Marc Almond at the Roundhouse - Live Review

Marc Almond Live at The Roundhouse, 1st November 2009



Marc Almond is one of the most complex artists I follow. He juggles countless styles and influences, and can provide an almost infinite amount of completely different live shows. I've been seeing him live for 25 years now, and STILL, I can't second guess what kind of set-list I will see that night! The rule of thumb tends to be that at the small, intimate, atmospheric venues (Wiltons Music Hall, Almeida, Union Chapel etc) he'll do an intense 'torch singer' style set, with stripped down accompaniment of just keyboards and\or guitar. These shows will be full of what Marc does best, dramatic songs of doom and gloom, where every silver lining has a cloud! At the bigger venues (Palladium, Shepherds Bush Empire, Royal Festival Hall etc) there tends to be a slant towards some of his more up-tempo material (although still not necessarily the 'hits' that some may be expecting), backed by a much fuller band. He'll usually still have a segment of a few slower torch songs at some point during these shows though.

If I had to pick my favourite type of Almond show it would have to be the intense, small venues. A two hour set seems to fly by, and I spend much of that time with shivers down the spine and goosebumps, as Marc holds you completely captivated. It is not uncommon for him to sing completely acapella at some point during these shows, and he will even walk through the crowd singing without a microphone. There is so much respect for the man that not a single person attempts to 'grab' at their idol, and you can hear a pin drop during the quiet moments. Tonight though, we're at the Roundhouse in Camden, so although I'd never dare try to guess the setlist, I at least assume we are in for a more lively affair (especially as this is predominantly a standing venue).


As a gig-goer for more than 25 years, I can't quite believe that I've never been to a show at the Roundhouse before. It's a very unique building, built in 1846 as a turning circle\turntable train shed. It soon became redundant though, and by 1867 it was mothballed.... and it remained so for almost the next 100 years! In 1964 it was turned into an arts venue, and played host to such legends as David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. It closed its doors again in 1983 (ironically, the year I started going to gigs in London), and lay dormant once more, until it was reinstated as a venue in 1996. Since then (bar a closure for a couple of years between 2004 and 2006) it has become a favourite venue on many gig-goers schedules.

Marc takes to the stage with a huge ovation, and he seems genuinely touched by the welcome. The show starts with the uplifting 'Glorious' and is followed up with the Marc and The Mambas track 'Untitled'. Despite his on-going health issues, Marc seems to have the energy of a man half his age (I still can't believe he is in his 50's now!), and his voice seems to just get better and better. He has a full band with him tonight including an excellent 3-girl brass section, and the always welcome accompaniment of Gini Ball and Anne Stephenson (both original members of Marc and the Mambas) on violin. Very quickly though, many of the band leave the stage, to enable Marc to do a selection of his more intense, stripped down songs. Various members come back from time to time to provide backing for the odd number here and there, but it seems to be a rarity when all members are on stage at the same time. As much as I love Marc's torch songs, I couldn't help but feel he missed a trick tonight, as:

a) when you've assembled a fabulous backing band complete with brass section, it seems almost churlish to not use them as much as possible, and select songs which they can all be involved in; and

b) there is always a 'mixed' crowd at the bigger shows. Unlike the 'hardcore' fans who attend all the intimate gigs, I got a real feeling that there were a lot of casual fans in tonight, no doubt looking for a few memories from the past.

The 'heaviness' of what turned out to be a very extended slow section seemed to switch off and alienate a fair number of the crowd. This set would have gone down a storm at say Wiltons Music Hall, but unlike there, where you can hear a pin drop in the quiet moments of the songs, tonight all I can hear is very loud chattering and the noise of the bar. Personally I love this material, but I'm just not sure it worked in this venue, and to continue with it for such a long period of time comes across as a little self indulgent. The intensity and drama of the songs seems to get lost a little in the size of the venue, and the momentum of the show loses its way somewhat... leaving a 'stand-up' audience with little to stand-up for. By the time Marc finally upped the tempo of the set again, for an absolutely rousing rendition of 'Tears Run Rings', I fear it was all too late for some of the audience, who had switched off by this point. He followed 'Tears Run Rings' with just about the best version of 'Jacky' I've ever seen him do. This was followed by.... erm, "thank you and goodnight" Doh! He returned for a few encores, including a beautiful and emotional 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye', which finally gave the crowd something to sing along with.

I've been following Marc long enough to know that he never panders to anyone, and his set lists are always exactly what he wants to perform. This is a healthy attitude for an artist who is still interested in progressing his career rather than resting on his laurels, and it also ensures for an interesting evening when he performs live. However, at times, I really think he should have a think about the venue he is performing in and the audience that is likely to attend. If he doesn't, then there is really little point in specifically choosing to play these big and small venues.

I have to say that I genuinely loved this show! and I always find the quirky set list much more enjoyable than perhaps hearing more obvious songs. But I couldn't help also viewing it from a more neutral standpoint too, and just felt that tonight's set list which included a large selection of Russian folk songs, unreleased self-penned songs aqnd obscure cover versions (including lesser known Bowie and Bolan songs and tracks by Baby Dee, Richard Thompson and even Aleister Crowley!) was probably not a big people pleaser, and probably did little to win over any potential new fans. Yes there was the odd 'classic' ('Only The Moment', 'Mother Fist', 'Torment' 'Tears Run Rings' 'Jacky' 'Say Hello Wave Goodbye') but I fear not enough of them in a two hour show to be bringing some of tonight's crowd back out for another outing. I took a friend along who although a longtime Marc fan, is very definitely a casual one, and he found the evening way too heavy. I also heard several people in the crowd as we filed out saying they thought it was a bit flat. A case of 'horses for courses' perhaps?

Piley

Here's that 'Say Hello Wave Goodbye'



See my review of Marc Almond at Wiltons Music Hall in 2008 here

Now he is Two!

Can it really be a year since this post?! It seems impossible, but yes, Tommy turned two last week (the picture on the left was taken on his birthday). I was impressed with his progress in year one, but year two has been incredible!! This time last year he was crawling around the place, but now, although a dab hand at the 'ol walking lark, Tommy insists on RUNNING everywhere! This wee lad is a constant blur, and his journey from the front room to the kitchen has recently been clocked at almost 18MPH!!! He's a natural at stairs as well now, which is handy, as he has to climb a fair few of them to get to his bedroom.

For his birthday we went for a long walk along an amazingly sunny and warm (for the time of year) Southend seafront... which he loved! This was topped off with a visit to the Sealife Centre... which he hated! The first sight of a slippery old fish had him screaming, and he didn't let up! We are currently nervously waiting to see if we've broken the world record for 'Shorted amount of time spent in a Sealife Centre', and are really hoping that our total of ten minutes will be enough to win us that coveted prize. Yes sir, ten minutes!! And that was literally just the length of time to walk from the entrance to the exit carrying a screaming kid! Even a brief stop off at the Clown Fish to point out "hey look Nemo" did nothing to cheer him up! The moment we got outside he was fine again... one of the best sixteen quids I've ever spent!

But the above episode is actually very uncharacteristic of the boy, and as a rule he's a very happy, smiley, funny fella, and an absolute joy to be with.... Happy Birthday Son.

(Actually, he's still only 1 in these two pictures - taken back in August, but I really like em!!)

Piley

Sparks - The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman

A few weeks back I added myself to the already heavily oversubscribed BBC 'hat' that was to pluck 100 pairs of tickets to be present at the UK premier play of the new Sparks album - The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman. The event was to be recorded for BBC 6 Music (for Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone), and would be topped off by an extensive interview with Ron and Russell Mael. I never really expected to hear any more, but on 23rd October I got an e-mail with two e-tickets attached!

This project was initially instigated by Swedish national radio, who approached the brothers and asked them to write a radio musical for them. After mulling through a number of ideas ('Ikea the Musical' Russell will joke later tonight!) they settled on a piece centred around Ingmar Bergman. Unsurprisingly, the resulting piece was mostly (all?) in Swedish, but they have now created an English version to be released in November.

So last Wednesday (28th October) I wandered up to the BBC Radio Theatre at Portland Place in London for the unveiling of this curious project. Having finally made it through the Beeb's Heathrow-esque security - they even made me remove my belt!! - we were ushered into the small theatre, where a small booklet was awaiting each audience member, providing more details on the project and that all important track listing. A large screen with a striking black and white image of Bergman was the centre piece of the auditorium, and below it were three chairs ready for the interview. Stuart Maconie welcomed us all, and after all the obligatory 'domestics' about fire alarms and what to do if you feel unwell, it was quickly on to the inaugural play of the album.

I have to say it was an odd experience sitting in a theatre just listening to audio... I'm not sure I've ever been in that situation before. It was quite weird actually, and whilst my ears were happily enjoying the sounds, my eyes were demanding some stimulation too!! But what do you do whilst penned into a seat with nowhere to go and nothing to see? Well I did what any self respecting nosey parker would do... I 'people watched' for a full 65 minutes!! and what an interesting array of people there was to watch too! My only wish is that I Should Be Working had picked up a couple of tickets too, as she would have captured it in words so much better than me! but for the record, here are just some of the people who kept my eyes entertained...

