In true 'Men Behaving Badly' fashion, here's some Top 5 lists I've concocted.
Top 5 Gigs I Can Remember:
5) Cast at Aston University (I think) - This was the first gig I went to with my mates back in 1997-ish. It was after the release of the Mother Nature Calls and I bought myself a T-shirt with the leaf of a 'certain plant' on it. Rebel!!
4) Paul Heaton at Manchester Academy - A gig I went to with my brother in Summer 2009 (?). Most memorable for drinking neat vodka in a bar and then being 'unwell' on the train the next morning. Paul was touring his 'Cross-eyed Rambler' album at the time, proving he can write great music even when people write him off.
3) Oasis at Birmingham NIA - My first live taste of Oasis came as they toured the 'Be Here Now' album. A ridiculously self-indulgent album with the stage set to match! Entering stage via a big red phone box should have set the alarm bells ringing, but I was in awe at seeing the band that inspired me to buy a bass and play it rather badly!
2) Nick Harper at Oswestry Ironworks - This is the first time I saw Nick Harper and I've been hooked ever since. Thanks to Doug for putting me on to this guy because he is a bloody genius! He writes clever, wordy and melodic tunes and is the consummate showman when it comes to live performance. Interaction with the audience is spontaneous and ludicrously funny. I've been since and even managed to exchange a few words. Let's be honest, how many people stand by the door and shake people's hand to thank them for attending?
1) Paul McCartney at Liverpool Albert Dock - Another one to thank, nay, commend my mate Doug Mallett for. He called me up one day in 2002, saying he had a ticket to Paul's gig, was I interested?! I immediately bit his hand off (via the medium of text) much to the annoyance of my now ex-wife (best decision I ever made was going to this gig without her). To this day I'm not sure if I properly took in what was going on, so agog was I! I mean. PAUL McCARTNEY!!!! As a Beatles freak, to see a real live Beatle perform Beatles tracks live is pure heaven. Which is why this is my number one gig.
Top 5 Sporting Events I've been to:
5) Shrewsbury at Wembley for the Autowindscreens Trophy Final 1996 - Went on a bus, saw Shrewsbury play some loan players instead of the regular stalwarts, saw them lose, came home again.
4) American Bowl at Wembley - Washington Redskins against the San Francisco 49ers in 1990 (I think!). My first and so far only taste of live NFL action. For that reason alone, I will always remember it.
3) England at Wembley - a World Cup qualifier at the old Wembley in 1993 against Poland. I went with my brother and my dad. I'd left school early to go 'to the Dentists' and felt no guilt at all. England won 3-0 and all I can remember is being crammed in the exits and getting a whiff of someone else's farts.
2) Shrewsbury at New Wembley - Play-off Final 2007 against Bristol Rovers. The Town had beaten MK Dons in the semis against all odds and got to the new Wembley stadium. Of course, I simply HAD to go. Again to the annoyance of my now ex-wife. Shrewsbury were in front after less than five minutes, but it was downhill from there!! They lost 3-1 and we went home gutted.
1) Shrewsbury beating Everton in the FA Cup - It was January 2004. It was the old Gay Meadow. It was bloody cold. Peter Wilding had little Wayne Rooney in his pocket for the whole game. I was there on my own, the atmosphere was electric and I don't think I've experienced anything quite like it since. A shame that they got beaten by Chelsea live on BBC in the next round and ended up getting relegated out of the Football League for the first time by the end of the season!
Top 5 Films I've seen at the Cinema:
5) Home Alone 2 - I was young, I was with my dad. He fell asleep during the film.
4) Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels - I was older, I could drink alcohol. I went with my brother and felt really grown up. And it's a great film to boot.
3) Megamind 3D - My first taste of 3D cinema. My first visit to the cinema with Eoin. I think it's something he'll cherish for a while, which makes me feel incredibly warm inside. And the film is great too.
2) Star Wars Episode IV (1997 Special Edition) - Just for the goosebumps when the Star Destroyer passes over the camera shot in the opening scene.
1) Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince - Because it's the first enjoyable film I went to see with Marisa. And the only Potter film I've seen at the Cinema without my ex-wife.
