Good morning Simon! Time to play SUZANNE by LEONARD COHEN?

As you might remember I'm a great Leonard Cohen fan and we finally got to see him 2 years ago at the O2 in one of the best concerts it has ever been my privilege to attend - he and his band that night were awesome!

Anyway, must go.....to pray! And then the day unwinds in a cascade of important meetings....hope I can still make the programme

errm....all I can come up with on todays theme is my girls went to Kindergarten with Barbara's boys :-)

Good Morning Simon, Team and Blogpoppets



Happy birthday to Mrs Mayo Snr! A grand age - 80 is the new 60, you know...



Not a big folk fan myself - I don't dislike it, it's just not particularly my genre of choice. So - for Kev - I'll just go for anything by Fairport Convention.



Off to work now - see you at coffee time!



Deebee X

Good Morning Everyone.



No request/memories from me.



Sad news yesterday. Very sad.

Hi Simon and Drive Team



You lucky so-and-so's. It's a hot ticket and no mistake.



Have tried bribery, ransom and all manner of nefarious arm twistery - to no avail. People just don't pass on their invites to The Brewery for the Folk Awards.

A glass of wine, some munchies and the red button will have to suffice.



I have far too many reminescerances from my times in folk world for utterage in this small space.



However - *claim to fame alert* - I am proud to see that Mrs Casey Music STILL uses the original Rocking Chair logo that I designed for Steve Heap back in the 70's.





KatyMac

*•.¸¸♫★

Morning all



Hope you all had a good weekend.



Just off to the vets with poorly dog.



csn. xx

Hello and Happy Monday to Blog Chumsters!



Had an excellent Sunday - well, Saturday wasn't too bad either.



Have not been at home for much of the last few days, but daughter and friend have - some tidying up is needed.



Weather looks awful outside so am glad to be 'working from home'. A phrase which roughly translates to building a baby log fire and cooking up a warming casserole, listening to the raydio, nattering to you lot, and writing about ten important emails. That's the work bit.





*•.¸¸♫★

Morning Simon, Team and fellow Blogsters



Well I am sure it will be a great evening tonight, you sound a smidge excited about it from your post this morning. I may dip in this evening, as folk is something that I don't listen to that often. I seem to remember Donovan was always in the local paper when I was growing up. He was one of a few celebrities who lived in my neck of the woods. Never met him though, I was rather young at the time! (How tenuous a link is that?!!)



Mcw x

Good morning all!



Grey and windy in London town this morning. I am in the office but not really in the mood for it! Katy, your plans for the day sound lovely - can I work from your home?



Will pop by later - I have a technical spec to read (ugh!). Was meant to read it over the weekend but it stayed in my bag.



A-G

PS Simon, I hope your morning of nuclear physics doesn't become one of your Confessions- we could all be in trouble! ;-)

Good Morning Each! A themeless folky day, eh? Well a change is as good as a rest, as they say, so I look forward to the invigoration that the day promises.



I am going to be a bit cheeky and request something anyway, but only because that when you do play it, as I'm sure you will, I can pretend to myself that it was entirely my doing. Simon, or Mike, or Barbara (covering all bases, there), would you please arrange it so that at some point in the proceedings, a bit of Bellowhead is broadcast. That'd be lovely.

Morning all



Not particularly into folk music, but will have a look on the red button tonight



Grey and windy here too.



Back later



Tortie x

Ooh Simon tweets for an ARFtype opener for the show. How's about 'John Henry' by Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band.

Morning all



Just about raising my head above the parapet, now the tax return deadline has passed ;)



How about 'I am a man of Constant Sorrow' by The Soggy Bottom Boys - can't beat a bit of bluegrass - yehaw!



A

Simon - in the true spirit of the folk awards I would love to hear CROWDED HOUSE'S version of the brilliant Donovan track CATCH THE WIND that they did for the Great British Songbook Library back in May - any chance of a re-run?

Morning all



Just a quickie for now. Folk isn't really my bag but I'd love to hear



MELLOW YELLOW - DONOVAN



whilst driving to the swimming pool place just after 5 !



