19 years ago today.......

Newcastle Mayfair, November 5 1991. i was there!





of all the underappreciated, unfairly lashed things in the world of music, Bowie's Tin Machine project is one which surely has had criminal neglect and scorn thrown at it. not only was the debut album from the band one of Bowie's all time best sellers, but the sound of it - a quasi-rock & metal affair - was somewhat influential, for the Seattle "grunge" bands who came along a few years later didn't sound too different from them. the second album they released was a confident, quality rock album with just about every track being a great cut, but by the time it was released the music press had decided they didn't like the band or Bowie pretty much, so it never really stood much of a chance.





a considerable bonus for us Bowie fans was the "low key" nature Bowie wanted for tours. venues were clubs or halls - a far cry from the theatrics of his Glass Spider and SoundAndVision tours, which dominated and filled stadium after stadium. if you rather enjoyed the music that listened to the negative press, you could get a ticket and go and see Bowie with a crowd of no more than a couple of hundred other people, and see Bowie live, up close and personal, in a way that would usually have been unthinkable.

i was delighted to be one of the sensible ones to get tickets for the tour!

memories of the evening? well, i certainly bought (and still own) one of the "controversial" tour shirts. Bowie's response to the criticism of the band was to have the tour t-shirts read "F*** You I Love Tin Machine", whereas Bowie himself for the encores wore one reading "F*** You I'm IN Tin Machine". i do recall being wildly ecstatic and in simple awe when the great man took to the stage. i mean, this was David Bowie, and there i was in a crowd that was in touching distance of him!

beside Bowie was one of the finest, gifted bands you'd ever wish to see. to suggest Tin Machine was ever just a "side project" for Bowie is an insult to the three great musicians he recruited and performed with. The Sales brothers, who came to the band with a solid reputation from the USA Rock scene, are an incredible percussion unit. credit indeed to brother Hunt, the drummer who often stole the show with his powerful lead vocals on a couple of tracks. Reeves Gabrels, something of an unknown quantity prior to Tin Machine, is just simply excellent - even beyond his rather imaginative use of (ahem) "lady private massage devices" to get curious squeals from his guitars.





the set-list is somewhat lost in time, although i do recall the only real disappointment i had was that they didn't play the song Tin Machine itself, one of my all time favourites. never mind, for the rest of the stuff was all great, in particular the performance of Heaven's In Here. during this song on the night Bowie paused and asked what felt like me directly "do you smoke after sex?". none of your business, Dave! on top of that, there was a rousing performance of the short but brilliant Bus Stop, a powerhouse vocal from Bowie on Amazing, and, well, just an evening full of amazing songs!

an abiding memory too would be two chums stood near me at the gig. for some reason they were convinced that the next song would be either Aladdin Sane or Ziggy Stardust. sorry, chaps! the tickets said Tin Machine, did they not?

as for the person i went with, well, Sarah, if by some quirk of fate you are reading this, hope you have some fond memories!

if chance permits, do have a listen to the Tin Machine music, in particular the Tin Machine II album!


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

Lyla and Ruby-Lee

hey everyone

just a few pictures from North of us to show off how Lyla is getting on with her wonderful baby sister! i can tell you for a start that Lyla is getting on much better with her sibling than she is with her wardrobe for a start!





i am not quite sure exactly how Richard explains to Lyla why they have to wear shirts which promote absolute (but prolific goal scoring, granted) rubbish, but he seems to have convinced her!

and next, a pic so good Erika must have taken it, the proud Grandparents with their sixth wonderful Grandchild!





Dad looks an awful lot better when his special new red shoes are not visible!

by all accounts Ruby-Lee is healthy and happy, doing very well indeed and is quite content for the vast majority of the time! just wait until her Dad tries to make her wear shirts promoting dubious establishments!





nice one! hopefully we shall get up to visit you soon!


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

that Ronaldo look

class shoes, Grandad.......

