Songs cast a light on you

Funny looking angels

2011-12-03T09:08:00.001Z

One of the things about music that I love is its ability to transform "the time and the place" that you're in.

I had such an experience this week.

Wednesday morning, while getting ready for work, I happened across a TV interview with Tom Smith from the Editors and Andy Burrows who used to be in Razorlight. They were discussing their "Christmas" album, Funny Looking Angels, which has just been released and they played parts of the video for the main single "When the Thames Froze".

I was amazed. This is a genuine new Christmas hit single and deserves to be the Christmas No 1 (except I also want the Army wives to be No 1 too). It evokes modern day images of Britain but with a nod and a wink to Victorian Christmas scenes and finishes with a wonderful refrain about having "hope in your heart" and telling everyone if you have. The music is piano driven with a brass arrangement and thus has a hint of "Fairytale of New York" to it. It builds majestically and the ending should have you singing along, particularly if in a party/friends environment. A new Christmas classic, just when you thought all we had to look forward to was the X Factor winner's latest cover version.

The even better news is that the album is as good. This too has a strong Christmas theme, starting with a beautiful stripped back version of "In the bleak mid-winter", which is followed by "When the Thames Froze".

Next up is "As the snowflakes fall" an Andy Burrows written pop song, piano and drums based, with a sixties feel to it and is fun. This is then followed by a cover of a song by indie band Delta, which is the title track. This is an upbeat sing along version, backed by sax and Phil Spector big but not deafening drums. It reminds me of "Never let her slip away" by Andrew Gold for feel.

Two more well known covers follow. Firstly "Wonderful Life" the Black song. A little more up beat than the original but faithful to it and it uses, acoustic guitar, violins and a background drum/hand-clap rhythm. Tom Smith's voice is perfect for this song. The play on words with the title and the Christmas film of the same name means it fits the overall mood superbly.

The second cover is "Only You" a Christmas Number one for The Flying Pickets and originally by Yazoo. This version has a "we will rock you" drum hand clap backing too (Burrows is after all a drummer!) but takes the best bits the two other versions to create a worthy version in its own right.

With both these covers versions, if you had never heard the originals they would be great tracks in their own right.

The final cover is of the Longpigs "On and on", which I didn't know, but is again a great song well produced, again piano, brass and harmonies to the fore.

The last three tracks bring us back to Christmas again. First up is "Rosslyn" an instrumental that at one point had vocals and lyrics, but was felt best left without either. Piano and orchestra based it'll be on an advert soon!

The last original song is "This ain't New Jersey" which doffs it's cap very firmly at Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus is coming to Town". It's a conversation between a couple arguing over Christmas, who are snowed in and fall out over whether "Santa Claus" or "Father Christmas" is coming to town. The dialogue also has a touch of Meat Loaf to it, the music drives along with again Phil Spector drums and as an added Christmas bonus, tubular bells!

The album finishes with a cover of "The Christmas Song" which Tom Smith starts and then leads into a beautiful version when he is joined by by Danish singer Agnes Obel. It ends the album with that warm glow with which a Christmas album should leave you.

The Masterplan

2011-11-06T19:41:00.000Z

And we're back!

In the interim period, in terms of my football club Southampton F C (the Saints), life could not be better.

You'll remember that at the end of last season, Saints were promoted from League One as runners up so this season we embarked, nervously, on a new life in The Championship.

Well as I write this we are currently top of the league, five points clear of the second place team and our home record reads played eight, won eight! Away from St Mary's we have not fared quite as well but we have still scored 16 goals and only let in 12. Overall we have a positive goal difference of +20, +5 better than anyone else in the league.

As we are now one third of the way through the season, we are starting to begin to think about the possibility of maybe playing Premier League football next season.

It could all go horribly wrong but at present, we are the team that everybody else is talking about.

Awaken

2011-08-23T18:20:00.000+01:00

And so, dear reader, our journey through my top 8 songs (as per the Desert Island Disc format) comes to a close, with 15 minutes and 31 seconds of prog rock joy courtesy of Yes. You can listen to the song here.

I've blogged previously about my thoughts on both the soap opera that is the regular changes in the Yes line-up here and what I think of their last album here.

In the same way that much of my affection for 1970's music was acquired, by listening to albums over and over again at a friends house, I first remember listening to Yes following my friend Nigel having a Damascus Road type conversion to their music. This was after "The Old Grey Whistle Test" (a British rock show) broadcast a 1975 concert. The gig was live at QPR's football stadium and Nigel went straight out and bought "Yessongs" the band's triple live album from a previous tour and played it to us at every opportunity. As it was six sides of music, there was always a side to listen to, that we hadn't heard for a couple of days!

Awaken comes from the band's 1977 album "Going for the one" (GFTO), which was the band's first new release since I became a "fan" and it was issued on 7/7/77 which was just before I started work! This meant that I had money and could actually buy the album some weeks later rather tape someone else's. In fact I could also go and buy the two 12" singles released at the same time, which still have pride of place in my vinyl collection.

GTFO was very much a re-launch for Yes, as it marked the return to the line-up of keyboard player, Rick Wakeman, who had found the excesses of Tales of Topographic Oceans, too much. but when he heard the working demo's for this album, returned reinvigorated! It was also the first album for five plus years not produced by Eddie Offord (the band produced it themselves) and the album cover was by design company Hipnosis (best known for their work with Pink Floyd), not long time album artist, Roger Dean. It was also recorded in Montreux, at Mountain Studios, which Queen would later use to record among other songs, Under Pressure, with local resident David Bowie!

GFTO is a fairly short (39 minutes) five track album, but in my view, it is the high point in the Yes canon. I will never tire of listening to it and Awaken as the last track brings the album to a stunning climax.

If someone asked me to play them a song that for me defined "prog rock", I would be hard pressed to play them a better example than Awaken. For a start is effectively two pieces of music, moulded together with an introductory and end section that bookend the piece superbly. The song starts with Wakeman on the piano showing off and then leads into Anderson singing about "high vibrations" over ethereal keyboards and guitar. This then leads to a guitar track that starts the the first half of the song which is a rock workout with Steve Howe's guitar work showing what a great player he is. Over the top Jon Anderson sings about "the workings of man" and bass and drums thunder around with a church organ in the mix as well!

It's the second half of the song, however, that takes it to epic proportions. In the mix, Yes add, timbrels and harp, with the church organ now quietly over the top. This church organ part builds as Rick Wakeman puts the organ at Eglise des Planches, Montreux through it's paces. Added to this then comes Howe with some beautifully fluid guitar soloing. The rest of band join in, with again some great soloing from Howe and Anderson's voice adds his falsetto/angelic magic (including the lyric from which this blog gets its name!) and then the church choir (yes really) put a choral harmony over the top to which Wakeman now playing thunderous organ takes the whole experience to a truly spiritual level. Howe then solos for his country and the songs just builds and builds until THE chord change at 12' 48" just makes you punch the air. The track finishes with the choir and Anderson reprising the beginning of the song in a gentle angelic way that finishes the track and album off perfectly.

Music like this just makes the world a wonderful place.

The Prophet's song

2011-08-22T15:19:00.000+01:00

There's a theory regularly expressed on the excellent Word podcast that you develop your taste in music by the time that you're in your late teens. These last two entries in my Desert Island Disc series confirm that that was indeed the case for me.

The penultimate entry comes from Queen's 1975 magnum opus, "A Night at the Opera". On the back of a career defining single, Bohemian Rhapsody, ANATO (as it is known by Queen fans) lifted the band several levels in rocks hierarchy and for me this was the stand out track on it.

Before, however, I talk about this song, I feel that I should explain exactly how important Queen were to me as I navigated my way through my mid-teens.

I first really became aware of them, when they performed Seven Seas of Rhye on Top of the Pops. I think my mate Gray bought that single and then Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack were bought by school mates, sorry I can't remember who had what and as one did, we hung out and played them to death. Very soon Queen were my favourite band and any edition of Sounds, Melody Maker or NME (1970's music papers that had any article or interview was purchased and read and re-read. Similarly any appearance on Top of the Pops was to be watched and the sheer joy of the bands live performance, even in the TOTP studio, kept me going for weeks. My best mate Gray and I would discuss them for hours, what songs meant, what they were wearing and why Freddie wearing black nail polish didn't mean that he was gay!

Then one Sunday afternoon while writing an essay for my homework and listening to Annie Nightingale (I think), she played the new Queen single. Didn't catch the title and wasn't listening properly so actually thought that she had messed up and played two album tracks! That was of course "Bo Rhap" and when the album came out, my friend Ian bought it and we listened to it over and over while playing Risk and Colditz.

I distinctly remember their 1975 Christmas concert being broadcast live on BBC2 and a bank of cassette players being set up in front of Gray's parents TV while we tried to record it for prosperity. Even now any clip of that great concert brings that night in his lounge back to me like it was yesterday!

The Prophet's Song opens side 2 of the album and you can listen to it here if you have Spotify. At 8 minutes 21 seconds it is the longest studio song that the band recorded and to me it sums up why I love Queen. Firstly it has a great guitar work, it has great lyrics (biblical references always a good thing), Freddie sings his heart out, the choral bit is exactly right for the song and the end is a stunning climax, including a stereo effect that bounced across the speakers. Very lame in these days of 5.1 surround sound, but at the time, to my teenage ears, it was the very cutting edge of audio technology. It is probably the closest to prog rock that the band came, which also explains my love for this song!

The first 5 Queen albums are faultless in my view and I will never tire of hearing any of them, but this track is, to me, the high water mark.

Ára bátur

2011-08-13T14:13:00.001+01:00

My sixth track for Desert Island Discs comes from what may prove to be the last album by Sigur Rós, the fabulously named "Meõ suõ í eyrum viõ spilum endalaust"! In English it means, "With a buzz in our ears we play Endlessly" I say last as the band are on a "hiatus" so who knows if they'll record together again?

The title to the song means "Row boat" and you can listen to it here. It is as glorious a 9 minutes of music to which you can hope to listen.

The album came out in June 2008 and I bought it and listened to it first in around November that year. This co-incided with my Dad being in hospital and one night I hit play on my iPod in the car after I had dropped my Mum off home. She lives about 10 minutes from my house with quiet roads. I was a bit emotional as Dad was fairly poorly and slowly as the song built on the journey home so did my spirits. At the final crescendo when Orchestra and Choir go into overdrive, I was driving down the slip road to the motorway with the most wonderful sunset view across Hampshire in front of me and the meeting of sound and vision was just heart stopping.

The song now always reminds me of my Dad, who died the following February, but as a result of that journey home, in a good, uplifting way.

Miserere mei, Deus

2011-08-06T10:04:00.001+01:00

This is D I D track 5 and you can listen to it here.

I don't listen to enough classical music, but this is a piece that always gives me goosebumps listening to it.

It's for that reason alone that it's included.

Enjoy.

The same old scene

2011-07-31T19:44:00.002+01:00

So the Npower Championship starts next Saturday and the excellent news is that this season it includes the Saints!

So how do I feel about this season? Will we be this seasons Norwich (who achieved back to back promotions so start this season in the Premier League) or will we be Scunthorpe (who went up then back to League 1)? Or more likely, will this be a season of acclimatisation?

Well we have a squad with depth in it, so much so, that (as I write this) we have only made two pre-season signings, Jack Cork and Steve de Ridder. Cork was on loan from Chelsea the last time that we were in the Championship and looked good. Last season he played at Burnley and fans were sad to see him go. We've now bought him so let's hope the good signs seen in pre-season games continue. De Ridder is a right winger, looks good and seems to have genuine pace. That seems a great piece of business as, if as expected, Alex Chamberlain does go on a big money move. then we've avoided being asked for silly money when we have to go and buy a replacement.

I don't see any obvious weaknesses in the team, in fact we appear to have a series good problems in that we have 4 quality central midfielders vying for 2 places. We also have 5 strikers in competition for 2 places and again 4 central defenders fighting over 2 more spaces. As long as Adkins can keep everybody happy then we start from a good settled place.

So where do I think that we will finish? If we have a good start then promotion could be achievable, but I expect mid-table to be where we end up.

Let's hope I'm wrong!

The Chain

2011-07-31T12:10:00.002+01:00

On Friday morning, at silly o'clock (5.50am) I caught the last 10 minutes of BBC Radio Five Live's "Wake up to money". This included a discussion on the profits that BSkyB were expected to announce later that morning. They correctly summised that this would be in the order of c£1 billion and that following the withdrawal of the News International takeover bid (Hackgate etc...) they didn't actually have anything on which to spend the profits. In fact the profit announcement included a share buy back of c£750 million which seems to underline the point!

Then at 7 am (at the same time as the profits were announced) Sky Sports revealed that from the 2012 season, they would be taking over the exclusive broadcasting of Formula One motor racing, in partnership with the BBC. The BBC will continue to show selected live races (including the British GP) and highlights of the ones of which they don't carry live coverage.

I have two areas of thought on this. Firstly the addition of F1 to the long list of sports that have moved from "free to air" broadcasting to "subscription" broadcasting brought about the usual "it's the end of the world" comments in the media (including Twitter). Comments along the lines of "I'm not paying to watch something that should be free" abounded. Well firstly you do pay, it's called the license fee. Furthermore, frankly the time for that argument was years ago, around the time that Test cricket was lost to the skies. Sky have an additional c£1 billion per annum of profit, over and above what they already spend on sports rights, that they could spend on sport so they can pick and choose what else they buy up and we have to accept that. If you're a Sports fan you have to have Sky Sports, it's as simple as that. Even if ESPN decided to extend their portfolio, I suspect that the platform used to watch it would still be Sky!

Secondly, then, how do the BBC come out of this deal? Quite well I think! BBC budgets are being cut (slashed?) across the Corporation. In the Sports department I guess that a long hard look at continuing with the F1 coverage had already been undertaken. Having worked so hard to win the coverage back from ITV and
to have done such a good job with the resultant production, losing it would have been a potentially huge body blow. This deal is perfect for the BBC of the future. It keeps the "best bits" (i.e. the races that we would want to see) probably at 1 pm on a Sunday, to minimise the impact on scheduling. It enables the terrific investment in the "red button" and online proposition, which F1 has really benefited from, to continue as the end users remain. It accepts however that the days of a British "terrestrial" broadcaster being able to afford exclusive Sports rights is finally behind us. I don't therefore expect Six nations rugby to remain solely on the BBC beyond this contract.

After all the BBC did a similar deal earlier in the year on the Masters golf, when the whole tournament was on Sky, with the BBC just covering the last two rounds on it's multi-platforms. The golf fans that I work with seemed happy enough!

Changes

2011-07-17T18:09:00.002+01:00

I have just, for the first time. been back to a recent blog and updated it.

I read a couple of articles yesterday about the new Yes album and discovered that actually three of the tracks were written back 1980, not just one, so my blog was incorrect. It is not now!

Knights of Cydonia

2011-07-16T11:33:00.004+01:00

Half way through the eight tracks for my Desert Island Discs and this one is a family entry, as it would probably be in the final eight for both my sons as well as me.

The song is by Muse, an English (prog) rock band from Teignmouth in Devon. It appears on their fourth (and big league breakthrough album), Black Holes and Revelations. The album marked a step change in the "sound" of Muse in that it introduced differing musical styles while remaining true to their rock roots. This resulted in two hit singles before this track, at 6 minutes and 7 seconds was the unlikely, but popular, third choice. It is the band's "Bohemian Rhapsody" albeit , it didn't stay at number one for nine weeks!

The songs starts with a driving rock instrumental section. which owes a debt of gratitude to "Telstar" by The Tornados, before the vocals kick in (after 2 minutes). This leads to an acapella vocal section around the lyrics "no one gonna take me alive" which has swirling keyboards in the background, these are added to with bass and drums which slowly builds to "the heads down no nonsense head banging riff".

In the film Mike Myers film "Wayne's World", there is classic scene, where Wayne & Garth and two friends are driving in a car all listening to Bohemian Rhapsody. When the the heavy rock end section of the song kicks in, they all "headbang" in unison. The final section of this song has the same effect on me! It is a glorious heavy rock ending to a great track, albeit if you listen to "Emerald" by Thin Lizzy it does again bear a passing resemblance.

On the original album this track was the final one and it ended the album on a real high ( sadly, a Japanese bonus track now appears at the end of most versions of the Album) It also ended the subsequent live shows when Muse toured and the sight of the whole of Wembley stadium rocking in unison at the end of the song is a sight to behold!

It's a song that I never tire of hearing and if comes on the radio, you have to turn it up! You can listen to it here

This woman's work

2011-07-09T18:57:00.004+01:00

The third of my "Desert Island Disc's" comes from Kate Bush's sixth album "The Sensual world". It's included for two main reasons, firstly it's a wonderfully emotive song and secondly I wanted to represent the music of Kate Bush in my list.

The song was originally written for the 1988 John Hughes film, "She's having a baby" which starred Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. Hughes wanted a song to accompany the scene in the film where McGovern gives birth to Bacon's child.. The birth is difficult and the song reflects the thoughts of Bacon outside the maternity suite, while his wife and unborn baby are in danger during the birth. Kate is quoted as saying that it was a simple song to write once she'd seen the scene. The lyrics reflect the husbands guilt at not being able to help, regret at what he's not done and a hope that she'll have the strength to see it through. He also cries in anguish "to make it go away".

Musically it's mainly Kate on the piano with some atmospheric keyboards to give the piece dynamics. You can listen to it here

In the busy lives that we lead it's easy to miss great songs and I have to admit that this song did partly pass me by when the album was released. In fact it took an advert in 2006 by the British charity the National Society for the Protection of Children to remind me of it and for me to fall in love with it. The advert featured a toddler in a cot under threat from a violent parent with the "make it go away" refrain playing over the top. Very powerful imagery to which the emotion of the song adds that final element.

