Outwith My Comfort Zone

I thought Jimmy McGovern's "Time" was amazing. Tense isn't quite the word.

Sean Bean was great and Stephen Graham just burns up the screen.

I recently discovered that "outwith" is a Scottish word. Do people outwith Scotland not say it?

I am reading the charmingly splendid Comrade Don Camillo. 

I do wish I could rewatch the BBC series "The Little World Of Don Camillo" with Brian Blessed chewing the scenery as the local communist mayor Peppone.

On the subject of 'the good ol' days', I wonder if anyone knows whatever became of erstwhile resident Glasgow Pavilion hypnotist - and Tav Falco lookalike - Robert Halpern? No reason. He just popped into my head the other day *beat* as I was eating into a raw onion... (thank you, thank you). 

I've been listening to Alex Chilton - Live on Beale Street. "Maybelline" brought back memories of perhaps my least finest moment onstage (and that includes screwing up the drum intro to "Dumb Dumb Dumb" at my first gig with Teenage Fanclub at a festival in Santiago de Compostela, Summer 2000).

We dissolve to.... Sometime in Glasgow at the old 13th Note Club, Clyde Street. Some pals in the audience. Davie Scott on bass. Me thumping the tubs. We got to 'the end' of "Maybelline" (maybe our first song of the set?) and I so came to a halt, whacking the crash cymbal, snare and bass drum, letting it all ring out. Job done. Or so I thought.

Alex (into the mic, still strumming): "I'll tell you when I want you to stop playing - OK, Francis?"

It's jolly nice to be shortlisted in the New Music Scotland Awards 2021 for some TV composing work.

Still glad to have worked on the titles music for Inside Culture - latest episode is on i-player now.

I pre-recorded an interview for BBC Radio 4's "A Good Read". I reckon I successfully managed to lower the tone. Judge for yourself on 6th July.

Here are some frescoes in an abandoned church.

I've had reason to revisit We're On The March With Ally's Army (shut it):

"...We had to get a man who could make all Scotland proud,
He's our Muhammad Ali; he's Alistair MacLeod..."

They don't write them like that anymore.

Cheese of the week is Comté.

Au revoir.