1) Just in front of me was 'Mr Analyst'. A young lad who seemed desperate to show everyone that he was obviously enjoying the play back much more than anyone else... Now me, I can listen to music without changing the appearance of my face... it's a gift from god I guess. But Mr Analyst, had a smug, Robbie Williams style smirk on his face for much of the hour, combined with inquisitive rolls of the eyes that said "yes, yes, I completely get this album.... ahh yes, I see what you've done there, very good, verrrry good...". He combined this face with a sagely nod of the head at convenient intervals, as if to provide Ron n Russ with confirmation of his approval. Phhewwww! I bet they were sweating on that one! Mr Analyst also laughed at every piece of spoken dialogue... regardless of whether it was funny or not! Again, it was if he was implying that he understood this album SOOOO much more than the rest of us plebs.

2) 'Mr and Mrs Weak Bladder' had rather handily managed to bags themselves second row seats. However I'd imagine a good half of this album is still unheard to them, and they were continually popping in and out of the theatre to go to the lav. At one point it was like a flippin' relay race, as one returned only to relieve (pun not intended) the other.

3) In the row behind me were a couple who particularly intrigued me... 'Mr and Mrs we go to anything that we can get free tickets for'. It seemed obvious that Mr and Mrs WGTATWCGFTF had no idea who Sparks were, or what this album was all about. This could easily be deduced by the pained 'I no understand' look on their faces for the whole hour, and the blank looks into each others faces. Or perhaps they were just hoping for a rendition of 'This Town Ain't Big Enough' to make it all worthwhile...

4) In the row directly in front of me was 'Mrs well it's warm and dry, so i reckon I can get an hours kip in here'. She seemed to be able to fall asleep almost on cue, and was away within the first few bars... not regaining consciousness until well into the interview!

5) But as always, I managed to find the most annoying person much closer... yes, sitting right next to me was Mr sneezy-fuck. He spent the whole evening sniffing and then sneezing into his open hands followed by an audible "ohhhhh", as if I were to feel sorry for him. I've seen those Swine Flu ads, this bastard was spraying over everyone. I could actually see the particles of his snotty excretion flying through the air and landing on me. A few Paddington 'hard stares' were put into action, but to no avail.

But I digress... So what was the album like I hear you cry?? Well, it was different!! a real departure from any of their previous 21 albums, yet at the same time, it was so very 'Sparks' too. The brothers have had a real revival in the 2000's thanks to the recent trilogy of albums they have put out (Lil' Beethoven, Hello Young Lovers and last year’s Exotic Creatures of The Deep). This new album has nods to all three of those albums... the orchestral pomp and arrangement, the flip from rock to pop to classical (and back again!), and of course, that unmistakable Mael sense of humour! Yet it was also like nothing I've heard them do before too... 24 tracks, many instrumental, fusing dialogue, music and song to tell a proper story from start to finish.

The story starts at the 1956 Cannes film festival, where Bergman is picking up an award for his film 'Smiles of a Summer Night'. We then follow the director being tempted by the lure of Hollywood. On arrival in tinsel town he is welcomed by Fritz Lang and Alfred Hitchcock ("Alfred Hitchcock, bless his soul, there chomping on a dinner roll, The Man Who Knew Too Much done twice, in Hollywood, done twice as nice"), but Bergman soon realises that the whole place is corrupt, and it's not long before he is somehow captured inside his own film and his life becomes in very real danger. As the plot twists and turns, it provides the Maels with an opportunity to really play with different sounds and styles - especially when Bergman is 'locked' inside the film, enabling them to tip their hat to the 'sounds' of other directors and film scorers. After a few hairy moments, Bergman eventually escapes... with the aid of Greta Garbo!

This 24 track masterpiece was a lot to take in in one go. I can see it's going to take several plays to fully appreciate, but I think the boys may well have done it again!

Maconie quickly introduces Ron and Russell to the very appreciative audience (well, apart from Mr and Mrs WGTATWCGFTF, who display the facial expressions reminiscent of two cartoon characters, stuck together with glue who have just discovered a hand-grenade attached to their person).

We are then treated to an hours of conversation where Sparks talk in depth about the album and take questions from the audience. The brothers say they were really inspired by this project. Having release 21 albums, it was interesting for them to create something different, something that didn't revolve around 10 or 12 'pop' songs, all lasting 3 or 4 minutes. They tell us that The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman has allowed them to explore 'pop' in a different form. Russell says that the idea of producing a musical radio drama really appealed to them, as in America the radio play is all but dead, which he feels is a travesty. Both Ron and Russell are genuinely grateful to BBC 6 Music for playing the album in its entirety. They say it is something that has to be heard as a whole to understand\appreciate, and doesn't really work when a station says "we'll play track 7 for you". Someone asks if the plays is based on any fact! They reply "well... he did get that award at Cannes"!! The quote of the night though has to be given to Ron. A question from the audience asked the brothers if they were fans of 'musicals' in general, and if so, which ones. After much 'ummming and arrrring' Russell mentions an arty musical whose name escapes me. Ron then says something like "this is going to sound weird coming from Sparks, but I'm not really a fan of 'camp', and I don't really like musicals"!! Not a fan of camp indeed!! It's my lasting memory of the night! Genius!

Throughout the interview, BBC employees were places at regular intervals down the isles to ensure no photographs were taken. I was much too scared to break the rules, but the moment recording finished, I decided to try and snap a crafty one... my reasoning being that they could throw me out now if they wanted as I've seen and heard it all!! The results were a little shaky I'm afraid due to the haste in which they were taken. But for what it's worth, here are the two shots I took:

The show is to be broadcast this Sunday, 8th November on 6 Music between 5.30pm and 8.00pm.

SPARKS RELATED LINKS:

If you are all buzzed up on Sparks with nowhere to go, why not check out some of these Mael related bits and bobs?

My review of the Exotic Creatures Of The Deep and No. 1 In Heaven live show is here complete with exclusive professional photos.

My review of the Propaganda live show here complete with exclusive professional photos.

My review of the Hello Young Lovers live show with exclusive professional photos is here.

Download or listen to the full 22 minute interview that Sparks gave Simon Mayo to promote 21x21 here

See my Introducing Sparks article here, containing exclusive comments from Ron and Russell Mael!

My exclusive interview with ex-Sparks member Martin Gordon is here and here

My interview with indie popsters Silvery is here, and there's plenty of Sparks related chat!

Visit the official Sparks website here

Visit the official Sparks MySpace Page here

Oh, and finally, why no take a look at this fabulous performance of 'Get In The Swing' on Top Of The Pops from 1975.... these boys INVENTED camp!!



Piley

Podrophenia - Show 5... Halloween Special!

Why not celebrate Halloween in style with the official Piley and Mondo Podrophenia podcast??!

For this show only we've suspended the usual features and 'ol nonsense to bring you some scary tales and creepy anecdotes from both the recent and distant past. A number of our , much of which are local tales..... like this one for example:

and just what went on at this place in the 1300's??

and what self respecting kid of the 70's could resist collecting these??!

All this plus 10 super spooky toons that'll take you to hell and back.... You can listen to the Podcast right here:



Or follow the link below to download and listen at your convenience:
Podrophenia Show 5

Piley

If I Knew You Were Coming I'da Baked a Tape...

Some of you may remember this post back in July... My dads sister-in-law had been clearing out her loft ready to move house and unearthed two old reel-to-reel tapes marked 'Mick and Don', which had been up there for over 40 years . Mick and Don were my dads youngest brothers (twins), who in the 50's were a duo who used to perform as The Essex Brothers. Well I did a bit of research after that, and found out that due to the age of these tapes, they would need 'baking' before they could be played. The tapes deteriorate over the years because of a breakdown in the glue that holds the oxide particles on to the actual tape itself. Attempting to play the tapes without this could result in the oxide falling off as the tape is played, and your recordings will be lost forever. Baking the tape temporarily restores the tape so that it can be safely copied to another source.

I spoke to a company in East Acton called FX Rentals who specialise in this sort of work (they were recently given the task of transferring a newly discovered Beatles acetate). They told me they would bake the tapes for a day or two, and then play them to see what (if anything) was on them. Retrieval of any music would be £50 per hour (per hour of music, not per hour of work... it could take them many hours to restore an hours worth of music, but it will still only cost £50).

On Tuesday this week I finally managed to take that hike over to East Acton to deliver the tapes and chat to the guys there about the process. They said they would ring me as soon as they had prepared and played the tapes. Well, yesterday afternoon I got a call saying that everything had gone well and they had found two and a half hours of recordings across the two tapes!!! I've asked them to go ahead and retrieve it all, and they should be ready next week.

I'm dead chuffed that there were some recordings of my late uncles on these tapes after all those years, and I can't wait to hear them. My dad sounded really excited when I told him too. I'll keep you posted.

