BAIBS Wednesday 19/12/12

Right, pay attention cos I'm in a hurry. Back at Sine FM Towers later to step in to Mark Kelly's shoes and do The Home Run Show for him. He's covered for me enough times and it's Christmas so thought I should. Mark's been known to dip into the charts from time to time for his play list. Cant see me doing that without swearing on air and that's just not the done thing. Not sure what Mark's up to today. Probably buying chickens.

So because of this I needed an uneventful dash home. Did ok through town. Avoided the two buskers. One playing a harp. Now the harp is a beautiful instrument but when fed through a tiny guitar amp it sounds horrific. Like a camel battling with two half bricks. The second busker had a backing track and a mic and was destroying Tracy Chapman's Baby Can I Hold You as I walked past. There's just no need. Boyzone successfully destroyed it years ago. AND a backing track and a mic is not busking, it's karaoke!

I like buskers, I used to busk myself. I played bongos in Leicester Square while my mate Nidge did all the clever stuff with a guitar and a voice. We were never overly brilliant, though one night an American tourist did offer us £50 to play some Elvis. One quick run through of His Latest Flame and we're off to the pub to spend our hard earned. Someone tried to sell me drugs who it turns out was an undercover policeman though I still think he was actually trying to sell me drugs. We all argued over who said the Shaw Taylor joke first (you had to be there) then went our merry way.

Anyway I'd like a return to acoustic guitars and singing from our buskers please. Maybe DMBC can look into it.

Through town and onto Balby Road when I got hit by a bike. Again!! On the pavement, going at a rate of knots until he ran into me. He swore, got back on his bike and rode off straight into a car. The driver got out and they both swore. Thought maybe I should join in. I didn't. The cyclist rode off again and the driver looked at me and just said 'Tuck in, fool.' I thought it was a dinner invitation at first till I realised I'd misheard him.

Past Balby Road park and a final mention of leaves: All the leaves have been swept into what can only be called a leaf hill. About 20' by 12' across and 5' high. Before the year's out I'm so jumping into that.

Home straight now when I got hit by a window. No front gardens on Balby Road and some guy just opened a downstairs window wide open just as I walked past. My nose can vouch for it being toughened glass. My fault apparently. More swearing. Who knew it was the season of goodwill.

Got home and the bin's back. Either the thief read yesterday's blog and felt guilty or the bin had just fancied a break and buggered off for a while. A winter break, and why not. I cant imagine being a bin's the most rewarding of jobs.

Off to straighten my nose.

Laters

Playlist Wednesday 19/12/12

Whiskey In The Jar - Metallica

Hold The Magic - Officer Kicks

In Between Days - The Cure

Battleship Chains - The Georgia Satellites

Another Love - Tom Odell

Never Knew Your Name - Madness

Stranger At Your Door - You Addiction

Ho Hey - The Lumineers

Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) - Darlene Love

Fortune Teller - The 48ks

Owner Of A Lonely Heart - Yes

Black Chandelier - Biffy Clyro

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

Keep The Car Running - Arcade Fire

Bankrobber - The Clash

Redemption Song - Joe Strummer

The KKK Took My Baby Away - The Ramones

My Hero - Foo Fighters

Mary - The Adulescents UK

High On A Hill - Ian McNabb

Dead And Gone - The Black Keys

Have A Nice Day - Stereophonics

Is This Christmas - The Wombats

Take Me Away - Steve Foster

Teenage Kicks - The Undertones

Wetsuit - The Vaccines

Memories - Jery At Controls

Where The Streets Have No Name - U2

Best Of Friends - Palma Violets

Step Into Christmas - Elton John

Monsters And Angels - Voice Of The Beehive

Love Me Two Times - The Doors

Cool Zombie - Adam Ant

Town Called Malice - The Jam

Love Train - The O'Jays

The Jean Genie - David Bowie

The Passenger - Iggy Pop

Lithium - Nirvana

2-4-6-8 Motorway - Tom Robinson Band

Panic - The Smiths

Roxanne - The Police

Egyptian Reggae - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers

BAIBS Tuesday 18/12/12

Let's start by answering a few questions I've been asked recently.

