Seb Palmer

This is an interesting article on …

Last night I finished reading James Holland’s superb Sicily, ‘43. Later today I’ll start volume three of (?)’s British Naval History trilogy.

But in addition to books I brought with me, I acquired some new tomes. Yesterday I bought a French language book on Picasso. And today, having intended to buy more Picasso, I instead bought the Taschen Funk & Soul album covers book.

Given how groovy some of these are, the choice for the front cover is bizarrely rubbish!

This year is the first time either of our Wisterias have come into full bloom. The one out front is struggling a bit. Needs fresh soil/compost/nutrients, I guess?

The one out back – actually two plants – has really come on this year.

And some other bits of beauty in the garden…

Well… Dan’s funeral and wake took place yesterday, Friday, 25th April.

I took just two pictures: the one above, of a photo that was in one of the ‘Dan’s Life’ photo’ albums; and the one below, of Amy and Carmelle starting to boogie to the live music at Dan’s wake.

I wish I’d taken loads of pics of all the old friends we met and caught up with. But we were too busy meeting and catching up with them!

Seb - Poem Index

INDEX - SEB’S COMPLETE POEMS

A Poem A Day In Nowheresville 5/11/’21  ✓
A Walk In The Park (?) Park, Peterboro’ 27/10/’23  UF!!!
Actors 4/6/95  ✓ 
Adventurer’s Drove 9/10/’23 [mislabelled as October Scorcher!?]  ✓
Airborne 11/10/’23  ✓
The Alchemist’s Tool Kit 27/1/24  ✓
Anger 5/8/24  ✓
Ant Heap 4/11/24  UF!!!  ✓
At One With one At One 19/2/25  ✓
Autumn Light 10/11/’23  ✓
Barnack Stone [mislabelled as Storied 25/9/’23]  ✓
(The) Battle With The Booze 21/9/23  ✓
Belt Of Light 29/10/’23  UF!!!
Black & Blue 14/10/’23  ✓
Black Hole 14/8/24
Black Wings 2/4/25
Blade of Grass 23/7/24  ✓
Blues For Doug 7/7/24  ✓ 
Breakfast 16/11/24  ✓
Can’t Make Ends Meet (Butcher Hooks) 6/11/’23  ✓
Caught Short (in the house of the Lord) 14/10/23  ✓
Church of the Open Truth Seeking Mind 18/2/24 [appears twice!?]  ✓
Circus Daily 18/1/24  ✓
Clear A Space 26/9/’23  ✓
Clouds 14/10/’23  ✓
The Clouds 28/8/’24  ✓
Cloudswept 22/4/25
Coffee 1995  ✓
Cold Wind 23/8/24  ✓
Conditioning 13/2/24 [appears twice!?]  ✓
Crook’d Man Tree 27/9/’23  ✓
Cry Baby, 12/2/’97  ✓
Dad 29/10/’23  ✓
Dark Clouds Pass 26/4/’24  ✓
Dark Spirals 
(Don’t Let The) Darkness 5/11/’23  ✓
Delusions Illusions 9/1/’25  ✓
Doldrums ?/8/‘24  ✓
Down For The Count 22/10/’24 
Dreaming 10/11/23  ✓
Duck-Billed Priapus 3/4/‘25
Erotomania 10/10/’23  ✓
Farewell To All That 27/1/24  ✓
[Fast lane cruiser (14/11/’21) too crap!]  ✓
Fire On The Horizon 18/1/24  ✓
Flying Into The Sun 5/11/’21  ✓
Footsore 14/2/’24 [appears twice!?]  ✓
Four Brothers 5/11/’23  ✓
Friend, 24?  ✓
Fryin’ Bacon 29/10/’23  ✓
FUCK! 22/3/’24  ✓
Fuck You All 4/6/’24  ✓
Gasbag 17/12/’24  ✓
