Shaving

What is it about shaving that I hate so much? Is it the overpriced blades, the extra blade added every year to the cutting edge (ho, ho, ho) razors - Mach 56 turbo, get your friend to hold it with you - or the fact that you stand in a cold bathroom shirtless for five minutes trying to ensure you don't nick yourself? Every holiday I avoid shaving with enthusiasm.

Saddam

I was just about to post my thoughts on the execution of Saddam when I read John D's blog. He says everything I was going to say so I see little point in saying the same things using slightly different words - just read John's thoughts which I agree wholeheartedly with.

A Belated Happy Christmas ...

... to both my readers.

And a fond farewell to the Godfather of Soul, Mr James Brown. Let's see you Get On Up now.

BBC Team of the Year

Congratulations to St Helens who were voted as team of the year tonight. I must admit I thought the Ryder Cup team would win it but justice was done in the end! Let's hope it encourages the BBC to beef up its coverage of rugby league in general. Oh hang on ...

















To top it off, Daniel Anderson got Coach of the Year as well.

Yet More ...

Thanks to 'TwoPints' for these two photos.

Bragg Pics

Bill rocks out!

Burnley part Two ...

Paul (on the right) got talking to two of the ‘crew’ Bren (on the left) and Dave (middle)whom he had met before (of course!). They are Bill’s personal security but really they are just two incredibly fanatical Bragg fans – Bill’s Ultras. They go on tour with Bill, paying for their own accommodation and doing bits of this and that.

Two really nice blokes and not what you would expect your typical Bragg fan to look like at all.

Dave and Paul.

Bren must be the world’s authority on Bragg stuff and has a huge collection of discs and other memorabilia at home. He even had a picture of Bill tattooed on his thigh!

BB had asked to lean on the back of Bren's jacket so he could sign a t-shirt for someone and when Bren checked, Bill had written Take Down The Union Jack (a Bragg song, for those not familiar) across his flag.

We stayed to have a chat with Bill and ended up going for a drink to Wetherspoons with Bren, Dave and Mark. A late night but well worth it.

One surprise for me was the complete lack of a BNP presence outside or in. I had expected a token protest in Burnley of all places, but nothing was forthcoming. Of course BB’s audience is predominantly of his thinking and he’s not really the type to attract too many ‘neutrals’ who could be converted but that doesn’t diminish his message. If only one or two people decide to confront fascist behaviour as a result of being convinced a bit more then it must be worth it.

If It's Sunday it must be Burnley

Well, what a fantastic evening we had last night in Burnley (how often can you say that?). We got there at 7:30pm to find that Burnley Mechanics Club has two bars serving real ale - Archers Porter and another one I can't remember, even though I was drinking it. We got a couple of beers and wandered round looking at the stalls of anti-fascist material and Bragg merchandise.




Paul being the ligger he is, soon made contact with Billy’s manager whom he had met a few times before and got a promise to go backstage afterwards. At this stage I was racking my brains to remember who the support act was when Paul told me there had been an announcement whilst I was at the bar reminding us that Mr B was doing two hour-long sets tonight. I had forgotten this, despite having posted the self-same information on this blog only a few days earlier. Those of a certain age will no doubt sympathise.

As you were allowed to take your drinks with you we went straight upstairs and managed to walk straight to the front and rest our drinks on the stage. The backdrop was the anti-fascist Stop the BNP one with the Spanish Civil War Republican slogan No Pasaran (They shall not pass) (pic). The bloke next to us was following the early part of the tour, having done York and Holmfirth – Mark (or Twopints as BB called him) was a top fella too.














About 15 minutes later Bill strolled on and kicked off with To Have and To Have Not.



First Set List


To Have and to Have Not
All you Fascists are Bound to Lose
Farm Boy (new song)
Like Soldiers Do (slow version)
She's got a New Spell
England Half English
Must I Paint You a Picture
Sing their Souls Back Home (new song)
The Saturday Boy
Greetings to the New Brunette


All interspersed with rants, raps and humorous observations on talking cats on YouTube.

By the time I got back from the bar at the break (2 pints in preparation for the climax!) BB had just started the second set with Sexuality.

Second Set List

Sexuality
>The Price I Pay
>Harama Valley (for 86 year old Ethel, who sent Billy an old Labour party songbook)
King James Version
The Carpenters' "Superstar" and Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" (his busking choices for the evening)
Milkman of Human Kindness
Johnny Clash - "the Old Clash Fan Fight Song"
I Keep Faith
Levi Stubbs' Tears
Power in a Union

Encore:
Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards
A New England


Bill announced that he would be in the foyer shortly to sign whatever people wanted. Paul had brought along 6 or 7 CDs for signing and gave me three of them so he wouldn’t be too embarrassed! I bought a Brewing Up With Billy Bragg mug which I got signed.







and also got my ticket stub signed


















and I bought an International Brigade t-shirt, being an old idealist myself.


















More in part two ...

Echo and the Bunnymen

They were my favourite group when at Uni - I even had the Mac hairstyle. Ah, good times.

Indigo Girls

I absolutely love this song. They are probably far too hippyish and earnest for many but there's just something about it.

Mark E

... and talking of the venerable Mr Smith this pic, shamelessly nicked from someone else's blog, made me laugh.

That's number two son's Christmas pressie sorted then.

Jools

Watching Later ... tonight (it's still on, I just got bored) two things struck me.

1. (and my elder son will hate me for this) 80% of Red Hot Chili Peppers' songs are the same song. They don't just sound like each other - they are the same song. Some of the other 20% are ok though and I can see why he likes them, given his age and his chosen instruments, drums and bass (but not in a jungle context); and

2. Tom Chaplin (left) of Keane looks just like I imagine Mark E Smith looked like at the age of 8.
Admittedly that photo doesn't do my theory justice but if you had seen him tonight you would have more of an idea.

Beware Tom, this lies ahead.