Piley

TRUEly BLOODy Brilliant!!

Over the years I've been a sucker for many of those American big budget, slick multi-part continuing series... 24, The Wire, Heroes, Dexter, The Mentalist and Prison Break are just some of the titles that have come and gone at Piley Towers over the years. However these days I'm reluctant to get drawn in, with the addition of Piley Jr, there just doesn't seem to be the time anymore, and I struggle to commit myself to 24 or 26 hour long episodes season after season. I'm still saddled with LOST which is absolute pants now. The trouble is, having invested so much time into it (to date, 103 hours that I'll not be getting back), that I've got to see it through now to the conclusion... just to find out if there really is an ending or it was just 6 series of absolute bollocks. LOST has become a real millstone, and with that in mind I kinda promised myself that I wouldn't get involved anymore. But back in the summer I picked up on all the buzz going around about the HBO vampire series True Blood, and rather reluctantly gave it a go. After a slow start (which to be fair was just some great scene setting and character building) this series exploded into without doubt the most enjoyable debut series I've ever seen.... and as an extra bonus it was only 12 episodes long!

I have to say I was a bit sceptical about the whole vampire thing at first, visions of Buffy and countless other 'camp vamps' sprang to mind. But True Blood has adopted a really cool angle... It's set in the fictional town of Bon Temps in Louisiana, where two years ago, thanks to the invention of synthetic blood (called 'Tru Blood' which is sold in all the local bars and convenience stores and comes in delicious 'A', 'B', 'AB' and 'O' flavours!), vampires 'came out of the coffin' and are now trying to integrate in the community alongside the living residents! Some locals have welcomed the vampires, whilst others are very hostile, and want to rid the town of their newly acquired neighbours.

The central vamp is Bill Compton... about as un-vampire a name as you could get!! But I think that's the idea, as apart from the fact he's dead, Bill is a pretty regular guy! As the series goes on you get an insight into his life when he was alive. Born in the early 1800's, he was a citizen of Bon Temps, and fought in the Civil War. You also get to find out how he became a vampire. Bill seems to have an affinity with the humans, and much of the series focuses on his 'on-off' relationship with the leading lady of the show - the telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse. However there are a number of story lines all going on, the most sinister of which is a mysterious trail of murders, which one by one are getting nearer and nearer to Sookie.

There is some lovely attention to detail in the series - one that particularly impressed me was that despite hailing from the same town, vampire Bill's accent is slightly different to the Southern drawl of the humans (as is his vocabulary). Bill is more 'Gone with the Wind' Rhett Butler than anything else... it's never mentioned during the series, but it's a nice touch, and as he hails from the 1800's it's probably spot on too.

It's a really quirky show (and I've intentionally not given away any of the main plots, twists and turns), and is complimented by a great supporting cast. It's got everything to keep you hooked and can switch from dark humour to horror to kinky sex in the flash of a fang!

The oddest thing for me though is the fact that the lead character is an Essex boy! Yup, vampire Bill, or rather Stephen Moyer, hails from Brentwood in Essex, just 20 odd miles from Piley Towers! "gor blimey it's bleedin' taters in them fackin graveyards today init".... well maybe.

I intended getting this post up a couple of week back before Channel 4 started to show the series (Wednesdays at 10pm, repeated on Fridays around 11pm). But as it turned out I've been feeling rather under the weather the last couple of weeks (hence the lack of posts), and didn't quite make it. Still, if you're not already hooked and you have access to all that 'on demand' malarkey, I'm sure you can catch up if you want to!

Piley

Podrophenia - Show 4... with Special Guests!

Well, once again those good people over at Planet Mondo and I have got together to bring you a new edition of Podrophenia. Our theme for this show is 'Animals' and includes another hour of music and our usual unscripted ramblings.... But this time there is even more! Not one, but TWO special musical guests:

Martin Gordon (Sparks, Jet, Radio Stars, now solo artist); and

Chris Constantinou (Adam and the Ants, now lead singer and bass player in The Wolfmen)

who are both introducing their own animal related songs. Musicwise you'll hear tracks about cats, bunnies, horses, monkeys, birds, elephants and frogs!

Oh and did I mention TWO special guests??!

You can listen to the Podcast right here:



Or follow the link below to download and listen at your convenience:

Podrophenia Show 4

LINKS:

The Official Martin Gordon website

Martin Gordon on MySpace

Buy Martin Gordon CDs at Amazon!

My interview with Martin Gordon can be found here and here

Official Wolfmen Website

Wolfmen on MySpace

The Wolfmen Blog!

Buy Wolfmen CDs at Amazon!

Oh and if you've stumbled onto this podcast for the first time, it's not too late to catch up with our previous shows, all still downloadable from the archives here:

Podrophenia Show 1

Podrophenia Show 2

Podrophenia Show 3

Piley

Dracula and the Sweet Transvestite!

There's obviously something wrong with me y'know... During our 'days out' over the last two and a bit weeks, we took in a visit to Windsor. It's undoubtedly a very picturesque place, but a bit heavy on the tourist trappings for my liking (is there ANY shop in Windsor whose name doesn't start with "Ye Olde..." and end with ".. Shoppe"??!). It's a nice place to visit, but if I'm honest it left me a little uninspired. Even the castle only got a casual glance from me as we walked past (and I'm buggered if I'm paying £15.50 a head to have a look inside). But the building I WAS brimming with excitement about was a hotel in Water Oakley, Bray - a short 10 minute drive out of town. A fascinating building which became an unlikely film star back in the 50's 60's and 70's.

Oakley Court is a very posh (and very nice) hotel these days, but it wasn't always the case.... This wonderful neo-Gothic mansion was built in 1859 for Sir Richard Hall Say, in the style of a French Chateau (the story goes that it was to comfort his homesick French wife). It changed hands a number of times during the late 1800's and early 1900's, until in 1919, Ernest Olivier bought it for £27,000. It remained with Olivier for almost half a century. But an interesting twist still awaited Oakley Court as it approached its 100th birthday...

In 1951 Hammer Film Productions were looking for a new location to base their organisation. They eventually purchased the derelict Down Place, in Water Oakley, Bray (next door to Oakley Court). This was a dream location for Hammer, and the exquisite architecture of the building enabled them to avoid building many costly film sets. By 1952, Hammer had started work on enlarging Down Place, and turned it into Bray Studios, which is still there today (although Hammer sold it in 1970). However, once Hammer were located in Bray, they couldn't help but notice the beauty of their next door neighbour, the Victorian Oakley Court, and Olivier even allowed them to use it for some of their films on occasions.

In 1965, Earnest Olivier died, leaving Oakley Court uninhabited. Hammer had already used just about every possible angle of Down Place in their films over the last 14 years, so from 1965 they took the opportunity to start using the now empty mansion. Incredibly, Oakley Court was the setting for over 200 films (particularly Hammers lucrative 'horror' series).... here's just a few titles that feature the building....

The Curse of Frankenstein starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee (1957)
The Lady Craved Excitement starring Sid James (1959)
The Old Dark House starring Robert Morley, Joyce Grenfell and Fenella Fielding (1966)
The Reptile starring Noel Willman and John Laurie (1966)
The Plague of the Zombies starring Andre Morell (1966)
Half a Sixpence starring Tommy Steele (1967)
Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly starring Vasnessa Howard (1970)
The House In Nightmare Park starring Ray Milland and Frankie Howard (1973)
Vampyres starring Marianne Morris (1974)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show starring Tim Curry and Richard O'Brien (1975)
Murder by Death starring Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness, David Niven and Peter Faulk (1976)

It was also the setting for the 9 Hammer Dracula films:

Dracula starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing (1958)
The Brides of Dracula starring Christopher Lee (1960)
Dracula: Prince of Darkness starring Christopher Lee (1966)
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave starring Christopher Lee (1968)
Taste the Blood of Dracula starring Christopher Lee (1969)
Scars of Dracula starring Christopher Lee and Dennis Waterman (1970)
Dracula AD 1972 starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing (1972)
The Satanic Rites of Dracula starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing (1973)
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires starring Peter Cushing (1974)

(screenshot from The Brides of Dracula)

When these Dracula films were made at Oakley Court, the directors used to obtain an extra creepy effect by using only candles to light the entire building.

(screenshot from The House in Nightmare Park)

Despite being a very successful film star, nobody was looking after the upkeep of the building and by the time the time the Rocky Horror Picture Show was being filmed, Oakley Court was derelict. Cast and crew were constantly working around strategically placed buckets catching the rain that was pouring through many holes in the roof (apparently just about everyone involved in the film caught a cold whilst there!). The floors too were rotten and dangerous.

In 1979 renovation work commenced at Oakley Court, and in November 1981, it opened its doors as the hotel it is today... back to its former splendour!