Gee, I’m An American (Betcha, by Golly, I am!) 20/1/25  ✓
Glittergirl 1995  ✓
Go! 18/2/’24  [appears twice!?]  ✓
Great Snakes 30/5/’95  ✓
Green Drift 26/6/’23
Grim, Grey, Rainy Day 13/2/’24?  [appears twice!?]  ✓
Guyhirn Pond 4/3/’25  ✓
Haiku 4/7/’23  ✓
Have They Got Gills? 11/10/’23  ✓
He Was A Beautiful Man (for Chris Dedrick) 30/1/’14 [appears twice!?]  ✓
Heaven & Hell 4/6/24
Herbie 5/3/’25  ✓
Hobo Blues 25/9/’24  ✓
Human 7/7/’95  ✓
Icarus Unheeded 23/7/’24  ✓
Illusionism In Flatland 14/10/23  ✓
I’d Rather Be Asleep 20/1/25  ✓
I’m A Man 16/4/’24  ✓
I Wish I Was A Cat 4/6/’24  ✓
Juice ‘95  ✓
Just Now 23/7/’24  ✓
King Cock & Queen Cunt 11/11/’23  ✓
Kiss Collapse 1995  ✓
Lemon Moon 4/11/’23  ✓
Lit A Fire 14/10/’23  ✓
M [Err] ?/’25  ✓
Man In A Chair 10/7/’24  ✓
Mel 11/10/’23  ✓
Mind & Body 8//2/’25  ✓
Miracles of Jesus Couriers! 13/2/24  ✓
Miserable 5/3/‘24  ✓
Monday 30/10/’23  ✓
Morning Glory 14/10/23  ✓
The Muse 11/10/’23  ✓
Natural High 21/1/’25  ✓
Need It Now (MISLABELLED AS ALCHEMISTS TOOL KIT!) 11/11/23  ✓
New Grooves (for Old Hoofs) 13/2/‘24   [appears twice!?]  ✓
Nonsense Verse 1 20/9/24
Nothing 4/6/’24  ✓
N to the MF O! 2/1/‘25  ✓
October Scorcher 9/10/’23  ✓
Oscillations 11/10/’23  ✓
Percussion 1995  ✓
Picking Daffs 4/3/’25  ✓
Pigeon 12/8/’24  ✓
Poetic Mind 23/7/24
Po’ John 22/10/’23  ✓
Pote-ry; Trad, Free Jazz 11/10/’23 [appears twice!?]  ✓
Pure Love ’95  ✓
Put It Down 1995  ✓
Quotidian 11/2/‘24   [appears twice!?]  ✓
Rain 13/10/23 ???  ✓
Rain 16/5/24
Rainy Day 18/2/’24 [appears twice!?]  ✓
Rampant Wounded 3/4/‘25
Red Eye Express 14/1/24  ✓
Revelation 31/12/’23  ✓
Reworked Lord’s  Prayer 2024  ✓
Roll On (And On) 19/9/96  ✓
Running, Skipping, Jumping 23/8/’24  ✓
Same Ol’ Fool 21/1/’25  ✓
The Sea 6/1/’25  ✓
Shattered 3/3/’23  ✓
She gets to have her cake & eat it… 9/10/’23  ✓
[Shoshijj (29/9/’23) too silly?]  ✓
Silly Syllables ‘95  ✓
Sirens of the Classroom (10/4/’23)  ✓
Sky Within 17/10/’13
Something Good 1995  ✓
Spazz Dance 19/2/24  ✓
Storied 26/9/’23
Sun Ra Gave Me… 22/3/25
Sun Shines 21/2/’95  ✓
The Tears Don’t Come Any More 21/9/’23
Teresa 12/10/’23  ✓
That Great Escape 12/5/’24  ✓
This Life 15/11/’23  ✓
Three Holes 11/10/’23  ✓
Time Has Cum (To Take Myself In Hand) 24/1/‘25  ✓
Toffee n’ Coffee 19/2/’24  [appears twice!?]  ✓
Traum(a) 11/10/’23  ✓
Triumph of the Machines 31/10/’23  ✓
Troublesome Words ‘95  ✓
Turn [mislabelled as Storied (26/9/’23)]
Two Trees 16/10/’23  ✓
Untitled 1995  ✓
Untitled II ‘95  ✓
Walking Dead 13/4/’23  ✓
World Gone Mad 2/12/’24  ✓
The Worst kind Of Fool 9/2/‘24  ✓
Wounded Soldiers 30/11/’22   [appears twice!?]  ✓
Wrestled 7/7/95  ✓
Xmas Jumpers 19/12/’23  ✓

One of a three-fer set of CDs that arrived some while back, comprising: Night Glider, New Groove and American Pie, all on the Groove Merchant label (reissued on CD, in Japan, 2018-19).

