Back in the day bands used to travel around the nightclubs promoting their singles.
Keith i met in Ritzy/Astoria Nightclub in 1991 when The Prodigy were promoting their first single "Charly" and Magenta i met in Neros Nightclub in 1986 when she was with the band Sigue Sigue Sputnik.
You would get a few minutes with the bands to go through the schedule of the night. For that brief moment in time they were both really friendly nice people from completely opposite ends of the social scale.
Both pioneers in their on fields and brought so much to Music and youth culture that in these days there will be no one who will even come close to replacing them. Both will be missed.
Now then........this is now the third time I've tried to write this update. The first time as you all know i had a complete meltdown after deleting all my writing. The second time exactly the same thing happened after almost finishing it but i was nowhere near the delete button, so here goes a third time.
Because the last 2 updates were so long i think that may have been the problem for the page deleting so i will be leaving out "Rant Time" for this update.
I write a stream of consciousness then go back and edit it so all 3 updates wouldn't have been the same. I hate trying to think of what to write as it never seems genuine it feels forced, so fingers crossed this time it won't disappear.
For 3 long months i have been in the wilderness with no playing with toys, no blood and urine samples, wandering lonely as cloud around Cardiff and just basically being bored till Sian comes home from work.
November - As part of my birthday present from Sian i was bought tickets to see Human League with Midge Ure as support. AWESOME!
Midge Ure was great and could still hit the high note in Vienna, shame the backdrop looked like a stage in a Valleys Working Men's Club. Can i say that these days? Am i being sexist? Sorry, Valleys Working Sheep's Club. It was just a black sheet with white lights shining down it.
Then out walked Phil, Susan and Joanne. They started off with "Sound of the Crowd" my favourite Human League song and finished with "Being Boiled" my second favourite Human League song. Actually they finished with "Together in electric dreams" but that wasn't Human League that was Phil with Georgio Moroder. It was amazing. Until you watch them you forget how many hits they've had. If they were playing again tomorrow I'd be there.
December - Christmas blah blah blah. It gets stretched out longer every year and for what......30 Min's on one day and its over, the only thing good that came out of Christmas was the present that Sian and i gave to each other.......A TRIP TO SWITZERLAND FOR NEW YEARS! Woohoo!
There is no such thing anymore as a last minute deal, book way in advance is the only way to save.
We booked this trip in March 2018. Return flights for 2, 3 nights in a hotel on the bank of lake Geneva in Montreux and train tickets from Geneva to Montreux and don't forget this is New Years in total cost us £450. It's cost me more than that just for a hotel in London for New Year and Montreux is a much better place.
Flight from Gatwick to Geneva 95 Min's, perfect.
Train ride along the whole length of lake Geneva is great, 69 Min's from airport to Montreux.
Straight to hotel and all checked in by 11.45am New Years Eve.
I've been here before so i knew my way around but this time the hotel was perfect and a amazing location on the bank of Lake Geneva.
View from our room.
so beautiful.
Mountains to left of us........
Hotels to the right and I'm........... stuck in a hotel with you.
Christmas tree was still up.
Freddie at Christmas.
I'm not in to wine bars, cafe bars and bistros they're OK for a special occasion but not for a good old drink, i like a good old bar. We had a walk around but didn't have to walk far, 5 Min's from hotel was the Barrel Oak.
Now any bar that has a real log fire lit and on the fire hood two of my favourite things Liverpool and Jack Daniels is damn fine place.
20 different draught beers at 8 CHF a pint, that's £6
Shaker cocktails the same size as the ones i serve 45 CHF, that's £36, i charge 5€. Maybe a price change lol.
The view from Barrel Oak dining area.
On to Veyvey which is the next town along from Montreux. I came here the last time but just a quick visit. This time did a bit more exploring.
The seahorse guardians of lake Geneva
That's one god damn big bauble.
Is this the last C&A store in existence?
This is the casino floor in Montreux. That floor area used to be 3 separate recording studios with the mixing studio on the opposite balcony. This was owned by Queen and the mixing studio is now where the Queen museum is in aid of Mercury Phoenix Trust. Artist such as David Bowie and AC/DC have recorded here.
And finally where else in the world would you find a vending machine on the pavement full and in working order.
I have to say that out of anywhere i have been in this world that Switzerland is my favourite place, it does feel like my spiritual home. Its peaceful, beautiful, relaxing just makes everything feel and it was sunny and warm again all the time we were there.
January - Apart from Switzerland another boredom filled month.
February - Like Christmas we decided for Valentines to just get a gift for us both so a Trip to London on Valentines weekend it was.
Once again, the early bird catches the worm. We booked this in June 2018, weekend in London with Hotel on St. James Park by Trafalgar Square and return coach in total £140. BOOM!
I've been to London so many times I've forgotten and i used to work and live in London for a year at Harrods, Selfridges and Max Bygraves luxury apartment in Victoria, that was a bit obscure i know.
So there isn't much of London i haven't seen.
We took a lovely stroll through Hyde Park and came across a statue i had never seen before. Its huge! I mean the statue. Its a war memorial with the figure of Achilles and his famous special armour that everyone knew him by. It was a amazing sight to see. I mean the statue.
We aren't in to going places where you go to be seen or brag about we go to places that are interesting. We found a doorway that was a Sushi bar called Ichi Riki. You walk down stairs and go in to a basement that has only 24 seats. It just looked like a cafe. The menu was vast and we didn't really know what to order as so much choice so we just ordered a load. Best sushi ever.
