Seems a little disparate, this wierd mixture
of Automotive, Clothing, Holidays/Vacations, Internet, Kids Stuff
and Music eh? Well, not really it's just my take on things divided
into six little bite-sized chunks, with more than a little crossover.
Let's take a closer look...
Music
Back in the 1960s I desperately wanted to learn the guitar
and join a band. So I bought my first electric guitar, an Epiphone semi-accoustic,
and I thought I was the bee's knees. But with hindsight I know
I had bought an untunable, awful-sounding instrument that no
band would tolerate no matter what music it made. Still - I had
an electric guitar and I was on my way - "Look out bands
- here I come!"
Once I had learned a few chords I formed a band with some
guys I knew from work - trouble was we sounded like a punk
band - years before punk was invented. We thrashed around
for a while, wrote some songs, even did the odd gig, but we were
rubbish! So I packed the band in and joined another group as
guitarist, singer and songwriter.
Trouble was these band members were all unemployed - great
for having loads of rehersal time but no good for buying equipment
like PA, amps and the obligatory Ford Transit - the bands' vehicle
of choice. So we decided to put a covers band together and play
the local pubs and working mens clubs to raise money for better
equipment. This is where I cut my teeth in the music industry
and gained the experience all young musicians need to become
professional and travel the world.
Many friends were more successful then me and played gigs
around the world - our original drummer even ended up living
in Jamaica after years of playing on Caribbean cruise boats.
That is a great way of seeing the world and having fun doing
so. To all young musicians I'd recommend this way of playing
in the music industry and living the life of Riley!
Me? I still have my old Fender
Stratocaster guitar, but it doen't get much playing these days
- but every so often I plug it in and spend a while convincing
myself that I would never have made the big time anyway!
Automotive
I got my first car back in 1967 - I'd just passed my test
and as a teenager I was in love with the American hot
rod. But, being mostly skint at the time all I could
run to was a Ford
Prefect 107E. But the old 107E had the edge on its sister
the Popular which had an old side-valve engine - the Prefect
had the old body shape but it also had the 105E Anglia engine.
And this meant twin carbs were on the menu... :)
Fifty years on I'm driving an old Lexus - it's my age and
condition you know.
One of the truely great things about the internet is the image
searches, I spend hours just searching for old cars, hot rods
and kit cars.
Kids Stuff
Information on where to take kids in the UK when all else
fails... Holidays, days out, weekends away, shopping trips, theatre,
cinema, parks and countryside. Something for all the kids.
Snazzy Kids
