There's Only One Way of Life
It has been a brilliant week. N is back at work now, which is, in a way, not so brilliant. He might be fit for work but is his work fit for anyone? We shall see. Money helps, though.
Sunday was lots of fun. After doing a load of cool editorial stuff, I went out to catch the tail end of Northampton’s Music Festival - and why not - the lovely Levellers were playing! Also Roy Wood - Black Country hero - and Neville Staple. Plus it was free which is my favourite price for anything.
Ah, The Levellers... I once wrote to Mark Chadwick for a fanzine interview, and he sent me back a handwritten note, having signed his name with a little anarchist A in it - so I’ve always thought him very sweet and thoughtful. I dug out one of my Levellers T-shirts for the gig (one that hadn’t worn to holes) and put a big grin on my face. They were fabulous! Me and N watched them with Gregg Cave, Jo Blake and Joe B Humbled (some of my favourite Northamptonian music and arty types - I was in that play with them at Christmas) and Becky, and a marvellous time was had. They played the expected One Way, Carry Me and the Devil Went Down to Georgia, and I was particularly made up because they also played Men-an-tol, which is my favourite song.
N and I ducked into the bar for Neville Staple. I’ve seen him before, and he is very good, but N doesn’t cope too well with dub beats, which I can understand to be honest. We met up with Emma and Scott and a few others in there and whiled away a few minutes before Roy Wood came on.
Roy Wood has a huge back-catalogue of stuff he can draw on. I’m not so keen on the rock n’roll seventies stuff, but he and his band are excellent entertainers, and he played The Move’s Fire Brigade - huzzah - and was halfway through Flowers in the Rain, when the rain, which had gone from a drip to a downpour - got in the electrics and all the power went, prompting me to sing I’m just standing watching Roy Wood in the rain, feel the power of the rain, making electrics blow. So, an early bath, to use footballista-speak.
Later in the week, Richard Herring posted his review of our gig on the Saturday. It’s not too bad, though I have to ask what unusual atmosphere? We also got a mention on AIOTM.
I feel a bit bad that Richard didn’t enjoy coming out to our night as much as we would have liked, as it seems from reading his account, but I hope he didn't really mind about it being a WMC. It’s a venue regularly used for festival events and by the wider community in Earls Barton, which is why I always refer to is as Weirdly Middle Class. I’ve been giving some thought to the issue and I’ve realised just how much I go to cultural events in clubs like this - from The Labour Club in Northampton - which hosts nights like Raising the Awen - to Alan Moore’s own WMC, where we went to the launch of Dodgem Logic.
Round the country, clubs are suffering because of the smoking ban, increased taxes, and because they just don’t have the draw they used to. We can scoff at people who think Big Brother is the height of televisual sophistication, but on the whole, people want to go somewhere where they can drink and be entertained, and these days they head in droves for sports bars with their lager-thin veneer of waggery. If WMCs just can’t offer that, then they have to attract other people in, and they can do this as we have proved, as the Labour Club has proved.
I do remember going to many-a do down the Miners’ in Gornal or Sedgley WMC (places where various members of my extended family worked), being annoyed at the DJ for still continuing to play Jive Bunny well into the Millennium, when I was fed up with it the first time, and looking in horror at the cling-filmed chicken legs sitting for hours at the side of the room that no one is allowed to eat until 9pm when the lights come on (surely you’d rather they stayed off?). And I do remember thinking as a teenager, they really ought to let students put a band night on or something. But round here, we are actually quite used to thinking about doing different things with the resources we have.
Also, James Sherwood didn’t mind doing the gig, and he really is quote posh!
In the week, I had a second-stage interview for a cool job, and I will know more about how that’s gone this week.
I couldn’t present on Friday though as I went to Aunty May’s funeral. I feel sad that she has gone, but it was a lovely service and so nice to see members of my family that I haven’t seen for a while. Thinking about Aunt May (whose name was actually Edith - shock surprise to most of the family!) has helped me to put a few things in perspective. She was a Christian and believed in the afterlife, and though I can’t share her beliefs, I am hopeful that her family are comforted by the thought that she has gone to a better place. I am more worried about my nan now. She kept asking whose do we were at. Mind, we learned a few things about those sisters. Shocking stuff - far too racy for the likes of this blog!
Yesterday, N and I went to London and the Royal Astonomical Society for the BSFA/SFF AGM. Gorgeous building, lovely loos too, which is the most important thing. I did my little report on the Awards and the day was pretty fun. Lovely to meet Rob Shearman again too - he is just the loveliest man! We very much enjoyed discussing all things Whovian. N is reading Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical at the moment and says it is brilliant. Went for a pint with the Ians, Whates and Watson and Terry Jackman too.
Congratulations to James Bloomer for winning the James White Award - look forward to reading your story in Interzone soon. King Ed’s alumni are indeed very talented! (Aren’t we?)
We didn’t stick around as we had to head back for a gig in Wellingborough at The Royal Oak. The gig didn’t look too promising at the start, but it was lovely. I think we all went down well - and the landlord was kind, generous and himself very funny. I think he has a great appreciation for comedy as well as a desire to bring more good people through the door. I hope this works for him, so do pop along next time if you’re in Welly. Thanks to Pete Teckman for thinking of us, and thanks to Ben Briggs for all the kind words.
