The Blog of Danny T Strickland

Sad End of An Era

2010-05-11T19:02:00.003+01:00

Firstly it's worth me pointing out that I am no political commentator or politics expert. I am a pretty average bloke, I am a Yorkshireman, I have my moments of been grumpy, been happy, been sad, but right now I feel very emotional.

I was born a Labour voter and I will die a Labour voter, I consider myself a socialist and as I write this post it looks as though the Labour government has come to an end. I have been a harsh critic of the Labour government, but when it comes down to it, the thought of another tory government scares the life out of me.

My earliest political memory was the eve of the 1979 general election, when I overheard my parents discussing the possibility of a tory government. I can remember them saying that this would be a disaster for the country and how right they were.

It was not until the 1984-85 miners strike that I really become politicised. I can remember the anger I felt at the time as I read about and heard stories of the horrors of the strike. Whatever your thoughts on that strike were, it was a strike that the miners could not have won, the tories had ruthlessly planned to destroy the miners union and that is exactly what they did. This was my seminal moment in politics, it was at this point that I really understood the difference between right and wrong. Politics when it comes down to it is about how we treat the people in society, especially the people who are less able to look after themselves.

I grew up under a tory government and became more and more angry about the direction my country was taken. The tories sold off all our assets by privatising everything they could get there hands on. They turned our society into one that is selfish and about what you as individual could get for yourself, not about looking after everyone. The tories ran down manufacturing and in so doing destroyed working class communities all over the country. The country was turned into a cesspit of deprivation at the bottom and an orgy of opulence at the top. Everyone at the bottom was encouraged to stand on everyone in order to try to get to the top. For those reading this who are too young to remember the last tory government, then beware. This is not just a tale of what the tories were like, no, this is what the tories believe in.

I lived through several attempts for the labour party to mount a victorious challenge to the tories, but it took the election of Tony Blair to bring this to fruition. I was horrified by the election of Blair to the leadership of the Labour party, as it was clear to everyone he was not truly Labour. One of his first things he did as Labour leader was to abolish Clause 4 of the Labour constitution, but Labour were so desperate for power, they let this man lead them to the promised land of victory blindly, hoping he would change once in power, this never happened.

I can remember the build up to the 1997 general election, when it became obvious that Labour would finally do it. Despite my reservations of Tony Blair, I was so excited at the prospect of having a Labour government, as I had waited all of my life for a Labour government and now I was going to get one. I was living abroad at the time of the 1997 election, but I made sure that I voted, I arranged to vote by proxy. I also ensured that I followed the election on my short wave radio. I also made sure that I bought an English newspaper on the morning of the election victory so I could read all about it. I still have this newspaper and it is one of my most prized possessions.

Then the Labour party took office on a wave of such optimism. They did lots of great things, they addressed poverty in society, they improved the NHS, they made a great change to society for the better. They also did a lot of things which I for one was very critical of. Foreign wars which we had no right to fight, PFI and draconian laws, but I had a Labour government and I knew that however bad the Labour government was, it could not be as bad as any tory government could ever be.

And so now in 2010, I have just heard the news on the radio that Gordon Brown is about to visit the Queen to tender his resignation and open the way for a new tory government.

So I am left to reflect on what we have now lost and what we are about to have. I feel fear about what is to come. The country is still dealing with the damage done by the previous tory government. Many parts of the country have not recovered from the devastation done to it, attitudes have been formed that take a lot to break down. We will have a tory government that will make life easier for the rich, harder for the poor and punish people more for having nothing. This is not an opinion, this is what tories believe in, no matter what they might tell you.

As I finish this post I feel a sense of anguish and worry about what the future of our society may be. I also feel a sense of great sadness to see the end of a Labour government. I only hope that the coalition government which it appears likely to be formed will not last long and we will have a Labour government again in a short while.

Is Electoral Reform A Good Thing?

2010-05-09T09:47:00.002+01:00

In the wake of the general election, in which no party managed to gain an overall majority, a clamber has emerged for electoral reform. I for one am confused as to why this campaign has gathered such momentum.

Based on my own observations, of the people I follow on twitter who have voted Lib Dem, they seem to be the most vocal for electoral reform. This is understandable as it has been a Lib Dem policy for many years. Many people also appear to be upset by the fact that we have a hung parliament therefore need electoral reform to address this. Well maybe it's me that's stupid, but it appears to me that hung parliaments are much more likely under most, if not all forms of PR.

All forms of electoral systems have problems, there is no such thing as a perfect system, a point which seems to have been lost in all the hysteria. Most forms of PR would allow extreme minority parties to gain some power, I for one do not want the BNP having a seat in my Parliament.

I have studied the electoral reform society website which I suggest you all do also. They favour the system called STV (single transferable vote), which does seem on the face of it a decent system. It expands the size of a constituency to say 5 MP's and we vote by giving our preference for 3 parties, for example, first, second and third. The system does have many benefits, though I would find it difficult to give a second and third preference to any party. I am and always have been and will probably always be a one party person. STV would also allow for the possibility of allowing in extreme minority parties, again something I do not want.

First past the post is taking a bit of a battering at the moment, so I would just like to make some points in favour of it. Firstly, it makes our local MP fully accountable to the electorate of his/her constituency. If we decide to vote out that person, we can. I acknowledge that in very safe seats this is not always easy, but it is more likely than under the STV system. First past the post provides a greater chance of having a party with an overall majority, I don't see this happening under any of the PR systems, we would have hung parliaments almost all of the time I would suggest.

I should also make the point that I do not have a terrible problem with hung parliaments. People seem to be outraged by the idea that we don't have a party with an overall majority, I for one have no real problem with it. Much of the rest of the world have coalition governments.

I am neither for nor against electoral reform, I am however skeptical of the clamber to have electoral reform. It strikes me as knee jerk. Many of the people I follow on twitter who are proposing electoral reform are rational, intelligent and critical thinkers on all points, I hope that people apply the same process to that of electoral reform.

