Don Woods

The song I’ve sent you this week is a small tribute to the Merseybeat era….I thought it might be appropriate at this point in time as the City has been through a traumatic court case of late.with a positive result thankfully….this song was the B side of a vinyl single I produced for the tourism dept who commissioned it ….the A side was Beatle City…. Which sold very well at the time. There’s been a lot happened since we last chatted….the news has been all about the Hillsborough result….it was a long hard struggle for those involved but worth it in the end…it was a bitter sweet ending at least giving closure to the aggrieved…but sadly their losses will never be replaced. Hopefully those responsible will be brought to justice….very moving but very sad to watch it all….hopefully it has ensured this sort of tragedy wont happen again. The police chief at the centre of it all who wrongly blamed the fans is the same bloke who accused Cliff Richard of some crime they have still failed to prove after two years. …doesn’t do a lot for public support of the police. We also lost Victoria Wood which was a shock…so sudden…she was a huge talent with so much more to give…very sad….and then the music world lost Prince…another shock…he was a genius in my opinion…a very clever and talented guy….and he takes all that talent with him……There is a new programme on the tele called “Lookalikes” and is really funny….it is based on a lookalike agency run by a Ricky Gervaisdoppelganger…all the look-alikes are brilliant and it’s my sort of humour. .I have just come back from a few days in the Lakes….the forecast for Sunday was to turn bitterly cold as Arctic blasts were coming from the North bringing snow and minus temperatures….Sunday was a beautiful clear day with blue skies and no wind….as was Monday….Tuesday there was a slight cool draft under the blue skies…with a few pieces of hail in the afternoon…about half a dozen…came back down the motorway on wednesday with my sunglasses on…so the forecast was close….I don’t think!!….considering the equipment the BBC have it really is pathetic….if you took the forecasts seriously you’d never go out….it’s pitiful…they couldn’t predict nightfall………and I had to laugh at a short feature on TV designed to get people to be nice to each other on canal footpaths and country walks…it showed how people should step aside from cyclists and let hem past bidding them a fond “hello”…this five minute film cost NINE GRAND!!!!!…are they having a laugh…I’d have done it for 500 quid…and made a better job…I’d like to see the breakdown showing where the money has gone….I could make a good guess. There is a programme called “The Hairy Bikers” where two biker celebs (Si King and Dave Myers) visit pubs in various towns and cities and tell the history of them…which is quite good…this week it was Liverpool and of course it included the usual haunts with everyone talking about “me old mate John Lennon…etc etc”….and of course a visit to the “world famous” Cavern club with it’s “legendary history”?…it is a bit of a hard watch when you know that The ACTUAL Cavern was destroyed some time back by some really forward thinking councillors…the present one is up the road….still I suppose it brings the money in.

The song I have sent you this week was the follow up To How To Say llanfairpwll..etc sung by my mate Paul Damian….it sold extremely well to the Welsh tourist trade and it was one of those songs which came together with no problems….if I remember I did it in one session after mapping it out…this was before the days of copy and paste and vocoders…everything is played right through with instruments and voices layered.….it is one of my favourites of those I have produced….it was from the heart….”The grey of Blaenaus quarries with their crumbling hills of slate”….they don’t write ‘em like that any more….hope you like it. 2.We are definitely a nation of followers in this country…we go more like sheep every day I watched the Aston Villa match on TV and because they have lost their last 7 games the fans decided not to turn up until 7 minutes after the start of the game…and they all troop out before the end making a point…or so they think …then there’s the aggrieved fan in the stands yelling abuse and pointing at the manager…it’s like the dark ages…it’s a FOOTBALL match…some you win some you lose and I doubt whether the manager or any of the players give a monkeys what the fans think…it’s pathetic. And Kate and Wills are in India and every time Kate wears a different dress it instantly sells out in the shops….Sheep !!...the majority of peoples seem to have no imagination…they sit there waiting for something to happen…strange. 3.I watched Britains Got Talent out of interest….you know what’s coming…what is the point of Ant and Dec in the wings?...do they actually get PAID for this tripe…..the programme is watchable but does it need “judges”?...just put decent acts on each week and if there MUST be a vote let the public do it….it’s nice to give acts the chance to appear on the tele but ridiculing them is totally pointless…if they are no good don’t put them on….and put the panel into room 101….then we have the magic show with Penn and Teller…good show …but what Jonathan Ross is doing on it is beyond me…there must be so much talent around and we are bombarded with talentless overpaid buffoons latching on to the real thing. 4.Talking of real talent I was well impressed by the recent international half marathon….it was won in under an hour…that is almost 13 four minute miles…it was unbelievable and these gymnastic dance groups which are very popular doing back summersaults….I would have once put money on a back summersault from a standing position being physically impossible…these guys do it running FORWARD!!!...amazing…and yet we have a glut of so called celebs with nothing to offer filling our TV screens…..obviously it’s who you know. 5.At least The Voice has come to a close on Saturday night….the winner will no doubt follow the path of the past winners…into obscurity…it really is an awful programme…there is a new one on called “Can’t Touch This” whereby contestants have to jump up and touch prizes without killing themselves…dreadful…I think Michael McIntyre is taking over Saturday nights…can’t wait….I think I’ll go back on the road …at least I can throw the TV out off a hotel balcony…. It was sad to hear of the death of David Gest…he was quite a character…he turned up at Fort Perch Rock in New Brighton last year…sadly I missed him…I would have liked to have met him…the world needs these strange personalities….