I first discovered the music of Kate Bush, like most of teenage boys of my age, with the release of the "Wuthering Heights" single in 1978. She was, to say the least, different musically and also gorgeous. While her music was more aimed at girls, boys were attracted both by her looks but also the fact that she was discovered by Dave Gilmour from Pink Floyd. This gave her credibility and when she toured in 1979, there were as many male fans ( including me) in the audiences as women. The tour was a show with dancers and acting as well as a rock band and received great critical acclaim. The experience was for her, however, fairly traumatic, so much so that sadly she has never toured again

She further developed musical credibility by duetting with Peter Gabriel on a 1979 Christmas show covering Roy Harper's "Another Day". It's wonderful version and a real shame that although they discussed recording it properly, they never did & the grainy version on You tube remains the only version of it. She did however work again with Gabriel on his third solo album adding backing vocals to his "Jeux Sans Frontiers" single and through that collaboration she discovered the ground breaking Fairlight computer. This sampled sounds (very ground breaking for the 1980's) and thus both changed her music as she increasing used the effects and sounds that computers could add and opened it up to a whole new audience.

Her seminal album followed in 1985, the double platinum "Hounds of Love", which is a glorious coming together of her voice, modern music making and song writing of the highest standard. It remains my favourite of all her albums.

Subsequent albums have never quite hit the same high water mark, but they continue to push and stretch the boundaries of her music. As she has matured she her demand for perfection has meant longer gaps between albums, (she has also married and had a son) but the release of a Kate Bush album remains an event.

Fly from here Part II - we can fly.

2011-07-02T11:24:00.002+01:00

Sorry but this is not a D I D post, but those who know me, will know, that I'm a big Yes fan and the new album came out yesterday, so here's my thoughts. (actually if you don't know me I'm still a big Yes fan!)

I set out here my thoughts on the soap opera that is, and has been, Yes. The album has been available as a pre-order on iTunes for a couple of weeks and having listened to the previews, it didn't sound that great. I also found a stream of the track that heads this post and that sounded better, but I was familiar with it as it was the song that the Drama period Yes played live but never recorded and it appears on "The Word is Live" boxed set.

So here's the thing that I suspected, that was proven last night, be very careful with iTunes previews, they can distort an album. Last night I listened to the album on Spotify (here) and frankly I'm impressed! In short, it rocks, in both meanings of that phrase. So much so that I bought it and have played it twice since!

The trio of Steve Howe (guitar) Chris Squire (bass) and Alan White (drums) always were a tight rock unit at the heart of the band and that shows on this album. Keyboards from Geoff Downes (best known for his work with Howe in Asia) add to this and Benoit David's vocals are close enough to Jon Anderson's to keep the "Yes" sound without sounding like an impersonation.

The main piece on the album is a five part suite "Fly from Here" which is based on the "we can fly" segment but adds to it so that across the different parts various themes and melodies appear and reappear but each part remains it's own. The other tracks are better than I thought they would be (i.e. not filler), particularly "Into the storm" and "Life on a film set". There's also the obligatory Steve Howe acoustic guitar workout, a Chris Squire song and a potential single in "Hour of Need"

Steve Howe's son Dylan (an accomplished jazz drummer in his own right) tweeted recently, that having listened to an advance copy, that he though that it was a bit like "Drama" part 2, referring back to the Yes album from 1980. Indeed it is. Firstly it is produced by Trevor Horn, who sang on Drama and 4/5th's of the band that performed on Drama appear on this album too . Furthermore three of the tracks, were written by Trevor Horn & Geoff Downes as demo's for their next Buggles release, around the time of Drama's recording. They are available as a bonus tracks on the recent reissue of the subsequent "Adventures in Modern Recording" album. If CD's had been around at that time, "Fly from here" might have made the "Drama album, but the restrictions of vinyl meant that there simply wasn't space for it. They did however add it to the live set for the Drama tour and a live version of "Fly from here part 1" appears on the 2007 live boxed set "The Word is live"

Now I might just have get a ticket to see them in Brighton in November.

In the presence of enemies (Part 1)

2011-06-25T11:18:00.002+01:00

So here's the second of my "Desert Island discs" and it's probably a song, with which you won't be familiar, unless you happen to spend time either in my car, house or next to me when my phone rings as the beginning is my ringtone!

The song is by American "prog-metal" band Dream Theater (DT) and is the first track on their "Systematic Chaos" album released in 2007. In true prog style the song is 9 minutes long and is also only the first part of the piece, the second part ends the album, similar to Pink Floyd's Shine on you Crazy Diamond on their "Wish you were here" album. When DT toured the album, they played the whole piece as one and there is a full version of it the subsequent live album "Chaos in motion". The live version is a true prog track as it weighs in at 26 minutes long!

Why do I love this song? Well the answer to that is June 13th 2009, which is the night that I saw DT play live in my home city, Southampton. DT were due to play the Download Festival the following weekend and so arranged two "warm up" gigs, one in Leeds and the other (for some unknown but very welcome reason) in The Guildhall in Southampton. My friend John, who lives in Jersey, and who is also a huge DT fan, arranged to fly over and his daughter (who was on the way home from Manchester University) and my sons made up the front row of the balcony that night.

DT started the show with this song and sat where we were, it was an amazing experience. The beginning is an instrumental workout and they gave it everything, it was one of those moments for me when everything just works. You can't really put it into words but the fact that Southampton Guildhall is a fairly small venue in which to see a full on rock show and that we had the perfect view of everything certainly played a part. It was the best start to a concert I can remember.

After the show, I revisited the album to discover that the version that I bought also had a 5.1 surround sound copy of the album and I had never played that, as when purchased I had nothing to play it on. As I had updated my DVD player with a cheap surround sound system, guess what, I gave it a blast and the surround sound brings out all the true glory of what is going on! DT use lots of very modern technology in recording their albums and keyboard player, Jordan Rudess, in particular has lots going on which this song brings out. DT drummer, Mike Portnoy, is also a fantastic user of all of his kit and cymbals and again this track is a great example of his art.

I liked the song when it first came out, but the live and surround sound experiences took it to a new place in my affection from which it has not strayed, hence it's inclusion.

I have updated the Spotify playlist that goes with these blogs so you can hear what I'm going on about here.

PLAY IT LOUD!

Landed

2011-06-19T19:01:00.005+01:00

So I've reduced the 42 down to 8!

First up is "Landed", a comparatively "new" song from Ben Fold's 2005 album Songs for Silverman.

I had flirted with his music when he was in the Ben Folds Five (the joke being that there were only three of them).While, therefore, I had the odd track from magazine freebies, it wasn't until he appeared on "Friday night with Jonathan Ross" playing a live version of this song that I sat up and paid attention. His appearance on the show was to promote the album and it worked as I went out and bought the "deluxe CD version" of the album, which contains the CD, and a "making of DVD" all beautifully bound in a 40 page booklet!

It's a song that firstly shows off Folds piano playing skills. In that respect he's got the ability of Elton John, Jamie Cullum or Billy Joel, all great songwriters who are also fantastic musicians, which some times gets overlooked until you see them play live.

Folds is also a great lyricist, which can range from well thought out stories to love songs via angry break up songs to comedy, but they always either make you think, want to hug someone or laugh!. In this case it's a story of a man leaving a love, that has run it's course and more, to fly back "home" to an unnamed past love (?) who may have written the writer off and asking to be picked up as he's "landed".

I've linked this blog to the Spotify play list which will eventually have all 8 songs on it. This version is the album version, which is also called the "new" version, it is piano, bass and drums. I can't find an old version, but there is a video version of the song on iTunes, which I also own, and that has strings on it and actually it's that version to which the Jonathan Ross version was closer! Doesn't matter both are great.

There is one final aspect to my love for this song that earns it's place in my final eight and that is that it is one of the first songs that I liked and both my sons liked when I played it to them. In fact, Matt my eldest son is probably a bigger fan now than me and went to see him live this February when he played in Southampton. I would have gone but he was treated by his girlfriend, she's a fan too, and there are sometimes you just have to understand that three's a crowd!

You can find the playlist on Spotify here

Choices

2011-06-17T23:19:00.000+01:00

I plan to write a series(?) of blogs around the songs that I would choose, if I were on "Desert Island Discs and link it to a playlist on Spotify.

First task, reduce my initial list of songs down from 42 to 8!

Moving on up.

2011-05-02T16:55:00.000+01:00

So a season that started with Saints losing at home to Plymouth, finishes with us winning the return fixture (delayed through international call ups for Plymouth) and effectively winning promotion back to the Championship.

This season is our 125th anniversary and we lost our owner Marcus Liebherr when he died at the beginning of the season, which is the sad part of the promotion as no one would have been happier to see us promoted than he would have been. The pictures of him taking photos of the players with the trophy at Wembley last season, when we won the Football League trophy, will always be treasured by Saints fans. Although he was only with us for a season, he was much loved in that short time.

Anyway, a fantastic achievement and who knows this time next year we could be celebrating our return to the Premier League.

Aisle of plenty

2011-05-02T12:00:00.000+01:00

Advertising has always fascinated me. Over the years it has changed considerably from print media and ITV, to the web site and more TV channels than you can ever watch.

Most advertising is wall paper, there but not seen in any detail. Occasionally a TV advert would strike a chord and some brands (e.g. Heineken, Mars bars, Coke, Gocompare.com and comparethe market.com ) are known by their adverts or strap lines. TV adverts are designed sometimes to be so bad that you remember them for that reason.

While they always try to sell you their product or service, some advertising now appears to have a second aim, that is to get you to go to their website or Facebook page. Which is pretty obvious as that has a much better chance of closing the deal as you can study the target detail.

It's the change of website to Facebook page as the targeted destination that I find most interesting. Some firms are now actively seeking you to go to a page on a corporate website to find their page. That firstly puts Facebook in a position of strength as in part "the web" is becoming Facebook. Secondly it means that once you go to that Facebook page all it seems to do is direct you back to the company website!

What I actually think it means is that advertisers understand that increasingly we are all watching adverts with one eye while reading Twitter or Facebook with the other and it's far easier to get some one to go to part of the website that you're already on, than come off of it (or open a new tab).

The final countdown

2011-05-01T16:20:00.000+01:00

So here we go, two games left, four points to be certain of promotion back to the Championship. In fact because our goal difference is so much better than our only challengers, Huddersfield, then actually three points should be enough.

We have played very well of late winning our last three games but so have Huddersfield so we remain locked on the same number of points.

We have one advantage however, we have a vital game in hand, which we play tomorrow afternoon against Plymouth Argyle at their ground. If we win we are effectively promoted, if Plymouth lose they are relegated, so it's a real "six pointer".

If we do lose then, our last game is at home against Walsall, who also can still be relegated, so they will also have everything to play for. We never do it the easy way!

It's been a good season but for it to be a great season, we need those three points.

The Gates of Delirium

2011-04-10T20:52:00.002+01:00

Anyone who knows me well, knows that the music of "Yes", the prog rock band, is something that I have enjoyed since the mid 70's. I have bought the vinyl albums, the CDs, the boxed sets, the DVDs and seen them in concert (or a version of them, more of which soon) four times. There are pieces of music that they have written to which I will never tire of listening.

As you would expect with a group of such talented creative types, there has been a number of falling outs over the years. To be a Yes fan means that you also have to put up with the soap opera which has been the line up changes that have dogged the band.

Yes first hit album was "The Yes album" which was recorded by Jon Anderson (vocals), Chris Squire (bass), Steve Howe (guitar), Bill Bruford (drums) & Tony Kaye( piano and Hammond organ). They had recorded two previous albums with guitar played by Peter Banks, but it was the introduction of Howe that took the band to the all important level of musicianship that would be the hallmark of their sound.

As the band toured the album, they introduced a synthesizer and to accommodate that sound into the studio Kaye left (was he pushed or did he jump?) and "keyboard wizard" Rick Wakeman joined. This line up produced the albums "Fragile" and "Close to the Edge" to critical acclaim. Just as the band was about to tour the second album Bruford announced that he was leaving and the band recruited drummer Alan White, who had played with John Lennon's band. These five became known as the "classic " line-up.

They actually only recorded one studio album, however, (The double concept album, Tales of Topographic Oceans) before Wakeman left as his solo career took off . He was replaced by Patrick Moraz for one album, before he left and Wakeman returned for two more studio albums.

Then came the first real jaw dropping line up change when Anderson and Wakeman both left to be replaced by Trevor Horn (vocals) and Geoff Downes (keyboards), who were better known as The Buggles best known for their pop single "Video killed the radio star". An album "Drama" followed which rocked a bit more than previous albums and they toured including 3 nights at Madison Square Garden. Horn however was more a producer than a singer and the band dis-integrated, with Howe and Downes leaving to form "Asia" and Squire and White originally looking to do something with Jimmy Page. When that didn't happen they met up with South African multi-instrumentalist Trevor Rabin and started a new band "Cinema" produced by Trevor Horn! (Hope you're keeping up!!). Technically at this point "Yes" no longer existed, but Anderson heard the recordings and with Tony Kaye coming in to play keyboards the only logic was to call the band "Yes" especially as Squire "owned" the name!

What followed was period of popular success during the 80's, built on a chart hit "Owner of a lonely heart" and two albums were recorded which brought particular success in the USA.

Then Anderson left to join with Bruford, Wakeman and Howe in ABWH , which was "Yes" but as Squire owned the name they couldn't use it so there were now two versions of the band. As the official one wasn't doing anything, however, that could last for long. Indeed it didn't as the next "Yes" album "Union" (1991) was as the name suggests a joining of the two factions with Anderson singing for both parties! They also toured with as many as eight musicians on a circular stage!

The "Owner of a lonely Heart" version then went on to record a studio album "Talk" (1994) which they toured but it didn't really have any commercial success.

In 1996 therefore the "classic" line up kissed and made up and recorded a series of live dates and6 new studio tracks which were added to the two live albums rather than as a studio album. Wakeman then left again and the remaining four with additional keyboard and guitar support released three new studio recordings and toured. In 2003 (the band's 35th anniversary) again the classic line up got together and they toured and released live DVDs and live albums but produced no new studio material.

In 2008 Jon Anderson suffered a serious respiratory disease than meant that he couldn't do the planned tour and Wakeman also bailed out (again). Rather than wait for Anderson to recover, however, the band took the strange decision to recruit a new singer (Benoit David) from a Yes tribute band and Wakeman's son Oliver was recruited to take over his dad;'s role! They have toured since 2008 and I have not wanted to see them as as Anderson is now recovered and he should be restored as singer?

Now the latest twist. The band have recorded a new studio album "We can fly from here" which gets it's name from an old track written at the time of Drama but not recorded but played on the accompanying tour. Yes have now recorded it and it was produced by Trevor Horn, who got the Drama era keyboard player Geoff Downes to play on it. Now Wakeman junior is out and Downes has rejoined the band, so that Yes now are the Drama era band with a decent singer.

Meanwhile, Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin are working on some tracks so we could yet again have two versions of the band!

2013 sees the 45th anniversary, I still think that the classic line up has one tour left in it but who knows. We could yet see a tour with upwards of 10 members on stage!

Meeting Mr Miandad

2011-02-22T10:39:00.002Z

Half term coincides with the start of the Cricket World Cup in India/Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This means that I shall get to watch a bit this week, (am sat watching England play the Netherlands as write this).

The thing that has so far made me laugh out loud on occasions is the music being played at the stadiums over the public address system.

Twenty/20 cricket has changed cricket in many ways, some good, some bad. One of the first changes was that batsmen couldn't walk to the crease only to the sound of generous applause from the crowd. No, now there had to be loud, at times deafening, music played, initially when batsmen were out ( and therefore the new one came in|). That soon changed to playing the music whenever there was a gap in play, i.e.at the end of the over, a drinks break or the aforementioned wicket falling. Then some bright spark had the idea of letting the incoming batsmen choose what music was blasted at the unsuspecting public while there hero walked to face his first ball.

It's fairly well known that footballers have fairly dodgy taste in music and cricketers are not far behind!! This therefore led to all sorts of RAP, R"n"B and dances tunes making octogenarian members of the home club spill large quantities of gin and tonic as for example The Black Eyed Peas let everyone know "tonight's gonna be a good night".

The 2011 Cricket world cup is taking this use of loud music to a new and all together confusing area. This I shall call "Bollyrock" Imagine the Deep Purple classic "Smoke on the Water" sampled to just the main riff (beloved by aspiring guitarist's) mixed with a "Bollywood" style" dance background! Or try Queens "We will rock you" with the main chant repeated ad nauseum, with the guitar riff then sampled in to give light and shade!!!

Yesterdays game between Kenya and Australia had a medieval flute interlude, which sounded like Robin Hood was about to appear, followed by live Indian drumming, which on occasions sounds like someone has dropped the drums down a long flight of stairs.

I never thought that I would look back fondly at 10cc's Dreadlock Holiday being used in cricket coverage, but it appears that I do!

Return of the Mack

2011-01-19T21:03:00.003Z

My last blog post was about a "comedy" series with which I was less than impressed. This one is about one which I find really funny.

"Not going out" is now in its fourth series and it is an oddity in that after series three it was cancelled, only for it to be re-commissioned a while later.

The show stars two stand up comedians, Lee Mack & Tim Vine (brother of Radio 2 DJ, Jeremy Vine), they play best mates, who first met at a party in the 80's. In the first series Lee Mack shared a flat with Tim Vine's ex girlfriend, played by the American actress Megan Dodds (who had previously starred in Spooks).She's very attractive and Lee Mack tries to juggle, fancying her, not wishing to annoy her (she owns the flat) and taking every opportunity to wind up Tim Vine that he is sharing a flat with someone who dumped him. As in all good comedies most of the action either takes place in the flat or their local pub/wine bar. Clever plots and excellent scripts made a good first 6 episodes.