It seems a done deal that we will at least have a referendum on electoral reform and this is something I welcome. All debates on such important items are a great thing. I am looking forward to doing even more research on the various forms of electoral reform.

Ashes 2009

2009-08-31T15:11:00.002+01:00

Well it's a whole week now since England won the Ashes with a victory at the Oval to take the series 2-1 and it's just beginning to actually sink in. At the start of the series I predicted that Australia would win the series 2-1, so fortunately my prediction was wrong, but how did England manage to win this series, well I must say it's a mystery to me.

The series was a very good one, not as great as the 2005 series, but that will take some matching. It was a series again played hard by both teams, but neither team was as good as the two teams which locked horns in 2005. It was the first home Ashes series where there was no live coverage on terrestrial TV. As I will not give any of my money to the megalomaniac Murdoch empire, who seem intent on controlling the worlds media, it was the first home Ashes series which I had to follow via radio and TV highlights. The coverage on the BBC TMS was indeed superb, as always, it is criminal that the ECB have taken this ultra short sighted decision to sell their soul to Murdoch.

The England team was always likely to be the weaker batting team and so it proved, but I did not realise just how brittle the England batting was likely to be. Australia was always likely to have the weaker bowling team though it was debatable if this was the case, as neither team had any level of consistency in the bowling department. I suppose the biggest dissapointment for Australia must have been the form of Mitchell Johnston, who came into the series as a huge talent and finished it with plenty of question marks against him. The England bowling performance was at best patchy, the early series form of Stuart Broad was a huge dissapointment as he had performed so well in the previous couple of series, though his form towards the end of the series was certainly much improved.

It was also a series where we were robbed of some of the best talent by injury. Pieterson and Flintoff hardly played and Brett Lee did not play at all, which could only make the series poorer. But of course Flintoff played his part, not least by announcing that this would be his final test series before his retirement from test cricket. Maybe because of this the England team seemed to battle to an unlikely series win and give Flintoff a successful send off from the test arena.

So how did England manage to win the series, well I am still not sure, but the comments from Andrew Strauss about this Aussie team not having the same aura as the previous teams could not have been more true. The lack of this aura was demonstrated at the end of the first test in Cardiff. Can anyone imagine an Australian team with Warne and McGrath in that could fail to dismiss numbers 10 and 11 in 12 overs! it just would never have happened. This was a huge turning point in the series for me. The lack of penetration of the Australia bowling line up was displayed all too clearly and this must have given the England team great hope. It is obvious that a team which looses possibly the greatest spinner of all time and possibly the greatest seam bowler of all time will be weaker because of it, but I don't think anyone expected them to be this weak in the bowling department.

The Australian bowling was at times though made to look good by the fragility and lack of application of the England batting. There was really only Andrew Strauss who came out of the series with any real credit of all the England batsmen, without him we would have been well and truly in trouble. The remainder of the England batting showed a lack of application and even lack of technique, that leaves the England team with a serious problem, even after winning the series. Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell will be lucky if their tests careers continue much past this series. Much was made of the failure of Bopara, but he is without doubt a talent and he will have his part to play for England again, though hopefully further down the order.

My own personnel feeling on this series is that England were lucky to win it, though when we had the opportunities to make things count we did, but the performance on the whole was below what should have been expected. Let's hope that the England team now take the opportunity to build on this, rather than to sit back and congratulate themselves like they did in 2005. The best thing to be said about the two teams now, is that they are well matched, the air of invincibility of the Australian team is now a distant memory. I think that even following the 2005 victory, most people still felt that the Australians were almost invincible, that cannot be said of the current team.

It was a strange feeling to be listening to the final match at the Oval, where England looked to have thrown away a chance of winning, only for Stuart Broad to destroy the Australian batting line up and set up an amazing victory. I spent much of that match at work and constantly receiving text messages from my mam informing me of another wicket, then another wicket, then another, that will be my lasting memory of the series. After the immense sense of joy of winning in 2005 against what was one of the greatest test match teams ever, it was a much more low key feeling to win this time round, though it must be said that any victory against Australia is always a major landmark event and one which I will never of feeling.

So to the future, well both teams are now of a very similar standard, which makes future series all the more exciting. For too long England have gone into an Ashes series with a huge inferiority complex and had an uphill battle to overcome this, but this should now be changed. There are several things that England have to look forward to. Matt Prior seems to have secured the wicketkeepers position, he has batted well and his glove work has not let anyone down, so at last that position seems settled. Stuart Broad is well on the way to becoming a good allrounder, though he will have to step up another level to bat at number 7. And Graham Swann is fast becoming an integral player in the England team. His bowling is threatening, especially to left handers and his batting down the order is more than useful. Once the England middle order tighten up, then England will have a good team. The winter tour to South Africa will be a real test for them, lets hope that we don't spoil all the good work. As for Australia, well they need time to learn how to play without a world class spinner for the first time in 15 years. They have some decent options in the bowling and but nothing exceptional at the moment, though I am sure that Mitchell Johnston under performed and he could well come back to haunt England in the next series down under in 2010/11.

So England currently hold the Ashes and that is an amazing feeling, lets just hope that by the time 2013 comes around, we will still be holding them.

Dan Penn Is A Living Legend

2009-07-31T20:01:00.002+01:00

I first heard the music of Dan Penn when I was about 19 years old. It was one of those musical moments that just totally blew me away and I was instantly hooked.

Dan Penn's first solo album 'Nobody's Fool' should be regarded by the world as a true masterpiece. I first heard it on a third generation tape, played to me by a friend and I just had to have a copy of that tape. In 1989 'Nobody's Fool' was only available on vinyl and very few copies existed. The owner of that vinyl album who made the recording saw Dan Penn play in America and on speaking to him after the gig told him how amazing he thought 'Nobody's Fool' was, to which Dan Penn replied that the album was that rare that even he didn't have a copy! So to say is was not a commercial success is something of an understatement.