I'm quite a fan of the Hammer Horror films... in the late 70's (maybe it was the early 80's) BBC2 used to show a double feature of them every Saturday night.... and it always insured I went to bed feeling very uneasy! However it's the Rocky Horror Picture Show that really does it for me on this one. I used to be crazy about that film in the mid to late 80's. No idea how many times I watched the thing, but it could well be into three figures! For a few years a local cinema used to run it every few weeks as a late night special on a Friday night, and I'd always try to make it. Then when I finally got hold of my own copy on VHS video it was never out of the machine! So discovering that Oakley Court was none other than the lair of Frank-N-Furter was something of a revelation!

(screenshots from the Rocky Horror Picture Show)

All of the exterior shots in the film (including the scene at the front door) are Oakley Court (although there is an odd mish-mash of front and back shots, all pretending to be the front!), but some of the interior ones are too... All the scenes that take place in the hallway are Oakley Court (and the exact same stairs and banister remain to this day). And the scene where they all sit down to dinner (which turns out to be the remains of Eddie!) was filmed in a room off of the hallway. Oh and it could be a coincidence (I like to think of it as a nice touch) but there is now a grandfather clock in the hallway in exactly the same position as the one in the film!

It's well worth a visit, the staff are very friendly, and don't have a problem with you taking a few photos.... so set your Sat Navs to the following if you are ever that way (£15.50 cheaper than Windsor Castle too!):

The Oakley Court
Windsor Road, Water Oakley
Windsor, SL4 5UR

Piley

The Book Lover...

I've been on 'holibobs' for the last two weeks. No going away as such, just days out, and some jobs around the house. Yesterday though I did something that made me really sad....

Some of you may know that I have eye problems... but I'm new to this game, take me back 18 months and I had some pretty good peepers all considering, and only a very light prescription for reading. I'd known I had a cataract in my left eye for a few years, it was causing me more and more frequent headaches and migraines but the vision in it was still good. But in 2007 my optician recommended (in hindsight, very poorly) I should get it done. I had a referral to the hospital, a couple of appointments, and then the op. Since then I've never really been able to see properly out of my left eye. If you don't know (and it's worth remembering in case you ever need to), when you have a cataract done, they take away your lens and replace it with a plastic one. The plastic lens is set at a 'FIXED' focus. The snazzy 'zoom' feature, that you always took for granted (and didn't know was there anyway) is no longer.... you know the one, the thing that means you can focus on that mountain way over there, the river just ahead of you, and the book in your hand, all at the same time. With a plastic lens, just ONE of those will be in focus.... well, if you're lucky. I wasn't and all 3 are now out of focus in my left eye. Long vision is the least bad, but it's still 'out'... close up and reading there is nothing there at all... hold a magazine or book up to me, and all I'll see in my left eye will be a white squarish blur (no lines, let alone words). The vision in my two eyes is now wildly different, and the two eyes do not operate as a team any more... in fact, it gives a very disorienting 'combined' picture.

I've spent pretty much the last 18 months desperately trying to improve it, I've been to countless specialists (including Moorfields Eye Hospital), but, to put it bluntly, I'm fucked. I was very badly advised. Old people have this op done every day, and are up and running again within 24 hours. But by the time you are 60+ the muscles in your eye are pretty much dead, and the replacement of the lens causes minimal discomfort, and usually an improvement in sight. My eye muscles were strong, and as such I was in excruciating pain for over a month after the op, and because the eye behind my lens was so strong and healthy (there was nothing at all wrong with my eye itself, just the lens), my sight went, in one day, from that of a 40 year old to that of an average 80 year old. It has since been explained to me like this.... If you had a million pound camera, and put a lens on it that you bought from the pound shop, your pictures will still be shit. Sure, the cataract would have got me in the end, but maybe I could have got another 5, 10, maybe 15 years out of it before it really needed doing (and my eye and eye muscles would have deteriorated accordingly too).... I'm sure I would have been able to enjoy my sons early life more too (he was 3 months old when I had it done). Of course hindsight is a wonderful thing, and none of these little pearls of wisdom and caution were given to me BEFORE the op.... just wise words after.

I now own SIX different pairs of glasses, and during a day will wear them all at some point. I also wear contacts every other day, but still have to use at least another two pairs of glasses on top of the contacts during the day. What's more annoying is that my right eye is still so good, it doesn't even NEED correction... but because of the way glasses work, and the unwanted 'magnification' they give off, I have to subject my good eye to the same prescriptions regardless to match the picture. My vision gets worse in the evenings and also in the winter, when there is no natural lighting... in fact, sometimes in the evening none of my 6 pairs of glasses even work. In short, this 15 minute operation has taken much of the fun out of life, and things you never even used to think about have become a chore, whilst other things are now so much effort, that all 'enjoyment' is gone.

I have been a book lover since I was a small child. I've always been fascinated with them, and can think of little else to top the joy of sitting with a good book and a cup of tea next to the open fire (yes, we do have one!)... but the op changed all this... I can't read for very long now, much beyond 30 minutes will have my eyes aching, and the vision starts to deteriorate further. Books with small print in I can't read at all, as even with glasses on it'll set off eyestrain and pain within minutes. Computers are copeable, as I can change the screen resolution, but regrettably you can't do the same with the printed word.

But becoming bad-sighted overnight does not immediately change how you think. I've always been a bugger in a bookshop, and can come out with 4 or 5 titles in a visit. And I'm still programmed to do it, I can't stop myself, I genuinely love books "ohh that looks interesting, I bet that's fascinating etc etc". It take a few minutes to buy 5 books, but how long to read em these days??

My book cupboards and book shelves have been overflowing with books I've bought and not read. Some were bought before the op, many more were after. I've never quite come to terms with the fact that things will never be the same (and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure that I ever will). It broke my heart to see at all those wonderful tomes that I'll now almost certainly never get round to reading... I mean how many books are left in me now anyway?? It takes me literally months to get through a decent sized paperback. Regrettably, book reading is a hobby that I have now been forced out of.

So earlier in the week I went through them all, and bagged a good 50-60% of em up, and yesterday I distributed them across just about every charity shop in the area (there was way to many to put in one shop, and everyone got at least 3 bags worth!). I've kept a few that I'm determined to get through one day, but I must now try and keep away from bookshops or else another mass of unreads will be acquired.

Hmmm, I appreciate this isn't one of my usual 'jolly' posts, but I guess I'm just not feeling quite as jolly as usual... I'll try harder to be less moany next time I promise!

Piley

Laurel and Hardy's Southend

A few weeks back I did a post on the now defunct Odeon cinema in Southend, and it generated some great comments and discussions. Y'know, it never fails to amaze me the fantastic stories people have locked away in the 'ol brain box. Even more amazing is how you can know someone for so long without some of these gems rising to the surface.... it just needs the right thing to trigger it off. Following on from the Odeon piece, good friend Andy (brother of E. F Rice) came out with a corker of a related story when we were down the pub the other evening, but more on that later....

As a lifelong fan of Laurel and Hardy, I thought it was about time I tried to find out a bit more about their visit to my home town. I've always know they came here, but no more detail than that. I've been researching and writing this for a few weeks, and much like the Odeon piece, it's grown into a bit of an animal! Apologies for the length of this post, but below is everything I have been able to find out about their time spent here, where they stayed and the places they went, all topped off with that great personalised story at the end.

The duo made their first UK theatre tour in July and August 1932, when they were at the height of their film career. Just three months earlier they had filmed and released 'The Music Box'... the one Laurel and Hardy film pretty much everyone remembers, no matter if they are a fan or not (a whole film devoted to the boys trying to deliver a piano up a ridiculously large flight of steps). By the time Stan and Ollie returned to these shores in 1947 they were in their twilight years. They were still making films... just, but they were by no means classics and the glory days were certainly way behind them. They spent pretty much the whole of 47 in the UK (Feb through to Nov), playing to packed houses up and down the country. This included a 6 week run at the London Palladium, which, incredibly was followed by another 4 weeks at the Coliseum in London!

Having made and released what was to be their final film - the unwatchable Atoll K (AKA Utopia) - the pair, now both in their sixties, returned once again in 1952. Again, the best part of a year was spent in the British Isles (Feb to Sept). Stan and Ida Laurel and Ollie and Lucille Hardy travelled by train from London to Southend Central Station on Sunday 3rd August, and on Monday 4th August they began a week long residency at the Odeon cinema in Southend.

Here is a picture of the duo backstage at the Odeon on the 4th August, presenting usherette Eileen Winfield with a 'Courtesy and Service' star!

