Off Topic The Review Thread

I saw a documentary a few weeks back about the mysterious death of ex-boxer Freddie Mills, who was found dead in the back of his car in 1965. I remember Mills well from my childhood and was curious about the circumstances of his death, which was officially recorded as suicide but was very likely actually murder. The documentary was mildly interesting - suggesting Mafia involvement but not really coming to any firm conclusions - but what shocked me most was reference to a book that had put Mills forward as a suspect in the Hammersmith Nude Murders, also referred to as the Jack The Stripper Murders. These were a series of murders that took place in West London in the early 60s, and I was surprised that I had never heard of them before. No one was ever convicted for these crimes, and I'm amazed that it isn't a better known case.

https://www.unsolvedcasebook.com/jack-the-stripper/

 

What the ****? Although I was too young to be aware of these murders at the time, why aren’t they as famous and notorious as the Jack the Ripper ones? Stunning, and on our manor too.

That’s a very neat piece of writing as well.

 

Remarkable isn't it? It made me want to read up more on these murders. The suggested links to the Profumo scandal are intriguing.

I had to chuckle at the description of Dukes Meadows as 'Gobblers Gulch'. My Sunday morning team used to play there quite often.

 

Wow
Never knew any of that

 

Finally got round to having a listen to the new ‘Specials’ album, ‘Encore’.
As a life long fan of the band I really really want to love it.....after all I grew up to tunes like ‘Rat Race’ and ‘Ghost Town’ that epitomised the times that we were living then.
Sadly it’s a bit disappointing......some stand out tracks like ‘Vote for me’ and ‘10 Commandants’ and a fair few tracks with a reggae sound which I like, but nothing like the raw energy of the Specials of old.
Still can’t wait to see them again at Brixton in a few months.....I’ll be living my youth for 1 night only.

 

They are playing a couple of gigs at Coventry Cathedral, all sold out. Only 3 members of the original line up, but reviews of the gigs they have done so far have been really good, lots of the old stuff and, brilliantly, they have the girl who faced down an EDL thug singing at least one song.

By an odd coincidence we’ve had a chippie here the last couple of days, a lovely bloke and the most quietly spoken man I have ever met. He opened up when he noticed a Horace Panter picture (of the Ghost Town Demo tape, recorded at a long defunct studio around the corner from where I live). Turns out he was great mates with Horace’s little sister, they grew up together, and used to go round to Horace’s big house in Cov when they were about 11 to find people like Sting having a jam there. I love these little coincidences in life.

 

The track with Saffiyah Khan is actually one of the better, ‘angry’ tracks that I quite like, reminds me a bit of another group I like ‘Sonic Boom six’ and their female Asian lead singer, Laila Khan, who in turn are influenced by another of my favourite bands, Bad Brains.
I’ve seen Horace Panther is making a good career out of his art now and has done a series of ‘cassette art’....I quite like it. His book ‘Ska’d for life’ was very good as well.
Great story.

 

Posted this on the music thread (you should drop in occasionally Staines)

As part of Indepenant Venue Week, 6 Music have been going around the country visiting venues...culminating tonight at the 100 Club in London, with a great set by The Specials.. 15 songs at the end of this show......

Steve Lamacq - Independent Venue Week: The Specials live in London - @bbc6music http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00028jb

It's a pretty good set

 

My wife bought me the Ghost Town one because it had Woodbine Studies on it. I like it because Panter was there, but I can’t see the point of the ones he does of songs which he clearly had nothing to do with. He does some nice photos too, mainly of Americana. We have a couple of gallery shops specialising in rock/pop art round here, everything in them is outrageously expensive and gimmicky, you’d get bored of it very quickly. One place had shows of Ronnie Woods and Bob Dylan paintings (prints I suppose). You wouldn’t look at them twice if it wasn’t for the names at the bottom.

 

I saw a quick video of part of the 100 club gig......looked amazing.

 

3rd Cov show announced G Dunno when tickets go on sale

 

Just watched the worst film for decades
called The Predator

 

is that the arnie one

 

I don't know why I do this to myself, but I'm watching the Bafta awards thing.

Cringeworthy.

Jennifer Lumley is very good, but has an awful scriptwriter.

 

Ha! I’m watching it too, it’s like a slow motion car crash.

A weird form of marketing is my job, and the BAFTAs is just a marketing event/company awards evening. It doesn’t work as a marketing event, it certainly doesn’t make me want to see any of the films, and it doesn’t look like the staff are enjoying the awards. But it’s still slightly ahead of the Oscars, which is now a negative endorsement, a nightmare event. All of these awards things seem way behind the technology to me, completely irrelevant to youngsters. They’ve tried to change the voting demographic for the Oscars, more women and ethnic minorities, but the ‘Academy’ membership is still dominated by over 70 year old men. Great story in the paper today or yesterday, a director was talking to other academy members a couple of years ago, singing the praises of Straight Outta Compton (a great film). None of the others had seen it, because it was about modern black real life and culture, not black people doing heroic things or slavery, and they weren’t interested.

My sister in law is on the BAFTAs voting group (there must be thousands of them) as she used to be big in regional film production. She takes it laughably seriously, always refuses to share the DVDs she gets sent with ‘you will be kicked off the voting panel if you share this DVD’ stamped all over them. Don’t care now as we don’t have a DVD player.

 

The elderly lady that I work for is a BAFTA member (she invited my wife and I to a Stan and Ollie screening, which was great), and I asked her how she got to be a member, did she have to be nominated? She said no, she had to apply, but she also had to name two members that would approve her application. Incestuous?

I think I'm in love with Jessie Buckley.

 

I’ve just started watching the new series of ‘Das Boot’ on sky......does anyone know if it’s a remake of the old one or a new story completely?
Dunno if it’s worth having a look at the old one as never seen it.

 

Watch the old one first, best submarine movie made

 

She’s alright young Jessie, isn’t she? Brilliant in Taboo.

 

Too late....onto episode 3 of the new one