Rich Hall - The Stables Wavendon

Have been a big fan of the grouchy, American deadpan,comic Rich Hall who quit his job as a hurricane namer for the United States Meteorological Service two decades ago and hasn’t looked back.

Looking like a Pearl Jam roadie, Rich is a master of absurdist irony while eschewing the human condition. He particularly likes to lay into Americans and life across the Pond at every opportunity. As Rich Hall the stand-up, he has visited the Edinburgh Fringe Festival several times and performed at the major comedy clubs in Britain and across the world. He is well known in the United States for appearing and writing on The David Letterman Show – for which he won two Emmy Awards.

So it was great to catch up with him at The Stables Wavendon near Milton Keynes. Unfortunately they operate a strict zero tolerance on photography, hence no photos except the one afterwards.

Elbow Operation

Friday 16th March

Thankfully the infection is back under control and coming out of hospital. I have been fitted with a removable cast that with velcro can be used easily. Got to get plenty of rest and keep taking the antibiotics.

Many thanks to all the wonderful staff at Three Shires Hospital Northampton who really looked after me!

The spreading infection after being re-admitted to hospital.


Infection

Monday 12th March

It was all going so well until I went back to work...
By lunchtime I was in a lot of pain and the elbow was swelling up like nobody's business. There was a powerful burning sensation and the whole arm was going redder by the minute. Went back to the hospital and the Doctor prescribed strong antibiotics which unfortunately had little or no impact.

Tuesday 13th March

Back to see the Specialist Mr Jepson who took one look and decided to admit me straight away to hospital for 2-3 days. I was put on a drip and given high dosages of antibiotics every 6 hours to fight the infection.

After the op I felt quite rough so they decided to keep me in overnight to be on the safe side. Probably not a bad thing as I had no feeling in my left hand and due to the painkillers was very sleepy.

Did have a fright when I woke in the early hours to find 'Kathy Bates' nursing me , thankfully it was just a lookalike.

Home after the op and looking a little pale.



Typically the swelling that had been a constant companion on my elbow for months decided to disapear the day before hospitalisation.

Under the care of Mr Alistair Jepson MB ChB FRCS (Tr & Orth)I was booked in for an excisionof olecranon bursa and debridement of degenerate triceps (including calcific deposit) left elbow - general combined with regional anaesthetic. I hope that clears things up for anyone who was curious.

Shinedown -HMV Institute Birmingham

Full Set List

• Sound of Madness
• Enemies
• Devour
• If You Only Knew
• Cyanide
• Adrenaline
• Save Me
• Crow
• Diamond Eyes
• 45

Encore

• Bully
• Superman
• Second Chance
• Fly
  

Shinedown really are a band going places judged on this performance. The reception they got was amazing and Brent was clearly touched by the adulation. In fact he said abiut the UK Tour ' we haven't stopped smiling since we've been here'. He reaaly does seem like a genuine guy who has conquered his own demons and appreaches life.

Highlights for me were 'Save me', Simple Man and' 'Second Chance'.



Brent Smith



Acoustic version of the wonderful Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Simple Man'.

Zach Myers

The new album 'Amaryllis' is due for release in March 2012 and we had 3 tracks performed; 'Enemies', 'Adrenaline' and 'Bully'.



Formed in 2001 Shinedown originate out of Jacksonville Florida.
Ater a couple of line-up changes the band's current line-up consists of Brent Smith (vocals)and Barry Kerch (drums), the band's only two remaining original members, with guitarist Zach Myers and bassist and pianist Eric Bass. They are probably best known for the single 'Second Chance'. The second single off The Sound of Madness (their 3rd studio album). It is Shinedown's biggest hit to date, being their first top 10 song on the Billboard Hot 100. "Second Chance" has since gone double platinum. Ironically for the song "that broke into everything", it was one the band hated when they first wrote it



Lizzy Hale



Last night of the Shinedown tour and a rammed to the rafters HMV. Great to catch up with Ali and Jamie again in the ever expanding queue that trailed into the distance beyond.

Support was provided by fellow Americans Halestorm' from somewhere called 'Red Lion'Pennsylvania. Brother and sister Arejay and Lizzy Hale make up half the group with Lizzy providing vocals and playing a mean Gibson Guitar.

Amsterdam - Canals

Interesting use of empty wine bottles!



Marinas Houseboat




With more than 100 kilometers of canals, 90 islands and 1500 bridges it's not surprising they call Amsterdam the 'Venice of the north'. The 3 main canals are the; Herengracht, Prinsengracht and the Keizersgracht canal. They were dug out in the 17th century as part of city planning due to over immigration 'The Dutch golden age'.

New Year Walk

The Windmill at Napton built around 1835 is now derelict but in decent condition.





Our walk took us canalside to the village of Napton and in particular 'The Folly Public House'. A warming log fire and 2 pints of 'Old Hookey Ale' went down very well indeed. The highlight on the way back was spotting a beautiful Peregrine Falcon perched in a bush by the canal before taking flight.



Yours truly enjoying the sun breaking through.





It is quite unusual to see Mistletoe growing wild. It actually grows on a wide variety of host trees. All mistletoes are hemi-parasites, bearing evergreen leaves and using the host tree for water and mineral nutrients. The Mistletoe actually first sprouts fron bird droppings !



Quite a chilly start before the sun broke through and we had some lovely blue skies.





The small Church in the grounds of Shucklburgh Hall that only hold services on rare occasions.



Immediately we had a steep climb that afforded wonderful views over open countryside. These cannons were at the top of the steepest part of the hill in the grounds of Shuckburgh Hall.