At the end of series one, Megan Dodds left the show which gave the writers and producers a challenge as the "will they/won't they" tension between her and Lee Mack had been the cornerstone of the first series. Their solution was to say that she had gone back to the USA & introduce Tim Vine's younger, equally attractive sister Lucy to the story and make her Lee's new flat mate. To play Lucy they chose Sally Bretton who had some comedy interspersed with more serious parts and she quickly restored the underlying sexual tension with Lee Mack only this time Tim is trying to defend his sisters honour. Just to screw with Lee's mind a bit more Lucy finds a boyfriend who is older then Lee (who is already 10 years or so older then Lucy) with Lucy announcing that she likes "older men". Series 2 found plenty in the various relationships to keep us laughing and entertained. Along the way series 2 also introduced Barbara the clumsy cleaner, played wonderfully by Miranda Hart.

Series 3 continued the Lee/Lucy story to no great conclusion, although by then she had dumped the older boyfriend, with the main development being Tim getting a "nice but dim"girlfriend, Daisy. played by Katy Wix, to add to the ensemble. Barbara, the cleaner, had a bigger role and her clumsiness became an art form and one of the features of series 3. The scripts remained well written and it was with some disappointment that I learned shortly after series 3 finished that that it had been cancelled. when one of the writers, Andrew Collins tweeted to that effect.

That was reversed however and series 4 is now with us. Sadly Miranda Hart has left as she now has her own self named "sit com" (and very good it is too) so Daisy now has a bigger role. Lee Mack continues to play his "lovable Northerner"( who still fancies Lucy) to great effect and Tim remains the repressed accountant.

I will continue to look forward to 9.30 pm on a Thursday for at least four more weeks.

I'm Mandy fly me

2011-01-13T20:34:00.001Z

I never found "Little Britain" hilariously funny, so I guess that I shouldn't me surprised that David Walliams & Matt Lucas' new show "come fly with me" leaves me cold.

The concept is good, a "mockumentory" about the airline industry, based on the various programmes made about airports, airlines and the various other industries that depend on flight. Lucas & Walliams play various "colour full characters" both male and female, old and young and of various ethnic backgrounds. Some are funny, like the really thick teenager (Lucas) who dreams of being a pilot but can't understand how to serve on the counter in a fast food restaurant. Some make you smile, like the 1st class flight attendant who doesn't think that a couple are "worthy" to be in 1st class. The majority however range from not funny to insensitive. I don't see that making fun of a boy in a wheelchair or excessive drug taking by customs officers is "funny". That was the two worst examples and there were plenty more. Some sketches clearly tried to shock but that is a poor substitute for a joke that makes you laugh.

As the journalist David Hepworth wrote on Twitter "Re: Come Fly With Me: at what point did they convince themselves it was going to be funny? When they banked the cheque?"

Fortunately the BBC scheduled "Not going out" straight afterwards and that was funny with jokes and everything.

New Years Day

2011-01-01T08:43:00.001Z

So what do I hope for in 2011, besides the obvious stuff of health, happiness and wealth?

1) Saints to end the year top of the Championship.
2) the "classic" line up of Yes to get together and play while they are all still alive.
3) England to win the Cricket world cup.
4) Arsenal to win the Premier League and Blackpool get into Europe.
5) new series of Sherlock, Dr Who, Not Going Out, Modern Family and Downton Abbey.
6) Prog to continue it's resurgence.
7) play lots more golf!

Happy New Year!

-- Post From My iPhone

Russians

2010-12-03T20:37:00.000Z

It is hard not to look like the loser in a beauty contest crying "it's not fair, I'm the prettiest" but the outcome of the draw for the country to host 2018 World Cup has been fairly hard to take.

The contest looks at a number of areas (security, infrastructure, stadia, hotel accommodation, training facilities etc) and then reports are produced by FIFA. By all accounts our reports were very good with the FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, allegedly saying that we were ready to host the tournament "tomorrow".

Yesterday each bidding nation had to make a presentation to the jury and again ours was seen as the best.

As we all now know the 2018 World Cup was awarded to the Russians and the main reason appears to be that their hosting it will leave the biggest legacy, which is one of FIFA's stated aims in awarding tournament. Does that mean that as we invented the game and have most of the country playing the game and have the best league in the world (?) that actually we couldn't leave a legacy? Our presentation in fact addressed that issue by talking about how we would use the competition to work alongside unemployed and disadvantaged people and use football to help them, but that was obviously not what FIFA see as a legacy.

We needed 12 votes to win from 22 delegates, we got 2. Frankly that feels like Eurovision does!

While the Sunday Times article and BBC Panorama programme (who both alleged bribery or corruption amongst the FIFA board) may have annoyed or offended some of the delegates, 2 votes show that it appears we were never ever a serious candidate as we were never going to leave a legacy similar to that that Russia and Qatar (who were awarded the 2022 competition|) could easily demonstrate.

The depressing truth is that I can't ever seeing us hosting the World Cup again in my life time and it could be 100 years after the last time that we did do it, before we might get the chance again if this experience is anything to go by.

The Sound of silence

2010-11-14T16:41:00.000Z

The release by Somali pirates of Paul & Rachel Chandler is very good news and it was Sky news who told me the breaking story this morning when I tuned in at about 7.30 am.

As is my way in the mornings I was flicking between Sky News and BBC News and was surprised, if not slightly annoyed, that the BBC had not one word of this happy ending to an horrible ordeal. In fact I thought "well done" Sky for being agile enough to change it's schedule of stories to give this the prominence that it deserved.

I now find that according to the BBC, a quite different story was playing behind the scenes this morning. This is best explained here.

The BBC blog is a bit pompous, but my overall feeling is that they were spot on in obeying the law (to the letter), while others, decided to follow ratings rather than the wishes of the Chandler family via the injunction.

What happens next? Will the court hold Sky (and others?) in contempt of court, if they have ignored the injunction and who will report on this story? This is why the BBC is so important and the ownership of press and other media by one overall owner is a very bad idea.

Magical mistakes

2010-11-13T09:43:00.004Z

I'm reading the first volume of Michael Palin's diaries at the moment.

I have just got to the bit where the Pythons are filming the second series and they go off to Devon to film some scenes in and around Torquay.

Palin describes how, in May 1970, they check in to the Gleneagles Hotel just outside Torquay. While at first the hotel seems a bit more colourful and clean than others, it is the treatment given to their group by the proprietor, a Mr Sinclair, that appals them so much that they decide to leave the next day and move to a different hotel.

This is, of course, the incident that also prompted John Cleese the write Fawlty Towers and I expect that as soon as you read the words "Torquay" & "Hotel" in the same sentence, you were way ahead of me, so well known is the story.

What made me think however, reading that encounter from Michael Palin's perspective, is how fragile some of life's success can be? Who, for example, chose that hotel in first place and what if it had been full? What if they had decided to film in Norfolk not Devon? What if it had rained and they couldn't film? One of the finest (if not the finest) comedy series may never had been written.

All irrelevant in the end as they did go there etc but life throws opportunities at you all the time, the trick is, as John Cleese did, to see the chances that it gives you .

Brain damage

2010-11-02T19:22:00.000Z

If you’ve watched or listened to any football programme or podcast since Saturday, you will have seen or heard various pundits discussing Man Utd’s second goal against Spurs. You can watch the incident here.

Most people seem to blame Gomes, the Spurs keeper, for the resultant goal and as he committed the school boy error of not "playing to the whistle" that's too where I place the blame for Utd ending up with two goals. The referee doesn't stop play, clearly trying to allow Spurs an advantage as the ball is in the hands of their goal keeper. Gomes tries to clear the ball down field, but only when he can't find an unmarked Spurs player does he then put the ball down to take the free kick, that the referee hasn't awarded, 10 yards further forward from where it should have been taken, had it been awarded (which again it hadn't).

The referee, Mark Clattenburg, has come in for some abuse over allowing the goal, much of which has been unjust and in some cases no more than "all referees are rubbish, therefore this was a rubbish decision"!. In my view he did nothing wrong, indeed with less than 10 minutes to play by not stopping the game for an unnecessary free kick he was ironically helping Spurs make a quick counter attack.

Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager, has been the most outspoken of his teams staff over the goal, claiming that "it was a farce" and basically genuinely believing that the referee should have given a free kick for the handball (and maybe as some have argued booking Nani for deliberate handball).

To my mind the acid test is this. If Clattenburg had blown for the hand ball and stopped Gomes while he was trying to clear the ball, to bring the play back to the correct place for the "free kick" to have been taken from, would Harry and others have said "good decision ref" or would they, as I suspect, have shouted abuse at the ref "for stopping the game when we're trying to counter attack". Because if they would have then Clattenburg did the right thing and what followed was both legal and Gomes fault.

Sound & Vision

2010-10-16T15:38:00.002+01:00

I'm just back from going to see "The Social Network" at the cinema in Eastleigh. A great film and if you get the chance do go and make sure that you see it at a cinema. The main reason for that being that one of the best things about the film is how the music adds to the overall experience and you will need to have a fairly special home cinema set up to replicate to sound in the cinema.

The last film that I saw (Inception) also had a similarly impressive soundtrack that also added to the films tension, excitement and drama. While all these directors are spending millions of dollars on 3D production, including "retro fitting" (Stars Wars will be the next series to "benefit" from the experience) maybe they should be spending that money on the soundtrack.

After all most cinemas theses days do have state of the art sound systems in 5.1 surround sound etc and you can add lots more to the overall experience with the sound than in most cases you ever will with 3D.

At one point, mainly by the use of the music, "The Social Network" made the actor playing Mark Zuckerburg look cool while coding the first version of "The Facebook"!

Face to face

2010-10-07T20:54:00.000+01:00

So in case you hadn't worked this out from my last blog, I am the proud owner of an iPhone 4.

My contract was renewable in August and I initially decided that the "Samsung Galaxy S" was the phone for me. the problem with that was that being an Android phone, it would have meant effectively buying again all the apps for that operating system that I had already bought for my iPod Touch (and which work on an iPhone at no extra cost). The clincher was that the iPhone 16GB was the same amount each month as the Samsung phone, albeit the iPhone had to be purchased but for a reasonable amount for what it gave me. (Well that's what I convinced myself anyway!!!)

I've had it a month now and it's great, although having had an iPod Touch first does diminish the "WOW" factor. As a result some of it is no more than "Hmmm" as it enhances the iPod experience, but no more.

BUT it does have some stuff that is awesome. The phone is simple to use which may sound obvious but with my last Nokia, the hardest thing to do was actually make a phone call!! In addition it has "Facetime" which it is no more than video calling, but as it uses wifi is a free and novel way to talk to your friends in America. (Well it would be if someone kept his iPod and wifi on *cough* Gibbs *cough*).

It also has a 5 mega pixel camera (with flash) which also shoots HD video. Again all simple to use and top quality.

Oh and it looks and feels wonderful, like a beautiful, shiny phone/media jewel thing.

But be warned, it will also use up one months whole data usage in a day if you watch Kylie on the BBC news app and don't close it down properly!!!

I made my excuses and left

2010-10-06T20:24:00.001+01:00

Writing this blog has become somewhat harder of late and I'm not sure why? This is to such an extent that I only posted one blog in September.

Reasons why I don't blog:-

too tired
too bored
nothing to say
football/good comedy/film to watch
no inspiration
the words won't come
my son rings me on "facetime" while I'm trying to blog.
have to go out.
too busy playing "angry birds" on my iPhone4.

So let's try harder shall we????

Any old iron

2010-09-13T19:01:00.000+01:00

I have deliberately not posted on the Saints and the sacking of Alan Pardew, as I was unsure of exactly how I felt. The timing was so odd that I was pretty sure that it was not a football related decision and the fact that Pardew has remained firmly tight lipped since he was sacked only adds logic to that thought process.

He took the team (and me) to Wembley and won a trophy so I will always have good memories about his time at the club and he has my sincere thanks for that. Last season we got closer to the playoffs than a team starting with a 10 point deduction had a right to expect to be, so he finished last season poised to take the club back top the Championship this season. This season has not started well and clearly something was not right. Whether it would have been easily corrected we'll never know now.

So now we have a new manager in Nigel Adkins. He has done very well at Scunthorpe, winning two promotions to the Championship so he certainly has the pedigree to achieve this season what the fans expect. His first interview says all the right things and if he delivers then this will be a great season. He also has lots of qualifications and he seems to have the modern "scientific" approach to management which should improve the players overall fitness.

The club say they had lots of applications and they have picked Adkins as the very best manager available. Lets hope they have got it right this time!

Baker street

2010-08-22T21:07:00.001+01:00

It's strange but the more TV channels there are to chose from, the more I seem to watch only a handful.

I mainly seem to watch the BBC, Sky Sports and the comedy channels, with the occasional dip into Dave. I rarely watch ITV, except for football, Channel 4, Five, Sky 1 (or 2 & 3) or the hundreds of other satellite channels that I pay for each month. In fact if my sons didn't watch those other channels at weekends I would probably reduce my sky bundle (or switch to Virgin - which I am seriously thinking of doing).

The BBC has recently produced three excellent programmes, all of which I have genuinely looked forward to watching.

The first is "Rev", an half an hour comedy about an Anglican parish priest in London. Not the most original plot synopsis, but due to some great writing (by James Wood) and similarly great acting by Tom Hollander and Olivia Coleman as the Vicar (Adam) and his wife it was a joy to watch. It dealt with real issues and as someone who interacts with ministers and vicars on a regular basis got the "feel" of the role spot on. The Rev chose subject matter that many people may wonder about including divorced people getting married in church, homosexuality and the priesthood (as a result of nerves, Adam announces on the One Show that "all the Anglican church is gay") and "happy clappy" churches (the local example of this type of church have to use Adam's Church - biggest problem - where to put the smoothie bar!!!).

The second programme has only broadcast one episode but I know that I will enjoy the rest of the series just as much. This is called "Vexed" and is an one hour comedy/drama detective series. It stars Toby Stephens (who played the Bond villain Gustav Graves in "Die another Day") and newcomer Lucy Punch as his partner. The main hook of the programme is that they disagree on almost everything but underneath there is a clear attraction between the two. It is funny with a semi-serious case to solve each week and works again through good writing and Toby Stephens "chewing up the scenery". While known as a "serious" actor he is excellent in this comedy role.

Finally we have the best of the three "Sherlock". This is a 90- minute "re-imagining" of the classic Conan-Doyle stories, set in 21st century England. It stars Dominic Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson. On paper it sounds very hard to pull off, but they do and how. The scripts are very fast paced and do take concentration but they follow the originals but use modern technology (Holmes has a mobile phone!). It has a feel of "Dr Who" about it, which is not surprising as it was co-created by Stephen Moffat who produced the latest series. The genius of the original stories means that they keep you fully involved and guessing what will happen but the modern take on them also means that if you know the original story you are still engaged with the plot. Cumberbatch as Holmes is a joy to watch, he plays the part wonderfully and while Freeman as Watson takes more time to adapt to, by the third episode he feels right for the part. There were only three initial episodes but the good news is that another series has already been commissioned.

Adam Crozier has a big job on at ITV if this standard of programme making continues.

Don't stand so close to me

2010-08-15T10:47:00.001+01:00

Cash machine etiquette is an evolving process, but I was stood in the queue the other day waiting to use the machine when I was reminded of an incident that happened five or so years ago.

My sons and I were queued waiting to use a machine on fairly a narrow pavement. We were stood behind the man using the machine rather to either side of him as that always feels like you're trying to see the users pin number as they key it in.

As it was a narrow pavement people were trying to walk along it as well which prompted us to move closer to the machine, my eldest son in particular.

When the man in front finished using it, he turned around and indicated that my son particular was too close to him and to be aware of that in the future. Being the indignant father I reminded the man that as my son was only 12, he didn't use cash machines and was only trying to keep out of the way of passing pedestrians. Cries of "Dad don't get involved" from my sons stopped it going any further as the man further muttered his unhappiness and I carried on with using the machine.

Ever since then I have tried not to crowd out the user and not stand to the side, but I do regularly see queues for machines straggling out into streams of pedestrians, as I guess others use my same thought process.

It seems that the British understanding of " how waiting in a queue works" does mean that this mainly goes on without a problem, but I wonder what happens in Europe and the USA?

The boys are back in town

2010-07-29T20:51:00.001+01:00

I joined the Tesco DVD club about three years ago and in the interim period have watched about 208 DVD's ranging from live concerts, comedy series, boxed sets and films.

The joy of the club is that every so often I'll pick a film that in all honesty was a bit of a gamble and when it comes and I watch it, it actually proves to be an inspired choice.

"The boys are back" the film that I watched tonight, was definitely in that category. Mainly set in Australia, it concerns how a sports journalist (played by Clive Owen) copes with the death of his wife and then has to look after his 8 year old son. Add into the mix his 14 year old son (from his first marriage in England) coming to stay shortly afterwards and a mother in law who thinks that he doesn't know what he's doing and the emotional rollercoaster is at the top of the ride, ready to go.

Fairly soon after the death of his wife, we meet a Mum at school (who he thinks is his sons teacher) and frankly I thought we were revisiting Jack & Sarah. But the good thing about this film is that just as you think "ah right he's going to do this, then that and then they'll do that and then happy ending" then the story goes against the obvious route and delivers in the end a heart warming but not obvious end.

The final bonus was that the music was largely provided by Sigur Ros and was exactly what the story needed.

Embarrassment

2010-06-27T17:23:00.002+01:00

Let's face it from the first game we were never in this tournament. Flattered by beating a nation of two million in the last group game, we were made to look what we are, a collection of individuals by the Germans.

The simple fact is that we don't have enough English players playing Premier League football at a high enough standard. When Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd and Man City fill their starting line ups with foreign players (funded by the TV money), then where are the future English internationals going to play football at the highest standard? Now you can argue that if they're good enough then they will break through but that simply means that when one or two do, you end up with players (Rooney, Gerrard & Lampard) who have no competition for their places. Others like Theo Walcott don't play regularly enough which just adds pressure when they do play and some of the "top" players actually aren't.

This has two impacts firstly the good ones get too complacent and secondly their replacements (if they get injured) play for West Ham, Aston Villa and the the like and that drop in class shows.

