NOBonus4RBS update: FEB 1st

Here's the film of BB's speech yesterday

Rambling weekend: walking here and there with William Bragg

Which side are you on?
First things for first went to speakers corner hear Billy official refuse to pay his tax until RBS agree to curtail all bonuses over £25K. I do think that's the killer we are not even asking for no bonus those over 25K anyway as ever Bill was very fair even to majority of bankers. I tried to film it for you but this being free speech corner some tedious Spanish students came along and shouted very near to me. God love free speech but sometimes!
Anyway it did the trick and the press were there to interview Billy (and me!) so maybe the pressure will increase we can but hope.









In other news:


The things people say and do: out and about special.
At the Imperial War Museum yesterday (part of my walk to interesting places campaign)
Heard in the lift "I don't care what Josh did we are not going to "crimes against humanity"
"Well its hummus and carrot sticks or a muesli bar or nothing" This was next to an 88 mm German anti aircraft gun a sort of final victory for banal democracy over hideous Totalitarism.


Elsewhere:
Young woman to harassed boyfriend on Oxford Street:
"you never pay any attention to me,"
Him "oh come off it I do"
Her “like what was that last dress I tried on like then"
Him " well sort of Roman crossed with 1920's flapper"
Her "Don't get clever"
To get to the Hyde Park I walked through Mayfair, it's an odd place virtually empty at the weekend apart from stumpy walnut looking old blokes in long coats with their tall blond "daughters" clumping next to them. One of the women even gave me a laughy smile that seemed to say "yeah we know it's ridiculous but what can you do".

Along the way and up through Bond street the place was heaving with haggard looking rich people in bad fur coats. Now we know fur looks better on animals but one woman had one of those patchworky affairs that looked like someone had put an grenade into a guinea pig hutch and them stuck the remains onto a market traders puffa jacket with a dried up pritt stick . God it looked terrible but she wasn't alone there was parade of them all with their Yoko Ono safety goggles sunglasses, looking in the empty windows of closed jeweller’s shops. I tried to take a snap of them outside Bulgari to contrast their appearance against the huge picture of Juliane Moore's translucent beauty but could not get a good shot. Poor old Suzanne was being forced to look alluring covered in gaudy rubies pestering a cockatoo (she was almost pulling it off, the look that is...)

Elsewhere the world went on as usual Primark was inexplicably packed, as was Subway, an elderly black guy in huge furry hat was walking about outside Selfridges wearing a floral pattern skirt, the tourist tat shops were still displaying grim looking off white thongs with “mind the gap” on them prominently in their windows, bored looking blokes were putting those caramel nuts into little paper bags, people bump into me and didn't apologise. Later I got offered a flier for an evangelical slimming club by an insistent Spanish speaking woman this was we went past a church called the "house of Bread". It was all very odd even down to tiniest tot of a little black girl who when I picked up her glove for her insisted on calling me Mr Mr Man for the rest of the journey.
So the usual really.

I wasn't a miner....but I know a man who was

Advent Calendar day 20


It’s Billy Bragg's 50th birthday today

On the sad news of Tony Wilson’s death a few months ago I mentioned that I have several foot of records he inspired, well the other artist with a high footage is Billy Bragg.

It’s Bills birthday today the DEC 20th and he’s 50, which means I’ve been a fan for 25th years (there are too many high numbers in this last sentence).

This machine kills Fascists
Much like Factory I’m not sure where to start; as I’ve said before BB was the first proper concert I went to see along with New Order. It was anti-apartheid gig in Sheff and it was great.
Next day I wore my “Soweto Don’t Mourn Mobilise” t-shirt to 6th form, I was stopped by a old gaffer in the street, who pointed out “tha alreet wearin’ that arand ‘ere, flower”. He may have had a point, but that sort of protest was in the air, recently a small band of us had listened to a frozen South African trade unionist round the back of the old court house and then had marched on Barclays. Just a few weeks earlier The Miners strike had just come to it’s bitter end, older friends at Uni were joining the peace camps at Greenham common. This is where Billy came in (and where for good or ill some people still place him) his first ep’s where a great mix of Punk and working peoples songs; I played his first single to death with its picture on the front of kids eating their jam tomorrow.

Have Guitar will travel
However what the media etc don’t mention having only taken a snap shot of BB is what he’s like live. In the 20 plus times I’ve seen him I’ve never seen a bad gig, often he’s the best thing on the bill (sorry!). The word raconteur gets over used but that’s what BB is, he’s perfectly aware he’s there to entertain and tells stories and jokes between songs, takes the piss out of other bands but mainly himself. He’ll tease his audience and point out the humorous side of the sometimes po-faced Union/socialist axis. He will also make serious points, normally about some forgotten local issue or sticky national campaign and because he’s won us over, what would be a lecture in the hands of Bono or what’s his name James Martin from Coldplay is just a serious and thoughtful counter point to the jokes about Blur eating kebabs.

Young and wild and warm and free
It’s almost a cliché to point out that he also writes loves songs, but it’s true some of his best work is about the day to day joys and lows of living from the redemptive power of soul music (Levi Stubbs Tears) to bereavement.

Here in no particular order are some of his highlights:

Best song about not having a snog at the school Christmas disco:
Saturday Boy.

Best song about losing your dad:
Tanks park salute.

Best song about a British road
A13_trunk road to the sea.

Best song to mention a cheese pavilion
Waiting for the great leap forward

Best song about astronauts
The space race is over

One of the best versions of Jerusalem
Jerusalem.

So Bill happy birthday and thanks for everything.

I was going to post a song but didn’t know where to start so here’s a jolly clip from a couple of Glastonbury’s ago. Sadly I think I went to see Mozzer instead (to whom Bill alludes) but here BB shows that socialists aren’t all worthy yoghurt weavers enjoy!

La Lucha Continua!

Here's a mad fan mash up

Catch a falling star...

I saw two shooting stars last night, I wished on them......