Category: entertainment

Live Music, Music and More Music


What is your favorite hobby or pastime?

My favourite pastime is listening to music, preferably, live music.

I believe you can’t beat a live performance for moving your soul, rousing emotions, and even reducing you to tears.

Over the last fifty or so years I have been lucky enough to see many live performances.

My first exposure to live music was at Claverham County Secondary School. The “school dance”, held for those pupils leaving to begin their working lives, featured “The Equals” ! The band had just hit the UK charts with their single “Baby, Come Back”. Little did we know that a member of that band would go on to have a successful solo career. That was “Eddie Grant”.

After I left school, I did a brief stint at Battle Engineering before starting an apprenticeship at HM Royal Dockyard, Portsmouth. This was to be the start of my musical education.

I was in digs at the time when one of my co-residents invited me to a concert at Portsmouth Guildhall. On stage that night were “Led Zeppelin” supported by “Blodwyn Pig.”

After that, there was no holding me back. Almost every week, I would attend performances on South Parade Pier, Kimbels Ballroom, and Portsmouth Guildhall. Back in those days, you would have up to five bands perform in a single evening.

During those heady days I saw Black Sabbath, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Roy Harper, Van de Graff Generator, Caravan, Hawkwind, and many many more.

Back then I was into Prog Rock, but I did venture into other genres. Thanks to Joan, my landlady at the time, I saw Tony Bennett, Manitas de Plata, Roy Orbison, Dionne Warwick, and many, many more.

As time has moved on, my musical tastes have changed. I still love my prog rock, but I have learnt to appreciate all kinds of music, as long as it is performed well. Highlights have been Carmina Burana at the O2 and a classical concert, at the Royal Albert Hall, that closed with the 1812 Overture complete with the live firing of canon and musket.

Nowadays ticket pricing places restraints on how many shows I can get to. Thankfully there is vinyl, CDs and the Internet for streaming music. Much to my wife’s disgust I turn on the music most mornings and get a couple of hours listening in.

And then the TV, courtesy of Sky Arts, broadcast so many great shows. Just last night I was watching a documentary following The Grateful Dead. Pure gold.

Please excuse the misquote, but, “If music be the food of life play on”

The Woman In The Wall


Who out there watched this six-part psychological drama which came to a close on BBC One last night ?

And how many found the ending disappointing ? I watched this through to the very end, then found myself ask “And ?”

When the series began I struggled to maintain interest as we were confronted with lead character Lorna Brady and her psychotic episodes. She apparently had a long history of sleepwalking based in trauma she endured during her time spend in one of Irelands infamous Magdalene Laundries.

Having battled through the first episode I found the story line drawing me in. Admittedly there were annoying elements, which I felt were superfluous to the plot. Aren’t there almost always in any drama. But this intriguing story was masterfully told by a strong cast of actors led by Ruth Wilson. By the end of episode two I was hooked. So much so that the sixth and final episode , broadcast last night, was essential viewing. For an hour I was glued to the screen, and then it was all over and the titles were rolling.

I can only compare the the feeling I had, to the anticipation of a roast dinner. For hours you smell the meat and tatties roasting, and associated veggies cooking. Then the dinner is plated up and it is spread out in all its glory. But the meat is bland and tasteless, roasties soft, not crispy as they should be, and the veggies have had all the goodness boiled out of them. The meal is eaten, hunger pangs satisfied but mentally you are disappointed.

And so it was with this show. Six weeks of anticipation but no real closure.

I hate it when dramas end and leave you to make assumptions, leave loose ends hanging. I want to know if the hard faced bitch of a nun got her comeuppance . Were all of the accomplices rounded up and prosecuted. Did the duplicitous James Coyle wriggle out from under, or ….. ?

No spoilers here. Well not really. But …. ?

What Is My All-Time Favourite Album ?


What’s your all-time favorite album?

Such a hard question to answer.

My first response is “On The Threshold Of A Dream” by The Moody Blues first released in 1969. I certainly play this a lot so much so that I am on my 2nd vinyl copy, the first having worn out. I still listen to the album, but these days, I stream, using Tidal or Spotify.

