bookmark_borderAin't so crazy

Last night was partly about the crazy golf and the glow in the dark ten-pin bowling, partly about having a few drinks but mainly about spending some time with our friends Susan and Ian.

Some observations.

1. We ain’t mad about crazy golf.
The course was pirate themed and include a hole played on a pirate ship! Yarrr… except the actual holes weren’t all that challenging or imaginative, in fact it was all a little sedate. Admittedly I am comparing this to that episode of the Simpsons, and vaguely to that movie about a man building the ultimate crazy golf course (or was it a TV show?).

2. Glow in the dark ten-pin bowling requires it to be dark!
Thom Yorke commented on this last week but it just doesn’t get dark in these parts until going on 10.30pm, in fact there was still visible light when we left the pub just past midnight. As such the bowling alleys were still quite bright.

Also when you say “glow in the dark” mean that! Don’t just bung up some UV lighting and offer funny coloured bowls (hey maybe JonnyB could try that down the village green!).

And finally, why were the ‘bumpers’ up in all the lanes? (and furthermore why, WITH the bumpers up did I struggle to break 100!)

3. Pitchers of cocktails are a waste of money
Not a startling revelation but having watched the girl behind the bar pour four measures of alcohol into a pitcher almost full of ice, then fill the rest with lemonade.. yeah, that’s an expensive way to get drunk! Still it kept my darling wife happy, she does love her blue drinks…

4. We have a local!
Susan and Ian live about 5 minutes from us and there is a pub handily placed bang on halfway. Alas it’s a shady looking place and we wouldn’t go near it in a month of Wednesdays. However we finally got around to trying the next pub down the road (about 10 minutes away) and it was ok.

They even have a quiz on a Thursday night… a fact that had Louise almost skipping for joy.

Right, back to work for me (yeah, on a Saturday, meh). Although I have just remembered that, last night, SOMEONE said I could purchase a PlayStation3… maybe a quick trip to Braehead shopping centre for me on the way home!

bookmark_borderI am in chronological denial

Something doesn’t fit.

Yes, Wimbledon is well underway (what a game last night eh!).

Yes, the summer is already over (I’m looking out the window at yet another grey cloud and the drizzle has started falling already).

Yes, we hardly need to put on any lights at all in the evening (as Thom Yorke asked the assembled masses at Glasgow Green on Friday night, “Does it ever get fuckin’ dark here?”).

Yes, the grass is needing cut once a fortnight rather than once a month (not that WE cut the grass these days).

Yes, the first letter of the month is “J” (and the second letter is “u”).

Yes, the Olympics are getting closer (although, frankly, I’m not sure I’ll be watching much of the coverage).

And, yes, I know that it really IS the day that the calendar says, but it just can’t be.

Can it?

Blimey.

bookmark_borderDesert Island Time Limit

Pick eight significant songs to take to your desert island, but you only have two days to come up with them, said Rob.

1. Angel by Massive Attack
The pounding bassline grabs you by throat whilst Horace Andy’s gentle falsetto sings of the unrequited love of a dark menace. My desert island will have a very loud sound system and immersing myself in this growling, heaving, throbbing track will provide both aggressive relief and calming breaths. It’s the paradox that this track offers that makes it a compulsive, repeat, listen for me.

2. The Other Side by David Gray
This one is all about the lyrics. Soft piano chords introduce a sad song, minor keys mirror the hope of a lost man, a man about to start a personal journey through which he remains unsure of his position “sick of hearing my own lies”.

3. A Day in the Life by The Beatles
The best track on one of the best albums (Sgt. Pepper) this track has everything that The Beatles were good at, the opening melancholy, the cheery reciting of a man making his way to work, and that huge building crescendo. The final multi-layered chord providing the tumultous close (barring the repeated nonsense that was recorded beyond the end of the LP, meaning those with auto-return arms on their record players would never hear it… it looped over and over if you let it).

4. Loveshack by the B52’s
The sun is setting on my desert island, me and the crabs have had a little too much home-made rum, so what better track to bung on, turn up and “get dowwwnnnn” to. The perfect hybrid of sunny, silly pop and good old fashioned rock. If YOU see a faded sign by the side of the road, keep on going. This loveshack is mine, baby!

5. Scottish Rain by The Silencers
A glorious love song that gently sweeps over you, this remains my favourite track of theirs, never failing to evoke memories and images from years gone. Even now, writing this silly little meme, a lump is forming in my throat. And whatever better way, as I lie baking under the harsh sun, to remember my homeland in all it’s hues and colours.

6. Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen
Determined to choose a track by my favourite ever band, it is somewhat troublesome given the depth of their catalogue. So I decided to plump for what they were best at, gloriously over the top pomp rock. From the opening harmonies to the slow build from guitar through the bass, the subtle handclaps and the rolling intro of the drums, this is a corker. Best still, as I’m all alone on the island I get to pick up a stick, spin, whirl, stomp my feet and “be Freddie” for 4 minutes and 16 seconds.

7. Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead
Still sends shivers up my spine. Thom Yorke’s soaring vocal, strummed guitar and the way this track builds made me realise that rock’n’roll wasn’t all about noise and pop music wasn’t always cheery. Still a favourite album, always a favourite track.

8. Blackbird by The Beatles
Such a simple song. So beautiful. I could listen to it all day.

Now, I’m supposed to “tag” two people with this… but I can’t be arsed. Sorry. Meme overkill.

Let me know if you pick up the baton.