Mary and Lewis Elton

Mary and Lewis Elton, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Returned to my alma mater the University of Surrey on Friday for a 100th anniversary of the physics department event. Arrived early but couldn't find anything open in that grim brick campus. After a lecture by Jim Al-Khalili, we went off to Roots, under the great hall where I saw The Who play, for a free glass of Pimms and a wedding reception type buffet, including a revolting chocolate fountain device. It was great to meet Prof Lewis Elton and his wife Mary after all these years. It was down to him and his art exhibitions in the Physics dept corridors at Battersea and Guildford that I became interested in painting. Glad to see he now has a gallery on campus named after him. I got him to sign my PEMS notes from 1965. He looks great for his age and was on great form during the speeches, you can see where his famous son Ben got it from...

Un-Made-Up

A photo of mine, taken after the NUJ beach party last year when the moon was unusually large is illustrating this story by Chris Paling on Un-Made-Up.

Helix ephemera

More stuff about Helix on my British Blues pages.

Helix

Helix, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

I did promise, on my British Blues page, a history of Helix, the poetry and jazz band (don't laugh!), starring Yours Truly on harmonica and poems, Rick Welton, also on poems, Chris Brunt on flute, alto sax, clarinet and guitar, Peter Panayi on bass, Peter Jackson on guitar and Terry Raven on drums. I'm off to a Physics Dept reunion at the University of Surrey in Guildford tomorrow and, rooting through some ephemera, found a cutting of an ad in NME (or was it Melody Maker?) showing us supporting Joe Cocker on 24 January 1969, our greatest achievement!

It all started in the folk club at UoS (then Battersea College of Advanced Technology) where me and Chris did a double act: he (Blind Willie Brunt?) on guitar and me (Whistlin' Walshaw Fred) on harmonica, singing the blues. Also playing regularly were duo Pete Panayi and Ronnie Hicks (wife of Rick Welton). Eventually we all got together to perform Dylan songs with Ronnie as vocalist. Rick was the roadie (he had a van) but started adding his poetry to the mix. Then Ronnie left and we decided to go electric. An ad in NME (or was it Melody Maker?) produced Peter Jackson, who'd been playing the US bases in Germany, and part-time Horror film actor Terry Raven. By now we were doing poems (me funny; Rick serious) and the odd Mose Allison song (plus 'Scarborough Fair' I think!). There is one recording extant, made at All Saints Hall in Notting Hill, recorded by Ronnie's new bloke, film sound man Tony Jackson, but we never made any records.

We were represented by Pete Jenner of the Blackhill agency (who'd managed Pink Floyd before Syd left) - Lynne, a booker there, was married to my friend Adrian Boot, who went on to famously photograph Bob Marley and others. We did gigs at Canterbury (supporting Third Ear Band), Bradford (with Liverpool Scene), Chelsea Town Hall, somewhere in south Wales, in Battersea's Courland Grove halls of residence where I met an American girl called Claire, and in Guildford, at the university with Roy Harper, and the Stoke Hotel where I met Jenny Parsons and was introduced to Guildford Arts Lab. Two notable concerts were the Jazz Poetry Song Package at Battersea Town Hall on 28 November 1968 and Guildford Civic Hall on 8 December, both with the Michael Garrick Quintet featuring Don Rendell and Ian Carr with various poets, including Jeremy Robson and Vernon Scannell, and Pete Brown (of Cream lyrics fame) and his Battered Ornaments (inc Chris Spedding and Dick Heckstall-Smith).

The Stoke Hotel gig may have been our last. Rick moved to Guildford to run the first Guildford Festival, and I followed some time later. Chris teamed up with Ronnie and Eric Johns (brother of Dorris Henderson) to form Gallerie, who played with Roy Harper and Michael Chapman in the 1971 Guildford Festival, the one I directed. By now I was reading poetry with the Arts Lab and about to get married. To be continued dot dot dot

Shoreham Toll Bridge cycle ride

I'm doing a charidee bike ride (only the wuss's 10 mile one) on Sunday and they sent me a bit of paper for donations and sponsorship. To save my embarrassment if they discover all the names on it have been made up by me, can any of my readers out there spare a few coppers? I'm afraid it's not for cancer or anything worthy, it's to save an old wooden bridge in Shoreham! They're not even savvy enough to have a JustGiving page I'm afraid, so send any pledges to me Cheers - you'll make an old bridge very happy!

World Naked Bike Ride Brighton
My first excursion into YouTube!

Tube logo designer

Display honours Tube logo designer: "Ditchling was home to calligrapher and type designer, Edward Johnston, who designed the famous Underground bullseye logo and typeface." I shall have to visit this exhibition!

For the love of Adur

For the love of Adur, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

No sooner is the Brighton Festival over, than the Adur Festival begins. Last week I went to Glastonwick, this Sunday it was over to Shoreham-by-Sea again to visit the Open House-boats, including the huge ex-minesweeper Fische. We had a lovely cream tea next door on the ex-landing craft Valeur, to the sound of The King in Vegas. Unfortuunately the African drumming and circus in the marquee was cancelled but we had a stroll along the beach looking at the wild flowers then I had a private tour of the Art in Ropetackle by residents Bob and Angela.

Brighton Naked Bike Ride

Brighton Naked Bike Ride, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

The Brighton leg of the World Naked Bike Ride set off from The Level at around 10.15 after much body painting and disguising of 'naughty and rude bits' under the supervision of a handful of police bobbies (far fewer than on the average Critical Mass). It was a scorcher of a morning and about 160 people cycled down to the seafront, west to Hove, through the North Laine, into Kemp Town and finally to the nudist beach where they could get dressed again. Some were off to London for the rally in the Big City. More photos on Flickr tho none of the ride itself cos I was too busy videoing it.

On My Desk

Well, I couldn't resist entering my desk as the messiest so far on Linzie's fab blog: On My Desk: Creative folk share the stuff on their desks. Thanks to Dan for directing me there!

Les Cyclistes

Les Cyclistes, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Les Cyclistes, devised by David Furnham, is a play of two halves: Danny Schlesinger opens with an amiable Jacques Tati-type mime based around his Brompton with a flat front tyre, improvising with all the weird and wonderful tools that come with a puncture-repair kit! Then Simon Hedger, dressed as a hard-core cyclist takes over and does a Reg-type monotonous monologue about his Audax exploits as he brews a cup of tea in the cyclists' kitchen. There's quite a bit of Clarion interest - first thing he does is shout Boots! to the audience (I replied Spurs! which identifies me as a Clarionnette). Great entertainment - and it's all free - on Hove Lawns by the Peace statue. There's also several films on the go, in the marquee and in the Citroen van next door, including hilarious archive Pathe footage and the company's own film Allez, Allez, Alllez. There's also an interactive bike taking you on a dicey ride around some suburban streets. It's on until 18 June (not Mondays) from 10am until 6pm. Shame the sunshine is proving to be a bigger draw!