I got a copy of that album on tape, I still have it in fact, but thankfully the album was released on CD in 1996, needless to say I snapped it up as soon as it hit the shops. Amongst my friends in 1989 'Nobody's Fool' was a sensation, those few taped copies of that album were played over and over again and none of us ever tired of hearing it, especially me.

Dan Penn made his name as a great songwriter, writing such soul classics as 'Dark End of The Street' 'Do Right Woman' and 'Out Left Field' to name but a few. His songs were recorded by classic soul artists from James Carr to Aretha Franklin. He was also heavily involved with Alex Chiltons first band 'The Box Tops' not only writing and producing there work but helping to manage them too. But it was not until 1973 that he finally released his first album 'Nobody's Fool'.

The album opens with the title track, a song that on the face of it seems like a song about a man who enjoys to live the free and easy single life, but he shows an extra depth to himself by proclaiming that its a lonely life and not really the life for him. He follows this up with a moody, haunting and sad love song 'Raining in Memphis'. He laments his mistake of leaving the woman he loved in the church on his their wedding day! The array of instruments used and his haunting voice make it sensational. 'Tearjoint' is one of my favourite songs on the album. Its a genuine sad song, but sang very upbeat, it's actually a real singalong song. It can only be described as a country song, with traditional country themes of heartache and loss, but a true classic. The tempo is really slowed down with 'Time', a very thoughtful slow burner of a song and quite sentimental with it. He sings about modern life and how rushed people are and how much better life was when people just relaxed and took things nice and slowly. The next song 'Lodi' is the only song on the album which Dan Penn had no part in writing. Written by John Fogerty, but amazingly sung on this album by Dan Penn, it seems strangely poignant to Dan Penn. A song about a singer who is stuck in a small town trying his best to get out and playing to drunk people night after night as a singer this seems to fit Dan Penn, though as a songwriter, well it doesn't. 'Ain't No Love' is a song that tugs on the heartstrings, a song all about lost love. Though probably the weakest song on the album, it's all relative and would be the best song on many album, its only the company it keeps on this album which makes it seem weak. Another song about love that has gone wrong 'I hate you' follows. A song about trying to hate a lost love out of his mind, the highlight is the classic line 'between love and hate there's a little blue thin line'. 'A Prayer for Peace' is Dan Penn singing about how much better the world would be without war. I guess it was a product of the age, the 70's was full of hippy songs about peace, but this is a stand out classic. He actually asks god if he would mind getting down here and talk about revolution with him. I have to admit that if I was god, the way Dan Penn sings that line, I would gladly get down with him and talk about revolution. The song builds up to a climax where he explodes with the line 'Lord have you ever wondered what would have happened had you created all men one colour' It then explodes into the song the album seemed to have been building up to all along 'If love Was Money'. A masterpiece of a song, in which he sings that if love was money, the woman he loves would be walking by his side. An upbeat stomper of a song that never fails to get me onto the dancefloor, well in my living room anyway. The last song on the album at first appears to be a bit of an after thought that does not quite fit, but I have to admit that over the years 'Skin' has had more and more resonance with me. It's a song in which Dan Penn talks rather than sings, in which he discusses the issue of skin colour, 'its just skin'.

Well if you're still with me hopefully you will understand the depth of my feeling on this album. To say I love it is an understatement without parrallel. It is a classic album that stands tall as possibly the greatest album of all time, in my eyes at least. This album is the highlight of Dan Penns solo career by a million miles, and if he had never released another album it would have made no difference. He has sporadicaly released four more albums since 'Nobody's Fool' in 1973, so prollific he is not.

I have had the pleasure of seeing him play twice in Newcastle. On both occassions it was Dan Penn playing acoustic guitar and singing and his long time writing partner Spooner Oldham on the keyboards. I was mesomorised on both occassions, barely been able to take my eyes of them, let alone miss a note. It is not my intention to write a biography of Dan Penn here, there is plenty written about him all over the web. But what I did intend to do was to communicate the passion that he evokes in me, especially 'Nobody's Fool'. For those of you reading this who have never heard this amazing album, I plead with you to go out and buy it, it might just change your life like it did mine.

Is Elvis Really the King of Rock n Roll?

2009-06-21T16:59:00.002+01:00

Well I ask this question knowing that my only blog follower will be screaming yes yes yes, but its a question that I feel needs asking. In my eyes there are 3 contenders for the crown, Elvis, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis.

My love for these 3 artists goes back over 20 years and still lasts to this day. I spent two of the best days of my life visiting Graceland and visiting Sun studios, both in Memphis Tennessee. I have to admit that spending an hour in Sun studios, where rock n roll started its journey was so emotional. To be in the same room where Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich etc etc recorded such iconic music, almost had me in tears.

Much has been written about Elvis, and I have to say that he is a deserved legend. Visiting Graceland was also an emotional event, if a little on the commercial side, but this is a mark of the ongoing love that people feel for Elvis. Elvis was responsible for a revolution in music, and as such he thoroughly deserves his ongoing acclaim. I also love Elvis for the fact that he sang the best song about my name ever, Danny from king creole, its so much better than Danny boy, a song that he also sung.

Apart from the amazing music that Elvis created, he is a fascinating character, in many ways he is a bundle of contradictions. It is well known that he loved diet pills and prescription drugs, but less known that he was actually a drug enforcement officer! If you have never seen the documentary about the time Elvis flew to Washington to meet president Nixon, unannounced, to ask for a badge to be a drug enforcement officer, then I suggest you watch it. It is one of the most bizarre pieces of film I have ever seen. He actually turned up at the gates of the white house, with a gun, and asked if he could see president Nixon. Nixon at first thought this was a joke, but it was no joke. Elvis had come because he was worried about the effect that drugs were having on the youth of America. All this while Elvis was guzzling prescription drugs like there was no tomorrow!