So, that's 3 Top Five's, which should keep you busy for now. For those that care, I have decided to continue the legend that is 'Dave'.
Class Dismissed.
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Saturday, 5 February 2011
If I ever get the call from Radio 4...
My Desert Island Discs
1) As easy as it would be to just choose eight Beatles albums, that's not playing the game properly really is it? So I'm only going to pick one. And my pick is Revolver. Just for the sheer brilliance of the music spread across 14 tracks. When I listen to the album, it just feels like summer. From the guitar sounds on Taxman, the solemness of For No One and the singalong Yellow Submarine, it just fills me with overwhelming joy.
2) My second choice is Double Life by Nick Harper. It's a double live album and it's absolutely great in my opinion. It's got The Verse Time Forgot (which, for Marisa and I, seems to be "our song"), his live-only covers of Monty Python's Galaxy Song and a Led Zeppelin/Elvis medley, amongst other cleverly written, fantastically performed gems like Aeroplane, and a fifteen minute behemoth of a song including a bit where he breaks a guitar string and fixes it whilst continuing the song without missing a beat!
3) Thirdly, it's Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys. Another album that conjures up visions of summer and feeling good. And those harmonies!! Puts today's so-called "vocal groups" to shame. From Sloop John B to God Only Knows via my personal favourite on the album, I Know There's An Answer (Apparently, Brian Wilson originally called it Hang On To Your Ego, but they felt it was a bit too 'heavy' for the Beach Boys image and changed it to something more easy on the ear!)
4) Next, it's Oasis' debut album, Definitely Maybe. I can strut up and down the deserted island with my air guitar, pretending to be a Rock'n'Roll Star. Then, I can keep my spirits up by shouting that I'll Live Forever. Then I can just Slide Away. I don't think Oasis ever improved on this album, and as it was the soundtrack to my youth, it's simply got to be on the list.
5) Fifth on the list, I think would be the Beautiful South's greatest hits album Solid Bronze. Paul Heaton is a good songwriter who often gets overlooked. Let's not forget, A Little Time was a number one song. Then there's Perfect 10, Song For Whoever, Blackbird On The Wire and lots lots more to keep me singing along. (I'm on a desert island, I can sing as badly as I want and no one will ever hear me!)
6) Number six is a bit different. It's Paul's Boutique by the Beastie Boys. It's like one long medley from start to finish, heavy on samples, but very well done, and not like the 'subtlety of a flamethrower' of today's attempts. (Yes, you, I'm talking to you Black Eyed Peas. It's not a sample of the Dirty Dancing song, it's just a bloody travesty of a rip-off. Oh, and it's a bit shit too by the way.) Johnny R'yall is my particular favourite on the album.
7) Almost there, now. My penultimate choice is Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan. He'd pissed off half his fans by 'going electric' and moving away from the political comment and protest songs that people had got used to, and began writing more social observations. Like A Rolling Stone is bloody brilliant, as is the rambling Tombstone Blues, and the slightly funereal Ballad Of A Thin Man.
8) Finally, I'm going to try and sneak in Motown Gold - a triple album of Motown greats from the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes and Smokey Robinson. This needs no justification on my part, so I'm going to leave it at that.
So that is that. If I'm ever unlucky enough to get trapped on a desert island without a volleyball as a companion, those are the eight albums I'm relying on to keep me sane until rescue.
Over and out. You can go and listen to the albums yourself now, and, like me, bask in their individual brilliance.
1) As easy as it would be to just choose eight Beatles albums, that's not playing the game properly really is it? So I'm only going to pick one. And my pick is Revolver. Just for the sheer brilliance of the music spread across 14 tracks. When I listen to the album, it just feels like summer. From the guitar sounds on Taxman, the solemness of For No One and the singalong Yellow Submarine, it just fills me with overwhelming joy.
2) My second choice is Double Life by Nick Harper. It's a double live album and it's absolutely great in my opinion. It's got The Verse Time Forgot (which, for Marisa and I, seems to be "our song"), his live-only covers of Monty Python's Galaxy Song and a Led Zeppelin/Elvis medley, amongst other cleverly written, fantastically performed gems like Aeroplane, and a fifteen minute behemoth of a song including a bit where he breaks a guitar string and fixes it whilst continuing the song without missing a beat!