John Otway

John Otway, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Last night went by train and bike to Shoreham-by-Sea for the Glastonwick beer and punk festival in the Art Deco splendour of Shoreham Airport. Headlining was John Otway, assisted by Attila the Stockbroker doing a simultaneous German translation of 'You ain't seen nothing yet' amongst other interjections. An excellent set including 'House of the Rising Sun' and all his hits, including the requisite number of forward rolls and head butts of the microphone. Also on the bill was ex-Pirhana 'Boring' Bob Grover's new band Dates who also did a sterling set. But it was a lovely evening and we drank beer under the big blue sky to the sound of planes taking off. More photos on Flickr. As you may guess from the uninspired review, today I was all cultured out, missed a Clarion ride, but managed to take in Gus's birthday lunch and a trip round the Art School degree show to pick up some postcards. Did I mention the BIP PV with Pimms and fairy cakes at the Fishermen's Museum Friday night and the PV of Les Cyclistes on Hove Lawns Saturday afternoon? No? I need a night in!

Festivals performers honoured

Festivals performers honoured: Best Open House: Dragonfly House. A full listing of winners from the Argus.

The Don Bradmans

The Don Bradmans, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Finally got to see The Don Bradmans at the Cowley Club on Saturday night. Arrived at the mosh pit just as they launched into 'Hunting Tigers out in 'INDIAH''. They also did other Bonzos songs, including 'Mr Slater's Parrot' and 'By a waterfall', as well as their infamous MySpace ditty 'Bill Oddie's Body' and a song for Nick, called 'I'm Nick'. Nick bought me one too many pints of Straw Dogs so I was a bit drunk. Thoroughly enjoyed it tho, despite being lashed by flailing dreadlocks. This was after watching Joe Boyd and Robert Wyatt chew the fat about the 1960s at the Corn Exchange with the delectable Miranda Sawyer (who is a Turner Prize judge next year). Joe read from his book White Bicycles and told some amusing anecdotes about Jimi Hendrix jamming with Miles Davis. Robert Wyatt couldn't seem to remember much about the 60s, which is ok, cos as they say if you can remember it, you weren't there!

Blogging me, blogging you

I get a mention in Stephen Drennan's blog: steviecat: Friday 26th May 2006. There's also a photo of Mark Pawson in action on the RAG website. Other hot news: The Dragonfly House was voted Best Open House at a ceremony last night, more to follow!

Mark Pawson

Mark Pawson, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

My neighbour John Dilnot very kindly invited me to the PV of Mark Pawson's 'Hand Printed in my Living Room' exhibition at the diminutive Permanent Gallery on the Hove border. If you like postcards, badges, rubber stamps, stickers, ephemera and all that mail-art paraphernalia – and FREE stuff, you'll love this exhibition. Mark has temporarily relocated his work desk to Brighton and will be demonstrating his intrigueing printing technique using the enigmatic Japanese Gocco machine. He'll also be assembling postcards into Bucky Fuller-inspired pentagonal dodecahedrons (it's all down to that initial Y-shape). And selling Aggressive School of Cultural Workers T-shirts. Plenty else to buy too, including books, badges and his 'Print more post cards' set, featuring Gocco prints by John Dilnot and others. Get down there sharpish – it's only on until Sunday 28 May. More photos on Flickr.

Open House podcast

My latest podcast on Open House Online 2006, interviewing Jackie Jones, Kate Osborne and Des Buckley. This one was mixed in GarageBand (I did an online tutorial voiced by a very nasal American lady!) but I think Bill must have improved the balance between the interviews and my voiceover!

John Shuttleworth

With the Duke of Yorks, a perfectly good cinema serving interesting beers just round the corner, what am I doing sitting on a hard seat in the Komedia's versatile theatre space (which only last week served as a dance floor for David Devant) supping a three quid pint of piss in a plastic glass and watching a DVD playing on a tiny screen? Why, it's John Shuttleworth with his film 'It's nice up North'! We didn't actually see John in person (tho he made the announcements from back stage), but Graham Fellows did a Q&A at the end and introduced some DVD extras, including the excellent animation 'Unaccompanied Lady', and signed autographs in the bar - curiously he signed my DVD 'John Shuttleworth'! Hmmm... The film has been tightened up and has a different ending from the version I saw in Edinburgh last year, and if anything was even funnier second time around. Despite this being southerly Brighton, he did get a very warm reception, despite the unseasonable weather. It was my idea of a gig at the Cowley Club last Saturday, with Pog headlining a great line up, including Philip Jeays (the Jacques Brel of Brighton, Asbo Derek (who had a fine selection of badges for sale - Plums!) and Kevin 2 Sheds, all of whose backing bands seemed to contain Paul Stapleton, his sister, or a combination of the two. Free entrance and real beer (Festival and Straw Dogs) at 2 quid a pint. Top night out. The Don Bradmans next week!

Another podcast

This podcast, on Open House Online 2006 is a little more ambitious than the last one -- it is three interviews strung together and linked by voice-over. Bill Black did the joining up! Just wait until I get the hang of GarageBand!

Freddie Garrity RIP

Singer Freddie dies in hospital: "Freddie Garrity, the lead singer of the 1960s pop band Freddie and the Dreamers, has died in hospital. The 69-year-old, originally from Manchester, had been receiving treatment for what were described as 'circulation problems'." I got my nickname Fred at school from Freddie - he was short and wore glasses! His great album was one of the first I ever bought, on Bury Market for 37/6d and I saw him a couple of times at Bury Palais. Happy memories...

Chuck Sperry

Chuck Sperry, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Well, after another stint of invigilation at The Dragonfly House. I got down to the Argus basement in time to catch the Chuck Sperry workshop and made my own silk screen poster!

Big Iron

Big Iron, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

The last time I saw Andy Roberts, he was on the stage of the Astoria in January taking part in the Bonzo reunion. Tonight he was sitting in a cage providing the music for Big Iron, a cowboy extravaganza by The Last Word Theatre Company upstairs at the Prince Albert. I'm no theatre goer but it was pretty entertaining, tho I got there just as it was about to start and didn't get a seat! It was hot as hell in there too. Take a fan, and don't sit in the front row. Yee har!

Mr Solo

mr_solo2, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

It was the annual gig of David Devant and his Spirit Wife at the Komedia Upstairs last night and I'm still in heaven. None of my worthless words can describe how happy I feel listening to my favourite live band. They were ably supported by Mr Solo, who strikes a remarkable resemblance to The Vessel (and apparently they share make up tips). His single 'Home sick home' should go straight to Number One, or there's no justice!

Brighton Festival (Yes, All Of It) Reviewed

Some kind words from Dan Thompson of RAG about the Open Houses, etc.

French fireworks

French fireworks, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Joined what felt like the whole of Brighton in Preston Park at 10pm last night for a free performance by pyrotechnic performers Groupe F and The World Famous. Seemed to be something about the destruction of earth by petrol, but involved lit-up people with catherine wheels on their heads flying round an inflatable globe to the weird sounds of Mad Max-type instruments and lots of fireballs. Should have taken my camcorder, cos I haven't yet got the hang of snapping fireworks with my digital! 'Experience the unimaginable' said the Festival brochure, hmmm it wasn't that different to the last one they did, in 2002, except I was a bit closer this time. Try to imagine the smell of all that burning fuel? Took ages to get out of the park!

