Saturday 25 December 2004

Bah Humbug!
It just doesn't feel like Christmas, I'm sat at the laptop listening to Indie music on VH1.
I am going to go for a walk to throw the cobwebs off and to watch kids on their new bikes. It's not snowing here, unlike other parts of the country. I only remember it snowing a couple of times at Christmas. I remember one festive period, it was special because my Dad was home (that must've only happened a couple of times when I was growing up, he was in the Merchant Navy) he took me out in the snow on a home made sledge and we slid down the banks of the (just being constructed) A19. I got "Hot Wheels" that year for Christmas. I don't want to come across all Peter Kay here but the toys we got in the seventies were topper! I guess they weren't sophisticated like today (A. got a laptop and an Ipod!) and we really did get an apple and an orange in our stocking! along with Aztec Bars, Curly Wurley's ( when the chocolate used to crumble off them and Terry Scott advertised them dressed, alarmingly, as a schoolboy!). My brother used to have great fun smacking me over the head with his stocking as all the nuts were nestled at the bottom! Ok I will leave that sort of stuff to Peter Kay, he does it with more charm than I can muster.
I spoke to both of my girls today, M. as you can imagine was inundated with presents but had shown real restraint and had only opened two. A. was doing the usual teenage thing of not really being bothered about Christmas, yet even I could tell she was mightily impressed with her gifts.
Last nights gigs were..erm...wierd and non existent. The first was in Oldham ( I guess the alarm bells should have been ringing when I took the booking) in a Brewsters (I know! I know!). The audience were direct from the cast of Shameless! After five minutes of just trying to get them quiet and to listen to me the room eventually split into two halves, those that were interested in me and ones that weren't so I played to the horseshoe! and turned it around eventually. It wasn't pleasant but now and again I just take the money and run. It was unfortunate because the landlord had made a real effort for his locals, booking me and a disco. They couldn't even put clean shell suits on for the occasion! So it was off up the M61 to Preston to play a lounge in a nightclub. Two colleagues of mine had already done this gig in the last couple of weeks and enjoyed it. It's a new nightclub and the idea of having a lounge for live entertainment is a brave one. However not one person walked through the door, it was just me and the barman! So I'm going back there in January when the students are back (their target audience). A very polite young man paid me and I fucked off home. The M6 was quiet and I was settled in front of the television with a V&C by 12.15, fantastic!
The Smiths are on VH1, it's hardly festive but suits my mood perfectly!
Sunderland play dirty Leeds tomorrow and the crowd at The Stadium of Light should be one of the biggest in the country.
1973!