Hello you Brummies, Mates here and Overseas, Musicians, all of my ex Girlfriends and all those who I might have upset on my journey through life. NO NO, hang on, there are some whom I'm pleased to have upset, so to those few, Greetings and F U.
WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAYS
When it comes to Mrs Bob nothing is too expensive to gift her and nothing is too onerous for me to do to brighten her day. "Let's go to Spain or Portugal for our holidays" we said.
Well, after some discussion we opted to save money and still have a wonderful vacation by staying at home and pretending we had actually gone on holiday abroad. We packed our cases, then at rush hour, we boarded the Number 11 bus route known locally as The Outer Circle which is the Longest Bus Route in Europe surrounding Birmingham, it takes 3 hours which is about the same duration as a flight to Spain.
The bus was jam packed and for a part of the trip we had a spattering of raucous, obnoxious wankers making the journey feel authentic, they were Effing and Blinding and shouting to each other about Effing lager and "BIRMINGHAM CITY FOOTBALL CLUB" shouted as one word with the syllables fired in a staccato manner that resembled an anti-aircraft gun.
It really made you feel like you were immersed in all the pleasures of being stuck at Manchester Airport, the worst in GB, in the Ryanair "Priority Boarding" line for an hour, jostling for position then noticing that there are only two people in the non priority queue, just perfect.
A well stocked fridge and two takeaways within a short distance, we couldn't have wished for more. We decided we would take a virtual trip to the cinema later that evening too and it was mid-afternoon when Mrs Bob started getting frisky after a Mackeson or two, holiday sex!! At this juncture I will leave that particular adventure to your imagination but it did involve a pound of over-ripe peaches and a book we were given last Christmas from a dyslexic friend called "The Pleasure of Essex". As a bonus, we had the added advantage that us "more mature" souls have, in that we can fit sex in during the TV adverts as well as getting the kettle on! Here's a post coital photo of us couch potatoes relaxing in the sun getting our breath back.
OFF TO THE MOVIES
Armed with a Hot Dog and some popcorn we retired to the lounge and fired up the Smart TV and the home cinema kit, awesome!! We chose 2 films of a 60's music nature to enjoy, the first being the much hyped bioflick of Mr Hips himself.
ELVIS
We have long been fans of the 1979 Film of the same name starring Kurt Russell and directed by John Carpenter so with 42 years having passed, allied to the massive leaps of movie technology since then we were ready to be entertained. Austin Butler was a passable young Elvis both in looks, from certain angles, and also vocally where he excelled in sounding like the early Elvis. His body 'moves' were honed to perfection.
Tom Hanks plays Elvis's manager Colonel Tom Parker. Hanks is the consummate character actor and was heavily made up to resemble the entrepreneur but you could still tell it was Hanks. It was at this point where
We got settled in to watch our next music Biographical movie:
RESPECT
Before going any further about the Aretha Franklin Story I have to say that Jennifer Hudsons voice in this 2021 movie is truly amazing and I turned up the volume to get the full effect. Back in the 60's "The Queen of Soul" had always seemed a bit of an undeserved epithet to me with her record releases sounding a bit bland and 'middle of the road' until her cover of Otis Redding's "Respect". That is explained well in this great movie where Arethas life is portrayed warts and all. I would rate this movie as being akin to Lady Sings the Blues in its quality of detail.
In 1985 The Clash decided to do an acoustic 'Busking' tour. They busked at all the places that The Alarm, a group they hated, were playing to draw off their audience I suppose. At this time we were living near to York.
After a days traipsing around the various shops Mrs Bob sat on a bench in Kings Square with her full shopping bags to get some rest before walking to the bus stop to get home. As she was waiting, a horde of sweaty youths came carousing into the Square, they approached saying "Get off the bench, The Clash are going to play here". "Piss Off you Tossers" she replied standing her ground, well sitting her seat to be factual.
The Clash entered the square to the roar of their supporters but due to Mrs Bob's steadfastness they had no 'stage' to get on. They played, Mrs Bob listened a bit, disliked it and toddled off to the bus stop. Here is a photo of the event where Mrs Bob's blonde hair can be seen in between the two Clash members on the right of the picture whilst three guys in the background are glowering at her. I shall not be moved!!!
What's your favourite Beatles album?......the majority of answers would point to Sgt Pepper for its innovation or REVOLVER for the bands harsh and heavier recording period following the early mop top pop songs. It's opening track, Taxman was an inspiration for sure and still has great impact. The album has been remixed by Giles Martin and is now available to order. As usual in the Beatles remixes it will be available in all formats and prices.