Gig posters

Gig posters, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

After a stint of invigilating at the Dragonfly Open House at 48 Ditchling Rise, I wandered into town for a quiet coffee and toasted teacake at Capers. Unfortunately Brighton was full of ex-drama student twats on stilts pretending to be surreal. 'Expect the unexpected', says the Festival brochure, oh no it's the Streets of Brighton! Oh how I hate audience participation, so i was intensely irritated by a pair of 'street artistes' running off with my bike, and then having a c**t steward in day-glo tabard tell me to move out of the way of the performance! All you can do is grin and endure it! So I escaped to the Argus basement for a wonderfully unexpected (genuine this time) Brighton Fringe exhibition of gig posters (thanks to Dan Thompson of RAG for the tip off). Why I wondered have I never seen fantastic posters like this on the street? Because, with a couple of exceptions, they are all from the US of A! It's an art that seems to have been lost here since the psychedelic sixties, despite artists like Jonny Hannah and Chris Watson producing silk-screened work. Just missed the workshop by Eleanor Grosch (Dan was seen clutching tight a free poster he'd made himself!), but I'll be back next Saturday for Chuck Sperry. BTW not sure about the name of the show, Sub Screen Sonic... but they are all for sale and apparently 50 have been postered up around the place. You find one, you keep it!

Engineerium saved

Tycoon's £3 million museum deal: "Mr Holland, 58, bought the £2 million British Engineerium building and its unrivalled collection of steam engines and engineering artefacts, valued by Bonhams at about £1.2 million, just after 10am yesterday."

Letter: Old and new need to be balanced

Letter: Old and new need to be balanced: "We are losing the Engineerium and the West Pier owing to the inactivity of a majority but we are also in danger of losing King Alfred and Falmer Stadium because of the overactivity of a minority." Good point!

Arthur Brown

Arthur Brown, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Last night I went to Telscombe Village Hall to a party organised by Alan Baker and Jo Moore to raise funds for Charlotte's good works in Africa. There was a splendid covers band called Tongue and Groove playing everything from Bowie to the Kinks, even making a spirited attempt at 'I am the Walrus' - they certainly knew how to keep the oldies on the dancefloor. There was a guest spot from none other than 'The God of Hellfire' himself Arthur Brown in fine voice, who gave us 'Please don't let me be misunderstood', 'Hoochie Coochie Man' and 'I got my mojo working'. More photos on Flickr. I had to leave before the end to get a lift back to Brighton, but I've since heard he didn't come back to do 'Fire' - the art auction, raffle and donations raised £1903 for SOS and Save the Children in Zambia and Uganda. Telscombe must be the most isolated village in Sussex, being at the end of a very long cul-de-sac lane with magnificent views of the Downs.

It was a busy day yesterday, with the PV of The Dragonfly House in the morning, invigilation from 12 until 3, then a trip to Patcham. Sold a print, but bought a gorgeous Brian Grimwood ink drawing of a frog! Clarion ride today from Hassocks to Fulking and back. More PVs tonight...

PVs

PVs, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Well, it's the first day of the Brighton Festival and last night saw the beginning of the PV season proper. Started at the Brighton treasure that is the Sussex County Arts Club off Bond Street (established in the 1920s), part of Central Brighton Artists trail. President Simeon Stout was on show, along with Bill Donohoe, Lucy Parker, Richard Newman and Darvish, who was exhibiting some of the rudest oil paintings I've ever seen!

Then cycled up the hill to 6 Clifton Street, one of the top Open Houses with a glittering list of some of my favourite artists: Gary Goodman, Jonny Hannah, Victor Stuart Graham (pictured above) and Judy Stevens herself. I got so intoxicated by the wine and company (met some old friends there I hadn't seen for years) that I bought one of her gorgeous linocuts of Shoreham Harbour. If you do go there, have a play with Johnny Weaver's drawers! Hours of fun. Now I'm dashing off to Angie Meaden-Bonnel's morning PV at The Dragonfly House up the road, where my modest efforts are occupying a small dark corner!

Open House Online 2006

First of my articles on Open House Online 2006, including my first podcast!

Must this priceless museum close?

Letter: Must this priceless museum close?: first letter in the Argus on the closure of the Engineerium.

Bonzo Reunion DVD

The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band 40th Anniversary Celebration is due out any second. Shame about the missing tracks, which by my reckoning are: Hunting Tigers Out In 'INDIAH' On her doorstep last night Ali Baba's Camel Look Out, There's A Monster Coming Humanoid Boogie Tent Can Blue Men Sing the Whites Narcissus Promoter Bob has been on at me again about my photos on Flickr, which as a goodwill gesture I've made private, except for the one that decorates my blog (see January 2006 archive).

Shuttleworth demos

This website -- WFMU's Beware of the Blog: Audio Hoaxes and Urban Legends, Part 2: The Shuttleworth Family (MP3s) -- purports to contain early demo tapes of John Shuttleworth. See what you think...

Worthing

Worthing, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Made a small railway journey to Worthing with my bike, almost a year after my first visit, to see Bill Tidy at the museum. Popped in to see Dan Thompson of RAG at their exhibition in St Matthew's church. Dan very kindly gave me a plug in his My Brighton feature in Friday's Argus (click the photo below for an enlarged version on Flickr). Then went for a cycle around the Art Deco splendour of West Worthing and along the seafront (with its absence of cycle lanes) to the award-winning pier, thence for some shopping - any town with a Waitrose and Lidl right opposite one other is fine by me!

Des Buckley's PV

Des Buckley, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

A full week before the Brighton Festival proper starts, Des Buckley had the first PV (private view) of the season at 2 Dorothy Road out in West Hove (err, that's Portslade to the rest of us, where the streets are named after old ladies). If you imagine Artists Open Houses being quiet stuffy affairs with lots of serious goatee twiddling at hushed reverential assemblies, then think again. Entitled 'Trumpets, Roundels and Strumpets', the show has a PG rating (so why was the PV full of rampaging kids)? And as you've probably guessed, there's a strong Mod and scooter theme running throughout the show. Des is joined by fellow artists Tony Ofori, Brian Lowe and Julian Howell, who always seems to be followed round by a bevvy of attractive women. There was live music from The Sweet Nothings in the garden and an accordianist in the kitchen, plus lots of lovely food by Des's partner Hilda, including chilli (meat and veggie), cornbread and CAKE! - Victoria sponge and chocolate cake. Plus we all got an individual cake to take home (well, I did!). Hilda is currently riding high at the top of the AOH cake chart and will probably remain there for at least the next week. I got there a little early so as to record a podcast, which will appear on Bill Black's Open House Online in the near future (ta for the lift Bill!). More photos on Flickr. Open all Festival weekends in May, 11am to 6pm.

