Precisely. For some reason I’d always thought it was a puerile comedy, didn’t know it was a Spike Lee joint. His films are always worth a watch.
Stourbridge pub crawl #3! Two new pubs to add to the list. The Bird in Hand. Quiet at lunchtime when we arrived but a few interesting locals to chat to along with our pints of Batham’s mild. Nectar at £2.80 a pint. Yes, that’s £2.80. Also the Plough and Harrow, a Craddocks brewery pub, again very good. More pints in the previously reviewed Seven Stars (x2) Duke William and the perfect boozer, the Royal Exchange. Finishing up with a couple at the Old Contemptible's in Brum on the way home. Lovely way to spend Monday.
I'm in some copy cat Greene King pub down in Bedford - don't normally come this far south, but the money on offer made it worthwhile. Decent pie, pint of Neck Oil (one of my favourites) and now a pint of Flint Eye IPA which is very nice. After saying I don't watch PL football, West Ham v Newcastle is on in here...booooorrrrrrring as ****
Greene King used to be good, now it’s just another chain. Bedford has an oddly high concentration of Italians, must be some decent restaurants there if you are around for a few days
The London Nobody Knows, book by Geoffrey Fletcher. A lovely little book (142 pages, including the authors line drawings), a very personal trip around some of the lesser known areas and architectural gems of London, avoiding famous buildings and places. It was written in 1962, so a lot of what was covered might not be there any more (certainly Limehouse has changed beyond recognition, and I don’t think many Victorian gaslights or wrought iron public conveniences are still around. But next time I have time to kill in London I will take the book and see if I can spot some of what is covered. The book formed the basis of a 1967 documentary hosted by James Mason, which I am trying to track down. Here it is. Different feel to the book but quite a few similarities in content, and I am a complete sucker for old ‘real’ film footage of life in the olden days. Bits of this are surreal other bits very grim, almost Dickensian. The olden days when I was actually alive, FFS.
You'd love this film...plenty of flat-cap action We've seen it screened with the soundtrack performed live at Kelvingrove Bandstand a couple of summers ago, which was something else (in fact, we're seeing King Creosote again in a few weeks) Whenever they show it on BBC Scotland we always watch it...unfortunately it's not on iPlayer just now, but it's on at least once a year.
Just home from the theatre. I think this must have been the first matinee I've been to since pantomimes at Golders Green when I was a kid. Anyway, Inside Number 9 - Stage Fright at the Wyndham's theatre. Utterly brilliant. So clever, so funny and at times so creepy. Just wonderful.
Just went to see Opus, Well that was left field. I’m not sure why I’m drawn to John Malkovich films but I am, he only ever plays John Malkovich but he plays him very well. It reminded me of the strange plot of the sixties avenger programs without Emma Peel and the pink gases. The Plot is a famous 90’s pop star has a new album thirty years later. Surprisingly good songs, the launch party turns awry and all hell breaks out. I ask myself what am I watching but enjoying it, 7/10
The Selecter and Steel Pulse at the O2 Institute in Digbeth, Brum. Great venue, except for the £8:30 pints. What’s left of the Selecter (only Pauline Black and the drummer from the original line up survive, the others replaced by overweight white blokes) were great fun, and Pauline was superb, especially for a 71 year old. Missing Words was the song of the night. Steel Pulse in their home town also very good, but nothing like what I remembered from seeing them in the very early eighties or the sound from the Handsworth Revolution album from the late seventies. Big, fat, poppy sound, not a hint of dub or echo, let alone Rasta politics. Got the largely white, largely over 45 audience (didn’t see any rastas, and then thought it must be some time since I’ve seen one anywhere) dancing though and thoroughly enjoyable.
Only about 15 miles between those two pints. My wife bought the drinks and casually said ‘over £16 for two pints is quite pricey, isn’t it?’ The most disturbing thing was the amount of it which ended up on the floor, very sticky underfoot by the end of the evening. A lot of people think they can dance with a full pint at the front of the crowd and not get nudged. We necked ours before the bands came on.
Amateurs People lob full pints into crowds in Glasgow....if you get hit, you just hope it's a cold....if it's a warm one it's not beer.....
Settle down, we have some nice real ales up here now...the stuff Williams Bros from Alloa have is really nice, can get that a lot of places now, and there's some nice breweries in Glasgow that aren't part of Tennants, even though they're in the same part of town. There's always the BrewDog stuff, but that gives me a headache so I steer clear. Anyway, apparently it's Rock Night at the pub I'm staying in up near Elgin, so a few beers and some loud music will make me feel right at home
