I spent this afternoon on my kayak in Chester….it was paradise…so I thought I’d send you a tribute to this wonderful city which I composed many years ago…it was actually a B side of a vinyl…the A side was a song I did about Chester Zoo which I sold to the Zoo who used it on radio and TV adverts (handy royalties)…this is my original version of the song…the one I marketed to the Zoo was sung by a good friend of mine called Julie Bright who I used on a lot of my demos which required a female vocal…...
Sep 10, 2014
After slating the X Factor last week I thought I’d have a look at the new series to see if had improved…horrendous…it’s even worse than ever. It’s the arrogance of the judges that gets me…Cheryl Cole and Mel B telling someone they are out of tune….rich coming from two talentless females who have spent their careers MIMING. The programme is a perfect example of the level of intellect of the British viewing public…I salute Cowell on cashing in on this. The news has been heavily covering the case o...
Sep 05, 2014
.Sad news about Richard Attenborough....He was in one of the funniest sketches I've ever seen...it was about 25 years ago in a programme called "Alas it's Smith and Jones"....with Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones.....he said he had just completed filming Ghandi and required the music track...to which Mel said he had the man to do it...the best...Griff then turns up on a pushbike with a banjo and sings a ridiculous song in a 48 track studio....Sir Richard played it dead straight concluding with "GE...
Aug 29, 2014
Cliff….oh dear…the witch hunt continues…as usual no charges – probably no real evidence…yet he’s all over the papers….guilty before he’s even spoken to. I think we are all getting a bit sick of all this….I’m not a fan of Cliff as you know (he just wont go away) BUT he has got a bit of a rough ride ahead of him and I do feel for him….his faithful fans are buying his record in an attempt to get it to the top of the charts….the whole thing is a disgrace and all this trial by media needs sorting out...
Aug 23, 2014
The Nanny State strikes again...now drinks have to let you know how dangerous they are for your health via labelling....like cigarettes...I'm sick and tired of being told what is and isn't good for me by so called experts who are probably part of the manipulation process of big greedy companies....there is also talk of bringing down the drink drive limit...which I'm actually all for. Sinead O'Connor was recently on (plus hideous tattoos) talking about her latest album...the concept being that SH...
Aug 13, 2014
Edwin Starr said it all in his song WAR. What is it good for...absolutely nothing and such a waste of human life with all its attendant misery. However, we are celebrating the centenary of WW1. The latest news from the UK Govt is that we will be fined if we leave our motors running in traffic queues. Oh Yeah! That's an easy one to police. Don went to see Eric Faulkner (ex Bay City Rollers) and was disappointed. Find out why in the podcast. There's a new show on TV and the winner, a singer, Takes...
Aug 09, 2014
I watched Terry Christian on a chat show recently…I LOVE this fella…he says it like it is…he said the public should be allowed into Parliament to ask questions and the MPs should be put on lie detectors. He totally shares my views about the lying,thieving,selfish shower of public schoolboys who supposedly run the country…and have you seen Miliband lately?...he’s had a major make-over…hair,teeth,the lot…he looks even more slimy and slithery than he was before….and Cameron with his botoxed forehea...
Aug 02, 2014
.......and to track 8 on my CD “What Happened To Julie?”…which begs the simple question as to whereabouts of one of your young schoolboy crushes…it would be nice to know what happened to those lost loves and what they are doing now…….or not? Still lots of sport on the tele….the Open was a huge success…it was £75 to get in on the Saturday and Sunday…£11 for fish and chips…and a fiver a pint…and it is much better on the TV…but there you are…The Commonwealth Games are now upon us…I saw the highligh...
Jul 26, 2014
..and to the 7th track on my album…”Tribute to Ricky Nelson”….I’ve always been a huge fan of the guy..preferred him to Elvis in the 50’s…so I thought he deserved a place on my CD….it tells of how his love songs brought us all through the dark times after just being chucked by the love of your life…sit in a dark room with your Dansette and put on “Lonesome Town”…problem solved. the weather here has been very hot…great for sailing and all outdoor activities…EXCEPT for the poor pensioners….this cou...
Jul 19, 2014
..track 6 on my CD (Doowop Pioneers)was an idea to educate the world as to what is actually Doowop...it originally began on street corners in the U.S.A. whereby a group of guys would congregate and harmonise...similar to our barbershop...and it developed into those great 50's classics such as Blue Moon...Teenager In Love...Why Do Fools Fall In Love...etc...this song is a tribute to them. ......O.K. Brazil took a hammering in the World Cup...but if you went by the headlines you'd think it was the...
