Summary: Sad to hear about the passing of Aretha Franklin....she was world class and such a massive talent...her range and phrasing were as good as it gets....but she will live on through the music she has given us all....I have always admired anyone who can get up on stage and entertain unrehearsed...which she can do and back herself on the piano...brilliant....there are some amazing female voices who I admire....Dionne Warwick singing Heartbreaker is a masterpiece and couldn't be sung any better....also Celine Dion's voice is so pure it makes me quite emotional......also we have some great home grown female voices such as Leona Lewis....all she needs is the right song.....not forgetting other great singers e.g. Gladys Knight and Tina Turner. 2.Talking of masterpieces (or not) the Tate Gallery in Liverpool has had a makeover.....now when I look at some of the modern art on display I'm afraid I just don't get it....for example a black square on a green background entitled "black on green" is NOT art and anyone over the age of 2 could produce this.....but no doubt some "experts" will see so much in this nonsense.....we have discussed this before but I think Tracy Emin deserves a mention with her "unmade bed"....she should have got in it and stayed there.....what do these people think when they look at a Constable....or a DaVinci?....they probably think they are in the same league. 3.Because it has become impossible to find anything on television I have found a series on Netflix called "Designated Survivor" starring and produced by Kiefer Sutherland who should have been a ventriloquist.....I had to instantly reach for the subtitle button.....you can't understand a word he says....not to mention his acting which is pretty bad....and why do modern films all have to be in the dark with everyone mumbling?....the problem is there are so many films to choose from and finding a decent one is a lottery...and usually it's not until you get halfway through that you realise it's rubbish but you have gone so far you may as well see it out and waste another couple of hours out of your life. 4.The hot weather here has created some interesting new fashions....especially in the shorts area....what I fail to see is the point of blokes wearing big baggy shorts which leave about 12 inches of bandy leg vanishing into huge trainers....this coupled with the shaved head with sunglasses perched on the top....the earring...and of course tattoos.....this is all very well if you are 18 ... but when you are 60+ it just doesn't work.....to me it looks hideous....and not forgetting the walk... letting onlookers know that they are still as fit and hard as they ever were....which sadly they are not.....only my opinion that's all. 5.The song this week has a story behind it....when I first met you when you were working for Radio Merseyside I had written a song about the area which you played on your programme....I eventually released the song on vinyl with a girl singer performing it...I placed them in the tourist shops in Liverpool and it was picked up by a chap called Ron Jones who was the boss of Merseyside Council Tourism....he got in touch and asked me if I would write a song about Liverpool and The Beatles....I didn't want to capitalise on the fab four as everyone else was doing so....so I composed "Beatle City" utilising the titles of their songs....I supplied the council with a large amount and they sold the lot...and here it is....my tribute to Scouseland.