1: Bigger All Important Breakfast Show (BAIBS). get it now?
2: The Boomtown Rats.
3: Wensleydale with cranberries.
4: Between 9 and 18.
5: The Boomtown Rats.
6: I've no idea.
7: Def Leppard with an apple pie.
8: Hampshire. Kent if it's a leap year.
9: An unduly large llama.
10: The Boomtown Rats.

Glad we've got that out the way.

Our bin went missing about a month ago. I've just been all down the back alley looking for it or the new bin ordered from DMBC. No sign of either at all. There were about 4 other people having the same problem. I then realised I was in the wrong alley and tried again in the right one. I blame yesterday's events for my befuddledness. Same outcome in the right alley but with 6 people bin hunting this time. There's obviously a spree of bin thefts. If anyone in a Balby pub offers you a second hand black wheelie, no questions asked, can you let me know please.

I mentioned sometime ago about politics in music but I'll be honest I've been avoiding the issue. I know what I'm like for going off on tangents and political ranting so thought maybe I should avoid it. If you still feel I should avoid it you may want to skip to apricot frying later in the blog.

I played Peter Gabriel's Biko on today's show. Steve Biko was an anti-apartheid activist, born this day in 1946 and murdered in a South African police cell in 1977. He was beaten and tortured which resulted into him slipping into a coma. Police claimed he committed suicide by going on hunger strike despite the multiple and massive injuries to his head. No-one was ever charged for his murder. When I first heard Biko I was at that 'What you rebelling against? What you got?' stage and it's the first song that made me politically aware. As Billy Bragg said 'If you've got a black list I wanna be on it.'

I played it some time ago on the radio and received an email saying music and politics should never mix. I flippantly replied on air that music should always be about politics. Part of the problem here is a lot of people assume that a 'political song' basically has a left wing be a socialist mantra going through it. This is rarely the case. Biko itself is about the horrors of apartheid, the murder of an innocent man and a calling to stand up and be counted. A longing for justice not socialism. A political song should make you think, whether you agree with the sentiment or not, it's about making people aware. Nothing more. It's a personal choice if the listener, or writer for that matter, act on what they've heard.

As for my 'music should always be about politics' statement this is obviously not possible. Probably our most political songwriter, Billy Bragg (Between The Wars, The Great Leap Forward, Scousers Never Buy The Sun) still writes songs such as Walk Away Renee - a story of falling in love, thinking it would be forever, then falling out of love. It could be argued this is the politics of love of course.

Chumbawumba were a hugely political band but there biggest hit was a song about drinking.

Madness have always been massively political but their message seemed to get lost in the whole commercial fairgroundness of their singles. Embarrassment was written by Lee Thompson about a member of his family who gave birth to a half-caste child and the fallout that followed, One Better Day (homelessness) and Michael Caine (supergrasses in Northern Ireland) were all political songs who's message never really got across. I urge you to check out Blue Skinned Beast off The Rise And Fall album. An excellent anti-war (in this case The Falklands) song.

I told you I'd ramble. My point, my view, is if a songwriter has a strong viewpoint on ANY subject they're in the perfect position to make people aware. More than anyone else in the public eye. Journalists and politicians are no longer trusted and soap box street preachers are dismissed as Manic. Ian McNabb could stand on a street corner and rant about the banks and fat cats that have brought this country to it's knees or he could write a song like High On A Hill (check that one out too) and make far more people listen.

I personally feel it's more important than ever given this government's divide and conquer domestic policy.

Apparently my good friend Bo got home from his gig Saturday night and decide to poach an egg. It was the healthy option. Given the bottle of red he'd consumed that night I'm not sure any kind of healthy option was really relevant. Still, he poached an egg, with no water. Chaos. Should have stuck with the unhealthy frying option. My mother used to bake regularly and there'd often be an unused egg in a cup in the fridge waiting to be used in some cake. I came home drunk one night, peckish as per, and spied such an egg in the fridge. That'll do thinks I and proceeded to fry said egg only for it just refuse point blank to fry properly. I gave up and went to bed. My mum woke me next morning and asked why I'd been trying to fry an apricot.

Spell check wants me to change befuddledness to bloodletting!

