Question What are you reading?

[Rob Noxious]

Been enjoying John Cooper Clarke's autobiography 'I Wanna Be Yours' today. He made me chortle when telling about his experience on the terraces at Old Trafford ...

"The football terrace chant, as it was then, was the last repository of true folk music. It's amazing how quickly snippets of topical import would make their way into the baying derogatory chorus, but it was usually inflammatory insults aimed at the opposing fans and indeed the town they lived in. Take this favourite anti-Liverpool chant of mine, the classic 'Kop Tw@ts', to the tune of 'Top Cat':

Kop Tw@ts
You thieving b@st@rds
Kop Tw@ts
You thieving b@st@rds
We all know you sign on the dole
And you live in a f@cking sh!t 'ole."

 

[graingerroad54]

Been enjoying John Cooper Clarke's autobiography 'I Wanna Be Yours' today. He made me chortle when telling about his experience on the terraces at Old Trafford ...

"The football terrace chant, as it was then, was the last repository of true folk music. It's amazing how quickly snippets of topical import would make their way into the baying derogatory chorus, but it was usually inflammatory insults aimed at the opposing fans and indeed the town they lived in. Take this favourite anti-Liverpool chant of mine, the classic 'Kop Tw@ts', to the tune of 'Top Cat':

Kop Tw@ts
You thieving b@st@rds
Kop Tw@ts
You thieving b@st@rds
We all know you sign on the dole
And you live in a f@cking sh!t 'ole."

On the subject of footy chants my favourite is - oh teddy, teddy you went to man united and you won f'''''k all . Teddy, of course, proved the lyricist wrong.

 

[Swiss Tony]

Tomorrow will be a good day - Captain John Moore.

Truly an amazing Human being.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Just started Dave Boling's Guernica,a fictional account of the tragedy there.

(Perhaps someone can explain to my why the excellent second hand bookshop I bought this from a couple of weeks ago in the Midi is now closed in the Confinement there ,whereas all bookshops here in Catalonia are currently open? Go figure)!

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Currently reading Evan Osnos's ,Joe Biden: American Dreamer.

(Doing some prep.on the next American President).

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Just started John Lanchester's Reality and Other stories.A contemporary take on ghost stories and modern technology.Interesting.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Currently reading Naomi Klein's On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal.A book for our times.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Just started Owen Jones's This Land.The Story of a Movement.

As good as anything he's written.

 

[LCBB72]

Ambushed 2 , by John Martin great read well reseached .

 

[Mad Cyril]

Just started Owen Jones's This Land.The Story of a Movement.

As good as anything he's written.

Can't say I am a fan of Owen Jones.

John Harris is a much more thoughtful writer.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Can't say I am a fan of Owen Jones.

John Harris is a much more thoughtful writer.

John Harris,though I like his Guardian journalism is not really what I'd call an obviously political and polemical writer.Owen Jones is.

His last Guardian article https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/29/britain-pubs-value was on British Pubs,for example.

 

[GrumpyBlue]

John Harris,though I like his Guardian journalism is not really what I'd call an obviously political and polemical writer.Owen Jones is.

His last Guardian article https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/29/britain-pubs-value was on British Pubs,for example.

And a good article it was too

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

And a good article it was too

Yes,as I said, I like his journalism.I don't think you'd be able to find anything similar that Owen Jones has written though.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Patria Highsmith's Ripley Underground.Nice easy read.

 

[Rob Noxious]

I finished Peter Doggett's 'The Man Who Sold The World: David Bowie and the 1970s' today.
It's a hugely well-researched and almost scholarly work, certainly rich in its musical appreciation and cultural historicism, and it goes much deeper than Bowie's 1970s work. It's also part biography too and is further well-informed by the contributions of commentators who were part of the great man's life and times. I wouldn't be surprised if Peter Doggett has added to this 2011 edition - either a birthday or Christmas gift from my brother that year - which has waited several years for my full perusal. Another one that's hugely recommended but primarily for Bowie fans, obviously.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Just started Richard Green's (no relation) Russian Roulette:The Life and times of Graham Greene.Enjoyable.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Just finished Kevin Barry's new collection of short stories That Old Country Music.Thoroughly enjoyed his two most recent novels but I'm afraid this didn't do anything for me.

 

[blues exile]

Chris Hillman's 'Time Between'. He was bass player in The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas, Desert Rose Band etc. Interesting reminiscences of Gram Parsons, McGuinn, Crosby, Stills and others. Nothing sensational, told with restraint and even handedness considering the times he lived through.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Nearly finished Kevin Barry's first book of short stories There are Little Kingdoms.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Chris Hillman's 'Time Between'. He was bass player in The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas, Desert Rose Band etc. Interesting reminiscences of Gram Parsons, McGuinn, Crosby, Stills and others. Nothing sensational, told with restraint and even handedness considering the times he lived through.

Checked out the reviews of this on Amazon and (as you say) he doesn't do the dirt on his fellow Byrds or even Steve Stills who he played with in Manassas.Talking about his fellow Byrds, I saw Gene Clark play at Badalona here back in the day.Since he asked for any requests, I called out for Dublin Blues, which he seemed happy that someone in the mainly Spanish/Catalan audience knew and promptly played it.Great concert.Who knows, maybe Chris Hillman will be booked to play at Badalona in 2021?