As for his music, well his early music was truly amazing, such raw energy, passion and overtly sexual. But the strange thing is that as much as I love his early recordings, its his later works, the so called fat Elvis stage that I play most often. Why this is I have no idea, but its a fact that most people remember this phase of his career much more. Elvis was a legend of that there is no doubt, but to me his career ran slowly down hill towards the end of his life, to such a point that he almost became a parody of himself. But what Elvis achieved and the longevity of his popularity is a tribute to his true greatness.

So what of Chuck Berry then. Well to me he is without the most talented of the three in terms of songwriting. Both Elvis and Jerry Lee wrote very few of there own songs, while Chuck Berry was prolific in the songwriting stakes. He was also one hell of a guitar player, his guitar playing style was revolutionary, and still makes the hair on my neck stand on end.

Chuck Berry was also a great business man, he made sure that he gained the fruits of his songwriting, something that at the time was not the norm. It was mainly the publishers at the time who made the most money, but Chuck Berry was to shrewd to let that happen.

I believe that the best Chuck Berry songs are better than the best Elvis or Jerry Lee songs, but he did suffer a great deal from inconsistency. There is no arguing with how amazing songs like Johnny B Goode, Nadine, Roll Over Beethoven, Maybellene and Thirty Days are, they are rock n roll at its best and I don't believe that many greater rock n roll songs have ever been written. But for every great song he wrote, he also wrote many shockers, my ding a ling been a prime example!

Chuck Berry was also not really the typical rock n roll star. He turned up at gigs, played and walked off and went home. In his later years he would play up to 250 gigs per year. He would request that the venue provided a back up band for him to play with, all they needed was to know his greatest hits. He would turn up minutes before the show, have no practice with them, walk on stage and play!

Chuck Berry was also renowned for changing the key that songs were played in while he was playing them. Essential viewing is the two hour documentary of his 60th birthday celebration gig. Keith Richards assembled a band to play with Chuck, Keith decided he was gonna play most of the Chuck Berry guitar work and boy did Chuck put him through his paces. Its amazing to see Keith Richards struggling to play some of the guitar work and getting a bollocking from Chuck Berry.

So to me Chuck Berry was the greatest writer of rock n roll music, without a shadow of a doubt, but he didn't really live the rock n roll life, unlike Jerry Lee Lewis.

Jerry Lee Lewis, also known as the killer still continues to take my breath away. I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to see him play live about 6 years ago in Newcastle. This was the greatest gig of my life, and I have seen many many. He was well into his 60s, and came on stage and gave everything he could for about 25 minutes, then walked off stage. Yes it was the shortest gig I have ever seen, but it was also the best. Having the chance to see him kick ass for 25 minutes was better than to see him go through the motions for an hour or so.

Jerry Lee started recording soon after Elvis in the same Sun Studios in Memphis. He was a good looking young lad, who had an edge to him, an arrogance, a slight hint of menace, in short Jerry Lee was rock n roll. If you have never seen footage of him playing his piano, then please please please look him up on youtube, its one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. He is not only a great singer, but boy does he know how to make a piano rock like no one before him or since.

I can remember soon after I moved to Newcastle buying the album 'The Killer Rocks On' and boy did it change my life. I would carry it around with me whenever I visited friends houses for about a month and insisted that they listen to it, as it would change there life as much as it changed mine. OK, I was a little over the top, but that's how much that album touched me, I just wanted everyone else to feel what I felt.

Jerry Lee was indeed wild and truly lived the rock n roll lifestyle. You could see the wildness in him when he sat at his piano and he played it like you have never seen. He came from a very religious family, in fact his cousin is the evangelical preacher Jimmy Swaggert. Jerry Lee was told that he played the devils music, and he believed it, but he played the devils music like no one could. He embraced playing the devils music, he became the devil and the devil played with him.

Of course his life was scarred with controversy, he married his 13 year old cousin at the height of his fame and on his tour of England the press revealed this and he quickly fell from grace with the public. But Jerry Lee continued to create amazing music, it was just no one bought it! Jerry Lee is still going strong to this day, he has recorded some of the most amazing pieces of rock n roll ever and his live performances are second to none. If you buy 2 records ever in your life, please but the affore mentioned 'The Killer' rocks on' and 'The Greatest Live Show on Earth'. These two albums will blow your mind to pieces. You can also play the game of counting how many times he mentions himself in one album, the figures are staggering.

For pure energy, passion and real rock n roll ness, I can see no further than Jerry Lee Lewis. Yes he was arrogant, yes he was probably not the nicest bloke of all time, but he created pure passion, he lived it and he felt it. He was not a song writer, but he knew how to cover a song and make it his own. Listen to him sing Me and Bobby McGhee. Originally written and recorded by Kris Krisstofferson, and what a classic it is. But when Jerry Lee sings is he turns it from a sad, deep, thoughtful song, into a raucous celebration of life.

So is Elvis really the king of rock n roll? Well everyone will have there own thoughts on this question. There is no doubting that he has influenced modern music more than anyone, he is the most iconic music of all time and was one of the most intriguing people of all time. For these reasons Elvis will always be the king of rock n roll and quite rightly.

Having said that, for me Jerry Lee Lewis from Ferriday Lousiana is the epitome of what rock n roll is all about. To me the killer will always be the man I turn to when I want to feel music shake me to my very soul. Its a chance for me to indulge in the devils music and to celebrate what humans are capable of when it comes to the creation of art. For Jerry Lee Lewis is truly an artist, he has lived the life of the suffering artist, misunderstood, yet a shear genius.

Long live the Killer

Is Cary Grant Fantastic or What

2009-06-20T21:12:00.002+01:00

Well the answer to this simple question is a resounding yes of course he is, sorry to spoil it for you. I suppose you may disagree, so if your still reading then I will attempt to convince you otherwise.

As a teenager growing up in Leeds, I was not what I would call debonair and sophisticated, far from it as any one who knew me then will know. I did however have my moments wearing my white fake fur coat, when I thought I was about as cool as cool got. I know realise I was wrong and was rather lucky to escape a bit of a beating from the less open minded people of Yorkshire!

