charles baudelaire, mathew arnold, and my good self

I've recently been reading some poetry by Charles Baudelaire (The Flowers of Evil / Les Fleurs Du Mal) and Mathew Arnold (Selected poems, but mainly 'The Scholar Gypsy'), and of course this inspired me to put fingers to keyboard, and produce something myself.Hence the semi autobiographical self pitying effort below.I'm still not 100% happy with it, but l've been messing around with it on and off for a week or so, and it's starting to get on my nerves, so this is as good as it's going to get for now.

Enjoy!

Life
Dec 2013

I once set off with inflated lungs
The master of the planet pale
Knowing every song that’s sung
And thankful for a glass of ale

The air was calm and the water clear
And full of hope l led the way
The mirrored surface held no fear
And the sun embraced me every day

But searching for my lovers eyes
I ache and struggle to set my sail
Fearful of the lowering skies
And hiding from the howling gale

I pine for sleep, l crave for rest
And still the howling winds do wail
If there is a God, this must be a test
I cower beneath the shadows veil 

I feel the anguish within me rise
Captured under a ceiling of mist
My body and soul crave for a caress
And I’m pining for a lovers kiss

The frothing waters tell no lies
I’m lost at sea and in distress
So I must free myself from all these ties
And find myself a place to rest

toodle pip

the state of the colburn lodge at the moment

Obviously l could not have taken these pictures myself, as it would have been trespassing and illegal, and l would never break the law of the land.  However, as they have somehow arrived in my possession, it would be amiss of me not to post them up for all to see.
The Colburn Lodge, a favourite old drinking establishment of mine in Catterick, as it was a couple of days ago.
The talk is that it is going to be re-furbished, re-opened and selling meat, but also have some kind of eating place within.
No doubt we will find out soon, but it is a shame that it is no longer going to be used as a pub, as many a cracking night has been had within those walls, especially when 60 Squadron used to be based over the road from it.
Trust me, it could be as mad as Mad Jack McMad himself (but in a good way!).

toodle pip

the youngsters and christmas drinks at my sisters house

 

Adam and Hayley

Kelly and Connor

I was around at my sisters house a couple of evenings ago, dropping of the usual money and books for Christmas, and ended up staying there for about six hours, drinking plenty of spirits, eating cheese, and chatting with Linda, Shane and the youngsters above.  I even came away with some book recommendations from them ('I am Pilgrim' and 'Soldaten'), although it's hard to believe that Hayley will be 21 and finishing University next year, and Kelly will be 18 and starting.
They both still look about 12 to me, and the time has flown on by (in the blink of an eye!) since they were both young sprogs.

toodle pip

george best - hard tackles and dirty baths (with harry harris)

Harry Harris may be considered a top football journalist / biographer (or at least a prolific one), but he certainly doesn't check all of his facts (or his minions and accomplices don't).
I have just been leafing through George Best's 'Hard Tackles and Dirty Baths', ghost written by Harris, and one glaring error leaps out straight away.
The 1967/68 season was a momentous one for Best, and probably his most productive, as he ended the season with personal awards such as Footballer of the year, as well as helping win the European Cup at Wembley with Manchester United, beating Benfica 4-1 in the final (and scoring United's second goal in extra time).
However, according to Best and Harris, the season was also memorable for the first game of the season, the Charity Shield game at Wembley that ended in a 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, as the Spurs goalkeeper, Pat Jennings, scored from a kick upfield, the Wembley games bookended the season, and the game was the first to be shown in colour by the BBC on some transmitters. As they state in the book, who could forget that?
The trouble is, the game was not played at Wembley, but at Old Trafford, Manchester, as l still have the programme and remember it well (better than Best and Harris anyway).
Things like this really piss me off, as the book will no doubt be quoted to me when l am arguing about the game in the future, with a 'So you think you know more about it than Harris and even Best himself' thrown in for good measure.
On this kind of evidence, l'm afraid l most definitely do.



The goals from the game on youtube, which are certainly not from Wembley.

The programme for the game

toodle pip

clubbed to death / furious angels

This is one of my favourite moments from a film, as the 'Furious Angels' music (by Rob Dougan) is so atmospheric, and fits the (slightly dragged out) scene perfectly.
From 'Clubbed To Death', a French film from a few years back about a couple of heroin addicts, and the music has since been used (not clubbed) to death in other films, on TV, and in commercials.  Dougan must have made a fortune from it, but if so, he deserves all he got, as the song is a masterpiece.

toodle pip

out and about in december

Christmas is over and l am now looking forward to the New bleeding year.  Meanwhile, I've been about and about in December, hence some of the photographs above.  More trips to the dentist, meals out in Catterick Village, and visits to pubs in Newcastle, Darlington, Middlesbrough and locally.
I've just finished work for a few days, missed my link up with the FPO, and Mr Parrot is still hugely entertaining.
Time to crack on with what l laughingly know as reality, and yes, that is Shaun Ryder in the bottom picture.

toodle pip

gote cover version - somebody that l used to know

Somebody that l used to know by Gote
I love the song, but this performance confuses me slightly (like life itself)

toodle pip

to russia with love dolls

As a way to raise awareness of Russia's anti gay policy, seven sets of Russian dolls featuring prominent gay British icons have been produced by Mother London.  A couple of sets are being sent to the Russian agency and The Kremlin, while the rest can be bid on between the 13th and 22nd of December at www.torussiawithlove.co.uk..
They feature Elton John, Stephen Fry, George Michael, Graham Norton, and poor old Tom Daley, who has only just come out, and now has the indignity of being inside Graham Norton, who in turn will be inside George Michael, who will be inside.... (and so on).  It could be a tight squeeze.
I bet Daley never expected this to happen when he confessed his sexual leanings, but if l was him (or any of the featured icons), l'd still want a set of these.