.The song I have sent you this week is one of my many local songs about the wonderful area in which I live…which you know well…so you will be able to visualise what I am singing about…it is simply called “If” and points out what you are missing if you aint been there. It’s a track from one of my DVDs so there are pictures to go with it….I think you will enjoy the lyrics. 2.The news this week is about major tax dodgers and our wonderful P.M. has been dragged into it…and totally denies any wrongdoing. What makes me laugh is all this is treated as something NEW….wow!!...all these billionaires don’t give a monkeys about us…now there’s a surprise!!….the problems of the world could be solved by half a dozen of these greedy selfish you-know-whats…wheels within wheels…simple as that…they all look after each other and throw the odd crumb to us lot. 3.On the sporting scene it was good to hear that Nick Blackwell is recovering from his fight with Chris Eubank Junior.I saw the fight which should have been stopped a lot earlier…I feel the problem was they were holding out that Blackwell was “indestructible” which is never the case…I feel sorry for Eubank who was obviously upset… And those big hard tough rugby players are in the news…one of them called another “Gypsy Boy”…OOOOH MATRON……screams of “RACIST”…so now the nanny state has expanded into rugby…they’ll be providing the front row of the scrum with handbags next…it’s pathetic. 4.On the showbiz front I thought we were going to have a break from Ant and Dec now their Saturday show has finished…no chance…they are straight back on Britains Got Talent (which definitely does not apply to them)….perhaps instead of “Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway”….they could have a new programme “Takeaway Ant & Dec”. And The Rolling Stones have got an exhibition of their life on the road…the amazing thing is they have never changed…perhaps it’s because they always looked like they were in their seventies…you gotta love ‘em though….it’s only rock and roll but we love it. 5.Recently received a leaflet through my door extolling the virtues of remaining in the EU…..then I watch the news…and apparently EVERYONE has had one….to the cost of 7.5 million pounds. Is it me or are they having a laugh…if it was April 1st I would understand…..so 7.5 million pounds on paper that most people will throw in the bin….come back Henry the 8th and throw the lot of them in the Tower!!! On a bright note to finish… The Cheshire Cats are about to present a nice cheque to the Claire House Hospice on Wirral….who NEED the money to care for sick kids…money raised by our weekly jam sessions where local musicians give their time FREE….nice to work amongst decent folk….check out our website www.thecheshirecats.co.uk

The song this week is a tribute to Johnny King…the most successful manager of Tranmere Rovers…who sadly died this week. wrote the song in the late seventies when he was manager…with the idea of getting the players to record it…however there weren’t many of the lads who could sing in tune so my version…which was originally the demo…was put out and it was played over the speakers at the home games and on the coaches for the away game……I had the pleasure of visiting Johnny at his home…up until then I had sampled the odd whisky…when I left his house I had sampled a lot more…great guy..sad loss….there is a statue of him outside the ground. On the football front Leicester City are still top of the league and virtually everyone is supporting them….even inJapan…they had a programme on TV where they had sold out of Leicester football shirts in some town in the Far East…..it’s always nice to see the underdog coming through…I hope they win the premiership….and England are in the final of the 20/20 cricket world cup…the slogging one…much better than the drawn out 5– dayers…here we go…here we go…here we go. On the entertainment front Jeremy Kyle has replaced Piers Morgan on the morning breakfast news show….and I hate to admit it but he is very good…much better than Piers…which isn’t hard….I’m amazed Ant and Dec aren’t on there…. And we have had the sad news of the passing away of the great Ronnie Corbett…to me he was a comedy genius and together with Ronnie Barker produced some of the best comedy ever…those were the years when comedy was FUNNY unlike today…they have been showing some of his classic sketches which never date. And also Brian Conley is back in the afternoon with special guests who recall their favourite TV….I am a big fan o fBrian Conley..he is a huge talent which seems to go un-noticed. There has been a programme about our Queen at 90….it wasn’t very exciting as it was basically clips we’ve seen before…it simply displays the ridiculous pomp and ceremony surrounding various events…even the making sure that knives and forks are EXACTLY in the right place at Palace functions…and how much does all this nonsense cost?….I’m sure the homeless are delighted for them. .And finally….our southern shores have been battered by storms of late…100 mph gales…caused by “Storm Katie”….but it is a strange situation as we in the North West got away scot free…missed us completely which makes a change….no doubt the blame will rest firmly on global warming or diesel cars….as SOMETHING has to be blamed.

