In the years before Morrissey and Radiohead became ubiquitous, Pink Floyd was the band of choice for any self-respecting teenage melancholic inclined towards a good ponder on the state of the human condition. The sporty lads would dismiss Floyd as music for freaks and druggies as they lurched about awkwardly to new romantic tunes at the school disco, no time for all that introspection, there’s legs to break on the football pitch, beer to drink and baying and hollering to do….
I went to see a Floyd tribute band at the weekend and was intrigued that the audience were basically smartly dressed, boisterous young men who wouldn’t have looked out of place in the England cricket team. Some had brought their glamorous WAGgy girlfriends along, and the whole audience seemed to know the words of every song and sing along like it was “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” at Twickenham.
Charlie Brooker recently said that watching the news these days was like “living inside the mind of a depressed hippy” and I wonder if theirs a wider cultural melancholy at work here, seeing 200 Freddie Flintoffs bellowing heartily long with some of the most paranoid, depressing songs of the 20th Century suggests that there is.
The mind of a depressed hippy
June 2, 2009Dudley
May 29, 2009I revisited my wayward youth the other day by going to see The Enid in Dudley. I never think of where I live as being posh at all, but I was genuinly shocked by the levels of comparitive poverty down there. Everyone looked unhealthy, too fat, too thin, to pale, too flushed. I think the only equivalent that I’ve seen in Manchester is the Ordsall estate or maybe Beswick but they’re both much smaller. I stayed in a hotel over the road from the venue which is supposed to be haunted and where they Acorah style stage ghost hunter nights. The rest of Dudley is haunted by the living.
Chimp Update
May 19, 2009Now up to issue 4, David “Bumble” Lloyd and Paul “beautiful south manchester” Heaton are mining a rich seam of surrealism, there’s a good blend in the more political articles and interviews with the likes of New Order (individually!), Kid British, Doves and I am Kloot. I’ve managed to offend people in Chorlton, Hulme, Northern Quarter and all of the universities so jobs a good ‘un! It’s a good read, starting to develope an identity of it’s own now, but it does need more contributers to take it forward, so have a look at www.chimpmagazine.co.uk ,have a look at the magazine and get in touch with them. Only one of them bites, and he’s very short sighted.
Weird Festival`
May 19, 2009A few months ago, when wandering around town, I came across a Ribena Festival involving models dressed as farmers, Ribena based games and fun, and a gig by the wonderful Travelling band. I thought, quite rightly, what a weird festival. Today I found myself at a Hepititus C festival where I was invited to “join in the festivities” and watch a Van Halen cover band. Again, I thought to myself, what a weird festival. Possibly the weirdest yet. I didn’t get too close, mind.
You can’t fool me?!
April 1, 2009At 7 this morning, the alrm went off. As usual I put the radio on to thwe news that Alan Shearer had been appointed NUFC manager. Then I remembered the date, you can’t fool me. Hadaway and shite.
Do you know where you are? Amir. Aren’t I?
March 13, 2009It’s my guilty secret (except I don’t feel guilty about it, and in fact I bore people about it) that I’m a massive boxing fan, albeit an armchair one. I made reasonably impressive sideline in the 90’s betting on boxing, being pretty good at naming rounds etc. Not these days, even with a sky subscription there’s nowhere near as much boxing on as there used to be on terrestrial TV, it’s no longer possible for me to have seen enough of a given fighter to bet on the outcome of any fight. But whoever thought that it was a good idea for Amir Khan to go in against Marco Antonio Barerra (apart from financially) has been on the gin. So that’s where FW gets those rosy cheeks from. I’m not saying that I don’t think that Amir Khan win (gettit?! I’ll be writing for QI soon), but given what happened against Brendis Prescott, he’s putting himself in a great deal of danger. FW surely could have seen an easier route to a title shot than Barerra, I’ll never forget the way MAB treated Naseem Hamed like an impudent child for 12 full rounds. Naz was never the same afterwards, and his career was over after one more fight. I hope the outcome is better for Amir, he’s too young to have his career derailed permentantly. It’ll be a cracker while it lasts….
(later that week….) Well I was completely wrong there. Amir was better, and would have won even without the head clash cut. Shame about that though, tarnishes the victory a bit.
British Inbreds Party
March 9, 2009I went to Wales at the weekend to record a tune for the new album by top silly welsh punk band The Pain. On saturday morning I was having a pleasant wander about Newtown, thinking how nice and quaint it was with it’s tea rooms and wool shops and then I saw the BNP stall in the shopping centre, manned by an old man and two large farmer types with close-together eyes. If they weren’t all related, they were a damning indictement of their own policies. I know that they are based in nearby Welshpool, but it was still a shock to come face to face with the inbred sons of Mosley.
“Abolish Councils” says raving bigot…
February 20, 2009I’m no fan of local authorities but this is hilarious. He makes Noel Edmonds seem like Ken Livingstone.
I’m in Print!!
February 16, 2009Chimp Magazine finally rolled off the presses last week, Giles having a minor nervous breakdown from sleep deprevavtion. I say go and get one it’s really very good. A whole host of local luminaries are contributing, Miranda Sawyer, Graham Massey and Phill Jupitus (I know he’s not local, but he’s fat enough for Ashton) among others. There’s a great article on FC United and an indepth look at the consequences of the BBC move up here. I’ve noticed, though, that most of the advertising comes from Chorlton based businesses, and there’s a long hysterical rant by some curmogeon about the shops, bars and people in general of M21 (which they’ve called M20!!). I wonder who that curmugeon could be…..???? Will they get repeat business from those advertisers??? Watch this space (and others…)
Black Metal Manchester
February 15, 2009Well I never. I’ve been interested in this queer old business since I read the fantastic “Lords of Chaos” book all about Black Metal in Norway, but I had no idea that dear old Manchester had bred some little churchburner, but look at this
http://www.myspace.com/clanglestrimproduckshins
and they’re putting stuff on at Satans Hollow, how appropriate! I must top up my deathly palour, polish me old pigs head and swot up on my endless dismal moan.
Rev Porl's Blog 