Lido Green

Lido Green, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

You can always tell when a photoshoot or film location is in Brighton because of the distinctive diagonally crossed railings along the seafront in that turquoise colour, which according to the painter is called 'Lido Green'. Spotting these new ones being painted made me look closer at the castings. A three-panel section goes: two dolphins, armour head with motto IN DEO FIDEMVS (in God we trust), two dolphins, tho some of the older sections are so encrusted with paint that you can't see what they are! The decorations seem to come from the Brighton coat of arms, but the motto on them is INTER UNDAS ET COLLES FLOREMUS (between downs and sea we flourish). Near the West Pier the railings change to a single long panel with two dolphins in the centre, and across the border in Hove they are another design and colour completely. Coincidentally I spotted a bloke painting some Hove street furniture. Is it Brunswick Green you ask? No, on the tin it's called Hollybush. Lots more fascinating photos on Flickr.

gastronaut

Amanda, who used to work in the Offbeat Café in Sydney Street has started up a blog called gastronaut which aims to give you the lowdown on where (and where not) to eat in Brighton - an entertaining read guaranteed to make you feel hungry just reading it!

Engineerium

Engineerium, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Left the Clarion ride early at Shoreham tollbridge to get back to Hove and the last public day of the Engineerium. I'd read in our new Insight mag that a Hove Rotary Club motorbike rally had been organised for Sunday, but I wasn't sure it'd be in steam. It was a relief to see smoke coming from the chimney as I cycled up Neville Road in the drizzle. It was 4 quid to get in and the place was buzzing with bikers. I didn't take many photos cos I had my camcorder with me and was concentrating on sound and motion!

What bliss to see No 2 beam engine (an 1875 250 hp jet condensing Woolf compound engine by Eastons and Anderson) in beautiful (but quiet) motion. The main exhibition hall with the Corliss steam engine was closed, but the boiler room (with four 1934 Lancashire boilers by Yates and Thom of Blackburn) was a hive of activity. Bumped into Bhav down there – she'd just been to the dog track down the road. Heard Mr Minns say the 'rescue plan' in the Argus was a 'load of crap'! Took about an hour of film, now to edit it down in iMovie! Dunno when as I've just started a MySpace project for even more work avoidance! Sound is not very good tho! On the way back I spotted the model railway in Hove Park - must pop back when it's open. The last time the Engineerium will be in steam is 9 May, at the viewing for the auction.

Modernism

Well, I tried to get in on my Blue Peter badge, but the ploy failed so I had to stump up the 9 quid entrance fee! The nice thing about the Modernism: designing a new world (1914-1939) exhibition at the V&A is that it was utterly predictable. If you're old enough to have seen the big 30s exhibition at the Hayward back in 1980, or have visited the Bauhaus archive in Berlin, this is all familiar territory, except not as much fun! It's a big show though, starting with Malevich, Rodchenko and all the other Russians, then moving on to Erich Mendelsohn (with his wonderful drawings and a model of the Einstein Tower), to Corbu, De Stijl, and ending up with the stuff I like – a real Tatra T-87 car, Harry Beck's tube map and a Wells Coates Ekco radio. The most boring bit was the architecture room. Obviously it's difficult to transport buildings to the V&A so we had to make do with blown-up photos stuck on the wall. There were, however, several models, including Villa Savoye (which I tried to visit once but was closed) and the Rietveld Schroder house (been there, sat on the chair!). And loads and loads of lovely architectural drawings. But sadly no design drawings, unless you count the caterpillar bus/train in the 'nature' room. Nicest surprise were the ballet costumes of Oskar Schlemmer, which looked straight out of a Pet Shop Boys video, and the wacky fashion: a Max Miller multicoloured Futurist suit and some smart Russian production clothing. There were a couple of bits of real technology (a Bentley rotary engine off a WW1 plane and an X-ray machine) to pad out the 'stuff' and lots of chairs, but mostly it was an art and graphic design show, showing artists' reaction to technology. Lots of films to watch too, if you have the time. BTW the V&A is an inscrutable place, on the way out I was studying the map to see if I could find a route to the drawings collection, when a bemused foreign chap asked me if it was a museum he was in! Seeing as the first thing you see as you enter the place is the gift shop, he could be forgiven. And the expensive coffee in a paper cup in the unkempt garden café is a rip-off.

Rescue plan for Engineerium?

Engineers offers to keep museum running: "A civil engineer who has worked on several major Sussex attractions wants to buy the British Engineerium museum."

Letter: Dancing for joy

A response to my letter in the Argus - a club night for older people, but the Prince Albert isn't exactly a state-of-the-art nightclub!

Bonhams Engineerium sale items

Bonhams Sale 14555: The Jonathan Minns Collection of Industrial Archaeological Artifacts at The British Engineerium, Hove, Sussex, on 10 May 2006.

The British Engineerium RIP

Well, they say you don't know what you've got until it's gone and I was very sad to hear that The British Engineerium in Hove has closed and its contents are up for auction! I suppose I should have visited it more. It was a marvellous place with its huge beam engine and Lancashire boilers in steam, and all the other bits and pieces. Another piece of Brighton's industrial heritage bites the dust, to be demolished or converted into yet more yuppy apartments I suppose.

Rex Whistler

I'm a bit of a whistler myself, but I wasn't really expecting to enjoy this exhibition, but it's nice to see some Art in the Art Gallery for a change. All I knew about Rex Whistler (no relation to the Whistler who painted his mother, but his younger brother was Laurence Whister, the glass engraver) was that he painted the Tate Gallery restaurant murals age 22 and that huge painting of a chubby nude Prince Regent having a peep at the sleeping naked lady Brighton ('HRH The Prince of Wales Awakening the Spirit of Brighton'), which usually hangs in the Pavilion. I had the impression that Rex was a pampered toff dilettante with a penchant for pastiche and trompe l'oeil, hanging round with the 'Bright young things' between the wars, generally looking into the mirror a lot and being photographed by Cecil Beaton. But he was the son of an Essex builder (born 1905) who studied at the Slade and, by the evidence here, worked hard and obsessively. The title of the show says it all: 'The Triumph of Fancy' – with all that fussy Rococo twiddliness, he was a Post-Modernist even before Modernism got going! It suits the Regency opulence of the Art Gallery splendidly. The first room confirmed my prejudices: heavy handed oils and tiny pen and ink drawings filled with microscopic detail. But by the third end room I was a convert. His army paintings and drawings were a revelation – the diagrams of how kit should be laid out, paintings of barrack life (including a lovely portrait of a sergeant chef), a large street scene for target practice, H M Bateman-like cartoons, and his fake old masters for the officers' mess. Most poignant is a self portrait in Welsh Guards uniform, on a balcony accompanied by gin tray and bundle of brushes. On 18 June 1944, his first day of action, he was killed by a mortar bomb in Normandy. He illustrated Gulliver's Travels and Andersen's fairy tales, amongst many other books, so there is lots of illustrator interest. A PV is no place to view the art (especially with an unexpectedly free bar – should've got there earlier!), so a second (or third) visit is on the cards. Maybe see you there? My tip: take a magnifying glass! 'Rex Whistler: The triumph of Fancy' is on at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery until 3 September. Free admission.

Letter: Oldest swinger?

Letter: Oldest swinger?: my letter to the Argus about the forthcoming 'Celebrating Age' festival.

