Seven

Blogging has taken a back seat over the past couple of weeks, as I’ve been busy meeting deadlines for a number of (ta-da) paid writing assignments.

Meanwhile, topping the in-tray of bloggable topics has been this meme, which filtered forth from Beth at the inestimable cup of coffey site.

The meme criterion is straightforward enough: seven unknown facts about yourself.

Since this meme nomination hailed from Beth, major blogosphere source of musical knowledge, I’ll stick to this theme.

1. First single bought

Meme etiquette demands that I reveal hitherto suppressed memories of actively purchasing the following vinyl embarrassments:

‘Long-Haired Lover From Liverpool’  - Little Jimmy Osmond

‘Name of the Game’ - Abba (which, of course, is now rightfully considered a classic)

‘Follow You Follow Me’ - Genesis

Ordinarily, the first single I would proudly admit to buying is “Start!” by The Jam.

2. First gig attended

As the ska/mod revival continued to sweep the UK in 1981, I saw The Beat (aka The English Beat stateside) at Cornwall Coliseum, St. Austell. I remember little of the gig other than a shambolic ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’ and the stirrings of a political awakening during the encore of ‘Stand Down Margaret’.

Has Margaret Thatcher inspired more songs than any other British PM?  Renaud’s ‘Miss Maggie’, Elvis Costello’s ‘Tramp the Dirt Down’, Morrissey’s ‘Margaret on the Guillotine’, and Billy Bragg’s ‘Thatcherites’ spring to mind - there are doubtless dozens.

3. Last CD bought 

The last tangible CD I bought was Tom Waits’ triple offering of ‘Orphans’.  Another stunning addition to the Waits’ canon.

4. Best gig attended

In terms of raw excitement and crowd/band rapport, it has to be The Jam in 1982 at the Top Rank in Sheffield. The first five notes of Pretty Green was all it took to get the entire audience rocking in unison. No let-up for the duration.

5. Worst gig attended

Two obvious contenders spring to mind. In the mid-eighties, a Pop Will Eat Itself gig at Trent Polytechnic was cancelled mid-way through the first song. The NME later reported that a riot had occurred. In reality, a scrawny drunken student had exchanged a few unpleasantries with a female “security officer” - a member of the Poly Ents committee. It was a long drive home.

The other disappointment was The Jesus and Mary Chain at Brixton Academy in 1987. Apart from a blistering version of ‘Kill Surf City’ as an encore, the rest was a woefully sub-par event.

6. Best stadium gig moment

Has to be the Wembley Live Aid teddy bear in 1985. While Madonna was being beamed to the big screen from Philadelphia, the entire Wembley crowd was cheering the repeated launchings of a small brown stuffed toy. Whenever anyone held on to the grubby little cubby for longer than a nanosecond, 70,000 people would boo in their general direction.

7. Best R.E.M. gig.

Beth’s nomination makes an R.E.M.- free post out of the question. I’m still kicking myself for a mid-eighties decision to buy tickets for Martin Stephenson and the Daintees at the Town and Country Club instead of paying a fiver at the same ticket agency to see R.E.M. at the Hammersmith Odeon.

Still, other than an oddly soulless concert at The Hummingbird Theatre, Toronto a couple of years ago, I’ve witnessed several stellar R.E.M. gigs since then, topped by one at The Manchester Evening News Arena in 1999.

Accelerate to the next.

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