Happy Novomber everyone!

hey everyone


well, i am not going to say that i don't use this blog to whine, moan and groan every now and then because i do, as some of you have kindly pointed out in the past. i do, however, usually try to steer clear of the typical "what's wrong with South Africa" stuff. the incident today, however, is priceless, and i can't resist sharing.

we arrived home today to discover a leaflet advising that power would be off, for 12 straight hours (although probably more on past experience) this Sunday and the following Monday.

first up, it's hard to decide which emotion to have - frustration and disappointment that yet again they are switch the power off in residential areas on a Sunday, or sheer joy, jubilation and elation at the fact that they are letting people know in advance for a change?

then you have a look at the leaflet in a bit closer detail :





hmn, as far as i can tell, we have had a notification of power outages in areas that are close to us, but not quite actually us. i mean, unless they have radically changed the borders and boundaries for subburbs (very likely) and subsequently maintained and changed all the power sub-stations in accordance with the new boundaries (highly, extremely unlikely), nope, we don't feature on that list. so, is it that they have put the wrong places on the form (very likely) or have they dropped them all of at a load of houses that will be unaffected, leaving those areas which will be without power, as it were, in the dark (bingo!)?

leaving that aside (and we shall stock up flasks of hot water and arm ourselves with batteries like we do every weekend anyway), have a look at the dates they list. here is a closer look :




Novomber? Novomber? what on earth? how do you let a spelling mistake like that slide by? or have they changed the names of the months too (don't tempt them, really don't)?

this really frustrates me. as happy as i am in my place of verk, i would love nothing more than to be in a job or field working with language. well, i do have two degrees in Literature (not that you would guess from some of my posts), and love writing. i wouldn't wish to go on about them here, but for "a variety" of reasons i am unable to get either a teaching or official communications job here. i really wish i could to help offical institutions stop making themselves look as illiterate as they are frequently useless, but also to let other get the benefit of what few skills i have. ho hum.

well, i shall be rather curious as to whether or not we are blessed with the electricity we pay ever more for this weekend, and of course i really look forward to the next official form to be handed out!


bee excollont to eech ather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11 months old.......

hey everyone


well, a few days ago William turned the ripe old age of 11 months, so i thought it was as good a reason as any, where no reason is needed, to take some update pictures so you could see how he is getting along!

i thought i would be clever and wait until bathtime to snap away, figuring the light would be good enough so as i would not need to use the flash. i was, alas, not as correct as i could have been in this assumption - apologies (if required) if these images seem a little bit dark compared to usual!





the toothbrush he is holding on to there is currently the best thing that William owns, according to William. once we give it to him there's no way on earth or beyond that he is giving it back to us, so Michele is very careful only to let him loose with it at bedtime! i guess it does mean that his three and one-quarter teeth are being very well looked after!

as for development, well, we are just about mastering one or two words ("cat" and "gone" are his top two), and he rather likes the idea of walking - what he lacks in skill and ability in this regard he does make up for in enthusiasm! never mind, i am sure before long he'll be walking and running all day and as much of the night as he can stay awake for!





we can eventually get the toothbrush off him, but he rarely looks happy about it!





well, what else can i say? William is healthy and happy, and we are delighted that he is with us!



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

another great behind the scenes picture.....

hey everyone

usually interesting site Ain't It Cool News are still busy with their behind the scenes picture of the day. for those who know me, for obvious reasons i could not resist sharing this one here!





wow! Kubrick on set messing around having fun! due to the near legendary status of how he made films (he took as long as he wanted, would shoot as many takes as he liked), it's easy to forget that Mr Kurbick had a celebrated wicked sense of humour and a great passion for life. evidence in this image if you ever needed it!


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

...nothing like the sun

hey everyone


well, a new week, a new month, and a new strange phenomenon in the skies for us in Johannesburg today!!





i am not sure if this site brought the whole of Johannesburg to a standstill this morning, but it kind of felt like it!





there are of course a number of theories around what caused this strange effect of a circle around the sun. the proverbial "Second Coming" features on a number of lists, as indeed does the notion that this somehow signals the arrival of the first wave of alien invaders at our fine planet.

considering that the Chinese are known to have various bits of equipment that can alter or otherwise affect the wedding, and the fact that i have proven conclusively that The King, Elvis Presley, lives there, i suspect it might be nothing more than a signal deployed from KFC China, saying "send more buckets please".





to be somewhat boring and give the actual reason for this display, it seems that this rainbow-like circle is known as the "halo effect", and is caused by "falling ice crystals". i see! erm, that doesn't quite explain why the ice crystals are falling from or indeed where from, and nor does it shed light on why it appears to be a perfect circle (or close to it!). it does explain the pretty rainbow effect, i guess!





i have no idea if this was visible anywhere else in the world - can't see any references or pics on the interwebnet, at the least. if it was visible in other places, well, here is how we saw it. as ever, these images are the work of Trigger, my personal photographer, with one or two of them coming from his (very) willing new sidekick in regards of all my photographic needs, Shervon.





if you have any ideas, theories or concerns about this strange sight, please feel free to post a comment! keep it clean, and don't try and sell me anything!

update : Dad has just sent on this image he took from their garden this morning :




very impressive picture, well done Dad!!!

