For my 50th birthday earlier this year my kids got me the box set of World At War dvds. Is this the best documentary ever made, it's got to be! Informative,exciting, intelligent and moving, pretty much everything that tv isn't today. I recently read a comment by journalist Danny Kelly that men of a certain age (i.e. born in the mid to late 50s) have an unusual interest in war. I believe that's true as many of my contemporaries are interested in World War 2 and World War 1. I also am quite interested in the Vietnam War, probably as I can remember watching it unfold on our old black and white tv in the 60s, and another friend of mine is into the American Civil War (yes, you Mr Ragbourne!) Why is that? I would theorise it's because we were the first of many generations that were not actually involved first hand in any conflicts, lucky bastards that we are. Either that or we're just sad anoraks who like to talk about areoplanes, battles and visiting ancient battlefields (note to self: go and see the Somme battlefield one day).
And now for another in the occasional lists series:
10 things I liked about the 80s:
1) Having my kids (yes, obvious one)
2) Getting married (in case she reads this!)
3) Seeing the Grand Canyon
4) Being fit
5) Ghost Town
6) Wembley 1983
7) Bentleys and Mr Ks night clubs
8) Royal Wedding 1981 (but only for the day off work)
9) CDs - how can vinyl be better, bit old lumps of plastic that scratched?
10) Ra-ra skirts (who doesn't?)
10 things I didn't like about the 80s:
1) John Lennon being shot
2) Thatcher
3) Jive Bunny
4) My mullet that I briefly had (picture available on request)
5) Red braces (worse than flares, in my opinion)
6) Wembley 1983 (replay)
7) Severe food poisioning on my honeymoon
8) Video recorders that chewed up tapes
9) The moustache that I had
10) Aceeeeeeeeddddddd!!!
That's all folks!
Hughesy
Thursday 30 August 2007
Monday 27 August 2007
Relaxing Bank Holiday weekend? Oh no!
I thought bank holidays were meant to be relaxing? Went out on Saturday to get a gas cylinder for the patio heater at a local Tesco garage but they didn't have any and suggested we go to a local trader. When we got there did they have gas cylinders? Oh yes, hundreds of them but also a number of barbeque sets and Mrs H. was out of the car like a shot giving them the once over. Anyway, upshot is we ended up buying this massive thing and then the conversation turned to where are we going to keep it as I'm fed up with wheeling ours from the garage to the garden on those infrequent occasions we have a bbq (don't get me started on British weather). Solution? Build a patio! So, the next 2 days are taken up with removing bits of trees, digging up turf, going to the tip, more turf, more trees, more trips to the tip and finally by Bank Holiday Monday afternoon the patio is finished - but I'm knackered! How do builders, especially the 50 year old ones, cope? Just get used to it I suppose.
Bit of a rant now, about that poor 11 year old that got shot. Part of the solution I reckon is to get more police on the streets, get a bit of visibility. It worked in New York City which was a very dangerous place to be, but by introducing a zero tolerance policy and getting police on the street it now has the lowest crime rate of the ten largest cities in the US.
I can't let this post go without a tribute to Ivor Emmanuel, a Welsh musical theatre star of the 50s and 60s, but perhaps best known for his role as Private Owen in the film Zulu. He's the one that started the chorus of 'Men Of Harlech' in retort to the Zulu war chanting in the final battle scene. (none of this actually happened but it was a good part of the film.) He was also one of the scouts who comes back with the news that the Zulus were approaching, which is then passed on to Lieutenant Chard (Stanley Baker) by Colour Sergeant Bourne (Nigel Green) in the immortal phrase ' Zulus to the South East Sir...thousands of 'em.'
Anyway, RIP Ivor who died last month and thanks to Wikipedia for the Zulu info!
Bit of a rant now, about that poor 11 year old that got shot. Part of the solution I reckon is to get more police on the streets, get a bit of visibility. It worked in New York City which was a very dangerous place to be, but by introducing a zero tolerance policy and getting police on the street it now has the lowest crime rate of the ten largest cities in the US.
I can't let this post go without a tribute to Ivor Emmanuel, a Welsh musical theatre star of the 50s and 60s, but perhaps best known for his role as Private Owen in the film Zulu. He's the one that started the chorus of 'Men Of Harlech' in retort to the Zulu war chanting in the final battle scene. (none of this actually happened but it was a good part of the film.) He was also one of the scouts who comes back with the news that the Zulus were approaching, which is then passed on to Lieutenant Chard (Stanley Baker) by Colour Sergeant Bourne (Nigel Green) in the immortal phrase ' Zulus to the South East Sir...thousands of 'em.'
Anyway, RIP Ivor who died last month and thanks to Wikipedia for the Zulu info!
Tuesday 21 August 2007
Football isn't it?
Tuesday 21/08/07.
What a good weekend! Saw lots of old friends, I mean that literally as I was at a 50th birthday party where 95% of the people had already reached that milestone.
Spent Saturday in the pub followed by the game (Albion vs Northampton) with a 2-1 victory to the Seagulls. Took me back to November 1976 when a minibus load of us went to see Northampton vs Brighton. A 2-0 victory and a stop off at Soho for some 70's style porn afterwards....ah, those were the days! Which reminds me -
In the first of an occasional series :
Why football was better in the 70s than it is now
1) Proper nicknames. Wassa and Becks? Pathetic! A real nickname is 'Chopper' or 'Bites your legs'.
2) A yellow card for tackling from behind when you get the ball? Nobby Stiles wouldn't have lasted 30 seconds!
3) A bit of rain or snow nowadays and the game's off, whatever happened to a good old mudbath with Francis Lee sliding towards you at 50mph?
4) A red card for nodding your head at an opponent? For a proper red card offence see Bremner vs Keegan in the 1974 Charity (?) Shield. I rest my case.