There were two performances a day at the Odeon (6.30pm and 8.40pm), with an extra matinee (2.30pm) thrown in on the opening day and also on Saturday 9th. Tickets were 5', 3'6 and 2' (25p, 17½p and 10p!). It was very much a variety show, with 7 acts going on before the main event. They were, in order:

The Lonsdale Sisters ('modern' rhythmic dancers)
Lorraine (the singling cartoonist!!)
The Aerial Kenways (highwire\trapeze act)
Archie Elray & Co (ventriloquist act)
The Great Cingalee (silent man of mystery in wonders of the East!)
Jimmy Elliot (animal mimic)
MacKenzie Reid & Dorothy (Scottish accordionists)

So judging by that lot I'd imagine it was a blessed relief when the stars of the show finally appeared on stage!! For their slot, Laurel and Hardy performed a newly written sketch entitled 'A Spot of Trouble'. In the sketch, Stan and Ollie meet at a railway station. They have missed their train, so decide to 'bed down' for the night on a bench (under a sign stating 'no loitering'). A policeman arrives, and threatens to arrest them, unless they are prepared to carry out a staged robbery at the police chiefs house, to enable the policeman to get in his good books.... a predictably chaotic routine ensues!

Here's their entry in the programme:

Not taken in Southend (as far as I know), but here are some photos of Stan and Ollie performing 'A Spot of Trouble' in the UK in 1952:


As with every town they visited, the boys were mobbed everywhere they went, but they were more than happy to spend time with their fans. One girl wrote to Stan whilst they were in Southend to tell him that her surname was the same as his (Jefferson). She got a reply, and an invite to meet the duo! During their week in Southend, a rival theatre (The Regal in Tyler’s Avenue) were running a show featuring 'Burton Lester’s Midgets', and the stars of both theatres met up for a photograph:
Whilst performing in Southend, Laurel and Hardy stayed at the Palace Hotel, the most prestigious hotel in the area - in fact it was the only 5 star hotel on the South East coast at that time. It was a grand Edwardian building directly overlooking the Thames Estuary and Southend Pier, and inside the foyer was a very striking sweeping staircase leading to the upper rooms.

Here are Stan and Ollie standing on the balcony at the Palace Hotel (with what looks to be Southend pier directly behind them):

These two pictures were taken inside the Palace Hotel on Friday 8th August 1952, when a luncheon was laid on in their honour by the Essex Odeon cinema managers:

During the luncheon, Stan and Ollie were asked to present lapel badges to each of the managers:

Whilst staying at The Palace Hotel, Laurel and Hardy visited fortune teller Madame Renee in her booth just below the hotel on Pier Hill. Soon after a signed picture appeared on the wall of her booth which read "To Madame Renee, Many thanks for the excellent reading. Next time we will wash our hands". Stan also managed to meet up with a very old friend whilst stationed on Southend seafront. Stan had worked with Ted Desmond in the theatres before he went to America. It turned out that Ted was now running one of the amusement arcades!

Here's a little background on the place that Stan and Ollie called 'home' for that week in 1953.

The Palace opened in 1904 on the site of the Pier Hill fun-fair, and was originally called the Metropole Hotel. Here it is shortly after opening in 1905 (photo taken from the pier):

Here's a couple of postcards featuring the hotel taken in the early 1900's:

During World War I the hotel temporarily became the Queen Mary Royal Naval Hospital. Here's a couple of pictures taken during that period (1914 - 1918):

The Palace was 'the' hotel during the 20's, 30, 40's and 50's, and was always the favourite choice for any visiting celebrities performing in the town. It still continued to be one of the most popular hotels in the area in the 60's and 70's, although it would appear that the quality of the place was in steady decline by this point. By the mid to late 80's it was being used as a Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) hostel.

Here it is in the late 1980's:
For most of the '2000s' its been empty, but around 2006/07 scaffolding went up (and has been up ever since!) and restoration work started. Here is the last picture I have of the Palace before the scaffolding took over (taken in 2006):

And here it is in 2007:

2008, and still no visible sign of any progress!!:

Despite working a 10 minute walk from it, I don't go down to the seafront that often. However I did wander down last week (for the purposes of this post) only to discover that much of scaffolding is now finally off! I took the photos below, and have to say it's looking very nice indeed... although I was disappointed to see that the words 'The Palace' have now been removed from the frontage.

The whole time the restoration has been going on, it has been unclear what the future holds for the building once complete. One story was that the University of Essex (the ones for whom the Odeon was finally knocked down) want it for halls of residence and a conference centre. another said the developer was 'going it alone' and will reopen it as a high class hotel. The new banner draped over the front of the building last week would seem to confirm the latter, with the news that the opening of the Park Inn Hotel, Restaurant and Conference Centre will be announced soon. A real shame to change the name though after almost 100 years.

Anyway, back to Andy's story (you thought I'd forgotten didn't you??!)... Andy and E.F Rice's grandfather, William Barton (aka Sam), was a professional musician and played double bass in a number of bands from the 40's right through to the 70's. He worked in the music halls, in orchestra's and in cabaret bands, as well as touring with the comedian Arthur Lucan's "Old Mother Reilly" show. In the early 1950's William Barton settled in Southend, as that was where a number of his wife's family had relocated to from London. He carried on as a part time musician, mainly in pubs and clubs around the seafront and at some time in the early fifties began working with keyboard player Sid Uren and drummer Harry Day. For the next twenty odd years they played together as the Sid Uren Trio. They stopped performing as a band in the seventies, but remained the best of friends until William Barton passed away in 1979. Harry remained in contact with the family, and even attended Mrs Barton's funeral in 2005. And it was at this funeral where Andy came to hear Harry's brilliant tale....

Harry Day and William Barton were regular musicians at the Palace Hotel in Southend, and were playing there whilst Laurel and Hardy were performing at the Odeon. After the performance one night, Stan Laurel was relaxing in the Palace Hotel bar listening to the band. Inevitably they got chatting, and during the course of the conversation, Harry Day happens to mention that he and his wife have just had a baby. Stan is genuinely thrilled, and incredibly says that he'd like to meet Harry's wife Rose to congratulate her, and toast the baby's health! Harry says OK, but wonders when they could possibly do it? "how about now" says the enthusiastic Mr Laurel! So without further ado the pair set off for Harry's home in Fairfax Drive, Wescliff. It's getting late by this time, and the sound of the key in the door followed by voices initially brings a luke-warm response from Rose.... "Harry, you brought someone home with you?" she warns.... "erm, yes" comes the rather sheepish reply... "it's Stan Laurel". Rose changed her tune pretty sharpish after that and offered them both a cup of tea, to which Harry replied "we're not here to drink tea". A full bottle of whisky was found and the three of them sat up until the early hours of the morning chatting and drinking! Around 4 or 5 in the morning, Stan said that he should be going and Harry drove Stan back to the Palace hotel (I don't suppose drink driving had been invented back then!!).

This story does odd things to my brain! In my mind there are Laurel and Hardy... and there is also the dowdy back streets of my home town - two completely separate things, and it shouldn't be possible to relate them! I drive to work every single day down Fairfax Drive, where one of my greatest heroes once drove too! Amazing! I must say that since learning of this story, I now think of Stan every morning as I drive to work!

Harry Day died in September 2006, and right up to the end he was still living in the same house in Fairfax Drive than Stan Laurel visited more that 50 years previously.

Piley

LINKS

Laurel and Hardy are kept alive and well in the area thanks to the Southend branch of the official fan club - The Sons of the Desert. The Southend branch is called Saps at Sea. Amongst other things they hold regular meetings (showing films, memorabilia etc) on the 2nd Sunday of every month at the Naval & Military Club, Royal Terrace, between 5.30pm-8.30pm. I'm sure they will be delighted to see you, and will no doubt offer you a 'hardy' welcome... (sorry!). Also check out their website to find out how to become a member, and fine out even more about that legendary visit of the boys to Southend - Saps at Sea.

Podrophenia - Show 3!

Last Thursday evening, Planet Mondo and I got together again to record our third Podrophenia podcast. We decided it was about time to drop in a funky edition, but this one has a twist.... so why not have a listen to 'Surprisingly Funky'! 10 super-cool funky tunes from 10 artists you perhaps wouldn't be expecting.

In case you fancy playing along at home, we don't mention who the artists are until after we've played each song. So why not have a go at trying to spot who some of them are! Let us know how many you got right (and no cheatin'!).

Amongst the acts serving up a portion of quality grooves for you this time round are an artist who started their singing career in 1934, two genuine all time rock greats, a talent show winner, a 70's rock outfit, a bona-fide goddess, some kings of the syrupy ballad and a Kermit the frog look-a-likey! On top of all this is another load of unscripted bumbling waffle from Mondo and me!

You can listen to the Podcast right here:



But as always, for best results follow the link below to download and listen at your convenience!

Podrophenia Show 3

Piley

Giles Ahoy!

Last winter, I paid a couple of visits to the Cartoon Museum in London to see their fabulous exhibition of Carl Giles artwork (see my original review here). I don't mind telling you that I was quite sad when it finished... I quite liked the idea of it just 'being there', where I could pop in for a top-up whenever I needed. As a result, I now find myself keeping a watchful eye on the The British Cartoon Archive's website (for 'tis they who now look after the entire collection of Giles' original art), just in case another exhibition is announced. Well it paid off when I recently spotted the launch of 'Giles Ahoy' in Herne Bay, Kent (1st August - 26th September 2009), and last Friday we got the opportunity to visit it.

