Happy New Year

This includes Facebook and Blogger friends 

as well of course!

I hope that 2019 brings you whatever you may wish for.

Season's Greetings

Who'd have thought The Beatles would be fans of 

West Ham United?

The World of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Kurt Vonnegut fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive of World War II. His unit was inexperienced and sent to what was considered a “relatively quiet” area. He and many others were captured and sent by train to Dresden. The train was bombed by the British Royal Air Force and many were killed but he survived and became a prisoner of war, working in a factory by day and living in a “warehouse”. Dresden was not of any strategic importance and had little in the way of defence or air-raid shelters so when the controversial three-day blanket-bombing by Allied forces began, he hid in a cellar during that time, which was full of “hanging cadavers”. When he emerged Dresden was mostly gone - flattened by the carpet-bombing.

It has often been remarked that war leads to the production of great art and literature. In Vonnegut’s case his experiences led to the creation of his greatest and most successful work: Slaughterhouse Five. The building he had been living in was an abattoir or ‘slaughter house’.

He expounds his philosophy through this crazy, original, thought-provoking book whose protagonist is Billy Pilgrim. There are multiple themes in the book; I would say that the major ones include: the folly of war, free will (or rather, the lack of it) and time. Not only is the time sequence not linear, it’s not just flashbacks either – it’s all over the place!

Also appearing in Slaughterhouse Five is Kilgore Trout, a character used at various times by Vonnegut in several books, (at least his name is) said by critics to be at least partly an autobiographical creation. Trout is a poverty-stricken struggling science-fiction writer. In this book he acts as a catalyst for the main character, Billy Pilgrim.

If science-fiction is not your thing, I would still commend this book to you as it is one of the most important American novels of the 20^th century and Vonnegut one the vital writers.
Here are some quotes from Slaughterhouse Five:
“Among the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, present, and future.” 
“They were adored by the Germans, who thought they were exactly what Englishmen ought to be. They made war look stylish and reasonable, and fun...
They were dressed half for battle, half for tennis or croquet.”
“Billy licked his lips, thought a while, inquired at last: "Why me?" 
"That is a very Earthling question to ask, Mr. Pilgrim. Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen bugs trapped in amber?"
"Yes." Billy, in fact had a paperweight in his office which was a blob of polished amber with three lady-bugs embedded in it. "Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why.” 
And the most famous one of all:
"...and so it goes..."

I'm listening to the late J.J.Cale singing City Girls. You can listen HERE.

The Poet Roger McGough

This is a re-post from four years ago:

I went recently, with my younger daughter, Laura, to hear the Liverpool poet Roger McGough reading works from his long career. In the 1960's he used to be in the band Scaffold with Paul McCartney's brother, Mike McGear.

It was in our local library with a small audience and it was a very entertaining evening, both funny and moving by turns. I bought a few books and told him that the last one of his that I bought was as a teenager - many years ago. He looked at me over the top of his glasses with mock horror! He still has an element of that Liverpool wit, long associated with The Beatles.

Roger McGough today

And in the 1960s, left, with the group Scaffold.
Paul McCartney's brother, Mike McGear is in the centre.

Here are a few of his poems to enjoy:

GOODBAT NIGHTMAN

God bless all policemen

and fighters of crime,

May thieves go to jail 

for a very long time. 

They've had a hard day
helping clean up the town,
Now they hang from the mantelpiece
both upside down. 

A glass of warm blood
and then straight up the stairs,
Batman and Robin
are saying their prayers. 

* * *
They've locked all the doors
and they've put out the bat,
Put on their batjamas
(They like doing that) 

They've filled their batwater-bottles
made their batbeds,
With two springy battresses
for sleepy batheads. 

They're closing red eyes
and they're counting black sheep,
Batman and Robin
are falling asleep.

MAFIA CATS

We're the Mafia cats
Bugsy, Franco and Toni
We're crazy for pizza
With hot pepperoni

We run all the rackets
From gambling to vice
On St Valentine's Day
We massacre mice

We always wear shades
To show that we're meanies
Big hats and sharp suits
And drive Lamborghinis

We're the Mafia cats
Bugsy, Franco and Toni
Love Sicilian wine
And cheese macaroni

But we have a secret
(And if you dare tell
You'll end up with the kitten 
At the bottom of the well

Or covered in concrete
And thrown into the deep
For this is one secret
You really must keep.)

We're the Cosa Nostra
Run the scams and the fiddles
But at home we are
Mopsy, Ginger and Tiddles

Lastly, to show that there can be depth as well as humour.....

YOU AND I

I explain quietly. You
hear me shouting. You
try a new tack. I
feel old wounds reopen.

