Pirate Piracy

What do Blackbeard, Johnny Walker, Peter Sunde, & Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse all have in common?

They all are classed as pirates. Blackbeard being the only true pirate and Johnny Walker coming a close 2^nd as a tormentor of the air waves and high seas with his pirate broadcast from the Radio Caroline days.

Peter Sunde is one of the members of Pirate Bay who has just been jailed for music ‘piracy’, but theft of music paints a clearer picture.

It seems everyone is jumping on the same boat with their eagerness to pirate the term pirate.

These Somali Pirates are being classed as such by the media when they really should be classed as kidnappers, hijackers, thieves, extortionists etc. They don’t even have a skull and cross bone flag never mind a wooden leg, eye patch and parrot. It seems that if you hijack on water you can raise your status and declare yourself a pirate, thus softening the appearance of any crime.

Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse ( the recently captured Somali Pirate) is cleary loving his new found fame as that of a 21^st century pirate and is seen here smiling as he goes to court – obviously proud to be considered up there with blackbeard.

Bring back the swashbuckling pirates that Erroll Flynn fought.

I'm off to report a highwayman holding up a taxi or was it a stagecoach?

Deathly Atmosphere

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8001000/8001574.stm

Having listened to this excerpt on Radio 4 and being disappointed with the lack of imagination in the choices of most popular songs to be played at funerals (Angels, Somewhere Over the Rainbow)I decided to make my own list.

So in reverse order its

25 Minutes to Go - Johnny Cash

Going Underground - The Jam

Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult

Staying Alive - The Bee Gees

Atmosphere - Russ Abbot!!

and in case you had forgotten

Parental Advisory

Yes the new album is now available for download on itunes.

It did come as a surprise when I went to check this and found that the album has been marked as containing explicit lyrics on every song. After further investigation this has revealed that if any one song contains possible offence then each song is individually marked as explicit as well. A tad over reactive i think?

What classes as explicit? Well in my case the word shit. Or should i say S**t.

Having found my new classification I decided to search and see what other purveyors of profanity I can now consider myself stable mates with – Eminem, Lilly Allen and the latest Oasis album it seems.

Hell, my pronunciation isn’t that clear it probably sounds like I am talking about ships. If I had known about this I would have added in some more in order to be true to the classification and give folks there moneys worth. I’d hate to disappoint.

Maybe this will help me find a new audience.

Take it from me, it only contains one swear word but in order to find out which track please download them all and listen intently!

Go see for yourself.. and if you have time please write a review of the album on itunes.

Pure Dead Brilliant

I’ve written a few songs now that have been inspired by the city and the people that are found in Glasgow. ‘I will be’ is about shipbuilding on the Clyde and the strength of characters that are found there and ‘saints and sinners’ is another one inspired by this dear green place. Even on the dullest, wettest of days its possible to raise a smile or to from experiences living here. For example you know you live somewhere a bit different when a tourist stops you in the street and instead of asking for directions to e.g. The Train Station or The Art Gallery they ask in heavily broken English ‘Where I find fried mars bar’

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Album Launch

Many thanks to everyone that turned up at the gig. It's always a bit nerve racking putting on your own show but it turned into a great night and i enjoyed it.  I also have to thank Iain McKinnon who kick started the night with his great songs aswell as a huge thank you to Paul Tasker of the Doghouse Roses who at last minute added some blistering guitar bits to the set.

John's Eye view of the gig!