Laters

SS

Playlist Tuesday 18/12/12

Roxette - Dr. Feelgood

Temptation - New Order

So Here We Are - Bloc Party

Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid

Never Knew Your Name - Madness

Big Sur - The Thrills

Born Of Frustration - James

Bring On The Dancing Horses - Echo and the Bunnymen

Molly Gray - Sick Note Tez

Time For Heroes -The Libertines

Dancing Makes Her Happy - Jery At Controls

Fairytale Of New York - The Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl

Walking Down Madison - Kirsty MacColl

A Song For Lovers - Richard Ashcroft

Antarctica - Sound Of Guns

We've Gotta Get out Of This Place - The Animals

Somewhere - The Pilots

No You Girls - Franz Ferdinand

I'm Waiting For The Man - The Velvet Underground

Always Like This - Bombay Bicycle Club 

Mr. E's Beautiful Blues - Eels

Don't Know Why - The Beeds

Ship Of Fools - World Party

Hush - Kula Shaker

Rebel Rebel - David Bowie

Biko - Peter Gabriel

Song For The Deaf - Missing Andy

Everything - The Darlingtons

It Cant Be Me - The 48ks

Rip It Up - Orange Juice

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2

Along For The Ride - AVIT Blues Band

Time To Pretend - MGMT

One More Shot - The Rolling Stones

Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones

All These Things I've Done - The Killers

Taste It - Jake Bugg

A Certain Romance - Arctic Monkeys

Egyptian Reggae - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers

BAIBS Monday 17/12./12

I'll be honest, today really hasn't gone as planned at all. I'm blogging late again and a little bit worse for wear. Who invented Christmas drinks? What's wrong with just drinks? I know where I am with them. They're not out the blue or at odd times. Christmas drinks are sprung upon you with no time for mental preparation. It's all Steve Holmes fault. Working abroad doesn't give you the right to drag me to the pub when you're home and make me drink all day!

Still, we nailed Countdown with subtitles in Cask Corner.

The day started badly. Alarm went off at half 5, woke up at half 6. I'm lucky to have a girlfriend who takes me to work at that ungodly hour at stupidly short notice and then picks me up again 8 hours later when I'm drunk. Again, blame Steve Holmes and his sneaky I'm paying ploy.

So we've had another weekend. Friday night was epic.

Quick pause to acknowledge the txt that there's no butter in this town.

Bang Bang Romeo at Social Bar on Friday were just immense. See yesterday's blog for a full review. I'm still buzzing though. Saturday was Tom Hark day at the Keepmoat and a disastrous day on and off the pitch. On the pitch Rovers got beat 4-1 and deservedly so sadly. Off the pitch anything that could go wrong did. The Vikettes music didn't play. They stood on the pitch waiting to dance while me and Rob fumbled with their phone, trying to make it play music. We never did. 5 seconds before kick off I'm poised over the go button for the clock on the scoreboard when the scoreboard computer died. Not crashed, or froze. Died. It had to be rebuilt whilst the game went on. Half time we'd sorted out the Vikettes music, using Rob's tablet instead of their phone only for the internet to go down and the music cut out halfway through their dance.

Such a poor Rovers performance did give me and Rob time for a general knowledge quiz though and we decided that the answer, 'Shall we say yes?' is always acceptable. So it is now a fact that the moon was invented in 1912 and that Cambodia banned the colour yellow in 1961 because it clashed with the sun.

This carried on later that night at The Garage Bar and let it be said that Rob Dannatt has poor taste in clouds. Gbone and Pure Pearl Jam at The Garage Saturday. Gbone are the most wondrously filthiest band in Donny. The guitar solos alone are top shelf. Pure Pearl Jam are just a joy. You need to see both these bands.

Well I was meant to be wrapping presents and putting clothes away today. As it is I'm writing this whilst drunk while dried fruit gets abused in the kitchen.

Tomorrow's another day.

Laters

SS

Playlist Monday 17/12/12

The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy

I Don't Like Mondays - The Boomtown Rats

Chemical - Bang Bang Romeo

Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order

I'll Be Fine - White Valentine

(All I Want Is) Danger - The Milk

2000 Miles - The Pretenders

The Way I Feel About You - The 48ks

Never Knew Your Name - Madness

She Bangs The Drum - The Stone Roses

Another Love - Tom Odell

Given To Fly - Pearl Jam

London Calling - The Clash

Driving Home For Christmas - Chris Rea

Tracy Jacks - Blur

Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Why You So Cold - Wet Nuns

Need You Tonight - INXS

Best Friend - Tashaki Miyaki

Tenth Avenue Freeze Out - Bruce Springsteen

Babies - Pulp

Ring Out Solstice Bells - Jethro Tull

To Be Like - China Rats

Slumdog Millionaire - The Beeds

Orange Crush - R.E.M.