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

William walking (sort of)

hey everyone

well, as William stands on the verge of 11 months old, he's taken quite the shine to this standing business. whereas he hasn't quite got the knack nor the strength of walking as yet (his crawling is impressive, mind), he is taking all the right steps to be fully mobile!

James' Grandma Monica got James an excellent "push walker" think when he was 1 or 2 (yes, i am getting old and no longer remember everything), and as James managed to not destroy it, William has taken ownership of it!





so far he quite likes pushing it at great speed whilst he shuffles along on his knees, stopping only when some sort of natural barrier tells him instinctively that it will go no further. for the most part, though, we've noticed that he seems to think it's something to just try and climb over, and indeed eat.





never mind, James is always on hand to try and help his young brother learn mysteries such as walking!





while the camera was out to try and capture Mad Will rampaging around our house in his V8 Interceptor walker, James was of a mind to pose for some pictures for a change. here's one of them!





i suspect he was just keen to show off his very, very excellent Star Wars t-shirt, but never mind, still a great picture! William, by contrast, always seems pleased to have his photo taken!





well, that's how things are here! all good, if you didn't work that out!


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

Happy Birthday & Merry Christmas, Gillian!

hey everyone


well, this is a touch early for Gillian to be getting birthday and/or Christmas presents, and indeed this is one that she is unlikely to ever actually get her hands on directly, but what the heck!

Gillian, dear sister, behold "your" new 'Mega Star' MS-6000 double cassette deck recorder!





now, in 2010 this might strike one as an unusual type of gift, mindful of the techonology freely available. however, my sister quite likes me making her tapes for her car and sending them on to her. as my last two tape decks have blown out in the last two years (the final one very shortly before this investment) and they seem all but impossible to repair in this great disposable age, i had little choice but to get it!

i must admit i do like the look of it, it has a very 80s feel about it!





some of you may well wonder why exactly Gillian has a tape deck in her car. well, the quick and conclusive answer would be that she finds it easier to have a tape deck and have me post new tapes on a (mostly) monthly basis than it would be for her to get a CD player or some sort of mp-thing device installed. and i quite enjoy sitting and making tapes for her, so there!

as for what to tape on it for her first, well, there are one or two things i know she will like, but i am certain that she's really eager to hear the 20th anniversary edition of the self-titled debut by The Stone Roses sooner than anything else. i will see what i can do!





hope you like your present Gillian!



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

welcome home, Mogga

Tony Mowbray has been named as the new manager at Middlesbrough.




Mowbray, who was born in nearby Saltburn and captained Boro during a successful nine-year spell between 1982-1991, succeeds Gordon Strachan after he resigned from his post at the Riverside last Monday.





what can i say but wow! on a scale of 1 - 10 for good, excellent news, this clocks in at one thousand, if not more!

for many of us, Tony Mowbray is Mr Middlesbrough. none of us will ever forget that, after the depressing days when Middlesbrough was padlocked and closed down, he led the team to two successive promotions.





the team at the moment is in a right mess. we needed a great, inspirational leader and we now have one. he's the man that should have had the job instead of the last two to get it, i am delighted (to say the least) that we are back on track.


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

Predators

the obsessive, odd fraternity known as "fanboys" will tell you that there has never ever been a sequel to match or be considered good enough to call itself a sequel to the 1987 masterpiece that is Predator. thus far, Predator 2 had been kind of tolerated by fans (it had all they wanted in it, plus Gary Busey for good measure), but for some reason the two Alien vs Predator films just upset them - not enough like the comics or games or something.

as i am someone who had enjoyed all four films featuring the most excellent concept of the Predator, then, i was interested to learn that the 4th sequel being made, named Predators, seemed to be one that was going to make these "fanboys" happy at last.

with some unusual and interesting cast members attached, and Robert Rodriguez (he of Desperado and Machete fame) producing, it certainly looked promising. and, if truth be told and you just want a quick review, yeah, it's a rather good, entertaining film.

as ever, you are hereby given a *** SPOILER WARNING *** in regards of everything after the poster below!





as far as a plot goes, the film doesn't muck about with establishing anything in particular, assuming and trusting that the audience knows in advance what to expect. it starts off with a group of people, specifically Adrian Brody, falling with the aid of a parachute into some unknown territory.

gradually, or perhaps quickly with some massive plot areas skipped over, the motley crew realize that they have been placed on another planet as prey to be hunted down for some sort of mysterious predators.