The song I have sent you this week is about my favourite mountain….I wrote it back in the day for an album I produced for my pal Paul Damian…who sings it. I came up with the inspiration after one of my many climbs up Mount Snowdon in Wales…as it is always the first thing you say when you get there and get your breath back….there are a few different ways up there and I’ve done them all on several occasions…I’ve even put a video about it on Youtube….standing on the top is a wonderful experience with spectacular views. The news this week has been blanket coverage of the terrible terror attacks in Belgium…..we need to know the details of this sort of thing but doubt whether constant repetition of the same pictures and reporting actually helps…and the politicians using the situation to question our membership of the EU etc…it all gets completely out of hand…like most people I’m at the stage where I haven’t a clue as to what is actually going on anymore…all we get is conflicting opinions from publicity seeking politicians…they can’t ALL be right…someone has to be lying. My heart goes out to the poor folk of Belgium who innocently got caught up in all this…I don’t know what the answer is. We discussed him last week .. but let’s take our hats off and salute Eddie Izzard for completing 27 marathons in 27 days…TWO of which were on the last day….in an interview he said he now needs to do one or two a month to keep his fitness up….absolutely incredible…and Kelly Holmes has been on TV…she is making a comeback as a marathon runner…she has been out of the game for seven years when she retired from athletics…I must say I have keenly watched athletics since Roger Bannister ran the 4 minute mile in the 50’s so I have seen a lot..BUT the best race I have ever seen was Kelly Holmes winning a gold in the 800 metres in 2004…sheer guts…I was out of my chair….since then she has done a lot for charity…hence her knighthood. The Sport Relief raised 55 million pounds…let’s hope it all goes to the right place. Ladies tennis hit the headlines this week….some official had to resign after making sexist comments about the ladies…and as we know sexism is a one way street…as the “Loose Women” programme illustrates…they can say what they like and that’s O.K….this guy said ladies tennis has been hanging on the shirt tails of mens tennis for years…and Jocovich has added the men should get more money than the women….so all the girls are up in arms led by the Williams sisters. The answer is simple…make the women play best of 5 sets instead of three…on second thoughts I don’t think I could stand more than three sets….I remember Pat Cash saying that people would rather watch him knocking up than watch a ladies tennis match…couldn’t agree more….it’s like saying anyone who works three days should get the same as someone who works five. It’s time the ladies got over themselves…I wish them every success with their football,rugby and cricket but it aint for me…or most people…which is shown by the attendances….good job I don’t work in sport eh? Bear Grylls has a programme on TV called “Mission Survive” which is another one of those accidents waiting to happen….the whole thing is really a platform to show how tough Bear is.”look at me…I’m so macho”…he puts celebs through a series of survival tasks which could have serious consequences if they go wrong….I can’t really see the point….are these celebs that hard up? I gave up on it half way through the second episode…there should be a doctor on hand to see if the contestants actually have a brain........….and great news!!!...Britains Got Talent is coming back….hosted by Ant and Dec….this will follow Saturday Night Takeaway featuring Ant and Dec…after all this we’ll have I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here…hosted by Ant and Dec….I keep expecting the pair of them to turn up in the back of my car….is there no escape? If nothing else they prove that you can make a fortune with no talent whatsoever…they should form a trio with Cheryl Cole.

he song I have sent you this week is a tribute to my all time favourite rock and roller…Ricky Nelson….I have always been a massive fan of him and his songs and his wonderful guitarist James Burton…I have utilised titles from Ricky’s records and set them to the “Poor Little Fool” combination of chords which have been used in many pop songs…it tells the story of how his love songs helped heal our broken hearts when we had just been back heeled by a love of our life in school. ... Speaking of James Burton he is coming over again in July….along with Glen D. Hardin….pianist with The Crickets and many others. Again I’m involved which is always nice…Marty Wilde and The Merseybeats are also on the bill along with skiffler Chas McDevitt. I’m doing a spot on the Floral Pavilion with James and Glen backed by a great local band called “The Shakers” and The Passionettes female backing group who I love….so it should be fun. I’ve never worked with Glen D. but he has backed Jerry Lee and Roy Orbison with James so I’ll be thinking along those lines for my spot….rock and roll !!! I’ve worked with James on several occasions…great guitarist…great guy. ..We talked about my pal wrestler Adrian Street last week…there is a nice tale about him….before I knew him I remember him having a wrestling match with Jimmy Savile….after we had became friends I asked him about it…he was supposed to wrestle a guy who had been injured so the fight was called off and in his place the promoter decided to replace him with Savile…Adrian was NOT amused..especially as he was told not to take Savile lightly as he was SAS trained….the fight went on much to the annoyance of Adrian who proceeded to throw Savile around the ring by his hair…and really inflict some serious pain on him…Adrians wife described the bout as an angry wolf chasing a frightened rabbit…Savile ended up in hospital and never wrestled again. Another spacecraft is off on it’s way to Mars….it has been successfully launched …I’m sure much to the delight of the homeless and lower paid....I’ve said it before but I still fail to see the point of all this space business….and how much is it all costing?...the powers that be just carry on without asking anyone or mentioning the cost…next thing will be more cuts in the NHS and the police etc….because there is no money…..I doubt if 99.9% of the population care less whether there is life up there..As long as the half dozen boffins who are involved are happy jumping up and down and patting each other on the back….that’s O.K. then. I would be a bit more supportive if they sent Ant and Dec up there…..one way. ...on the showbiz front I thought Jo Brand did amazingly well walking 20 miles a day from coast to coast….in horrendous weather….raised a lot for charity…great stuff…and Michael Crawford is making a comeback for Sports Relief…he was interviewed on The One Show and looks incredible…he is 74!!....and what a nice bloke…I think he once lived in Hoylake. And I think Saturday night TV has lost the plot….”The Voice” is dreadful (the beeb will be well rid of it)…and Ant and Dec’s Takeaway is as bad as it gets..they are never off the screen even when they have guests….and they copy routines originally done by Morecambe and Wise…who,lets face it,were the REAL deal.... …and as for Jonathan Ross…oh dear.

