Monday, 28 December 2020

Let's Count Our Blessings

Happy Holidays an' that. I hope Santa got your Christmas list OK. I can tick off a Black Cashmere Polo Neck. Still outstanding: hang glider, shark-proof dagger, box of Milk Tray...

I watched Quentin Blake's Clown on Channel4 and enjoyed Michael Rosen's thoughts on the original book in this blog. QB is brilliant (as is MR). A certain 10 year-old recently remarked, "He draws perfectly wonky". Indeed he does.

Alan Bennett's diary in the London Review Of Books is a tonic. The entry for 16th August made me laugh out loud.

Farewell, Jim McLean, former manager of Dundee United. I just read this funny, affectionate profile of him by Neil Forsyth. (Is it just me or could Jim McLean and Gene Wilder have been separated at birth?)

Jim McLean

Gene wilder

I've been very much digging these Soviet city photos by Arseniy Kotov. 

This powerful article by Ann Patchett is long - but once I'd started reading I couldn't stop.

I recently posted this festive vignette elsewhere:
A childhood memory. Midnight Mass, St John The Baptist, Uddingston. Some folk under the affluence of incohol would roll in from the pub. One year the line to receive the Sacrament Of Holy Communion was moving particularly slowly. A muttered voice from behind - "For fuck's sake."
Other stuff I've been watching: Home Alone; Home Alone 2, Gravity Falls and - whenever I need a wee gee up - this (Billy Preston's grin while he holds his jacket and grooves to the music is all of us):


Time for another Le Carré (RIP, David Cornwell):


Marcus has cancer. Dave draws comics. This is their collaboration.

Let's count our blessings.
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Monday, 14 December 2020

What A Carry On

I didn't really plan to read anymore Beatles books anytime soon. However I received this as a birthday present a wee while ago and it's fun and extremely readable (I do love the occasional 1-page chapter):


While we're at it I enjoyed this article - 64 Reasons To Celebrate Paul McCartney.

3rd Dec was the 90th birthday of Jean-Luc Godard. I got a nice email from a producer at the German TV show "Kulturzeit" asking if I could approve the use of this video - made by Gordon Beswick and featuring art by Harry Pye et moi. I said, "Ja!"...

This song is on "Bonjour", the album me and Harry made together.

We are well into December so...

* Watch Elf with family? - TICK.
* Eat too many microwaved Tesco mince pies with a blob of creme fraiche? - TICK
* Complete Christmas shopping? - D'OH!

A propos of nothing I'm getting a bit of a taste for this:


Every time Neil Brand hosts a TV show about music, I love it. Episode 1 of this rocked my boat (for those of a certain vintage the Bagpuss section might make your mascara run).

Farewell John Le Carré....I finally got around to reading The Spy Who Came In From The Cold earlier this year. This led me to Call For the Dead, A Murder Of Quality and The Looking Glass War. Next up I reckon I'll tackle Tinker, Tailor... (right from the opening scene I loved the film starring Gary Oldham as Smiley).

Farewell, Charley Pride...As I wrote elsewhere; his Greatest Hits cassette was the soundtrack to several childhood summer holiday drives. I saw him live at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall a few years ago. A sweet wee wifie came up to the front of the stage and presented him with a jumper she'd knitted for him. He was pleased and everyone went, "Aww".

Farewell, Barbara Windsor... We bumped into her on the street outside the BBC in London after a Teenage Fanclub session. She was jolly and friendly and sweet.


Congratulations to all the 2020 BAFTA Scotland winners. Gutted that Test Drive (featuring my titles music) didn't win in the Entertainment category. But I've instructed my lawyer Rudy Guiliani to look into the appeals process for a recount. I am quietly confident.

In other news I am writing some music for harp.

Adios.

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