Our first walk of the year took us just over the County border into East Warwickshire. We left the car outside church of St John the Baptist in Lower Shuckburgh, which dates from 1864 and is built in Gothic style.
The village lies on the A425 road between Southam and Daventry. Just north of the village is the Oxford Canal.

Ken Dodd - Wolverhampton Civic

How tickled I was on 18th December 2011, I went to see Ken Dodd's Christmas Happiness Show in Wolverhampton. The show started at 7.00pm and ended at 12.30 AM which is quite normal for his performances! In fact I think we got let out early for good behaviour.

Kenneth Arthur Dodd was born in Knotty Ash, a village just outside Liverpool, on November 8, 1927, to coal merchant Arthur Dodd and his wife Sarah. Ken still lives in the same house in Knotty Ash today!
If I see you sneaking out I'll follow you home and shout jokes through your letterbox he warns us! But it is already half past midnight the moment has come and launches into a parting burst of one of his old hits, Absent Friends. It's shamelessly sentimental. And he does it brilliantly getting a standing ovation and there is the feeling that he could go on and on.



It's amazing to think that this guy is in his mid 80's has absolutely no intention of retiring - or even slowing down. Maybe the most amazing thing of all is there has not been one obscenity and a packed audience loved every minute. His late finishes were a constant theme, illustrated when he produced his own thermos flask and sandwich box. Catching someone looking at their watch he said it's no good looking at your watch , its a calendar you need when you come and see me.
"She was a big girl," he reflects fondly of his first girlfriend. "You could tickle her all night and never touch the same spot." Impeccable timing and a constant bombardment of gags without stopping to pause.
He genuinely loves every minute on stage - "I'm stagestruck, always have been" - and cannot envisage life any other way. "Retirement is when a man stops doing what he doesn't want to do."

Part of Ken Dodd's act were The Diddy Men of Knotty Ash ('diddy' is northern England slang for 'little'). In fact, he created a whole community of these characters. The Diddy Men, including Mick the Marmalizer, Hamish McDiddy and Dicky Mint, all worked in places like the Broken Biscuit Repair Works, The Jam Butty Mines, The Treacle Wells and The Moggy Ranch, all in Knotty Ash. They wore colourful clothes and tall, furry hats and they even had thair own song! In his stage shows today, Ken Dodd uses a ventriloquist's puppet of as part of his act.


Ken Dodd had a good singing voice and regularly had songs like Love Is Like a Violin and Happiness in the charts. At one time in 1965, he had two songs in the same 'Top Ten'! Tears went straight it at No.1 with The River entering the charts at No.3. Tears sold over two million copies, gaining Doddy two gold disc awards. He is still Britain's only million-selling comedian.
In his furry red "moggy coat"

In 1967, Dodd entered the Guinness Book of Records for the 'Longest Joke-Telling' session, with 1,500 consecutive jokes told to a Liverpool audience, in three and a half hours. There were times when I had the feeling that Ken was going for a new world record as the jokes came thick and fast.

A Ken Dodd 'trade mark' is his feather duster or 'tickling stick'. In fact many of his catchphrases use the 'tickled' idea - as in 'How tickled I am'.

Marillion - HMV Institute Birmingham

Full Set List



A lovely souvenir of the night - Thank You Stephanie!


The encores were equally impressive starting with 'The Invisible Man'from the excellent Marbles album. Then we had a surprise! 'h' said 'we are now going to play you a hit single' and we were treated to a rousing rendition of Kayleigh. Wellit was nearly Christmas after all and a rarity from a modern day Marillion set list for sure. The evening finished with Three Minute Boy.

Fans I spoke to said they had never seen 'h' sing with such intensity- A brilliant night.



The set continued some classic songs including King, Man of 1000 Faces, This Strange Engine and finishing with my altime favourites Afraid of Sunlight and the Neverland. What more could you possibly ask for?



Pete Trevawas joined Marillion in 1982 and also is a member of Progressive Rock supergroup Transatlantic.

Pete Trevawas



The set continued with 'Cover my eyes' and the wonderful and emotive 'King'.

Mark Kelly joined the band in 1981, replacing previous keyboardist Brian Jelliman.

Mark Kelly


Steve Rothery is the only member of Marillion's founding lineup who remains in the band to this day and is regarded by many fans of the band as providing their defining sound of Marillion. He is heavily influenced by Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd and named Jeff Beck as his favourite guitarist.

Steve Rothery




Marillion opened up with 'Splintering Heart' from the 'Holidays in Eden' album which has a wonderful beat and showcases the emotional power of h's vocals.

Steve 'h' Hogarth


Before Marillion we had Tin Spirits.Formed in 2008 they included former XTC guitarist for some 20 years Dave Gregory. They played a couple of their own songs as well as some covers including a very impressive version of 'Tom Sawyer' by RUSH. Also as you might expect a version of XTC's 'Senses working overtime' from 1982.

Dave Gregory




Brilliant to see Marillion again who constantly keeping evolving yet remain below the radar for most people. Having said that there is an amzingly loyal and knowledgable army of fans who follow the band. It is very hard to actually pinpoint their genre of music; progressive rock possibly is the closest but there is so much more to them. In Steve Hogarth (h) you get amazing vocals, rich with power and passion. Wonderful guitar artistry from Steve Rothery. A rhythm section (Pete Trewavas on bass and Ian Mosley on drums) was really strong complementing the guitar and vocals well. Keyboard wizardy provided as always by Mark kelly.
There is a previous Marillion review in the blog archive July 2010.