USED TO LIKE/HATE, NOW I HATE/LIKE

Friday 1 February 2008

WMESB™: Today’s driver thought about selling me the wrong ticket (I saw him go right to the bottom of the menu on his screen) but then he issued me with the one I asked for (“Mega 8 on your machine”), the correct one. I had my e-mail from the Operations Manager up my sleeve just in case. In a way I was quite disappointed because I was waiting for the fight!

Copying a subject from another Blog (Thanks Five-Centres), Dave, Joe and I discussed “Five Things We Used To Like But Now Hate”, “Five Things We Used To Hate But Now Like” and “Five Things We Hate and Would NEVER Like” to ease the boredom of the day.

Here are my choices:

Five things I used to like, but now hate:

Nigella Lawson (I like some meat on the bones but she’s just let herself go)
Embrace (Does every song have to be “anthemic”?)
Public transport (Fun as a child, nightmare as an adult)
My Space/Facebook/Bebo (a total waste of my time)
The Bee Gees (their attitude, not their music)

Five things I used to hate, but now like:

Black pudding/corn beef/meat in general (not big on beef though)
Diana Ross (only in her capacity as lead singer with The Supremes)
New Tricks (if only for Dennis Waterman’s comedy teeth)
Gardening (well, cutting the lawn)
Disney films (the corporation is evil but the old films are classics)

Never liked and never will like:

Ian Wright (arrogance and stupidity is a bad mix)
Liver (just vile)
Rugby Union (for people who don’t like sport)
Rosyth (makes Dunfermline look like Barcelona)
Brussel Sprouts (evil)

Well done to Rosean Carlin for getting a result against her (now former) property management company Ross and Liddell. The story is here and featured on BBC Scotland's “Scotland’s Property Nightmare” programme earlier in the year. A quick look on the www.factorcharges.info site made me laugh. When you go to the link of Recommended Factors you get…well, I won’t spoil the surprise. See for yourself HERE. I’m already had a rant about property management companies, including the one serving my area (see entry on Thursday 10 January) so I won’t go over it again but it is definitely the latest “licence to print money”. Advice: If you’re buying a house, find out if there’s a factor. There might be good ones out there but my experience is that most of them are not.

I’ve decided not to give up on my bus shelter just yet. (There were three brass monkeys there this morning crying their eyes out). Four Fife councillors cover my area but unfortunately they’re from three different parties and they don’t seem to talk to each other. You find that the minority party is the one that puts the effort in to help you and the others don’t care because they have the power. Anyway, I’ve written to one, copied the others in and we’ll see what action, if any, is taken. Watch this space, that’s right, the one where my bus shelter should be.

Every Friday is “Fat Friday”. It’s always fish and chips in the canteen and the low fat, light, fat free food is binned. I still have fruit and water but it’s the fish and chips, with tartare sauce (what’s actually in tartare sauce? It’s like mayonnaise with bits, isn't it?) that sets me up for the weekend. What with the numerous puzzles and crosswords in the Express (only reason I buy it) and the quiz one of our bosses sends us at 11am I’m surprised I have time for any work. Only joking…or am I?

Have you ever read such a pointless, muck-raking story as this from today's Edinburgh Evening News? Take away the gay and police elements of the story and what have you got? Exactly, brussel sprout. And I thought it was only the Daily Ranger who hated Lothian and Borders Police. What's also interesting is that the online version of this story has changed a number of times since it was first published today, with more quotes from Chief Inspector Lyle himself being added, and the Comments section was removed very early on. This was possibly down to the homophobic nature of some of the comments posted. I have to say that I know David and as far as I'm concerned what he does in his private life is his business. He's not doing anything illegal and it doesn't affect his ability to do his job.

Wednesday 30 January 2008

I found out yesterday that Fife Council has turned down my request for a bus shelter. I’ll just have to continue freezing my nads off as the wind tunnel that is Aberdour Road bites through my weary bones.

Following on from our discussion about our Top 10 Opening and Closing album Tracks, we moved on to our Best Ever Gigs.

