the teletubbies have aged a bit

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possibly the saddest photograph ever

Hopefully the person recovered and these were then binned. If not, it's one of the saddest photographs around.

From this tweet

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the broken doll - a documentary

An old documentary on The Broken Doll pub in Newcastle, which was knocked down to expand the road system.
I spent many a happy hour in there over the years, and it's crappy the way the old alternative type pubs in Newcastle end up getting demolished.
My favourite was The Haymarket, but that went years ago.
Pah! - Bloody progress and gentrification.

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two weeks off!

Hurrah!  I've got a couple of weeks off with bugger all to do.

 This will be me and Mr Parrot at the end of them.

                                                          It's actually Charles Bukowski

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football - game of the gods

Two examples of how football is so much better than rugby, and takes a lot more skill. 

Pele doing an overhead / bicycle kick, and George Best demonstrating his speed and balance.

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mark renton gets sentenced

There was me thinking that Trainspotting was a film, when it appears to have been a documentary.

Mark Renton has just been done in Edinburgh for selling drugs. More about the sentencing  and case can be found here

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more noise! - cnn, xc-nn and tin star

I was going to start this with CNN's single version of 'Looking Forward', but couldn't find it on youtube, so the later XC-NN (CNN had to change their name) version will have to do. Don't worry - it's still great.
When they split, the singer, Dave Tomlinson went on to form Tin Star, another sadly overlooked band.
He's still gigging and recording these days, but both of these early bands should have been massive.
Obviously, as a saddo, l have all of their stuff.











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nine inch nails at panorama nyc 2017

I might be knocking on a bit, but l still love a decent racket when it comes to music, and l still love Nine Inch Nails.
I've been listening to this show while waiting for the football to start. Marvellous stuff.
Live at New York's Panorama concert in 2017



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swingers

This just amused me with an unexpected ending

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spoils of a good night

The sign of a good night out.
I came home with these last night, a black wig and a mask, after Kelly and Danny's do at Romanby golf club.
I think Karen must have nabbed the false boobs.

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paide own goal from kick off

This must be a one  off.
Paide, an Estonian team, manage to score an own goal straight from kick off, without the opposition team (Levadia) even touching the ball.



I'll say it again - football's back!!!
Hurrah again!!!

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football's back!

Hurrah!!!!  Football is back! It may not be the same game that l fell in love with years ago, but what a cracking start to the season. 

Thirteen goals in the first two games (Arsenal 4-3  Leicester, and Watford 3-3 Liverpool), and now Huddersfield are top of the league!

It's like a return to the 1920's.

Make the most of it while it lasts.

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rainbow at donington 1980

Many, many moons ago, when l was till a young whipper snapper, myself and a friend hitch hiked to the first 'Monsters of Rock'. festival at Castle Donington, to see the then mighty Rainbow (plus guests).
It was very wet and muddy at the festival, we survived to tell the tale, and l think l have still got my t-shirt stashed away somewhere. I've definitely still got the badge.
We used to see Rainbow on a regular basis at the time, the highlight being a trip (also hitch hiking) to Leicester, which was a brilliant gig, but also the most crowded venue l have ever been in. People could easily have died, but obviously we didn't (It helps that l'm indestructible). My friend had give up and struggle to go to the back of the hall for a rest, drink and recovery. Looking back after Hillsborough, it's amazing there weren't more casualties.
Anyway, Donington. A mere 37 long, long years ago this weekend (aprox).

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liverpool trip

Desperate for things to do to entertain ourselves without football, Robbo and myself had a trip to Liverpool last week while the rest of his family were away. There was nothing planned apart from going out and having a fun packed night, and we certainly managed that, ending up in Heaven (a gay nightclub) until about 5am. We also went to The Pacific pub in Bootle before town, arranged and met up with a couple of Robbo's relatives later on in town who were also from Bootle (and who stayed out with us till about midnight), and had a drive out to Bootle beach (Crosby) in the morning after some brekkie.

Then we got sidetracked on the way home because the road to Hawes had just been closed due to an accident, so had to come back the long way. 

A most excellent time was had by all, but not as excellent as the fellow in the bottom news report.

Now that's a wild night!

 View from our bedroom window

 Our hotel - we would recommend it

Where we got a lot of attention from men and women - dingy and superb!