Paris

paris6, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Just had a great little birthday break in Paris with my friends Avy (her birthday too) and Stewart. Stayed in the Hotel Prima Lepic in Montmartre, which has a connection with the film Amélie - the Café des deux Moulins down the street was in the film. The hotel was wonderful - we were upgraded to balcony rooms and the internet deal included free breakfast and a river cruise! The bed was very comfy, the shower worked fine and there was a TV to watch the French version of Deal or no deal on! Breakfast was ample, with mini croissants, pain au raisins, bananas, strawberries and grapes, tho I did get told off on the first morning for using 2 teabags! We found some great places to eat thanks to Avy's trusty Time Out guide, but I'm not going to tell you (oh, all right, Chez Toinette was one of them, where I had curried mussels followed by skate). Paris is not great for vegetarians, but if you eat fish you'll be OK. It's such a shame cos the dishes of veal and duck are served with gorgeous vegetables! Despite what I'd heard, everyone, from waiters to shop assistants were thoroughly pleasant and friendly. Biggest negative for me was the price of beer in the cafes, tho it's cheap enough in the supermarkets.

Getting there was pretty painless: a diesel train to Ashford, the Eurostar through the tunnel, then a couple of tube trains from Gare Du Nord to Blanche (just by the Moulin Rouge) and up the hill. Wednesday, Stewart and me went to the Musée de l'air et de l'espace housed in the art deco splendour of Le Bourget airport. We got the RER to Le Bourget but there was no indication of how to get to the museum (you need to get bus 152)! It was deserted but fabulous, with hall after hall full of treasures, including TWO Concordes! We then got the 152 bus to the end of the line at Parc de Villette, to take in the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie, which I confess was a little too modern a museum for me - not enough STUFF and too much interactivity for my liking! Viz: only one plane (a splendid Mirage) and no railway interest!

On Thursday I visited the Gustave Moreau museum nearby with Avy, which was much more to my taste - an old mansion stuffed with paintings, drawings and the old man's living quarters. Reminded me of the GF Watts gallery near Guildford. After, we visited a friendly perfume shop with man's toiletries called things like Aéroplane and Yachting (Avy bought some Shéliane). Then I had a quick ride up and down the funicular at Sacre Coeur, then off for drinks and food.

Final day Friday we went on our free river cruise on The Jeanne Moreau, which set off from under the Eiffel Tower - great value, even if you're paying. It was raining, but then it brightened up. The Eiffel Tower is/was awesome! Luckily, there were big queues so we didn't have time to go up it! I wanted to pop into the Musée d'Orsay to check out the Objects and their Doubles exhibition catalogue, but, although it was free to enter the bookshop, there was a queue about a million metres long - and it was raining. So it was a dash back to the others, a quick tart and flan from the boulangerie, then off to the station and back home to dear old Blighty, worn out with aching feet and a thousand emails to read.

Mirrormask

Went to a special screening of Mirrormask last night at the Duke of York's. According to its producer Simon Moorhead in the Q&A after, it's been nominated for a Golden Groundhog award, as a film eagerly awaited but which proved a disappointment. Designed and directed by local boy Dave McKean (with a little help from even localler Ian Miller) it has a troubled goth Alice in Wonderland (Stephanie Leonidas) on a quest to save her mother (Gina McKee) meeting up with various masked persons and CGI creatures in a yellow and black world of her imagining - I only really sussed what was going on in the 'review' in this morning's Leader. The story (by Neil Gaiman) is pretty dull, slow, tedious and cliched (give me Jan Svankmajer or Terry Gilliam any day) and presumably aimed at a young audience (a new Labyrynth is what Lisa Henson wanted). The CGI was done on the cheap by a load of students in a North London studio, with the sound of ice cream vans and crows in the background, but it's pretty good, albeit dim and murky. The live action takes place in the unrestored Embassy Court, rather dangerously on a sun deck without railings! Rob Brydon (Dad) and Dora Bryan (Gran) have cameo parts and the music (Eastern European circussy jazz) is by the wonderful Iain Ballamy - a Guildford boy I remember as a 16-year old prodigy playing with his dad at the Stoke Hotel jazz club. Rant: the film was advertised as starting at 6 and got going around 20 past, so why do some people arrive some 40 minutes later and expect you to stand so they can push past you or sit in front of you snogging their date and rustling crisp packets? No photos because Dez Skinn, Stephanie Leonidas, Dave McKean and Simon Moorhead were sitting in the dark!

Mia and Pog

Mia and Pog, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Excellent night's entertainment at the underrated Cowley Club - tho the appealing sounding Nut Brown Ale was off so had to make do with Hophead. This was a date on the tour of Mia Riddle from New York (or is it California?) - you can hear some of her songs on myspace.com/miariddle - and Pog, who describe Mia as 'country-tinged indie folk'. Many of the dates on the tour are in people's houses, a sort of musical equivalent to the Artists' Open Houses. As Russ Substance from Southampton (who was too young to know of John Renbourn) was about to take Pog's place on the tour, we got all three acts, for the pricely sum of FREE, tho there was a whip round and I bought Pog's wonderful new CD 'Bothering the bunshop, despite the injuction', containing 'Trauma Tourist' and that great sing-along 'Go vegan (you cow-sucking pervert)'. Paul Stapleton (he of Pog and Anal Beard, as well as his topical and incisive cartoon books), it must be said, was performing solo, as Annalise was off seeing the Violent Femmes. But with three great sets, you can't complain, can you? Go see Mia, if you can, while she's over here!

Cartoon museum

National Treasure Bill Tidy was on BBC Breakfast this morning commenting on Steve Bell's less than enthusiastic film on the opening of the Cartoon Museum in London, set up by The Cartoon Art Trust. He didn't have a lot to say about political cartooning!

John Renbourn

John Renbourn, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Another living legend at The Greys: on a wet February night John Renbourn threatened us with 'an evening of celtic misery' but what we got was a delightful mix of folk, blues, jazz, ragtime, the odd ballad from the Borders, and Davy Graham's 'Anji' (or should that be Davey Graham's 'Angie'?). He even raised a wry smile during Mose Allison's [I'm not downhearted, but I'm] 'Getting there'. I last saw John Renbourn in the the late-1960s in Pentangle (I seem to remember sitting at the back of the stage) – watching Folk Britannia on BBC4, they've all changed a bit since then (except Roy Harper, who looks as handsome as ever!). Renbourn too looks a little older, and more portly (don't we all!) than that photo on the cover of the CD he's selling at the interval, but his music is as sublime as ever it was. Just one man in his socks with a Bown guitar, stopping now and then to retune it and tell a story, on the tiny stage of The Greys, with a pint of Harvey's and a chance to see that legendary right hand in action again up close. Bliss!

Otway's world tour

Independent Online Edition > News: "Today he will pay a £60,000 deposit on the Airbus A-320 which he hopes will take him and 300 of his most loyal followers on an eight-stop world tour. Departing from Liverpool's John Lennon international airport in October after a gig the previous night at the Cavern, they will cross the Atlantic for a date in New York. From there the plane will shuttle them across country to Las Vegas for a night on the Strip followed by Tahiti, Sydney, Ningbo, China, and Dubai." And I'll be there!

Yvonne's Diary #5

Neil's wife's account of the Bonzo Dog Band Reunion 2006, Astoria, London.