3) Thirdly, it's Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys. Another album that conjures up visions of summer and feeling good. And those harmonies!! Puts today's so-called "vocal groups" to shame. From Sloop John B to God Only Knows via my personal favourite on the album, I Know There's An Answer (Apparently, Brian Wilson originally called it Hang On To Your Ego, but they felt it was a bit too 'heavy' for the Beach Boys image and changed it to something more easy on the ear!)
4) Next, it's Oasis' debut album, Definitely Maybe. I can strut up and down the deserted island with my air guitar, pretending to be a Rock'n'Roll Star. Then, I can keep my spirits up by shouting that I'll Live Forever. Then I can just Slide Away. I don't think Oasis ever improved on this album, and as it was the soundtrack to my youth, it's simply got to be on the list.
5) Fifth on the list, I think would be the Beautiful South's greatest hits album Solid Bronze. Paul Heaton is a good songwriter who often gets overlooked. Let's not forget, A Little Time was a number one song. Then there's Perfect 10, Song For Whoever, Blackbird On The Wire and lots lots more to keep me singing along. (I'm on a desert island, I can sing as badly as I want and no one will ever hear me!)
6) Number six is a bit different. It's Paul's Boutique by the Beastie Boys. It's like one long medley from start to finish, heavy on samples, but very well done, and not like the 'subtlety of a flamethrower' of today's attempts. (Yes, you, I'm talking to you Black Eyed Peas. It's not a sample of the Dirty Dancing song, it's just a bloody travesty of a rip-off. Oh, and it's a bit shit too by the way.) Johnny R'yall is my particular favourite on the album.
7) Almost there, now. My penultimate choice is Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan. He'd pissed off half his fans by 'going electric' and moving away from the political comment and protest songs that people had got used to, and began writing more social observations. Like A Rolling Stone is bloody brilliant, as is the rambling Tombstone Blues, and the slightly funereal Ballad Of A Thin Man.
8) Finally, I'm going to try and sneak in Motown Gold - a triple album of Motown greats from the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes and Smokey Robinson. This needs no justification on my part, so I'm going to leave it at that.
So that is that. If I'm ever unlucky enough to get trapped on a desert island without a volleyball as a companion, those are the eight albums I'm relying on to keep me sane until rescue.
Over and out. You can go and listen to the albums yourself now, and, like me, bask in their individual brilliance.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Auf Widersehen January, Hallo February!
So the most depressing month of the year is over (you know - Christmas is long gone, but you're still counting the cost of it on your wallet and waistline) and we're now into February which is the shortest month (and shortest wait for a pay day!)
What a January we've had!!! Floods causing death and destruction in Australia and Brazil, political mayhem in Tunisia, Yemen and now Egypt, ridiculous amounts of money passing between football clubs for players, and lots more besides.
It makes me wonder what February might hold in store. So, here's my attempt at being Nostradamus:
1) Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats to publicy acknowledge the fact that they are dancing with the Devil. Let's be honest, if David Cameron and his guffawing lackeys screw up the country as they probably will, the LibDems will lose all credibility as a '3rd option'. The fact that voting reform has been stuffed in the tatty filing cabinet of political importance says it all...
2) Premier League footballers will have a sudden epiphany and demand wage cuts, insisting that the money be invested in the local community that supports and sustains their lavish existence. Expect to see the Manchester City boys organising anti-crime events in Moss Side, Wayne Rooney running Meals on Wheels (anything to get at those glamorous Grannies eh Wayne?) and Ashley Cole serving soup to the homeless of London...
3) Just as we all think 'The Kings Speech' has sewn up the Oscars, BAFTA's etc, some shitty American film (read The Social Network) swoops from nowhere and causes Colin Firth's polite British smile to turn into a British villain's sneer, and the nation gasps incredulously muttering "we thought it was in the bag..."