Sunday was lots of fun. After doing a load of cool editorial stuff, I went out to catch the tail end of Northampton’s Music Festival - and why not - the lovely Levellers were playing! Also Roy Wood - Black Country hero - and Neville Staple. Plus it was free which is my favourite price for anything.
Ah, The Levellers... I once wrote to Mark Chadwick for a fanzine interview, and he sent me back a handwritten note, having signed his name with a little anarchist A in it - so I’ve always thought him very sweet and thoughtful. I dug out one of my Levellers T-shirts for the gig (one that hadn’t worn to holes) and put a big grin on my face. They were fabulous! Me and N watched them with Gregg Cave, Jo Blake and Joe B Humbled (some of my favourite Northamptonian music and arty types - I was in that play with them at Christmas) and Becky, and a marvellous time was had. They played the expected One Way, Carry Me and the Devil Went Down to Georgia, and I was particularly made up because they also played Men-an-tol, which is my favourite song.
N and I ducked into the bar for Neville Staple. I’ve seen him before, and he is very good, but N doesn’t cope too well with dub beats, which I can understand to be honest. We met up with Emma and Scott and a few others in there and whiled away a few minutes before Roy Wood came on.
Roy Wood has a huge back-catalogue of stuff he can draw on. I’m not so keen on the rock n’roll seventies stuff, but he and his band are excellent entertainers, and he played The Move’s Fire Brigade - huzzah - and was halfway through Flowers in the Rain, when the rain, which had gone from a drip to a downpour - got in the electrics and all the power went, prompting me to sing I’m just standing watching Roy Wood in the rain, feel the power of the rain, making electrics blow. So, an early bath, to use footballista-speak.
Later in the week, Richard Herring posted his review of our gig on the Saturday. It’s not too bad, though I have to ask what unusual atmosphere? We also got a mention on AIOTM.
I feel a bit bad that Richard didn’t enjoy coming out to our night as much as we would have liked, as it seems from reading his account, but I hope he didn't really mind about it being a WMC. It’s a venue regularly used for festival events and by the wider community in Earls Barton, which is why I always refer to is as Weirdly Middle Class. I’ve been giving some thought to the issue and I’ve realised just how much I go to cultural events in clubs like this - from The Labour Club in Northampton - which hosts nights like Raising the Awen - to Alan Moore’s own WMC, where we went to the launch of Dodgem Logic.
Round the country, clubs are suffering because of the smoking ban, increased taxes, and because they just don’t have the draw they used to. We can scoff at people who think Big Brother is the height of televisual sophistication, but on the whole, people want to go somewhere where they can drink and be entertained, and these days they head in droves for sports bars with their lager-thin veneer of waggery. If WMCs just can’t offer that, then they have to attract other people in, and they can do this as we have proved, as the Labour Club has proved.
I do remember going to many-a do down the Miners’ in Gornal or Sedgley WMC (places where various members of my extended family worked), being annoyed at the DJ for still continuing to play Jive Bunny well into the Millennium, when I was fed up with it the first time, and looking in horror at the cling-filmed chicken legs sitting for hours at the side of the room that no one is allowed to eat until 9pm when the lights come on (surely you’d rather they stayed off?). And I do remember thinking as a teenager, they really ought to let students put a band night on or something. But round here, we are actually quite used to thinking about doing different things with the resources we have.
Also, James Sherwood didn’t mind doing the gig, and he really is quote posh!
In the week, I had a second-stage interview for a cool job, and I will know more about how that’s gone this week.
I couldn’t present on Friday though as I went to Aunty May’s funeral. I feel sad that she has gone, but it was a lovely service and so nice to see members of my family that I haven’t seen for a while. Thinking about Aunt May (whose name was actually Edith - shock surprise to most of the family!) has helped me to put a few things in perspective. She was a Christian and believed in the afterlife, and though I can’t share her beliefs, I am hopeful that her family are comforted by the thought that she has gone to a better place. I am more worried about my nan now. She kept asking whose do we were at. Mind, we learned a few things about those sisters. Shocking stuff - far too racy for the likes of this blog!
Yesterday, N and I went to London and the Royal Astonomical Society for the BSFA/SFF AGM. Gorgeous building, lovely loos too, which is the most important thing. I did my little report on the Awards and the day was pretty fun. Lovely to meet Rob Shearman again too - he is just the loveliest man! We very much enjoyed discussing all things Whovian. N is reading Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical at the moment and says it is brilliant. Went for a pint with the Ians, Whates and Watson and Terry Jackman too.
Congratulations to James Bloomer for winning the James White Award - look forward to reading your story in Interzone soon. King Ed’s alumni are indeed very talented! (Aren’t we?)
We didn’t stick around as we had to head back for a gig in Wellingborough at The Royal Oak. The gig didn’t look too promising at the start, but it was lovely. I think we all went down well - and the landlord was kind, generous and himself very funny. I think he has a great appreciation for comedy as well as a desire to bring more good people through the door. I hope this works for him, so do pop along next time if you’re in Welly. Thanks to Pete Teckman for thinking of us, and thanks to Ben Briggs for all the kind words.