You see both sides. I
see your blinkers. I
am placatory. You
sense a new selfishness.

I am a dove. You
recognize the hawk. You
offer an olive branch. I
feel the thorns.

You bleed. I
see crocodile tears. I
withdraw. You
reel from the impact. 

I am listening to Dissatisfied Blues by 

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee. Listen HERE!

Eric Bogle & June Tabor

One of my favourite songwriters is the Scottish-Australian folk singer Eric Bogle. I especially like the interpretation of his work by the British singer June Tabor.  The three songs here are particularly poignant at this time because they are about the First World War. I have provided a link to each song performed by both June and Eric.

I don’t believe that any other medium has described the futility of war in a way that hits home like these songs do.

And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Click here for June Tabor

Click here for Eric Bogle

No Man's Land 

(also known as The Green Fields of France)

Click here for June Tabor

Click here for Eric Bogle

Now I'm Easy

Click here for June Tabor

Click here for Eric Bogle

By the way, a 'cocky' is Australian slang for a farmer 

(originally a cockatoo farmer).

Talent Show Contestant

This lovely sketch from The Mitchell & Webb Show beautifully expresses my feelings about 'talent' show contestants! If you like this there are plenty of their clips from the shows on You Tube.

I'm listening to a track from The Times They Are A-Changin'. Restless farewell is here.

Like many of Dylan's lyrics these stand up well on their own - especially the final verse:

Oh, a false clock tries to tick out my time

To disgrace, distract, and bother me 

And the dirt of gossip blows into my face 

And the dust of rumours covers me 

But if the arrow is straight 

And the point is slick 

It can pierce through dust no matter how thick 

So I'll make my stand 

And remain as I am 

And bid farewell and not give a damn

Painting of the Month (84) Oct 2018: Mont St Victoire

Have you ever wondered why artists continued to paint after the invention of the camera? After all, the camera would have depicted scenes like the one below with great accuracy. It 'never lies', does it?

Photograph of Mont Saint Victoire overlooking Aix-en-Provence, France

However, the camera cannot easily capture mood, atmosphere, feeling or imagination. The French artist, Paul Cezanne returned many times throughout his career to re-paint this view over and again and he found something new to say about it almost every time. I don't want to say anymore now because I want the visual to be dominant in this post. Just luxuriate in the beauty of the paintings below here...

I'm listening to the original version of Rivers of Babylon by the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians. 

You can listen here. I like it loud!

Don't Take A Fence

'Don’t Take A Fence' by Paul Curtis.

Don’t Take A Fence

My uncle John the fence died

When I heard I felt quite sorry

It was poetic justice though

As he fell off the back of a lorry
Copyright © Paul Curtis. All Rights Reserved

This is a lovely little poem which may need some explaining for non-English readers. In Wales 'John the fence' would be a man who erected fences; in England and elsewhere it would be a man who received stolen goods.
And in British English (I'm not sure about elsewhere - please let me know), something that 'fell off the back of lorry' means it was stolen so I can sell it to you cheaply!

I'm listening to the wonderful John Prine singing his own song, the achingly sad, Hello in There. He was past his best in this live recording but still has the power to convey a moving story. You can listen here.

There are also good versions by Bette Midler and Joan Baez.

A Bit of Fun (2)

For the umpteenth time I have been listening to a fabulous recording by The Everly Brothers and The Beach Boys together singing Don't Worry Baby. Listen to it HERE

A Bit of Fun (1)

I am a moderator on a Facebook group that has 72,000 members. I offer here a sample of some of the things I have posted over the past few months:

I'm listening to Brinsley Schwarz, led by Nick Lowe, singing Happy Doing What We're Doing. Listen here.

Painting of the month (83) August 2018: Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is a photographer who specialises in female portraits emulating various iconic images of women. Her most famous work, Untitled Film Stills (1978-1980) is a set of 69 monochrome portraits based on Hollywood movie stills intended to subvert the role of women in the film world. Some of her other work includes fashion shoots, album covers and a few short films.

She has also produced images parodying historical portraits, centre-folds and publicity shots. They are deliberately clichéd. She is a true artist in the sense that she creates images which reflect the society we live in and holds up a mirror for us to examine our values.

In case you had not realised every one of these photos is a self-portrait of the artist!

REPOST: How Beer Saved the World

I am enjoying trawling through some of my favourite posts and publishing them again - I think it's better than posting nothing at the moment, (which would be the alternative)!