Oh Yeah - The Subways

Captain - Biffy Clyro

Burning Love - Elvis Presley

Soul Uncensored - Section 60

Follow Me - Muse

Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House

Lose Control - The Courteneers

Adultery - Little Comets

Alright Now - Free

I Always Knew - The Vaccines

Ever Fallen In Love (with Someone You Shouldn't Have) - The Buzzcocks

Egyptian Reggae - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers

BANG BANG ROMEO @ The Social, Friday 14/12/12

The most anticipated gig of the year? It certainly was for me at least. I’ve been a fan since Doncaster Live 2010 but catching them live takes some doing. A kind of treat em mean, keep em keen attitude. Rather that then play every week though. It means when they do play there’s a buzz around town as soon as the date’s announced.

This was my first chance to catch the full band live since The Garage Bar gig in September 2011. The new stuff I’d heard is immense so it was with great excitement and huge expectations that I arrived at The Social Bar Friday night about 2 hours early!

Support came from Liberty Ship. 4 young lads from Sheffield already being mentored by Reverend and the Maker’s Jon McLure. A quality set to an appreciative crowd that finished with The Who’s My Generation. It was a brilliant mess, just how it should be.

Bang Bang Romeo kick off with Right Now from new EP Adore Me. It’s a stunning track, Starsie’s voice already soaring to heights other singers can only dream of. She’s the best singer in Doncaster. End of. She’s got one of the best voices I’ve ever heard.

Ross Cameron’s guitar effortlessly trading licks with Anastasia’s voice as they power through the opening numbers, pausing only for Stars to chat with the crowd like they are all old friends and to apologise to her Gran for swearing.

Ross looks cool as despite the sweat box the Social has become as he shows his dark side on the second EP track of the night, Just To See You Run. The song kicks in and the rhythm section of new bass player Joel Phillips and guest drummer, Richie Stott (White Valentine) keep the song driving through with Stars bansheeing all over it. It’s epic.

And then it’s Chemical. A long time fan favourite, a haunting and beautiful song. The crowd, word perfect, give Starsie’s voice a rest. In 25 years of local gigs I have never seen a reaction like this. It’s already an ‘I was there’ gig and we’re only half way through.

A tip to Fleetwood Mac with The Chain and a chance for Joel to show off his undeniable talent before the final two EP tracks of the night. A reworked Bones and the anthemic Adore Me. A more gorgeous song you will never hear. Lyrically and musically it is a work of pure genius.

Wally Lopez’s Keeping Running The Melody is thrown into the mix and just to show how diverse this band are they finish with Invitation, a proper balls out rock monster.

Tonight was everything I hoped for and more. If there’s any justice in the world Bang Bang Romeo will be massive. And when they are you’ll say you were at this gig. It was that huge.

Just don’t make me wait another 18 months for the next gig!

Set List

Right Now

Carnival

Johannesburg

Just To See You Run

Chemical

The Chain

Bones

Adore Me Dear

Beautiful World

Keeping Running The Melody

Invitation

BAIBS Friday 14/12/12

So wish my phone was working properly. It seems to pack up when near anything electrical (like in a radio studio or next to a laptop) or when it's being bounced along in my coat pocket. Which is pretty much a day in the life of my phone. Wanted to take some photos as I walked through Hyde Park Cemetery.On a wet, grey day like today it has a stark beauty. As I walked through the gates a young lad said to me, 'Look at that tree. It's rate gnarled.' Several thoughts went through my head, the first one being a damning indictment of our education system, the second being the realisation that he wasn't in school so I cant really blame the education system, the third being an overwhelming joy in so much Yorkshire in one so young and the final one confirming he was right. The only way to describe this tree was rate gnarled.