Jul 12, 2014
Rolph Harris has been all over the news this week….WOW…what a fall from grace…MBE OBE CBE and portrait painter to the Queen…oh dear. What I still don’t get about all this is someone MUST have known back in the day?...why take so long to come forward…anyway he’s got 5 and a half years….I went to his exhibition in Liverpool a few years back and his drawings and paintings were on sale…at a ridiculous price….they wont be worth much now, Our roads are getting more and more dangerous for cyclists…acco...
Jul 05, 2014
Now we are out of the World Cup we can have a change of subject on the T.V. for a change…that is when the Suarez incident has died down…he got a 9 match ban but I think the lad needs help…why not just take all his teeth out?...problem solved. Having said that the Coulson affair has taken over….and as usual the BBC drag it out for 50% of the bulletins….as I have always said the press get away with far too much…they couldn’t care less who gets hurt as long as they sell their trashy papers…..looks ...
Jun 28, 2014
…it’s been all World Cup…and as usual England are consistent….I don’t know how much the so-called expert pundits get…but whatever it is it’s too much. They sit there and go through the details of a match you have just watched…with all sorts of suggestions,,,bottom line WE LOST…AS USUAL. But what I can’t understand is how upset people get…it’s a football match…with a bunch of overpaid sportsmen…that’s all…it’s not the end of the world!! I’m not a betting man but I put a fiver on Germany to win th...
Jun 21, 2014
Don sent the following... There has been a lot of moaning about the National Anthem being sung by the England football team….it has been said that it is only a song aimed at the Queen and not England, Personally I couldn’t care less…I think the song is so bland and boring it’s time for a new one.It’s supposed to be a NATIONAL anthem but only England seem to sing it…the Welsh and the Scots sing their own tunes…..definitely time to have a nice lively anthem…Don's available for the job…. The UK Edu...
Jun 07, 2014
There has been a big outcry against the health and safety dept……in their wisdom they decided that the age old English activity of “cheese rolling” is highly dangerous…this event takes place each year in one of our Shropshire villages and involves chasing a ball of cheese down a very steep hill…..as there have been many casualties the H & S have stepped in … and instead of using cheese they made them use a ball of polystyrene….which was a disaster as the ball wouldn’t roll against the wind….....
May 29, 2014
To save money our wonderful government are cutting down on lollipop people….you know …those people who,unlike themselves,are of value to the community….not only are these folk part of the school runs they are there to prevent kids being injured by the fools on the road…..I see the MPs have just voted themselves an extra THREE week holiday because they haven’t got enough to do…maybe if they donated their inflated salaries for the weeks they are now lazing about it might go towards solving the pro...
May 24, 2014
.The Eurovision…..what a joke….the winner was like a fairground side show…BUT…and I could be wrong…BUT I get the feeling it was a spoof (Peter Kay and his Irish female alter ego springs to mind)….I’ve heard the actual record which is definitely a girl singing…I think this character is probably a comedian and will announce next year how everyone was taken in….certainly got everyone talking….just a suggestion….because he cannot be serious….I hope. Gary Barlowe has been under fire because of a tax ...
May 14, 2014
This kidnap situation in Africa is unbelievable…200 young girls…and the filthy scum responsible bragging on a video…makes you wonder what the world is coming to….let’s hope the Americans and the SAS catch up with them…see how tough they are then….the authorities over there are under severe criticism but you could never see that coming….let’s hope it gets sorted. It’s Eurovision time again…I’ve seen one of the semi finals….no comment…….They had Bucks Fizz and The Brotherhood of Man singing togeth...
May 10, 2014
Did you see that MP who resigned over cash for questions;.Patrick Mercer;you gotta laugh;what a twit! he came out with I openly admit my wrong doing;I was a soldier and when soldiers get things wrong they FESS UP;.as if this makes it RIGHT !!...the guy was making a GRAND a day;but it's O.K. because he has resigned.should be behind bars !! There has been blanket coverage of the poor teacher who got stabbed to death, a terrible tragedy;but the media don't help going on about how she was in on her ...
May 03, 2014
Primark have made huge profits and are taking a bit of stick from our army of do-gooders…they are suggesting people boycott the store because the stuff they sell is made in China by workers who are poor and mistreated…..the stuff they sell in the store is CHEAP !!!....that’s all 99% of shoppers are interested in I’m afraid. My take on this is if Primark can sell cheap so can the big stores…end of. ...I went to see “Dreamboats and Petticoats” on the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton….it was sort of...
