maturing. There's lots of genuine talent out there in this country, the sensible ones probably opt not to appear on the X Factor because they have a love for 'real' music. We may live in an age in where things move a little faster and singers or bands become popular overnight due to the media unlike the greats who have had to perform long and hard over the years to gain recognition and deserved fame but like a wine or cheese that matures over time - they're always better.

Song Of The Month (Early)

Today looking at the internet there's a lot of coverage surrounding Freddie Mercury, this would have been his 65th year. Since childhood I have fond memories of Queen and their iconic frontman, probably the greatest showman of all time in my opinion and truly amazing vocalist - Freddie Mercury. I recall as a family in the 1970s when we'd all sit in Sunday night and listen to the charts on the radio, Queen was always a favourite amongst us all. I grew up with their music and never ever tired of it, unlike most bands Queen always adapted, always innovated and always could hold an audience. As Brian May put it in a one off Google blog today ' Freddie made the last person at the back of the furthest stand in a stadium feel that he was connected'.

I remember the amazing soundtracks they did for Flash and Highlander, the breathtaking performance at Live Aid and a continued release of one great album after another. The irony is you'll never get a band of this quality again. I'll always love Queen and Freddie Mercury's voice with a passion, I grew up listening to them, they are an part of who I am.

Thinking back to the time of his death, I'm sure it was announced in the Sunday papers he had aids, then that Monday I recall waking for work, going down stairs and finding my mum in tears watching the morning news - Freddie Mercury had died. We both shed a tear together, I'm not sure as a family ever got upset over a celebrity before but such was Freddie Mercury's appeal to the normal British public it's no surprise really that his passing affected so many world wide.

So here is my early 'Song Of The Month' dedicated to Freddie Mercury and all the memories.

My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies, Fairy tales of yesterday, will grow but never die,
I can fly, my friends! The show must go on !

A Long Lost Love

I was sorting through my old cd's searching for one in particular. It seemingly took an age to find but isn't that always the case when you are searching for something? Today a mood came upon me to listen to some Jethro Tull, it's been a while since I've had them grace my ears. I've been a fan of Jethro Tull since the early 80s when a neighbour introduced me to them. I went to see them live at Manchester Apollo and then began to collect them on vinyl before cd's came along shortly after. Listening to them today has brought back fond memories, hours sitting listening to them in my bedroom as a teenager singing along (badly) to their lyrics. My passion for them has never abated but with life being hectic its rare that I actually sit and listen to music these days, a sad fact indeed. Still after rediscovering my long lost love for them this afternoon I shall have to put them on ipod or phone and take Tull with me.

I discovered this video, which seemed relevant as I've been playing Lord of the Rings online this morning, don't you just love lazy Sundays? Anyway, this video cleverly combines Jethro Tull and Lord of the Rings movie clips, I may have posted this before, it's certainly familiar but here it is to the very apt Broadsword track for Tull's album titled 'Broadsword and the Beast'.

Song Of The Month

I've been quite eclectic with my listening this month though I've generally been listening favourite stuff whilst out and about. I did hear this track on the radio last week and loved it straight away so I will put it down as this months song even though I don't know much about the artist (but intend to!). So here it is with Lykke Li and 'Rich Kid Blues'.

Primal Scream At Glastonbury

Just watched the Primal Scream set at Glastonbury and was blown away. In comparison I thought U2 were a bit bland. Don't get me wrong I like quite a bit of U2 stuff but they just didn't work for me this time. On the other hand Primal Scream totally rocked, probably about the only band I'd want to see live there in this years poor line up. I'll admit to being a bit cynical about Glastonbury, maybe because I'm older and feel festival stuff is behind me, I need my creature comforts and to be honest my arthritic pain would just flare up with the damp and rain. So for me, I get a front of stage seat in my living room and enjoy it that way, plus I don't have to queue up at a porta-loo either! I'm sure the Glastonbury experience is amazing and maybe one day I might suffer the pain and go especially as the Arcadia area looks amazing with all the electro and psytrance stuff going on.

To see the BBC highlights of Primal Scream click 'Here'

Song Of The Month

The song of the month for May is Primal Scream's 'Higher Than The Sun'. I watched a great documentary about the band earlier this month on BBC3 and I've always loved their seminal album 'Screamadelica'. It's one of those albums that puts things into perspective for me and contains some awesome musical styles mixed together. Enjoy!

What The Hobbit Found.