However one person that I can remember admiring from that young age was Archibald Alexander Leach, better known to most of us as Cary Grant. I can remember afternoons spent with my mam watching the black and white films on TV, most of which passed me by, but Cary Grant always stood out.

I suppose it was the humour in the films that initially attracted my attention. I defy anyone to watch arsenic and old lace and not laugh your socks off. What about bringing up baby, his girl Friday and the awful truth to mention but a few more. The brilliance of Cary Grant as a comic actor was never more highlighted than in these classics. These films to me are still timeless works of art.

To me what made Grant such a brilliant actor was that yes he played comedy parts, and very funny they were, but it was very subtle humour, even in screwball comedy films. He had the ability to laugh at himself in such a graceful way that he was in my eyes the type of man I wanted to be. He played humour with humility, yet would end up in the most ridiculous of situations. He was sophisticated, he was handsome, he was magnificent, everything I wanted to be.

But for me the most brilliant works of art created by Cary Grant where his Hitchcock films. These films for me shine like stars in the night, and show the true depth of talent of the man. Take suspicion for instance, in this film Cary Grant plays a man who it appears is plotting to kill his wife. It is a dark film, but again he plays it as Cary Grant, with style, grace and brilliance.

To catch a thief could almost be said to be his greatest film ever. Everything about the film exudes him as a person who dominates the screen. He plays a reformed jewel thief alongside the stunning and brilliant Grace Kelly. The chemistry between the 2 is electric and a very light hearted Hitchcock film is just such a fantastic platform to show Cary Grant at his most majestic sophisticated peak.

It was after seeing such classic films that I became enthralled by Cary Grant. All though still in my late teens, I so wanted to be like this man. I could often be seen wearing a cravat and a very smart cardigan and telling people it was my Cary Grant look. How people put up with me I will never know, but they did. The peak of my obsession was in 1995, when at the age of 25 I held a party to celebrate Cary Grants birthday. Guest were encouraged to dress in a suitable manner, I of course wore my smart blazer and cravat. I was hooked on Cary Grant, to me he was the perfect man.

Yet as I found out more about him, some of which I suppose he was ashamed of, I respected the man even more than ever before. He was gay, though to come out in those times was such a sin, so he married and married, all in all I think he had 6 marriages, while been deeply in love with Randolph Scott. In the late 50s he used LSD as a way to find his true self. Legend has it that he would take LSD and look into the mirror at himself for hours on end in an attempt to find himself! The thought of that actually terrifies me, but he was a man who wanted to be at peace with himself and for that I can only admire him.

Of course one of his most famous films is north by northwest, which is playing at my local art house cinema in the next few weeks. This has prompted me to write this blog to celebrate Cary Grant. It still amazes me to this day that he never received an Oscar for any of his performances in films. What a strange world we live in, when one of the most brilliant actors of his, or any generation is not rewarded in the way he so deserved.

I am older now and no longer believe that I am Cary Grant, though I still admire him more than any actor alive or dead. I do still get my cravat out for the odd occasion, though only special occasions now. What still amazes me about Cary Grant is how he could play serious dark roles and comedy roles in almost the same way, yet both were truly convincing and amazing. When you watch a Cary Grant film, you always see Cary Grant. He always manages to bring his personality to the film, and never ceases to take my breath away.

So for those of you who love Cary Grant then I hope that you will go out rediscover the brilliance of the man. For those of you have never seen Cary Grant, please go and watch some of his films he will amaze you. And for those of you who never liked him, then what can I say that I have not already said.

I don't think there is actor around at the moment who compares to Cary Grant. Sure there are great actors around who can play comedy and non comedy, but are any of them as debonair and stylish and classy as Cary Grant? I think not.

Are Umbrellas a modern menace

2009-06-18T21:04:00.002+01:00

This is something I have needed to get out of my system for some time. I am concerned that there is a menace on the streets that seems to be unchallenged. None of the political parties have addressed this issue as yet, but mark my words the day is coming. I am sure that the umbrella is living on borrowed time, it can surely only be a matter of time before this menace is banished from our streets for ever.

So what do I have against the umbrella you may ask, surely they are in offencive and provide a great service for people to keep that deadly rain off there heads. Well let me explain to you why I feel so strongly about this issue.

As a person who spends plenty of time walking around the town centre of newcastle and other cities, I have spent many an afternoon getting wet in the streets. These are the times when my health is in great danger, not from the terrible foe that is rain, but from stray umbrellas.

Come the rain, come the umbrellas, wielded by people who care not about others safety, but only about keeping the menacing rain from there heads. In the wrong hands, an umbrella is a deadly weapon. How many times I have almost had my eyes poked out by an umbrella in the hands of someone who puts the head down and points the umbrella straight ahead.

The dangers of these things is obvious to me. People seem to suddenly take on a new persona once the rain comes. It is this method of using the umbrella as a weapon, however unintentional that poses serious health issues to modern society.

We need a licence to drive a car, to own a gun and yet these umbrellas are totally unregulated. In fact not only are they un regulated, but I was in the hairdressers at the weekend and disturbed to see these weapons available free of charge at the door. Surely if the umbrella is to stay on the streets, its about time that people were forced to take a proficiency test to use them.

I am aware that rain can make a mess of hair styles, but this is not the end of the world. On the other hand having an eye poked out is a catastrophic event in any ones life.

There is of course a solution to this problem which I believe would benefit everyone. In place of the umbrella, why not replace them with those elasticated bands that fit around the head, with a little mini umbrella attached to the top. A perfect solution for all concerned. Gone are the dangers of the weapon like umbrella, but the rainproof performance is retained. I hear you say that these things look ludicrous, but I believe that once they become regular sights on the streets, people will learn to love them. All it needs is for one of the countries much worshiped celebrities to break ranks and spend a night wearing one, and the whole country will suddenly decide that they look cool.

