RockNRolla

and so, the claims are, Guy Richie "returns to form" with his latest film, RockNRolla. well, yes, kind of, if you define "return to form" as being a reworking of the formula which brought him success with his first two films; Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.

this isn't necessarily a criticism, by the way. "sticking to a formula" can be a bad thing if one thinks of the rather depressing sequence of Police Academy films, likewise it can be a rather good thing if one thinks of it in regards of Sergio Leone's westerns, or even Martin Scorsese's mob / mafia films. in regards of the latter, don't balk - how many times have you thought of a scene you think you saw in GoodFellas that was actually in Casino, or vice-versa?

so where does Guy Richie fall on this scale? well, he's nowhere near as bad as the Police Academy films, but he's not quite as close to Leone or Scorsese as he might like to think.





the plot for RockNRolla is as contrived and convoluted as the first two films from Richie - two young players (Gerard Butler and Idris Elba) want to make a name and some money for themselves, and so have to do business with an established (for want of a better term) "crimelord", here played by Tom Wilkinson. Wilkinson takes them for a ride, and has a bigger business deal on the go (with some curious Russians, no less), a deal that Butler's character inadvertently ends up involved with.

not much different, then, from the shotguns in Lock, Stock or the diamond in Snatch. oh, there is an actual physical object at the core of RockNRolla too, but i will refrain from mentioning it so as to avoid spoilers.





an interesting "twist" is the introduction of a spanner in the works in the form of Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell), an interesting character that serves as part narrator, part apparent and unrelated-to-plot slur on rock n roll stars. now i think this film was written and made before the director divorced his rather infamous wife, so i doubt this is a direct reference to her. although you never know, it could well be a contributing factor to the split.





another interesting move was the introduction of a (substantial) female character, and something akin to a love interest in the form of Thandie Newton, playing the accountant for the dodgy Russian. considering the lack of females in Lock, Stock and Snatch other than being as characters to deal cards or die, as well as the outright mess he made of a prominent female lead in Swept Away, a rather brave move for Guy Richie, and one that works. Thandie Newton gets a substantial part of the better dialogue to work with, and gives a credible acting performance with it. if nothing else, then, Richie has shown that he has avoided the Quentin Tarantino trap of not being able to write and define a female part at all. and before you start screaming Kill Bill, how was The Bride anything but a male character played by a woman?





The biggest problem I had with the film was Tom Wilkinson playing the old, established figure of Lenny Cole. Wilkinson is not a bad actor at all, but when you see him in the film, it only takes a few lines to clock that he was far from being first choice for the role. it's clear (and i have not seen any interviews of comments to this effect) that Guy Richie's actor in mind when writing this was Sir Michael Caine, followed with a second choice of Bob Hoskins. if either were ever approached and knocked it back i don't know, but i do know that watching it you can just tell that Wilkinson is doing the best he can with a part that clearly wasn't written for him.

that disappointment aside, there's nothing but top notch performances on display. Guy Butler as one-two is excellent, as are the rest of his "wild bunch" and indeed the actor that turns out to be "the wild bunch" (you'll understand when you see the film). great too is Mark Strong as Lenny Cole's henchman Archy, as well as the previously mentioned Thandie Newton.

otherwise, the standard for Guy Richie is in presence - some frenetic and wild editing, and a brain smashing soundtrack.

so, is RockNRolla worthwhile? yes, pretty much so. there's none of the fresh, new excitement of Lock, Stock and there's not the laughs and thrills of what is increasingly looking like Richie's masterpiece, Snatch. there is enough to keep you entertained for the 100 or so minutes of the film, although when you reach the end of it you might be surprised to find that the ending is the ending.

and so, for Mr Richie, it's onwards to Sherlock Holmes. this one looks very, very promising on the basis that Robert Downey jnr is in it, but also looks very, very dodgy by virtue of the fact that the horrid, talent free annoyance that Jude Law is appears in it too. good luck with that...


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

depeche mode - sounds of the universe

"only teenage girls and, really, really honest people go out and pay for music anymore.".