More Bonzo's gig photos

Bonzo's gig - Jan 28 - a photoset on Flickr by IllPerson.

Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band Revisited

Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band Revisited: a couple more photos - shame I never clocked that sign outside the Astoria!

Folk Britannia

Excellent programme on BBC Four: Folk Britannia. I can feel another reminiscence coming on! One of the first records I ever bought was an EP by A L Lloyd called 'All for me grog' or something. Bury Folk Club in The George on Kay Gardens (with the goldfish tank in the ceiling) was an excuse to go into a pub legally! I even played my grandad's mandolin there, badly! And it was at UoS Folk Club at Battersea where me and Chris Brunt played the blues (me on harmonica), which led to the formation of Helix.

Locomotive Engineers

More on the Locomotive Engineers of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. More new street names soon?

Bonzo review in the Times

Another review, from the Times Online

A surrealist Sixties revival

A surrealist Sixties revival: Bonzos review from the Evening Standard.

Sound check photos

Photos from the Bonzos' sound check by Danny Barbour.

Station street names

Station street names, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Noticed on Sunday after my Clarion bike ride that the new roads around the Brighton station site had been given names. I was delighted to see that the one nearest the station was named after William Stroudley, designer and locomotive superintendent of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway known best for his 'Improved Engine Green' gamboge livery, as seen on Stepney at the Bluebell Railway. Billington I'm not sure of - it could be Lawson Billington, another LB&SCR Superintendent whose designs included E2 0-6-0T and K class 2-6-0 or more probably his father Robert John Billinton, Stroudley's assistant. Fleet Street is a nice touch - there was once a Fleet Street just one up from Belmont Street, the continuation of New England Street that is no more. More pix on Flickr.

The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band Revisited

bonzo, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

It was 40 years ago today... well not quite, it was Saturday 1 October 1966 I last saw the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band live. So it was with huge excitement I travelled up to London to see the 'revisited' gig at the Astoria, despite having to go via Lewes cos of engineering works. Popped into the Pillars of Hercules pub on Greek Street, which despite being smokey was friendly enough and full of Bonzo folk from th'internet! Plus a lime'n'soda with ice and slice of lime (I'm still on the wagon) cost a mere 31p!

After a brief queue, we were in the venue and I had my half bottle of Brighton Corporation tap water confiscated (see rant below) but luckily kept my camera. We'd bought seated tickets and I'd assumed seats would be upstairs and standing down... Oh no, not so simple! Upstairs were tables and chairs at right angles to the stage with standing behind and downstairs was rows of cheap chairs, rapidly filling up. Ah well, too late to change.

The stage had more instruments on it than at a Rutles gig and a screen behind was showing a drawing of Bonzo Dog. We waited for the scheduled Rutles support, but no, we had the Bonzos instead, raring to go.

Down on the right front Andy Roberts was tuning up, then we had the full array. Back row, left to right was: Sam Spoons (Martin Ash) on percussion, Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell on saw and banjo, JJ Jones on drums, Tom Fry (in gorilla suit) on Bass. Front row: Roger Ruskin Spear on sax, Rodney Slater on clarinet and sax, Bob Kerr on trumpet, Neil Innes on keyboards (and later on guitar), Mickey Simmonds on keyboards and Andy Roberts on guitars and ukukele. Legs Larry Smith came on and off. The first half was mainly old novelty items (see set list) and ended with 'feel so gay' from 'Equestrian Statue' being reprised, appropriate since the Astoria tuns into a gay club at 10pm. Absent friends Viv Stanshall and Dennis Cowan were honoured with a minute's cacophony. Highlights included Bob Kerr's vocals for 'Little Sir Echo' with Sam Spoons on his knee dressed up as a vent's dummy. There were no robots, as such, but Roger did have some contraptions on stage, some of which worked! The trouser press and theramin leg had limited success.

In the second half, we were treated to an electric set with celebrity guests, the first of which was Ade Edmondson (from The Young Ones) doing 'The Strain' very convincingly! He was accompanied by Phill Jupitus on guitar. This was followed by Stephen Fry, an obvious Viv Stanshall soundalike, narrating 'The Sound of Music' - he also tackled 'Sport' (obviously), the end bit of 'Trouser Press' and 'Rhinocratic Oaths'. Ade did 'My Pink Half of the Drain Pipe' with Roger, 'I'm Bored', 'Tent' (by request) and dressed up as a parrot for 'Mr Slater's Parrot', jumping off stage then wonderingwhere the steps that were there in rehearsal had gone! Paul Merton arrived near the end to do 'Monster Mash'. Phill also sang on 'Mr Apollo' and 'Canyons of your mind' worshipping at Neil's feet during the worst guitar solo ever recorded. Bill Bailey was supposed to appear, but didn't. The evening ended with Viv's voice on The Intro and the Outro, with everyone, including several dressed up anonymous kids, taking the various parts. Despite a long standing ovation there was no encore and the show ended at 21.45 with a tape of Slush (followed by Joy Division!).

Set1
Cool Britannia (extract)
Hunting Tigers Out In 'INDIAH'
A minute's cacophony for absent friends
My Brother Makes The Noises For The Talkies
On her doorstep last night
Little Sir Echo (Bob Kerr)
Ali Baba's Camel
Falling in love again (in German) Vernon
I'm Going To Bring A Watermelon To My Girl Tonight
Look Out, There's A Monster Coming
Whispering (Roger on leg)
By a waterfall
The Sheik of Araby (Rodney, Sam Spoons solo)
Hello Mabel
Jollity Farm
The Equestrian Statue
interval
Set 2
Cool Britannia (extract)
We are normal
The Strain (Ade Edmondson vocal, and Phill Jupitus, gtr)
The Sound of Music (Stephen Fry)
Exodus ?? (Roger)
Trouser Press (Stephen Fry in at the end)
My Pink Half of the Drain Pipe (Roger and Ade Edmondson)
I'm Bored (Ade Edmondson)
Sport (Stephen Fry)
Mr Apollo (Phill Jupitus - 8 separate gorillas)
Humanoid Boogie
Tent (Ade Edmondson)
Can Blue Men Sing the Whites (Phil Jupitus)
Look at Me I'm Wonderful (Legs)
I Left My Heart In San Francisco (Legs)
Rhinocratic Oaths (Stephen Fry)
Narcissus
Mr Slater's Parrot (Ade Edmondson as parrot)
Monster Mash (with Paul Merton)
I'm The Urban Spaceman
Canyons Of Your Mind (with Phill Jupitus)
The Intro And The Outro (on tape)
Slush (on tape)


Rant: Gig venues seem to exist in a parallel universe where they are allowed to make up their own laws and have them enforced by jobsworth security staff with few powers of discretion. I strongly object to having my half old bottle of Brighton tapwater confiscated, because no food or drink is allowed to be brought in. I can understand that applying to a full bottle of Malibu and a hot pizza, but my friend Nick was nearly deprived of a bargain bag of apples he'd bought earlier for consumption back home. I also object to 'no photography' censorship, for photos taken without flash for non-commercial use. Museums and art galleries used to do this presumably to protect postcard sales (but the one thing you wanted a postcard of was rarely available), but these have largely been relaxed. It's time gigs saw sense and did as well. Fan photos (and audience recordings) will never hurt the pockets of professional photographers or record companies, but will rather fuel the demand for the promoters' and bands' products - they should be grateful.