toodle pip

roberto schmidt's view on the selfie at the nelson mandela memorial

While l have Nelson Mandela's memorial service on my mind (because of my last post), there is an interesting article by Roberto Schimdt (here), about how the photograph he took of Barack Obama, David Cameron, and the Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt taking a 'Selfie' at Mandela's memorial service in Soweto, has been used to castigate the leaders, making them out to be childish and behaving inappropriately at a memorial service.
Much as l am loath to defend David Cameron in any way, shape or form, the photographer explains how it was a long service (about 4 hours), but more importantly, it was a joyous, party atmosphere, with people celebrating Mandela's life, and not a solemn occasion where the actions would have been in bad taste.
As Schmidt (the photographer, not the minister) points out, it shows how images can sometimes be misinterpreted without knowledge of the background or preceding events. More of his photographs from that day are below.
I still hate Cameron though.

toodle pip

the nelson mandela signing and claire kosch showing how it's done

This will probably be all over the place soon, but after the disastrous / hilarious episode that was the so called sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial (above), here's a clip that will bring a tear to your eye.
When the children are all singing and making generic movements to a Christmas song, Claire Koch, a five year old little girl who has deaf parents, decides to sign American Sign Language so that they can be included, and becomes more animated as she does so.
As for the Mandela chappie, l could have done a better job, and my sign language leaves a lot to be desired.
However, it must have been like being in a bad dream, where you are suddenly pushed on stage in front of the world, and asked to do something that is beyond your capabilities.  I bet he kept pinching himself, hoping he was going to wake up at any moment.
He still produced some good bluffing with a straight face, though Claire Bosch should get the call next time.



toodle pip

ian dury artworks and lady docker

Ever wondered what Ian Dury's artwork was like back in the days before he became a Rock and Roll star?
If you haven't, l certainly have, and some of the results from his time at the Royal College of Art are above.
If you want more information about them, go here.
Also, if you have never heard of Lady Docker, who is featured in one of the paintings, she was Nora Royce Turner, a real character from Derby, who kept marrying into wealth (lastly to Bernard Docker), and who remained down to earth while simultaneously blowing excessive amounts of money.  A difficult task for anybody, but one l would dearly like to attempt. Amongst her adventures and exploits, she was a marbles champion (probably  fixed), was banned from Monaco, and famously stated of the people of Jersey  "They are the most frightfully boring, dreadful people that have ever been born".  This was said after she had moved there.  Sadly, her name now means about the same as 'Lady Muck', a woman with too high aspirations or pretensions, but back in the day, she was one of a kind.

toodle pip

tony hancock and mrs brown's boys

Some of my Tony Hancock related books (yes -  l know l am sad!!)

I still love the old radio shows of Tony Hancock's 'Hancocks Half Hour', but found the TV versions less satisfying, because when he was on the radio, your imagination visualised a lot of the material, plus there were other characters such as Bill Kerr and Sid James that added to the charm.
However, whether it was on the radio or TV, one of the hooks to it's immense popularity, was that you felt everyone was having a laugh together, and in a way, playing themselves (which they were to a degree). Mistakes that were left in only added to the charm, a common theme with 'Mrs Brown's Boys', as that has a close nit (and often related) cast, and the mistakes and general playfulness make the TV audience and viewers at home feel as though they are in on (and part of) the joke, creating a climate where all are wanting the show to succeed.
Sadly for Hancock, he lost his way, left behind the people that helped make him successful (especially Ray Galton and Alan Simpson), and ended up committing suicide in 1968 while filming a (very poor) series in Australia. The magic, scripts and timing had left him, and l guess it all got too much for him, so he left us. There are some of the Australian shows on You Tube, but they are cringe worthy to look at, especially compared to what had gone before.
Luckily a lot of the old shows, especially the radio ones, have survived, so at least the humour can be enjoyed and rediscovered by new generations, and help pass the time for demented old bastards like myself, even if l am too young to remember the shows when they were first transmitted.
It's dated, but good humour is still good humour.
As for Mrs Brown's Boys, who knows what direction that will take. I just hope it isn't dragged on way past its sell by date, although l have a sneaking suspicion it will be, because most comedies are.




toodle pip

blues america and bad mojo

Call it serendipity, coincidence, bad mojo, or the blues guitar playing devil from the crossroads messing with my head, but just as l finished watching the BBC series 'Blues America,' which ended on the USA president Barack Obama  singing 'Sweet Home Chicago', a clip that symbolised that the blues are now everywhere, l switched off the TV, only to hear the radio in my kitchen start playing 'Sweet Home Alabama' by Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Spooky!
Maybe it's time for me to get an exorcist in, but in the meantime, here's some great footage.



Lynyrd Skynyrd on The Old Grey Whistle Test - Sweet Home Alabama



Muddy Waters at Newport - Got My Mojo Working.  People forget that a lot of the old bluesmen used to know how to entertain a crowd.  The last minute of this (from 6 m in) is pure class.



Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Didn't It Rain.  She could sing, entertain,  and play a mean guitar



Howlin Wolf - If I Were A Bird - 'Inspiration' for Primal Scream's 'Loaded'.

toodle pip

roy c and mayer hawthorne

Is it just me, but after the first 25 seconds, does the Mayer Hawthorne song 'The Stars Are Out Tonight' sound like a speeded up version of Roy C's 'Shotgun Wedding', but without the pistol shots?

You know l'm right, and Roy C's lawyers - l'll accept a minor cut of the settlement for pointing out.

toodle pip