I must learn to think before I tweet. Two perfectly innocent tweets sent this morning could be so misconstrued when taken out of context:

'I'm a big fan of the colon'

and

'I like a nice rim shot'

The first was a conversation about punctuation. I've just realised how geeky that sounds. The second was talking about the drumming in The Beat's Mirror In The Bathroom. Equally geeky really. Still, the geek shall inherit the earth.

'You should know better at your age.' A sentence normally said by someone not having fun to someone having fun. It came my way this morning as I walked through Elmfield Park. To be fair I probably should stop pretending I'm making a video when in public with my ipod on full whack. Still if The Stones want a new video for Miss You I've got some moves sorted. Or if The Pogues fancy re-releasing Misty Morning, Albert Bridge, me singing whilst walking through the rain could make an affective video.

Had to wait to cross the road this morning as a long funeral cortege slowly drove past. Three of us: teenage lad in baseball cap, old bloke in flat cap, me in porn star coat with cigarette. Teenager took his cap off, I wished I'd not just sparked up and old bloke moaned about never getting across this road now. Now he really should have known better at his age.

So the walk home continued. There always seems to be the same bloke outside the White Swan pub having a fag. Yesterday he told me he was cold, today he told me he was wet. As a weatherman he's right up there. I'm looking forward to the Spring day when he says. 'Typical day for our temperate climate.' Obviously the anti-smoking brigade will be pointing out our foolhardiness for standing out in all weathers smoking but the anti-smoking thing seems so right wing these days I see my smoking now more as a militant tendency rather than an expensive addiction.

Joined on this morning's show by Somerset band The Darlintons. My favourite kind of live session. A quality band and really nice guys too. No rock star posing or arrogance. I appreciate we like a bit of arrogance in our rock stars but it has to be earned. There's a few local bands/musicians who should learn this and quickly. If venues/promoters/other bands don't want to work with you because of your attitude then you're pretty much finished before you start. It's a you scratch my back world. Anyway, The Darlingtons, I seriously suggest you check them out:

www.wearethedarlingtons.co.uk

Hectic weekend ahead. Spoilt for choice tonight: Bang Bang Romeo and Liberty Ship at The Social or The Pilots, The Darlingtons and Northern Avenue at The Leopard. I'm going for The Social purely cos I've never seen Liberty Ship and not seen BBR in ages. And Stars gives great hugs.

Tomorrow is Tom Hark day, Rovers at home to Coventry with a chance of going top of the table. Tomorrow night is Bo's birthday bash at The Garage with Pure Pearl Jam and Gbone then Sunday drinks with my best friend Ian.

Think I best get some sleep in!

Laters

SS

Playlist Friday 14/12/12

Driving Home For Christmas - Chris Rea

Life In A Northern Town - The Dream Academy

Dead And Gone - The Black Keys

Mirror In The Bathroom - The Beat

Silly Thing - The Sex Pistols

Just Like A Woman - Black Spiders

By Your Hand - Los Campesinos

Gloria - Van Morrison

My Perfect Cousin - The Undertones

Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen

Best Of You - Foo Fighters

VPL - Gbone

Sheena Is A Punk Rocker - The Ramones

Flying - Cast

One Drop - PIL

Elysium - Section 60

Rags - The Waterboys

Whole Of The Moon - The Waterboys

We Wear Our Bones - Bang Bang Romeo

Saturn 5 - Inspiral Carpets

Love Like Blood - Killing Joke

The Power Of Love - Frankie Goes To Hollywood

My Number - Foals

524 Fidelio - The Wedding Present

Waterfall - The Stone Roses

This Is Real - The Enemy

THE DARLINGTONS LIVE SESSION

Bats

The Killing Moon

Everything - The Darlingtons

Hey Ho - The Beeds

Under Your Thumb - Godley and Creme

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Bruce Springsteen

Echo Beach - Martha and the Muffins

Follow Me - Muse

Fairytale Of New York - The Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl

I Saw You Blink - Stornaway

Roxanne - The Police

Egyptian Reggae - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers

BAIBS Thursday 13/12/12

5pm. No time to be starting a daily blog but here we go. 'What kept you?' I hear you say. Well pre recorded the Christmas Day Breakfast Show this afternoon. We do get some time off. It's a festive filled joyous show of Christmas cheer. And The Wombles. I don't like doing pre-records and rarely do them. I'm taking advantage of my key holding status to keep the rest of the Christmas schedule live. A pre-record is the same principle as a live show, me on my own in a small room with a mic. Just doesn't feel the same. Plus if I cock up I have the option of deleting and starting again. Sod that. Keep the mistakes in, I know you expect nothing less. Also on a pre-record you don't get the insightful weather and traffic reports that I know you rely on, or at least find embarrassingly funny.

