Off Topic The Review Thread

Looks interesting. The Wray and Nephew is 63% compared to Cloven Hoof’s 37%. Hence the ****ing hell, my son had neglected to let me know the strength, it was a surprise to my throat. And later my head.

 

Just watched ‘Forbidden Games-The Justin Fashanu story”.
As it says in the title, it tells the sad upbringing, success then failure on the pitch and ultimately tragic death of Britain’s first million pound black player.
An amazing, poignant and emotional piece of film that will have you drying your eyes by the end.
Well worth watching

 

Just finished watching “Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley” which tells the story of the time and shatters a few myths about how we were “all in it together”.
Class divide, racial and religious prejudice and the rich looking after themselves.......the similarities to now really isn’t lost on me.

 

Not read this yet but will recommend unseen the new collection of Jonathan Meades’ writing from 1988-2020, called Pedro and Ricky Come Again (I doubt the title has any relevance to the contents. His last compilation was called Peter Knows what Dick Likes). Very funny contrarian satire with lots of long words I have to look up, at least that’s what I expect. His films are easier to digest in one sitting, and if you want to start anywhere go for his Off Kilter video tour of Scottish football towns you only ever heard of through the football results on a Saturday afternoon. During this he suggested spending time in Scottish chip shops as an alternative to Dignitas.

 

Wit's wrang wiv a pizza crunch supper

 

There’s something wrong with that ... I think it’s the runny sauce

 

The Great Pottery Throw Down.

My wife was very keen on watching this, so I had little choice.

Turns out it was really good, some fantastic skill involved, and nice ‘happy’ television.

Jolly good.

 

It was pretty graphic!

 

Cardy, pipe and slippers?

 

Did anyone catch Crock of Gold - the Julien Temple film about Shane MacGowan - last night?

I missed the start and then, shamefully, fell asleep, so will have to watch it fully on catch-up.

BBC iPlayer - Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan

What I have seen of it revealed some stuff I didn't know - that he went to public school (Westminster) before being expelled, and that he was 'the face of punk' in 1977, as the man who was at the front of the audience at every major punk gig.

I love MacGowan for his poetry, but can't help thinking he's a bit of a ****er nonetheless.

 

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Haven’t seen it but read kind of interview with MacGowan about it, he didn’t seem too enamoured by the whole thing. I’m with you, he’s done some truly magical stuff but I can’t claim to like him. Nick Cave is a big fan, and I am a huge fan of Nick Cave, but I’m not sure I like him either. Read an interview/ story from years ago with these two and Mark E Smith having a ‘discussion’ in a pub. Mark E Smith probably a bigger ****er than both of them put together, but possessed of total integrity.

Line of Duty now. All seems very familiar, not sure if I can be arsed with it.

 

MacGowan, Cave and Smith must have been quite a gathering.

The Pogues were massive for me and some of MacGowan's lyrics are indeed magical....

I've been loving you a long time
Down all the years, down all the days
And I've cried for all your troubles
Smiled at your funny little ways
We watched our friends grow up together
And we saw them as they fell
Some of them fell into Heaven
Some of them fell into Hell
I took shelter from a shower
And I stepped into your arms
On a rainy night in Soho
The wind was whistling all its charms
I sang you all my sorrows
You told me all your joys
Whatever happened to that old song
To all those little girls and boys
Sometimes I wake up in the morning
The ginger lady by my bed
Covered in a cloak of silence
I hear you talking in my head
I'm not singing for the future
I'm not dreaming of the past
I'm not talking of the first time
I never think about the last
Now, the song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
Still there's a light I hold before me
You're the measure of my dreams
The measure of my dreams

 

First concert I ever went to was the pogues at the Hammersmith palais
****ing fantastic night

 

I loved the Pogues and have their first 45 - Dark Streets of London from when they were Pogue Mahone.

Some years ago I tried reading the book A Drink with Shane McGowan by his partner Victoria Clarke. I found it dreadful, almost unreadable with the most irritating prose.

I think the Pogues song Victoria is about Ms Clarke and I’m pretty sure the line in that song “you left me in opium euphoria, with a fat monk singing Gloria” must surely be a reference to Van Morrison.

 

I would say Shane McGowan was one of the great 20th c. Poets.
Met him once in the boogaloo bar in Highgate, I say met him, he was comatose at the bar, I was waiting for my time to be served standing next to him, an eye opened and looked at me, he said “alright”, I said I was.

 

Roxy Music Pyjamarama. I had totally forgotten about this song but something reminded me of it and I had a listen. Pretty much perfect.

Also a surprising guilty pleasure. I’ve always assumed that the hairy bikers are pretty naff, so have never watched them, but for some reason found myself watching them work their way around the Baltic last week, and this week they are driving Route 66. Obviously old series being repeated. They seem like genuinely nice blokes who like stuffing their faces and enjoy meeting the locals. A gentle pleasure. They get through a mountain of meat though.

 

So, it would appear, did the former Mrs Uber...

 

The first two albums, with Eno’s influence, are superb. For your Pleasure is definitely in my all-time top 10 albums.

 

Tous ces moments
Perdus de l'enchantement
Qui ne reviendront
Jamais
Pas d'aujourd'hui pour nous
Pour nous il n'y a rien
À partager
Sauf le passé
Tous ces moments
Perdus de l'enchantement
Qui ne reviendront
Jamais, jamais, jamais, jamais, jamais