The future, I fear, is bleak. Our "golden generation" is getting old, many will not play in another World Cup and the players coming up from the Under 21's don't look of the same class (and who do they play for both now and in the future?).

As worrying is, if you read the BBC gossip column, all the talk is of Premier League teams buying more foreign players. Less and less English players will be playing Premier League football at any standard if this carries on.

The first solution is that we introduce "caps" on foreign players, but firstly "money talks" and secondly european/international law probably forbids it. Secondly we need to improve our coaching acadamies, but they too are now filling up with foreign youngsters, and the success that Arsenal had with Fabregas, will only encourage that approach. So there needs to be some intervention there too, but "money" and" European law" probably also apply?

Still we did get further than both the winners and runners up of the 2006 competition!

Festival

2010-06-17T20:39:00.001+01:00

I've just been looking through the full Glastonbury line up for the week end after next.

One of the wonders of the festival in particular is the acts performing "down the bill" who you had no idea were performing (either at Glastonbury, or for one or two, at all!)

This year, among the hundreds of bands there, the following should be appearing :-

Jackson Browne
Lightning Seeds
The Pet Shop Boys
The National
Nouvelle Vague
Toots & the Maytals
Mumford & Sons
Ash
Gang of Four
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Nick Lowe
Al Stewart
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

I wonder how many of those the BBC will manage to show at least one song live?

The Sound of the crowd

2010-06-14T20:08:00.001+01:00

For those of you who follow this blog and don't know, each blog title is also a song title. Clever huh?

Most of the time I have the subject of the blog first and then fit the song to it. Occasionally though a song title jumps into my head and the blog then writes itself. This is one of the latter type.

Every World Cup game this tournament will sound like a swarm of angry bees are loose near to the effects microphone. The reason for this is a trumpet like instrument, widely available in South Africa called the "vuvuzela". This has led to wide scale debate on whether this is adding to the experience or ruining it. Most comment seems to be against the noise they make. Indeed Bill Turnbull on BBC Breakfast this morning even had a conversation with the sound engineer as to whether the feed from the stadium could have the crowd noise "turned down"? Simple answer – no it can't!

There has been talk of having them banned, but the SA economy is likely to be c$2m better off through sales so that's fairly unlikely. If someone throws one at a player then that could change, but let's hope that doesn't happen.

I actually quite like them; after all during the first England game I didn't hear the entirely inappropriate "Great Escape" at all!

Back home

2010-06-03T20:25:00.002+01:00

So we put the wall chart up at work this week, the excellent Baddiel & Skinner podcast has examined the squad (main question – "Will Peter Crouch suffer more from playing at altitude as he will be higher up than the rest of the squad or as he plays at a slightly higher altitude than the rest of the squad all the time, will he be less affected by it?") and shops from "99p stores" to Waitrose have a special section of merchandise!

The BBC & ITV cannot have a gap between programmes without having a trail for it and programmes "remembering previous ones" have been commissioned. Last night Radio 5 live had "the 1986 squad" looking over the current squad and reminiscing about their tournament.

Most offices have drawn their sweepstake and twitter is full of posts along the lines of "I got Algeria in the sweepstake so that's me stuffed"

As we have no official song for this tournament, lots of quite dreadful remakes or new songs are about to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public.

And the boy who was the shock inclusion in the last squad is the shock exclusion as a young man for this one.

Ladies & gentlemen the 2010 Wold Cup is a week away...enjoy.

Where the streets have no name

2010-05-31T21:01:00.001+01:00

This is meant to be a regular blog, but of late, dear readers, it has been little more than a weekly (if that) look at the world.

What are the reasons for that? Well firstly work is keeping me overly busy. Banking has never been the easiest of jobs but of late it has demanded most of my brain power so that by the time I get to sit down and could put a blog together my head is full of scrambled egg. Yes I know it seems strange but I do put some thought into this!

Secondly, I have an eldest son with glandular fever which also has meant that at weekends my time has been focused on him. He's doing well but it is a rollercoaster of an illness so we have some steps backwards but overall he's heading in the right direction.

Thirdly, I've found twitter has enabled me to mini blog. You would think 140 characters wouldn't be enough but it's amazing what you can get across.

Anyway I hope that this will be a more regular blog in the future, but I have said that before.

I'm writing this watching U2 on Sky 1 and the opening riff of "where the streets have no name" will always make me feel a slightly better person for hearing it.

You’re gone

2010-05-22T11:07:00.003+01:00

I have just deleted both the Daily Mail and Southern evening Echo websites from my favourites and plan not to read them anymore. I also won't be buying the papers either.

There are two main reasons that I've done this.

With the Mail it's the Lord Triesman story that has "broken the camel's back". On last Sunday they published a story about Lord T, the then Chair of the FA and the England 2018 World Cup bid, who had allegedly said in a private conversation things about the Russian FA & the Spanish FA colluding over World Cup refereeing and hosting the 2018 competition. The conversation was recorded and the Mail obtained a copy. Now the Mail at that point had a choice. Firstly they could have gone to the FA and said "you have a problem, sort it out" and told the informant where to go. That you might say would be the right thing to do and as a British newspaper, the supportive thing to do.

They however chose to do the other thing. That was publishing the story that brings the England World cup bid to the attention of the worlds press in a very bad light. Yes Lord T shouldn't have said what he said to anyone, but it was a private conversation and he wasn't told by the young lady involved that she was recording it. It seems to me to be very doubtful that this was "in the public interest". Whether or not this saga will have long term repercussions on the2018 World cup bid remains to be seen but the Mail had a choice and they chose the wrong one.

The Echo banishment is over their publishing stories about Alan Pardew, the Saints manager, and how he was allegedly "fighting to keep his job" Their source for this story was "a national newspaper" which it turns out was the Daily Mail! The Mail had a small piece about how the Saints Chairman wasn't happy with the clubs performance after the money given to Pardew in the January transfer window. This in itself appeared to be a "retread" of an old story from March time and was dismissed by the Saints at that time.

The Echo also said that a "clear the air" meeting between the Chairman and Pardew expected to take place on a Wednesday had been postponed to the Thursday.

On the Thursday morning the Saints web site published a long article by the Saints chairman that basically said that he and Pardew were working closely together, having fun doing it and that comments by both ex players and the local paper were not helping. So clearly they had met! The Echo published a new story reporting the article and that the Chairman had criticised ex players. No mention of the stinging broadside aimed at the Echo at all. Unbelievable! The comments from fans below the article were numerous and the main theme was this very point, that the paper had completely failed to acknowledge its part in the "non-story". If that is the level of reporting that they think is acceptable then good luck to them, I for one don't need them.

Dance on a volcano

2010-04-27T21:19:00.002+01:00

So now that the dust has settled (or at least drifted away) from the Icelandic volcano and most people are back from where ever they were stranded, what was the travel chaos all about?

Was the ash ever seriously in danger of turning jet aircraft into gliders or was the whole thing an over-reaction? Certainly when it kicked off, various "experts" were on the media saying that it wasn't safe to fly and everything was grounded. Then for the best part of a week the skies remained empty, and herculean tasks were undertaken for people to get back from places that they had only taken 2 hours or so to fly to at the start of their holidays.

Then financial meltdown for the Airline industry started to get discussed (although to my mind if your aircraft's not flying, you're not paying for fuel or landing duties?) and compensation was muted and hey ho "it's a much less dense a cloud than we first thought". Cue planes flying and everyone's happy.

I'm left with two thoughts. Firstly we've a long way to go on climate change, if the number of flights we take for an Easter break, are anything to go by. Secondly, if the volcano's big brother goes off, will that create dense clouds of ash that will put everything back on the ground??

It’s over

2010-04-24T19:02:00.001+01:00

So Saints will get the chance to defend the JPT next season, as today Huddersfield went to Stockport and won 6-0. As a result of this, Saints cannot now get in the playoffs and therefore we will be in league 1 again next season.

It's too easy to say that the 10 point deduction is the reason that we will not get the chance to go back up to the Championship and that may be true, but in reality having got this close, the real chance was lost when we had such a slow start to the season.

Anyway it's been a great season and we did something that few fans will get to do in going to Wembley and winning a trophy.

Next season the pressure really starts, no point's deduction and much more expectation.

Extraordinary thing

2010-04-02T15:17:00.002+01:00

I think that the lowest point was about 9 months ago when it looked like there was a real chance that Saints wouldn't find a buyer and the Administrator was talking about "winding up orders" and similar nasty legal arrangements.

Then into the spotlight stepped Markus Liebherr and his big bag of cash and since then to paraphrase Yazz "the only way's been up".

This has involved appointing Alan Pardew as manager and funding the purchase of some better players, including Rickie Lambert, who at £1m was a bargain. We have climbed the table and now sit outside the top six but close enough that with the correct combination of results we could still end up in the end of season play offs. If we did and won the first two games then the play off Final is at Wembley in May and we've already know what going there and winning feels like, because that's what we did last week-end!

Sunday March 28^th, saw 44,400 Saints fans travel up from the south coast to see their team play Carlisle Utd in the final of the Johnstones Paint Trophy Final. As regular readers of this blog will know, my sons and I went to Wembley in August 2008 to watch an England game, so the oohh factor had already been experienced, but seeing your team play there was a whole new ball game. We travelled up with my friend Paul (cheers mate!) and his son Joe, to Ruislip, where our friends Adrian (Norm) and Dawn had prepared a fantastic brunch for us. Kick off was 1.30 pm so we had left Southampton at 8.30 for brunch at 10 am and then fully fed walked to the tube to arrive at the stadium at about midday. We had already had texts from other friends telling us that the atmosphere was spine tingling and indeed as we left the tube stadium the wave of emotion that hit me was fantastic. I have walked up Wembley way before but when it's your team badge on the side of the stadium it makes it a whole new experience. Around the stadium was a sea of red and white (and some blue and white for Carlisle, but we outnumbered them by 2:1) and while it was very busy everyone was singing and waving flags and generally making a lot of noise.

The tickets had arrived a week before and while I had asked for seats in one corner, somehow we ended up in the top tier but on the half way line. So it was an escalator ride to the top and then we stepped out to see the whole of one end (and in places a bit more) covered in red and white, again a truly remarkable sight. While the JPT final may not have the status of even the Carling Cup final, one thing it does allow is for both clubs to fill half the stadium (if they have enough fans). We do have enough and due to the fact that other finals have to give tickets to county associations and the like, I can't think of another occasion when a club side will take as many fans to Wembley as we did (44,400).

The game itself went better than can be expected with Carlisle deciding to give us a head start by one of their central defenders palming away a cross, with Lambert putting the resultant penalty into the top right hand corner of the goal. Then just before half time we got out the Stoke City play book and a long throw was headed on to the far post where Lallana rose to head home, 2-0.
After half time we went 3-0 up when a Carlisle defender hesitated before trying to clear a cross, in stepped Antonio to shoot at goal which hit the keeper and then rose up for Papa Waigo to head into an empty net. Cue mass celebration.

The final goal came when Antonio picked the ball up outside the box, moved it to the left and then put it past the keeper with his left foot. Best goal of the game.
Thereafter the game faded and we even allowed Carlisle to get one back, but the final score showed we had won 4-1 and yet more celebration followed the presentation of the cup and the obligatory fireworks on the pitch.

Seeing your team at the royal box being presented with a trophy is something all fans dream of, but only a few are so lucky, whatever the competition.

An amazing game and an amazing day finished with the reverse journey home, by now in pouring rain.

Now let's just hope we can go back again in May.

My friend Paul has produced a wonderful video of the day you can find it here

Here is the News

2010-03-27T21:23:00.003Z

As Private Eye would call it, "The Street of shame" has had a couple of potentially major developments this week.

Firstly News International announced that they would put the Times & the Sunday Times behind a pay wall. This means that in May they will re-launch the papers websites and that you will need to register thereafter to access them. Then in June you will need to pay for your registration to work, either £1 per day or £2 for a week. They also hinted that their other two publications namely the Sun & the News of the World might follow in due course.

Rupert Murdoch firmly believes that putting papers behind a pay wall is the future, others such as Emily Bell, the Guardian news and media Director of digital content, strongly disagree. In reality only time will tell, but my instinct is that Emily Bell is more likely to be proved correct than Murdoch. My reasons for this are that firstly my surfing habits are such that I view the Guardian, the Telegraph, the Times and the Daily Mail websites most days in addition to my homepage which is the BBC. In addition, I increasingly use other media outlets such as Twitter and Google. A newspaper, as the name suggests, should initially tell you the news and in this age I can find that in number of places, so the loss of the Times will be disappointing, but not sufficient to make me pay for the content that I shall lose. I used to buy the Times newspaper most days until about 18 months ago, now I find the news via Twitter on my phone at lunch time.

Secondly there will be add-ons to the Times digital content, such as an e-paper and no doubt an iTunes app on which to access it, ahead of the launch of the iPad in April/May. But there is already an excellent Guardian app, which ok you have to pay a one off fee for, but thereafter the content is free. It's so good that my eldest son said he wanted an iPod touch just to be able to access it! There are others too and with free content as well. In April the BBC News will also launch its iTunes app. The Times will be an expensive offering in an otherwise free marketplace.

Finally, the Times does have great writers that readers do follow and they hope that they will be a significant factor in people paying to be able to continue to do this. This may work, but will it be able to stop other sites allowing access to this content through other ways, i.e. is the pay wall security going keep the content behind it? It may well at the outset but for how long? And if those writers audience reduces by 95%*, will they be happy to stay behind the pay wall? I know that they will still be read in the actual paper, but the bigger potential audience is now via the web and if that reduces....

The second potential development is Alexander Lebedev buying the Independent and Independent on Sunday for £1. He previously bought the Evening Standard for £1 and then re-launched it as a free paper. Word on the street is that Lebedev may do the same with the Independent, although that could be harder to pull off. Will super markets, for example, stock a free paper alongside ones that they make money on? On the plus side, if you had a free copy of the Independent to read rather than the Metro, would you happily put it under your arm at the station? I guess the big question is would you read a free Independent over the Times or the Telegraph that you still have to pay for? It could be of course that giving away a free paper copy becomes increasingly irrelevant, as the digital version will, in probably a shorter space of time than we expect, become the version of the publication that we read more frequently. Which takes us back to the Times....

*Business models for pay walls work on the basis that a 5% take up is good enough to make a profit.

White blank page

2010-03-20T12:07:00.003Z

This week I was 51 which when you write it down sounds old, but I still feel 25 so that's all right. (Yes before you comment, I know I look 75)

On Thursday night, I went with my sons to see Rob Bell speak. He's probably the best communicator I've ever seen, using both words, his physical body, pictures and video to support his point. He spoke for two hours but the time flew by and we all came away with a real sense of inner peace. The evening was titled "Drops like's stars" which comes from his 3 year old nephew staring at rain drops hitting a deck outside his window and shouting "stars, stars, stars" as they hit the ground. He didn't see rain drops he saw stars. To do the talk justice would need pages, so Google him, read the "Drops like stars" book or when the DVD comes out see that, you won't be sorry. Oh by the way he's an American preacher but in no way like any preconceptions you have of any other American preacher. To me his style is closet to Steve Jobs with jokes.

Musically I've discovered Mumford & Sons and "Explosions in the Sky", the latter courtesy I think of Rob Bell's iPod that was playing the music before he came on stage. We asked the road crew who it was it was playing! Check them out on Spotify; you do have Spotify don't you?

The spirit of radio

2010-03-07T17:21:00.004Z

This week the BBC announced that they were going to "re-arrange the deck chairs", by closing two radio stations, close down part of its web-site and cut back on importing TV shows. The savings will be re-invested in "quality programming" which is a relief as "rubbish programming" would have been less appealing.

I never listen either of the chosen radio stations (6 Music & the Asian Network) or explore the parts of the website to go. I probably should watch one of the imported programmes (Madmen) but otherwise it doesn't affect me at all.

The loss of Radio 6 music has, however, instigated a "cause célèbre" campaign on twitter and in the media to keep it alive. The main reason being that, it's small audience are very loyal, it is one of the easiest places to listen to non-formatted radio, with a good chance of hearing something new and it fills the gap between Radio 1 & Radio 2. Now to be honest, I rarely listen to music radio at all these days, so I can't really comment on the rights and wrongs of that argument. It does occur to me, however, that in this age of the internet, there are probably far more places to hear new music than there ever were. The "gap" issue makes sense and certainly my limited knowledge of demographics, target audience and all the other things that focus the minds of radio controllers, leads me to believe that there isn't anything else doing what 6 Music is currently doing.

The problem has been the listening figures and that in turn leads to how you can access it, as it is only really available on a DAB radio or online. While at home, I only listen to the radio on a DAB set, but I'm an exception and the majority of people still use FM for their daily intake, which excludes both these stations.

So is the BBC saying that DAB is dead? Well the evidence is no, as Five Live for example don't quote their AM frequency in trails. They say "on DAB, digital TV and online" these days. Furthermore the Government planned switch off of FM/AM means that unless online and mobile access completely takes over, then DAB has to have a future. Mind you when DAB was launched, no one had thought of listening to your radio on your mobile phone, so the alternatives to DAB are already giving it a run for its money and that competition will only get more intensive. The one saving grace that it has is that car manufacturers are now putting DAB radios into new cars. I'm sure that one day (and probably quite soon) we will stream internet radio via 3G into our cars, but in the mean time DAB will be the new technology that we will explore on the move.

As a non listener, a bit of me hopes that 6 Music will get a reprieve, to take the benefit of that opportunity.

Up where we belong

2010-02-19T18:52:00.001Z

Regular readers will know that I'm a big fan of podcasting and each week iTunes adds 12 or so new episodes of those that I subscibe to, for me to add to my iPod.

That number is fairly constant as many more would be impractical to keep on top of as I listen to them in the car as I travel around.

Recent additions to the list include two from Absolute radio and a new football one.

First the Absolute radio ones. Both are highlights of weekend shows and follow a similar format, with both starring the named presenter, a female sidekick and a male comedian/musican. They both last 40 or so minutes and are excellent.