Only part of what we ordered and great value.
Time for a drink and just across the road was a good old pub called Grafton Arms.
As we were sat there i noticed pictures of Harry Seacombe, Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan dotted around the walls. Then i found out that The Goons used to write their sketches in a room above the pub and Spike use to work behind the bar sometimes.
A trip London is never London without feeding the Squizzels in St. James Park (that's the main reason i got the hotel there). We fed loads of Squizzels but just as Sian was crushing nuts out of their shells a Blue Tit flew on to her hand sat and took a nut. Sian decided to hold her hand out and up and these birds starting flying in (Not pigeons, yuk). They were Blue Tits and Grey Tits then a Robin and finally a Parakeet. There were 5 Parakeets on the trees around us by the time we left.
Ring-necked Parakeet
A Robin
It was like scene from Snow White all Sian had to do was sing "A song and a smile".
Birds feeding from her hand, Squizzels at her feet and Gooses pecking at her bum.
At one point there was a Squizzel sat right by her feet looking up at Sian sorting saying "Oi! Look down here. Where's my nuts?!
Siany's takin' us to the London zoo tomorrow,
Zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow
Siany's takin' us to the London zoo tomorrow
And we can stay all day
PINGUS!
Said in a Michael Caine voice "Pingus, bloody millions of em!"
LIFELESS MONKEYS!
BORING LIONESS'S!
STUPID SLEEPING LION!
JEBUS THE DONKEY!
SLOTH!
GEOFFRIES!
SQUIZZELS!
Squizzel with his nut box. Be funnier if it was a sack.
And finally for my good friend Tasos a whiskey shop.
Now you know me, I'm a big fan of the arts. I go to museums, I've been to a few operas, i paint a little, i sometimes dabble in poetry. Its time to see my first Am Dram.
Not holding out much hope if I'm being honest.
We got to the place where the performance was and it was "Musicals through the ages from stage & screen".
Now in my mind i would be sat in a school hall with a stage, with curtains and changeable backdrops.
NOPE! My living room on Zakynthos was bigger than this room and the stage was no bigger than a good sized dining table.
OK, Kev be open minded forget the room size.
I better get a drink, GOD DAMN IT! Only wine or lager, i drink neither, now i have nothing to numb my senses.
The first song "The Wizard of Oz". I was bursting to laugh and they hadn't even started singing but i sucked it up and stayed rock steady. The start was OK, i think nerves were there.
As the show went on it actually wasn't that bad at all, we had songs from Grease, We Will Rock You, Joseph and his amazing techni dreamcoat, Cabaret etc etc. The singing got better and better and that was without aid of a alcohol anesthetic.
Joseph and his coat. Well there wasn't a coat which i think there should of been as its not called Joseph and his Technicolor t-shirts.
And here are Pink, Christina Aguilera and Mia singing Lady Marmalade when they reach 60.
All said they did a great show with the very limited space. I will throw my name in to the mix if ever you do The Greatest Showman, me as the lead of course as i have the voice and choreography experience. My part as "The Singing sheep" in Joseph and his amazing technicolor dreamcoat when i was 11 at Sophia Gardens brought rave reviews in Variety Magazine and my solo of "Once in Royal David's City" at LLandaff Cathedral didn't leave a dry seat in the house........I mean eye....dry eye.
Now my one real pet hate is bad signage, advertising or signs that make no sense.
Here is the first idiotic advert.
"Vegan Fish Fillets" WHAT? If its vegan it won't have fish in it anyway so they would just be "Vegan Fillets".No need to have fish anywhere in the advert. IDIOTS!
"Pub of the year 2012" we are now in 2019, that means you've been less than great for 7 years, WHY WOULD YOU!
And finally, the lowest of the low, a sign that has no sense at all. A sandwich delivery service that's tag line is "Who you gonna call?". OK that's fine but to then add the Ghostbusters logo is ridiculous. WHAT THE HELL DOES A GHOST HAVE TO DO WITH A BREAD RELATED SNACK?
I saw a lady going in to her workplace wearing "Active wear" and before anyone says "She may be going straight from gym" she wasn't. She had make up on, wasn't sweaty and her hair was hairspray perfect. So then i thought to myself the next time i get a job i will wear my Pyjamas and dressing gown to work as i find them comfortable if women can wear active wear.
Then to my amazement that same day in Swansea City centre i saw a guy, i am not lying, this is real and i took the pic.
How spooky is that.
And finally, RUGBY!
We overcame France, We struggled against Italy BUT......We dominated England's predictable kicking game.
I've been to the Principality many times to watch Wales versus All Blacks, France, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, Tonga and Japan also i managed there but when i go to watch England its never enjoyable like the others.
To much rides on that game and nerves are shot whenever I've been to watch it. Tension is high, you don't get that party friendly atmosphere and both England and Wales are bad losers when they play each other. In saying all that ......WE WON! IN YOUR FACE CHARIOT LOVERS!
WALES, WALES, WALES!
And on to the World Cup. I know the 6 nations isn't over yet but I'm realistic and give ourselves little chance of beating Ireland. They are a dangerous team.
Well, no deleting this time thank god. Not long now until I'm back on the rock. Flight out is 1st May and bar needs nothing doing to it, just a clean up and I'm open.
So until my next update........
Serve All, Love All, Peace All.......Kevlar Out!
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