Beats Workin'

On Thursday Beth & I wobbled off to the gala launch of a new record shop in Sclater Road just off Brick Lane that some friends of mine have just opened. Despite a few tantrums, setbacks and fights along the way they've finally got it finished and open and, I've gotta say, it's a right rip-roaring stoinker of a shop. I saw it a few weeks back when it resembled nothing more than a glorified studio for Chris but since then it's moved on to a fully-functioning record emporium. They had a blistering display of photgraphs from a chap called Mike, (who apparently used to take pictures of the Sex Pistols), many of which he'd never exhibited before. There was also some old guy, (with dubious hair), who was in a band way back called the 'Creaming Weirdos' or something and he played an acoustic set to get things going. There was booze and friends and laughter and records and smiles all round. It looks like it's gonna be a real success, and deservedly so.

Time travel (part two).

I had a further thought regarding time travel. As I discussed previously the fact that no-one has come back in time and 'removed' or interfered with such ghastly events kind of proves to me that time travel will never exist. But... Supposing time travel is a possibility a thousand or so years from now but exists solely for the point of scientific research. What if historians and scientists are able to step back to various points in history to study our past and learn from it. They could be amongst us now, disguised. It would be lovely to believe that in the future the human race has a higher sense of purpose and is detrmined to learn from past mistakes and create a better world. Or how about time travel as entertainment? There's a fantastic John Wyndham short story called 'Pawley's Peepholes' that features time travel as entertainment. In the story people from the future travel back in time in invisible ghost-train style carriages to observe the humorous behaviour of people in the past. Is that how it's going to be? The entertainment industry is afterall, very powerfull indeed.

Time travel.

In the Sun yesterday, (a fine British 'newspaper' that's a bastion of truth, understanding and unashamedly honest journalism), there was a deeply insightful piece proclaiming that 75% of us Brits believe that Doctor WHO style time travel will be possible in the future. I can see one pretty hefty argument against that. Don't get me wrong, I love my sci-fi and it'd be great to imagine a time where we can travel back and correct all the mistakes the human race has made, but therein lies the problem. Surely the biggest argument against the future discovery of a reliable method of travel through time is precisely the fact that it hasn't happened. If, a thousand years from now, time travel becomes possible then surely someone would've traveled back to, say the 1940's for example and prevented Hitler from marching across Europe and murdering Jews. Wouldn't a well meaning chap have popped back to warn those unlucky souls caught in the catastrophe of the recent Asian tsunami? Or, on the flipside, how come all of us here in the UK aren't speaking German? I find it hard to believe that, if some powerfull yet corrupt government were to discover the secret of skipping back through time, they wouldn't use it to alter things so they, in the future, or even the here and now, were in complete control.
So the very fact that none of these things have happened is surely proof that time travel will never be possible.

Bird flu.

Don't you think it's rather 'ironic' that the current disease sweeping through the World's bird population is 'flu'? Also that it's cropped up recently in Turkey.

My freelance life. Part three. (What I've done today.)

Amended a site, got travel insurance, washed the kitchen floor, read the weekend paper - bit late I know but hey, had some soup and a Curly Wurly. All in all, a full and satisfying day.

The Phantom Raspberry Blower...

Is no more. The true multi-faceted genius that was Ronnie Barker has left us. It's a massively over-used title but I don't think the moniker 'Comedy Legend' could be applied to anyone more appropriate. Surely he must be ranked up there amongst Britain's, if not the World's, finest comedy performers alongside Peter Sellers and John Cleese. Personally I think he WAS the finest.
Barker's death has brought back so many memories of halcyon times, sitting on the rug as a kid in our old house watching 'The Two Ronnies' whilst my mum toasted crumpets over the fire. (I kid you not. This did happen.) Hey, slight digression. I found a recipe for home-made crumpets t'other day and it blew me away. Don't know why but I don't think I've ever thought of making crumpets myself, they're always something I've just bought. I used to love the silly songs he and Mr. Corbett did to round the show off, and I don't think I'll ever forget the spookiness and down-right silliness of 'The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town'.
Anyhow, there's been a steady stream of quotes from the land of British comedy since Ronnie died and they all generally say the same thing. He was just golden. So many sitcoms date and it's only the truly great that stand the test. 'Only Fools & Horses'; 'Fawlty Towers'; 'Blackadder' etc... I could watch pretty much any of Ronnie Barker's, Porridge especially, at any time and still laugh out loud despite having seen them many times.
My bro' hit the nail on the head when I spoke to him yesterday when he said that it's a huge shame that Ronnie B is gone but at least they'll show his shows again. If only there was enough airtime to show them all.