They walk among us

For a change this lunchtime I headed into Soho to pick up a gift for a friend. On my way through Piccadilly Circus I looked up into a face I thought I knew - the bristling moustache, the haunted eyes, the old fashioned headgear - yes, it was none other than Billy Childish.

I know he's only a cult hero but as they go he's right up there. So I was surprised to see him walking so blithely through the west end, utterly unmolested by any of the Japanese tourists. Momentarily fazed, I looked back over my shoulder to see him striding manfully across Shaftsbury Avenue, immaculate old school explorer's rucksack on his back.

I've mentioned before how highly I rate his one time protege Holly Golightly but I don't actually own that many recordings by the man himself. This hardly matters though as, quite unexpectedly, he played my favourite ever gig. I struggle to find the energy to get to many gigs but he was playing a pub on the other side of Richmond so I couldn't not go.

I normally prefer studio versions of songs but the casual energy with which he ripped through two dozen or so songs was riveting. It was extremely loud but somehow, magically in such a confined space, the sound was incredibly clear. Before my eyes there were three men in Victorian military coats banging out some of the most businesslike punk rock I've ever heard.

Subterranean gnomesick blues

I'm not sure where this has popped up from (I watched "The Man Who Fell To Earth" the other day, maybe that's it). I never listened to the radio much when I was a teenager. I don't know why not. It's not like I was outside playing football or being popular - I'm sure I was as alienated as all those people who tuned into John Peel. But I never did. I think I lacked the patience to be fiddling about with radio dials.

When I was a kid though when this song used to come on the radio I absolutely loved it. I probably heard "Starman" and definitely "Space Oddity", oh and "Ashes to Ashes", but I don't think I connected them. The first time I really became aware of Bowie was with "Let's Dance", which I loved. I didn't understand the vilification (I still don't).

Back to "The Laughing Gnome". It's silly but no more so than "The Yellow Submarine" and it's stacks better than "Effervescing Elephant". The NME's campaign to get him to play it on his greatest hits tour was typically mean spirited but I do wish he'd just ripped into a stomping version of it rather than scrap the idea.

David Bowie: The Laughing Gnome

Yesterday's papers

There was an article in the Sunday Times yesterday about how men and women respond to humour differently. The gist of it was that women have a more sophisticated sense of humour than men and are not afraid not to laugh if they don't get a joke. Personally I'd never noticed any difference in response. Until, that is, about four years ago. I'd heard the following joke:

Two tigers walking down Oxford Street. One turns to the other and says, "Quiet today, isn't it?"

It tickled me a great deal and for a while afterwards, if there was a joke window, I'd pop up with that. I noticed that no women ever got it, but every bloke did. So there.

But oh oh my haircut looked so good

I'm such a sucker for the Madcap Laughs photographs. While sticking the Beatles or Bob Dylan on the front of Mojo puts me off buying it the allure of Syd is undiminished. Even though I've seen all the photos and read all the stories before. That's not quite true actually, I didn't know that nobody knows what became of Iggy, the girl posing in the background. I don't think we ever will. And I like that. The way he looks in these photos is how I think Jerry Cornelius should look.

I got two shocks while going through images for the post, one was seeing a photo of Syd without eyebrows taken when he turned up at Abbey Road while Pink Floyd were recording "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". The other was one of those photos of him as a middle aged bloke walking back from the shops in Cambridge. You could make out the newspaper he was carrying. It was the Daily Mail.

Deja vu

The Pastel's "Thru Your Heart" ep dropped through my letterbox the other day, me picking up their trail where I left it back in 1991. I remember reading somewhere that they rated Moe Tucker and the track I've posted (due to it being my favourite) is highly reminiscent of those few Velvet Underground tracks on which they let Moe sing, and to accompany it I was going to post one of them, probably "After Hours".

The Pastels: Firebell Ringing


While I was pondering the buzzer went and I agreed to take in a parcel for a neighbour. I was amused when the delivery man staggered up to my floor with a giant (100cm x 60cm x 50cm) box. Not what I had expected. Anyway, that made me think of posting "The Gift". But I didn't.

Instead, in a not very impressive leap, my mind turned to the similarly weedy rock of Jonathan Richman. The first things of his that I heard were "Road Runner" (probably at a club, or who knows, maybe on the radio), and "Pablo Picasso" (in Repo Man). Liking both very much I picked up Rev-ola's re-issue of "The Modern Lovers" round about the time it came out.

The Modern Lovers: I'm Straight


Shortly afterwards I saw him play at the Leadmill. One of my favourite gigs. I can't remember how much I paid - probably about four quid. The club had been done out in cabaret style and it was lovely, so I was surprised by how few people were there. I find it hard to believe he played there really. On the night he didn't do "Road Runner" (I don't think he ever does). But the gig, as well as being a very enjoyable evening, was also an induction into his highly idiosyncratic back catalogue and I came away knowing that I'd be (judiciously) buying it up wherever I saw it. And so it has proved.

Jonathan Richman: You're Crazy For Taking The Bus


From "Jonathan Goes Country", an album with a most amusing front and back sleeve. I almost posted "The Neighbors" which features some subtle Spanish guitar work and the beguiling co-vocals of Jody Ross - somebody I'd like to hear more of but about whom the internet is silent.

Jonathan Richman: I Eat With Gusto, Damn! You Bet


The weirdest of his recording that I've heard. There's something vaguely demonic about this track I think.

White noise

I picked this up at Oxfam this afternoon for a mere £1.99. I already had the track below and I don't think any of the others on the album will nudge it from the top spot, but one never knows. Besides I love the sleeve art - it reminds me a bit of Blue Note. And he's smoking a pipe - swish.

"What a Bringdown" is pretty close to a perfect track - everything about it seems light. I'm not a big fan of samples, they usually strike me as clumsy, but the woman's voice on this is great: strange and distracted, possibly a bit stoned. It reminds me of Sissy Spacek in Badlands or "Little Fluffy Clouds". I did some detective work (the internet is a powerful tool) and it's from an album called "Motor-Cycle" by Lotti Golden.

MC Honky: What A Bringdown

Remember me

I forgot to mention in my first post after New Year - at one point during my xmas travelling I was running through Piccadilly station. I glanced up and there, lounging, was Johnny Marr. It threw me a bit. Anyway, I had to dash, I had a coach to miss.