.In life certain things come back to haunt you….the song I have sent you this week in an example. It is a track off an album I wrote and produced for wrestler Adrian Street back in the 80’s which sold very well along with a few singles I did for him (two of which actually made MTV in the States). The album was called “Shake Wrestle and Roll” and was on vinyl….just when I thought it was safe to go back into the water it has suddenly reared it’s head again….with TWO record companies wanting to re- release it….one company in this country and one in the States. Four of the songs were featured in a film called “Grunt-The Wrestling Movie” which aint bad for something we did in my attic studio..plus the fact that Adrian aint no singer (but don’t tell him I said that) .I must say I was well impressed by the record breaking row across the Atlantic by our wonderful ladies….it really was a fantastic achievement and I can only salute them. I doubt if people realise how violent the sea can get…bad enough on a giant cruise ship…they should be knighted…And hats off to the designer of the boat which withstood everything that was thrown at them. .I’ve just about had enough of Piers Morgan on Breakfast TV….I would watch BBC but they only seems to cover a selection of grave illnesses and health issues…no thanks….so I’m stuck with Piers….when will presenters stop asking stupid questions….for example “How did it feel winning 6 million on the lottery?”….or “How did you feel when you found your house had burned down?”…etc….for heaven’s sake…IT’S OBVIOUS HOW THEY FEEL!!!….and whenever they have a statement from a politician he is always trying to make an argument out of it all….I feel sorry for Susannah Reid who is obviously fed up with him…like the rest of us…..it’s only a shame it wasn’t HIM that Jeremy Clarkson punched….that would have made good viewing. Very sad news about the death of Sir George Martin…I have always admired him and as far as I’m concerned it was because of his musical prowess The Beatles were so successful…which I feel is somewhat overlooked….the success of songs like ”Eleanor Rigby”…”Yesterday”,,,”Please Please Me” and many more were down to him. When a group of guys who don’t read music have a bloke like him on board you can’t lose….he was a genius. .Next week we have “Sport Relief” on ITV….where celebs and sports personalities raise money for charity….I’ve been contacted by the organisers who want to use my song “How To Say Llanfair PG”” in the programme next Friday night….so rock on….simply displays the power of the internet….little did I know that when I came up with the song over a cup of coffee thirty years ago that it would still be popular now. I’ve always said there in no time limit on a song….it finds it’s own way through life.

The song I’ve sent you this week is one you will relate to as you know the subject well “Song of Anglesey” sung by my pal Paul Damian…although it is now on a CD album it was originally the B side of my now viral “How To Say Llanfairpwll….etc”….so in effect it sold just a many…which was a lot….the long word song is approaching a million hits on YouTube. I wrote quite a few songs for Paul and my one regret is I never kept the outtakes….I don’t know whose language was worse…his or mine…..great days…Paul now lives in Spain and I miss him a lot. 2.There is an obesity crisis in this country…or so we keep getting told on the news…along with an increase in dementure….and lung problems with fuel emissions…etc…etc….I’m beginning to wonder whether there is anyone who is actually well out there…..perhaps if people didn’t smoke they wouldn’t have lung problems and if they got off their mobile phones and did some exercise they wouldn’t be obese…or am I over simplifying things….or perhaps if the news was a bit more positive it might help instead of doom and gloom. The latest is they want to ban “tackling” in school rugby….in case the poor little chaps get hurt…so that looks like the end of future top class rugby for this country? We only need 30 minutes of news but we get 24 hours…thus we have 23 and a half hours of padding. 3.We have chosen our song entry for the Eurovision…..Joe and Jake are flying the flag….I watched the other contenders and theirs was by far the best and I think the girls will like them so there is a possibility we will get more than nil pwa this year…..I can’t remember the name of the song … oops…but it was quite good. Apparently the two lads are off the The Voice…so Mr.Cowell wonthave a finger in the pie for a change. I must say I watch the Eurovision and I enjoy it…even though I wish I didn’t. It was amazing…Ant and Dec weren’t involved!!!....can’t understand it….they are NEVER off our screens!!!....perhaps they should take a well earned holiday (couple of years?) and give us all a rest…we deserve it. They are even on the adverts..so there is NO escape. 4.I also watched the Academy Awards….is there some sort of controversy about the lack of black nominees?....er….I think so as they have been going on and on about it for months!! I must say that Chris Rock was brilliant…I am a huge fan of his and think he is one of the best comedians around. I always think it’s all a bit too glamorous and out dated for todays market….and fail to see the point…what do I care if Joe Bloggs wins an award…doesn’t effect ME in the slightest….I think the money could be better spent elsewhere. 5.There is a new programme on TV featuring Julia Bradberry doing Lake District walks…it’s great stuff especially as I recognise the places having walked there myself…plus Julia is very easy on the eye…and Griff Rhys Jones did a similar programme wandering around Wales…I particularly enjoyed the feature on Anglesey as I have walked around the whole island over the years. This sort of programme is of interest to everyone (or should be)….instead of being bombarded with idiots having tattoos removed or cosmetic surgery on their fat out of shape bodies…I can’t imagine anyone watching that garbage…but there you go.