Ta muchly



Deevs

x







back later .... x

Folk gigs - hmm. What IS folk music? :-)

Good morning Everyone and, of course, Simon, The Team and The New Nice Young Man (or is the Previous Nice Young Man still around?),



Anyhoo, dark and windy this morning in this neck of the woods.



Lovely weekend was had by all, thank you for asking.



I have a couple of claims to Barbara Dickson fame. The first is rather tenuous, Barbara had music lessons with the same elderly music teacher I had. Unfortunately, I never encountered her at Miss Methven's and my musical talent didn't progress as far as the lovely Ms Dickson's talent.



About 12 years ago, the GBs' father and I were having a coffee in a cafe in the market town where Barabara lives when she came in. I smiled politely but the GBs' father had to speak to her, telling Barbara how much his mother enjoyed her music. I'm sure it made her day ;)



~ x

Potentially opening a can of worms, there, Ken. However, Status Quo have played Cambridge, if that helps.

How about a bit of Show of Hands for he opener



Roots

seems to sum up folk music pretty well.

#7 - Katy - does that mean that your hat, scarf and cake designs could be worth something in the future? I will be wearing your designs at a jauntier angle and with even greater pride :)



~ x

Morning folks - hope you all had a good weekend. Another Monday, another dream come true .... If there was any chance that Simon & Crew were looking for recommendations for songs this evening, as opposed to suggestions for the theme (!) then of course it's Simon's perfect excuse again to play



NORTHERN SKY - Nick Drake (officially the loveliest thing ever made by man!)



or...



ANYTHING BY JOHN MARTYN - John Martyn - maybe MAY YOU NEVER.



My favourite folk gig memory was seeing Leonard Cohen at the Albert Hall having blagged my way in for free at the back door, and going to the gents during the interval to find that the gentleman occupying the adjacent standing space to me was the late, great Dave Allen (well - he wasn;t late then, but he still was great)> And OBVIOUSLY he'd be a Leonard Cohen fan... Seen Donovan so many times - lovely guy. Once in Manchester there was a lad with cerebral palsy in the audience who was finding it hard to contain himself, and kept shouting loud noises in the quietest moments of the show completely at random. Everyone around him was very understanding (it wasn;t as though he could do much about it), but it must have been very distracting, and especially from the stage it must have been distracting for Donovan too. But everything went okay, and at the end of the gig Donovan thanked everyone for coming, and looked right and left and up into the circle to say thanks, and then made a HUGE show of thanks to this teenage boy as though as far as Donovan was concerned the whole show had been for him, and if nobody else had turned up it would still have been worth it. And I decided there and then that Donovan was one of the nicest around.... So - if we get to choose/recommend Donovan tracks, let's have "Song of a Naturalists Wife" or "Tinker and the Crab" from 'Gift From a Flower to a Garden' please!! Long blog..... better do some work!

I quite like this lot, PBS6, potentially taking folk to a new place...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqPq1DIr6F4&feature=related

I've been a 'folk fan' since I saw Bellowhead's performance of Fire Marengo the bbc coverage of Cambridge folk festival.

So love it if you could play that track. ;)



ps. I don't have a beard, beerbelly, sandals or arran jumper...but I do play squeezeboxes of various types and just started learning fiddle.

Morning all you lovely blog poppets!



Don't get folk music unless it is played round a roaring log fire at Christmas.



GB

Hi All



I have tweeted a suggested opener of PERFECT by Fairground Atraction. Only problem is, in my original tweet I put Fairport Convention. D'oh! My defense is I was tweeting on my phone - without my reading glasses on, I had been previously thinking about FC, plus the names are quite similar... I only hope Simon didn't have about 100 tweets between my original one and the correction. Otherwise he's going to think I've totally lost the plot.



I know, he probably does anyway...



;o)



X

#27 You mean to tell us U2 didn't do any folkie covers...?

#24 B&B, that is a lovely story which I can relate to. My GB doesn't have cerebral palsey but he does have a learning disability which causes him to be quite loud at times.