4) On the eve of the Brit Awards, organisers cancel the event, with a spokesman stating: "We had a think and to be honest, there's nothing worth celebrating really. It's all a bit shit, to be honest. Sorry folks!" Tinie Tempah cries into his alcopop, and James Corden angrily scrubs it out of his diary. Boo fucking Hoo.
5) The people who classify DVD releases decide to ban all 'celebrity' (in the loosest possible terms these days) fitness DVD's. I mean come on... it's not rocket science is it? Put the cake down and go for a walk!!! Ffs. I'm thinking about going public with my own offering, and may even call it "Put the cake down and go for a walk". I think it has legs...
Anyway, that's all for now folks, hope you enjoyed my predictions and in the meantime, I'll be getting on with my life.
Stay Classy!
What a January we've had!!! Floods causing death and destruction in Australia and Brazil, political mayhem in Tunisia, Yemen and now Egypt, ridiculous amounts of money passing between football clubs for players, and lots more besides.
It makes me wonder what February might hold in store. So, here's my attempt at being Nostradamus:
1) Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats to publicy acknowledge the fact that they are dancing with the Devil. Let's be honest, if David Cameron and his guffawing lackeys screw up the country as they probably will, the LibDems will lose all credibility as a '3rd option'. The fact that voting reform has been stuffed in the tatty filing cabinet of political importance says it all...
2) Premier League footballers will have a sudden epiphany and demand wage cuts, insisting that the money be invested in the local community that supports and sustains their lavish existence. Expect to see the Manchester City boys organising anti-crime events in Moss Side, Wayne Rooney running Meals on Wheels (anything to get at those glamorous Grannies eh Wayne?) and Ashley Cole serving soup to the homeless of London...
3) Just as we all think 'The Kings Speech' has sewn up the Oscars, BAFTA's etc, some shitty American film (read The Social Network) swoops from nowhere and causes Colin Firth's polite British smile to turn into a British villain's sneer, and the nation gasps incredulously muttering "we thought it was in the bag..."
4) On the eve of the Brit Awards, organisers cancel the event, with a spokesman stating: "We had a think and to be honest, there's nothing worth celebrating really. It's all a bit shit, to be honest. Sorry folks!" Tinie Tempah cries into his alcopop, and James Corden angrily scrubs it out of his diary. Boo fucking Hoo.
5) The people who classify DVD releases decide to ban all 'celebrity' (in the loosest possible terms these days) fitness DVD's. I mean come on... it's not rocket science is it? Put the cake down and go for a walk!!! Ffs. I'm thinking about going public with my own offering, and may even call it "Put the cake down and go for a walk". I think it has legs...
Anyway, that's all for now folks, hope you enjoyed my predictions and in the meantime, I'll be getting on with my life.
Stay Classy!
Monday, 24 January 2011
Happy New Year
Louis Lipps Dan Marino
Walter Payton Jerry Rice
Anyway, back to the reminiscing. Sunday nights were NFL highlights night - 30 minutes of crunching tackles, big game highlights and discussions hosted by Mick Luckhurst to the sound track of 'Two Tribes' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
The NFL was big news for a good couple of years, I even got to go to Wembley Stadium to see a live game between the 49ers and the Washington Redskins. Then, for some reason things went quiet - highlights were pushed to late nights on various nights, then coverage was even better hidden to the extent that it was barely on at all. Then it got a minor renaissance on Channel 5 before ITV picked up on it and screened a couple of Superbowls hosted by Gabby Logan with Martin Johnson of all people giving his opinion!!
Then, once the BBC picked up the Superbowl and the NFL decided to bring a regular season game to the newly re-built Wembley Stadium, the whole thing seems to be kicking off again. And I'm bloody glad because it's also becoming more easily accessible.
As for me and my team, the Steelers have a great history. Four Superbowl wins in the 70's was followed by a bleak period in the 80's (and yet I still happily supported them) and then recovery in the 90's building towards their current status as the most successful franchise in Superbowl history - 6 victories to date and now on the verge of a 7th if they can get past the Green Bay Packers. I can even tie in their last Superbowl victory in 2009 with my first meeting with Marisa - I'd gone down to Cornwall for the weekend and met her on the Sunday afternoon, and sat in bed on the Sunday night watching the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 before travelling back up to Shropshire on the Monday morning.