How Beer Saved The World

I'm here to defend the good name of beer and to tell you how it saved the world. Really.
Many scientists and anthropologists now believe that it was not the desire for bread that kick-started the agricultural revolution that ended hunter-gathering 9,000 years ago; it was the yearning for barley to make beer. This led to inventions such as the plough, the wheel, irrigation, mathematics and even led to writing! This cascade of world-changing innovations was brought about by the desire for beer.
In ancient Eygypt workers were paid in beer so we could say that we wouldn't have had the Pyramids without beer. There are those who claim it is one of the major food groups because of it's nutritional content.
In modern times it played an important role in refrigeration, the discovery of germ theory and modern medicine. 
However, in Medieval times when water was too dirty to drink, possibly it's most important function was to support the population. Beer was safe to drink and men, women and children drank it morning to night, certainly in England.
That possibly is still the case in some parts! Cheers.

I'm listening to Billy Joel's 

Say Goodbye to Hollywood

Listen here.

REPOST: E. Annie Proulx

THIS IS A FURTHER UPDATE OF A TOPIC I FIRST BLOGGED ABOUT TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO!

E. Annie Proulx (pronounced 'Proo') is a writer of wonderful fiction. Her densely written, observational style is packed with lots of detail and a very strong sense of place, such as the unfashionable parts of Newfoundland, Wyoming and Texas. Her descriptive writing always reminds me of John Steinbeck's work due to her obvious affection for the places and kinds of people who are not usually the heroes of modern fiction. She has a Dickensian knack of naming her characters in an outlandish way that very soon seems to be perfectly natural.

For example “That Old Ace in The Hole” (2002) features, among others, Jerky Baum, Pecan Flagg, Blowy Cluck, Coolbroth Fronk, and Waldo Beautyrooms. It’s the story of Bob Dollar, hired by Global Pork Rind to buy up small farms, in the Texas panhandle town of Woolybucket, so that they can be turned into hog farms under the guise of buying land for luxury housing. The book touches on the larger issue of pollution and depletion of the water table as a background. The story is fairly thin on plot but rich in character and anecdote.
“Accordion Crimes” (1996) lovingly tells the story of a succession of owners of an accordion. Annie Proulx is a dispassionate observer of life but she does not shy away from unpleasant scenes and can be brutally honest in her depiction of those who are the losers in life’s lottery.
“The Shipping News” (1993) is a magnificent novel that demands a lot from the reader, whose attentiveness will be richly rewarded. At the start of each chapter a picture of a different type of knot is shown and this turns out to have a metaphorical reference to the content of that chapter. It was turned into a successful movie with Kevin Spacey in 2001. In a similar way “Postcards”(1992) showed a drawing of a postcard at the start of each chapter with a message that was sometimes directly relevant to the story and sometimes just added background colour. In 1997 she wrote a short story which was published in a collection of her work called "Close Range: Wyoming Stories" (1999) which was filmed in 2005. That was the very successful "Brokeback Mountain", in which she typically tackled a subject that had hitherto been taboo in mainstream literature.

Since I first wrote this (1996) and updated it on this Blog (2013) Annie Proulx has continued to publish and is still among my favourite writers. At the age of 82, she is still working!

I am continuing to repost earlier efforts due to a lack of time. Back to normal with some new stuff soon..... I think. .

REPOST: Little known facts!

All of these facts must be true because I got them from the Internet - except for the one that I made up! Can you spot my one?

Can you spot the made up fact?

• Japanese research has concluded that moderate drinking can boost IQ levels.
• The fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth is called Arachibutyrophobia.
• Macadamia nuts are not sold in their shells because it takes 300 pounds per square inch of pressure to break the shell.
• Florida: An elephant tied to a parking meter must pay the regular parking fee.
• In Samoa, it is illegal to forget your wife's birthday.
• In Alabama it is illegal to stab yourself to gain someone's pity.
• In the UK it is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.
• Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
• London taxis (black cabs) must carry a bale of hay and a sack of oats.
• Descendants of Sweeney Todd, the cannibalistic barber, founded a sausage factory in Somerset, England after the First World War.
• The word "queue" is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.
• Queen Elizabeth I regarded herself as a paragon of cleanliness. She declared that she bathed once every three months, whether she needed it or not.
• An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain

Answer is now in the comments section!

I'm listening to Candy Says by The Velvet Underground with the late Lou Reed on vocals. Listen HERE. It's a very sad song about Candy Darling who was the person he sung about in Walk on The Wild Side.

REPOST: Flowers by Wendy Cope

Reposted from February 2013.
This post is especially for All Consuming. But of course anyone is very welcome to comment!

Wendy Cope. Born England 1945.(www.goodreads.com)

Flowers

Some men never think of it.
You did. You’d come along
And say you’d nearly brought me flowers
But something had gone wrong.