A more considered response leads me to offer up “Foxtrot” by Genesis first released in 1972. I still have my original vinyl version but also have it on CD. Genesis are a band that I used to see live every time they visited Portsmouth. Pretty much an annual event, either at Portsmouth Guildhall or South Parade Pier.

Many other albums are jostling for that favourite spot. Amongst them, some of the great classics. “Dark Side Of The Moon” and “Echoes” by Pink Floyd, “Led Zeppelin II” and “IV”, “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull, “Tapestry” by Carole King, and the list goes on and on.

So to truly answer the question, I think “Foxtrot” by Genesis take the honour, but only just.

Music is such an emotive subject, and to nominate a favourite will always be coloured by how one is feeling, ones mood at any given time.

Ask me again tomorrow.

What Will I Be Doing This Evening ?


What are you doing this evening?

I will be doing what I always do every evening. Preparing the evening meal for me and my wife.

This will be followed by our daily wordle challenge. My wife and I compete with each other to see who completes it in the least number of lines. It’s interesting to note that our thought processes are very different. When stuck, my wife will make up words to try, whereas I seem to be resolutely locked into my own limited vocabulary.

Following the wordle brain strain, we will settle down to watch a bit of TV. Our viewing will typically start with “House of Games,” so a bit more mental gymnastics before moving on to a mix of fly on the wall documentaries and crime drama.

In the fly on the wall category we are watching “Top Guns: Inside the RAF” whilst in the crime drama slot, we are currently hurtling towards the end of “Ozark”, which we will probably finish this evening

So, if you don’t mind, I’ll pop off to start the preparation of our evening meal.

Why Do I Blog ?


Why do you blog?

For many reasons ….

To share my thoughts

To share my photos

To moan / rant about things that irritate me

To share things that make me laugh and, in turn, I hope, make others laugh.

And, sometimes, to engage in conversations with others

Some Of My Favourite Films


What are your top ten favorite movies?

Choose your top ten movies ! An almost impossible task. Like music, your enjoyment of a film is affected by your mood at the time. So here goes, here are my “current” favourites ….

  • Gunga Din
  • Dirty Harry
  • Arsenic and Old Lace
  • Zulu
  • North by North West
  • Bullitt
  • The Man Who Would Be King
  • The French Connection
  • True Grit (John Wayne version)
  • The Italian Job (Michael Caine version)

My list is not definitive. Nor is it in any particular order. Ask me again tomorrow, and I’ll probably choose some different films. Even as I look back I’m thinking I should have included more recent releases.

Where are the Star Wars and Pink Panther series !!! I missed out Mel Brooks Blazing Saddles and many more that have given me great pleasure over the years.

Note that I have selected the original versions of True Grit and The Italian Job. These are in my eyes classic movies, and the remakes don’t do them justice. They are not a shadow of the originals.

Turn It Up To 11


What do you listen to while you work?

I’ve been retired now for eight years. So work is perhaps not the right word. Perhaps the question is really, “What do I listen to while doing my chores ?”

The simple answer is Radio Paradise.

I stream this station, up to eight hours a day, sometimes more. They are the soundtrack to my life. The primary reason for my choice is the eclectic mix of music played, followed closely by the distinct lack of babble.

Music is the priority, no inane chatter from self-indulgent DJs. Below is a snapshot of the music that has been playing while I type this post.

In their own words …

RP is a blend of many styles and genres of music, carefully selected and mixed by two real human beings. You’ll hear modern and classic rock, world music, electronica, even a bit of classical and jazz. What you won’t hear are random computer-generated playlists or mind-numbing commercials.

Our specialty is taking a diverse assortment of songs and making them flow together in a way that makes sense harmonically, rhythmically, and lyrically — an art that, to us, is the very essence of radio. We hope that you’ll enjoy RP so much that you’ll want to share it with your friends, family, co-workers, neighbours, Facebook buddies, Twitter followers, etc.

Bill and Rebecca Goldsmith

Notably absent from the RP airwaves are the typical pop chart fodder. There is a distinct lack of breathy blondes, boy bands and rappers. What you will find is rock, prog rock, folk, jazz, classical, reggae, and pretty much every other genre. A veritable musical stew whose ingredients have been intelligently curated.