#30 - hi Deebee - thanks for the comment, and it was a lovely response from Donovan - this kid in the audience really couldn't keep as quiet as everyone else (he was really enjoying himself, and you know what folk gigs are like - church-like reverent atmosphere!!), and there will have been people there who thought he should have gone out, and lots of people who just understood and put up with it, but inevitably it was distracting, and Don's handling of it was absolutely where it should have been, because amongst us old fogies keeping silent and gently tapping a foot in the dark, here was a young lad having an absolute ball and voicing it for all to hear! Brilliant night out.

A folk/roots opener for this eve's drivetime? Preferably a hit?





um... um... how's about:



HAZY SHADE OF WINTER - SIMON & GARF or BANGLES cover

NORTHERN LIGHTS - RENAISSANCE

CAT STEVENS - CAN'T KEEP IT IN



♫

Fantastic story BandB. I would generally be a fully paid up, tee-shirt wearing, member of the "STFU" club at gigs, so some food for thought there.

#24 - B&B - that is a lovely story. What a wonderful world it would be everyone showed such humility.



~ x

Morning All,



I do recall having a great evening at the Dorset Steam Fair, but no idea who the group were, just remember lots of dancing etc



Have a good day everybody

#33 & 34 - thanks folks. Always loved Donovan, but that evening proved his worth as a person as much as a singer/writer! Ken - STFU? - gradually figured it out, so no need to clarify! yeah - me too in general, and it just goes to show. I used to go to a folk club over my local pub, and there was a guy who used to turn up there once in a while who had cerebral palsy also (bit of a theme here!), who could hardly talk, had to be lifted up the stairs in his wheelchair, and had so little motor control of hands and legs etc. But his mate would stick a guitar across his lap and plonk a bottle neck in his left hand, and he turned into Elmore James! Absolutely amazing guy... funny ways music can have of opening your eyes.

11.40am and only 36 posts... bit quiet today I fear?

Just popped back and had a read back. B&B, that is a lovely story - thank you for sharing it.



I used to frequent a jazz club in Brighton and if anyone so much as whispered during a performance, there would be aghast looks from the audience and you would be "spoken to" afterwards. Mr P refused to perform there as he said the lack of interaction with the audience affected his playing.



I don't think I have ever been to a folk gig and I am looking forward to furthering my education via the red button this evening!



A-G

Ooooh it's quiet in here today.



Latest blog musing is up for your delight and delectation:-



https://deevskiblog.blogspot.com



Enjoy!



Deevs

x

#37 BaxterandBertie



Yes - it IS quieter than the norm. Perhaps there aren't that many bloggers with memories or even connections with this sort of music.

It's also often the case that when there is no theme, per se, the more upfront mensh chasers don't bother stopping by. That's a pity - it's good to chat, particularly about music - oh, and food - and well, anything really ..



Love your story about the Donovan Manchester gig. I remember, when I was VERY young [practically a foetus], the launch of Donovan as the so-called British Bob Dylan. He was such a sweet and soft-voiced individual and SO far removed from the snarly persona of Bob Dylan. But, in those days, Dylan had become a protest hero as well as a hit singer so everything seemed to be measured against him.



Hope Kev drops by. Am sure he has a tale to tell.

#38 Deevs - lovely read, as always.

Apologoes for being part of the silence. Another busy day at the coal face with more deadlines to be met this afternoon. Hoping normal service can be resumed soon :-(



Lovely story B&B.



Great blog Deevs. How are you feeling today?



Big hugs to everyone else....because you're worth it.



x

Until about four years ago, music was not really even a main interest of mine and the number of concerts I had been to could be counted on one hand. Then I got 'taken' to a Bellowhead gig in Pontardawe and became hooked by not only their sheer enjoyment of folk in it's various forms but by folk music in general.

I'm now going to several concerts a week and it's taken over my life!

Really looking forward to watching and listening tonight. Anything by Bellowhead (especially New York Girls) would be very much appreciated, as a way of saying thankyou for showing me what music has to offer.

Did anyone see Ms Aguilera doing her impression of two cats fighting just ahead of the Superbowl kick-off last night? It was just appalling - it was like she was trying to out-Mariah Mariah.