The song I have sent you this week is one that got away….it was an idea I came up with a long time ago while wandering through Liverpool…I was so impressed by some of the buskers…especially those in the subways where they get natural amplification and reverb…. And ”Subway Songman” was born…these guys play to an ever changing audience of thousands and most of them are better than most so called “stars”….the words say it all…I never did much with it so it stayed in my drawer until now….I might re-incarnate it. The Jimmy Savile scandal rolls on and is filling the news…..the BBC are taking a lot of stick over this…quite rightly so…and Tony Blackburn has been sacked over some past indescretion…I understand it to be not giving correct evidence in times past….in other words obstruction…I think a few more heads will roll on this one…..what seems to be overlooked is the amount of money Savile raised for charity…not that this is any sort of excuse but this was probably the reason for the cover up. I always regarded him as a complete talentless buffoon but obviously if he was of financial benefit blind eyes must have been turned ….I must say it is all quite riveting …I wonder who will be next…I bet there are a few knees knocking. I’ve just got back from a few days in The Lakes…the weather was great…frosty with clear skies…perfect for walking…on the way back down the M6 motorway as usual cars were hurtling past at ridiculous speeds despite the zero temperature and warning of ice on roads….then on the radio comes a report stating that there’s been a record number of speeding prosecutions involving cars travelling at over 100 mph…what I fail to understand is why the law doesn’t come down big time on these idiots….fine them thousands of pounds and ban them for life…problem solved….but you will naturally still get the brainless moron who continues to totally disregard the law…AND the human rights brigade must not be offended of course….God forbid…Or why not re-direct some of the money spent on sending some bloke into space to do summersaults and fill the motorway with speed cameras?…they would soon make the money back. Other news items have included Richard Branson’s replacement rocket ship which he intends to take people 60 miles above the Earth…despite the first one crashing and killing the pilot….is it me or is there any point to all this?…I’m sure it will be a wonderful experience for the passengers but personally I think they should all be declared insane. And the Flying Scotsman has made its first trip since its 10 year makeover…from London to York…£450 a ticket…and it has caused such a stir that it had to stop because over enthusiastic trainspotters strayed on to the line….words fail me…and one chap set his camera up to capture it going past only to have the historic event blocked by a Virgin train going the other way….priceless…as I said the other week we did an item on it about 12 years ago when I worked on Radio Merseyside…it was on display in Llangollen and we interviewed the driver on the footplate…it was HOT…very HOT!! I watched The Brits on TV last Wednesday….it was on the cards that Adele would clean up…which she did….she deserves her superstardom although I’m not a fan….couldn’t see the point of Ant and Dec and neither could anyone else by the look of the audience….and what was Alan Carr doing there?….I thought for a minute he was going to sing….I was just about to leave town!!…his squawking voice is enough…and isn’t it about musicians?…the highlight was the Bowie tribute….absolutely fabulous band and a classic performance from the young lady called “Lord”….I thought it was sensational and totally stole the show. And there has been some very bad news….”Benidorm” is set for ANOTHER series….roll up all you has beens for your free holiday in Espana.

