Handsome Family- ABC Glasgow

Went to see the Handsome family last Thursday night and Brett & Rennie were on fine form (together with David on his magical musical saw, Mandolin etc). I was hoping to film a whole song for the blog but my Camera ran out of power so all I got was the disjointed short film above.

The start of the film sees Rennie lamenting the tragic death of Razzle(the drummer from Hanoi Rocks)and she went on to describe in graphic detail how she threw up on the front of the stage at a Hanoi Rocks concert. They're more rock and roll than they look !!!

It was a sell out gig (The handsome family not Hanoi Rocks) and the songs were interspersed with some hilarious banter between Brett and Rennie (topics included Skeletons of hummingbirds, how to train crows to pick pockets and magic shiny beer bottles). Brett chain drank beer and Rennie vamped it up big time with her eccentric views on life.

Mad as a bag of thieving Crows but fantastic songwriters.

Sparklehorse at King Tut's Glasgow

Went to see Sparklehorse at a sold out King Tut's last night and it was magic. Slightly disappointed that he only played one song off the new album but his fantastic re-workings of old classics made up for that. Highlights were a blistering version of hammering the cramps and a fantastic singalong version of Homecoming queen which nearly raised the roof.

More than Bonnie........Beautiful

As a big Bonnie Prince Billy fan I queued up first thing yesterday at Avalanche records in Glasgow to buy his new album. I have to admit that in my eyes BPB can do no wrong however even I have been surprised at how fantastic this is. It's full of his normal sparse musical arrangements and wavering vocals however there is a completeness to this album that is slightly missing from previous recordings.

Normally with any album there are 1 or 2 songs that are "OK" but you tend to fast forward through when listening in the car. On this album all of the songs are standouts in their own different ways and my favourite, "I called you back", is simply stunning and undoubtedly one of Will Oldhams top 5 songs.

I would implore everyone to go out and buy this record. Will Oldham/BPB/Palace is in my view the greatest living songwriter (my brother will have a fit at that statement) and deserves some major recognition. I never thought I would be able to give an album a perfect 10 but this comes as close as I think it will get.

Czec this out

Spent a very enjoyable 4 days in Prague recently. The old part of the city is absolutely magnificent but the further out you go the less attractive everything becomes (except the beer prices !!).

The Picture shows the TV tower which is built in the middle of a residential area of the city and stands out like a sore thumb. The remarkable thing about this monstrosity is that climbing up and down the outside are statues of giant naked babies. Now I like a bit of modern architecture as much as the next man but this building is just plain creepy.

Holland days Sauce(y)

I had a very enjoyable couple of days in Amsterdam with my wife and a couple of friends recently. This is the first time I have been to the city and I would recommend it for a relaxing break although it is not a place that could keep your interest for more than 3 or 4 days.

There appears to be a definite hierarchy when it comes to transport on the city streets. First are the Bikes, then come pedestrians, then it's the trams and finally it's the cars. We spent the first day shouting warnings to each other along the lines of "Watch out, bike/tram/car/prostitute !!!!!"

I highly recommend the Heineiken brewery tour and the hour long boat tour of the Canals both of which are surprisingly cheap. You also can't visit the city without a tour of the red light district which is free !!!. It's at it's "best" at night but for a good laugh I recommend walking round the area in the afternoon as the girls obviously get their Mothers/Grandmothers to sit in for them while they have a sleep.

Best moment of the break was the look on the guys face when my wife went in to a "Coffeeshop" and asked for a Grande Latte......priceless.

MacDonalds dive through

This is Dunaverty rock that sits on Southend beach in Kintyre, Scotland. On the other side of the rock is a sheer drop onto to the rocks below. Believe it or not there used to be a Castle perched on the top of this rock and it was the scene of a famous siege where the Campbell clan massacred the Castles MacDonald inhabitants. Many of the victims were thrown from the cliffs to a watery grave. Good old Scottish hospitality !!

Heart of Darkness

TOP 50 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME- Part 2

In my opinion Will Oldham is the greatest living songwriter (a statement sure to enrage my Dylan obsessed brother !!!). This was his first album as Bonnie Prince Billy but he already had a massive back catalogue as Palace, Palace Brothers etc etc...all worth listening to.

A very very dark album ideally listened to just as you are drifting off to sleep.....but be warned, you may not want to wake up again.

I went to see Will at a gig in Glasgow last month and as usual he was spellbinding. A very humorous man....although it can sometimes be well hidden.

Boris for Prime Minister

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWIUp19bBoA&search=boris%20johnson

Just very very very funny. Almost enough to make you vote for him........almost.

Frank Black- He talks (and Screams) like the animals

TOP 50 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME- Part 1

Total sonic pleasure.....an almost perfect album. I was searching the net for some Pixies stuff today and came across this great concert footage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPE2zKbORF0&search=the%20pixies

The weird thing is it's not the pixies (its the usually mediocre Placebo) and it's not a song off of this particular album...however it does feature Frank Black striding the stage like a God and it captures the Pixies spirit.

A couple of weeks ago I performed a drunken version of Monkey gone to heaven in a Glasgow Chinese restaurant come Karaoke bar (please God let it have been a Karaoke bar) and I completely ruined the party atmosphere. It could have had something to do with my introduction which went something like, "This is a song about how every Ba#^ard is going to fry cause we fu$%ed with the planet....enjoy!!!"

Campbeltown Humour

This is a picture of a toy shop in Longrow in Campbeltown, Argyll. Some local wag/vandal has broken the sign to create a slightly humerous change of title (originally Toy Box). The really funny point however is that if you actually visit the shop you will be served by the very friendly but undoubtedly middle aged, short, overweight proprietor who only Barbara Cartland (God rest her soul) could ever have considered as a toy boy.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the proprietor broke the sign himself.

Donald where's yer Troosers

This is the McSporran tartan and I am currently in the process of having a Kilt outfit made for me in this fine design. With a name like McSporran and a fine head of ginger hair I have often thought of moving to America to make my fortune selling Whisky and shortbread...how could they resist !!!!.

It's not often that I have had the chance to wear a kilt, in fact the first time I ever wore the full regalia was at my own wedding. I was a bit nervous about the etiquette (sitting down without exposing yourself to your new Mother-in-law etc..) so I decided to wear it to go out a for a few drinks with my bride to be a couple of days before the big day just to break it in (the kilt not the Bride !!!).

It was a quiet Wednesday night and we went to the Burnside bar in Campbeltown where there were only 3 other people in the place. Catherine went over to get us a table (in case there was a late rush) and I went to get us a drink. The barman was busy in the adjoining public bar so I struck up a conversation with one of the other patrons who was slumped on his stool and who turned out to be from Texas (the state, not the distinctly average Scottish pop group).

Frank (for that was his name) was very impressed with my highland dress and said (in a very broad Texan accent) " Jeez, I love the kilt. Before I head back to Houston i'm gonna get me one of them". I explained to Frank the reason for me wearing it and he immediately insisted on buying me a drink. "Thanks very much Frank" I said, "i'll have a pint of Guinness please". Frank rang the bell on the bar and turned back to me and gave a long hard stare at my Kilt. "What's your Tartan" (remember the Texan accent) he said, "Oh She'll have a Vodka and Coke thanks" I replied.........Boom Boom.

Just trying out the picture publishing function. South African Bunjee....If you magnify the photo you can see me standing on the diving platform....I was there for a day and a half before they managed to talk me down!

My brother set up a blog during the time he was waiting for a heart bypass operation (he's fine now by the way) and he encouraged me to do the same (set up a blog, not have a bypass). He says it is addictive...so here goes.