The Americans would be well advised to do what we do on these occasions and put a military band out there to accompany (drown out if necessary!) the celebrity singing their anthem and therefore force a bit of discpline into their performance re. timing, phrasing etc.

Talking of phrasing & enunciation, did anyone see Rumer on Something For The Weekend yesterday? Liked immensely.



x

Thanks KatyMatyMac and Mo



I'm back at work today although scared rigid that the tedium of a day in this office will send me doolally! One more anti-biotic to take at bedtime and then fingets crossed that the barbed wire throat has FINALLY left the building!



I'm going to go for a swim after work too. I've not been for a few weeks, what with one thing and another, so am looking forward to doing some lengths at about half five.



Hey ho!



Deevs

x

#24 B&B Great story, enjoyed reading that post

#45 - Hi Mo, Yes I saw Rumer on SFTW - fantastic voice - so down to earth and lovely too - I liked muchly :) I heard her on the radio recently - was it Ken's show on Friday - could've been Tracks of my Years? Great song choices, if my memory serves me correctly.



Deevs - glad you're feeling better - hope the tedium doesn't get to you. I'm enjoying your blog too - lovely :)



~ x

Crawling towards the 50 today - who's gonna get it?



~ x

Moi?



~ x

Afternoon all



Apologoes from me too for the silence, Monday is always a busy day for me, so I don't have much chance to get here as often as I would like to.



Glad to here you're feeling better now, Deevs. I would read your blog, but for some reason it won't open - I'll try again from home tonight.



I'm off to brave the wild winds that are gusting around here today and will pop back later.



Tortie x

I'll look out for you Tortie, in case you're blown off course



~ x

We've had more snow today :-(



Doesn't look like it's lying but could do without it.



(got spare 5 mins before next presentation starts, phew!)



x

#39 What a lovely lady your nan sounds, Deevs. I hope that she has a lovely birthday. Glad that you are feeling better.



Have had a busy Monday morning too, running a few errands, and now I'm waiting for my builder!



Mcw x

Lovely blog Deevs.



Toots - congrats on the 50th post! It IS quiet today - most days lately there have been 50+ before 10 o'clock. Just us old faithfuls around then... well, when I say old...



;o)



I must admit to being unfamiliar with Bellowhead. I look forward to being enlightened. It's been said before, but one of the great things about this blog - and the show - is finding out about new artists and new music.



Mo - snow? Keep it to yourself, would you. Hope it doesn't settle.



Deebee X

#55 Hi Deebee, yep just one or two peeps loitering today.



A bit worried about Billie - she mentioned sad news in her comment - not sure if she was referring to Gary Moore's untimely death or something more personal to her. Either way, I hope the lovely Billie is okay.



~ x

nice warm TARTAN SCARF for Toots - 50th post

:^)



★~~~~ø¤♫#♫¤ø„#######♫★¤ø„#####♫★#★♫#####„ø¤♫#♫¤ø„#####♫★¤ø„#######„ø¤♫#♫¤ø„~~~~★

★~~~~ø¤♫#♫¤ø„#######♫★¤ø„#####♫★#★♫#####„ø¤♫#♫¤ø„#####♫★¤ø„#######„ø¤♫#♫¤ø„~~~~★

★~~~~ø¤♫#♫¤ø„#######♫★¤ø„#####♫★#★♫#####„ø¤♫#♫¤ø„#####♫★¤ø„#######„ø¤♫#♫¤ø„~~~~★

★~~~~ø¤♫#♫¤ø„#######♫★¤ø„#####♫★#★♫#####„ø¤♫#♫¤ø„#####♫★¤ø„#######„ø¤♫#♫¤ø„~~~~★

#57 - Hiya Katy - loving the tartan - thank you very much - will treasure forever - heeeeeeeee yoooch!



~ x

#56 Yes, I hope she's okay. She's not usually around much during the day though.