The song I have sent you this week is one I wrote for my pal… wrestler Adrian Street….he used to enter the ring to it….”Imagine What I Could Do To You” Back in the day I took it down to RCA Records along with other stuff and was told it was possibly the worst record in the history of music (probably is)…however it ended up on MTV in America and in a movie called “Grunt”. At the time I put the quote from RCA on the sleeve along with a health warning…..I included this on an album I produced for Adrian…which has recently surfaced again and two record companies want to release it on blue vinyl…so take that RCA !! 2.Every week we have a jam session at a local venue where we raise money for sick kids charities…www.thecheshirecats.co.uk …this week we had a special guest in the shape of legendary songwriter Barry Mason. He sang a selection of his hits and told the story behind them … including Delilah…The Last Waltz…Bicyclettes de Belsize….and others by Tom Jones..Englebert…Des O’Connor and the Drifters etc….I put a band together to back him and we put a LOT of work in…and with only one rehearsal with Barry we stormed the place which was packed to the rafters. It was a great night and nice of the man to help our fundraising…and he looks incredible for his age. 3.There is a programme on TV called “The Jump” where celebs are trained to race down toboggan runs and carry out ski jumps…I’ve always thought this was an accident waiting to happen and it has….Olympian Beth Tweddle ended up with a broken neck and is still in hospital and there were several other injuries…I remember last year Mike Tyndall came a cropper on the ski jump and was very lucky not to do some serious damage to himself…the fact that he is a rugby player built like a brick outhouse probably helped. We all like to see celebs making fools of themselves but we don’t want to see them getting injured….can’t see the show lasting. 4.There has been quite a bit of news coverage on the big walkout by the fans at a Liverpool game….the club were going to raise the price of front seats to £77 each…..but have since backed down…which means they didn’t need to do it in the first place….oh sorry…I forgot about GREED!!!!...they are having a laugh….they could let the fans in free and STILL make a fortune….mind you anyone who pays silly prices to watch a football match needs help…..these club owners couldn’t give a monkeys for the fans. 5.The Flying Scotsman has been put back into service after ten years of repairwork…it is a fabulous piece of machinery and is highly respected all over the world…and…wait for it…I have been on the footplate…it was about 11 years ago when I worked with Monty Lister on Radio Merseyside…he was mad keen on locomotives so we did a programme on this famous train when it was on display in Llangollen…we interviewed the driver and I remember it being VERY hot in there…..our outings took us all over the place and I have even flown in a second world war plane (the name of which escapes me)…and been in an igloo in Norway…to name a few….great days.

The song I’ve sent you this week is one I wrote for David Alexander back in the day….it’s close to the anniversary of his sad passing…and I know he was very popular in Spain. It is called “Let’s Keep It Simple” which he recorded and put it on his album celebrating his marriage to Penny Page…..I wrote a pot of stuff for them both…including the title track of the album…great guy..I miss him. It’s been a busy week….top of the range songwriter Barry Mason is coming to do a show at our weekly Cheshirecats rock and roll nights which we put on every Wednesday. I’ve put a band together to back him consisting of Derek Green on bass (ex Del Renas)….Tony Cavanagh on drums…myself on guitar and a young genius called Paul Rowbottom on keyboards…because Barry sings in some very strange keys and we are working with songs arranged by the great Les Reed it is a major challenge to say the least …so we have been rehearsing and we’re getting there….should be a great show and a feather in the cap of our organisation. And this week it was nice to see Lee Curtis who brought his band along and Brian “Griff” Griffiths of The Big Three turned up (he’s on holiday from the States) and did a spot…so it’s all happening at the moment. Also on the music scene I read in the paper that Van Morrison has been knighted…I know the guy is a great musician and has a big following but…knighted? I like his music but he’s got no stage personality….so you may as well sit at home and listen to one of his CDs…..I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again …when is Ken Dodd going to receive his knighthood?…he has to be the greatest entertainer in history…and has given so much to show business….I don’t know how they come up with the names….(I wont mention Sir Jimmy Savile…and Sir Rolph Harris) There’s been a lot of complaints about parents parking outside schools when dropping their children off…it has been suggested by some empy headed politician that the teachers should be given the power to slap a parking ticket on offending cars….oh!…that’s a good idea…that will go a long way to help teacher parent relations….most people are fine but you’ll always get the odd one who doesn’t consider anyone but their stupid selves…that’s a given…not to mention the aggression which the teachers are not paid to endure. On top of all this a head teacher was interviewed on breakfast TV by the unbearable Piers Morgan who was asking really intelligent questions like “Are you happy to make disabled people have to park some distance away and have to struggle to get their kids into school”…which is about the level of Mr.Morgan’s intelligence….the whole point is to prevent the loss of life of a youngster….it only takes some fool in a hurry to back over a kid then everyone will jump on that bandwagon. A possible answer would be to have a proper contract drawn up with the rules and regulations of the school which the parents must sign….if parents break the rules they are in breach of contract. I had to laugh at a documentary on BBC4 about the rock band Uriah Heap….two of the original members were reminiscing about the old days…so funny. They said they were travelling first class everywhere and throwing big parties and didn’t realise that it was coming out of THEIR money….they made an album called “High and Mighty and decided to promote it with a photo session in the revolving restaurant at the top of a mountain in Switzerland (the one in the James Bond film) and invited the press to come along and enjoy the “free” travel and booze…when they got to the photo session a fight broke out amongst the band members so there was no photo session….now THIS is rock and roll. That’s what these young hopefuls don’t realise….the record companies give you nothing…it’s YOUR money you are blowing.