- Bono out of U2, Rolling Stone interview 2009.


it's rather odd that Bono, who loves shooting his mouth off about everything in the guise of some sort of expert, can't quite get a statement right in regards of the art that has made him his fortunes. i don't know too much about the teenage girls side of things, but either there are considerably more "really, really" honest people in the world than his depressing opinion suggests, or he is just flat wrong.

the phenomenon, if you will, of downloading music is indeed real, with tunes being downloaded legally and not quite so legally. to suggest, however, that not many want to go and buy the music and actually own something other than a data file is ridiculous. a good many of us are, as we have always been, happy to go out and purchase music that we like. nothing beats owning a quality record, and a download is not even better than the real thing, Mr Bono.

sure, if you are U2, and release a single that just features two songs that will feature as is on the album, you can't really expect people to rush out and buy it. likewise, there is a good deal of rubbish, and here i think of horrid, awful sounding "internet phenomenon" the Arctic Monkeys, as well as all the lazy, sampled/remixed tracks that seem to get issued by people with nothing better to do, that just isn't worth buying as it's either talent free or made on the cheap anyway. and if those self-absorbed, vastly inflated opinion of themselves wielding clowns Radiohead wish to put their album on the internet and say "you don't have to pay for this if you don't want to", what would one expect to happen?

musicians who are not quite so pompous and dismissive as U2 (as good as the recent album from them is) know this, and put as much effort into how their records are made and released now as they did before anyone thought to shove cables into computers and share music. recent singles from Oasis and Morrissey have come with lavish packaging, extra tracks and what have you, making them ace to buy. some musicians still care about a quality product being delivered to their fans, likewise their fans appreciate it enough to go out and buy it.

which brings us to the return of Depeche Mode. they have released not only an excellent song in the form of the single Wrong, but have also released it in a very desirable set that made someone like me, a casual fan of the band, very much wish to buy it, which is what i did.





if you haven't heard Wrong yet, well, switch on the radio or, even better, purchase it from your favourite store or the link above. the band, yet again it has to be said, retains their distinct sound yet deliver a fresh, new tune that's rather difficult not to turn up that bit louder on the stereo.

as well as being a great song, the album of course gets one interested and, if you will excited, about what else is to follow. and, sure enough, the album does not disappoint.


sounds of the universe is an actual, proper album. it's not a collection of songs put together to fill up a compact disc or to be just listed on some music download site. it's a record that you want to play from start to finish, with the tracks selected and put in this order with some care and consideration by the band. this is a compliment these days, once upon a time this was how all music was made and released.

how does it sound? well, "standard Depeche Mode" really, even though that's a touch lazy of me. the inherent sound and direction of the bands' music prevails here, but as ever they find a new angle or edge in what they deliver this time. the only real oddity is perhaps the title - it's a collection of introspective, soul searching songs rather than some reach for universal ideals as the name suggests. and this isn't a bad thing.

beyond the single Wrong, there's some amazing music on here. a particular standout is In Sympathy, a track which reminds one of the best the band has done, and as consequence will be ripe remix material should they (wisely) put this one out as a single in the near future. Hole To Feed is an elegant mix of a thumping funky beat and Dave Gahan reaching for the all out rock voice last heard on I Feel You. Martin Gore's obligatory go at lead vocals on this one is a great song called Jezebel; a restrained electro-jazz number which tips the hat to two bands who themselves owe rather a lot to Depeche Mode, Massive Attack and Portishead. the same could be said for Spacewalker, a beautiful instrumental piece of a sound that, now that i think of it, gives some credit to the lofty ambitions of the album's title.

if the album comes anywhere close to not being perfect, it would be the track Peace. now, unless the song is by John Lennon, any and all songs with the word "peace" in the title should be approached with caution. whereas this one isn't bad musically (the ace bass intro is quality), the lyrics, although for the most part as introverted and personal as the majority of the album, often sound a bit like that which Bono would jot down after a meeting with the Pope, the Dali Lama, Steven Jobs, Bill Gates and Dick Cheney. except that, going on the sound of his bands' last album, Bono couldn't write a sing this good right now.

so then, if you haven't worked it out, sounds of the universe is an album well worth your time. give the single Wrong a listen - if you can get into the groove of that, then do not hesitate in purchasing the whole album.

now if only more bands (like, for instance, U2) put this kind of effort in.