Did anyone see the drama 'The Promise' last night? It was about a girl who goes on a trip to Israel, taking her grandfather's diary with her. She reads that he was an Army officer and was involved in the liberation of the Jews in 1945. We're going to Israel in a couple of weeks (actually, less than two now - whoop, whoop!) and I'm afraid I'm quite ignorant about the history of the country, so I found this drama quite fascintating. And quite moving as well. I think it's a four part serial.

Hi everyone,



Not sure if it qualifies but how about Four Strong Winds by either Neil Young or John Denver? If nothing else it's appropriate for the weather conditions and it's the one song I could play on a guitar many years ago now!



H

#59 - The elderGB was watching it Deebee and thoroughly enjoyed it. My intention was to watch but my lovely friend from up north rang so I missed it. May watch at a time more convenient. It looked really good. Less than two weeks 'til your hols? How exciting.



Btw, Mo, hope the snow doesn't hang around my lovely.



~ x

Afternoon all!



Blimey - it IS quiet here! I guess the wind is blowing away a lot of the posts.



liked your blog, Deevs - made me think about my Nan (Nanny, in my case). An extraordinary lady and I adored her. She died in 1985 and I still miss her hugely.



Well done on the 50 Toots and I like the designer scarf! Katy, you are a talent!



Big news of today - I just treated myself to the Allison Pearson book. I will read it with my David Cassidy poster propped up beside me. I still have "Dark Matter" to read from the Book Club as well. Mr P enjoyed the review so I bought him the book for Christmas. He also bought it for me! Great minds, etc.



Well, I had better get back to reviewing the Minutes of our Project Board meeting. I think the Secretary went to a different meeting - I am almost re-writing from scratch.



Will be by later.



A-G

#55 Deebee, I am unfamiliar with quite a few of the more 'modern' folk artists, (probably all!) so it will be another Drivetime education for me! I did enjoy Simon's interview with Mike Harding the other evening, which reminds me, it would be nice to hear something from Nic Jones' Penguin Eggs

album.



It is quiet here, and 'Old Faithful' I seem to remember from my A level geography days was a geyser in Wyoming! so speak for yourself, Deebee!;-)



Mcw x

#63 Apologoes for the split sentence and punctuation errors, probably due to the fact that I am not getting a lot of sleep due to wind!! And I do mean the noisy, gusty wind outside!

#62 Alex, I've also ordered Allison Pearson's book from the big river website. And I've got the last bookclub book 'Rivers of London' to read too. Not my usual sort of book, but I enjoyed the online chapter and I found the interview with the author interesting. I'm reading Dawn French's 'A Tiny bit Marvellous' at the moment. Another Drivetime recommendation.



#63 LOL! None taken...

You sure you haven't been trying out Nigel's recipes Mcw...?

#66 Heehee!

Ah - power back on - trees down on the power lines!



#46 - I could never see the connection between Donovan and Dylan Katymac, but have to admit in retrospect that the solo acoustic guitar/wears a little black cap/ has a protest song out thing was probably enough. But as you say, Don was a different kettle of fish, and if they crossed over at some point it was only for a very short time. Donovan is a much better guitar player for starters, but much more gentle of spirit as well as of voice. I haven't got many albums but used to go see him live a lot. It was funny when his daughter married (I think they were married) Shaun Ryder, 'cos all the Madchester Happy Mondays fans used to turn up at his gigs all of a sudden. BUt I love Gift From a Flower To a Garden if anyone knows that, and Essence to Essence from about 1973.

It's 2 o'clock - guess I'd better make myself look busy. Back in a bit.



X

Deevs, lovely blog about your Nan. xx



Holly is now sound asleep on the sofa after her visit to the vets, she wasn't happy about the two injections she had to have, an anti sickness and an antibiotic. If they don't work we will have to go back to the vets tomorrow.



csn. xx

#65 It is good here, isn't it? We learn about new books, we are exposed to new music and we make new friends. We get hugs and support when we are troubled. We share laughter, recipes and jokes. We are given hats and scarfs when they are deserved and, when we are really deserving, we get our name read out on the radio.



Personally, I don't mind paying the license fee for this alone.