The British Cartoon Archive have now completed their mammoth task of digitising and cataloguing every piece of Giles artwork in their trust (almost 8500 cartoons and sketches). Pop along to their website and you can now view just about everything the great man ever drew, all in chronological order. And it's even better than that... you can use their search facility to find Giles cartoons relating to any particular story, person or theme you fancy... Want to see every one of his 'football' related cartoons? (there's 159 of 'em!), all 121 cricket related drawings perhaps? or how about the 69 that relate to aircraft??!! Just type in what you are looking for and their archive does the rest. And that's exactly what the Herne Bay Museum and Gallery did to create their exhibition which, as the name suggests, is a collection of all things nautical. They found a total of 93 related cartoons, and put the selection to the local community to vote on. What's on display are the winners, the original artwork for around 15-20 pieces. You might think that with a relatively small number of items on display, you'd be in and out in 10 minutes... not so! As with the London event, we found ourselves pouring over each piece for ages. Giles used to cram such an amazing amount of detail into his cartoons, that you can spend an age picking out all the hidden gems. Seeing the original art (in much magnified size in comparison to the printed version) enables you to really enjoy his work to its full potential. Add to all this a collection of personal photos of Giles on board his own boat and you've got a really interesting display.

I was also delighted to see the carved statues of the Giles 'family' once again. I was really taken with these when I saw them at the London event. As I recall, the carved 'Baby George' was placed on top of Giles' coffin at his funeral.

The icing on the cake (and the reason for choosing this particular day to visit the museum) was a thoroughly interesting talk by Nick Hiley from The British Cartoon Archive. He gave a wonderful overview of Giles' life and oozed warmth and affection for the man throughout. Nick wrote an excellent book about Giles, 'One of the Family' to coinside with the London exhibition, and it is a great read (and packed with rarities that I've never seen published anywhere else). I was delighted to get a chance to chat with Nick after his talk too.

All in all a very successful trip!

LINKS:

If you happen to find yourself that way between now and 26th September, I can thoroughly recommend a visit to the Herne Bay Museum and Gallery (it's even free entry!).


Find out all about the great work that The British Cartoon Archive is doing with the Giles collection over at their website.

or

Have a go at their Giles cartoon search engine here!

or

view the original 93 'nautical' cartoons that this exhibition was chosen from here!

Buy Nick Hiley's fabulous 'One of the Family' book here! (Note: very small print run, get it while you can!)


Piley

Best of the Fest?

It's about this time of year when I get really envious of anyone who is Edinburgh bound... The bank holiday weekend is the crescendo of the month long Fringe Festival, and nothing can beat the 'buzz' of the place at this time. I've been lucky enough to get to the festival 4 times over the last 10 or 12 years, and for me it really is the ultimate holiday... cramming in 4, 5, maybe 6 shows a day EVERY DAY, yet still not even scratching the surface. This year’s Fringe features no less than 34265 performances of 2098 shows in 265 venues.

Digital TV station 'Dave' have been running a poll to find out which comedian has the best 'one-liner' joke in their act this year. A panel of 'comedy critics' came up with a shortlist, and then put it to the vote... I doubt it was very scientific, but none the less, they have just published the winning top ten, and I have to say there are one or two belters in there! The winning line came from Dan Antolpolski's current show 'Silent But Deadly'.... Here's the list in full:


1) Dan Antolpolski – Hedgehogs - why can’t they just share the hedge?

2) Paddy Lennox – I was watching the London Marathon and saw one runner dressed as a chicken and another runner dressed as an egg. I thought, 'This could be interesting'.

3) Sarah Millican – I had my boobs measured and bought a new bra. Now I call them Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes because they're up where they belong.

4) Zoe Lyons – I went on a girl’s night out recently. The invitation said ‘dress to kill.’ I went as Rose West.

5) Jack Whitehall - I'm sure wherever my dad is; he's looking down on us. He's not dead, just very condescending.

6) Adam Hills – Going to Starbucks for coffee is like going to prison for sex. You know you’re going to get it, but it’s going to be rough.

7) Marcus Brigstocke – To the people who’ve got iPhones: you just bought one, you didn’t invent it!

8) Rhod Gilbert – A spa hotel? It’s like a normal hotel, only in reception there’s a picture of a pebble.

9) Dan Antopolski – I've been reading the news about there being a civil war in Madagascar. Well, I've seen it six times and there isn't.

10) Simon Brodkin – I started so many fights at my school - I had that attention-deficit disorder. So I didn’t finish a lot of them.

Piley

The Odeon - Southend

As a rule, I do try to keep self indulgence to an absolute minimum here, but I'd appreciate it if you'd let me have a day off so I can waffle on for a bit about one of the most iconic buildings from my childhood. I've always had a thing for old fashioned cinemas... There was something about their grand scale, plush seats and incredible interior design that used to fill me with wonder as a kid, and I'm genuinely sorry that my son wont grow up to experience it. Instead he will have wonderful memories of various insipid, characterless, soul-less Americanised multi-screen complexes... that all looked the bloody same!

Between 1898 and 1935, no less than 16 different cinemas opened in my home town of Southend. Add to that a further 14 within a 4 or 5 mile radius of the town! The cinema was big business in those days, and must have pretty much been the national pass-time of choice (well, the Nintendo Wii never really took off like they expected back then!!). By the time I started going to the cinema only 3 of those 30 cinemas remained.... guess how many remain now??!

But I will always have such fond memories of the Odeon in Southend. I can still clearly remember what it looked like inside, the smell, the cinema tickets on a roll (like old fashioned bus tickets), the queues round the block for the summer blockbusters, the usherettes selling goodies during the interval (ALWAYS a 'support film' before the main event in those days), the popcorn, the ice cream, those awful cups of warm, still orange juice that you had to pierce the top with the straw!, the distinctive 'sound' of the seats flipping up, even the soundtrack to the films and those cheesy adverts for local businesses ("ere Burt, this is the place..."), had a unique, stark twang to it. It was a real occasion to go there... And it was the venue for so many 'firsts' in my life too.... first time I ever went to the cinema (Disney's Robin Hood in 1973), first time I ever went to the cinema without Mum and\or Dad (Star Wars in 1977), first time I ever took a girl to the cinema (Airplane! in 1980) and first time I ever saw an 'X' rated film (Porkys in 1982). I spent 25 of my first 32 years going there, and have always been a little obsessed with the memory of the place. So I thought it was about time that I document this now defunct pleasure palace.

The Astoria, opened in Southend high street on 15th July 1935 (Brewster's Millions was the first film shown), on the site of the recently demolished Lukers brewery. The cinema was by far the biggest in town and boasted room for a whopping 2,750 punters (1750 in the stalls and 1000 in the balcony), and even had room for a large cafe area. The exterior was faced with polished stone and there were three very striking, large arched metal windows above the entrance. Here's a picture of it on the opening day:


Check out the luxuriously lavish foyer and auditorium:

Within a year it had been taken over by County Cinemas Ltd. In 1937 Odeon Theatres took over County Cinemas, and in the early 1940's the venue was renamed the Odeon. Here's a picture of it in 1948:

Here's a great picture of the Odeon in 1959, which really shows off those windows:

In 1960 it was refurbished, the seating was reduced to 2286 and the cafe became a dance studio. The venue had already made a name for itself for booking big name acts (Laurel and Hardy even played there for a week in 1952), but during the 60's they really upped their game.... Louis Armstrong appeared there in 1962, The Beatles played twice in 63, The Rolling Stones played in 65, The Who in 66... and many more besides.

In 1970 the Odeon was closed, and the building underwent major reconstruction to turn it into a two screen cinema. Screen 1 was built in the space of the old cafe\dance studio area and seated 500. For screen 2 the balcony was extended forward to create a 1350 seater auditorium. It was at this point that the entrance was moved from the High Street to the side of the building in Elmer Approach. This enabled the original High Street entrance and foyer to be sold off as shop space (I remember it as a Presto's supermarket in the 80's, and a shopping arcade in the 90's and later as an amusement arcade). My only recollection of this cinema is as a two-screener, and I only ever knew it with the much less glamorous side entrance. Here's a picture of the all new entrance in 1971:

Here is the original frontage in 1991, complete with 'Shop In Village' crappy indoor market!

The Odeon cinema eventually closed for good in 1998...rather fittingly, the last three films I saw there were the 'special editions' of the original Star Wars trilogy in 1997... twenty years on from seeing the original film in the very same auditorium.

The empty building hung around for a few years looking rather sorry for itself, and it's final indignity was for the old front entrance shop to be turned into a 'Poundland', until the whole building was finally demolished in 2004. Here it is in the last year or two of its life, those windows, despite now being broken and boarded up are still as prominent as ever.

Now in it's place stands the frontage to the University of Essex... nice.