Today I threw myself into cleaning my flat, it was certainly well overdue. Washing, dusting, hoovering and generally moving things out of the way to clean behind etc. Whilst in the bedroom I discovered my old Sony cassette walkman in a box and it evoked fond memories. It was then I decided to seek out my original Nintendo Gameboy and conceived a plan to pair the two together on a future commuting jaunt to Nottingham.

I'm going to need batteries and I guess a little patience but I suspect it'll be an interesting retro experiment and something to blog about. I'll no doubt get some interesting looks on the train. Stay tuned!

Song Of The Month

I've been listening to this pretty much most days since I saw the excellent 'Sucker Punch' movie a while back. This song from the film is called 'White Rabbit' by Emiliana Torrini who has an amazing voice. There's other slower versions of this song and I really want to get my hands on them. The whole of the Sucker Punch soundtrack is amazing though with contributing artists such as Skunk Anansie and Bjork. So here it is, my song of the month - White Rabbit.

Song Of The Month

The song of the month for March is again ... Infected Mushroom and another track from the Legend of the Black Shawarma album called 'Smashing the Opponent'. Not only does it have special significance for this month personally to me but it's a great song and video too.

John Shuttleworth

After years of being a fan I finally got to see the legendary John Shuttleworth last night at the lovely little venue that is the Drill Hall in Lincoln. For those of you who aren't familiar with Mr Shuttleworth or indeed the Shuttleworth family, they are the creation of actor/singer/comedian Graham Fellows who had a one hit wonder punk hit back in 1978 with 'Jilted John'.

The character John Shuttleworth first caught my eye back in the late 90s with his mini series 500 Bus Stops in which unemployed John from Sheffield and his manager and sole agent (who you never see) Ken Worthington embark on a 'Rock Tour of the UK'. The tour never really gets off the ground as Johns Austin Ambassador Y Reg soon breaks down forcing Ken to make a decision to carry on the tour by public transport bus. The duo then continue to have minor adventures locally in Yorkshire and Derbyshire etc in which John gets chance to showcase his dubious keyboard skills on his Yamaha portable organ.

Anyway, back to last nights Shuttleworth gig. To be truthful it was well worth the wait to see him, despite being sat behind a rather rotund lady with a large permed haircut. As soon as John Shuttleworth comes on stage you feel like you already have a personal rapport with him, he's very much the bloke next door with lots of deadpan and at times very subtle clever comedy. The crowd loved it and there really seemed to be a warm glow to the place.

John Shuttleworth stands on stage with only his Yamaha decorated with a bit of tinsel as props, thats it, but his personality and good humour make for everything else. He muses on types of bread, the fact that you can see yourself approaching silver kitchen pedal bins and confronts the dilemma is one cup of tea enough or is two literally too many? Johns beauty is that he talks about everyday stuff and reflects on past adventures and his relationship with eccentric manager Ken Worthington (also voiced by Fellows). He recalls the time when he thought Ken had booked him to play with Billy Joel only to find out it was in fact a village hall, of course both said fast they sound quite similar and this had the crowd in hysterics. My home town of Newark gets a mention as John points out the Brough rest stop on the A46 isn't really a very good rest stop at all, though it does have two green wheely bins. Mr Shuttleworth's local knowledge does indeed seem endless at times as does his savvy with past chart bands that have since died a death.

Interlaced with his unique style of observational humour is the songs for which he is known and loved for and we are graced with such classics as 'Can't go back to savoury now', 'Eggs & Gammon' and 'Austin ambassador Y Reg' which has the enthusiastic crowd punching the air with glee.

There's also a brief song about the above mention 'Brough rest area' to my own delight.

I left the gig feeling fulfilled at seeing the living legend at last, both my friend and I enjoyed it immensely and thought it was £15 well spent and we both purchased some iconic Shuttleworth merchandise to boot. John Shuttleworths tour ends in Orkney of all places which just goes to show how far he is willing to travel and how widespread his fanbase is. Mr Shuttleworth come back soon, or even better come to my home town of Newark but be sure to take a rest at the Brough rest area on the way!

For the Shuttleworth's website click here.

And here is John Shuttleworth in his recent Yorkshire Tea advert.

Song Of The Month

Since I got my new Sony Ericsson phone last month it's replaced my ipod touch for jaunts to Nottingham and general music listening. The trouble is it only came with a 2gb SD card so I need to get either an 8gb or 16gb which are surprisingly cheap. Being limited to a measly 2gb I really had to pick and choose my fave albums carefully till I bag a bigger memory card. Enter seemingly my perpetual favourites 'Infected Mushroom'. So, my song of this month is their cover of the Doors 'Riders on the Storm' from their Legends of the Black Shawarma album.