I've watched quite a few Superbowls in my time, the first one being Superbowl XXI when the New York Giants beat the Denver Broncos, I've missed a few in the meantime when terrestrial TV ignored the game, and then have seen them all since it returned on ITV. Usually I had to settle for highlights shown a few days after the actual game, or more recently getting my dad to video the game and going round after work to watch it (fast forwarding through the breaks in play). This year I've asked James to Sky+ it for me, but God only knows when I'll get to see it!!
GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!
Quiz Answers: Joe Montana & Jerry Rice played for the 49ers, Louis Lipps and Mark Malone played for the Steelers, Walter Payton and William 'The Refrigerator' Perry were Bears players, and Dan Marino and Mark 'Super' Duper were Dolphins players.
 |
| proudly displaying my allegiance |
Well, time for my first post of 2011. And as it just happens to coincide with the start of the Superbowl build up, that is the subject of this inaugural 2011 blog post.
Now American Football isn't for everyone I'll admit - the stop-start nature of the play, the padding, the fact that the British didn't invent it and aren't very good at it - but me, I love it!
My interest in the NFL dates back to the mid-80's when as a 6 or 7 year old, I got caught up in the whole thing along with my brother and cousins. I can't even remember how we caught the NFL bug, but we each had our own teams to follow (with replica shirt to boot): Pittsburgh Steelers for me, Miami Dolphins for brother James, cousin Will went for the San Francisco 49ers and cousin Katie plumped for the Chicago Bears if I remember correctly.
Quick mid-post quiz: Match these players with the four aforementioned teams (I know participation will be zero, but I'm trying!)
Louis Lipps Dan Marino
Walter Payton Jerry Rice
William 'The Refrigerator' Perry Mark Malone
Joe Montana Mark 'Super' DuperAnyway, back to the reminiscing. Sunday nights were NFL highlights night - 30 minutes of crunching tackles, big game highlights and discussions hosted by Mick Luckhurst to the sound track of 'Two Tribes' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. The NFL was big news for a good couple of years, I even got to go to Wembley Stadium to see a live game between the 49ers and the Washington Redskins. Then, for some reason things went quiet - highlights were pushed to late nights on various nights, then coverage was even better hidden to the extent that it was barely on at all. Then it got a minor renaissance on Channel 5 before ITV picked up on it and screened a couple of Superbowls hosted by Gabby Logan with Martin Johnson of all people giving his opinion!!
Then, once the BBC picked up the Superbowl and the NFL decided to bring a regular season game to the newly re-built Wembley Stadium, the whole thing seems to be kicking off again. And I'm bloody glad because it's also becoming more easily accessible.
As for me and my team, the Steelers have a great history. Four Superbowl wins in the 70's was followed by a bleak period in the 80's (and yet I still happily supported them) and then recovery in the 90's building towards their current status as the most successful franchise in Superbowl history - 6 victories to date and now on the verge of a 7th if they can get past the Green Bay Packers. I can even tie in their last Superbowl victory in 2009 with my first meeting with Marisa - I'd gone down to Cornwall for the weekend and met her on the Sunday afternoon, and sat in bed on the Sunday night watching the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 before travelling back up to Shropshire on the Monday morning.
I've watched quite a few Superbowls in my time, the first one being Superbowl XXI when the New York Giants beat the Denver Broncos, I've missed a few in the meantime when terrestrial TV ignored the game, and then have seen them all since it returned on ITV. Usually I had to settle for highlights shown a few days after the actual game, or more recently getting my dad to video the game and going round after work to watch it (fast forwarding through the breaks in play). This year I've asked James to Sky+ it for me, but God only knows when I'll get to see it!!
Quiz Answers: Joe Montana & Jerry Rice played for the 49ers, Louis Lipps and Mark Malone played for the Steelers, Walter Payton and William 'The Refrigerator' Perry were Bears players, and Dan Marino and Mark 'Super' Duper were Dolphins players.