Surely it is time for one of the political parties to hear my plea. I would be happy to help draft the required legislation and help to implement this new law. Besides, I actually feel that people would look good wearing these little umbrella hats. Its time we embraced them. Britain could lead the world in heralding the launch of the popularisation of these items.

I would like to think that all of you who care about human safety will join me in this plea to our politicians. If we cannot get our politicians to embrace our views then maybe its time to form a pressure group. Down with brollies for ever! The time is nigh!

danny t stricklands 115th dream

2009-06-18T20:45:00.002+01:00

As someone who's sleep pattern is dreadful, I generally wake up 4 or 5 times a night. Due to this I have increadibly vivid dreams, often these dreams are anxiety dreams, often they are just plain odd.

My latest dream was 2 nights ago, and I can confirm beyond any doubt that it falls into the odd catergory. It started with me, a work collegue and others hanging out in a forest. I spotted people that I knew from my past, and had some suspions about them, me and my work collegue (chris) decided to follow them. We managed to loose them at a fork in the path, so decided to take a path each. I managed to catch up with these sinister people from my past on a ferry to lands unknown.

Once onboard the ferry, the sinister people from my past had suspicions about me, and effectively held me hostage. Once the ferry reached its destination, I was taken captive. The sinister people from my past turned out to be a front organisation for a group of right wing nazi lesbians. My task to save my life, was to play cricket for this group of right wing nazi lesbians. I had decided that I would try to escape, but after leaving the compound I had been held captive in, I met up with chris and we headed out to play this cricket match, to effectivly safe our lives.

At this point I woke up, feeling frightened and shaking, but at the same time releived that it was infact all a dream.

Time for the rise of the left

2009-06-06T12:26:00.002+01:00

I have to admit that is with some pleasure that I have witnessed the demise of new labour over the last few weeks. I say this as a life long labour supporter, so why do I feel this way.

Well since Tony Blair took control of the labour party I have had my party stolen from me, along with millions of other labour supporters. Tony Blair, or should I call him Tory Blair, has moved the labour party away from its beliefs to a party that is now arguably more right wing than the Tory party would ever dare to be. What Tory Blair did those years ago, was take for granted that labour would always have its traditional voters and he then whent for the votes of the more traditional conservative voters. This in effect changed the emphasis of the labour party, from the party of the people, to the party of business.

I can now sit back and feel a great sense of depression about what has happened to the labour party over the last 15 years. What has happened over the last few weeks is that the traditional labour voters have finally said to the labour party, we have had enough of this pseudo tory party and we want our labour party back. What Tory Blair did those years back, has now come back to haunt the labour party. It is now very difficult to vote for a party that no longer stands for what the working person wants it stand for.

Back when Blair took control, most labour supporters just wanted an end to the reign of the Tories, and seemed prepared to pay whatever the price was for that. I can remember the days well and was horrified that a Tory mascarading as a labour man was now leading my party. One of the first things that Blair did was get rid off the labour parties clause 4, this was not just modernisation, this was a clear indication that the price to pay for getting rid of the Tories, was to replace it with pseudo Tories, a clear sign that the left had given the fight and that Thatcher had indeed destroyed the left as an effective voice in politics.

As the labour party took control of power in 1997, the country was ready for change, and full of optimisum, what we got was infact more of the same. The record of the labour government has been a total discrace. More privatisation, more cosying up to big business, no reform of the house of lords, wars all over the world, and the lack of control over banking, all of this is a record of shame for a supposed labour government.

The labour party were obsessed with attracting the votes of middle england, these are voters who are fickle, who have no alligience to the labour party, and who cannot be relied on for long term support. This flirting with middle England and the adoption of Tory policies has also had the effect of turning the traditional labour supporters against the labour party, because they no longer represent them. This has all now come home to roost for the labour party. Not only has the fickle votes of middle England turned against them, as it always would one day, but traditional labour voters can no longer take any more and have also turned against them.

This collapse of the labour party could last a generation in my humble opinion. The labour party has changed beyond recognition now, and no longer stands for the traditional values of the labour party. So where does that leave someone like me, well it leaves me with little hope of politics as I no longer feel represented by any mainstream party.

In the European elections this week I was left with a dillema, who to vote for? Well as I have already stated my politics are left wing, so none of the mainstream parties are an option for me anymore. So where are the left wing parties? Prior to getting into the voting booth, I had no idea which parties I could vote for, the only leaflets through my door had been from the major parties. I was pleased to find that the socialist labour party were standing, but why had they not done a better job of canvasing?

Surely as the labour party has now abandened its traditional values, there is a huge gap left for somebody to fill. I was once a member of the socialist labour party, soon after it was formed, but left due to the lack of democracy within it at a local level. The local meetings did not allow for any debate on policies, we were told what our policies should be from the leadership, oh how very socialist! But surely the left now has to pull itself together and form a viable option for working people to be able to vote for.

I was listening to the radio last week and heard interviews with people prior to the European elections who stated they were traditional labour voters, but would be voting BNP as a protest! This is shocking and hopeful at the same time. It shows that traditional labour voters are desperate to vote for a party that actually believes in the working person and shocking that they are not aware that there is a left wing option they feel they can vote for, so instead turn to the BNP.

It seems true to me that many of the casual BNP votes that will have been registered in the elections will have been from unhappy labour voters, because the BNP sell themselves as standing for the common working man. So why is there not a strong left that will arise from the demise of the labour party. What I want from life is to be able to go into the voting booth and feel pride that the party I am voting for represents what I believe in, not that they are the least worst option.

I truly hope that the labour party never recovers from the shambles it is in at the moment, it does not deserve to. When it voted Tory Blair as its leader, it sold its soul to the devil and deserves to rot in hell for ever more. But with all this said, I am desperate for a viable left wing option to rise from the ashes, indeed it is vital. Politics needs oposing views, it does not need parties which all agree with each other, or there are no debates and bad policies get passed. Politics should be about healthy debate, so wee need a viable left wing option.

