Well, a lot of good pubs but no epic ones (as far as I can remember) and many are closed on Mondays, missing the obvious market of old gits drinking too much during the day. For future reference: The White Rabbit. Quite youthful for old geezers but very friendly and good pizza - they gave us a free one that they were ‘testing’, which was nice and meant we had to have a second pint. The Royal Blenheim, a nice looking pub but a bit up itself with real ale snobbery and a clientele including the local alcoholics The Jolly Farmers, friendly staff but we were the only people in there. Apparently in term times the students go in during the day and nurse a cup of coffee for hours The Chequers - historic old pub down an alley. I think it was ok. The Teardrop - micro brewery bar in the covered market. Expensive. The Crown - identical to the Chequers but things a bit blurry by that stage I am very happy to report that none of these pubs traded on real or imagined Inspector Morose links, except the Royal Blenheim which has a stupid quote above the bar. I think my favourite was the White Rabbit, but at that stage I was sober and they gave us free food.
Kaos, positively reviewed Netflix series about Greek Gods, with Zeus played by Jeff Goldblum. Turned off episode one after 25 minutes. Garbage, and reminded me how the potential of American Gods was wasted after a tremendous first series. What a shame.
Went to see Noel McCalla with his band In Good Hands last night at Pizza Express Live in Holborn. It's an excellent, intimate venue with table seating for maybe 150 in the music section downstairs. The band were superb, but McCalla himself is the star. I first saw him close on 50 years ago with a band called Moon that used to tour the London pub-rock circuit that existed back then, and I was a little trepidatious about how his wonderful voice would have held up all this time later. I needn't have worried, because, if anything, it was better. He really has to have one of the best soul/funk/jazz voices in the country. The set consisted mainly Al Green/Al Jarreau/Bill Withers covers and was hugely enjoyable. A great night out.
Sherwood. Crime driven drama. Didn’t see the first series of this, which apparently has very good reviews. Relentless ****ing misery, not the way I want to spend my Sunday evening, thanks.
Newsnight bewilderingly devotes ten minutes of its time - now reduced to just half an hour - to an interview with American songsmith John Legend, ending with an advert for his new album. WTF? That's not journalism.
Two things on BBC Four just now. Firstly, Parkinson with Lauren Bacall - what a sexist creep he was. Secondly, the first episode of Porridge - superb.
I’m glad that there is someone other than me who can’t stand (and never could) Parkinson. All about him and his tedious outdated (even in the 70s) attitudes. Odious man. For a proper, zero ego, chat show host have a look on YouTube for Dick Cavett clips from the seventies. His interviews with Orson Welles and Richard Burton are brilliant - Burton especially on his alcoholism and his family - and you hardly know Cavett is there.
Small Town, Big Riot - BBC iPlayer Well worth watching. Demonstrative of how social media disinformation fuels anti-immigrant hatred. Mobeen Azhar is an excellent journalist.
Just bought tickets for this group that we saw last year..... HOME | The Van Morrison Alumni Band They're doing a small tour in October and November - highly recommended.
Just got in from the pub and on the main channel on a Friday night is Katie prices mucky mansions How the **** did she get a reality show that's not on a porn channel
Saw the Spanish language movie Official Competition on Film 4 the other night, an absolute hoot with Penelope Cruz & Antonio Banderas as 2 of the main characters in a film basically taking the p1ss out of the film industry..... it has subtitles so easy enough to follow.....
Go on Stan, get yourself a ticket....it'll be right up your street.... Hamlet Hail to the Thief: Thom Yorke revisits Radiohead album for Shakespeare show Stage production in Manchester will orchestrate the band’s 2003 recording to ‘chime with the underlying grief and paranoia’ of the tragedy Thom Yorke is to rework Radiohead’s album Hail to the Thief for a new stage production of Hamlet, opening next spring in Manchester. Yorke said that the concept for the show presented him with “an interesting and intimidating challenge” to see how the music “collides with the action and the text” of Shakespeare’s tragedy. He added that the endeavour would uncover how much of his band’s album, which features the tracks There There and Go to Sleep, “chimes with the underlying grief and paranoia” of the play. Performed by a cast of musicians and actors, Hamlet Hail to the Thief will run at Aviva Studios, Manchester, from 27 April to 18 May. It will then be staged at the Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 4-28 June. Christine Jones, who will co-direct the production with Steven Hoggett, said Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief tour “changed my DNA” and that many of their songs “speak to the themes of the play”. Her long-held dream of combining the two works intrigued Yorke. “We’ve found that the play haunts the album, and the album haunts the play,” said Jones. Maybe Kiwi will fly over to join you, and you can ignore him in person
1) @Steelmonkey you will love the Libertines. Great night in Cov yesterday and at £20 a head it felt proper. The new stuff is good, these lads are not a tribute act for themselves, still real. 2) Brutto, restaurant Greenhill Rents near Smithfield. Aims for traditional Florence trattoria feel and succeeds 100%. Food is great, rich and authentic, real autumn/winter grub. Serves the perfect negroni. Short menu which is always a good sign. Highly recommended.
3) just recalling a few pints in the Bishop’s Finger pub in Smithfield, which I haven’t visited for decades. Very lively late afternoon, good Shepherd Neame beer and a huge and very funny Irish barman whose method of serving wine is to fill the glass to the brim. Very enjoyable.