The first presenter is Frank Skinner who is ideally suited to this format and relates stories of his previous week, his ongoing relationship with his girlfriend, his love of the Fall (he plays a different track each week) and he reviews the papers. He is asssited by Emily Dean, who besides being good friends with Jonathan Ross, as a child appeared in the original Day of the Triffids and has most male listeners hanging on every word she says. The final member of the team is Gareth a stand up comedian, who lives in Bournemouth and has year old son called Ethan, of whom stories feature regularly.

The second presenter is Dave Gorman, who had passeed me by until I saw "Googlewhack" a couple of weeks ago. That was so funny that I immediately started downloading the podcast. He is assisted by award winning comedienne Danielle Ward and comedian/musician Martin White. They cover similar subject matter to Frank Skinner but one extra item is an additional piece at the end of the podcast (and not part of the radio show) called Pun Street. This is where listeners send in shop title puns in an attempt to get them installed on the street. This the maternity wear shop "womb with a view" was voted on, as was "Pak Butchers" (sent in by a pakistani) which replaced "Halal, is it meat your looking for?" as the streets butchers.

The footbal podcast, "It's all up for grabs now" is hosted by the comedian and actor Alan Davies, together with two of his mates and revolves around their love of all things Arsenal. It is hilarious, a genuinely funny commentary on the ups and downs of following the Gooners. Most episodes reflect on the previous weeks games and their views on the various team memebrs performance. Most players now have a nickname and the best is Emmanual Eboue who is known as "Tinkerbell" as he is the team trickster, but most are brilliant based on some long story. In addition there are numerous "catchphrases" which have started to find their way into my football watching. One involves an older fan at Arsenal moaning (in a northern accent) "He's got yellow boots on", which now regularely appears at St Marys should any one have said coloured boots on! Songs sung at grounds also feature, my favourite to date being "you're white and you know you are" which the Arsenal fans sang to the permatanned Hull City manager Phil Brown. Even if you don't like football or Arsenal this podcast will have you laughing out loud in strange places while you listen to it!

Why the title to this post? Arsenal player Alex Song's full name is Alexander Dimitri Song Billong, which you can sing to the tune of the Jennifer Warnes/Joe Cocker classic.

Bring me your cup

2010-02-10T20:59:00.001Z

I was the same age as my eldest son, Matthew, is now, when Southampton went to Wembley and won the F.A. Cup. The year was 1976 and I watched the game on the TV at home while my Grandpa fell asleep after lunch. He was visiting from the Isle of Wight and sadly it's one of the things I most remember him for, although after my Dad did it for years, I have now inherited that ability. Turns out it's a family skill!

I couldn't get a ticket for the Final as I hadn't been to enough games/didn't have a season ticket/had parents who thought football was a very dangerous spectator sport (which to be honest it could be in the 1970's). We beat Man Utd 1-0 and film of that game still makes me emotional.

As cup winners we got to play in the Charity shield the following August, against Liverpool and I was there for that, my first visit to Wembley stadium. we lost 1-0!

The next time they got to Wembley was in 1979, for the League cup final against Nottingham Forest. The game being the day after my 20th birthday. I was very lucky to work with the wife of one the Saints players and he obtained tickets for me. I don't remember much of the day, except that we scored first after 16 minutes and some idiot behind me started going crazy and chanting "we've won the cup, we've won the cup". Sure enough..... we lost 3-2.

Our next Wembley final was 1992 and the ZDS Cup final again against Forest, managed by the great Brian Clough. His team included Roy Keane and they took a two goal lead. Saints fought back and Matt le Tissier scored (with a header!) and then Kevin Moore equalised. Sadly Forest won it extra time and so again we lost to them 3-2 at Wembley. Was I there...no I lived in Guernsey then and getting to the game was too tricky. If you look at any footage of that game (and you can on Youtube) Saints lost the toss and wore their away kit, which for that season was an all blue affair. We look like Pompey and that is not a good look!

One sad post-script to that game is that Kevin Moore, who is the same age as me, has recently been diagnosed with dementia, very sad at any age but particularly for some one of his age.

We've not been there since as the 2003 F A Cup final was at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium as Wembley being re-built.

Last night however Saints earned the right to play their first game at the new Wembley as they beat MK Dons 3-1 (4-1 on agrregate) to reach the final of the Johnson's Paint Trophy final. There we will play Carlisle Utd and having been at last night's game according to the announcer at the end of the match, I (& my sons) are entilted to tickets for the final. We've been there for an England game, but watching the Saints there will be awesome!

COYR

Sitting, waiting, wishing

2010-01-30T09:57:00.006Z

There may be as yet undiscovered tribes in the Amazon who don't know, but most of the rest of the world can't have escaped that this week saw the announcement by Apple of their latest product, the "iPad".

This was done in their usual way with Steve Jobs, on a stage in front of a screen, onto which were projected, firstly a series of facts and.....well you've probably seen it so let's cut to the chase. The iPad has caused a stir.

Not all positive, the name has given school boy humour an opportunity too good to miss. But as comedian Ed Byrne said on Twitter "Yes. iPad is a silly name but so is iPod. Complaining about iPad and not iPod is like slagging Jar Jar Binks but not ewoks"

Next up came the "it doesn't look good, it's not needed, where's the usb port, it's too big, and I won't be buying one" brigade. Let's be honest you all said the same about the iPhone when that was launched, but you've probably got one now!

Stephen Fry loves it and he was at the launch and has therefore used one. You can see what he thinks here. But it won't come as a surprise that he likes it, as he tends to love new technology.

I think that we'll look back at this launch in years to come in the same way that we now look back at the iPhone launch. The initial product was eye wateringly good, but the next two versions will be the really good ones. There are competitors already but there will be lots more and they will not quite ever get as good as the iPad, in the same way as there is no phone that's beaten the iPhone.

If the publishers get it right, this could be the gadget that finally gets newspapers and magazines onto the web in away that you can carry around with you. It could also finally break eBooks out into the mainstream, in the same way iTunes did for music. I don't feel though that this is the death knell for the book, but it will make publishers look at the costs of getting their product in front of a reader and realise that an eBook has to be a serious option now that it can be read in the mass market via iBooks. Up until now eBooks have been a bit of an expensive sideshow, but that could be about to significantly change for the better. I have a Sony Reader, that I love but it should be easier and cheaper to buy books for it. (Part of that is living in the UK, it is better in the US), but iBooks should make others up their game as well.

Finally, the price. Apple products are never cheap, but I expected it to be much more expensive that it appears it will be. That might just make a lot more people put it on their 2010 Christmas list.

Silence is golden

2010-01-24T19:57:00.001Z

So a new decade is half a month in and my keyboard has been quiet in this little section of cyberspace. Sorry. There are plenty of reasons/excuses but nothing that really holds water except that I had nothing to say that I felt the need to put finger to key to say.

Life has continued much the same as the last decade, with the minor discomfort of some snow. The election campaign has started, despite the actual date being probably five months away. My bet, by the way, is May 20th.

Things on the sporting front have been interesting. Test cricket is written off by many as being out dated in these days of 20/20 and one day internationals, but three of the four tests against South Africa provided tremendous excitement at their conclusion. The NFL ias drawing to it's Superbowl conclusion. Will Brett Favre take the Vikings to glory? He really is an iconic sportsman in this over-hyped age of sporting celebrity. Closer to home Saints are a clean sheet away from Wembley in the JPT (Johnson's Paint Trophy) and have just drawn Pompey at home in the 5th round of the F A Cup, which will mean two full houses at St Marys within a week.

TV still has too many reality programmes on it. Skating, dancing (times two) and celebrity Big Brother fill the schedules, at least the latter is the last one. What we need is more quality like Wallender or Law & Order UK or even Hustle (although this series is not as good as others have been).

The world of podcasts continues to fill my listening (mainly in the car) The move of Simon Mayo to Radio 2 has meant the loss of the Daily Mayo but now we have two Mayo/Kermode one's on a Friday. The best one I've discovered recently is a football one by comedian Alan Davies called "It's up for grabs" He's a massive Arsenal fan and the podcast is him and two mates discussing the current position the Gooners find themselves in. It's hilarious and even if you don't like football it will entertain you.

Oh and Richard T Kelly commented in his blog about the kind things I said in my book review about his book. You never know just who reads any of this do you?

So that's my duck for 2010 on the blogging front gone. Good day to you

Just for the record

2009-12-31T18:00:00.002Z

So now it's the best albums of the last ten years (that I own!!!!). This was quite a hard task initially as I thought that there were many that I could include, but when I actually looked at them there were some tracks that I didn't like, so the list was fairly straight forward.

Testimony – Neal Morse; a double album from the ex lead singer and keyboard player from Spock's Beard. It tells the story of his life and how he became a Christian, hence the title. It's a complete "prog fest" as well and features Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater on drums, who is the finest rock drummer in the world bar none. Morse has released many good albums since this one but this remains his finest hour.
The Crane Wife – The Decembrists: An American rock band from Portland, Oregon, they are named after the Russian uprising of 1825. This was their fourth album released in October 2006 and I first heard of it via the mighty Word magazine. It's a glorious amalgam of indie rock, folk and prog, with each song being well crafted and produced. The subject matter is wide and various ranging from the murder squads in the N Ireland (the Shankhill Butchers), an old Japanese story about a Crane producing incredible silk from its feathers (the Crane Wife) and the 900 day WWII siege of Leningrad (When the War came).
12 stops and home – The Feeling; a genuine pop album from this a 5 piece former covers band. Led by Dan Gillespie Sells, who sings and plays guitar, this was their debut album and there's not a bad track on it. It's very 70's influenced with touches of both ELO and 10cc in parts. There is also a Queen influence on some vocal harmonies and the guitar parts as well. It produced three hit singles and never tires from repeat plays.
OVO – Peter Gabriel; this was the sound track to the show at the centre of the Millennium Dome and was performed twice a day. As well as drawing on many references within our own folk traditions, the music also draws on the cultural origins of the many people's that now comprise contemporary British culture. It layers Asian, African, Middle Eastern, Australian and European elements against a mostly contemporary British backdrop. From 12th century hurdy gurdy to didgeridoo, from the pulsing rhythms of the Dhol Foundation and the nostalgic brass of the Black Dyke Band, from Arab laments over drum and bass to meditative moments with string section - the soundtrack is a really eclectic mix. Gabriel's finest moment to date!
Outrospective – Faithless: The only dance album in this list, Faithless is the brainchild of Rollo Armstrong, along with DJ/keyboard player Sister Bliss and singer/rapper Maxi Jazz. This was their third album and is their most consistent. It includes hit single "We come 1" and also "Tarantula" a version of which was used by the BBC for its 2002 World Cup theme. Faithless have always featured "guest singers" to support Maxi Jazz and this album includes Zoe Johnson and Rollo's sister Dido, who went on the record two of the decade's UK biggest selling albums as a solo singer. Best played loud.
The Rising – Bruce Springsteen; Inspired by the events of 9/11 when allegedly shortly after the attacks a passer-by told Springsteen "we need you now". The 15 songs are his response to the horror of the day and to my mind as an outsider, hit the nail on the head as to how he could support those involved or affected by the disaster. It's a full band record with the E-Street band and marks both a reformation with them and a real return to song writing of the highest order.
Absolution- Muse; A rock trio from Teignmouth in Devon (a less likely sentence to write will be hard to find!); this was their third and lift-off album. 15 songs in all all played with great skill and dexterity. The band is lead by Matt Bellamy, who sings, plays guitar. piano and writes most of the music (show off). Large Queen influences are found together with prog-metal and Rachmaninov type piano pieces. It rocks.
Songs for Silverman – Ben Folds; Alternative US singer songwriter, this was his second solo album, his previous releases having under the banner of his trio "The Ben Folds Five! His song-writing is excellent and this album cemented that reputation with stand out songs such as "Trusted" and "Landed" His band (which is still a trio if you include him) support him wonderfully, but it is his song-writing and piano playing that make this such a great album.
Continuum – John Mayer; better known of late as being Jennifer Aniston's boyfriend, Mayer is a brilliant guitarist, who has developed into a main stream song-writer, who also has a jazz trio he tours with as well. An album full of break up/-broken-up songs,. He sings sadness vey effectively!
Experiments in mass appeal – Frost*; A British prog rock band lead by keyboard player Jed Godfrey (the only rock star to follow me on Twitter!). Godfrey has a parallel career writing and recording jingles and pop songs (he co-wrote Atomic Kitten's "Whole again"). This was the band's second album and while it is a prog rock album it's very much at the heavy end of the spectrum, with also great vocal harmonies and production. Another to be played loud.

Happy New Year.

The Film of my life

2009-12-30T16:02:00.001Z

So now we move on to my top 10 films of the last decade. To be in the list I have to have seen the film, so if you're reading this going what about this film or that film and it's not in the list, it means that I haven't seen it!!! These are (again in no particular order):-

High Fidelity – Two of my best friends (who also both read this!) have owned record shops in the past and this film was homage to them. Try watching it & NOT then wanting to do what I'm doing now, i.e. making lists of your favourite things, it's what we men do!
Love Actually – has its faults but for the "Emma Thompson scene" alone, where she gets the CD instead of the jewellery, worth an entry. I do also like Richard Curtis films and this has stood the test of countless repeats.
Sideways – A brilliant film about two friends and a road trip they undertake in to the Wine country of California, before one of them gets married. One wants to give his friend a good send off the other wants a final fling! Funny, sad, thoughtful and a good reflection of two men entering middle age with regrets and trying to face up to the future.
Gosford Park – a glorious "who dunnit" written by Julian Fellowes, based on an idea from director Robert Altman. It stars the cream of British actors playing both the "upstairs" and "downstairs" staff in an English country house in 1932. A murder takes place & the films deals with both the solving of the crime and the many complicated relationships involved as well.
Curse of the Were-Rabbit – Nick Park's transfer of Wallace & Gromit to the big screen could have been a disaster, but instead he produced an epic comedy, which looked like a proper film i.e. it was well lit and well filmed.
School of Rock – Jack Black's finest hour in which he plays a failed rock musician who takes a part time teacher post (illegally) and passes his love of rock music onto a class of "posh kids" with hilarious results. The music used is great and any film that recommends a child listens to a Yes album in it will always get my vote.
Lord of the Rings - Took "epic" film making into a whole new area with CGI of the highest standard which brought this almost "unfilmable" book to the cinema. Made stars of many of the cast and did New Zealand (where much of it was filmed) tourism the power of good as well!
Atonement – I hadn't read the book so this was a real treat when I watched it. Wonderfully acted and a great recreation of war time England and northern France. There is one 5 minute steady cam shot of the beaches at Dunkirk which was done in four takes as they only had two days to film the scene and the tides would ruin the continuity if they took any longer. The story is one of lies and betrayal over a number of years involving a rich English family and their eldest daughters love for the son of one of their servants.
Juno – an American film about a 16 year old school girl who gets pregnant and has to deal with all that follows. It stars Ellen Page and she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance as she struggles to know, what to do and understand her feelings for the father of the baby.
Casino Royale – Bond returns in a performance by Daniel Craig that shows the more human side of the main character. Gone is the humour and bedding of as many women as possible. In its place more of the grit and determination from the original books. Craig was praised for his performance and kept many women happy as he emerged from the sea in one now iconic scene. A good return to form for a franchise that was looking one its last legs.

So there they are my 10 best films of the last decade. Next....albums.

Book of brilliant things

2009-12-29T19:24:00.011Z

It's probably 20 years since we solely looked back on the last decade, as ten years ago we were distracted by reviewing the previous Century! This will be the first of three blogs, reviewing my favourite books, films and albums of the last ten years.

I read all the time and have therefore have read hundreds of books since 2000. Many of these have drifted in and out of my life, but some have made an impact and here are my top ten books for the last ten years.

1. The Crusaders - Richard T Kelly: One of three books in this list for which the Books Podcast from the Simon Mayo show on Radio 5 Live is entirely responsible for me reading. It’s a huge book 500+ pages and tells the story of an Anglican Vicar who is sent to “plant” a church on a Newcastle estate. It mixes corruption, gangsters, the miner’s strike and Christianity into a story that flows beautifully and is well told with rich use of language.

2. Salmon fishing in the Yemen – Paul Torday: Another Books podcast entry. This is was a first novel for Torday, who took up writing in 2006 aged 60 having previously worked in industry and engineering . The book is a satire on modern politics and revolves around as the title suggests the unlikely premise of being able to fish for Salmon in the Yemen, which it appears becomes essential for Anglo/Middle-East relations to continue. A middle ranking Whitehall career civil servant is given the job and the book follows his efforts to show everyone, unsuccessfully, how completely unrealistic the task is. It has a love story in it, pompous politicians, Middle East billionaires and Salmon fishing! The book is written in part as an exchange of e-mails and in part as evidence from the resultant public enquiry! A great mixture of politics and gentle comedy

3. Velvet Elvis – Rob Bell: Bell is a hero of mine who runs a “mega-church” in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a rare thing in the American church, a liberal Christian far more at home in the UK than parts of the US. This was his first book and it is sub-titled “repainting the Christian Faith”. It is a series of chapters in which Bell explores Christianity and how he sees its relevance in the post modern age. It is a very “modern” book with its look and printing style having a very “Apple” feel to it! It makes you think but is also a book you can dip in and out of as well.

4. Past Mortem – Ben Elton: One of two of his books to make my list. This is essentially a murder mystery “detective” novel with a love story thrown in. Elton co-wrote the successful BBC series “The Thin Blue Line” which looked at a local police station and starred Rowan Atkinson. This book is its big brother. I like detective novels and comedy and this book is a glorious mixture of the two.

5. How to be good – Nick Hornby: One of my favourite novelists, this is, in my view, his best book of the last ten years. It follows the lives of David and Kate. David starts the book as “the world’s angriest man” but decides to change his life completely and be “good” to everyone he encounters. There then follows a series of amusing events which includes inviting a homeless man to move into the spare room. This is met with incredulity by Kate, who as a Doctor, always considered herself to be doing “good” and the book explores how the two views of “doing good” relate to our modern world. It’s funny, well written and thought provoking.