 'Bootle' beach

 Our journey home in black, red route was the anticipated one

Now that's how to have a good time!

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the marshall tucker band, primal scream, and howlin' wolf

I was listening to a bit of The Marshall Tucker Band today (as you do), and something started bugging me about their song 'Can't you see'.  I knew it reminded me of another song, and then it dawned on me - it's Primal Scream's 'Loaded'. The laid back groove and guitar solo are pretty damn similar, at least to my dusty old ears, and l should know - l was at the Primal Scream concert in the video.
Check them out.





The Primal Scream track also gives me an excuse to feature this again - Howlin' Wolf - 'If l were a Bird'. Another track that has 'Influence' written all over it.
From his 'Message to the Young' album.



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fergus beeley tries a citizen's arrest

This is Fergus Beeley, an ex BBC producer (Life on Earth etc). The second clip is the best attempted 'Citizens Arrest' l have ever seen.
Methinks a new Basil Fawlty series awaits him.
Fucking aggressive dickhead. If he's like that to a family out in the open, imagine what he'd be like loosing his temper at home.

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mmmmm.........cheese

Had to call in at Northallerton a couple of days ago, so I took the opportunity to stock up on some cheese. Pickled onions and cream crackers already purchased and waiting.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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donkey trouble

I know we are talking about a disability here, and the runner is blind, but come on! If this isn't funny, what is?

Copied from Channel 4's 'The Last Leg' 

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michael fallon talks shite

As usual, the Tory's talk shite.
This time it's Michael Fallon looking for any excuse to slag of Jeremy Corbyn, including getting it wrong when he rubbishes Boris Johnson's views, and refusing to accept that Corbyn may agree with some of his own views.
VOTE LABOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



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big game animals get revenge in zimbabwe

It's always pleasing when Karma  strikes in the way you would have wished for.
Theunis Botha recruited and took people on hunting trips for big game. He was apparently hunting elephants in Zimbabwe when some of them panicked, one picked him up, was shot at, and then killed Botha by falling on him.
Sad news indeed for his wife and family, but if more of these instances took place, and more hunters and guides were killed, perhaps there would be less photographs of hunters astride or next to the dead animals they have so 'bravely' killed using their high powered long rang rifles, after the likes of Botha and his dogs have scared the animals and chased them towards the hunters.
Bunch of bastards all of them, and it's about time the animals got some revenge.
He knew the risks, and l have no sympathy for him. Pity more of the hunters weren't taken out at the same time.
More on the story here.

One less hunter

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ready for the election run up with frank sinatra and high hopes

My new t-shirt arrived yesterday, so l'm ready for the election run up. Rather sadly, l may have to get as much wear as l can out of it before then, as it may be a bit redundant afterwards.
Still - like that little ant and the rubber tree, l've got high hopes!
More are available here.

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alabama 3 at stockton

Forgot to mention that myself and some mates went to see Alabama 3 a couple of weeks ago, and we all thought they were one of the best bands we had seen.
It may have had to do with the fact that  we were right down the front at a small club with the full band experience, plus we had been out all day (it got a bit 'messy'), but it was magnificent.
A video can never recapture the experience, but go and see if them if you get the chance.
Here they are live in Sydney.
Enjoy.



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mr parrot dances to the new york dolls and my flip video is back!

It's been nearly three years since l lost my flip video machine, but yesterday, l found it. I actually lost one of my mobile phones yesterday, so rang the number, to discover it had fallen down the back of the settee. Now when you feel down there, after a certain bit it feels like anything down there would fall onto the floor, but l discovered there is another sheet which traps things, such as my phone, and, after searching around some more, my flip video. Hurrah!

I knew l hadn't thrown it out and it must be somewhere l hadn't thought of (I'd already searched down the back of the settee), but it had been driving me mad / madder.

It's now charged up again, and this was the last thing filmed on it.  Mr Parrot getting exited when l put on The New York Dolls. Sadly, he stops when l start filming him.

He's a parrot with taste.

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unknown autographs from test cricket?

As well as the mountains of personal junk that l have accumulated over the years, due to being a sad bastard, l have also bought extra bits and pieces. Today l discovered these in the pages of a magazine. Two tickets for England test matches in 1980 and 1985 (in fact there are two pairs of tickets), plus a cardboard sheet with two pages of autographs. 