5) 3.00 Saturday and 7.30 Wednesday kickoffs - you knew where you were.
6) I know the late great Alan Ball wore white boots occasionally but some of these guys nowadays wear all colours - and they are definitely not fit to lace Bally's boots.
7) Scottish goalkeepers. Is it me or are they finally improving?
8) Sitting at a game's nice but a good surge on the terrace was something special.
9) Rattles vs airhorns? Rattles win every time.
10) Foreigners have brought a lot to our game but do we need so many? It was once considered exotic to have a Welshman in your team.
And just to show that I'm a balanced individual:
Why football is better now than in the 70s
1) Your chances of salmonella from football ground food has decreased by about 98%.
2) You can go to a match without fear of getting pummelled by a bunch of neanderthals.
3) The neantherthals have been priced out of going!
4) Most grounds have comfortable seating and are under cover (Withdean Stadium excepted).
5) you don't get people pissing down the terraces when they can't be bothered to go to the shed that passed as a toilet - and that was just the women!
And that's all of can think of...which proves my point.
Lee
What a good weekend! Saw lots of old friends, I mean that literally as I was at a 50th birthday party where 95% of the people had already reached that milestone.
Spent Saturday in the pub followed by the game (Albion vs Northampton) with a 2-1 victory to the Seagulls. Took me back to November 1976 when a minibus load of us went to see Northampton vs Brighton. A 2-0 victory and a stop off at Soho for some 70's style porn afterwards....ah, those were the days! Which reminds me -
In the first of an occasional series :
Why football was better in the 70s than it is now
1) Proper nicknames. Wassa and Becks? Pathetic! A real nickname is 'Chopper' or 'Bites your legs'.
2) A yellow card for tackling from behind when you get the ball? Nobby Stiles wouldn't have lasted 30 seconds!
3) A bit of rain or snow nowadays and the game's off, whatever happened to a good old mudbath with Francis Lee sliding towards you at 50mph?
4) A red card for nodding your head at an opponent? For a proper red card offence see Bremner vs Keegan in the 1974 Charity (?) Shield. I rest my case.
5) 3.00 Saturday and 7.30 Wednesday kickoffs - you knew where you were.
6) I know the late great Alan Ball wore white boots occasionally but some of these guys nowadays wear all colours - and they are definitely not fit to lace Bally's boots.
7) Scottish goalkeepers. Is it me or are they finally improving?
8) Sitting at a game's nice but a good surge on the terrace was something special.
9) Rattles vs airhorns? Rattles win every time.
10) Foreigners have brought a lot to our game but do we need so many? It was once considered exotic to have a Welshman in your team.
And just to show that I'm a balanced individual:
Why football is better now than in the 70s
1) Your chances of salmonella from football ground food has decreased by about 98%.
2) You can go to a match without fear of getting pummelled by a bunch of neanderthals.
3) The neantherthals have been priced out of going!
4) Most grounds have comfortable seating and are under cover (Withdean Stadium excepted).
5) you don't get people pissing down the terraces when they can't be bothered to go to the shed that passed as a toilet - and that was just the women!
And that's all of can think of...which proves my point.
Lee
Friday 17 August 2007
Friday 17/08/07 As I hit 50 some months ago and was fed up with watching those 'grumpy old men and women' on TV, I thought I would start this blog to represent all of use who are 50+ and who aren't moany old gits (although I don't particularly like rap music - except old school rap like the Sugar Hill Gang and Grandmaster Flash). Let's be fair, there are a lot of things around now that are great - I think mobile phones are very useful and it's much easier to access porn now we have the internet! (not that I do.... well, occasionally).
Talking of the internet, everyone says 'how great it is, you get people putting music on Myspace and then next week they've sold 25,000 downloads and are number one'. Let me say I think that's crap becausea) When I was a teenager if you sold 25,000 singles you were playing some local working mens club up north, or Jenkinsons bar in Brighton (fellow Brightonians will recognise this reference). You needed 100,000 sales to get in the top 30!b) By advertising the music on the internet these singers/bands have not spent a number of years slogging round perfecting the art of performing, so while they may make great music they have no stagecraft and therefore are poor to watch.
Sorry about that, starting to sound like a 50 year old...but it's true!
When i was a kid, certainly up until the early 70s at least, all adults would always be smartly dressed, did you notice your dad putting on 'just a casual suit to go and repair something in the shed?' OK, I may be exaggerating a bit there but being 50 is definitely the new 20. I rarely wear a tie now which I think is great - whoever thought it was smart to wear a piece of coloured cloth around your neck?Anyway, will sign off for now, need to do some guitar practice. Yes, I know I don;t really need to but Clapton didn't get as good as his is without putting in the hours.
Talking of the internet, everyone says 'how great it is, you get people putting music on Myspace and then next week they've sold 25,000 downloads and are number one'. Let me say I think that's crap becausea) When I was a teenager if you sold 25,000 singles you were playing some local working mens club up north, or Jenkinsons bar in Brighton (fellow Brightonians will recognise this reference). You needed 100,000 sales to get in the top 30!b) By advertising the music on the internet these singers/bands have not spent a number of years slogging round perfecting the art of performing, so while they may make great music they have no stagecraft and therefore are poor to watch.
Sorry about that, starting to sound like a 50 year old...but it's true!
When i was a kid, certainly up until the early 70s at least, all adults would always be smartly dressed, did you notice your dad putting on 'just a casual suit to go and repair something in the shed?' OK, I may be exaggerating a bit there but being 50 is definitely the new 20. I rarely wear a tie now which I think is great - whoever thought it was smart to wear a piece of coloured cloth around your neck?Anyway, will sign off for now, need to do some guitar practice. Yes, I know I don;t really need to but Clapton didn't get as good as his is without putting in the hours.
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