this is something they work out best when the one lady in the "team", a mental sniper, sees one of the predators, and by some good fortune had somehow read the debriefing of the survivor of the Predator that lurked around South America.





i think you know the drill from here - they get hunted down one at a time, just like in the original. there's the odd twist though, like the presence of Lawrence Fishburne. in a curious 10 or so minute cameo, he's someone who has previously landed on the planet, and has survived several "hunting seasons", as he calls them.





the fact that he has (perhaps understandably) been driven totally insane by his experiences doesn't seem to hamper his survival abilities (thus far) all that much, but that's just one of several plot holes that you are better off skipping if you want to try and enjoy this movie.

now the best, scariest horror / thriller movies tend to be the ones where they keep the monster hidden the most. this was certainly the case with the original Predator, and a trick they emulate with success here. just aswell, really, for the "main Predator" appears to have been designed by a thirteen year old who has just discovered the joys of death metal music.




a far cry from the original, much loved and feared Predator!





Predators is a great film if you are familiar with all the various Predtaor stories. if this is your first encounter with this imaginary, inspired creature, i would imagine on the whole it's rather confusing. there's no faulting the pacing or action - Adrian Brody is something of a revelation as an action hero, and he's got pretty decent support around him.

the major problem with this film, like all other Predator films, is that it just doesn't have this chap in it





there is, quite frankly, no replacing Arnie when it comes to battling Predators. he is the only human you could ever imagine standing a chance against one of them. also, the lines from the original (if it bleeds we can kill it, GIT TO DA CHOPPA! GIT TO DA CHOPPA! anyone?) have been loved and quoted for over twenty years now. nothing here holds a candle to those priceless moments from the original. this is to say, they've capture the spirit, pacing and style of the original, but just cannot replicate why the fans fell in love with the original in the first place.

this has been a pretty pointless review, then. all i can tell you is that if you like the whole Predator concept you will enjoy this, but those of us who do will have already either seen it at the cinema or ordered the DVD. if for some reason you've waited for my guidance, glad to give it, and proceed without fear!


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

the pizzazz of the North East in October

hey everyone


well, here's some interesting images of the part of the world that i shall, no matter where i go, forever know as home. not this actual field, you understand, but certainly that area.





my word, i can almost taste the cold bristle of the October winds across my face, and certainly recall the scent of beautiful fields battling for nostril space with the petro-chemical industries of the area. and i can certainly recall how it feels to have your feet stuck in the sludge that seems to accompany the rains at this time of year over there!

whereas i left that behind, i know of one gent in particular who you would never extract from the area. here's Norman Henry himself having a good inspection of some stuff down at the Tees Port area!





nice one Gramps, i am sure you made sure everyone did everything properly! well, i am certain that you shouted at them irrespective of how they did, that is your way and that's how you make sure we all do our best. or so you assure us!


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

Ruby Lee at two weeks!

hey everyone


Richard and Erika kindly sent on some new pictures over the weekend of the lovely new member of their family! i was going to put them up over the weekend, but rather put my feet up i'm afraid, sorry!

anyway, here's Ruby Lee with her loving sister, Lyla!





two weeks on and Ruby Lee is healthy and happy, just like, indeed, her big sister!





it's only a matter of time, if not already, that will see Lyla dressing her up and trying out make up on her!

dig the leopard skin pillows, by the way Richard, very provocative indeed!


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

priceless, young jedi

hey everyone

this is an old one, but a classic!

back in 2002, a bar ran a sales promo for their staff. whoever sold the most beer would win, and this was indicated verbally rather than in writing, a "toyota".





the winner, a Ms Jodee Berry, was eventually lead outside to a car park and was less than impressed to discover that it was an elaborate (and rather witty) April Fool joke, and that she had in fact won....





a toy Yoda!

a lawsuit & settlement followed, whereby Ms Berry did indeed end up with a new Toyota courtesy of the bar. i would have thought, though, knowing the insanse scarcity & cost of Star Wars toys, that the Yoda toy (which looks ace) would be worth far more than some Japanese car?

oh well, Ms Berry got the toy and a car, the bar got lots and lots of international advertising (which has not been extended here), so i guess all ended up winners - presumably the lawyers from both sides more than anyone, but there you go.


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and cover yourself by getting it in writing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grandma visits

hey everyone

well, James and William were delighted this afternoon to find that Grandma has popped over for a visit.