Dave went for:

“1. Radiohead - Glastonbury 1997 by a mile
2. American Music Club - Venue 1992
3. Go Betweens Glasgow 1997
4. REM/10,000 maniacs Hammersmith Odeon 1987
5. New Order - Glasgow 1985 (encores were Blue Monday and Love will tear us apart!)
6. Smiths - Caley Palais 1984
7. That Petrol Emotion- Venue 1987
8. Sonic Youth/Mudhoney/ My Bloody valentine- Strathclyde Uni 1989
9. Afghan Whigs - Venue 1994
10. Buffalo Tom - Queen's Hall 1995

Saw the Pogues loads and they were always good and there was one at Barrowlands with both Strummer and Kirsty Maccoll.

Now top 5 worst gigs...

1. Felt- Venue 1987 (saw them 6 months before and they were great then but boy they sucked that night)
2. New Order - Playhouse 1985 (the night before 5 above on the best list).
3. Rose of Avalanche - Venue 1987 (Martin had no one to go with)
4. Seahorses - Glastonbury 1997
5. Weather Prophets Venue 1987

Weirdest gig ever was Nico at the Venue in 1987

1987 was the peak of my gig going career. I had a summer job and was at the Venue most weekends, which is why 6 out of 16 are from then.

And yes I did see 1000 Violins yes and they would be Top 20. Remember one night at the Venue the DJ played Consolation Prize just before they came on. '1000 Violins will play for you...' ”

I plumped for a Top 12, in no particular order, of:

Aztec Camera/The Go-Betweens – Caley Palais 1984 (highest stage in the world)
Primal Scream/Teenage Fanclub – Moray House 1986 (Stuart Cant lost money promoting this gig. Six months later they were both huge!)
The Pixies – Queen’s Hall 1988 (loudest gig ever!)
Echo and the Bunnymen/Benny Profane/KLF – Bootle, Liverpool 1990 (The KLF were in an ice cream van. I only went down to see Benny Profane. Mac wasn’t with the Bunnymen then.)
Ride – Venue 1990
The Orchids/Paintbomb! – Blue Blanket 1993 (first and last venture into rock promotion)
The Smiths – Whole Scottish tour of 7 dates, including Shetland 1985 (best 10 days gigging ever)
The Woodentops – 1986 (won tickets from Cut magazine)
The Smiths/Pete Shelley – Brixton Academy 1986 (The Smiths last ever gig)
Eugenius/The Delgados/The Kaisers – Edinburgh 1996 (great triple bill)
The Webb Brothers/I Am Kloot – The Venue, Edinburgh 2001
The Proclaimers/The Rezillos/Mull Historical Society – Princes Street Gardens 2001(Hogmanay gig that was fabulous)
The Wedding Present – Liquid Rooms 2007 (So many faces from the past in the crowd)

Not put in any 1000 Violins or Popguns but I loved each and every one of their gigs. Saw the Violins about 19 times, the most of any band.

Worst Gigs:
The Crows/Lixx – The Venue 1988 (I accompanied a friend and I hated it)
The Neighbourhood – Newcastle 1988 (A Violins gig was cancelled and Roger and I ended up at the Riverside watching a sub-Simply Red band. Then spent 6 hours in the bus station talking nonsense)
Gerry Sadowitz/Andrew Berry – Manchester 1989 (went on my own, sat on my own, got pished on my own, threw up and got the bus back home. Nookie Brown, never again)
Television Personalities – Moray House 1989 (Awful sound that seem to go on for ever)
REM/Cranberries/Belly – Murrayfield 1995 (Awful sound and full of part-time REM fans who only knew half the hits, although REM were pretty good)

1993 was my biggest year for gigs (23) and 1992/2006 were my worst with only 2 gigs. In 1992 I was in the Navy and I only saw BMX Bandits and Action Painting that year. And even then I only saw Action Painting! (who were in the transition from Sarah Records outfit to NWONW wannabes) because they played at Kelly’s Hotel in Gosport, which was just round the corner from HMS Dolphin. By the way, I can recommend Room 4 at Kelly's as it has a mirrored four-poster bed, but that’s another story - what goes on tour, stays on tour! As for 2006, when I saw Roddy Frame and Maria McKee (not together) I was just an old fart with a child and responsibilities! By the way, Happy Birthday for yesterday Roddy!