There seem to be several smaller left wing parties out there at the moment, the socialist labour party, respect etc, but its time to unite together and to form a party capable of been elected. The labour party was always a party with many different factions within it, who all wanted a party that represented the working man, that is no longer what it stands for, but we need a party that does, or the right wing of politics will over run this country.

The BNP worry me

2009-05-31T09:26:00.002+01:00

I listen to a great deal of news radio and over the past few days it has become apparent to me that there is a worrying trend that is developing in British politics. I have heard several people interviewed on radio who have stated that the intend to vote for the BNP as a protest vote!

How insane is this attitude, its as though they think there is only 1 party on the ballot paper who they could register a protest vote with. In the wake of the expenses scandal I can agree that voting for one of the major parties is not really an option for me, though there is only 1 of them I would ever vote for anyway. But there are approximatly 12 parties on the ballott paper here in the north east, so why are people choosing to vote for the BNP as a protest vote.

Well I have a theory about this. The BNP are without doubt a bunch of racist thugs, who's political views are so repugnent, but they are masters of publicity. Most working people who have historically voted labour now feel totally let down by the sham of this pseudo tory labour party. Also working people have suffered during the recession and the BNP and other right wing organisations feed into this by telling people that its the forigners who are stealing British jobs.

The perceived problem of foreign workers stealing British jobs is something that has been with us for some time. Its very easy to feed peoples fear of job security by perpetuating this myth that foreign workers are stealing our jobs. Its too easy for the liberal classes in this country to just dismiss this as racist nonesense, but they should walk in a working mans shoes for a while and try to understand the fear of job security that working people feel.

The challange of the left in the modern era is to counter this argument and to concentrate on trying ease peoples fear over job security. The left have always stood for the working man, and this should be there major concern today. The left has to concede that working people are often borderline racist, a harsh thing to say, but true. What people are most concerned about is there own future, and this is dependant on having a job. It is time for the left to address this issue again and try to counter the major selling point that the BNP has to the working people, that by getting rid of foreign workers, there will be more jobs for British people. It may be uncomfortable for the left to face up to this, but if they do not, then the BNP will only continue to grow.

It is time for the left to address the threat that the BNP poses. The left now needs to regroup and remember who they represent, its not the middle class liberal centre ground that they should be appealing to, but the working class, which no longer has a mainstream voice. It is strange but true that dissilussioned working people turn to the BNP in times like this, but the left is just not strong enough at the moment. The left should be the place for the working class to turn when they no longer have the labour party to vote for, but instead they seem to turn to the right! This is a problem for the left to address and soon.

We need a stronger option on the left to stand up to the BNP and to become as media savvy as the BNP are. I for one am dissapointed that in a time of recession there is not a strong left option available, this is criminal. It really worries me that the BNP now seem to be the party of the protest vote. It is time for the left to unite, find some unity and form a viable option for working people to get behind, before it is too late.

Why I Love Country Music

2009-05-18T12:08:00.002+01:00

Well this year I celebrate 20 years since I bought my first country album. At the time I was 19 and was going through my 80s shoegazing indie phase, while exploring 60s garage punk and psychedelia. My new favourite band at the time where the Byrds. It was because of the Byrds that my love of country music ensued. After buying the notorious Byrd brothers album to add to my collection of other Byrds albums, I stumbled upon a curious looking Byrds album 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo'. Strangely I had no idea that this was a country album, though the title and the cover should have given it away. The cover was like a cartoon type picture of a cowgirl, but still it never occurred to me. I got home and played it, excited as ever by a new purchase, and was amazed at what I heard. Here was my current favourite band playing country music!

The strange thing about this, was that I loved it instantly, it was like nothing I had ever heard before, but it was great. I then found out about someone called Gram Parsons, who had joined the Byrds for this album and transformed them. Gram Parsons was a good looking young guy, who acted like a rocker, but was a country music expert. He had turned the Byrds on to country music! I was intrigued and bought the 2 flying burrito albums, a band gram recorded 2 great albums with and again found myself loving country music, then bought his 2 solo albums, and wow, this was music perfection.

I was as I said at the time a lover music that could not have been more different to country music. I was now listening to patti smith, the stooges, mc5, husker du, dinasour jr, big black etc etc. I was 19, considered myself a rocker, but had a new found love of country music. But Gram Parsons made country music cool, he had been best friends with Keith Richards and acted like a rock star, but sang the most haunting songs. I read about him and found that he had had a great respect and knowledge of old country music, hank williams, george jones, merle haggard, tom t hall etc etc. I was now on a mission to find out as much as I could about these artists.

I started to explore johnny cash, mainly because my dad had some of his albums, and as I listened to them I discovered a man who had deep passion and who felt deeply about the plight of the underdog. He championed prisoners rights for years, just listen to the 2 live prison albums, and hear a man who wants to right so many wrongs. His songs are full of passion, love, murder, deceipt and the plight of people who were less fortunate. I saw in johnny cash a man who appealed to my socialist mind. He was also a man who had a sense of humour, a boy named sue is obvious, but he sings possibly the greatest humourist song of all time 'chicken in black'. Its a song that defies belief, he has a brain transplant and ends up with a bank robbers brain, when this gets him into trouble he asks to have his old brain back, only to be told that his old brain is now in a chicken, and this chicken is singing johnny cash songs all over the country!

My impression of country music prior to this had always been of right wing rants. But I found in johnny cash and merle haggard singers who sang about the struggles of life for the working man. Of course some of these songs were filled with sadness, but they were passionate and honest. They struck a chord with me and my love of country music was now fully ignited. Singers such as willie nelson, kris kristofferson, waylon jennings, buck owens where soon regulars on my turntable. I realised that country music was white mans blues. Songs full of passion and about life, its ups and many downs, and full of artistry and poetry and feeling. Hearing kris kristoferson sing loving her was easier was guarenteed to bring a tear to my eye.