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dressing up in New Zealand

hey everyone


well, it seems that Katie and Daniel have been busy in the wardrobe! Katie loves nothing more than dressing up like a little princess (well, she is a little princess after all), and who would stop Daniel from finding out what all the fuss was about?





it looks like they are having an ace time playing with it too - look, here they are ready to hit downtown on their wheels to show off the new look!





and, if i am not mistaken, they have decided that the clothes are most suitable for a quick go at doing The Time Warp!!





nice one! it looks like these two are having just as much fun as Grandad is sleeping on the couch from a post or two ago!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nurse Katie

hey everyone


well, it would seem that Katie has adopted a taste for a medicinal lifestyle! here she is showing off her ace nurse uniform!





it's no bad thing at all that she is bringing her skills to New Zealand. Q disease, my research has led me to believe, does not exist in New Zealand and thus does not affect their sheep population at all. it is probably very wise, then, that Katie gives her daddy Grant an inoculation for this so he doesn't spread it about when he goes for a "walk" to see the sheep!





whoops! oh dear, it looks like Katie has given daddy a little bit too much inoculation, leaving him fast asleep on the couch.





oh well, i dare say there will be one or two delighted shepherds, as well as several disappointed sheep!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday afternoon

hey everyone

here's a great shot of Dad and Marmite getting ready to watch tv on a Saturday afternoon!





now, in fairness, Dad's been putting a new filter in the pond for most of the morning, as well as some work in the garden, so he deserves some rest! Marmite will have had a busy day running around after him, too!

although, it has to be said, for the first few months that we were together this was the view Michele had of my Dad when we went to visit. after the first 4 or 5 times of seeing him laid on the couch she did wonder if he was actually disabled, but was too shy to ask!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

our friend Fred fishes his whopper out and waves it about in France.....

hey everyone

well, you may very well remember our good friend Fred appearing on this site a little while ago. yes, that's right, he was the gent who was on holiday here when Johannesburg Water decided to just have water outside of houses instead of letting it flow through the pipes to the taps within the house, and thus had a shower in the street.

when Fred is not visiting us, he has many, many fine interests that keep him occupied. one of them would be the noble art of fishing. thanks to the glory of the interwebnet thingie, i am delighted to be able to show off some of his fine catches here!






these pics are from an expedition to France. i would suggest, then, that they have some rather large fish in the waters of France!





whilst we all love and admire Fred and all that he has done, this next picture is a touch on the sinister looking side, isn't it? rather than Fred, he looks like "Don Fredo", and the look on his face suggests that he's thinking "any more pictures and you will be sleeping with the fishes".





nice one Fred, congratulations on what very much looks like a rather successful trip across the channel! erm, unless of course these fish were the ones that upset the French fishermen so much that the barricaded the ports, in which case you may want to keep a low profile!

in the mean time, we all hope you and Chris are doing well, and we of course look forward to your next visit. we promise to try and make sure that the water works along more conventional means when you are here!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my mate Spiros - action man

hey everyone

well, my good friend and bum chum Spiros is a vastly talented gent with many interests. one of the lesser spoken of is his penchant for getting hot and sweaty with other men whilst performing the craft of martial arts.

this has been something that Spiros has been dedicated to for many years, and he is rather good at it - a black belt, no less. sure, it hasn't been all plain sailing, with the occasional defeat to an 11 or 12 year old girl in a high profile tournament causing the odd setback. he is, however, more dedicated and talented in this fine discipline than i would usually give him credit for.





now, this next "action shot" of him is rather interesting. to the untrained eye he might look like has a bit of a limp wrist thing going on with his left hand, he assures me that this is part of his special style.





as it is unlikely that i would survive more than a few seconds in a bout with him, i am quite happy to take his word for this, and indeed applaud his class style.

when not involved with this, Spiros is currently trying to find the film Turk 182. this was a rather fine "cult" film starring Timothy Hutton and the late, great Peter Boyle. whereas he has not found this film as such as yet, he did find a low budget, sort of amateur film starring a "hairy Turk gent". it didn't really sound like it had a plot anywhere close to Turk 182 (or any plot at all for that matter, since the whole thing seems set in a gentleman's rest facility), but nonetheless he seems rather to have enjoyed it anyway.


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the three Rs.........

