I WILL WRITE A NUMBER OF EMERGENCY ON PLANET EARTH BLOGS THROUGHOUT THE TORY SPONSORED CORONAVIRUS CRISIS.
What follows is a random collection of thoughts from a human being trapped in 21st Century British society.
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I suppose I should start this blog with the latest news items relating to the absolutely disastrous manner in which the Conservative Government of the UK is handling the Coronavirus crisis. It is an absolute shambles, and I can only hope that a good proportion of the British public are in agreement and willing to do something about it…
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Continuing with my music listography that I am currently writing in Word format, before allowing one of my PAs – with neat handwriting – to transcribe my words into the book that my sister bought for my birthday:
List the best concerts and music festivals you’ve seen
My first concert was with my sister when we went to see Pulp at the GMex in Manchester. This was an excellent concert, made memorable by a wonderful performance of Monday Morning by Jarvis Cocker. I also really enjoyed the support act – Edwin Collins. The former Orange juice frontman is only an average performer but I was transfixed by his drummer for the gig, Paul Cook formerly of the Sex Pistols.
I have been to many concerts over the years and am lucky enough to have seen some great bands. Buzzcocks are a band that I was lucky enough to see on 8 separate occasions. The one time that sticks in mind is the time that I met backstage at Warrington Parr Hall with my sister. I gave them a copy of my book, Every Silver Lining has a Cloud, and my sister asked Pete Shelley to sign her t shirt. He agreed on the condition that I signed a copy of my book to the band. This was really nice and made my night.
I have seen bands such as The Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics (x3), Franz Ferdinand, Radiohead, Oasis (x5, including a concert in New Jersey), Stiff Little Fingers, Public Image Limited, Space, Cast, The Kaiser Chiefs and many more.
One gig that is worth a mention, is when I attended Nottingham Rock City to watch a performance by Merc. This is a little-known band that had five minutes of fame, due to the fact that the lead singer also played top-flight football for Nottingham Forest. The player in question was Paul McGregor, who sadly failed to reach the heights of either profession. It was a really good gig though, and I was in the front of a bustling crowd with a bouncer protecting me from the inevitable crowd surges. Also in attendance that night, were relatively more famous footballers from Forest, such as Mark Crossley, Gary Charles and another first team player that Ali Granger will be able to confirm.
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If any of these videos that I share suddenly refuse to play, please let me know, as I always try to keep this blog as neat and functional as possible. Many thanks.
A note about Edwyn Collins from Wikipedia:
Edwyn Stephen Collins (born 23 August 1959) is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner from Edinburgh, Scotland. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. Following the group’s split in 1985, Collins started a solo career. His 1995 single “A Girl Like You” was a worldwide hit.[1]
In February 2005, Collins was hospitalised following two cerebral haemorrhages which resulted in aphasia, and he subsequently underwent a months-long rehabilitation period.[2][3] Collins resumed his musical career in 2007.[4] A documentary film on his recovery, titled The Possibilities Are Endless, was released in 2014.[2]
Collins was the co-founder of the indie record label Postcard Records and co-founded a second label, Analogue Enhanced Digital, in 2011. Collins has also worked as an illustrator, television actor, television producer and record producer. He won an Ivor Novello Award, the Ivor Inspiration Award, in 2009.[5]