I have never been bored by the music they share. Sometimes, a track will be aired that I don’t particularly like, but just like with life, I grin and bear it. There is always the next track to look forward to.

Every so often, RP plays that classic track, work/chores stop, and I ….

Turn It Up To 11

The Plank


This movie short holds a very dear place in my memories and although a little dated it still makes me laugh.

Much of my time watching this is spent star spotting. With the likes of Eric Sykes, Jimmy Edwards, Tommy Cooper, Jimmy Tarbuck, James Hunt …. the list goes on

I hope you find it as humorous as I do

https://fb.watch/iiASzu1t0z/

Low Spark Of The High-Heeled Boys


Thank you, Radio Paradise, for just playing this. Stopped me in my tracks and I just had to turn up the volume.

Such a great band, this has to be one of the best songs of the 70’s

A Call To Action – Radio Paradise


Almost every day I tune in to Radio Paradise and stream their music feed continuously for up to 8 hours. They are, in my opinion, by far the best station out there on the interweb. Occasionally, I will stray from the path, search out alternatives. But, I always find myself returning to RP.

Radio Paradise is a listener supported station. That is, they don’t charge a regular subscription fee. Rather they rely on donations from their listeners. Many, like me, probably make sporadic donations. A few pounds here, a few there. I haven’t felt the call to make a regular payment to RP, even though I do subscribe to the likes of Tidal and Spotify.

So what’s the difference ? I guess the primary difference is that RP provides me with a random eclectic selection of music, no adverts and no inane DJ chatter. There are tracks on rotation, but not as regular as the stuff you hear on commercial radio or even the BBC.

Spotify and Tidal are rather like an enormous record collection through which I have to sift and make choices. There are customised/personalised playlists too. But you have to choose and I find I spend as much time sifting as I do actually listening.

There is room in my world for both types of music stream. However, the point of this post is

For 22 years, RP has been a 100% word-of-mouth venture. We believe the funds raised by the station should only go toward the smooth running, improvement, and general operation of the station. It’s a moral obligation to take the generous support you all give each year into making RP the best we can make it. Putting your hard-earned dollars into the hands of ad companies or other various traditional marketing channels is simply not something we’re interested in or willing to do. 

Lucky for us, you do an amazing job helping us share the music far and wide. In essence, you are our marketing team. And what a team it is! We receive countless emails and comments about how you already do this on a regular basis. It shows and we are incredibly grateful for this fact. With that said, we want to enlist those who are so inspired to make one large concerted effort to spread the music this new year. 

If RP is a part of your daily life, please consider the following…..

First, send an email and/or post on social media encouraging people to tune in. Make it five of your closest friends and family…or 10…or send it out in your company newsletter or with an organization you volunteer for, whatever inspires you. (We’d love to hear about it in our comment section!)

Secondly, if you use our app, go in and rate the app. As much as we don’t care about such things, the powers that be at Google and Apple put a lot of weight on such things. The more ratings and the higher they are the more likely someone is to find RP in the app stores. 

RP’s goal for 2023 is to go from 3.3 million unique site visitors to 6.6 million. It’s a big goal but we’re up for the task. We love what we do and want to share it with many more people around the world come 2023. 

Alanna at radioparadise.com

If you like music uninterrupted by inane chatter from DJs and their gangs/posses/teams or whatever the term is for a collection of white noise drones. If you like music uninterrupted by advertisements for breakfast cereal, instant coffee and the latest supermarket bargains. If you like music that isn’t tied to music industry or radio station charts.

Since I started typing this blog post, RP has played the following …

  • Coming Home – k.d. lang
  • Can’t Get It Out Of My Head – ELO
  • Rocky World – Daniel Lanois
  • Wild Eagle – Andrew White
  • Sing, Theresa Says – Greg Laswell
  • Satisfaction – Cat Power
  • Held – Spoon
  • Robbin’ My Honeycomb – Tony Joe White
  • Lullaby – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
  • Stones – Sonic Youth
  • Huron Beltane Fire Dance – Loreen McKennitt
  • My Love – Florence + the Machine

Go on, give Radio Paradise a try. Your ears, heart and mind will thank you for it.