The Next Big Thing

The state of this particular nation is relative disarray. Still it could be worse and progress was made on the landscaping front. I call it landscaping but it was really tidying the drive, mowing the lawn (neither of these are euphemisms), that kind of thing. Tonight, there will more manual labour out there. It’s the bane of my life but sadly necessity, because no-one else is going to do it. Gardening, in any form is not the new rock’n’roll, going out, in or a substitute for black. It is a soul-sucking exercise in tedium. It could well be an art form in the hands of others, not me.

The only TV I watched over the weekend was Peter Bogdanovich doc about Tom Petty that aired on BBC Four. It was really good and despite lasting nearly 4 hours it was an attention grabber. Would have been good to have had a wee bit more of how it all blew up in the UK but otherwise I found it both informative and entertaining. And I never dropped off during it so that’s perhaps the highest praise of all.

Wish I had the energy to go and see The Dum Dum Girls at Stereo tonight. The album is good and the lead gal’s name is DeeDee Dum Dum. I like that, another combo that subscribes closely to the blueprint of the Shop Assistants. There have been a slew of those lately.

Ronnie James Dio’s exit was a bit of a shock. It was just a week ago tonight when Naoko Knife namechecked him prior to launching into “Muddy Bubble Hell”. It was a surprise that he was 67 too. It’s difficult to get a beat on exactly how old people are, particularly when one is particularly aware of their own advancement in years. Still if your number is called, these “hail satan/devilhorns” have to count for something. Can’t say I was ever a fan but he was a character, and we need more of those, not these chinless divots that seem to become popular these days.

This ash cloud thing is getting to be a right pain in the ‘arris. Being that it seems to be a regular occurrence, I’m wondering how it’ll affect my quick hit and run on Barcelona in a couple of weeks. Hopefully not at all because I don’t want to be fannying around checking with the airline. Paranoia and an expectation of inconvenience are combining to bug me. With every news report I see, my toes curl ever further.

It’s a year ago tomorrow that the Rev. Lennart Persson left the theatre. Hardly seems possible. It’s also Sir Eric Goulden’s birthday – many happy returns to this “alien of extraordinary ability” as it states on his US visa. As it is he should be given the freedom of the whole galaxy, not just a poxy country. Eric and Amy have a show scheduled for “Stereo” in Glasgow on Friday September 17th. Verily a cause for celebration. Do this by ordering a copy of “Two-Way Family Favourites” in advance or hold on to your dosh until you see them play. Or both. While you tune into episode 26 of the radio show!