Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[Karabiner]

I think he's fairly typical of the awful 1980's, pop-music's worst ever decade.

Mind you if poodle-permed puveyors of elevator-muzak is your bag...

[tikay]

I think he's fairly typical of the awful 1980's, pop-music's worst ever decade.

Mind you if poodle-permed puveyors of elevator-muzak is your bag...

Oi, get outa here flower power bloke.

Great, great show that, what a top bloke Lynne is, great humility too.

[redarmi]

I think he's fairly typical of the awful 1980's, pop-music's worst ever decade.

Mind you if poodle-permed puveyors of elevator-muzak is your bag...

Ralph - I am only here tonight looking for further stories of your days as the Jewish Iceberg Slim in Vancouver but I have to challenge that statement.  The 80's gave us hip hop, The Stone Roses, Morrissey, House music and techno to name just a few.  I have heard that statement many times and they generally seem to be talking about the New Romance, electro pop period but there was a lot more to the music of the 80's than that.

[Doobs]

Ralph clearly getting confused, ELO are a 70s band if ever I saw one.  It was Stock Aitken and Waterman that ruined the 80s not ELO.

Loved the 80s really













FWIW Out of the blue was the 2nd albumn I ever bought.

[BigAdz]

I think he's fairly typical of the awful 1980's, pop-music's worst ever decade.

Mind you if poodle-permed puveyors of elevator-muzak is your bag...

Ralph - I am only here tonight looking for further stories of your days as the Jewish Iceberg Slim in Vancouver but I have to challenge that statement.  The 80's gave us hip hop, The Stone Roses, Morrissey, House music and techno to name just a few.  I have heard that statement many times and they generally seem to be talking about the New Romance, electro pop period but there was a lot more to the music of the 80's than that.

Too right. If it wasn't for my successful time as a New Romantic, I suspect I would still be a virgin to this day!

[Karabiner]

I think he's fairly typical of the awful 1980's, pop-music's worst ever decade.

Mind you if poodle-permed puveyors of elevator-muzak is your bag...

Ralph - I am only here tonight looking for further stories of your days as the Jewish Iceberg Slim in Vancouver but I have to challenge that statement.  The 80's gave us hip hop, The Stone Roses, Morrissey, House music and techno to name just a few.  I have heard that statement many times and they generally seem to be talking about the New Romance, electro pop period but there was a lot more to the music of the 80's than that.

I may have to amend my statement about 80's music slightly but only to say that it certainly included far more of it's fair share of awful pop-music, more than any other decade. So much of it was totally soulless to me. There was some great stuff around too as you pointed out. Bob Marley was my clear favourite.

I was invited to move the further tales of my 1967 hippie odyssey from the current host diarist to one who has shown far more curiosity (or should I say any?) and indeed empathy, in understanding the implications of the subtle sub-plots contained within them despite my limited writing skills, so future instalments will appear on the sporadic arty-farty diary.

[Karabiner]

@Doobs I think I said that his music was typical of awful 1980's pop-music.

I know it's subjective but soulless ballads are not really my bag.

[doubleup]

Capitalism ruins everything.  It ruined drugs and rock and roll.

[tikay]

Yes was deffo a derby factor in the crowd Ralph, the guy said either side of 40k seemed the usual number tho to me it was something of a talking point as I was amazed at the number but I guess for him it was just another soccer match his team were playing. He didn't know what the attendance number was until I mentioned it to him which we prob wouldn't take much notice of if we went to our local match I guess.

I'm not sure re Beardsley, didn't Pele finish his career off there? I have it in my head that was the place to go for some high profile players back in the day. As you can see by the terrible grimmer and spelling I am on some rank bad internet and an iPad so haven't checked for names. It was a big deal for the Whitecaps, it seems there is a Cup called the. Custodia Cup ( that might be wrong name but was summat like that). It is a type of round robin thing between Seattle, Vancouver and I think it was Portland where the team that gets the most points from those games wins the CUstodia cup so it just played out like it meant more to the Whitecaps than the Sounders. They celebrated a lot at the end too so was certainly something important to them.

It's such a fantastic stadium and was rocking yesterday for the Seahawks v Cowboys game and I was again impressed at how the fans just mingle and sit together without a hint of trouble. Cowboys are so well supported and in an arena that is famed for its home advantage the Cowboys fans levelled that out a little with their support.

Did you travel around in the US when you had your spell in San Fran Ralph, did you have a favourite place?

I loved Vancouver Phil and would probably not have left if I could help it.

Vancouver in 1967 had a sort of mini-Haight-Ashbury on 4th Avenue with more than it's fair share of free love, marijuana, and psychedelic music. I can vividly remember Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" blaring out from one of the jukeboxes and "tourists" cruising by in their cars at weekends to look at the "freaks".

Kitsilano beach is another name that lingers in the memory from that era.

Unfortunately I got run out of town without my passport after a couple of months in Vancouver and had to climb over a barbed-wire fence to cross the border into the USA en route to San Francisco. Those were the days..

Whoa now, hold up.

You HAVE to tell us that story, even if it has to be a tad watered down to protect the guilty.

BUMPED.

No interest?

Say what?

Anyway, it matters not where you write it, just hurry up, we will soon be out of popcorn.


 

[tikay]

Right, that's it. Tomorrow, I will show you some proper music.

Had a lovely evening tonight, the Jeff Lynne doc, followed by ELO in The Park.

Proper tv, proper music.

Poodle permed purveyors, my arse.

[tikay]

I think he's fairly typical of the awful 1980's, pop-music's worst ever decade.

Mind you if poodle-permed puveyors of elevator-muzak is your bag...