Now l know nothing about cricket (and care less about it), and these were not mine, but l am curious as to where the autographs are from, and who they are.

On the other hand, l also can't be bothered searching that much. l've got things to do, fish to fry, and life's too short.

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1980's bands prevent crime

This is a surprise, l thought New Order had split up.

Apparently Haircut 100 are being drafted in to take care of the NHS computer hackers.

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johnny hart's bc books imitate life

I'm still sorting out the bleeding garage, and earlier today l found a load of old Charlie Brown / Peanuts and Johnny Hart's BC / The King Is A Fink books. Some l've had to throw out as they were water damaged, but flicking through this BC book, it was as if someone had been spying on me and Mr Parrot.

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c'mon kids - register to vote!

Jonathan Pie tries to persuade the young to vote. As usual, he nails it.
More from him here.
Great stuff.



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the gardening is on hold

I was trying to be a good lad and crack on with grass cutting the other day, as l had paid someone to strim it the week before, and didn't want it getting too long again before cutting it properly.
However.....when l went to the shed to get the lawnmower out, there was (unexpectedly) a load of free cds and beer left for me. I worked out it was probably from a mate in Darlington, and when l texted him, that turned out to be the case (Hello Stevie boy!).
A pleasant surprise, the rest of the afternoon was sorted, and the garden had to wait a while longer.
Hurrah!!

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mr parrot's a music critic

This is what happens if you leave records unattended with Mr Parrot wandering around.

I thought he was being a bit quiet and probably up to no good.

How right l was.

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chris cornell has died

I can't really say that l am too surprised that Chris Cornell has died at such an early age earlier today, but it is still such a fucking waste. I'd only just read an old interview with him (in 'Classic Rock' magazine) a couple of days ago when he was talking about trying to stay clean, but it was obvious to anyone that he had a lot of issues (to say the least), and it highlights once again that fame and fortune is not the answer to deep rooted problems (although it can certainly help).
A lot of people would never of heard of him and won't know what the fuss is about, but he was one of the best rock / punk / grunge vocalists since the genres were invented. It was only a couple of weeks ago that the barman in Rachel's Bar (Sticky Fingers) in Middlesbrough was telling myself and buddies that Chris was his favourite artist. He was, to many, an icon.

Here's when l first got to hear him - Temple of the Dog's 'Hunger Strike', featuring another superb vocalist, a certain Mr Eddie Vedder.



Here's an excellent acoustic version of Sinead O'Connor's / Prince's 'Nothing Compares To You'



And lastly, another oldie from Temple of The Dog - 'Say Hello To Heaven'



All of these goodies, and no mention of his work with Soundgarden etc

For those that are interested, thee's a pretty fine acoustic concert available for download here. Don't tell the filth.
Nearly forgot - the password is zinhof and it's from this site.
Enjoy.

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a girl walks home alone at night and white lines, plus clubbed to death (lola) and rob dougan

I stayed up last night until the early hours and watched my recording of 'A girl walks home alone at night' an Iranian film from 2014, and was so glad l did, as it was one of the best films l've ever seen.
Bear in mind that l enjoy films which are foreign, slow paced and quirky, subtitled, and unlike other films. Oh, and with a good soundtrack if possible. This film ticked all of the boxes to the degree that l have not deleted it yet, as l will watch it again pretty soon, probably more than once (because that's how sad l am).
One of the best uses of music in a scene was the one below, 'Death' by White Lies, which was not just atmospheric, but really moving, especially if you knew what went on before this scene. I think l may even have got a bit of dust in my eye while watching.



Go check out the film, and put on subtitles to understand the lyrics of the foreign songs to enhance the experience.

On a related note, the atmospheric combination of music and a slow paced scene from above reminded me of another classic by Rob Dougan from the French film, 'Clubbed to Death / Lola (im Technoland)' - 'Furious Angels'. A film l first watched years ago, alone at night and on acid. I absolutely loved it (still do), and l cried like a baby at this scene. Happy days!
Remember kids - don't do drugs.
Compare and contrast.

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the handsome family on the simpsons - far from any road and weightless again

Watching a repeat of The Simpsons tonight, and this song came on during an extra segment at the end, after most of the credits had already been shown.
A moody and atmospheric little number by The Handsome Family, 'Far from any road', which was the theme music to the True Detective series. 'Weightless again' used to be my favourite song of theirs, but this has maybe surpassed it.
However, both are great.





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the house is more of a mess than usual

Apart from all of the hard work involved in cleaning out the garage, it's the long hours l'm having to put in to sort of some of the stuff from in there. Sadly, that means that the home has been more of a mess than usual for the last few days.

Then again, it's also been great, discovering things l had forgotten about, and luckily, because l am such a sad geek, l had wrapped items up well, so they are mainly in excellent condition.

Hurrah!

 The living room looking clean

Not so clean while trying to sort some of the stuff out

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spider alert

A more than usual scary looking spider in the garage. It wasn't very big compared to some of the monsters in there, but l certainly didn't like the look of it.
It has now ceased to be, so panic over.

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beer dilema

Since l've had a new garage door fitted, l've been crapping myself (due to fear of spiders) cleaning it out. Thirsty and dusty work, but at least l've discovered some beers left in the spare fridge in there. They do however, have an expiry date that was eight years ago.
Mmmmmmmmm...shall l risk it?

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apparently, my brother's not in leeds any more

Bloody Hell!!  I thought my brother lived in Leeds, but apparently l'm wrong, as Robert here seems to be the real deal.

It's like looking in  a mirror, with or without glasses.

Scary! 

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a monster in paris (un monstre a paris) - sean lennon and vanessa paradis

I finally got round to watching the 'A Monster in Paris' animation film the other day, and loved this song by the giant flea ( Francoeur). The lyrics appealed to me the most, to the extent that l checked in the end credits to see who it was by, with the intention of downloading it.
As a  massive (in more ways than one) Beatles fan, you could have knocked me down with a feather (Clever Trevor) when l discovered it was by Sean Lennon, son of John.
Anyone who knows me will now be aware that l will have to dig out all of Sean's solo stuff that l have listened to briefly in the past and then stashed away, in case there are other undiscovered gems to be found.
It's a hard life being interested in everything (and time consuming).

Here's the song with lyrics



And here's the animation version



Also, Vanessa Paradis (as Lucille in the film) sings a pretty fine version of La Seine.
Here's the slow French version, which l, being a cool and trendy dude, prefer.



au revoir / toodle pip

donald trump and manchester united - plus gillan

Donald Trump.
He may be a privileged, monied, thinks he knows it all twat who gleans his knowledge of world events by watching crappy USA news feeds, talks of being an isolationist while bombing other countries, and may well increase the prospect of nuclear war and a return to Mutually Assured Destruction, but since he has been president, Manchester United have not lost in the league (Premiership to you modern hipsters), beating Chelsea 2-0 this afternoon.
So maybe his reign of bluff, blunder, backtracking and buffoonery may be worth it.
Swings and roundabouts brothers and sisters.



From where I stand
I see a blind man on a hill
From where I stand
I see the teacher in the valley
From where I stand
I see the blind man on a hill
And he is standing very still
The way it's planned
They'll only let the fools survive
The way it's planned
You would not want to stay alive
Just one big band
It's all they're leaving you to think about
From where I stand
I know just what they're planning
I know they're planning one big bang
And they call it Mutually Assured Destruction
From where I stand
I can see the mushrooms in the sky
From where I stand
I can watch the bleeding children cry
And they will die
And you have no wings to fly
From where I stand
I see the man on the hill
And he is standing very still

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marc aspland aintree photograph

It's taken me just over a week to get over not winning anything on the Grand National last weekend, but on a related note, here's a rather impressive Aintree photograph by Marc Aspland, at Beecher's Brook in the Foxhunters (whatever that is).
It's all about the focus and timing, something l will never achieve with my crappy camera.

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ricky gervais helping the nearly dead at easter (squirrel style)

Easter. The the time of the dead being resurrected, a tall tale l don't believe.
Instead, here's a feel good story along similar lines.
Ricky Gervais has posted some pictures of an injured squirrel, which he found and tended to, feeding it strawberries and nuts. The squirrel then decided he had made a friend, and nestled up in Ricky's hoodie. All on Easter Sunday. The feel good photos are below.
Now that's what l call a twitter feed (Boom Boom).

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