The song I have sent you this week is called “DooWop Days” and reminds us of the vocal groups past and present who produce this great style of music. It began in the States with street corner groups singing acapella and progressed into the rock and roll scene….it is similar to a rocky version of “barbershop”….it is a style I have always liked with those wonderful multi voice arrangements…..I’ve sent it because this week I got an Email from a guy called George Galfo who is the only original surviving member of The Mystics and thanked me for including his band in the song. The Mystics had a massive hit in the 50’s with a song called “Hushabye” which is still one of my favourites to this day…so much so I include their riff at the end of the song….the group are still performing and he told me they are soon off to Italy to do a DooWop concert……..that’s the power of the internet and it made my day. And I’d like to say hello to my mate Stevie Davies who plays bass and sings at our wednesday night jam sessions…great player and singer and great guy…and listens in. 2.Still on the music scene I’m not a massive fan of rap but I do like the visual of some of these guys….I saw P.Diddy on a chat show and he was undoubtedly the coolest dude I have ever seen. Last week Ice Cube was on The Graham Norton Show and was asked what he thought of the boycott of the Oscars by black actors….he said he couldn’t care less as he performs to his fans and it is immaterial what some so called academy thinks…and added that some of these stars need to get over themselves…..cool or what !!!....now THIS is sense !! Before they all scream “racist” maybe…just maybe…there are better actors than them? 3.There is a major scam going on in this country whereby cars deliberately stop and let the one behind crash into them…thus creating claims for whiplash etc….even BUSES are in on it. To me the answer is quite simple…false claims should receive a jail sentence…it’s fraud…simple as that….and anyone involved in the organisation of these scams should be jailed and receive a life ban from driving. ….including SOLICITORS who are a scab on society…..having said that if you drive safely you should leave enough room to slow down before going into the back of someone. A guy went into the back of me a few years back…..he hit my towbar and wrote the front of his car off….mine had no damage at all… so I helped him get out of the traffic and called it a day….I didn’t claim whiplash because I didn’t have it and I am not a lying grabbing piece of low life….the chap called at my house a week later with a bunch of flowers and a bottle of wine. 4.Also the media make matters worse with their one sided reporting…they had a feature regarding a lady who was “sitting at the traffic lights” and decided to peel a banana…she was seen by an unmarked police car and fined “£140” for not being in control of the vehicle…they had the lady in the studio who said she was actually moving but still in first gear…and had she not pleaded guilty it could have cost her over a grand. SHE WAS DRIVING WITH BOTH HANDS OFF THE WHEEL!!!..the moaners and wingers would be the first to complain if one of their family had been injured on their pushbike by someone peeling a banana If this is national news it’s time to call it a day. 5.I did a bit of baby sitting for my son last weekend and he sorted us out with “Jurassic Park”…..in 3D!!....it was unbelievable….more so in that it hadn’t originally been made in 3D….it was all done with modern technology….put the glasses on and there you are standing next to Sir Richard Attenborough…..it does make you wonder how far technology is yet to advance….

The song I have sent you this week is taken from one of my DVDs so there are pictures to go with it…pictures you will see in your mind’s eye as you are one of us. Easy to sing about as it is such a great place to live. They have found a “new” planet in our solar system….it’s so far away you can’t actually SEE it and it my not ACTUALLY be there…but by all accounts this is very exciting. Now…is it me or is all this space stuff a complete waste of money…we are told that children are starving and there is not enough money to pay the doctors…then we watch a guy doing sommersaults in a spaceship…not to mention the thing that landed on a comet as the batteries went flat…what happened to that?…plus we have been informed that the richest men in the worlds form 1% of the population and their wealth is equal to the rest of us…the whole thing is a joke. There looks like there’s been a bit of naughtiness in the Tennis fraternity….match fixing indeed….I don’t know why everyone is so surprised…where there’s gambling and money involved you will get scullduggery…tennis is probably the easiest game to fix because pros can hit a ball to within 6 inches of where they want it to go…so if someone has got a few grand on who will double fault first…no problem. It’s a tricky one to trace….but I feel sport has lost it’s way…even the Olympics are getting boring….Tennis has lost it’s characters like Nastase…Connors…McEnroe etc…now we have Andy Murray who is about as interesting as astrology ….and Jocavic…great as he is…not much entertainment value….or am I just getting old? They had a get together at Fort Perch Rock last Sunday in memory of Harry Prytherch who was a Merseybeat drummer with The Remo Four and did a lot to keep the music alive. It was well attended and they had a couple of solo acts and a couple of bands…I got up with one of the bands and did a few Rick Nelson songs as Harry once MC’d a show I did with James Burton. It was a a nice afternoon anf harry would have been delighted with it…in the words of Harry “May the Fort be with you”. .Great news for our fundraising Wednesdays with The Cheshire Cats….Barry Mason no less has offered to come and do a show for us….he will sing the million seller hits he has written and talk about how they came about…I have been dotting out his set in the strange keys he sings in and have got a band together to back him…I’ll be playing guitar. His hits include “Delilah”…”The Last Waltz”…”Bicyclettes de Belsize”….hits for the Drifters …Tom Jones and Englebert…etc…….it’s a big ask but a nice challenge

