Tuesday 14 October 2008

This weekend I have been mostly



....Standing at the bottom of the Post Office Tower.







On Sunday after getting shorn and having several annoying conversations with the gizmo sellers of TCR (as no one calls it) “look mate they do make them, I saw them on the internet, no they were 14 quid not 120, well if you are sure don’t want my money, no I don’t want a usb dongle my last dose has only just cleared up…."

Anyway after being ignored by the high priests of geekdom in Maplin et al I decided to get some air and a thought struck me. I have recently been privy to some secret plans of the post office tower (I can’t divulge anything yet but soon very soon I promise).
I decided to go and stand at the bottom of it and crick my neck, anyway after some wandering around with the tower doing its white rabbit thing; disappearing and reappearing I found it. Cleveland Muse is the nearest you’ll get to it and there it is. I’ll avoid too many penile similes but the Muse is the only place you can see it base to tip, it’s on a nice dramatic sixties plinth.
Sadly after Billy Butlins made a hash of the revolving restaurant (and not the tasty sort with a fried egg on the top) and some local difficulties with the boys from across the water and a bomb, it’s been closed for ages which is a shame. The views would be as good as the eye, almost as good as Greenwich Park!
Now that we renationalising stuff can’t we nick the tower back off boring rip off BT and let the discerning public back in.
I thought about posting some tunes thinking the new tower should have house band, I thought Stereo Lab and Broadcast could have residences and Burial could do club sets for da kids early Monday morning or when ever proper clubbers go out.
I think we should have a proper singer but which would you have?
Anyway the music on this film from 1960’s (did we really need the “swinging” bit added Ms V& A curator.) is marvelous.
My fave bit apart from the diagrams is where the technician goes on his break and eats his egg mayonnaise in a stark empty canteen.
London calling indeed.




If you want to hear some tunes why not try .














6 comments:

ally. said...

it's just the most marvelous thing - barely a week goes by when i don't go and have a right good ooooooh round there. and i can see it from bed which is almost the best thing in the whole world. the lights were on at the top last night too which is when i get extra excited. the one drawback to being in there though is that you won't be able to look out and see the post office tower.
x
and secret plans ? secret plans ? i'll be hunting you down and torturing them out of you if you're not careful
x

Mondo said...

I was and still am slightly obsessed with the Post Office Tower.

It always thought it looked like a cross between Uhuru's earpiece and a Sonic Screwdriver - add in a revolving cafe and it doesn't get any better does it.

Cocktails said...

Love the post office tower. It is one of the few ways I can figure out where I am in that part of London. Good film. The tower is also a highlight in otherwise lame swinging 60s film 'Smashing Time'.

What exciting news?! You can't just leave that hanging.

ally. said...

ps - i've got that brochure on the counter
x

BLTP said...

ally:of course you have because you actually live in the British library ;)

ally. said...

there's bit's of it for your pleasure here -
http://dusty7s.blogspot.com/2007/03/post-office-tower_06.html