Apologies if this piece has been of little relevance to you (quite likely!). I'm sure you all have a fondly remembered equivalent from your own childhoods, which was equally neglected and eventually torn down by the local council with little regard for architecture and\or local history. And it's that very attitude that is fast making every high street in every UK town look identical. There are no new character buildings, nothing to give a place some identity.... just bland, 'built as cheap as possible' boxes. But hey, look on the bright side, we do have some amazing white goods super-outlets, drive-thru takeaways and retail parks in their place, so it's not all bad. I guess in 40 odd years time my son will be writing a similar post, lamenting on the loss of his favourite KFC outlet "they served the best hot-wings money could buy".

Piley

Man On Wire - Philippe Petit

Did anyone catch this fabulous docu-film on BBC2 the other weekend (Sunday 2nd Aug)? I Sky Plus'ed it and only got round to watching it last night (hence this rather belated post), but I have to say it was a completely enthralling and truly gripping ride.

I first became aware of the genius\madman (delete as appropriate!) that is Philippe Petit back in the year 2000. On holiday in Canada, a friend and I took a day trip out to Niagara. The falls were simply awe inspiring... It's somewhere i'd wanted to visit ever since I was a child, and they did not disappoint. However, once you've 'done' the falls there is little left of much interest. The town that has built up around the falls is a pretty tacky affair to be honest... think Southend seafront with a wonder of the world bolted on the side! Still, we were there for the day, so thought "in for a penny.." blah blah, and hit the touristy trail. This included a visit to the Imax cinema which was showing a film entitled "Niagara: Miracles, Myths & Magic"... which was actually pretty good. It was a general re-cap on the history of the area, but with a section devoted to all the daredevils who have attempted to 'tame' the falls. In the film a tightrope walker re-creates the feat of 'The Great Blondin' who walked across the Niagara Gorge in 1860. Guess who was the only person crazy enough to re-create it for the camera when they made this film in 1986??!

Man On Wire however, focuses on Philippe Petit's insane idea to walk a tightrope between the twin towers on the World Trade Centre... roof-to-roof! The documentary features new interviews with Philippe, his girlfriend of the time, and many of his accomplices who helped to make the whole thing happen. You'd think that seeing Philippe sitting there in 2008 retelling the story would take the edge off it somewhat, knowing that he's still alive and all that! But there was none of it... this really was compulsive, edge of the seat stuff, in much the same way that 'Touching the Void' was. The film is also considerably enhanced by 'home movie' footage, capturing all of the planning and preparation stages.

The obsession goes back to 1968, when Philippe first read about the construction of the twin towers... which when complete would become (at that time) the highest buildings in the world. Already a tightrope walker of some note, he made the decision there and then that he wanted to walk across them. For the next 6 years he worked on his goal.... The planning was out of this world, and the attention to detail simply stunning.... but then, if you are thinking of walking a tightrope almost 1,400 feet in the air, without a safely net, I guess you'd want to be pretty thorough!

He traveled to New York numerous times to watch the towers being built, even taking helicopter rides over the construction to take ariel photographs. He proceeded to gain access several times over the years, hiding on a roof or unfinished floor. He studied the clothing of the construction workers and copied them, then with fake ID cards, he and his accomplices managed to gain themselves more regular access. They actually got away with telling security they were installing an electric fence on the roof! Later he would pose as an architect to enable himself to interview the workers. Using all the information he gained on his many visits, Philippe built life size models of the tops of the towers, to practice the feat. There was no way he could factor in the 'sway' of the buildings, or what the wind would be like at that altitude, so he just got his mates to pull and bounce on the wire to try and knock him off!

Finally, one night in August 1974, two teams went up to the top of the towers. A fishing line was fired from one roof top to the other via a bow and arrow, and the rest of the night was spent rigging the 'wire' into place. The next morning Philippe finally realised his dream.... walking backwards and forwards between the two towers for a whole hour. Oddly, having filmed all the preparations up to this point, there was no actual footage of the tightrope walk itself. However there were some simply stunning still shots of it. I wasn't expecting them to be, but I found these photographs of him walking between the towers quite moving. At one point he knelt down on the wire, and at another, incredibly, he lay down on it.... a quarter of a mile in the air! News traveled fast (even in the 70s!), and by the time Philippe came off the wire, two burly New York cops were waiting to arrest him.

History will no doubt tell it differently today, but in the early days, America was pretty uninspired by these twin towers, and at the time of Philippe's stunt, much of the building was empty and the landlords were struggling to rent out the floors. This high wire feat seemed to bring warmth to the construction, and started to change the way people felt about the buildings.

I am now very keen to read Philippe Petit's book 'To Reach The Clouds', on which this film was based. Incredibly, it took him 27 years to pen his memoirs on this stunt.... and it was whilst he was writing them that the planes went into the towers.

I found this documentary oddly inspiring... I wont be taking up tightrope walking any time soon i might add, but there was a powerful message behind it all. He really did reach for the sky... and he got there too.

Here's the trailer for the film:


Here's some CBS news coverage from the actual day of the stunt:

Piley

The Theatre of Dreams... or Nightmares?

The theatre... The last bastion of common decency and polite behaviour... well, apparently not anymore. This week, The Times reported that many London theatres are complaining about large increases in unruly patrons. It's got so bad that it's becoming a regular occurrence for the Police to be called in to help eject some of these odious audiences. The article went on to say that the theatres are now fighting back and are now in the process of employing security staff and bouncers to ensure the public keep in line. Here's just a few of the delights that have been happening in our historic auditoriums lately DURING a performance:

• Fighting between audience members;
  
• A male audience member walking to the side of the stage and urinating;


• A woman caught 'pleasuring' her partner in the stalls;


• Unrequested audience participation;


• Not only phones going off, but people answering them and having conversations;


• Audience members walking to the front of the stage to take photos on their mobile phones;


• Incoherent shouting and abuse; and


• House staff being verbally and physically abused.

As a rule, I do try to suppress the snob inside me, but at times he gets the better of me, and he definitely did on reading this article! (actually, I don't really think I'm being a snob in expecting people to have some manners and behave courteously).... The theatre used to be nice quaint (and quiet!) way for people to enjoy an evening out didn't it? Nothing was more cultured than popping down to the West End and getting engrossed in a gripping thriller, or perhaps a rare old farce (with the obligatory eight quid ice cream at half time of course!). But it looks as though the great unwashed are putting paid to that pastime for us. They have already ruined the cinema experience... I no longer go, as the last few times I did, I came out seething with anger at the ignorant cretins enclosed within, and their inane, constant chatter, mobile phones, noisy bags etc, and now they are turning their attention to the theatre. But hold on, didn't an evening of 'thespian-ism' used to be classed as "boring" to these types?? Well yes, indeed it did, but have you checked out the 'what's on in London' guides lately? Just like our TV, theatre is being 'dumbed down' before our very eyes. See if you can find more than a couple of powerful, thought provoking plays these days. You'll still find the thinking man (and woman)'s plays out on the fringes, but they have all but been removed from the West End now in favour of dozens of low rent, cheesy musicals.

Shite, disposable Saturday evening talent shows have a lot to answer for. Unfortunately, the type of people who can be entertained by and persuaded to vote for a new 'Joseph', 'Maria' or ' Sandy and Danny', are also the same people who will go see the resulting performance. The lure of easy money for putting on 'lowest common denominator' shows, has created the by-product of a new, low-rent punter, for whom going to the theatre is an alien experience. Oddly they don't seem to know how to behave, and therefore start the evening in much the same way as any other of their nights out (i.e. excess alcohol), thus ensuring half the audience is half cut before the curtain even rises. It would also seem that these people are also unaware of the finer protocols of theatre-going.... such as not wanking or pissing during the performance for example..

So well done theatres of London, I for one have little sympathy for your current plight, it's no good moaning about it now. I saw it coming a mile off, and you should have too. What is that line about reaping what you sow??

(Grumpy Old) Piley

Gary Le Strange

I've been a fan of live comedy for almost 30 years. One of the first comedy shows I ever went to see was Alexei Sayle at a theatre in Chelmsford around 1980/1981 (I know I had school the next morning!). But my favourite environment for comedy has to be a 'comedy club' venue. With the theatre setup there is very much a divide between artist and audience, but with the 'cabaret seating' arrangement of the comedy club, these lines become merged, and a much bigger element of danger is always in the air! Of course, you have to take the risks that go with the territory, and after 20+ years of attending comedy clubs I've had a few encounters of being 'chosen' by comedians (being 6ft 4 doesn't really help me to blend into the crowd at times!!). One encounter that particularly sticks in my mind was at the Edinburgh Festival in 2004, where Gary Le Strange strutted up to me and sung pretty much the whole of his song 'Modern Disguise' directly at me! Literally a couple of feet from my face!