6. The Lincoln Lawyer – Michael Connelly: A well known American crime novelist, who started as crime reporter on the LA Times. This is his 16th novel and was published in 2006. Most of his books are crime novels based around Detective Harry Bosch, but this one is a departure as it features US defence lawyer Mickey Haller, the “Lincoln Lawyer”, so called as he lives in his Lincoln Continental. The story is fairly straight-forward legal drama, but it is Connelly’s writing and storytelling which make this a cut above the rest. The “hero” is down on his luck, but has an ex-wife who “can’t live with him, can’t live without him” and a daughter who dotes on her father, fairly standard legal fare, but Connelly draws pictures of the participants which bring it all to life. The story involves defending a Beverley Hills “rich boy” who beats up a woman, but all is not as it seems!

7. Tell no one- Harlan Coben – Another US Crime novelist, he has sold 47 million books world-wide, which is a good start to his writing career! His first seven novels featured sports agent “Myron Bolitar” (and his best friend Win) and their involvement with crimes which his sports stars get caught up in. This was his eighth novel and the first “stand alone” one. It’s an “everything is not as it seems” book, based on the story of Dr David Beck, whose wife is abducted and murdered while on holiday. Eight years later he receives an e-mail, which when opened shows a picture of his wife, who appears anything but dead! The story then follows his pursuit of “what the hell is going on?” It was also made into a very good French film starring Kristen Scott Thomas, worth seeing for no other reason than she is in it!!

8. Ghost – Robert Harris: This is Harris 6th novel and revolves around an ex-Prime Minister, his memoires and the truth of what really happened when he was in power and in charge of the countries fight against terrorism. (Sound familiar?). The “hero” is a journalist who is drafted in to take over the “ghost-writing” of the memoires after the original ghost writer dies in suspicious circumstances. The ex PM is holed up in a borrowed home on Martha’s Vineyard and that means that the Americans can also keep an eye on what is being written. The story follows the revealing of secrets which mean that the writing of the memoires becomes a matter of life and death!! A great contemporary novel and soon to be a film, starring George Clooney and Ewan McGregor. Oh and it’s the 3rd Books podcast entry.

9. Exit Music – Ian Rankin: Rankin is a Scottish writer, best known for his series of “Rebus” novels that all feature D I John Rebus, who is based in Edinburgh. This is his 17th Rebus and to date his last. That is mainly as it features Rebus retiring from the Police and while Rankin may use him in the future with him looking after “cold cases” at present he has no plans to do so. Rebus is a hard drinking, divorced, rock loving; loner and his fan love him for it. After reading one or two of the novels, reading a Rebus novel takes on the familiarity of a comfortable pair of shoes. This story involves the last few days before Rebus retires and the death of a Russian dissident, which he believes has more to it. More that is, than his superiors, who are trying to keep a visiting group of Russian businessmen happy, want him to look into? There is a good backdrop of rotten Bankers (RBS thinly disguised???) and Rebus manages to get himself suspended, yet still solves the case.

10. Chart Throb – Ben Elton: Finally another Ben Elton book. This one because it changed the way I watch the X Factor and Simon Cowell must have hated it being published. The story follows the TV series “Chart Throb” (X Factor) and how its judges and production team manipulate the entrants to provide the top ratings it requires. It tells of the fights between the judges (one of whom is a “former Rock star” partially through a sex change operation into becoming a woman”) and builds to the climax of the winner being announced. Along the way you get to meet all human life and it’s all told using Elton’s caustic humour.

So there is my list, it’s not perfect and in reality for at least half of the authors I could have chosen many of their novels. This is also my list of my favourite novels of this century!

Hackett to pieces

2009-12-06T08:18:00.003Z

I'm some what embarrassed to say that until last weekend I had never been to the Brook in Southampton. This is a music venue in the Portswood part of the City. I guess that it holds c500 people in both a downstairs area and an upstairs balcony. It's in an old pub and therefore has two big bars to keep the audience refreshed.

The diary of bookings is made up of good "past their best" artists, local well known bands, tribute bands and some comedy.

So last Sunday saw my mate Gray & I go to see Steve Hackett and his band there. Hackett will always be known as "ex-Genesis guitarist" Steve Hackett, although he left the group in 1977! Since then he has recorded a substantial back catalogue of his own material and is recognised as still one of the best guitarists in the "prog rock" genre.

Gray had been to the Brook on many occassions (he'd been to see the illeagal Eagles two nights before), so on his advice we got there 30 minutes before the doors opened and were close enough to the front of the queue to secure (again on his advice) a position in the gallery with a perfect view of the stage.

The band appeared on stage about an hour later and were an interesting mixture of players. Hackett himself has aged a bit but still looks good for a man in his late fifties. Accompanying him was his usual band of keyboards, drums, bass, reeds and for this tour a female backing singer (and occasional guitarist) BUT the bass player was no other than Nick Beggs from Kajagoogoo! His stage costume consisted of blonde hair in pigtails, with LARGE can style headphones on top, a leather waistcoat, leather kilt (skirt?), knee high black socks and black DM's!!!!!!! That's him in the centre of the photo. So I've now seen one fifth of Kajagoogoo live! He's a very good bass player and also plays the "Chapman stick" on which he played a solo piece at one point. If you want to know about it, you can here

The concert itself was really good and clearly shows that Hackett knows his audience very well. There was some new stuff - good and shows he's still relevant today. Some older stuff - shows he knows which parts of his back catalogue his fans want hear and love. There was some acoustic stuff - Hackett is a brilliant player of classical spanish guitar music and has recorded two albums with the symphony orchestras. Finally there were the Genesis songs - again well chosen and clearly those that Hackett had a large part in writing. Including the encore it was a two hour, twenty minute set.

The highlight for me was a Genesis song - "Firth of Fifth" which included the full piano introduction from the album, which I've never heard Genesis themselves ever play! The band were very tight and it was clear that having toured together for a number of years, they were a "band" rather than Hackett with backing musicians.

All in all a great evening and I'm already scouring the Brooks website to see who to go and see next!

Don't believe a word

2009-11-25T20:36:00.001Z

As a Saints fan, Pompey sacking their manager should be a good thing and indeed on many levels it is!

But Paul Hartt being relieved off his duties yesterday was something that saddened me as well. Hart was appointed initially as caretaker manager following Tony Adams departure having previously been the Youth team coach. He had previously managed Nottingham Forest and that hadn't ended well. Despite that he did ok and eventually the caretaker part of the title was removed. Eventually he kept Pompey in the Premier league.

During the last five months Pompey have become a laughing stock amoung the media as the ownership has changed three times and in order to avoid administration virtually every decent player on their books has been sold. (Last weekend Spurs beat Wigan 9-1 and seven of the goals were scored by three of those players). During all that time Hart must have wondered what on earth was going on and been tempted many times to let them get on with it. He didn't, however, he carried on with quiet dignity, facing the media and giving the impression that he was "as one" with the management, what ever the reality.

Yesterday he turned up, trained the first team squad in the morning, met the media to discuss the weekends pending game against Man Utd and. after all that. was then called into to see the Chief executive and "let go". Why on earth they couldn't do it either when he first arrived (or the night before?) only they know, but it was a shabby thing to do to someone who had represented them in a way they had no right to expect.

While he may not be the best manager in the world, he seems a decent man and I hope that he finds another job soon.

Editions of you

2009-11-13T22:36:00.000Z

I went to see Roxy Music play live in 1979 at the Gaumont in Southampton and have been a fan ever since. It was a concert I mainly went to because my friend Nigel had a spare ticket, but they were brilliant that night.

I have all the albums and all of Bryan Ferrys solo stuff as well. Earlier this week I stumbled upon three remix EP's on the Amazon MP3 store (they're also on iTunes). Each EP takes classic Roxy songs and as is the way with a re-mix album, presents them for a new audience. "Virginia Plain" and "Same Old Scene" are the best, sounding like they might have had they been written and recorded today on modern equipment. "Editions of you" rocks but is more of a re-mix. "Angel Eyes" (which gets two different remixes) and "The Main Thing" have been remixed before when 12" remixes were released at the time of the original albums. The new remixes do add to those but don't sound that different. "Finally "the Thrill of it all" is a complete re-working of the original.

Some Roxy fans will hate them as they do mess with classic songs, but to me it is good to hear a re-take on these tracks. After all there is meant to be new Roxy album somewhere in the future.

Another record

2009-10-27T20:11:00.001Z

Yesterday one of my favourite bands "Transatlantic" (yes, I know "who"?) released their latest album.

Tonight I diverted my journey home via Southampton to buy a copy. The only option was HMV, who didn't have it. Now some of you may say " that was lucky you were saved from having to listen to it" but that would be cruel and unnecessary.

What struck me, however, was a city the size of Southampton has only one music store where you can buy anything that isn't chart music (and even then it's only Smith's and ASDA!)

Time was there was Virgin, Our Price, Smith's, Fopp, Debenhams and various smaller independant shops. Now just HMV. No wonder iTunes etc do so well!!!

Down in the park

2009-10-15T21:19:00.000+01:00

I grew up in Shirley in Southampton and a large part of my life between 8 and 15/16 was based around Shirley Recreation Ground (Shirley Rec). It was here I played football during the winter, cricket in the summer (although the football usage during the Winter didn't make for straight uneven bounce!). In the summer, as well, we regularly used the 4 tennis courts (except during Wimbledon when you couldn't get near them). I climbed my first tree there, rode my bike there and hurtled down the sloping paths on home built go carts.

Over the years it has declined as generations of local children increasingly abused it, with vandalism and graffiti and it has a tired look.

We've still visited it, to use the play park when the boys were younger and to play sport as they've got older.

More recently it has started to show signs of new life, with a cafe opening and a friends of Shirley Park (as it now known) group forming to keep in a tidier way.

Well today they've hit the jackpot with the Lottery announcing that a £1.5m grant has been given to them and all sorts of things will now be carried out to "the Rec" so that further generations will be able look back and smile when they think of it.

Everybody wants to rule the world

2009-10-14T21:54:00.005+01:00

World cup qualification for next years tournament in South Africa ended tonight. For England that meant the unusual feature of England playing a largely meaningless final tie against Belarus at Wembley, having already qualified last month against Croatia.

Having lost in Ukraine last week-end there was some added pressure for some players (Rio Ferdinand?) as to lose two games on the trot would make Capello a very unhappy man and that is not something that I would wish to experience.

It also meant that some of the "fringe" players could play, a fact helped by injuries to Gerrard and Rooney. So Crouch, Agbonlahor, Lennon & Bridge all got a game and with 35 minutes left Beckham came on. At that stage we were 1-0 up from a very early Crouch goal. It finished 3-0 and Beckham made us look a much better team, having a hand in both goals and hitting the post with a shot.

What did we learn tonight...not a lot. Will we win the World Cup..... maybe? Next year? Who knows, it'll be winter in South Africa next June/July, so maybe the weather will help us. We can but hope.

Loser in the end

2009-10-12T21:00:00.000+01:00

Expenses are something that I have claimed for most of my working life. I have always erred on the side of caution as, to be honest, I was always certain that some kind of banking "big brother" was going to measure how far Wimborne was from Bournemouth and reduce my mileage claim accordingly (or worse....)!!!

I know that some colleagues claim for absolutely everything ( as I'm sure happens in most businesses), BUT the yard-stick for me has been what is reasonable, not what is possible. Sorry but that's just how I am.

Our British Members of Parliament have, however, made claiming expenses an art form whereby our Prime Minister has overclaimed by £12k and thinks that paying it back makes it all ok. The fact that he claimed all that extra money for cleaning and gardening seems to only make it worse. I know that he's far from the only one but he's the PM and if he is not above reproach then hell and handcarts come to mind.

"Sighs deeply"

We will rock you

2009-10-11T19:27:00.000+01:00

Last night I made my second appearance as a singer in a choir (not counting school boy times).

It occurred during the Roger Jones musical "Rock" which is touring the South west. This is a semi-professional set up who augment each performance with a local choir.

This means that for the last 3 months we've been practicing singing the 16 songs so that come last night we look like we've been part of the show all the time! Except that of course everyone in the audience knew that we were only performing that evening.

The musical is based on the story of Simon Peter (the one in the New Testament) and the show was excellent, with good acting, singing and music. The music was a professionally produced backing track, with some live instruments and the staging, sound and lighting were all again of a semi-professional standing.

It was a pleasure to be a small part in such a great production.

Peace at last

2009-10-09T21:09:00.002+01:00

The announcement today that this years Nobel Peace prize has been awarded to President Obama, took many by surprise, including to his credit the man himself.

The announcement was so unexpected that when one US journalist contacted the White House for a quote, they thought that he was joking!

It is a surprising decision in that he hasn't really done anything significant in this first year of office that instantly springs to mind as an action or series of actions after which we all said "well that's the Nobel Peace prize sorted this year". What he has done is take the USA back onto the world stage as a country who are prepared to negotiate again. The BBC correspondent, Mark Mardell, said on the radio this afternoon that he thought he had got it for "not being George Bush!"

Any way well done Mr President, it's good to see your efforts (???) are being acknowledged.

Paint me down

2009-10-06T22:56:00.000+01:00

One of the "ahem" benefits of relegation to League One is that Saints get to take part in the mighty Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

The competition is divided into two halves, divided North and South (to reduce traveling) and the winners of each half meet in the final at Wembley. Each half is also divided into east and west to further cut down traveling although that's less logical as tonight for example in the South west section Bournemouth went to Northampton!

Saints naturally are also in the South western section and after a bye in the last round, tonight they hosted Torquay from League 2 at St Marys. Tickets were very cheap and allied with a 7pm kick off meant that over 9000 turned out to watch.

The game itself started badly with Saint going in at half time losing 2-0!! The second half produced the required comeback to that at full time it was all square at 2-2.

Penalties! We scored all five, they didn't. Wembley is slightly less of a dream!!!

Perfect

2009-10-05T20:38:00.001+01:00

Tonight's TV.

How I met your mother.... (Which ended with Roxy Music's "Mother of Pearl")
2 brand new episodes of "Two and a half men"
Chuck
30 Rock

After a day like today I really need to watch and not to think!

Movin' on up

2009-10-03T22:55:00.001+01:00

Will and I went to St Mary's this afternoon to witness our biggest win of the season , 4-1 against the mighty Gillingham.

We also went last Tuesday when a late injury time goal gave Bristol Rovers a 3-2 victory. To be honest we played slightly better on Tuesday night than we did today, but today the big difference was that we took our chances. On Tuesday when 2-1 up we had agreat chance to make it 3-1 but the Bristol keeper made a good save and then later when 2-2 another good save kept the score line level.

Today having taken an early lead, we let Gillingham back in through sloppy defending, but this time two chances were converted and eventually we eased to a fine victory.

This means that, at last, we have a positive points score (+2) and hopefully we will start to clear the gap on teams above us and begin to climb the table. After all we're only 16 points off of a play off place!!

Rio

2009-10-02T20:37:00.000+01:00

Today the IOC selected Rio to be the venue for the 2016 Olympic games, which means that with Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup, South America (or more accurately Brazil) is going to be THE place to go in the next decade.

Some thoughts:-

Obama has been snubbed!
Girl/Boy from Ipanema will be either BBC or ITV's theme tune for one of the events?
They're 4 hours behind us so we could be watching sport at midnight quite regularly
Let's hope that the inward investment brings lasting change for the country and it's poor.
"Samba" will be the most over used word for a while each summer.

October

2009-10-01T21:18:00.001+01:00

Or should I say "blogtober", as this month I'm going to try to turn my blog into more of a diary?

Today's highlight's. Car had a service at Nissan Westway who hang out at the end of the Totton fly-over. This meant that, having planned my diary so that I could be in the office all day, I could drop the car off and then walk the mile or so across the fly-over to the Bank. The Nissan dealership looked after the car when Dad owned it and are very helpful and not too expensive, so I've carried on using them and the closeness to my office is the clincher. I also quite enjoy the walk to the office. Everything went like clockwork and a cleaned and valeted car was ready at the end of the day.

After that, tea at Mum's mainly to retune her freeview box. She actually had done a pretty good job herself, thanks to both the Daily Mail and her brother (down the phone!). A free meal is too good an offer to overlook, however, and I wanted to just check what she had done and make sure that she still had all her favourite channels (BBC1 & 2)

Finally..Pompey players haven't been paid. If they could only go into administration that would be a great start to the month.

Proud

2009-09-22T22:20:00.001+01:00

After we went to the Greenbelt Festival, my son Matt, rather than write a blog, recorded a video blog and posted on his blog. You can see it here

That was good on it's own, but now...now Greenbelt have only gone and put it on their website, next to the official podcast and apparently they all stood around and watched it together. Genius! You can find the "greenbelt version" here.

Resistance

2009-09-19T10:15:00.011+01:00

It's rare these days that a group release a collection of songs (what we used call an LP!) that requires me to buy it on the first day that it is available. The last one was Dream Theaters' "Black clouds and silver linings" back in June, but before that...I really can't remember!

This week Muse released their new album "The Resistance" and I actually bought it twice on the day of release! The first time was the CD version, which was for Matt, but being a parent I made a contribution to the cost! As it was absolutely vital that without a seconds delay it was delivered to him, so that he could listen to it (remember those days?), I didn't get to hear it!
Following a new version of iTunes being released recently, you can now buy some albums (about 5 at present) in a "new" LP format. Not the most original name but they are an attempt to overcome the "lack of something to read while you listen to the music" challenge that downloads present. I have lots of friends who dismiss downloading for that reason and this is Apple's answer to that problem.

The initial LP's on iTunes were by Bob Dylan, The Doors, Nora Jones and Grateful Dead so I left those well alone, but then iTunes advised that the Muse album would be available in the LP format and so that was how I purchased the second copy of the new album.