....as in Ridley Scott, Russel Crowe and Robin Hood!

this film is due for release in 2010, so there's a little while to go yet, but at least one picture has emerged from the set thus far!





now, a lot of people are mumbling about this. the main gripes would be that they can't see Russel Crowe in the part, hoping instead that Christian Bale would have taken it on. well, Bale as Robin Hood and Crowe as the Sheriff of Nottingham would have had some appeal i guess. more appeal that Ridley's first (and i think since rejected) idea of Crowe playing both parts, at least.

my view, however, was that the standard of actor suitability to to play Robin Hood dropped to practically anyone (except the horrid Jack Black) being qualified to play the part after Kevin Costner was seen as a good choice for it.
as the picture shows, however, thus far Mr Crowe at least looks the part. Ridley Scott has a rather good record with films, let's trust him!

i would imagine that all proper film fans, as in not those who just complain about every film ever made, wish this project well.


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Zealand observations......

hey everyone

well, firstly, my rather sincere, heartfelt and earnest apologies to a number of people for the delay in putting up some pictures from Mum & Dad's trip to New Zealand. i know that i promised to quite a while; i just have not had the chance to sit down and give them a decent write-up. it has also taken quite a bit of time to go through some 50% of the 9GB (!) of pictures Dad alone brought back; i have yet to dare to look at the ones Mum has!


anyway, on with the pics and the comments, or observations, i guess! a great hobby of my father is the apparent quasi-stalking of people. fanatical or disturbed readers of my site may recall the infamous Stalking Barrie update from December 2007, where my Dad took a number of pictures of this fine gent for me to post here. well, being on holiday in New Zealand to see Gillian, Grant, Katie and Daniel didn't stop him from stalking them a little bit too, as these pictures reveal....





this is at a race track, where Mum & Dad went ahead to before the fine Farnworth family. i am sure there was some sort of reason given for them going off ahead of them, but as we see and kind of know, the actual reason seems to have been to sit and wait to capture them on camera arriving, no matter how many hours my Dad had to sit on a roof and wait for the perfect shot.





in his defence, and i do with reluctance defend his "stalking" habits as a bit of good fun, he did get some rather nice 'surprise' real life images of them! as you can see, Grant is well aware of cameras being focused on him, so he has a bit of a George Clooney / Michael Jackson without the face-mask disguise on the go.


and speaking of Grant, it's his birthday in May. one wouldn't wish to spoil any birthday surprises, but it seems that Mum and Gillian spent a little bit of time weighing up a possible birthday gift for him.





it's a very cute little lamb, and i am sure if they got this for him, Grant would have hours of fun watching the little thing chew grass in the garden. and he might even take it for walks. and, of course, [TEXT OBSCURED ON LEGAL ADVICE] probably wouldn't occur to him, but you never know.

speaking of something which rhymes with something that Grant might do with a sheep, here's the elegance and grace of dining out in New Zealand. i am no expert on the subject, but looking at the size of those glasses, i guess they take their wine rather seriously over there!





no Katie and Daniel in that picture - it's entirely possible that they were the ones taking the photographs, though. who knows? perhaps they have been inspired by James' fine worth as a lensman!

as nice as it is that my Dad gets to stalk people in a "friendly" way and eat at fine restaurants, the main purpose of his trip to New Zealand was of course to see Katie and Daniel. the dear cousins of James and Lyla are not as lucky as they are to see Grandad so often, and so Katie and Daniel made sure that they made the most of the time they had.





my Dad's dream is to one day have all of his grandchildren all together. this would be a dream well worth pursuing, i think it's something that we would all love! donations of a strictly financial nature to make this happen would be gladly received!

still, it's not as bad as it could be. with all this new-fangled technology we at least get to speak and see pictures on a frequent basis. when we moved to Australia back in the 80s, all that was available was the occasional late night, expensive phone call!


on that note, here's some fine pics of the two of them! first off, Katie and Daniel enjoying a fine spot of lunch out in the garden!




that looks like a rather nice spread indeed! it's very handy that they have a slide close by too - one never knows when one shall need the feel for a bit of a slide after a bite of a sandwich or a spoonful of whatever is in those bowls!

and on that note, here's Daniel about to have a go down that slide. it rather looks like his ace looking Winnie the Pooh ball is going to be going with him - i guess he gets the same class ideas that James does from time to time!





here's Katie, enjoying some refreshments on a pleasant summer afternoon in New Zealand. well, i guess by now you know she's in New Zealand, but i thought it was worth mentioning again.





i love how she is innocently having the lemonade with two pints of ale nearby whilst the camera is out! she does have a touch of her mothers' naughty look about her, so i dare say she will be supping a pint when the camera was put away. or, rather, she would have a sup of the pint if the camera was ever put away.....