Gary Le Strange was\is the comic, musical creation of comedian Waen Shepherd... "The idea was simply to find a way of combining various pursuits at the same time, like writing, acting, making music and trying to be funny. Specifically, I wanted a way of making my strange sense of humour seem acceptable to a comedy audience, and a fake pop star seemed the way to go, complete with real proper albums to make him seem even more real and proper" First dreamt up in 2002, the character was originally a send up of the 'New Romantic' scene from the early 80's.... a time which, looking back on it, has comedy gold written all over it! I was a massive fan of this era of music (and still enjoy much of it today), but much of the pretentious, pompous and over-arty attitudes that went with it are quite laughable these days. Waen has since explained why he chose this era "It started out as a New Romantic/New Wave pastiche, partly because of the software I was using at the time and partly because the genre allowed me to be weird, pompous, extravagantly-dressed and socially inept all at the same time". Waen honed his character to perfection, taking those original attitudes and pushing them just that little bit more for the comedy market. This Frankensteins monster of a creation was a combination of anyone and everyone who mattered during that period of music. He's Gary Numan, he's Steve Strange, he's Marc Almond, he's Adam Ant, and many many more. There is even a generous dollop of that architectural New Romantic David Bowie in there too. It was a very original idea for stand up comedy, and it's no wonder that at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003 he won the Perrier Award for the best newcomer.

Waen Shepherd is obviously a very talented song writer, and his knack of being able to extract the essence of so many classic bands and songs and cram them into his own work is nothing short of genius. Some are a complete pastiche of a single artist ('Warriors of Style' is a combination of most of the Adam and the Ants back catalogue, 'Seedy Pimp' is virtually the whole of Soft Cells Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret album wrapped up in about three minutes, and 'The Outsider' encapsulates Bowie's output from the 70's!), where as others are a take on several bands all in one song... I actually found it an added bonus trying to work out exactly who he had 'borrowed' from for each one! If you are a fan of Soft Cell, Gary Numan, Japan, Spandau Ballet, ABC, Visage, Depeche Mode, Adam and the Ants etc etc (oh, and you have a sense of humour!) then these songs are bound to appeal... and much like another humorous singer I've blogged about, Richard Cheese, underneath it all, you can't help but admire the talent underpinning all the mirth.

The thing that can make some of the original New Romantic era songs sound so dated is their obsession with futuristic technology. I guess it was quite arty at the time to do so, but we've moved on so much that many of them sound quite funny now. Waen tapped in to this for a number of his songs and again upped the ante for comedy effect, producing a selection of po-faced tunes about photocopiers, washing up robots and toasters! Oddly, I met Waen Shepherd once, and unsurprisingly, in chatting he told me what a big fan he was of this era of music. Somehow I fully expected to hear that, I don't think you could do a pastiche that well without having a genuine love (and a good knowledge) of that scene.

So, the songs were clever, but what really made it for me was the way he created the whole package. The clothing and bad make-up were both spot on, but just pushed that little bit more for extra ridiculousness! However it was the live persona of Gary Le Strange that was the real masterstroke... delusions of grandeur doesn't even come close! World domination was what GLS had his sights firmly set on... but it wouldn't be achieved with weapons, oh no, he planned to do it with fashion!! As Waen himself has since said about the character "Essentially he's a tragic, eccentric, outsider pop star who has never had any success, and probably never will". I saw Gary live a few times around the mid 2000's, and it was this carefully crafted pompous image that really nailed it for me. Seeing him taking it all so seriously, and even getting visibly annoyed at any laughter that his manifesto and songs created (a very bold stance for a comedian when you think about it) was a pure joy. I was always intrigued to see the reactions of the audience at his live shows, it was always very 'marmite' (love or hate)... They were either rolling around crying with laughter (like me!), or completely straight faced with a puzzled look, never much in between. I honestly think that to fully enjoy an act like this, you need to be a pretty big music fan, or at least have an understanding of the New Romantic era. Maybe there are people who didn't get Spinal Tap and the like too, because they just couldn't relate to what they were poking fun at in the first place.

Despite really enjoying his act for a few years, I have to confess that until this week I'd all but forgotten about Gary Le Strange. A conversation with Planet Mondo about possible themes for our future podcasts threw up the idea of 'humorous\comedy' records. I had a flick through my CD collection, dug out the GLS albums, and they have been on the player all week! They are still very clever, and looking back, were yet another piece of the 'complete package' jigsaw... even the design of the CDs is perfect. Slip these albums in the middle of your early 80's collection and they would blend in without a second glance. But on closer inspection they are hilarious! Particularly the Steve Strange-esque pose with the bald, silver tailors dummy with the unfeasibly long neck!!

Having been reunited with GLS, I did a search on the net to see if I could find out what's happened to him. Not only is he still going, he appears to have sensationally spurned the New Romantic scene!! His new image and most recent album, Beef Scarecrow, have seen the man reinvent himself as a pompous, suited n booted art rocker! I've already ordered it, so I'll be sure to let you know!

LINKS

The Official Gary Le Strange website (where you can stock up on GLS CDs)

Gary Le Strange on MySpace

Finally, here are a few Gary Le Strange songs for you to try.

Metal Boy

The delightfully pretentious Human League\Blancmange inspired 'Photocopier'


Video to 'Seedy Pimp'

Piley

Podrophenia - Show 2!

firstly, apologies if I haven't replied to an e-mail, responded to your comment and\or commented on your blog lately... My PC was doing odd stuff last week, which culminated in a terminal 'blue-screen' last weekend. Several days of generally poking stuff with a screwdriver was little help, and it's now in with the professionals. I spoke to them today and it seems to have foxed them too! So, sorry for my enforced silence, it's nothin personal, honest!

I'm currently using the internet cafe at Chez Mondo (cheers PM, SORRY Mrs PM!), in order to bring you the second installment of our Podrophenia podcast.

More bumbling random ramblings from Mondo and me, plus an array of top toons to enjoy. The 'theme' for this show is 'Summer', enabling us to bring you ten sunny delights... sort of!


Would really appreciate any comments (good or bad!), plus why not let us know all the songs we SHOULDA included! Any ideas for future 'themes' are also always welcome.

You can listen to it here:


or if you prefere to download and listen at your pleasure, you can do that here

Oh, and after you've listened, if you are curious about THAT picture (you'll know the one I mean!), then you can see it in all its glory right HERE!

Hopefully I'll be back on-line soon, in the meantime, enjoy the podcast!

Piley

Keep It In The Family...

I come from quite a musical family, particularly on my Fathers side... There were 3 singers out of my pop, his 4 brothers and 1 sister, and between the six of them, they could play just about any instrument going... including the bagpipes!! That accolade goes to his sister, Winifred, who was the drum major of the Dagenham Girl Pipers in the 50s and 60s! These were the days when the DGP's were a big international act. She toured the world with them and shared the stage with some big names of the time... but that's probably a blog post in itself...

My dads youngest brothers, twins Micky and Donald, showed quite some promise, and in the late 50's early 60's were likened to a British Everly Brothers. They toured under the name 'The Essex Brothers' and were regular favourites on the Granada Cinema circuit, where they would often play to 1000+ audiences. They even made a record at one point, but I have no idea exactly what or when.

They finished as a duo in the 60's, but both continued to perform as solo acts in pubs and clubs for the rest of their lives... I have a vivid recollection of seeing them perform together at a big family reunion in the early 70's. Sadly, despite being the youngest of the family, they both died relatively early... Donald aged 54, and Micky aged 65.

Now here's the weird bit. I've been half drafting a post on the Everly Brothers for quite some time... an act to whom there is much more than history (or endless regurgitated 'greatest hits' collection) would have you believe. In it I was going to mention the above about my uncles, and in preparation, I recently asked my dad if there were any surviving recordings of them. Unfortunately the answer was no, and nobody even has a copy of the record any more.

Fast forward to the weekend just gone. My dads sister-in-law is currently in the process of moving, having lived in the same house for over 40 years. A venture into the loft to clear it out unearthed.... yes, you guessed it, two 'reel-to-reel' tapes labelled 'Mick + Don'. There's no further information than that, so they could contain anything. They are on the smaller 'CD-sizeish' reels rather than the larger master tape ones, so the likelihood is they contain some home recordings that they made themselves. Nonetheless, for my dad and his remaining siblings, the possibility of being able to hear their brothers sing again is very exciting... although having endured 40 odd summers and winters in a loft, they are also resigned to the fact that perhaps there will be nothing left on the tapes. But whatever the outcome, they are desperate to find out exactly what they do (or don't) contain.

Which leads me to my question... How the hell do I play them??! Even more crucial, how can I get them converted to CD? Any ideas gratefully received!

Piley

Podrophenia - Show 1!

Well, we've been talking about it for some time, but last Thursday evening, those good people at Planet Mondo and I got together to record our inaugural podcast - Podrophenia!

We're hoping it will be the first of a semi-regular affair, and each show will have a different theme.... Show 1 has the theme of 'cover versions'. I'm not giving too much away here, but there's 10 stomping tracks for you to enjoy, where amongst others, some huge 90's Britpopers cover Rod, and then returning the favour, Rod covers Britpop! There's Beatles toonage, Jackson beats, Bugsy Malone madness and much more, all linked together with inane, unscripted waffle!

You can listen to the Podcast right here:



But for best results follow the link below to download and listen at your convenience!

Podrophenia Show 1


Piley