First point to say, no extra charge, usual £7.99. Second, you get

the lyrics (to read why you listen to the song)
artwork
Matt Bellamy's notes on each song, the inspiration and what it's trying to say.
sleeve notes (i.e. who played third violin on the last song etc...)
three videos

The software in iTunes goes to full screen so reading the lyrics and notes is easy, even for varifocal wearers like me. In fact I find CD notes quite hard by comparison!

All in all a good attempt by Apple to bring back some of the emotion attached to opening the LP cover and taking in every facet of the new album by your heroes. True you still have nothing to hold, but in reality since the CD replaced the LP we have missed the true impact of the physical experience. This is actually more like that, than a CD ever was. The LP is back!

World in Union

2009-09-06T20:10:00.002+01:00

The Rugby Guinness Premiership season started again this weekend and to celebrate, part of the opening weekend, was the "London double-header" at Twickenham. This involves the four "London" clubs playing two local derbies against each other, one at 2.30pm and then one at 5.15 pm. The first game was Saracens vs. London Irish and the second London Wasps VS Harlequins.

My friend John and his family are massive Harlequins fans and he suggested that a crowd of us go along and he arranged the tickets. Now I agreed not really thinking about the cost, but when he asked for £35 for me and both boys (£15 for me, a tenner each for Matt & Will), I was, frankly, amazed!

We got to the stadium at about 12.30pm and parked in a local college for a further £10. As the college had a large playing field we'd agreed to meet up there and have a picnic, before moving on to the stadium, where a small village of food and drink was set up. The major part of this was the Guinness village with food and drink stands, big screens and live music. Inside the stadium were even more bars! We had a perfect view although we were in the middle tier and behind one end

As John is a Quins fan we naturally supported their main rivals, namely London Irish in the first game. Now I've not seen much live rugby, but I know enough to say that "the Irish" started slowly and were 18-3 down by half time. Saracens who were the home team played good attacking rugby and scored two quick tries. The second half though was a different affair, with Irish far more focused and they slowly cut the deficit, by scoring two tries, but importantly missing one of the conversions and two penalties, all of which were fairly kickable. 18-14 down with four minutes to go, we were treated to a grandstand finish, but sadly no more points were scored. Kicking practice required this week as the missed points (8) cost them the game.

As our hosts' team were playing in the second game we, of course, all supported London Wasps (who used to be just Wasps, but as they play their home games in High Wycombe, needed to add London to their name!!!)

Quins have had a fair amount of publicity recently over the "blood gate" scandal, whereby their director of rugby, Dean Richards, initiated a scam where the Quins full back took a fake blood capsule from his sock, bit the end off and squeezed the blood into his mouth so that he had to be substituted and the replacement, a kicker, could take a vital kick. This would have worked perfectly had 1)Sky cameras not filmed the capsule being taking from the sock, 2) the full back hadn't winked at his mates as he came off and 3) the blood coming from his mouth was enough to have killed him if real! All has now been revealed and suspensions and sackings followed. Dean Richards's rugby career is effectively over.

This was Quins first game since the scandal broke and within 45 seconds of the start they were involved in more blood injury headlines! Clearly their Prop forward Robson decided that everyone should know what a real blood injury should look like and therefore proceeded to head butt one of the Wasps players in the first minute. Blood did flow, so we're now clear what the real stuff looks like and this was quickly followed by a red card!! 45 seconds into the season and Quins are down to 14 men! And now the bit you couldn't make up...the referee's name that sent Robson of was Dean Richards! I kid you not.

Somewhat surprisingly the 14 men played some great rugby and took a 12-5 lead. Not good for us Wasps fans, but slowly but surely the extra man started to have an impact and the lead was firstly reduced and then eradicated as Wasps took a game winning 26-15 lead.

As a football fan I was amazed that:-

Four sets of local rival fans could all sit together in a stadium, drink copious amounts of beer and all get on well! (Imagine Arsenal, Spurs, Wet Ham Chelsea fans in a similar position, the end result would send the Newspaper editors into a tail spin)
Drinking was actively encouraged with a bar no more than 20 yards from you at any time!!
Returning to you seats with a drink was a good thing, not a criminal offence which would get you ejected from the ground.
Two games of rugby only cost £15.

Salvation tambourine

2009-09-01T20:40:00.001+01:00

I've just been to my first outdoor festival, namely the Greenbelt Christian Arts festival at Cheltenham race course. It was brilliant!

Here are some thoughts/highlights/comments.

Getting up at silly o'clock on Friday to drive in convoy proved worthwhile and we managed to all camp together in an area not too far away from the action.
I walked miles over the course of the week-end.
The site was split into two main sections. The first was based around the main grandstand and facilities it enjoys. The second area was in the middle of the course and was made up entirely of an area of tents, stands and marquees. The main stage was adjacent to the grandstand in a large area where all could comfortably view the acts.
Over the four days I saw (in no particular order) Athlete, Duke Special, Royksopp, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Sixpence None The Richer, One EskimO, Foy Vance, Martyn Joseph, The Apples, Reem Kelani (three times!), Cornershop, Peggy Sue, a classical concert of 13 pieces by Sir John Tavener and Foreign Slippers (including a girl wearing a hat with a tree on it!). That was just the music.
I went to talks, comedy, a film, the pub (The Jesus Arms), drank lots of coffee and managed to eat and share great times with friends.
I had not expected the range of food available to buy.
Rob Bell was great to finally listen to and his talk ("Drops like Stars") and the "in conversation with..." were both excellent. As a liberal Church leader in USA, he said he was amazed at how free-thinking and ahead of the States, he found the UK.
I didn't get to see either of Simon Mayo's items.
The theme of the week-end was "Standing in the long now" which is a Brian Eno phrase and he was at one time keen to attend but in the end unable to be there.
Robert Beckford has shaved off his dreadlocks.
Both Beer and hymn sessions were hysterical. Imagine "Lord of the Dance" a la Chas and Dave!!
We were very lucky with the weather, although waking up at three thirty in the night to put on another layer to keep warm, in August, is surreal.
I decided before the week-end that Reem Kelani's Palestine folk songs were something I could do without but ended up seeing her three times while waiting for other things.
You need to see the film, "the age of stupid". It's very scary re climate change.
It's amazing in a crowd of 35000, how many times you bump into your children.
What did we do before mobile phones?
The toilets were ok, helped by also being able to use the "proper ones" in the grandstand!

Livin on a prayer

2009-08-21T21:21:00.004+01:00

Fun day today at Bournemouth Air show.

This is a fairly new incarnation, devised by Bournemouth Tourist Board and others to generate income for the Town, during the "credit crunch". It is free and uses one of the Town's best features, i.e. the seafront to host a series of aircraft and helicopters to entertain the watching crowds.

I went with my friend Vicki, her friend Tina and six boys (including my sons). As the traffic was likely to be somewhere between "bad" to "stopped sufficiently to play football in the road" we decided to go by train and therefore the nine of us turned up at Chandlers Ford station at 10 am this morning. First surprise was the deal we were able to agree as a party of nine. Not too sure the rest of the queue were quite so impressed, but we all got tickets before the train departed, so no harm done.

All trains were on time and so an hour later we disembarked at Bournemouth station and after a stop at Asda to purchase lunch (and hoodies – it wasn't as hot as first expected) we walked the 20 minutes or so down to the main park to eat lunch.

Suitably refreshed we then wandered over to the seafront, just in time to see the start of the show, namely the Red Arrows. Now I've seen them before, but they are still amazing and the skill they use to avoid each other is incredible. Their display lasted 20 minutes and was riveting.

There then followed various other displays, including a Lancaster bomber, Spitfire and Hurricane, a helicopter display team, two bi-planes (with wing walkers) and finally a Typhoon Euro fighter.

The helicopters, while sedentary compared to the Red Arrows, was just as skill full and the pilots showed why, as a military weapon, they are so vital. After all, as the announcer was quick to point out, the Red Arrows can't fly backwards!

The Euro fighter was the final plane and was by far the loudest. It came sweeping across from the eastern end of the beach and then as it reached the pier turned out to sea, its engines burning orange as it shot out to sea and the noise was incredible. A further 5 minute show ensued, built mainly on how loud and fast it is, but impressive none the less!

The seafront and surrounding areas were packed and along the front were a good mile and a half of displays and attractions. In terms of bringing much needed cash to the area, it must have been a success.

We got the train home, I guess some people in their cars are still somewhere on the A31.

Stop making sense

2009-08-09T11:39:00.001+01:00

Saw an interview with David Byrne on BBC this morning. Never really been a fan, but he was fascinating.

The interviewer, Sophie Rayworth, best known as a news reader, did an excellent job in letting him do most of the talking. The BBC also seemed to understand the size of star that they had and also devoted sufficient time to allow us to get to see the man underneath the image

At one point he admitted that when younger he may have had personality traits close to aspergers syndrome He also seemed fairly sure there would be no Talking Heads reunion.

Still crazy after all these years

2009-08-02T16:57:00.002+01:00

So winter starts next Saturday as the Football League re-commences. The season starts at 12.45pm as Saints take on Millwall as St Marys in the first live game of the season. So before anyone else kicks a ball we may only be -7 points!

So how do I see this season? Well I have none of last season's hope, but as we were relegated, I also expect to be less wrong than I was then!

We start this season in a completely different state (& league!) than a year ago. Then, we frustratingly played some great pre-season football especially against West Ham (and again a bit later against Birmingham in the Carling Cup). All too quickly the cynics were proved correct, however, as the youth and inexperience (and some injuries) proved that we were too weak for the Championship. While JP seemed to talk a good game, in reality the financial peril that club was in (and of which we were mainly unaware) meant that he, and latterly Wotte, had little option than to opt for youth. That it had an unhappy ending is an understatement.

So season 2009/10 starts with Saints in League1, but now we have a proven English manager, no financial worries (but a 10 point deduction) a new wealthy owner and a fairly threadbare squad. Some of last season's problems remain in that defensively we still look vulnerable to crosses (no jokes) and scoring goals looks dependant on adding to the squad. The charade of administration and funding the overheads while we found a buyer has robbed us of one quality player and a striker who did know where the goal was. There is also no guarantee that others won't leave before the end of the transfer window. Both Saganowski and Rasiak have been expected to look elsewhere, having spent part of last season out on loan. While the financial need to reduce the wage bill is gone, sensible financial control may suggest that we could get either younger or better strikers for the same or less money. Time will tell.

Our new manager Alan Pardew has put his back room staff together and his main priority will now be strengthening the squad and, for once, some money may be available, again time will tell.

In reality this should be a season of consolidation, with our first task to get to 0 points as quickly as we can. Thereafter mid-table mediocrity seems the best we can hope for, but who knows. If we get a tall defender, score some goals and confidence begins to build then maybe, just maybe we could squeeze into the play-offs and that, as we know, is a lottery thereafter!!!!

Show me

2009-08-01T10:02:00.001+01:00

I'm not sure that Twitter is fully understood as the concept that it is.

Too many cynics are writing it off as a waste of time. The comment most heard is " why do I need to know that so and so has just driven to work". Well true you don't, so don't follow that person. As Twitter gives you the right to follow who you want to then you're in control.

Where it really works however, is in following the news. Most media outlets have a Twitter feed that you can follow. This means that you can keep up todate across a number of websites through Twitter (especially useful if using a phone). The tweet will give you the bullet point headline (& maybe a bit more) with link to the website if you want read the full story.

You do need to review who you follow as some people do tweet too much and can be a pain. But that is easily solved by stopping following them!

After all without Twitter I would never have heard this joke. "my mate's wife has left him. Took his Bob Marley CD's and his satelitte dish - no woman no sky!

-- Post From My iPhone

Carry on my wayward son

2009-07-18T21:25:00.002+01:00

Earlier this week it was announced that the major supermarkets had reduced their carrier bag usage by 48%, which is an excellent performance.

My involvement in this achievement has been to build up quite a collection of "bags for life" which I have acquired by accepting free ones and paying for some. They sit inside my front door in a box for usage. But sadly that is all they do. It doesn't matter how hard I try, I end up in the queue at the checkout and remember the pile at home.

I would like to say sorry to the world, I will try harder.

Starting over again

2009-07-09T23:58:00.000+01:00

I've watched the events unfolding at St Marys over the last 97 days with a mixture of dispair, fear, horror, laughter and finally relief!

While the "Pinnicle" groups takeover had, on the face of it, lots of things going for it, in reality it increasingly became "the foolish man built his house upon the sand". When they pulled out, however, it did look pretty bleak until Markus Liebherr re-entered the bidding. It does appear that he was close to securing "exclusivity" before Pinnicle beat him to the punch.

Now Saints have a new German owner (who live in Switzerland). He is worth over a billion and says he is in it for the long term. But who ever says anything else? He's already sacked the manager and the press release is couched in words of quiet Germanic efficiency.

This time last year I was quite taken by JP and is youth policy, look where that ended! Now I'm a bit more circumspect.The choice of manager will be crucial to our progress next season, it may even be the good old director of football/coach scenario, who knows?

I'll watch the next few weeks with interest.

Bring me sunshine

2009-07-02T19:06:00.006+01:00

Next Wednesday the Ashes start and for the two months we'll be gripped by what we hope will be a titanic battle, resulting in the victory for the England team (or should that be England & Wales)

Here are some of my thoughts:-

KP is not scoring runs as flowingly as he should. He will need to change this, but is capable of rising to the occasion
Cardiff as a venue for the first test match is, as "Yes Minister" would put it, a brave decision. It could be even courageous!
Sky Sports have given me the ability to watch the "action" live on my laptop. As I'm a Sky Sports subscriber, for free.
We appear to have better spinners than the Australians; it's a long time since we've been able to say that.
This series will either make or break, Andrew Strauss as England captain.
Ricky Ponting needs to have a great series with the bat for the Aussies to retain the Ashes, if he doesn't the effect on the rest of his team could be terminal.
It's all very exciting and let's hope at the end, like Eric Morecambe, we've got our hands on the little urn.

Bargain

2009-06-03T20:33:00.004+01:00

Yesterday I bought one of these, a Revo "bLik" radio station, which there's not much it doesn't do, apart maybe from make a cup of tea .

Firstly it's an internet radio. This requires a wifi connection, but is very easy to set up and within seconds you'll be scrolling down the lists of stations available (including BBC radio stations). Given my friends Luann & Steve's connections with Woxy in America I found that first and marvelled at the sound quality. There is also a web site where you can find favourite radio stations on-line and through weird science involving the radio's i/d tag it drops them into your favourites on the radio!

Secondly it's a DAB radio which means you can listen to Radio 5 Live in crystal clear reception, as well as Planet Rock.

Thirdly it's the good old FM radio.

Next, it streams media from your laptop, via the wifi, so you can play music through it. True it only plays Windows Media 11 files, but still...streaming music!

Finally you can plug your iPod into it and it will play that as well!

Oh and it also has an alarm clock in it, can be played through a stereo and brings you wealth and fortune. (Ok maybe not the last one, but enough already)

Normally they cost £177, but yesterday Currys Digital in Portsmouth (yes my job means I have to work in that City, sorry) were selling them "priced to clear"" at £49!!! To say I skipped back to my desk would be an understatement.

The Invisible Man

2009-05-30T18:16:00.001+01:00

The Southern Evening Echo is today reporting that there is one wealthy individual behind the bid the buy the Saints to which the administrator has given a period of exclusivity.

In an open letter to fans, Tony Lynam, the public face of the prospective buyer, says that the individual has "SUBSTANTIAL wealth - several hundred million." Now that is exactly what we needed to hear! He also indicates that Matt Le Tissier will be involved in the club in some way as well. More good news.

Suddenly there is hope. Now all we need is to get those 10 points back and hope that the new owner is not a mate of Rupert Lowe!!

The road not taken

2009-05-25T19:58:00.001+01:00

So league football is over again and the ups and downs are all decided.

The Premiership has lost WBA, 'Boro and Newcastle. It has gained Wolves, Birmingham & Burnley. That doesn't make it stronger, merely a bit more nostalgic for those who remember Burnley and Wolves battling it out for the League title. While Stoke and Hull (just) survived, they will form, together with the three promoted teams and Sunderland (unless they inject lots of cash and employ a good manager), Portsmouth (please) and Bolton the bottom third of the table. It could be a bumper relegation battle next season!!

The Championship will have the three relegated teams, Sheff Utd, Leicester, QPR (world's richest club???), Reading and Cardiff. When you bear in mind that any team in it could beat any other team, it could be a far closer league than the Premier League.

As for League One well that has at least four teams in it who were recently in the Premier league!

Roll on August!

Lust for life

2009-05-16T14:17:00.003+01:00

Is this the scariest magazine cover ever? If someone on the tube sat opposite you is reading Word magazine, you might just want to move somewhere else.

I think Word magazine is a mighty fine read, but they may well find that this month's circulation numbers are a tad below the norm.

Get with the programme

2009-05-04T14:17:00.001+01:00

Listened to an interesting Podcast* this morning on the future of Radio and DAB in particular. It raised some good points about how DAB is fast becoming the bridge between FM and the internet, the latter being the eventual medium through which we will listen to "radio".

This got me thinking and here are some random thoughts.