...which it wasn't ever, apparently. Dad must have been thrilled to see that McDonalds have spread as far as New Zealand, and what better place to try and do some more 'stalking' pictures? Katie and Daniel seem to have got a bit wise to this hobby, and have wisely taken shelter behind a most excellent looking Bill & Ben machine toy thing!





i wonder if one can buy Root Beer to go with their tasty meal in a McDonalds in New Zealand? other than the fact that the McDonalds here does not do their ace bacon & cheese burger, they also have dropped this fine beverage from the menu for us in South Africa too. a great shame.


anyway, here's a shot of Katie and Daniel playing with their toys in the garden. each others' toys, that is.





well, i think that they are playing with each others' toys, although that could me just being old fashioned. i have no doubt that it would seem like a good idea to Gillian to get Katie a motorbike, and i dare say that Grant would consider it a great idea to get Daniel a make-up table and accessories, as he probably wanted one as a child and never got one!


and finally, Mum and Dad on a ferry in Auckland. Dad quite likes the sea life - NOT in the "hello sailors!" sense that some, like my good friend Spiros, take to, but just being out on the vast water the world has to offer.





so, there we have it. Auckland in particular and New Zealand in general really look like amazing, beautiful places. with some good fortune we shall get over there ourselves one day to see the place and our dear family there!

righty-ho, with several thousand more pictures sat at Mum & Dad, there may be space and time for yet more images at a later date! until then, hope you have enjoyed the above!!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the horse whisperer

hey everyone

well, today we took James off for a bit of a surprise. the very noble and worthy organization Animals In Distress held a Teddy Bears' Picnic on their farm in Midrand today, so we went along to support it.

James was rather excited about the idea of going on a horse ride, it has to be said. however, when we got to the horses, he changed his mind. this isn't the first time he's done this! i don't think that it's because he's scared of the horses, he just perhaps doesn't like the idea of climbing onto one.

just to clarify that a bit, he's not scared of them at all!





James seems to take a shine to all animals, really. he loved walking around the grounds, looking at the horses, sheep, cows, dogs and all other animals that need a safe home. of course, we didn't tell him that the animals are there because they are poorly, we just wanted him to have fun.





the whole Teddy Bears' picnic was wonderful. there were two gents with acoustic guitars playing some classic songs (they did a really good version of Venus for a start!), some girls from a nearby school did a great song and dance routine, and there was "donkey pooh bingo". James was a bit tired so we left before either of the two donkeys had poohed on a number, but if ours got poohed on in the filed (42), they will call us next week! Michele also had a go at "pin the tail on the donkey" (not a real donkey), and James wasn't sure where to start with face painting, colouring in boards and jumping castles, so he rather just watched them all instead of doing them!





going back to the fondness James has for animals, here's James with his hat off. he was very concerned to see flies landing on the horses' nose, and so took his hat off to wave them away from his new friend!





it really was a fantastic way to spend a morning, and i hope that it has helped raise some funds for this very worthwhile cause. i did manage to find a book sale there too; James now has two Masters Of The Universe books. one of them, by pure fate, already has "James" written in crayon on the inside!

now, regular readers of this page will know that my dear brother-in-law Grant will have been very excited to see me casually mention sheep in the rundown of animals there. here you go Grant, just for you!





Animals In Distress are, as you could imagine, reliant on any and all donations to keep going. they are good-hearted people who are doing a wonderful job, so we shall certainly be supporting them in any and all ways we can going forward.

hope you all had a fun Saturday morning too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

quality South African driving

hey everyone

well, here in Johannesburg we have some of the busiest roads in the world. in fact, i seem to recall, the highway i travel on each day is officially the "busiest highway or road in Africa". i am not sure who takes the time and trouble to work that out, but there you go.

anyway, other than the usual peak time traffic build ups, every now and then you get a motorist having a rather good idea. like, for instance, the driver of a "bendy bus" deciding that actually they want to go south instead of north, and having no problem with trying a u-turn.





needless to say, the bus got stuck, causing delays in both directions. nice one bus driver, well done. you can't really see in the pic, but what makes this all the more interesting is that the bus driver was no more than 100 meters away from an intersection with traffic lights, at which they could have turned right, followed the road around and rejoined in the direction they wished. go figure.