More photos on mine and Paul Webster's Flickr pages.

NB Paul has now taken down his photos at the request of the promoter. The DVD will be out in October, BTW, more info from Classic Rock Productions (their own website doesn't seem to be working).

Book

I read at the weekend that a new young person's word for good is 'book' - apparently if you use predictive texting for 'cool' on your moby you'll end up with 'book' and the youngsters can't be arsed to change it! Today is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year - broken resolutions, crap weather, bills to pay, etc. I'm still on the wagon (23 days now), however, and eating perpetual soup. Roll on next Saturday and the Bonzos reunion gig...

Perpetual soup

Synchronicity! I read about, then visit Romney Marsh, then blow me, last Wednesday's 'Small Railway Journeys' (a Channel 4 gem with Jonathan Glancey) was all about the RH&DR. Then this morning, Simon Calder of the Indy visited Romney Marsh for The Heaven and Earth Show on BBC1. It's been a bit uneventful this past week - I've been on the wagon for a week now (as you do), keeping my head down, and trying to get back into the world of work. Not popping out for booze and food means I've been in a lot catching up with TV. No food, you say? With (almost) Perpetual soup, you need never go out again (at least for a week)! Perpetual soup (ideal for veggie batchelors) 1 onion 1 leek spices: cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds some mushrooms cut in quarters 1 large potato 1 carrot several cloves of garlic 1 hot red pepper ginger (cut into matchsticks) some water a quantity of dried beans (butter, haricot, pinto, whatever) soaked and boiled a handful of pot barley veggie stock cube dash of Worcestershire sauce* a bay leaf a small pool of oil * contains fish (anchovies) Soak the beans overnight in water. Rinse and add cold water. Bring to the boil and boil hard for 20 minutes. Don't let them boil dry and burn like I usually do! To another large pan (or the same one washed out), add some oil, chopped onion and sliced leek and sweat over a low heat. Throw in some seeds, then the mushrooms, stirring all the time. Chop the potato into dice-sized chunks and add to the pan. Chop the garlic, ginger and pepper and throw into the pan. Wash your hands before you're tempted to rub your eyes! Boil up some water in the kettle and chop a carrot. Add the water and carrot and bring to the boil. Add pot barley, stock cube (the only thing in this that may be bad for you!), bay leaf, dash of Lee & Perrins, and the boiled beans. Cover and simmer for as long as you can. This is best served with a slice of wholemeal or granary bread under, with ground black pepper on top. The following day, you can add a different chopped vegetable, such as sweet potato, squash, parsnip, artichoke, swede, and maybe some lentils or tomato puree, with a sprinkling of mixed herbs, and heat up thoroughly. After about a week, varying the ingredients each night - during which time it improves no end - add conchigliette or fried Quorn pieces. Finally, when you are yearning for a change, take off the heat and to the final dregs mix in some miso for a savory finale. Wait a day or two and start again. Variations: try fennel or celery instead of leek.

West Pier on NYD

nyd, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Happy New Year! The obligatory New Year's day shot of the West Pier, Brighton. What on earth is that group of tourists doing? Huddling together to keep warm?

RH & DR

RH & DR, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Inspired by Ian Marchant, I decided to go on a small railway journey to the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. I had a free ticket to Rye, courtesy of Southern, who were celebrating the opening of a fast through route (by diesel) to Ashford, but as it didn't stop at London Road, had to get a train to Lewes and change there. Rye is a delightful little place, I discovered, and smaller than I imagined. I had half an hour to kill before my bus, so I headed west to the Heritage Centre, passing a pub called The Pipes (or, in full, The Pipemakers Arms). There's a collection of coin-operated machines upstairs at the Heritage Centre, but I didn't have time to change a pound coin into 7 old pennies (talk about inflation!) to get them working. Back downstairs I bought a signed copy of 'Captain Pugwash And The Huge Reward' by local illustrator John Ryan for a tenner. Didn't get to the art gallery.

The 711 Stagecoach double-decker bus from outside the station cost me £4.50 for an 'Adult Explorer' - I could have toured the whole of Kent and Sussex with it! My original plan was to go to New Romney and get a return to Dungeness, have a look at the nuclear power station and Derek Jarman's garden, then head back to Rye, so I turned down the offer of a combined bus and RH & DR ticket for £13.50. But as the schlep from the bus stop outside the Ship to New Romney station was so long and boring, I decided to go on to Hythe and catch the bus back from there - and bash (almost) the whole line. The bus route goes through Camber Sands (home to Pontin's holiday camp and 'All Tomorrow's Parties') and Lydd, where those huge front-opening transporter planes used to carry cars over the Channel. There are also lots of caravan parks, Martello towers and enigmatic clusters of what look like military buildings surrounded by high fences, but very little in the way of sea views - there is a huge concrete wall in the way. With its huge stretches of open water, Romney Marsh is a haven for bird life, if I only knew what they were!

I arrived at New Romney and bought a RomneyRover for £10.50 (I should have got that special bus ticket!) and wandered round the station. There were a couple of gorgeous locos in steam (including No 3 Southern Maid) and a couple of others just hanging around (including No 4 The Bug). I popped into the Heywood Buffet to claim my free mince pie and visit to the model railway upstairs, then went out on Platform 1 to get the 14.08 last train to Dungerness. But blow me, it was being pulled by a diesel (No 12 John Southland), one of only two on the RH & DR! I grumpily got in, consoling myself that I'd come to see the steamers, not be pulled by them. But at Romney Sands station, on the opposite platform was a train headed by No 2 Northern Chief (amazingly built in 1926!), so I jumped ship and headed back to New Romney! I never got to Dungeness and their noted fish and chips.

Back at my starting point I was treated to a change of engines and No 7 Typhoon took over to Dymchurch and Hythe. The journey itself was nothing to write home about - saw lots of back gardens and bunnies in the fields - but it was such a joy to see the whisps of smoke, hear the whistles and catch a whiff of sulphur as we went through tunnels. Caught a glimpse of No 5 Hercules coming the other way. At Hythe, took a few snaps then headed to the bus stop, just round the corner. The scenery from the top deck of the bus was a lot more interesting than from the train back through the desolate marshes and strange villages as the sun was setting. In Rye, I popped into The (smokey) Pipes for a half of IPA (80p!!) and then to the station for the hourly train to Lewes then home. Spent NYE, as tradition dictates, with Simeon, Avy and others in the Heart and Hand. A grand day out, must do it again in the summer. More photos on Flickr.

