Books, Books, Books

Yesterday, I finished reading Man and Boy by Tony Parsons. Or should I say re-reading it. In fact, I'm a serial re-reader. But you can never read a good book more than once, in my opinion. There are lots of books I've read more than once. The Adrian Mole series, James Ellroy books, my Nick Hornby collection, and Tony Parsons too. That's alot of books, I assure you.

But, back to my most recent re-read. When I first read it, I was younger and hadn't had any of my life experiences, and couldn't really appreciate the story for what it was, it was just a good book written by a good author. Fast forward about eight or nine years, and I've been through it all and come through the other side. I started re-reading it and the more I read, the more I realised that this book was now incredibly relevant to me.

To sum up, a happily married guy, Harry Silver, hits 30, has a one night stand and causes his marriage to break up. So far, the only relevance is the age thing. Then his wife moves away to Japan to work, leaving their son, Pat, with our main character. No relevance there. His parents are of the old-school, where families stayed together through thick and thin, and this causes them to over-compensate with Pat, allowing slack where perhaps normally they wouldn't. Now I feel that this situation is becoming more apparent in my own life. It's not a bad thing, as such. But it can leave my authority as a parent a bit ineffective at times.

Then, when Pat's mother returns from Japan with a new man, she states her intent to get her son back. Cue the sniping and solicitor involvement (check!) as both parents are more intent on rubbishing the other rather than promoting the benefits of their care. Ultimately, when Harry's dad dies of cancer (no relevance there thank God), he asks his mum how she copes. She tells him that part of love is knowing how to let go. This prompts Harry to agree to let his son live with his mother. I can definitely appreciate that. When I left my son with his mum, I wasn't in a particularly good place and in no state to look after a 2 year old under the same house as my parents. Then, when I had another chance to look after my son on a permanent basis about two years ago, I felt that to have my son on these terms (basically his mum had refused to collect him from nursery after a ridiculous incident in a pub car park) was purely by default, not by his choice. So, after much soul searching and disgusted views, I permitted my ex-wife to take him back again. However, this much is true: should the occasion arise again, I will not falter. He will be with me, Marisa and Anthony.

Anyway, back to the book. All along, Harry goes through lack of work (been there more than once!), and unexpected new love. This I can definitely relate to!

Dammit, as I finished the last page, I wiped a tear from my eye.

And my family always mock me for reading books more than once. More fool them!

I'm now re-reading the sequel, Man and Wife. I'm prepared for more tugged heart strings.

A little bit of Pre-Dave fun...

Here's a little bit of fun that got passed along to me, and it right up my creative little street.

Create Your Own Album:

1) Go on Wikipedia and select 'Random Article'. The first one you get is the name of your band.

2) Go to Quotationspage.com and select a random quote. The last few words will act as your album title.

3) Do a virtual trundle over to Flickr.com. Explore the last 7 days. The third picture is your album cover. (You can only right-click to save the thumbnail image, not the full size one on Flickr).

4) Put them all in a Picture-edit-software-esque magic bag (Photoshop to name but one).

5) Tag those people you think will dig it and want to have a bash themselves

Here is my effort:

Now, just because mine has come out quite good, doesn't mean you can just keep refreshing so that you get something equally awesome!!

NO CHEATING!!

(I'm not quite tecchie enough to actually know how to tag people, so I'm going to do it via Facebook)

Thanks go to http://carolefindsherwings.wordpress.com for this, and further down the line http://libertyfallsdown.wordpress.com.

Back to the Dave-themed grindstone now...

The last trio of Top Fives

Because things come in three's, here is my third and final Top Five.

Top Five (living) People to invite to dinner:
5) Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - just so he can create the dinner using just the contents of my hedge and an overweight squirrel...
4) Chris Evans - because he's just so damned enthusiastic about everything. Even at 6.30 in the morning. Plus he'd have some good anecdotes if his books are anything to go by.
3) Alexander Armstrong - he's funny, smart, he's descended from William the Conqueror (that's right isn't it? I watched the programme, so I'm fairly confident), and he might be able to get me on his Pointless quiz show!
2) Robert Plant - the man's a Rock God. And he could recommend some good music, and tell us if Jimmy Page really did make a deal with the Devil...
1) Stephen Fry - surely a dinner-party must? He's got anecdotes, wit, and charisma pouring from his ears.


Top Five Famous Females on screen (big or small. Screen that is...):
5) Susannah Reid - fills in on BBC Breakfast from time to time. Must be a morning thing...
4) Kirstie Allsopp - she tries to help people find a home. She's helpful, I like that.
3) Kelly Brook - she's all woman.
2) Uma Thurman - she's in Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill (vols 1 & 2). She still looks good.
1) Cameron Diaz - she's fairly hot, funny, and can drive a Kia Cee'd quite fast.