So what next? Basically avoiding going outside due to the freezing fog and my wimpish nature. Chatted with Mark Kelly at Sine FM Towers for as long as I could and for the first time this week he didn't mention chickens. Talked about them Monday, tweeted about them Tuesday, bought them Wednesday, froze them Thursday. Sounds like a Craig David song. Mark had become obsessed. Hopefully it's out of his system now. I once sat next to a bloke on a bus who kept telling me not to buy chickens from a certain supermarket cos they were injected. He didn't say what with. The nutter on the bus discussion can wait for another time. Just to say if you're not sat next to the nutter on the bus then you're the nutter.

Next stop the Tut 'n' Shive for a drink with my mate Ryan, singer with The 48ks, to celebrate his birthday. Was only having one. Freezing fog and a rather nice drop of Nottingham Rock Bitter said otherwise. Ryan asked me to compare The 48ks Christmas gig at The Leopard on December 23rd. Let's not kid ourselves, I'd go to the opening of an envelope, so made all the yes I'll do you that favour noises whilst my ego leapt around my head screaming YES! Speaking of going to the opening of an envelope I've been asked to present an award at next year's Best Bar None Awards in January. More ego leaping.

Then the walk home through the freezing fog. It was that thick I couldn't work out if I was catching people up or if they were coming towards me. I'm putting forward my proposal of fog lights for pedestrians now.

Had one of Donny's top bands, Bang Bang Romeo, on this morning's show. Singer, Stars, was traditional late so it ended up being the quickest interview ever. Star's worked for me this year and I think managed to be late 99% of the time. It became quite endearing in the end. Bang Bang Romeo launch their new EP with a live show at The Social tomorrow night. They are gonna be massive, trust me on that. Just don't be late Stars. Fame waits for no man. Or woman for that matter.

Must dash. Christmas tree up tonight.

Laters

SS

Playlist Thursday 13/12/12

I Will Wait - Mumford and Sons

Coming Up Easy - Paulo Nutini

Underdog - Kasabian

Chevy Thunder - Spector

Naive - The Kooks

Champagne And Cocaine - 12 Dirty Bullets

You Get What You Give - New Radicals

Somewhere - The Pilots

Antarctica - Sound Of Guns

Life's What You Make It - Talk Talk

Everybody Knows (Except You) - The Divine Comedy

Rose Tattoo - Dropkick Murphys

A Design For Life - Manic Street Preachers

Fortune Teller - The 48ks

Fishing For A Dream - Turin Brakes

North Country Boy - The Charlatans

Everything - The Darlingtons

Don't Stop - The Rolling Stones

The Chain - Fleetwood Mac

The Boy With The Thorn In His Side - The Smiths

Boxing Day - Blink 182

Men's Needs - The Cribs

Happy Christmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon

My First Love - Paper Aeroplanes

Post Break Up Sex - The Vaccines

To Be Like - China Rats

Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan

Hoppipolla - Sigur Ros

Bring Me To Life - Evanescence

Hate To Say I Told You So - The Hives

Wonderful Life - Hurts

Whole Lotta Rosie - AC/DC

Baby Missiles - The War On Drugs

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

Right Now - Bang Bang Romeo 

Adore Me Dear - Bang Bang Romeo

Just To See You Run - Bang Bang Romeo

BAIBS Wednesday 12/12/12

Found the snooze button on my alarm. Not a good thing. Finally woke up properly(ish) a good half hour later than I should have. Two options: Either quick wash, forgo the coffee and obligatory Live at 7 facebook status or wake my girlfriend and selflessly ask her if she'd like the pleasure of getting out of her warm bed, even though she's not at work for another 3 hours, chip away at the iceberg that was once her car and give me a lift to the radio. I'm good like that. I'm not that bad, I made the coffee.