Alex-G

Hi CSN. Sorry to hear Holly is poorly. Paws crossed that the injections take effect.



Ax

#29 Deebee, ummmmmmm no I don't think so!

Hello Blogchumsters

Not a lot to say today - I like listening to folk music, but am not part of the "club" so can't really comment or contribute in a meaningful way.



Nice to hear about everybody's weekends and lovely food. Always make me jealous - surely you lot must eat a cheese sandwich sometimes...?

Have been blown back to the office!



#70 Hope Holly gets better soon, csn; paws crossed here too!



X

Hey John, It's a shame the topic of the day has 'frightened' some of the regular contributors away. General chit chat would be more than acceptable. Having said that, I'm outta here in a few mins so won't be around to contribute 'til later.



~ x

#77 - sorry CSN, I missed your post about Holly - paws crossed here too for the little dogpoppet.



~ x

#74 I just had a tuna mayo sarnie............

Toots, that is so sweet! Dogpoppet, love it.

#77 - ooopsee - I was referring to #70.



~ x

#79 the canine version of the blogpoppet, Alex :)



Rightio, outta here.



Laters sweet pataters.



~ x

#78 Alex - ah, that makes me feel better. I just had some soda bread from the weekend, toasted, with cheese. Mmmmm. It goes all crunchy and malty.



#76 Toots - suppose it's just that the lack of theme creates a big hole in this here blog, like when you remove a piece of furniture from a room.

#74 - John - don't worry about not knowing anything about folk music... however much you know (or don't), there's always some bugger in an arran sweater with his finger in his ear who tells you he knows more than you!

I do have a very nice arran cardigan.... does that make me qualified?

(but I didn't say I've actually worn it for about 10 years!)

#82 Sounds yummy, John!

You are 90% there John. Can you get hold of a pipe? And sentences like "yes, but I think Archie McCracken's unrecorded original from the '20s was seminal" usually shuts a room up. Ooo - and pretending to know a lot about Turkish music is a good ploy too!

Please can I stress that #86 refers to John's lunch, not to his cardigan.

#85 - does it already have patches on the elbows John, or are you still in planning for these? If not, using re-constituted sea-weed is the done thing now, retaining as much smell as possible obviously.

#88 - No!



:)

Alex, just when I thought I was moving ahead in the style stakes, and could take it out of mothballs.



B&B = leather pathes, yes. Pipe, no. It seems beards are also back in. What about a nice pair of comfy cords?



This is all sounding more like my Uncle Len, than the new hip world of 21st century folk.

Leather pathes? Blimey, that sounds a bit more racy. Here's the missing "c".



*settles back into his Parker Knoll, adjusts the antimacassar*

Thank you Alex and Toots.



Lovely cute word Toots. Dogspoppet!



xx

There's a word you don't hear much these days - antimacassar. The amount of gel some young chaps put on their hair, you would think the antimacassar would make a comeback.

Or even Dogpoppet!



xx

I am now going to have to look up "macassar" - if something was created to be anti it, I want to know what it is.

Alex Girl. LOL!



xx

This blog continues to be an education.



"Macassar oil is a compounded oil used primarily by men in Victorian and Edwardian times as a hair conditioner to groom and style the hair.



Macassar oil is often made with coconut oil or palm oil or that of Schleichera trijuga, combined with ylang-ylang oil (obtained by processing the flowers of the ylang-ylang tree, Cananga odorata) and other fragrant oils.



Macassar oil was so named because it was reputed to have been manufactured from ingredients purchased in the port of Makassar in Indonesia.



Due to the tendency for the oil to transfer from a gentleman's hair to the back of the chair he was sitting on, the antimacassar was developed. This is essentially a small crocheted cloth placed over the back of a chair."

Dogpoppet wants to go in the garden.



xx

I used to have an Auntie MacAssar - lived in Dumfries with Uncle Hamish.



Leather patches are the key thing John, but a pipe is the cherry on the cake. You don't have to smoke it - much more authentic just to chew on it. And always carry a penny whistle in your top pocket, refusing to play it on the basis that "the lips have gone!" I can see you're going to be good at this.