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!! try and obey the rules of the road, they are normally there for good reason!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the biggest band in the world? perhaps not....

hey everyone

there's an episode of Men Behaving Badly called "Cardigan". in order to pretend that they are not getting old, Gary and Tony head off to a rave. the rave very much gets the better of them, and in the end you see the two of the huddled in front of the TV, asking "what's wrong with just staying in and having a nice cup of tea?". i believe, sadly or happily, that i am now at that stage of life, as spending a day in a field drinking too much to see Oasis has certainly got the better of me.


sorry to anyone hoping for a review of Snow Patrol or Panic! At The Disco from this years' Zero Coke Fest, i kind of dozed off and missed them. i was, however, awake in time for the self-proclaimed biggest band in the world, Oasis. well, they were the reason we went along to the day out anyway, so it's just as well Michele got me up for them!





and how ace it was to see them, too! Liam Gallagher is all that you have seen and heard of, an arrogant little so and so, who loves nothing more than just standing there, basking in the praise, hysteria and adulation. Noel, perhaps the real star of the band since it's all his work, is the one that smiles and chats to you. i am not at all sure, however, that his little snippets of conversation are as wise as they could be. telling a South African crowd that they "all sound like Australians" is up there with, with reference to Noel's world, doing a gig in Manchester and telling them they all sound like they're from Liverpool. yeah, bet he wouldn't do that in his home town, i dare say he wouldn't have done it here if he didn't have a large security presence around him. the "incident" where someone got on stage and had a go at him in Canada makes sense now, perhaps he decided they all sounded French or American....





as for the music, well, it was perfect. note perfect. and that's the problem, really. don't get me wrong, there was no miming involved, but Oasis live is Oasis doing a recital as if they were working from sheet music, not daring to variate from what one hears on a cd or album. i mean, we were all going mental, were "mad for it" to use their term and well into it at the time, but after the event there's a little bit of a hollow feeling. Liam might as well have just stood and stared for 90 minutes whilst Noel changed discs, really.

make no mistake, i am delighted to have seen them, they are a phenomenon and one of the few last interesting bands still interested in making music. it's a shame that they see gigs, going on my experience, as a requirement rather than a passion. i can't imagine many but the most ardent and dedicated fan goes to see them more than once, and this is a great shame. it's all very well them thinking they are the biggest in the world, but unless they start acting the part, it's never going to happen. yes, they are "better" than us in the sense that they are up there on stage doing their thing, but it's fans like us that put them there, spending a fortune on albums and tickets. a quick "good to see you", "how you doin'?" or "thanks for coming" in between the abusive comments directed at the crowd wouldn't have gone amiss. they really could do with going and seeing U2, Metallica, The Rolling Stones or any of the other actual biggest bands in the world to see how you treat the fans that made you the star you are.


ho hum, perhaps i am just getting old, but i don't see how at any age you're going to be thrilled with one of your idols hurling abuse.





musically, other than the methodical means by which they ran through the songs, there was some great offerings. a nice change was certainly a full-band Wonderwall with Liam singing it as he should; all too often this track is wasted on Noel's solo acoustic spot. Don't Look Back In Anger remains a firm fan favourite, with everyone singing along full heart despite Noel saying "look, we're really not a singalong band so please don't join in". for an encore, really just a final number, they revisited their sensational take on I Am The Walrus, a rare moment where some passion in their playing came to the fore.

perhaps the biggest surprise in the set was that they didn't do Live Forever. that's the one that put them on the map, and the one that the fans perhaps hold the fondest. erm, yeah, ok boys, i imagine you get tired of playing it, but think a U2 gig with nothing from The Joshua Tree, a Stones gig without Jumpin' Jack Flash or at leastSatisfaction, or a Metallica gig without Enter Sandman.

i really am sorry not to give them a perfect, ace review. i'm glad to have seen them, as now i can just get on with enjoying the albums and not worry about having to see them, if that makes sense. going on something like MTV Unplugged, as and when Noel goes it alone i imagine that will be a gig worth seeing. in the mean time, if you live in a part of the world where Oasis are unlikely to play, don't get too disappointed. if you are fortunate enough to be somewhere that you can see them, well, go for it, but don't let how they behave on stage ever distract from just how good the music on the albums is.