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Why I'm not full of Christmas cheer (thanks to Simon Cowell)
In honour of tonights long awaited X-Factor final (at least I don't have to put up with the bastard thing for another nine months), here's why I blame Simon Cowell for ruining Christmas:
The Christmas Number One race used to be exciting. Yes, there were the usual suspects each year - Westlife, Spice Girls, but there was always legitimate competition. And occasionally there was even a proper Christmas song (The Darkness for one, but it was beaten by 'Mad World', a non-Christmas Christmas number one). Now it's like a never ending stream of X-Factor 'winners' - is it a coincidence that the X-Factor ends just in time for a shot at the Christmas chart? It's coming to something when there has to be a concerted effort to get an 'alternative' song to number one. Last year Rage Against The Machine did it with a song over a decade old - because no current artist is brave enough to go head to head with the Simon Cowell PR-machine. However, this year there is a challenge. A modern attempt to recreate John Cage's 4'33 - four minutes and thirty three seconds of people not playing their instruments. Yet it will still be of more interest to me than whatever dirge the X-Factor winner is warbling.
And because people are brainwashed into buying and liking this crap, no one bothers to write a proper Christmas song anymore, well except Coldplay, but let's face it, they're boring and so don't count!
There'll never be another White Christmas, Merry Christmas Everybody, Last Christmas, or even I Wish It Could Be A Wombling Merry Christmas (and cover versions don't count) because it's all driven by PR and hysteria created and nurtured by the flat-headed, high-troused one and his wank-fest procession of supermarket shelf-fillers, circus freaks and soulless dullards only too willing to expose themself to ridicule and an overblown sense of 'celebrity' for a shot at manufactured short term popularity.
As John Lennon sang: "And so this is Christmas, and what have we done?"
Well, John, we've managed to create a monster, and if we're totally honest, it's our own doing. And the really depressing thing is, he probably doesn't give a monkey's if the X-Factor winner misses out on the Christmas number one - all those people that pick up the phone and dial to vote for their favourite imbecile have more than paid for the upkeep of his flat head and his villas and his perma-tan.
But, I'll never let anyone say I'm a miserable stick-in-the-mud, so, to quote Mr Noddy Holder:
It's Chriiiiistmaaaasssssssss!!!!!
The Christmas Number One race used to be exciting. Yes, there were the usual suspects each year - Westlife, Spice Girls, but there was always legitimate competition. And occasionally there was even a proper Christmas song (The Darkness for one, but it was beaten by 'Mad World', a non-Christmas Christmas number one). Now it's like a never ending stream of X-Factor 'winners' - is it a coincidence that the X-Factor ends just in time for a shot at the Christmas chart? It's coming to something when there has to be a concerted effort to get an 'alternative' song to number one. Last year Rage Against The Machine did it with a song over a decade old - because no current artist is brave enough to go head to head with the Simon Cowell PR-machine. However, this year there is a challenge. A modern attempt to recreate John Cage's 4'33 - four minutes and thirty three seconds of people not playing their instruments. Yet it will still be of more interest to me than whatever dirge the X-Factor winner is warbling.
And because people are brainwashed into buying and liking this crap, no one bothers to write a proper Christmas song anymore, well except Coldplay, but let's face it, they're boring and so don't count!
There'll never be another White Christmas, Merry Christmas Everybody, Last Christmas, or even I Wish It Could Be A Wombling Merry Christmas (and cover versions don't count) because it's all driven by PR and hysteria created and nurtured by the flat-headed, high-troused one and his wank-fest procession of supermarket shelf-fillers, circus freaks and soulless dullards only too willing to expose themself to ridicule and an overblown sense of 'celebrity' for a shot at manufactured short term popularity.
As John Lennon sang: "And so this is Christmas, and what have we done?"
Well, John, we've managed to create a monster, and if we're totally honest, it's our own doing. And the really depressing thing is, he probably doesn't give a monkey's if the X-Factor winner misses out on the Christmas number one - all those people that pick up the phone and dial to vote for their favourite imbecile have more than paid for the upkeep of his flat head and his villas and his perma-tan.
But, I'll never let anyone say I'm a miserable stick-in-the-mud, so, to quote Mr Noddy Holder:
It's Chriiiiistmaaaasssssssss!!!!!
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