With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Here we are on the day of the Brit awards. Who will win? Who will “do a Winslett” in their acceptance speech? Who will throw a hissy fit at not winning anything? Who will wiggle their arse at Jacko (and how old will they be, I mean Jarvis is about as old as me nearly)? Who cares? All these questions, ok most of these questions will be answered this evening. Watch it live on ITV at 8pm, unless of course you really don’t care, in which case slip into to something comfortable (comment about J*ck* here has been left out at the request of my legal team) and drink your cocoa before retiring to bed before it gets dark. (Cocoa and early to bed is just what Catwoman will be doing tomorrow I’m sure). Either way you can check out all the potential winners and losers here http://www.brits.co.uk/

Of the nominees the only one that I would like to see win an award is Paul Weller, in fact I’ll be gutted if he doesn’t.

A Brit 🙂

Before we move on with the usual stuff I have a very hot tip coming up for you and it’s absolutely nothing to do with the Brits. They are a band that is local to me (in York UK). I haven’t seen them live yet, but I did meet Emi and James last week. Both of them are intelligent, funny and great people. Their band is called Exit Project and you can listen to them on Myspace and you can also order their new single “Healing Slow” now, I ordered my copy this morning. The video was shot, I believe, by Emi’s brother and it’s pretty damned good too. Go have a listen to their music you won’t be disappointed and if you do like it BUY THE CD NOW! (OK that wasn’t very subliminal was it? Never mind, just buy it ok)

So let’s move onto the main business of the day, some birthdays. Firstly it is the 56th birthday of Robbie Bachman the drummer and Bachman off of Bachman Turner Overdrive. I always imagined they were a trio, largely because it would be really cool if your surname was Overdrive wouldn’t it? Sadly there is no one called overdrive in the band. Their biggest hit was “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” which I really used to love when it was a hit in 1974 (US number 1 UK number 2). But after it was appropriated by Smashie and Nicey (aka Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse ) I went off it a bit. But I am trying to rehabilitate it, in fact I even played it at my last mobile disco gig, a 30th birthday party last month! The band inspired an achievement/trophy in the video game Rock Band 2 which is named “The Bachman-Turner Award” in their honour. It is awarded for staying in overdrive for 90 seconds. Another tasty piece of BTO trivia, well certainly for me anyway, is that Stephen King chose his pen name Richard Bachman from the bands name (In case you didn’t know, I am a big Stephen King fan)

Bachman, Turner and one of the others must be Overdrive

Today is also the 55th birthday of John Travolta I know he is predominantly an actor, but love it or loathe it “Grease” is somewhat difficult to ignore. Come on how many of you can resist singing along, or at least tapping your feet to most of the songs from the soundtrack? Speaking of tapping your feet, as a child John attended dance classes. His teacher was none other than Fred Kelly, the brother of famous dancer Gene Kelly

Travolta an excellent dancer who spawned countless poor imitations every time "Night Fever" gets played

The third and final birthday for today is that of Andre Romelle Young who is much better known as Dr Dre a former member of the excellent NWA and Eminems Producer. Dre is 44 today. Dre’s “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” featured on the soundtrack of the popular video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas from the rap radio station, Radio Los Santos.

Curtis, Marshall and Andre (left to right)

On this day in 1998 Noel Gallagher’s Epiphone Supernova guitar raised £4,600 in aid of the Children In Need charity when auctioned at Bonhams auction house in London. This was the Union Jack guitar that Noel used a lot during the promotional tour for the second Oasis album. His was a custom made guitar but Epiphone also produced copies for general sale with either the Union Jack Design or in light blue, which is the colour of Noel and Liam’s favourite football club, Manchester City FC.

Noel with THAT guitar

On this day in 1969 Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, better known as Lulu married Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees. That same year she tied for first place with three other countries (Spain, France and the Netherlands) in the Eurovision Song Contest with the awful “Boom Bang A Bang” At least she did record lots of really good stuff too, especially her cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World” But then I would say that wouldn’t I? Anything to get a Bowie reference into the blog. Lulu also recorded Dan Hartman’s “Relight My Fire” with Take That who at the time featured one Robert Peter Williams (maybe relight my fire was in fact a clarion call to put a match to RW?) (More Bowie references and Robbie digs another day!) Another little known fact, until now, is that when Lulu appeared as a ‘victim’ of the ‘This Is Your Life’ show in the UK in May 1972 the finale included a Scottish pipe band and in that band was my Dad’s cousin Betty!

The Dame with Lulu

Lulu - Now and then. I hope I look that good when I get to her age

Janie jones in THAT dress

And finally for today, as promised yesterday, here’s some words about Janie Jones, the subject of a great song from the Clash. She was born Marion Mitchell in Seaham, County Durham in the UK. Her first brush with fame came when she attended a film premiere (London In The Raw) appropriately given the title, in a topless dress. A topless dress, wait a minute, that would be a skirt wouldn’t it? She had been a relatively unsuccessful pop singer in the 60s. The best known of her songs was “Witches Brew” which reached number 46 in

Ju Ju Queen on the lash?

the UK charts. She was jailed in 1973 for her involvement in ‘controlling prostitutes’ otherwise know as a madam. In 2006 the Clash song was covered by Babyshambles with and Janie Jones appeared in the video being chauffered around London with Mick Jones (off of the Clash). In 1983, Janie, backed by members of the Clash and the Blockheads and credited as Janie Jones & the Lash, released the single “House of the Ju-Ju Queen” The track was produced by Joe Strummer

Janie ponders a whip round for her court costs

So that’s it for another day folks apart from a little film I’d like to share with you, it’s called “Funny Fart” and I love it!