Seb Palmer

I started watching this yesterday, and finished it off tonight. It was superb. It’s done as a film of a live stage show, presented by Adam Horowitz and Michael Diamond, aka Ad-Rock and Mike D.

Shot in New York’s fabulous (?) Theatre, and directed by Spike Jonze, it’s a very informative, candid, and ultimately moving piece of work.

The story of their rise to fame and success is an enjoyable and engaging one. Seeing Ad-Rock well up and break down in his soliloquy about Yauch, near the end, was very powerful.

I had the day off work today. I ought to have worked, frankly. But there weren’t any shifts coming up! Prob’ needed the rest, tbh.

So I drove around after lunch, for a change of scene and some fresh air. Listened to Funk Factory, a 1975 Urbaniak album. Polish American jazz funk fusion. Really good!

At one ping I passed a sign with a name like ‘pillbox meadow’. My antennae rose, and I kept my eyes peeled for said pillbox. Sho’ nuff, a short way away, I came across the bunker that features on this post.

Situated on a junction of multiple roads/paths sbd a waterway, this bunker feels like an observation post. It has vision slits on all faces. Tho’ now one or more aspects are blocked to varying degrees – some completely – by plant growth. Good camo’. But crap for obs.

As I recrossed the stream, the patterns on the metal footplate caught my eye. Time and nature’s encroachment rendering pretty patterns.

Back to the bunker, to have a look around inside. This is another one that’s not been bricked up. Thankfully.

Sadly this one, unlike the gun emplacement I last looked at, is full of crappy human detritus. Indeed, I was a little worried, in the near dark, that it might’ve been a tramp’s toilet.

Inside it was darkly gloomy. More so due to the vision slots being choked with plant growth.

I do love exploring these relics. It’s a pity they’re not maintained better.

And off I go…

I’m going to try and get my music room cum office back in order, some time soonish. I want it to be a lot less cluttered (difficult, given how tiny it is!), and more inspiring.

To help with the inspiration, I’ll be adorning the walls with inspiring images. Be they album covers, musicians/artists, or whatever. I made a start today with this selection of six drummer pictures.

I’ve started at the rock n’ pop and of things. Ginger is a foundational influence. As is Michael Shrieve. Awareness of Karen Carpenter as a drummer cam a lot later.

I’ll be addressing other musical areas – Jazz, Funk, Soul, whatever – very soon. And other instruments. Bull fiddle, for sure!

But this feels like a good start!

Wow! Love this.

To think, I was only four years old at the time. It’d be around another two decades before mobiles would start to really take a hold, to the extent that pals would – I thought rather ostentatiously, at the time – plonk their funky little Nokia down on whatever surface was at hand.

And you have to love the inimitable Blue Peter style. And the funky ‘70s threads!? There’s enough material in Peter Purves’ ‘loons to make the sails for a 100 gun ship of the line!

And what about Lesley Judd? A former dancer – she actually guested with Pans People on a TOTP routine in ‘76, whilst working as a BP presenter – she’s the stuff young boys’ dreams are/were made of.

Whilst John Noakes sat in the warm dry BP studio, PP was in the garden, and the lovely Lesley was up on the roof, with the receiver unit, all togged up in fab’ ‘70s style, inc. a nice see-through brolly!

Ingredients:

• Potato Waffles – however any suit (three on this occasion.
• Eggs – ditto (two today).
• Precooked Chickpeas w. Onion – As much or little as you like.
• Grated Cheddar – whatever…
• Cup o’Soup – any flavour of your choosing.

Preparation:

• Stick the waffles high up under a high grill setting. Keep a beady eye on ‘em! Turn ‘em over a few times. Get ‘em golden brown.
• Fry your eggs. I like to flip mine over, then take off the heat.
• Microwave pre-prepared chickpeas. As to the previous prep… dunno, sorry! You’ll have to ask my mrs. She did ‘em. They make a kind of posh alternative to baked beans.
• When the waffles are done, slap th over them, and the arrange the chickpeas as you like. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Season wi’ salt n’ pepper.

Then eat the hearty repast.

Proletarian fare still has standards. Eggs on his dish ought not to be cooked solid. But some ketchup is fine, as an add-on. Yummy!

Eeh… that we’re reet grand! Don’t forget, like I did, to enjoy your cup o’soup.

After my visit to St Peter’s in Outwell, I drove to a spot I’d taken note of on one of my fairly recent delivery drives. On the previous occasion it was a glorious sunset. Today it’s grey n’ incredibly windy.

Ne’er moind, as they moight say round these parts. I stopped and got snap happy anyway. I love these tatty old nondescript relics of recent near Armageddon.

This one, even better, is stil open, and not filled with the detritus of hoboes or misspent youths. It has the look and feel of a small artillery emplacement. With a commanding view of the waterway crossing and (A1698) road. The side vision ports offer surprisingly poor views.

It’s a very low structure, in which you’d have to sit, kneel, or squat. With an open rear. It was fun to look it over. Despite the Arctic gale blowing through it.

I’ve stopped and snapped the exterior of this church before. But in that occasion I merely rued the fact it was locked. Today I rang the Rev, and she told me the keys were left in the care of the Spar, next door.

Keys in hand, I had a look around, inside. What follows are the pictures I took therein.

Very nice. A balm to the soul.

Uh-oh… more ways for the crapitalist machinery to milk me of all/what little filthy lucre I may (oh so fleetingly) have.

2023 was the 50th Anniversary of the release of Closing Time, Tom’s debut record. And what a debut! I simply must have these posters (link here).

Rather annoyingly, once ordered, the overall cost is over £40! With VAT and shipping. Damn it! But I have to have these. I’ll just have to book another delivery shift for to fund the poichase…

Ah, what bliss… just discovered yet another groovy cache of Waits related antiquities.

‘In 1974 Scott Smith was a young photographer living in San Diego, when he was introduced by a mutual friend to Tom Waits. Both Waits and Smith had a passion for music and they soon became friends. Smith’s compelling black and white photographs of Waits document his start as a folk singer and songwriter, and then through a period of time during which Waits’ musical persona emerged.’

Found here

Having a bit of a Waits Renaissance here, in the wake of a similar Jack Kerouac reverie. It’s high time I got Tom up on my walls. Some of these snaps are poifeck candidates.

The photo above is from a series outside a news-stand/kiosk, one of which appeared on the back cover of The Heart of Saturday Night. This alternate shot is just marvellous.

I’ll be getting some of these images printed and framed.

Apparently the figures in the tower are Scottish kings! I wonder why?

We might think of rhinoplasty as a modern thing. But there’s evidence the practice may date back much further than we thought, if these corbels are anything to go by.

A nice building, all told. And a bit unusual in several ways. One, being the Scot’s Kings, another being that the church is now split in twain: a small part still being used as a place of worship. But the eager part being in the care of the CCT, or Church Conservation Trust.