Does DAB exist in America? If it does, what's it like and what does it broadcast that FM radio can't?
If the answer to 1 above is no, then DAB surely never had a future!
Once the BBC puts either an App on iTunes or flash on the iPhone then streaming BBC content could become so easy that why would you want a DAB radio?
The Car. While podcasts, music and silence offer good alternatives, listening to the radio in the car would still be a good percentage of driver's first choice. Listening to DAB radio in a car is, in my experience, at best frustrating, at worst downright dangerous. I have both a portable DAB and one that that attaches to my iPod. That latter is so cumbersome as to be almost impossible to set up. The former just plugs in to my car stereo via the same lead as my iPod. The reception with both is patchy at best, which is mainly down to ariel issues. I haven't ever been in a car with DAB "plumbed in" so that may be a completely different experience, but if DAB radio is to have a future, good in car reception is vital.
Commercial radio in this country is doomed if it doesn't realise that "personality" is still a big driver in peoples listening habits. Look at the listener figures for Moyles, Wogan, and Ross etc... Commercial radio is mainly made up of pre-recorded segments dropped into playlists. If therefore you work in an office which has one of these stations on all day (which occasionally I do) this means that you will hear more or less the same songs throughout the day. Let's be honest Chris Moyles can go 10/15 minutes without playing any music and we love him for it.
It is possible to still do the cheaper pre-recorded version with personality. Planet Rock uses Rick Wakeman on Saturday morning to broadcast from 10 until 1pm. It's clearly pre-recorded. Last Friday & Saturday he was at Hampton Court performing "The Six wives of Henry VIII" live, so I guess he was tucked up in bed, while his virtual self was on the radio. Still a good show though with great music and lots of humour. But I tune in to listen to him.
DAB only really exists for me to listen to Radio 5 live, Radio 5 live sports extra (i.e. Test match cricket commentary) and Planet Rock. Put them on FM I'd be happy to see DAB filed under Betamax & HDD.

*Guardian Media podcast available via iTunes called "Six weeks to save digital radio"

Never Forget

2009-04-28T20:48:00.005+01:00

This is Pixie Lott and I predict great things are ahead for her.

She is a singer and has the voice that the 21^st Century demands of a girl singer, I.E. she has that Amy/Adele/Duffy "smoked too many cigarettes" sound.

Her first single comes out in a couple of weeks and the song is well chosen and it's easy after a couple of listens to find you're humming it. One of the producers involved on her album (out in September....yes they have her career planned out in military detail) is Daniel Bedingfield and the single does sound like his sister could be singing it. A video that looks expensive and will find itself being played on all the right channels will only underpin the music.

Today she's featured on the BBC home page (how I found her) and she has recently both appeared on Radio 1 and performed a "Saturday Session" for Dermot O'Leary on Radio 2 where she covered "Never Forget" by Take That. You can find the video here

As you can see by the photo she is very pretty and allied with her voice and music I expect to see her featured heavily in next year's Brit awards!

Down down

2009-04-25T09:24:00.000+01:00

I'm off to St Marys this afternoon. It will be a strange afternoon. In reality our last game as a Championship team until who knows when?

I've not really been able say what I think, as to be honest, I don't know!

All I do know is that the worst place to be told you've had 10 points deducted is Portsmouth!

-- Post From my iPod

Easter

2009-04-14T19:59:00.002+01:00

The family has been together this week-end at my Sister's house in Somerset.

Highlights included :-

The chocolate fountain being unboxed and broken in. The front lawn now has lots of chocolate in it!!

A trip to Weston to play a round of putting, which got quite tense towards the end. I came third, a 5 on the 13^th ending my hopes of lifting the "Weston Open" title in 2009. Then we sauntered down to the other end of the beach where the "Weston Eye" now dominates the sky-line. I gave Matt my camera to take on board and close to 50 photos returned on the memory stick!

On Monday after a trip to the Clarks Outlet shpping village, we de-camped to Glastonbury, which is weird and a bit scary. At no other point during the weekend did we pass anyone in full frock coat accompanying a lady in full length Edwardian dress!

Talk, talk

2009-04-01T20:45:00.002+01:00

Football punditry is not great on the BBC, but it drops a number of levels on ITV.

Tonight we have Andy Townsend (ok ex-Saint, but wouldn't get a job on the BBC), Teddy Sherringham (dull, dull, dull. One for the female viewers is the best I can suggest) and worst of all... Joe Cole.

Now he would be playing tonight (or at least on the bench) if he wasn't injured. So what's he going to say? Hmmm..." the lads done good/tried hard/were unlucky" is the most insight you're going to get from a current member of the squad, whose mates are playing! What we need is a proper impartial pundit, hopefully a journalist to give some balance, but there's little chance of that happening. The main attribute you seem to need is to have played the game, not be able to string together an original or "whisper it" critical opinion.

That's why Baddiel & Skinner or most football podcasts are so good...no ex-players!!!

I want to tell you

2009-03-28T08:19:00.002Z

Hmmmmm...it's been a while since I sat at my keyboard & wrote something to go on here.

So what's been going on? Well my 50th birthday celebrations actually seemed to last well over a week.

They started on the Friday before with a Chinese meal with friends. It was that night that I learned that this was a "big" birthday and that badges and wacky cards would be the order of the day (I've always tried to duck that sort of thing!!). It was a great evening and got the celebrations off to a good start.

The next day my Sister and her family were staying with Mum so we all went out and had lunch near Romsey. It was the first we had all been out like that without Dad so there was an element of sadness, but I still got presented with chocolate cake with candles.

The Sunday was quieter until the evening, when my friends Steve & Luann, who live in Cincinnati and were over visiting, held their normal "at home" at the King Rufus pub. I went along to see them, but friends we have in common took the chance to bring helium balloons with my age on them! On the actual day (a Monday, which I took off of work)) I had lunch with my Mother and then took my sons for a meal in the evening.

The big finale was on the following Friday, when my friends Diana & Roger kindly hosted a party at their house for me. There were about 40 of us there and yes I added another balloon to my collection. It was another wonderful evening, with DJ Matt providing suitable 70's and 80's music. No Yes though, he drew the line at that! Lots more rude cards, some fine conversation and even some dancing (of the Dad variety).

The final post script was last Sunday, when at church, before the service I received my third and final balloon!!

In between all that has been work (challenging to say the least) and dealing with Dad's estate which is nowhere near a conclusion and will need a few more hours yet! Why are tax forms so confusing?

Born in the 50’s

2009-03-14T08:06:00.005Z

If you drew a Venn diagram of two groups comprising "People born in the 50's" and "People who have not had their 50^th birthday" the overlap would be very small, but I, as I write this, would still be in it!

After Monday however I will only be in the first category.

But thanks to the excellent "Word" magazine I can tell you that I'm not alone in reaching this milestone this year. The following are also 50 during 2009:-

Simon Cowell – slightly wealthier than me!
Hugh Laurie – I'm the same age as Bertie Wooster
Morrissey – So I can play "Heaven knows I'm miserable now" and connect to the man singing it.
Morten Harket – well let's face it he's not old is he...and I'm the same age as him!
John McEnroe – hmmm thought he was older than that!
Susanna Hoffs (lead singer of the Bangles) – I've taken the day off so it won't be a "Manic Monday"! Ta-da!
Sheena Easton – female version of Morten above.
Ben Elton – no longer "alternative" then.
And finally....the Mini and Barbie - I've only owned one of them.

So I'm in good company and actually not old at all!

This is the modern world

2009-03-07T09:58:00.005Z

"The only constant I am sure of, is this accelerating rate of change" Peter Gabriel from the track "Downside – Up".

Recently two new "concepts" have reached me, namely "Spotify" and "Twitter". Each has had large amounts of media coverage. But my instinct is that both have still not really been understood as to the impact they could have, on both the way we listen to music and we receive the news.

Firstly Spotify. This is a music service where you can "stream" music to your computer, for no charge, and listen to whole albums or if you want, put together a playlist and listen to all sorts of things. . The only price you pay is that every 20 minutes or so you have to listen to an advert, which appears for 20 seconds or so between songs. Last weekend I listened to the new U2 album, before its commercial release. Ok we've had services like this before, but this one is legal. Yes, Spotify are working with the record labels and legally offering this service.

Now I'm of a generation which has a physical attachment to owning music, buying that vinyl gatefold album, reading the lyrics and liner notes and the smell of the vinyl were a large part of the "listening experience"! Those days are largely gone, however, CD's diluted that and downloading music has moved us further away. There is still some demand for a product to hold, but Spotify will allow you to have your music when ever or wherever you want (subject to a broadband connection) and you don't have to pay for it! It has the ability to completely change the music industry. It also raises a number of questions if you are a musician as how you get paid for your art but increasingly live work is where an artist makes any money rather than the music itself. Will a generation ahead look back at us and laugh at how we either owned copies of music or paid for it?

Secondly - Twitter. This is a web based service where you can post "tweets", which are messages of no more than 140 characters. Other uses of Twitter can follow you, and thus read your posts. Then they can reply to you, if appropriate, or post tweets themselves. Following is very easy, you find the person on Twitter and then click on the "follow" button and you're connected! As a technology it transfers easily to mobile phones and iPods and means that mobile tweeting is fairly simple. Out of that has grown a whole phalanx of "Twitterers" mainly well known TV and radio stars, which we can follow and know either what they are doing or what their shows etc are showing, doing or what guests are coming in. In addition media outlets now have twitter accounts and it is becoming the best way of receiving the news as quickly as possible. The Hudson River plane crash was all over Twitter far quicker than the news broadcast media could achieve it. You can also post photos, via a link to twitter, so there were also photos of the rescue on twitter, via mobile phones on the shoreline, while the TV director was ordering his film crew to go there. The potential is unknown, but in an age of hunger for knowledge as soon as possible, Twitter will be, at least for the moment, an important technology.

My Father

2009-02-21T19:58:00.002Z

Yesterday was Dad's funeral and thanksgiving service and it was all that we hoped it would be.

The burial at the cemetery was, as you would expect, fairly emotional but the sun shone brightly and having all of the family there really helped keep us all strong. One strange thing that i didn't expect was the box of earth offered to us all to scatter on the coffin. Especially as when previous asked by my boys whether it would happen had replied "you've been watching too many American films!"

The timing worked well and we arrived at the Church with five minutes or so to spare. As we were welcomed, I glanced into the church and was amazed to see that the church looked nearly full. We had no idea how many people would turn up, but we hadn't really expected that number!

The service comprised four hymns, two readings, my tribute on behalf of the family and prayers (some of which were written by Dad for services he had taken). My sister and Will did the readings and Matt read Dad's prayers. They all did very well and my tribute seemed to strike the right note. Apart from losing my place a couple of times (don't ad lib!) I got through with no problems, but I had written it and ensured that there were no emotional land-mines!

Afterwards there was tea, coffee and a huge spread of sandwiches, nibbles and cakes and a chance to say hello to lots of friends and family. It was a good hour and half later before we were able to pack up and head back to Mum's, where even more cake was available!

Dad would, I know, have thoroughly approved!

Ghostbusters

2009-02-14T08:07:00.003Z

The latest 118 118 advert features the boys reinacting a version of the Ghostbusters theme song. It also features Ray Parker Junior and includes the classic line "I ain't 'fraid of no goat" just as a goat appears from the back of a car!
Comedy genius.

Father, son

2009-02-07T17:52:00.011Z

My Dad passed away last Sunday evening after he could no longer fight against the blood disorder he had had for the last eighteen months.

I'll blog after the funeral and thanksgiving service (which is not until Feb 20th - it's a busy time of year!) with my thoughts about how much he meant to us all.

Mum , Jane and I were with him for the last three days of his life and while we all knew how it would end, it was still a time of love and hope.

He's at peace now and while we will all miss him terribly, we couldn't be happy seeing him struggling with the illness that slowly took all his energy. He fought it as much as he could and late last year after a 6 week hospital stay recovered sufficiently to have Christmas and New Year at home with us all.

This week has been hard for us all but has been made so much easier by all the love and kindness we have received. Mum's house looks like a florist and she has more cards than space to display them. The comments about Dad have been truly amazing and on more than one occasion moved me to tears. I have also been very moved by all the cards that my sons and I have received. All the thoughts and prayers have really really helped.

What's going on?

2009-01-25T19:29:00.002Z

So here's the story so far.....Saints appoint Jan Poortvliet (JP) as manager at the start of the season and we play good football and on occasions (Birmingham in the Carling Cup) play really good football.

Then it all starts to go wrong and as Steve Claridge (ex-Pompey football pundit) put it "they play great football in the middle of the pitch but can't defend or score goals!" Slowly we have sunk down the Championship and now reside one spot off the bottom. Last game we lost 2-1 at home to Doncaster (!) and the fans started fighting amongst themselves. Most fans want Rupert Lowe and Michael Wilde off of the board and JP had lost the fans support as well, mainly due to one home victory all season.

Last Friday, a couple of days after a board meeting, from which he appeared to emerge unscathed, JP resigned. I'm sad to see him go but he had in reality only made things worse, despite, for a short time, playing the best football we had seen for a few years.

The board took no time at all to replace him with Mark Wotte (in the photo he's on the right, JP on the left). He was the Academy Director and Reserve team manager and appears the cheap option as we have no money.

Two things may be relevant. One, we did look at Wotte as manager, before George Burley, so maybe he was who we wanted all along? Secondly Wotte's first action was to appoint Michael Svensson as part of his back room staff.

It's likely that things will get no better, but hope springs eternal.

Meanwhile Spurs and Pompey both went out the FA Cup this weekend and Nathan Dyer, on loan to Swansea, scored the first goal against Pompey. In these small things we find joy.

Our House

2009-01-23T20:31:00.003Z

This house was built by my great grand-father (that's my Dad's grandfather!). It's also the house where my Dad was born in 1932!

It's on the Isle of Wight about 2 miles east of the village of Brighstone and on most journey's to see my Aunt, who lives in Brighstone, my sister and I would be encouraged to look out for it as we drove past.

It's currently on the market for £425k! It's strange to find a house that I "know" so well suddenly being worth quite so much, even in the current market. It's not been in the family for a while now but it's still "strange".

American Idiot

2009-01-19T21:33:00.003Z

Tomorrow sees the end of eight years of Republican rule in the White House, as "W" leaves office, to a deafening silence of approval for his achievements .

Obama inherits a country engaged in two wars and with economic problems the like of rarely, if ever, seen before.

So what did President Bush achieve while in office that he can look back on with pride?

Well he kept a lot of satirists and comedians employed and generated an entire industry of web-sites and video clips of his various gaffs and mis-pronunciations. Actually on occasions he nearly created an entire new language.

Other than that ....hmmm....no nothing else,,, goodbye George and good night.

The winner takes it all

2009-01-18T16:30:00.003Z

This is a bit of an experiment as I have inadvertently discovered while watching Spurs vs. Portsmouth that I can "blog" using Microsoft Word 2007.

This is an interesting game of football as I want both to go down, so that Harry walking out will have relegated two teams. I think that the best way for that to happen will be a draw, but if Spurs win I'll not be sad!

0-0 at present, but a long way to go yet!!

Re-make/re-model

2009-01-16T20:15:00.005Z

I had my hair cut this week (thanks, yes it does look good) and it got me thinking about how the experience has changed over the years.

When I was 9/10 my Dad took me to "Price's" men's hairdressers in Shirley Road, where he too had his hair cut. This involved me sitting in the chair on a board, which rested on the chair's arms, thus raising me to the prerequisite height. My only real memory of that visit was when he sharpened his cut throat razor and then used it on the back of my neck! I didn't go back there again!

Thereafter I normally went to Eddie Hornes Barbershop at the other end of Shirley, where I later discovered my good friend Paul also went, but well before we knew each other!! Between the ages of 9-16, despite the fashion for "long hair" I had essentially a "short back and sides" and therefore the hairdresser basically cut my hair as short as either my Mum or Dad instructed.

Once I was in the sixth form, I was allowed slightly longer hair until having started work, I first went to a "Hair Salon"! This was highly recommended by my friend Ian, who had discovered "Peter Carol's" in Bedford Place Southampton, where gorgeous, blond female stylists would pander to your every need. Suitably inspired by Ian's tales my best mate Grahame (that's how he spells it) & I rolled up one Saturday morning to have our hair "styled". This was the first time that part of a hair cut featured washing it first and an hour later I emerged from the salon with basically the hair style I had ever since!!!! The stylist had been every thing Ian had promised and i waited outside for Grahame who seemed to be delayed. And I waited and I waited and eventually I presumed that he had actually finished before me and got the bus home. The reason for the hair styling was our friend Rosemary's eighteenth birthday and so, as we did, I called for Grahame en route to the party at her house. When Gray opened the door I realised why we had missed each other at the Hair Salon...he had had a "Kevin Keegan" perm! Laugh, I nearly died through hysterics!!!

Now, this week's experience. I still have my hair washed, but now I lie in a massage chair while that happens and I get offered (and accept) a complementary "tea tree"face treatment and an Indian head massage. Before my hair is cut and while sat in the chair, I also have a back massage and am given an Apple Danish and a pot of Tea. Then an assistant puts a black smock over me and puts a black rubber collar round my neck and hey pesto I'm Darth Vader It's all come a long way from the cut throat razor!!!

Return of the mack

2009-01-02T18:33:00.005Z

This weekend sees the long awaited rerun of the finest F A Cup final ever. (1976 Saints 1 Man Utd 0)

While in the intervening period the two clubs fortunes have gone in opposite directions, the magic of the Cup means that we, at least, start the game thinking "you never know"!!! As an added treat my mate Dave (aka "the great Gonz") will be joining me to watch the game and those who know him will testify, that means it won't be a quiet afternoon.

The real bonus is, however, that this weekend is full of TV reruns of Bobby Stokes winner and interviews with Lawrie McMenemy (Bobby sadly no longer being with us). Lawrie still talks very fondly and amusingly on that day, although his comments about the running of the club at present were a lot less fond!!

I'm sure by 6pm on Sunday the Saints 2009 FA Cup run will be well and truly over....but it just could be that the romance of the Cup lives on.

We are the Cheeky girls

2008-12-28T12:26:00.004Z

Following my last blog entry, you need to know that while my Boxing Day cooking duties were made all the more fun by listening to streamed music, there is one event that needs telling.

Having been dancing round the kitchen (not a pretty sight - eldest son "that's why you're single" - charming!) to Snow Patrol, the next song to come on was "we are the cheeky girls", which I was pretty certain I don't own! For a good ten seconds I stood transfixed to the centre of the kitchen with a "what!!" expression on my face.

Then I realised, Matt had gone into my room and found "les Cheekies" on You Tube and then hit play at the appropriate moment.

Panic over, but well done Matt you got me!