More trains

After the excesses of yesterday, spent most of Boxing day reading, finishing off Platform Souls by Nicholas Whittaker. This was an impulse buy at the Ian Allan shop by Manchester Piccadilly station on 1 November 1996 (just after the paperback had come out - I still have the till receipt) and has been lying around, like loads of other books I still mean to read, unread until a day or two ago, when I went searching for it spurred on by finishing Parallel Lines. It was a compelling read, much more focussed than Ian Marchant's book (tho Marchant admits to having less interest in locos than the permanent way itself). Whittaker came to trainspotting in the mid-1960s just as steam was being replaced by diesels, and as the diesels were replaced by electrics ten years later. He was based in Burton, LMS but also well placed for excursions into Great Western and LNER territory. The regional differences in loco nicknames was fascinating: what he calls Blackies (Black Fives), we called Mickies (mixed traffic 4-6-0 Class 5MT) - and isn't that a mickey (44871) that Jinx is standing by on p84, not an 8-freight? - we said Jubs for Jubilees, Brits for Britannias, and I think what he called Ozzies (Austerity) we called Dubdees (WDs). He doesn't mention Pats or Duchesses (or Princesses) but maybe they were on the way out by then. Jinties, 92-ers and Crabs (named after the way they moved) were the same, but what on earth an Egg Timer or Duck Six was, I've no idea! I was trainspotting in the late-50s early-60s and do remember the thrill of seeing the prototype Deltic (in blue livery with white chevrons, just like an American diesel) on the East Coast line at Doncaster, and travelling to Sheffield through the Woodhead tunnel to cop (and I suppose 'bash') the 1.5kV DC electric class EM2 locos 27000 to 27006, all namers (how I wish I still had the photos I took with my Boots 35mm camera - and all my ABC Combines!). Neverthless, I never did see anything special in diesels or electrics! My favourite trips were to Crewe (usually on a platform ticket from Manchester) with Roy Henshall to see the Duchesses, Princesses and Scots, or to Doncaster to cop Streaks and all those exotic A1s, A2s and A3s, plus lowlier V2 namers, each with strange cropped windshields. But what was I doing at the end of steam in 1968? Presumably I'd lost interest by then, an interest only rekindled by nostagia. Like Whittaker, I'm ambivalent about heritage railways (too clean) and don't feel I fit in with the regular spotters. I'd love to go on a railway holiday to Poland or New Zealand, but fear I wouldn't have anything much to say to my fellow passengers!

Xmas swimmers

Xmas swimmers, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Mid-day swimmers by the West Pier, Brighton, on Xmas day, a surprisingly mild day.

Corner parking

Corner parking, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Corner parking vigilantes strike back on the corner of Ditchling Rise and Gerard Street. Corner parking, usually at 45 degrees, is a new phenomenon around here!

Burning The Clocks: from the Argus

Thousands join Burning The Clocks procession: the Argus's take on the event.

Burning the clocks

Burning the clocks, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Burning the Clocks is the ancient ceremony invented by Same Sky 11 years ago to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Kiddies (and artists) with lanterns parade round the cold streets of Brighton only to burn their creations on a beach bonfire along Madeira Drive. Spectators were genuinely needy for a meaning to all this and were speculating all kinds of things, mainly that it was a traditional pagan rite, but did they in fact have clocks before the year zero? I think not. More photos on Flickr.

Bexhill sunset

Bexhill sunset, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Went on a small train journey to Bexhill on Sea to see the De La Warr Pavilion for the first time since its restoration (it was originally commissioned by the 9th Earl De La Warr in 1935 and designed by architects Eric Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff). Full of video art and with a tasteful retail experience I wonder what the folks of Bexhill think of it - some disaffected youths were cycling and skateboarding amongst the no cycling and no skateboarding signs outside. Saw this amazing sunset over Beachy Head - a warning to any potential suicides?

DV8

My review of DV8 Physical Theatre in Virtual Brighton Magazine.

Embassy Court

Embassy Court, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Nice to see Embassy Court has a brand new entrance and sign (more in keeping than the poor typography used on the renovated Saltdean Lido) - the foyer looks a little bare, no sign of the E McKnight Kauffer mural once there.... See my previous blog entry.

George Best RIP

George Best RIP, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

It's a week or two since George Best died, but this graff has appeared on the wall of The Prince Albert, next to Banksy's kissing policemen.

Field of dreams

Field of dreams, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

The Field of Dreams - site for the new Brighton and Hove Albion stadium. I'm pretty sure this is the site - between the University of Brighton and the southern half of Falmer village (the bit with the pond), bounded by two roads. Seagulls!

Trains

Just finished reading Parallel lines by Ian Marchant, which I really enjoyed. It was recommended on Dave Shelton's blog, so someone must read them! It's about trains (hurrah!), but it also has a Brighton connection, a Lancashire connection, diatribes about drugs, access fathers and hippy yurts (two reasons why he doesn't do sweat lodges: one, he didn't want to look at hippies' penises, and two he didn't wany foxy hippy chicks looking at his!) and a cover by Jonny Hannah, who is currently exhibiting in Judy Stevens' Open House at 6 Clifton Street. I'm not a great book reader, doing most of my reading on trains, strangely enough! I recently wimped out of a girly book group cos I couldn't manage a book a month. The last proper book I read all the way through was the autobiography of Wreckless Eric, another local lad. This library book took ages to read, despite being so entertaining - it's one of those post-modern books, in which the author talks about himself a lot, and I do wish he'd cut down on the smoking. Nevertheless, it makes me want to go on some great small train journeys of my own (rail bashing). I have happy memories of trainspotting at Crewe and Doncaster in the 1950s (with the odd excursion to Chester to cop some Westerns), but do find the heritage railways like the Bluebell up the road and the East Lancs in my home town of Bury a bit too clean. And how did he miss the gorgeous Bayer-Garratt at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry? I'm no great fan of narrow gauge railways either, but I did visit the Talyllyn and Ffestiniog railways when I were a lad at Butlin's Pwllheli . There was a miniature railway there too (and the real full-size Princess Elizabeth, as a static display to climb all over!), and the book brought back fond memories of little tiny train journeys round a corner of Stoke Park, Guildford and around Blackpool Pleasure Beach (where there's another Princess Elizabeth I seem to remember) and my Tri-ang 00 (or is that OO) train set (yes, I had Princess Elizabeth too). Happy days.

Snowman

Snowman, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

So here it is, Merry Chrismas, everybody's having fun! Giant inflatable snowman outside Tastables, London Road, Brighton.

Remains of pier on the brink

Remains of pier on the brink: "A crashing wave left the last surviving building on the battered and burnt West Pier on the verge of collapse." It's gone now - I caught a glimpse of it Friday night in a precarious position. Time to call it a day on 'restoration'? Best to leave it as a picturesque ruin for the starlings and as a reef underwater.

Starlings on the West Pier

Starlings on the West Pier, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

The little white kiosk may have slipped into the sea during this weekend's wind, but the starlings still swarm and make fantastic amorphous shapes at sunset, a sight Bill Oddy said was one of the free wonders of the world. Leave the West Pier for them, and as a reef for the creatures beneath the waves.

Brian Grimwood

Brian Grimwood, originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Britain's greatest living illustrator Brian Grimwood is currently showing his prints and paintings, including homages to Alfred Wallis and Picasso at The Dragonfly House, 48 Ditchling Road, Brighton, as part of the Xmas Open Houses this weekend (3 and 4 December) and next (10 and 11 December) 11am until 6pm. Betty Bib and Yours Truly will also be on show. Come and say hello. More photos as ever on Flickr.