The song I have sent you this week is entitled “Wirral Wonderland” and is a track off one of my DVDs about the area….which you will be familiar with. I mostly send you demos of my songs but this is a finished job…I think you’ll like it….it goes well when matched up with the video. David Bowie has been heavily featured in the news…a sad loss indeed but whether it warrants blanket coverage on the national news is debateable…although he was a one-off…I was totally inspired by him when I first heard the ZiggyStardust album through headphones in 1969…it revolutionised recording techniques …brilliant…he started out as a sax player…my wife worked with a guy who sessioned on his records…a chap called Brian Wilshaw who became a music teacher…how cool is he….he certainly altered the path of popular music. The entertainment level of TV is gradually sinking to an all time low…I watched an episode from the new series of “Open All Hours” with David Jason playing the main character…how can someone of his status be involved in a dreadful sitcom like this…not only is it totally unfunny the canned laughter every 10 seconds is so irritating….surely Mr.Jason can see this? BUT….NOTHING can be worse than the new series of “Benidorm” which I watched out of interest thinking it can only be better than the last series which was diabolical….it wasn’t…in fact it was worse if that is possible….it has to be the WORST programme ever…it’s like a scrap heap for third-rate actors….an insult to any normal person’s intelligence….the cast MUST be short of money…. I also watched the new Tracy Ullman Show expecting good things….oops another dud. .It strikes me that modern television mainly caters for a very small percentage of the population….they put snooker on ALL afternoon….football matches at prime time .. and even had the FA Cup draw live on The One Show….as it happens I like sport but if you don’t your nose is pushed right out of the picture…I don’t understand why they can’t have a free sports channel?…then all the housewives can enjoy an evening in front of the box. The TV companies should realise that sport isn’t for everyone….and speaking of which I have yet to see the point of “Question Of Sport”….hard to believe that the charismaless “Tuffers” and Mat Dawson actually get paid for this none event….what was that song by Springsteen “100 channels with nothing on”. .A bit of local history for you….there is a small hamlet (which is a village without a church for your interest) calledSaughall Massie which is near the centre of Wirral (you will know it well)…on its outskirts is a small stone bridge which takes traffic over a narrow brook….this was designed by a chap called Thomas Brassey who is responsible for a great percentage of bridges and viaducts all over the world….this little bridge was his first venture…and there is a plaque at the side of it in his honour….another Wirral World First !!!…and that’s why I write songs about it.

The song I’ve sent you this week was from my more “commercial” era (lol)…..it’s sung by a friend of mine called Sue Young who had a great voice … she did the clubs as well but had a superb session voice…I used to call her “One Take” Sue…..I used to have a demo service where people would send me their songs in rough form (sometimes just a voice) and I would knock them into shape for them to send to publishers…and Sue would sing the female parts…she would have a couple of listens then hit it in one go…she was wonderful to work with.This was a song I wrote for her….we got radio play which gave her some publicity and some extra gigs. I used to use a few session girls singers…one being Pauline Daniels and another Julie Bright…these were the days before the modern trend of females shouting and yelling out songs and destroying them. I watched a programme called “Brucie’s Hall of Fame”….which was supposed to be presented by Bruce Forsyth…but as he’s not well his place was taken by Alexander Armstrong (who we talked about the other week)….he had artists on who were paying tribute to the stars they were inspired by….a good idea but sadly it didn’t come off at all…..Beverly Knight paid tribute to Sam Cooke with a yelling session…I like her very much but I think she is a bit misguided vocal wise…and other acts which were pretty bad…then I had to endure Alexander (who now fancies himself as a singer…which he aint) launching into some swing song slipping out of pitch on occasions…awful…BUT finished with a bigshouty note and got a standing ovation…so what do I know? .At the other end of the spectrum I finally finished watching “The Tudors” which I have on a box set….there are four series covering the reign of Henry V111 and was the best thing I have ever seen. It was brilliant and wonderfully acted and produced….I am now an authority on Henry….up until then I always thought that Henry the eighth was the bloke who invented fractions (gerrit?) What makes this series so good is it is TRUE….you couldn’t make it up…what a bloke he was….not one to upset. … on the history front this will interest you if you didn’t know….I was taking a stroll around Woodside in Birkenhead (which is where I took the photograph I sent you of the newly painted ferry boat)…the area has been totally renovated over the last few years and gives a wonderful different angle on The Mersey….I came across a plaque concerning the HMS Birkenhead which was built locally and was the first ship to come to a disastrous end….it hit rocks and the hull was split open…as there weren’t enough lifeboats the women and children were taken off first…this became known as “The Birkenhead Drill” and was used on the Titanic disaster years later…”women and children first”. I watched a programme about The Prince’s Trust where Ant and Dec interviewed Prince Charles and accompanied him on some of his charity missions.I thought The Prince came over very well and his organisation certainly does a lot of good. I must say I smiled at his visit to a prison where he spoke to three inmates….handpicked or what? No matter what you think of Chaz and his “privileged” life I must say I couldn’t think of anything worse….to be constantly hounded by people who either grovel or despise you must be awful…and there is no escape…fame always comes with a price…had John Lennon not been a Beatle he would have lived twice as long….fame – no thanks.