Real ‘grits n’ gravy’ type soul jazz. A style that I simply adore. Joyful, sometimes quite rambunctious, but always dripping with, well… soul. 

And do they groove!? Hell, yeah. Never was a player more aptly named! It may seem odd that there should be organ, electric piano and guitar. But these guys never get in each other’s way. 

It’s quite a full and saturated sound, what with the congas and bongos, in addition to trap drums, plus the three chordal instruments, topped off with a horn duo…

Boy does it ever have energy!

TRACKLIST:

Night Glider (Ott) 5:20
Fly Jack (Ott) 3:34
It’s Going To Take Some Time (King/Stern) 4:30
Pure Sugar Cane (Holmes) 4:59
Go Away Little Girl (Goffin/King) 5:32
One Mint Julep (Toombs) 4:55
Young & Foolish (Hague/Horwitt) 4:22

PERSONNEL:

‘Groove’ Holmes - organ
Seldon Powell - tenor horn
Garnett Brown - ‘bone 
Horace Ott - electric piano
Lloyd Davis - guitar
Paul Martinez - bass
Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie - drums
Kwasi Jayourba - congas & bongos

The film starts with what very quickly feels like an interminable theme song, over a black screen. And then launches into a long Saul Bass directed animated sequence…

The Bass bit is poss my favourite part of the entire film?

It’s a ‘comedy epic’, of sorts. It’s unarguably epic, length-wise. It even has an Intermission! Comic? Well, I did laugh occasionally. But it’s more shouty than funny. 

Madcap? Yes. Chaotic? Yep. Fun or relaxing? Erm… I’d have to say no, neither.

Like the title song, it’s an ordeal. How long can they keep this up? Especially when the plot-driving McGuffin is so quintessentially American, in the worst way: it’s about money, and it’s so insubstantial as to not really exist at all. 

In that respect the film lives up to its title. It’s zany, and screwball. It’s a demolition derby. And it’s entirely pointless. Worse still, it might well give you a migraine, with all the shouting. 

I don’t suppose – given the ‘stellar’ comedy cast – there were auditions. Had there been, one imagines they would’ve simply been shouting matches. With a bit of grimacing and gurning thrown in. 

This famous and iconic image has spawned countless copies/homages. You can see some of these by clicking this link.

I finally got around to watching this, with Patrick, yesterday. Thanks, Hannah, for gifting it.

It’s beautifully filmed, in black and white (like the other superb and unusual Brownlow & Mollo film It Happened Here).

Blah…

NOTES:

Winstanley, from his pamphlet:

“Was the earth made to preserve a few covetous, proud men to live at ease…?”

As usual, with a film like this, when you start looking into it, you uncover other interesting stuff. Also, I found this blog, The Celluloid Wicker Man, which is fascinating.

It’s worth noting that for some folk, there has actually been a second ECW, much more recently, with events such as The Battle of The Beanfield and The Battle of Orgreave echoing how society or the state brutally suppresses dissent.

NB – Archival notes…

Napoleon’s Marshals – Ed. Chandler 

XLV – Boney: ‘Death is nothing, but to live defeated is to die everyday’. Perhaps one of the many reasons so many are fascinated with all things Boney is the contrast between his imposition of his will on the world, and our/their own abject submission to the compromises of life!?

XLIX – NB (Nap Bon) ‘in his earlier years was a supreme realist as well as an egotistical opportunist’.

NB – ‘It is with baubles that men are lead’. Sadly so often true!

NB – ‘If I wanted a man enough I would kiss his arse’!

LVIII – Augereau on NB: ‘sacrificed millions … to his cruel ambition’. Bernadotte: ‘that rogue, that scourge of the world who must be killed’!

Stendhal: ‘posterity will never appreciate what dull Jesuits those heroes of N’s bulletins really were’!

LIX – Excellent Van Loon quote re Boney’s charm (whole paragraph is worth quoting), but this’ll do for a pithy extract: ‘N was the greatest of actors and the whole European continent was his stage’. The single para from which this is extracted is arguably a better and more honest judgement on NB (inc. ‘I am telling you that the Emperor Napoleon was a most contemptible person’) than Paul Johnson’s entire windy diatribe.