So the show started on time thanks to the Cherry Blossom and I avoided the bag fiddling, hand freezing, coffee spilling walk into work. It was stupidly cold but I do like frost. I think it's Nature accessorising at it's best. As pretty as it is though I think we should have some deal were it's gone by mid-morning. Wasn't expecting a treacherous walk home too. Moaning to myself about non-gritted pavements when a gritter went past and pelted me with rock salt. Moaning then, through gritted teeth, about gritters. I'm 44. I'm allowed a good moan. And my teeth wont ice over now.

Walking through the town and a young urchin stopped me, tugging at my coat. I looked down at his flat cap, rosy cheeks, threadbare rags and hobnail boots with holes. 'Mister, tell us a story wontcha'. Think I'm taking this Dickensian Christmas thing too far now. But I did get a request this morning from the Cushty Librarian wanting something Noel Gallagherish with a footnote that she hates the Gallaghers so thought I'd share this with you.

It was back in October 1995. The Britpop wars were at their height with Blur and Oasis taking up positions in the NME. I was down in that London visiting my good friend Nigel Smith (co-writer of I'm Made Out Of Cheese). Back then he worked as a dj for the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street and had got tickets for Oasis playing live at the megastore, midnight on Sunday October 1st, the release of What's The Story (Morning Glory). A ridiculously exclusive gig. We sat in the nearest pub til closing time, 10.30 on a Sunday back in those days, where John Lydon nestled in a corner with his 'Yes I am. Now f**k off' t-shirt. Off to the megastore with time to kill so we went up to the roof for a smoke. A security guard came up and told us we had to go downstairs so we got back in the lift.

The lift was one of those with doors front and back and we went through the wrong doors straight into Oasis' makeshift dressing room. With 'we shouldn't be here looks' we eyed up the table of beer and decided to blag it. Avoiding eye contact with the Gallaghers we waded into the beer. I scrounged a fag off Noel and couldn't decide whether to frame it or smoke it. I smoked it. Next thing Liam's kicking off cos someone's drunk all his f***ing beer. I hid mine in my jacket and continued to bore Noel with my 'We have the same shoes on' conversation.

Then ushered into the store for the gig, in front of the barriers. Oasis did two and a half songs. Noel bet Liam £50 he'd forget the words to Rocking Chair. He did and stormed off. There's a photo in an Oasis book of Liam in standard two finger salute pose with me peering over his shoulder still with the 'I shouldn't be here' look.

It all turned into a bit of a melee. I lost Nidge and ended up on the street and waited. Then Liam came swaggering towards me and stopped. All he said was 'You do the f***ing Morecambe and Wise thing and they don't f***ing like it'. Then he sauntered off into London followed by a pack of photographers who'd got exactly what they wanted.

So that's my brush with fame and, I think, enough name dropping for one day.

Laters

SS

Playlist Wednesday 12/12/12

Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode

Hunger - Frankie and the Heartstrings

Moving To New York - The Wombats

Mary - The Adulescents UK

One More Shot - The Rolling Stones

Feel About You - The 48ks

Black And White Town - Doves

(All I Wanted Was) Danger - The Milk

Money - Missing Andy

Stingin' Belle - Biffy Clyro

Stop The Cavalry - Jona Lewie

Hey Ho - The Lumineers

Bring On The Dancing Horses - Echo and the Bunnymen

The Death Of You And Me - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Breathe - The Prodigy

With Or Without You - U2

Right Now - Bang Bang Romeo

You Held The World In Your Arms - Idlewild

Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones

The Love Cats - The Cure

Follow Me - Muse

Memories - Jery At Controls

You Overdid It Doll - The Courteneers

Baggy Trousers - Madness

Boxing Day - Blink 182

This Is Real - The Enemy

White Wedding - Billy Idol

Bats - The Darlingtons

A Message To To You, Rudy - The Specials

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Frank Sinatra

Altogether Now - The Farm

Keep On Running - The Starkins

You Jane - The Wedding Present

Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag - Pigbag

Souvenir - OMD

Ready To Die - Famous Villains

It's The End Of The World As We Know It - R.E.M.

Slow It Down - Amy MacDonald

What You Do To Me - Teenage Fanclub

Egyptian Reggae - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers