The Return of the Bent & Twisted World of Gene Hunt


At last something other than 'Gardeners' World' worth watching on the TV.
'Ashes to Ashes' takes you back to that non-pc world of free speech where men were men & women had really bad hair & shoulderpads.

On a serious side, recent events have proven that the police had not really changed at all. They are still there to prop another dodgy, corrupt, Goverment although this time it is Labour: a party that Keir Hardie would never recognise as Labour............


the more things change..............

More Album Titles to Leave You Screaming in the Dark or Falling Off Your Hammock




Dollboy - Beard of Bees
Vertonen - The Ocean is Gone, the Ship is Next

Death By Cheesecake


It has been a few weeks since I have slipped under the spell of the Ethiopean groove coming from Mulatu.

The cover above reminded me that I still only have 1 Tigrena (sp)/English dictionary although I now know of 7 Eritreans using my library.

In the Middle East I used to 'hang out' with the cool Eritreans & I have forgotten most of my vocabulary.

I am fascinated by this ancient language & Aramaic........it just looks so beautiful & takes me back to similar writing on a rock in the desert 100k from anywhere, where my Toyota Cressida let me down for a short period & we were stranded with no water but God blessed my wife & boys & we were saved again from certain death for the 3rd time in the kingdom.

In fact a previous student, who also worked in Riyadh knew some of the Eritreans drivers that I worked with. It is a strange place this world, for sure, Amen to that.

I Blog , Therefore I Am



Crawling out from the isolation tank, the think tank or the Sherman tank with echoes of '68 Czechs.

By the way did I tell you about the time I was arrested & held up by tanks in Athens in '73 or later arrested for gambling cards in Kabul 74?

I cannot recall, but I do know that there are only 2 kinds of people in this world: there are the bean counters & then there are the men of vision, usually without a bean to their name.



Unfortuntately the former outnumber the latter even in this crunchy credit time of the beast.

Didnt He Ramble



With 2 public holidays in May, I plan to leave aside the Hoi-Poloi & get out there among the bracken & the heather.

Woodend Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club


Maybe I should not be allowed out on my own to gigs. I am still trying to straighten my bent head after the Arches with David Thomas Broughton.



Perhaps Alan @ the above WBLT should consider the latter for a future tour.

It was odd turning up at a gig & watching the young nimble ladies tap ball over the net & the old cosgers on the bowling greens (some vacancies I was informed by alan!)


Anyway Robin Adam was plagued by noisy leads or noisy connections & it took a while to get that sorted, but he did deserve his recent award.


The main attraction was of course, Dan Arborise, who I had recently missed @ the Fraser Centre in Milngavie.


He is billed as a cross between John Martyn & Nick Drake. I would put the percentages @ 90% John Martyn & 10 % Nick Drake, but he is much more than this. He is severely & screamingly talented & his own man.


Catch him when you can.

Time Keeps On Slipping, Slipping Into the Future



This blog has been all over the place lately. Maybe that's just the way life is for everyone?


My last week has been well-crazy. What kicked it all off? The funeral of a friend & college lecturer, who was murdered. I do know a lot of murderers & I have known a number of people who have been murdered.

I also saw this week that an ex-colleague from a penal establishment is taking a petition to the Scottish Parliament, over the unworkable contract they have with the Scottish Prison Service. Well done.

Then there was that performance by David Thomas Broughton, pure mind bending hallucinations all round.

Recent entries covered that bridge to nowhere. What is that all about?

Then him next door starts chatting about Sleazy, Jonh Balance, Genesis P-Orridge, Coil, Throbbing Gristle & gets me talking about how good the Threshold Houseboys Choir are & how it is a pity that Mr Balance & Mrs P-Orridge are dead & then having to explain the dodgy sexual lifestyles of the members of Coil & TG.


Why cant he ask AP? Or check the 'Wire' archives..........


Anyway my neighbour has worked out how we can connect via 'Twitter' to this blog.


Watch this space. Dont go away!

Majick Shoes



Sporting what my team mates named my Paulo De Cannio football ballet shoes, I managed to repeat a move from a few weeks ago & get only one goal, but one of pure lyrical quality, just to prove it is not flukiness.


I had a sudden thought: as I near the age for the travel pass, will I still be playing 5 - a -side??

Weasels Have a Happy Time On Holiday

Weasels Ripped My Flesh

Rainbows in Arched Air


Those wags at the Arches thought it was humerous to have me sitting on a cushion on the floor for the hour that David Thomas Broughton played, no performed the other night.

Despite my athiritis, I was totally enthralled by the gig. I dont know if the ever so chatty student clientele, knew what to expect, but even they were shocked & awed out of their tiny brains..

I knew his music & had an idea of what to expect, but I did not expect, the Jarvis on acid, the hellfire preacher, the man possed by evil demons, the scariest, most disturbing & exciting gig I have been at for a long time.

This Yorkshire Merzbow is the best thing since Pearls Before Swine. Catch him while he still lives.

The Bridge & the Burn


There is no roads (nor does it look as if there ever was) any roads going to or from this enigma.


I suspect evil secret goings on surrounding this bridge. If anyone has any ideas, let me know............

Location

As I said previously, it is in a field, about halfway between Croftamie & Gartochan.

Springtime Conspiracy Theory, no 666


This bridge, a work of Engineering marvel, stuck in the middle of nowhere has puzzled me for years.

Try to find it on 'Google Maps' & you may possibly disappear. (I did, but the aliens brought me back, unharmed!).


It goes nowhere, comes from nowhere, it serves no purpose other than to cross over a trickling little burn.


Why is it here? Is it a folly like I first thought?

I have taken further photos to follow in the next few postings, suggestions most welcome.

Proof Positive


Sometimes we do not realise that we live in the most beautiful country in the world.

In order for it to appear so, we have to put up with the odd, inconvenient shower.

Outdoors, Man!


A break in the weather & a weeks holiday so its out & about on the nearby hills for me.

Arcadian Driftwood

I was listening to the Band’ s ‘Stagefright’ as I was doing a favour for one of my elder son’s mate & this remastered version took me right back there to that dodgy flat in Belmont Street in Glasgow’s West End.

It was always summer, was it a summer of love?

Anyway we were so happy, everything was possible & we were at the top of our game.

Note to self must listen to The Band more.

Favourite Band Names pt Z

Napoli is Not Nepal.

Spring Playlist

There is so much great music around at the moment & much of it new to me.

White Rainbow’s (not my favourite colour of rainbow!) Sky Drips Drifts starts off as a kind of Ash Ra Tempel tribute & then ends as a zen centring freakout that is very popular down our way.

Freakout fully describes Whitman’s Shooting @ crazy Elk that almost has been dropping the java @ 7 a.m. & laughing out loud.

Below is a further list of what shakes the breakfast dishes in our house:

J. Tillman (drummer with the superb ‘Fleet Foxes’ everyones favourite indie Americana band at the moment.) I have Vacilando (?) Territory Blues & Cancer & Delirium.

David Thomas Broughton – Anchovies/It’s There Somewhere/ Vs 7Hz

Foot Foot – Snuggle & Buck

Uton – We’re Only In It

Jon Hassell – Maarifa Street

Andrew Bird – Everything

Head of Wastistaquet (SP) Montagne

United Bible Studies

Natural Stone Buildings

Winston Jazz Routine – Sospiri

Lucky Dragons

Iditwod – a Ghost, elf………..

Owl Service – Garland of Song

Jake Holmes

Grouper

Pocahaunted

Birds of a Feather

Since my father died, I have seen robins in unlikely places at odd times of the year. Since my father-in-law died, you could add to this strange appearances of bird feathers, open doors & everyone waking up at 3.33 a.m.

Last night I awoke startled at 3.33 a.m. Perhaps I am seeing something that is not there or reading too much into it. For instance, there may be a fair degree of autosuggestion about the 3.33 a.m. as I was aware that my mother-in-law wakes up at this time.

I believe that you just have to accept all that comes your way. As I stood in line in the Post Office yesterday, I met my hairdresser & arranged my next visit to the chair.

I opened up the flyer from The Arches & lo & behold, I saw that David Thomas Broughton is playing. As he is a new discovery for me & one that I have been ranting about on these pages, I know that I will have to go.

Cullen Skink

Being on holiday as the sun came out, we set off to drive up the Crow Road. No not that one you ninny, the one that starts in Lennoxtown & climbs & climbs.

It is a bit like the practice ramp for the Rest & Be Thankful.

I had recently walked up this way through the Campsie Glen. As we drove around the back end of the Campsies, we had to stop at the celestial view of the mountains, absolutely outstanding & more so, as I was not expecting it.

As we headed into Killearn, we were hungry & stopped for a late lunch & I had a delightful & substantial plate of Cullen Skink.

Fast forward 24 hours & I am out for a walk on the Kilpatricks & just driving on the hill at Station Road, when snap went my accelerator cable & the car started sliding backwards down the gradient.

As an avid listener to Radio Scotland although not a fan of Tom Morton alas, I was a little perturbed to hear him banging on about Cullen Skink, as I phoned the breakdown lorry from my moby.

It is a funny old world & it’s full of clichés.

More Talked About than listened to

As I am strolling through some of my many Sun Ra albums, a sudden thought crossed my mind.

Perhaps this was related to me reading a recent ‘Wire’ epiphany by Jerry Dammers on Sun Ra.

Is Sun Ra like Sun City Girls, Daniel Johnson, Jandek, Nihilist Spasm Band, No Neck Blues Band, Captain Beefheart & Wild Man Fischer, an artist more talked about than listened to?

Walter

I may have mentioned before how I was fascinated by the number of people named Walter that have entered my life.

One of these re-entered my life recently, but he cannot recollect how we sat together in Maths for 4 years. I have challenged him on this fact, but although he denies it, I have a feeling that there is some unsavoury history that he is deliberately blocking.

Anyway I see him at least 1 day per week & as I opened the local newspaper, he is staring out at me.

The fact that Walter has long hair & hippie beard perhaps suggests that he has been posted missing since the late 60s. Weird.

From the Campsie Glen to Balloch Castle

As the weekend was dry, I decided to get some walking done.

On the Saturday, I had my first proper walk up the Campsie Glen & it was then I realised how my body was aging rapido.

My thumping heart forced me to have a few breaks on the climb up. However my friend was surprised that I did not stop at the car park half way up & walk from there. I assured her that I saw this as cheating & would never consider doing that. On reflection, if there is a next time, I would do this as it would leave me the energy to explore further on the tops.

At the top, I was disappointed as you looked over towards Glasgow, however there was a terrific top of the world feeling at that height looking down onto the plains.

The next day was a different kind of walk mostly on the flat except the little incline up towards Balloch Castle.

I was pleasantly surprised as the suddenly splash of colour of the Rhododendrons & other plants, in amongst the bare trees.

There is a greater impact as many of these bushes are tree height.