Ralph - I am only here tonight looking for further stories of your days as the Jewish Iceberg Slim in Vancouver but I have to challenge that statement.  The 80's gave us hip hop, The Stone Roses, Morrissey, House music and techno to name just a few.  I have heard that statement many times and they generally seem to be talking about the New Romance, electro pop period but there was a lot more to the music of the 80's than that.

Too right. If it wasn't for my successful time as a New Romantic, I suspect I would still be a virgin to this day!

I'm ttying not to think too deeply about that.

[tikay]

I think he's fairly typical of the awful 1980's, pop-music's worst ever decade.

Mind you if poodle-permed puveyors of elevator-muzak is your bag...

Ralph - I am only here tonight looking for further stories of your days as the Jewish Iceberg Slim in Vancouver but I have to challenge that statement.  The 80's gave us hip hop, The Stone Roses, Morrissey, House music and techno to name just a few.  I have heard that statement many times and they generally seem to be talking about the New Romance, electro pop period but there was a lot more to the music of the 80's than that.

Let me get this right, Stu - you ONLY read my Diary to see Ralph's stuff?

No wonder things are grim in Muddlsebruohjgoigh.

[tikay]

I think he's fairly typical of the awful 1980's, pop-music's worst ever decade.

Mind you if poodle-permed puveyors of elevator-muzak is your bag...

Oi, get outa here flower power bloke.

Great, great show that, what a top bloke Lynne is, great humility too.

Really enjoyed that Doc, & the Hyde Park Concert, great TV, & great music, that.

Does anyone know the name of the Lady Violinist? I was a tad smitten by her, truth to tell.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Understood.

TBH most of the people on their seemed immune to all of the stuff going on.

Think I must be spoilt.

Maybe they understood that if you want BA quality service, you have to pay BA prices?

[tikay]

I have a fair few Yorkshire friends and the saying " I say what I like, and I like what I bloody well say" is most apt.

I digress.

A short work affair in Krackow(what a truly beautiful city centre, with a remarkable square in the middle. Loved  it), was only spoiled by Tikays mentor Michael O fecking Leary's mob.

I can only presume Tikay is tongue in cheek in his praise for this horrible man, either that or he has never flown Ryanair?!

I am a Silver BA card holder, and worked hard to get there, so try and stick with BA for all the perks, but the flight to Krackow meant Warsaw then an internal on god knows what, so thought, surely Ryanair had improved since my last debacle on a return flight from Kerry after a Laddies event in Kilarney. Robbed blind for bloody everything, and I vowed never to use them again.

Anyway, the day before, my flying companion noticed in the small print that we HAD to check in online or face a £70 fine. A fine start, as I never bother checking in. Nice try, O'Leary, but we checked in and paid your poxy 4 quid for priority check in.

So, arrive on Monday at crack of sparrows and find we have to check in at desks 81-83. Priority queue as long as normal queue....grrrrr. Get to front of queue. told we are in the wrong queue. I point to board which still says her desk. "Don't know why, but it IS round the other side, you best be quick sir"........you can imagine.....

Get through the massive lines in security, which was like a free for all, and sent to Gate 81. Stand in a queue for 20 mins and then told we are being moved to Gate 40. Mass half mile ruck to get to Gate 40 to stand in another 30 min queue there.

Plane arrives and we get shoved outside to stand IN THE FRIGGING RAIN, while the plane disembarks. What the fuck is that all about, and fifteen mins later, soaked , we are all invited to walk up the steps. What the Feck! Tight bugger wont even pay for air bridges. Everyone soaked and by time we get there, half the plane sneezing. Marv.

Oh, and while we are stood in the queue out in the rain, we have the delights of seeing our luggage being placed daintily into the back of the plane......Are we buggery. Each and every case thrown in as if the luggage boys are in training for Cabber Tossing. What a bunch of tossers they are, knowing full well no one will shout for fear of getting ejected.

Not a single seat empty.

We all know its like a bloody battery chicken coup in there, but with the trolly dollies flying up and down offering snacks every ten mins, you are squeezed in so tight you cant find your bloody wallet, so miss out on all those over expensive rip offs too.

Get to other end, and colleague loses luggage. We even saw it lobbed on the plane so how can it go missing? After remonstrating with the polish luggage guy he suggests we check other carousel. Of course his case is there. Luggage guy shrugs like "well where else did you think it would be?".

It seems our experience was nothing out of the ordinary, based on similar tales from regulars on the route.

I hate to think how many times I swore about what I will do when i next see O'Leary at the races.

What a tosser.

I do hope your love of this man is purely a wind up Mr K, or my love for you will die, just a little....

I always find the Ryanair debates interesting but every time i have listened to Tikay's mate O'Leary he always says he doesn't want to fly people with luggage in the hold 'it costs money' etc etc.  I would only ever fly ryanair with hand luggage as you know what you are going to get when you sign up.  If you play by their rules (which they have every right to set when they charge so little) you can have a budget flight which is adequate.  The moaners always seem to be the people who want BA service without the BA price. I know when i check in at Luton i am going to have a long walk to the furthest away gate possible to board but that's why the tickets are so cheap because O'leary doesn't get charged as much by Luton to operate there as the gates which are closer by.  In the same way as when you shop at aldi you don't get bags to put your shopping in but you pay much less for your shopping.

Correct.

Airport Landing Charges make up a significant % of the cost of a flight, so Ryanair bargain hard for cheaper rates, & as such, get the gates furthest away.


Here are the standard Landing charges for Heathrow, for example. Note there are Noise Charges, Emission Charges, Parking charges, Per Passenger Charges, & Take Off Charges.   



http://www.heathrowairport.com/static/HeathrowAboutUs/Downloads/PDF/HAL-Conditions-of-Use-Amendment-SCHEDULE5-Up%20date-25April2014.pdf