James was very impressed in particular, as he somehow persuaded Grandma to play his beloved Lego Star Wars game with him. well, i say it's his, but it's really mine.





most impressive indeed, James! for years, Grandma has had the chance to play vastly superior games on my old Commodore 64, and indeed on Richard's Sinclair Spectrum, but never expressed any interest!

Grandma did point out that she used to play Tetris and Pac Man, however. i seem to recall Mum & Dad having a marathon Pac Man session on the Atari 2600 machine back in Australia, so there you go!





it was a lot easier to persuade Grandma that it was time to switch the game off than it was James, believe me!


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

Tales Of An Ancient Empire - rubbish.

there is something terribly, terribly wrong when a rather anticipated film, albeit anticipated by a modest sized cult following, gets its premiere on DVD in Thailand for roughly US$6, is there not? what's all the more alarming is when that film is not even worth that price. i guess let's go back and start at the beginning of this sad, depressing tale.

be warned, for there are *** SPOILERS AHEAD ***, although any lover of the first film i mention would do well to read the whole post and decide if they are going to be clever or if they are going to go ahead and watch the "sequel".

in 1982 a little masterpiece of a film called The Sword And The Sorcerer was released. and i do mean masterpiece. of all the swords and barbarians films made in the 80s, this was the best - and i do mean it was even better that Schwarzenegger's Conan.





Lee Horsley starred as Talon, a kind of warrior for hire, although gold was rarely what settled his bill. i wouldn't wish to take up too much time celebrating this masterpiece here, but remember, if you will, just how cool the three bladed sword of Talon was (and indeed is), featuring two blades that fire off at any given enemy (this is an important thing to remember).





one of the coolest things about this film was that the credits promised more :





some of us spent a fair part of the 80s and 90s patiently waiting for this Tales Of The Ancient Empire to arrive. it never did. there was some excitement, then, when a few years ago Albert Pyun announced that, at long last, he was making the film, now calledTales Of An Ancient Empire.

it promised much, this sequel. not only was Lee Horsley to return, along with the three bladed sword, but the likes of Val Kilmer and Christoper Lambert would be in the cast. excellent!





so how, then, does the film end up with such a dubious premiere? well, because, quite frankly, it is complete and utter rubbish. it's taken all the wonderful elements of The Sword And The Sorcerer, printed them out, wiped several bottoms on the pages, flushed them and sent them off to the depths of the Atlantic as untreated sewage. looking for the remains of that would be far more enjoyable that enduring this - and i use the term loosely - movie.

what you get here is a kind of bizarre family reunion film. a whole load of very bad actors and actresses, all of whom appear to be the offspring of Talon, decide to unite and take on some sort of very badly acted vampire Queen. except they never actually do much fighting. or anything other than unite one by one.


as for the cast, Val Kilmer and Christopher Lambert are not in it - apparently Pyun "wanted" them to be and thus shoved their names on the poster. oh, Lee Horsely is in the film. he is not, however, cast as Talon. yep, you read that right - Lee Horsley is not Talon in this film. instead he plays a character called "The Adventurer", and mumbles some story or other for no apparent reason. here's a glimpse.





oh dear. as for the three bladed sword, well, it is in the film. however, it fires three blades, and clearly leaves one behind - somehow it is now a four bladed sword. no idea who is holding it or why, really. an unnamed actor seems to have taken the Talon role, one who will presumably feature in the "sequel" promised at the end of this very short film.

a short film? yep, it's 70 minutes long, including the elaborate and confusing opening credits. the end credits go on and on after the promise of a third film, one that you really hope will never ever be made.

a lot of people seem excited by the fact that this bloke pictured below, Kevin Sorbo, is in it. i have never heard of him, and quite frankly if this is the best kind of work he can get, not many others shall hear of him either.





every possible aspect of this film, be it bad acting, no plot or script of consequence and some really bad cinematography which serves to highlight astonishingly bad special effects, is offensive and an insult to anyone who even midly enjoyed the original film. it is disgusting that anyone has been allowed to make it in the name of a sequel to The Sword And The Sorcerer, let alone the man who made that film in the first place!

apparently, a "longer" version will be released in the USA, and the director promises that "one big action star" will be added. i really don't care. after i have posted this, i am going to pretend that this film was never made, and that they never got around to doing the promised follow up to The Sword And The Sorcerer. this will not be too difficult to do, because they in fact have not done this with this trash.

apparently pirate copies of the film are widespread thanks to this curious DVD premiere. the director seems rather excited about this, as it seems it has increased people checking out the trailer on his site for the film. don't watch a pirate of this, don't waste time and money on the original disc from Thailand or anywhere is all i can say.


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