And finally...
Top Five People I'd put on a crashing plane with no parachutes:
5) Lady GaGa - for confusing unusual 'dress sense' with talent.
4) Jo Whiley - she seems to be a HUGE fan of EVERYBODY she interviews. Makes me cringe
3) James Corden - he's not that funny. In fact he's just an annoying chubby get who's currently having his fifteen minutes.
2) Cheryl Cole - she used to be ok. Then Ashley cheated on her and she became a national obsession. Talk about sob story! Then she attached herself to Simon Cowell and has got even more annoying. I hope she does go to America and never returns.
1) Simon Cowell - the man has single-handedly corrupted the music business and manipulated people into believing that they can hit the big time by having a 'Colgate smile', 'trendy' hair and songs with a stupid key change before the end rather than actually having talent, working hard and learning your craft by playing live without the use of sound trickery to cover up being badly out of tune.

And that's it. The next post will be a new 'Dave' story. Eventually.
Until then, ta-ta!

More Top Fives

Top Five Driving Moans:
5) Pedestrians that cross the road just yards away from an actual pedestrian crossing. Just a few steps more you lazy buggers!!!
4) Drivers waiting at a junction, seeing the car in front of me turning off, they decide to pull out on me. Then they have the gall to shake their heads at ME(??!!) as I continue on my way, forcing them to stop suddenly with their front end poking out into the flow of traffic.
3) People too impatient to wait their turn. A number of times I've witnessed cars steaming up the inside of a queue of traffic to get to the turning they want - a few of them have had to stop sharpish and rely on other's reluctance to witness a head on collision. And just today, during a busy spell at Tesco's Petrol station in Shrewsbury which I was caught in, about three cars tried to nip in front of me, only to realise why I was waiting patiently - the first pump was coned off. Having lost their place in the queue thanks to their own rash foolishness, they revved their engines in anger and drove off, petrol-less!
2) Drivers at the Level Crossing in Wem. In particular, those that park across the 'Keep Clear' box so that when the gates go up, anyone that wants to turn right can forget it, and so the traffic builds up. Oh and those cars that come up on the wrong side of the road towards the station and turn down Station Road - it's just a matter of time before they meet a car coming the other way.
1) The bus that drives round Wem, dropping people off etc. Well, the beardy driver that cuts me up down Churchill Drive every lunchtime, forcing me on to the pavement. The other day he was stopped in the middle of the road talking to a woman on a bike. He saw me coming and reluctantly tried to move aside. I still came within inches of taking out the woman on the bike. Would have served her right though.


Top Five Literary Characters I've read:
5) Philip Marlowe - Particularly in The Big Sleep. It's been a while since I read the book, but the image of this guy in a mac and trilby has stayed with me ever since.
4) Francis Begbie - Both in Trainspotting and the sequel, Porno. He's just a complete nutter! I think that seeing the film before reading the book has prevented me from making up my own mind about him, as all I can see now is Robert Carlyle. Which doesn't bother me, but that sort of thing I think can sometimes annoy the book purists.
3) The Count of Monte Cristo/Edmond Dantes - The title of the book is obvious. I was first alerted to this book by a scene in The Shawshank Redemption, when they're going through all the books that have been donated to the prison library. One guy mispronounces Dumas' name as 'Dumbass'. It made me chuckle, but I went out and bought the book. A complex character who uses his gained riches to manipulate and play with the lives of people that crossed him and caused his initial imprisonment.
2) Pete Bondurant - Appears in the first two of James Ellroy's 'American Underworld' trilogy - American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand. He's a French Canadian hardman working initially for Howard Hughes, then gets caught up in the CIA attempt at the Bay of Pigs, gets sent to run heroin factories in Vietnam and ends up a shell of his former self in the end due to a series of heart attacks. Between the beatings he hands out, there is a soft side to him that he's afraid to show in case others deem it a weakness and try to exploit it.
1) Adrian Mole - The greatest diarist that never lived? I would say so. From humble beginnings aged 13 and 3/4 through puberty, into young adulthood, on into his thirties and now (possibly finally) into his forties. He's had illegitimate children, legitimate ones, failed marriages, accidental engagements, nasty bosses and nice ones. He's seen Thatcher's Britain and Blair's Britain, lived through the Falklands, the Gulf War and Afghanistan. He's survived acne and prostate cancer. All the time, Pandora has been in his life in one way or another.


Top Five Comedy TV Shows as an adult:
5) Friends - I, along with many others, grew up with this show. While it remained funny throughout it's ten year run, in my opinion the first three series were the most consistently funny ones.
4) Family Guy - I only found out about this accidentally one night on BBC3. I watched a few and found I was constantly hurting from laughing. I went on to get season box-sets and subject myself to more pain! Then the Star Wars parodies came and it just got better.
3) Extras - My favourite of Ricky Gervais's comedies. If anything I think sometimes Stephen Merchant steals the show. It's consistent, witty and a damning observation of today's celebrity culture. But hats off to all those who took part and played along. My particular favourite is the one with Kate Winslet.
2) Black Books - I don't think this show ever got the praise it warranted. Three series of brilliant comedy from Moran, Bailey and Greig. I only need suggest you watch the first episode of the first series and you will understand.
1) Father Ted - Pushed all the way by Black Books, but a worthy winner. Proof that British sitcoms usually know when to stop before they get stale. Nothing else needs to be said really.

Stay tuned for more Top Fives in the future.

Top Fives

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.