Having just completed his “Last Eternal” series of books ….
…. I am just embarking on Jacob Peppers “Seven Virtues” series…..
…. I decided to skip “The Silent Blade” and dive straight in to “A Sellsword’s Compassion”.
I stumbled across Jacob Peppers work after finishing the latest Lindsay Buroker offering. I was trawling the Kindle library looking for a suitable read. Something in the synopsis for “The Wandering Sword” piqued my curiosity.
It turned out to be a good choice, and before long, I had devoured the whole series, so far ! And, having been left hanging by “City of Steel and Shadow,” wanting more, I decided to take a run at the “Seven Virtues.”
Jacob Peppers writing can be a bit gritty and, at times, little verbose, but I think the story lines are great.
So, if you like a little sword and sorcery, a bit of sci-fantasy, then these books are for you.
Well not quite true, I did listen to one once. I heard it trailed on BBC Radio 2. The subject was the pros and cons of that recent fad, air fryers.
So I fathom’d out how to stream the relevant podcast, listened to it in its entirety. Found I was no nearer to determining if there were any real benefits to owning an air fryer.
Net result I didn’t buy one and I haven’t listened to another podcast since.
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”
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 ….. ?
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.
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.
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.
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 ?”
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 ….
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
WrAnTz 