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

post one thousand?

hey everyone


well, according to some sort of counter on the login page for this site, this would be post number 1000 for me! i am not going to sit and count them, i think i will rather just take their word for it.

thank you, then, to everyone who has visited this internetwebpage thingie of mine and has read so much as one post. it really is appreciated. to anyone insane or bored enough to have read every post i have made, i admire your resilience and willpower!

as one thousand is presumably some sort of landmark, allow me then to take another walk down memory lane with some pics i scanned today. kindly indulge a few tales here and there, and my apologies if any of them bore you!

i have taken the time to put these pics in chronological order this time, i think. let's start off, then, with a picture of me and my good friend Norman B*****d (or David Gutteridge, if you will) at the age of 13, sat at Headingley enjoying England teach, oddly, New Zealand a lesson whilst enjoying the sort of refreshments we probably shouldn't have been at age 13....





that was a grand day out, that was! a fine display by England, and for good measure someone had a blow up doll that was thrown around the ground. a number of our fellow schoolmates needed exactly what the blow up doll was, thanks to Norman's fine library of Scandinavian published educational pamphlets, we were well aware of what it was!

i do not honestly recall ever owning a pair of binoculars, i suspect i may have swiped them from someone at the ground. oh, and given his way, Norman would still, to this day, be wearing his Maverick Top Gun sunglasses.

skip forward three years and here's Norman and i heading to our last day at Nunthorpe School. it's at the threshold of summer 1989, and it must be on the way to school because by the end of the day our shirts were covered in all sorts of messages from each other.








this pic is unmistakably taken by "The Avvy shops" on The Avenue, Nunthorpe. i lived off somewhere down to the left of it. i don't recall Norman ever not wearing the jacket he has on in this pic, really.

Norman has been a dear friend for many a year, and if i am lucky, shall continue to be so for, well, as many years as we have on this planet, really. he probably won't be if i keep finding pictures like this and posting them here. and a special message for Norman to finish off if and when he reads this, "la....................."

still at the last day of us all being at Nunthorpe School, and here i am with what remains some of the most talented, gifted people i have ever been lucky enough to meet. if you can, for the moment, gaze away from the sixteen year old schoolgirls' legs (Norman yes, this is directly partially at you), from the left you have Justin Mills, Alex Adams (i think at least, sorry chap), Adrian McMahon, the irrepressible Steven Legget and of course your humble narrator.





i could go on about this bunch for a while, but will try to be controlled. Justin introduced me to some ace films (Evil Dead II being one) and class authors (Clive Barker, for instance). Alex had probably the first satellite dish in the whole of Middlesbrough (this was years before Sky), and introduced us all to the magic of MTV and shows like Sledge Hammer!. Adi McMahon is easily one of the funniest, wittiest people on the planet. as for Mr Legget, well, a gifted artist, a connoisseur of only the finest music and an all around interesting and outstanding individual. to know him is to love him, i guess. as for your humble narrator, no idea what my part in it all was or is - probably just to remember it all. which makes me a bit of a Bill Wyman character. moving on.....

....and indeed i lied about the chronological bit. here we are back in the glory year of 1987, up on a hill in the Lake District during one of the ace holidays we enjoyed at Bassenfell Manor, courtesy of our dear headmaster, Sir John Rowling. it should be straightforward enough to spot me, i am the only one in a Frankie Goes To Hollywood tour jumper.





i have nothing but great and fond memories of Bassenfell Manor. it was a great time with a great bunch of people. somewhere i have the tape of the gig of the band that Steven Legget, Adi McMahon and i formed (Bob, Bob & Vim in that order) and performed as there. with some luck one day it shall be "digitally remastered" and given as a gift of great music to the world.

jumping forward in time, and indeed to another continent, is a picture of me, Gillian and Richard on the day of my graduation ceremony for my first degree (yes, as in i have more than one, clever git, wasting life not using them, etc, etc). it will be, i think, in early 1997. or it might have been 1996. well, the degrees are in literature, not mathematics or calendar studies.....