Apr 26, 2014
Britain’s Got Talent is back…..now I KNOW it is very popular (which shows the mentality of the masses)…but WHY subject us to idiots who are happy to ridicule themselves on national TV?...and WHY Ant and Dec?....heaven knows we’ve seen enough of them over the last six months…can’t see the point of them on this show….and WHY the same old format with talentless “judges” playing God and the same old sob stories from the contestants which have NOTHING to do with their act…….bring back Opportunity Kno...
Apr 19, 2014
Taking kids out of school in term time is back in the news…asking whether there should be some exeptions…eg Police and servicemen. The consensus seems to be that it should be one rule for all…the problem lies in the rise in price of holidays when the schools are off….if parents want their kids educating they can’t have it all ways. I have been watching Wills and Kate in Australia with their new nipper….I must say that Kate is a lovely girl and very photogenic and I think she is doing a great job...
Apr 12, 2014
There is a girl called Judith Hill who is starring in a documentary film called “20 feet from Stardom” and it is about all the great backing singers who never get recognised. She has backed the likes of Michael Jackson and never got a mensh on the credits. Sounds like an interesting film….but that is what the game is all about really…it’s the session guys who go the distance. On the subject of films I watched a Will Smith film called “Hancock”…er….they don’t seem to be able to round films off th...
Apr 05, 2014
It’s disgusting the way the media are covering this missing plane incident….there are poor grief stricken relatives who are in turmoil only to have a camera stuck in their face to broadcast their anguish to the world…what does this achieve?…NOTHING…it doesn’t help in any way…just so some pig of a reporter can get a story without an ounce of human decency…this needs to be sorted. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club are to have a high power meeting as to whether they let WOMEN on the course…heavens ab...
Mar 29, 2014
The Budget…..Osborne has been holding up the red bag….which has pleased the old folk (prospective voters)….so it looks like our savings will make a bit of interest for a change. However up jumps Ed Balls with his totally negative view on the whole thing….no matter what one side does - the other will disagree with. There has been a programme on the attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne 20 years ago…I can’t remember this can you?...apparently her car was blocked by another on the Mall and her body...
Mar 22, 2014
The schools have had to cut back because of lack of money…council jobs are in danger because of lack of money…the hospitals are having a hard time because of lack of money…etc…YET fortunes can be found for blanket coverage of the winter Olympics which I doubt many people are interested in…and 24 hour news which simply repeats 15 minutes of important news. You need a noose to watch the news in this country…unless it’s killings and illnesses and doom and gloom there is no coverage. Scrap the Olymp...
Mar 15, 2014
I went to the Floral Pavilion new Brighton last week to see “Let’s Hang On” which was a tribute to the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons….it was sensational…the quality of the musicians and singers was outstanding.It was a full house and the whole place was on it’s feet at the end…brilliant. I love the Four Seasons stuff and last year went to see “Jersey Nights” on the Liverpool Empire which was also brilliant….the main show “Jersey Boys “ has been on in London for a few years but I’ve...
Mar 08, 2014
I had a fall and dislocated my shoulder last week and off I went to A & E……I also needed stitches in my ear….the doctor involved was telling me he treated Jimmy Krankie when he fell off the beanstalk during the Glasgow panto five years ago….when I told him that Jimmy was singing one of songs at the time we were both a bit flaggergasted…..small world or what. Reminded me of the time I was invited to form a skiffle group and and appear at a big concert in Finland…I was working on Radio Merseys...
Mar 01, 2014
The Brits went off OK but I got a bit bored halfway through…it’s a sad situation but the music game is slowly going under….technology is seeing to that. I was listening to Andrew Lloyd Webber being interviewed on Radio 2 and he was saying that he once wrote a song for ELVIS and thought he had reached the summit of his career…however he never made a penny!!...as Elvis puts his name in the writers column and Colonel Parker takes over the publishing…so nothing really changes. I remember Elvis askin...
Feb 22, 2014
The UK floods down south have been completely dominating the news….they seem to have stopped blaming everyone for the weather and are now trying to sort it all out.I’ve just got back from The Lakes…I’ve never seen anything like it….not sure what the answer is. These kids who do stupid things and film themselves on YouTube have been in the news…after a few of them have died….again everyone is to blame except the parents…”there should be warnings in schools etc…there should be laws against selling...
Feb 15, 2014