The shop was closed. Or you had doubts —
The sort that minds like ours
Dream up incessantly. You thought
I might not want your flowers.

It made me smile and hug you then.
Now I can only smile.
But, look, the flowers you nearly brought
Have lasted all this while.
From Serious Concerns, Faber & Faber, 1992

Wendy Cope, born 1945, is an English poet, the kind of whom it is easy to dismiss as lightweight or superficial but I would like to make the case that she is neither of those things. Although clothed in humour and wit, her words carry the weight and gravitas and of more serious matters. She cleverly uses the easy appeal to make a point, often about men: Men are like bloody buses-/ You wait for about a year/ And as soon as one approaches your stop/ Two or three others appear.
The poem centres around the themes of remembrance and intentions that were never carried out and there is a deep underlying sadness present. I think it is saying that the thought counts as much, or more, than the deed. The last stanza is heart-breakingly poignant.

I am listening to the late Kevin Coyne's brilliant recording of Blame it on The Night. He was a bit of a wild child who had been a psychiatric nurse and he sang about mental illness with deep insight. Listen here.

The Riddle Solved.

The solution to the Old English Riddle of my last post is, of course 'A Bookworm'. Hels's analogy with dementia also perfectly fits the description as does Arleen's ageing poet; so everyone was right!

The Book of Exeter is the oldest extant collection of Old English literature. The copy in Exeter Cathedral was made after the year 975; so it's well over a thousand years old. Some of the poems it contains have been dated back to the seventh century. It was presented to the the Cathedral by Bishop Leofric who died in 1072.
It contains religious verse's and many riddles, some of which are full of cheeky double entendres that would make you blush so it's a strange mix of the spiritual and the secular side-by-side!
Here's one more:
I am a wondrous creature for women in expectation, a service for neighbours. I harm none of the citizens except my slayer alone. My stem is erect, I stand up in bed, hairy somewhere down below. A very comely peasant's daughter, dares sometimes, proud maiden, that she grips at me, attacks me in my redness, plunders my head, confines me in a stronghold, feels my encounter directly, woman with braided hair. Wet be that eye.

Scroll down for the answer!

Answer: An onion!

An Old English Riddle

AN OLD ENGLISH RIDDLE

A moth, I thought, munching a word.

How marvellously weird! A worm

Digesting a man’s sayings –

A sneak-thief nibbling in the shadows

At the shape of a poet’s thunderous phrases –

How unutterably strange!

And the pilfering parasite none the wiser

For the words he has swallowed.

This was published in The Book Of Exeter over one thousand years ago.

I will tell more about that when I give the answer to the riddle in a few days.

REPOST: from 2011 Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon, Sir William Russell-Flint, 1909

It is not generally realised how much the Old Testament's Song of Solomon pervades modern culture. It contains some of the most beautiful love poetry ever written:

The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is an ointment poured forth; therefore do the virgins love you.

Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee: we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

I am black but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me: they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but my own vineyard have I not kept.

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, wherefeedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon; for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock and feedthy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.

I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.

Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.

We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.

While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard (1) sendeth forth the small thereof.

A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.

My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire (2) in the vineyards of Engedi.

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast dove’s eyes.

Behold; thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant; also our bed is green.

The beams of our house are cedar and our rafters of fir.

 (1)  Spikenard is an aromatic herb and a member of the ginseng family.

(      (2)  Camphire is an archaic name for henna.

It is important to know that this is just the first chapter and that the 'voice' of the poem switches from person to person. Biblical scholars argue whether or not this was written by Solomon or for him. Here are just a few of the references that have been made:

•  Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy's 1985 song Kiss Me quotes directly from the Song of Solomon.
• ·      Toni Morrison's novel Song of Solomon was instrumental in her winning a Nobel Prize.
• ·         Chapter 2, verse 15 (not reproduced here) provided the title for Lillian Hellman’s 1939 play Little Foxes.
• ·         Also the opening line of Chapter 2 provides the name 'Rose of Sharon' used by Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath.
• ·         Countless number of (mostly obscure) rock groups have taken their names and song titles from Song of Solomon.
• ·         One of Kate Bush's songs from The Red Shoes  is Song of Solomon
• ·         In his poem When I Hear You Sing, Leonard Cohen refers to the Song of Solomon.
• ·         Many writers and composers through history have taken inspiration from this work. They include Geoffrey Chaucer, JS Bach and up to Steeleye Span and Neil Diamond (in Holly Holy).

I find it amazing how these ancient lines reach out across the millennia and still have resonance today. Be inspired by this poetry and remember that love is better than hate!