#TodayILearned that True by Spandau Ballet was written about Clare Grogan
I wrote the song at my parents' house, where I was still living at the time. As a working-class boy, I wouldn’t think of moving out till I got married. I was infatuated with Clare Grogan [the Altered Images singer and star of Gregory’s Girl]. I met her on Top of the Pops and, at one point, travelled up to Scotland to have tea with her and her mum and dad. Although my feelings were unrequited and the relationship was platonic, it was enough to trigger a song, True, which became the name of our 1983 album, too. How we made: Gary Kemp and Steve Norman on True
Gary Oldman in this week’s Radio Times
Sous les floorboards,….la plage!!
(We’ve been to the Mayflower pub in Rotherhithe. It’s got some decking at the back which goes out over the River. If you look closely you can make it out)
Podcast episodes I enjoyed last month: the Empire, Naomi Klein, the witches of St Osyth, the Titanic, Judaism, pop instrumentals, Barack Obama, Thomas Smallwood, Nazi jazz and Tim Riley
Podcast stuff I enjoyed in April.
One day in the British empire -History Extra - the saying is that the sun never set on the British Empire. An Irish politician’s version of this was ‘the blood never dries on the British Empire’
Naomi Klein - Full Disclosure with James O’Brien - Naomi Klein’s grandfather was a cartoonist who worked on Bambi and other Disney stuff. Walt Disney had him sacked and blacklisted for being involved in a strike
Not Just the Tudors - Witches of St Osyth - Marion Gibson says that “History without empathy is only ever half a story.”
Short history of Titanic - the ship of dreams - at the time of her launch, the Titanic was the largest moving object ever built
Ashley Blaker’s Goyish Guide to Judaism - 2 - this will be available online sporadically as and when the BBC repeats it over the airwaves. It’s very funny. Ashley Blaker simultaneously celebrates and pokes fun at his flavour of Judaism
Hit Parade - Insert lyrics here - Chris Molanphy discusses the rise and fall of instrumentals. “Hocus Pocus by Focus” is indeed fun to say.
The Hated and the Dead - Barack Obama - “Obama was often the smartest person and the room, and he knew it”. I wonder if Obama struggled to work with people who were (a lot) less smart
History Extra - The shoemaker who helped slaves escape the South - this is about Thomas Smallwood, an previously enslaved guy who helped to run the Underground Railroad. He wrote satircal pieces under the name of Dickens' character Sam Weller
The Hated and the Dead - Barack Obama - “was he ready to be President? ……nobody ever is”
‘Swingtime for Hitler’ explores the Nazis use of jazz as a propaganda tool - Scott Simon has an audiobook called ‘Swingrime for Hitler’ in which he discusses the Nazis creating jazz records with propaganda and racist lyrics. One of the main guys in the band on the records went on to to be head of Polydor in Germany.
Word in your ear - Hooray! Tim Riley has a theory about everything in rock! - Tim Riley says that the Rolling Stones, and to a much lesser extent The Beatles, successfully sold African-American music back to America because, being white and English they had license to be more down and dirty, more rough and raw and more rock and roll than the orginal artists
Really enjoyed 24 Hour Party People. It would be nice to think that some of it is true….although it’s obviously a bit sad in parts.
Also enjoyed reading Paul Morley’s bit about the film in the Guardian
Currently reading: Access All Areas by Barbara Charone (music industry supremo, and #ChelseaFc director) 📚⚽🎶
She mentions this song in the book…and I’ve become slightly obsessed with it. Mick Jagger on BVs
Peter Tosh - Don’t Look Back youtu.be/3o4Fgh0KW…
It’s my annual wondering-whether-I-should-do-a-marathon day
Joe Cole just said that however good a player you are, you can’t be in two places at once
He must not have heard the song “He’s here, he’s there, he’s every-flipping-where, Joey Cole, Joey Cole…”
⚽ #ChelseaFC #cfc
The thing I like about Neto is that he’s physically strong for a silky-skilled winger ⚽ #CfcEve #ChelseaFC #cfc
I just saw a Party Political for Reform, for the local elections. You would think immigration was a local government issue
I’d stop anyone from Hampshire coming in from a start. The Cornish are obviously beyond the pail. And immigration from Somerset would be on an Australian-style points basis
This seems quite useful if you’re thinking of retiring, ever. The figures are for the UK, and assume you’re rent and mortgage free :0
From Home - PLSA - Retirement Living Standards
I’m not sure what I’ve been more confused by over the years
The day and the month being the other way around in American dates, or red and blue being the other way around in American politics
🇬🇧🇺🇸 #EasilyConfused
Does anyone, other than the New Yorker, use the spelling ‘coördinating’?
People have written that, in Dickens' books, London is a character in its own right. London interacts with other characters, and moves the story forward.
That being the case, it makes absolute sense that people would want to visit the locations associated with the books.
‘Dickensland’ is an entertaining tour of such sites…whether they are real or fake.
Finished reading: Dickensland by Lee Jackson 📚
I quite enjoyed Last One Laughing, but I think it’s more like very good Reality TV than it is like good comedy
I found this today - there’s a good list of ‘additional resources’ for Pester on the website:
Elizabeth Frink’s Walking Madonna, and the big, old church
I wasn’t keen on Persuader, but I enjoyed the latest Reacher season, which was based on it
SPOILER: ending of the Old Curiosity Shop
In his letters Dickens spoke both about breaking his heart over the ending of the Old Curiousity shop, and about “committing Nell-icide”