There are so many artists that I could rant about, I have mentioned many of my favourites, but the point is that good country music has socialism at its core. I know that many people will dissagree and there are many artists who are right wing, but there are many examples of country music having a social concience. Most of all country music is full of love, passion and experience of life. It is music that at its best is sung from the heart and makes your emotions tingle in the best way. That's why I love country music.

Why I Despise Religion

2009-05-17T12:30:00.000+01:00

As a fan of Richard Dawkins, my life long dislike of religion has bubbled to the surface, so much so that my once held belief that its ok for others to hold there own beliefs, has changed considerably, so much so that I now feel the desire to put this into writing!

I am an engineer by profession, so I am rooted in science first and foremost. I am not an academic or someone who has researched in any depth this issue, just an everyday person who feels the need to talk about why I despise religion.

As a young man growing up I always felt that the existence of a god was at at best unlikely. As I have grown up and have read more and more about science and reasoned and rational thought my views have become more and more reinforced. Firstly, the evidence of the theory of evolution is now overwhelming, such things as DNA and carbon dating put paid to the religious view on the age of the earth. As this creationism is the foundation of christian religion, for me it fails at the first hurdle, that been the case, how can the rest of it be taken seriously.

Secondly, and much more importantly all religions believe that they are correct, but this cannot be true, at best one of them can be correct. They impose there belief of the world on us, not by logic, but by preaching blind faith, and when that fails violence. Several religions have at there heart the spreading of the religion by means of force, violence and killing of non believers! This brings to mind an argument between an educated passificst and an uneducated violent person. If the uneducated man is failing to win his argument with the educated pacisificst using logical means, he resorts to beeting the shit out of him, thereby imposing his view of the world on others, not by logic or reason, but by intimidation.

This is how I view religion, that it imposes itself on people by fear, either fear of what is instore for us in the after life, or if that fails by the use of violence. History is littered with examples of this, wars and acts of violence by people in the name of religion. This violence just weakens the validity of religion in my view. As soon as you feel the need to use violence, it indicated that you have lost the argument using logic and reason.

If a god does exist, then why would he have at the crux of his existence, that you require blind faith to be a true follower! Why would anyone do that! If I wanted people to believe something I thought was true, I would most definately not choose as a course of action to present no evidence to people to back up my idea, but instead insist that they just believe me! This cause of action is insane, and then when they still don't believe me beat them to a pulp! That is why I can never believe in religion, and why I am convinced that no god exists. Surely if god really wanted us to follow his ways, he would make his existence known to us, proove that he exists.

And one final thing about why I despise religion, why all the strange rituals and rules! All the ceromony that goes with religion, the strange dress that's involved, the restrictions of peoples liberty etc. Why would a god want hals of the population to cover there face in his name! Why would god not want us to eat pigs, why would a god want us to not have a blood transfussion or receive medical help to help save our life. None of this makes any sense, but then religion just does not make sense.

For years I would keep quiet about my views around religion because I did not want to offend anyone, but the time has come for all aetheists to stand up and be heard and to challenge religion. I remember someone telling me as a young boy, never discuss religion or politics with friends. What a load of nonsense that advise was. These two issues are the two issues that people should talk about more than anything. How else is the human race ever going to challenge what we have inherited from our ancestors, just because that's the way things have been in the past is no reason why take these unreasoned arguments forward to the future. So stand up and use reason and logic to let the world know that religion is an ass.

British Politics Is Dying

2009-05-17T10:30:00.000+01:00

Maybe the title of this blog sounds a little exagerated, but its how I feel. As the European elections are almost upon us, then I like most left wingers are left with a difficult decision of who to vote for. As a teenager growing up in Yorkshire during the 84/85 miners strike, I was politicised early in my life and was left in no doubt about how I felt. I became very aware that the plight of the working man was always to be a struggle against greater forces, but it was a fight that had to be made.
During the reign of Thatcher, the left was always a loud voice of opposition, a real option, with real belief and policy. We all new the difference between labour and tory, but the same cannot be said now. As Tony Blair took over the reigns of the labour party, it quickly became obvious that his quest was to take the labour party closer to the centre, tories have also moved the same way, so we are now left with our 2 major parties been almost of the same politics.
This leaves most people now with almost no option on who to vote for, there is so little difference. I could never vote tory or lib dem, so what are my options now. Well I feel as though I have only 2 real options, vote labour or don't vote, and the latter I am ashamed to say has become more and more attractive.
The most worrying though in British politics at the moment is the rise of the right, both UKIP and BNP. As the left of British politics has crumbled, the right is beginning to gain popularity and its easy to see why. British people, infact any people, need to protest against governments, and because the 3 main parties are almost inseperable, then there is a big gap for protest votes. It seems that the BNP is trying to market itself as the party of the working class, the problem is its a facist racist party, but is attempting to cover this up. In a time when people are fearful for there jobs, a party that talks about British jobs for British workers has a certain appeal. The rise of the BNP is the one thing which is now motivating me to participate in politics.
The shame of this all is that as a young man there seemed to be positive things I could get excited about in politics. Oh how I wanted a labour government so much. I felt proud to place my ballot paper in the box, because I was voting for something I believed in. Now I am voting to stop something that I feel passionatly against. I can have no sense of pride anymore to vote for labour, I will only do so out of a desire to stop thee rise of the right wing.
It is not only the policies of the labour party that I now feel let down by. It has always been a party that was in the centre more than a lot of people wanted it to be, but it had voices within it that spoke to me. All I hear now from the labour party is tory drivle in disguise, and its not much of a disguise.
After all is said and done, whatever your motivation to vote in any election, it is always better to vote than not to vote. But it is the duty of us all to take the threat of the rise of the right seriously. It is no good to sit back and sday well there is nobody to vote for that truly reprersents my politics. As long as there is somebody standing who stands for such hatred as the BNP do, then we can all find someone better to vote for. Its not what politics should be, but the other option is to allow these hateful racist idiots to have a say in the running of our country. No sane person should allow this