Mike Flowers Pops

I'm currently really into 'The Mike Flowers Pops'. I've always liked a bit of lounge music and was aware of Mike Flowers back in the mid 90s with his cover of Wonderwall. It was only yesterday as a result of a previous conversation with a friend (Drew!) that I decided to look Mr Flowers up, and I'm glad I did. Here's his ultra cool cover of the Oasis track 'Wonderwall' below;

Whilst at the project I'm involved with in Nottingham today (It's a music shop) I found Mike Flowers to my elation on CD and promptly bagged it, as seemingly his stuff isn't easy to come by nowadays. Anyway, I played it in the shop and both customers and staff loved it! Oasis gave the nod for the cover to be released back in the 90s because they liked the arrangment so much, and music critics really rate his other covers, personally I think they're super cool, not my normal taste I'll admit but damn cool all the same - I'm a fan, enough said!

Persephone

It's been a while since I have posted a bit of music on here, so sit back, crank the volume up and enjoy this track from The Cocteau Twins 'Treasure' album called 'Persephone'. I've recently discovered the Cocteau twins and seem genuinely vexed as to how I missed them the first time around!

Jackson

The first record single I can remember buying with my pocket money was ‘Black Pudding Bertha’ by the Goodies in 1975. Not a great musical masterpiece by far but at that time I avidly watched the Goodies and being a child their surreal wackiness appealed to me. Later at the age of 10 I can remember two other singles I bought, one was Billy Joel’s ‘My Life’ and the other was The Jacksons and ‘Blame it on the Boogie’. I guess the latter song typified the era, Disco was at its height and I recall the summers being long and hot.

As a family we would sit and listen to the top 40 countdown on a Sunday evening, my dad would often tape the songs off the radio because as a working class family we couldn’t afford to go out and buy records all the time. They were magical days, quality time as a family, laughter, dance and song, and hilarity at my dad trying to time taping the songs to avoid the DJ talking!

So Michael Jackson is dead, long live Michael Jackson… do I really think that? The answer is no, not really. Firstly Blame it on the Boogie was the first and last Jackson record I bought, later as a teenager I discovered lots of different types of music, bought Smash Hits every week and became more aware musically to different styles of music. Of course back then Smash Hits was more informative that the gossip/celeb orientated one now. As I recall it had good features and printed song lyrics but I digress, back to Mr Jackson.

Of course when Michael Jackson died suddenly yesterday I was surprised but not completely shocked. That’s because his past exploits have always raised an eyebrow and my first reaction on hearing the news was ‘he’ll do anything to get out of those O2 concerts’ but that’s because I wasn’t really taking his death seriously at that point, such is his outrageous past.

So began a day of musings about Michael Jackson and what I really think. He’s termed the ‘Legendary king of pop music’ and I guess on paper that stands up well, record breaking signings by Sony and record breaking sales testify without doubt his fan base is massive but in my eyes he just isn’t up there with the greats. Sure a couple of his videos I like, Thriller and Scream (with Janet). Looking at a video tribute to him last night on channel 4 I can’t help thinking most of his dancing and video cardboard like backdrops are the same, some windy street corner, with the city as a backdrop or some rundown alleyway etc. Then we have the really self indulgent messiah stuff like the Earth Song video. But that phrase is very apt for Mr Jackson, I refer of course to ‘self indulgent’. In 1989 he had a reputed fortune of around 75 million and I’m betting at the time he died he actually had very little, the O2 concerts, merchandise and spin offs being his last gambit.

I’m not going to really go into the past controversies surrounding him, no doubt some were factual and some were calculated people trying to debase him, the rest of course is celebrity hype and speculation. You have to feel sorry for him really, since being a youngster he has known nothing but fame and all the trappings it brings, though in Michaels case it ranged from the bizarre to the absurd. Of course, he’s not alone here, most stars and celebrities have their quirks and styles but in reality Michael’s left him wide open to tabloid manipulation and mockery.

The truth is, I feel there are far more important and influential musicians out there past and present than Michael Jackson who in essence is basically a manufactured eccentric. His songs are generic his style and self indulgent presentation – the same. Is he up there with past greats? Many will see it that way, alas I don’t, and not because how he himself or the media have portrayed him but because of my own opinion.