Gran and Gramps were here for this graduation ceremony - somewhere i have a pic of Gramps dressed in my gown & mortar, giving my backside a right good caning! oh, and if i recall correctly, this is one of two occasions on which Richard has pinched a suit that my Dad intended to wear for a function involving me, the other being my wedding!

i do quite miss those chunky, NHS style glasses i have on in that picture. with them on and my head shaved i could usually do a very good impression of Adrian Edmondson in his Bottom days! for a closer look at those Morrissey-ish frames, here's a pic i found of me from my time in Cape Town!





this picture is probably from 1996, and is most likely one that should be before the graduation one, such is my grasp of these chronological matters. anyway, it shows me sat in my flat, sat at my beloved typewriter. i really, really miss sitting and writing at the typewriter. this writing on a computer business has always felt rather impersonal and cold, but i try my best. i would be pretty sure that my ace JVC stereo, currently being used at verk, is on here, with either The Stone Roses or Frankie Goes To Hollywood playing away.

ah, now, in terms of family suitability, maturity and good taste, i fear the tone of the pictures is about to drop considerably now, as i bring you some insights into the weekend of Rohan Smith's wedding in glamorous Felixstowe, 1998. here i am with the very wonderful one and only John "Boyley" O'Boyle





i haven't had much contact with either John O'Boyle or indeed the groom of the day, Mr Rohan Smith, since the wedding. quite a shame, really. well, the weekend did sort of turn from being Rohan's wedding and a get together into a 72 hour drinking binge (hence the hand gestures, always blame the alcohol) and wedding. Mr O'Boyle secured us access into Felixstowe's best and presumably only nightclub by introducing me as "the son of Brian Nash out of Frankie Goes To Hollywood". and my, was that worth it! the stories i could tell about the ladies in that club. that, erm, all the single chaps were interested in. i was single then too, but i was of course saving myself for my dear wife Michele. who will be reading this. and probably won't believe the last few bits.


the wedding itself was fascinating, too. not only did i manage to survive the ceremony thanks to a large quantity of water, showers and medication being pumped into me by a concerned chambermaid and my good friend Michael Llewellyn, but myself and Mr Llewellyn were rather impressed with the church that was selected for the ceremony, as the latest edition of their parish magazine featured an image of Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator on the cover.

and finally, speaking of that weekend and the modestly great Mr Michael Llewellyn.....





now then, Mike's look in the picture above is partly "[at the time] 16 years on and you still want us all to flick the V's at the camera, Lee?", partly "we've been on a diet of ale, vodka, croissants, headache tablets and hymns for the last 24 hours, where's this camera you want me to look at?". i think this particular drinking binge was only outdone a few years later in a legendary session at The Blueberry Grill in Kylamai, where i ran up a bar bill on Mike's business expenses that i believe is framed and hanging in an office in downtown Melbourne right now.

much like Norman, the last star would have to fall from the skies before i lost contact with Mike. he too has been an exceptional friend over the years, long may it continue.

anyway, thank you very much indeed for reading this and the previous 999 posts. i will have a go at doing another thousand or so, just hope that i can keep them entertaining and interesting. that's if they have been up to now!



be very excellent to each other, at least 1000 times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Art by James

hi everyone


well, James rather liked the sound of this "scanner" business, and was very keen indeed to pit some of his own artwork on the scanner so Daddy could press the buttons and make it appear on the computer monitor!

behold, then, for your viewing pleasure, the pictures he selected to share with you! this first one was, apparently, dedicated to me, but i see Mummy has added her name, too!





now, i am not certain that i have all these pictures all the right way around. it doesn't really matter, it's fun to watch him do these paintings anyway!





now, when i said that James had selected three pictures to put on the computer, that wasn't the most honest comment i have ever made. he had in fact decided that i was going to scan every picture that he had ever drawn or painted, i told him that he could only do 3!





well, hope you have enjoyed this exhibition of a very post-post-post-postmodernist aspiring artist!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holly Johnson

hey everyone

well, this really wasn't meant to be a post, i just wanted to put these pics up on the web for my friends at the Frankie Goes To Hollywood forum. happy reading, anyway!

first off, here's a letter from Wolfgang, Holly's partner, 20 years and 1 day ago from today!





and secondly, here's one of my most prized possessions, my signed copy of Holly Johnson's Blast CD!!





be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!