We have returned to the Dorking Folk Club and saw a couple of very good acts that came out of the 60’s and 70’s resurgence of folk and are still around to entertain us.
Bob Fox & Stu Luckel
‘One of the most innovative and highly acclaimed collaborations ever seen on the folk scene have just re-formed for a very special October tour to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the release of their highly innovative and widely acclaimed album: "Nowt So Good'll Pass".’
Dave Burland
‘The controlled dynamism of stunning guitar playing with rich, gentle songs has proved his mastery for over 30 years. Blues, rock and roll and folk combine to make him an all-time hero of many professional folk artists.’
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
More of wot I have seen…
Spamalot
Although we had seats so high up in the gods that other people seated near by were suffering from vertigo, we still had a great time throughout all of this performance. I was totally absorbed with all of the various Monty Python references, and even though she was not a obsessive fan as I am, Sue also enjoyed the humour and spectacle.
Dead Set
This TV mini series came and went quietly in the night without too much fuss, but when we watched it we found it a very good example of its genre. We are not horror enthusiasts (in fact Sue jumps at her own shadow) but we managed to make our way through the series (all be it with a heightened pulse rate and a slight hand tremor). The way it was shot helped with the horror as quick and shaky cameras, or fleeting and fast moving action implied more than it revealed and allowed the viewers imagination to do most of the work. References to the Big Brother show and the use of the set, presenter and some previous inmates added an extra dimension to the story.
Calendar Girls
We recently went to see this stage show version of the true life story of the Alternative WI Calendar of the nude pictures of 11 mature women. The show is currently making the rounds of provincial theatres before it transfers to the West End, and we went to see it in High Wycombe. We went with a group of friends, one of whom is a close friend of Linda Bellingham, one of the actresses in the show. And afterwards we went backstage to meet her and some of the other cast members. It was a very well written and acted show with a good set. The subject matter was close to the hearts of all of us there who had lost someone dear to us recently and we all shed a tear or two in amongst the many moments of laughter.
Although we had seats so high up in the gods that other people seated near by were suffering from vertigo, we still had a great time throughout all of this performance. I was totally absorbed with all of the various Monty Python references, and even though she was not a obsessive fan as I am, Sue also enjoyed the humour and spectacle.
Dead Set
This TV mini series came and went quietly in the night without too much fuss, but when we watched it we found it a very good example of its genre. We are not horror enthusiasts (in fact Sue jumps at her own shadow) but we managed to make our way through the series (all be it with a heightened pulse rate and a slight hand tremor). The way it was shot helped with the horror as quick and shaky cameras, or fleeting and fast moving action implied more than it revealed and allowed the viewers imagination to do most of the work. References to the Big Brother show and the use of the set, presenter and some previous inmates added an extra dimension to the story.
Calendar Girls
We recently went to see this stage show version of the true life story of the Alternative WI Calendar of the nude pictures of 11 mature women. The show is currently making the rounds of provincial theatres before it transfers to the West End, and we went to see it in High Wycombe. We went with a group of friends, one of whom is a close friend of Linda Bellingham, one of the actresses in the show. And afterwards we went backstage to meet her and some of the other cast members. It was a very well written and acted show with a good set. The subject matter was close to the hearts of all of us there who had lost someone dear to us recently and we all shed a tear or two in amongst the many moments of laughter.
More of wot I have read…
High Society by Ben Elton
I enjoyed this book and have found the author’s style of writing has changed over time so that he approaches this subject with some sensitivity and sophistication perhaps not apparent in all of his previous works.
‘The war on drugs has been lost. The simple fact is that the whole world is rapidly becoming one vast criminal network. From pop stars and royal princes to crack whores and street kids, from the Groucho Club toilets to the poppy fields of Afghanistan, we are all partners in crime.
High Society is a story about Britain today, a criminal nation in which everybody is either breaking the law or knows people who do. It takes the reader on a hilarious, heartbreaking and terrifying journey through the kaleidoscope world that the law has created and from which the law.’
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
This is an odd but strangely captivating story with some interesting, if outlandish, characters and storyline.
‘On New Year’s Eve, four strangers make their way to the rooftop of a London apartment building called Toppers’ House. Their goal, however, is not celebration but obliteration. For various reasons, each one has decided that the time has come to put an end to his or her life. As they inadvertently meet and begin to share their stories, they find themselves citizens of a sort of independent state, where street-level laws no longer apply. And gradually, very gradually, they help one another to discover reasons to live, at least for the time being.
Hornby tells his story through the alternating, idiosyncratic voices of his four main characters. There is Maureen, the mousy, fifty-something mother of a mentally and physically incapacitated son, who has done little but care for him for the past twenty years; Martin, a disgraced former TV morning show host and ex-con; Jess, an obnoxious and explosive teenager; and JJ, the lone American in the bunch, an aspiring rock star.’
The Client by John Grisham
Another enjoyable read even though I am not necessarily a fan of the genre. The plucky young boy as the main character is interesting and the author’s obvious knowledge of criminal law makes for a good read.
‘A US state senator is dead, and a young boy is told the name of the killer - a mafia hitman, Danny "The Blade" Muldano - by Muldano's lawyer. After the lawyer's suicide, Muldano and the boy are the only people who know the killer's identity.
By the author of The Firm and The Pelican Brief.’
I enjoyed this book and have found the author’s style of writing has changed over time so that he approaches this subject with some sensitivity and sophistication perhaps not apparent in all of his previous works.
‘The war on drugs has been lost. The simple fact is that the whole world is rapidly becoming one vast criminal network. From pop stars and royal princes to crack whores and street kids, from the Groucho Club toilets to the poppy fields of Afghanistan, we are all partners in crime.
High Society is a story about Britain today, a criminal nation in which everybody is either breaking the law or knows people who do. It takes the reader on a hilarious, heartbreaking and terrifying journey through the kaleidoscope world that the law has created and from which the law.’
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
This is an odd but strangely captivating story with some interesting, if outlandish, characters and storyline.
‘On New Year’s Eve, four strangers make their way to the rooftop of a London apartment building called Toppers’ House. Their goal, however, is not celebration but obliteration. For various reasons, each one has decided that the time has come to put an end to his or her life. As they inadvertently meet and begin to share their stories, they find themselves citizens of a sort of independent state, where street-level laws no longer apply. And gradually, very gradually, they help one another to discover reasons to live, at least for the time being.
Hornby tells his story through the alternating, idiosyncratic voices of his four main characters. There is Maureen, the mousy, fifty-something mother of a mentally and physically incapacitated son, who has done little but care for him for the past twenty years; Martin, a disgraced former TV morning show host and ex-con; Jess, an obnoxious and explosive teenager; and JJ, the lone American in the bunch, an aspiring rock star.’
The Client by John Grisham
Another enjoyable read even though I am not necessarily a fan of the genre. The plucky young boy as the main character is interesting and the author’s obvious knowledge of criminal law makes for a good read.
‘A US state senator is dead, and a young boy is told the name of the killer - a mafia hitman, Danny "The Blade" Muldano - by Muldano's lawyer. After the lawyer's suicide, Muldano and the boy are the only people who know the killer's identity.
By the author of The Firm and The Pelican Brief.’
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)