The scenery has hardly changed, though the Dragons themselves have, with Peter Jones being the only one who has been there for the entire ride.
This episode had several potential partners, with one wishing investment for his new found bolt / construction device, while another (from Scotland!) wanted some money for her dog treats. One was successful, one wasn’t; with the invariable put downs, grimaces due to the lack of a proper financial forecast, etc, etc, on display.
Have you ever wondered about composers of old, who paid little attention to events around them but merely, continued to compose / produce music that THEY enjoyed?
This is what we discover with San Francisco’s Wooden Shjips, who have a big, neo-pysche sound, complete with guitars, keyboards and a certain ambience, that sounds like it should, but is still distinct.
Theirs is a music that can be listened to, or put in the background to enjoy.
Continuing the series on the various, central neighbourhoods in Glasgow.
But . . . did you know, or at least according to a friend who told me years ago, that Glasgow was built on seven hills? No, I didn’t either, and still I am not really sure of these, but they could be (starting from the city centre):
Garnethill Park Circus Hillhead Yorkhill Dowanhill Partickhill Broomhill
If you have been following this blog, I’ve already looked at the Park Circus area, and for the next two entries, will now look at the Hillhead area.
This area is just to the east of Byres Road (the centre of the universe for West Endies and Glasgow University students!). And in the past, we had our own Lord. Whoa!
This area looks east to the Woodlands / Kelvinbridge area, and features the River Kelvin, that is probably the dividing line between the two areas. Whilst to the west, there’s the Dowanhill area.
There’s a proliferation of both tenements, cafes and students (if that’s your scene) from Hillhead’s own University of Glasgow. On the north side, is both Kelvindale and North Woodlands.
If ever in Glasgow, just walk, and walk, and meander about. It’s very good at what it does. The first series of photographs is a circular route around the area’s edges; Byres Road, Great Western Road, Bank Street (just west of the River Kelvin & Kelvinbridge) and back on University Avenue through the University, to Byres Road.
Interesting, I literally didn’t know that REM were still having chart records, well into the 21st century (having given up on them mainly after the New Adventures in Hi-Fi album, though I still knew that they were going strong’ish).
Though they may have been bought primarily by their fanbase, a top 40 record (particularly back then), was STILL a hit record. I do remember them occasionally playing this on the radio, but almost as an afterthought, as in “Yes, we know you have fans and your big, but. . . “
Their first was back in 1987, with the seminal The One I Love, a #16 in 1987:
Whilst there last, number 32 in total!, was Wanderlust, which hit #27 in 2005.
The week will finally show what this blog is capable of! First, some photos from another neighbourhood here in Glasgow, then some church photos (a new series), music, film, TV of the week, and a look at a “first hit, last hit” segment, this time featuring REM.
But first, take a look at this street art, from an unknown “Banksy” in Glasgow; seen in the Hillhead area.
Two things stuck out the last week, and it seems that to my tastes, filmed Britishness is still superior to other forms of entertainment as long as it doesn’t fall to the theatrics of a filmed play.
Captain Crozier – Jared Harris
The best of TV, was my finishing (finally) watching 2018’s The Terror on the BBC iPlayer, that only recently finished on BBC1 (I believe).
Charting the ill-fated, mid-19th century British expedition to find the Northwest Passage, the series suffered from, once again, overuse of colouring (brown and blue again!), a ridiculous sub-plot involving a polar bear from hell, and succumbing to a new-age, Jim Morrison type of mutineer character, in the final stages.
What could have been great, ie, show it like it was!; was in the end only quite good, except for the exceptional, even heroic acting of Jared Harris, as one of the ship’s captains. Though when compared to most, it’s a 10 out of 10.
The ten-part series, with each episode only about 45minutes, flew by.
John Hurt & Anthony Hopkins
For my film, I caught on BBC4, The Elephant Man, which I have seen several times before, both when it originally came out, and on several other occasions. Though I could have sworn that this version was longer? Is this so? Not sure. In addition, I had forgot that David Lynch had both co-written and directed it. Maybe the black and white, or use of a slight industrial score was a giveaway.
It’s a sad and moving piece; with the Doctor / Patient interchanges both subtle and moving.
What a beautiful sight! The Botanics in the West End of Glasgow. I believe the glasshouse is based on Kew Gardens in London?
3 shots of the Botanics, Easter Monday
Though with a recent cold spell (about -3 last night) it was chilly, but still sensational in the sun; though there was a VERY small amount of flurries about mid-day.
Occupying a mish-mash of neo-psychedelia, mood music, 60s drone and shoe-gazing, yet always in the context of a rock band, Moon Duo is the type of band, that you can either put on in the background, or sit in your favourite chair, with a beer or wine; and just listen to.
What’s particularly appealing, is the use of keyboards, with a devotion to a minimalism, which at least adds a distinctness to their sound.
I could see them doing this in a small club, with reverb, echo and dry ice; it would be grand.
I listened to almost their entire back catalogue, and thought their most recent album, Stars Are the Light (2019), to be their most “poppy”. Little did I know, that the track below, already had over 2 million hits on Spotify.
Nestled between the West End of Glasgow, the City Centre and the Park District, Woodlands has a feel for everyone, be they student, first time buyer, Hipster, working classer, etc.
For the map below, I basically started in the upper left-hand corner, and meandered counter-clockwise, heading East, and then came back, north-westerly, past the Tesco Express.
As stated before, there is a distinctive taste to Woodlands, no doubt contributed to by the many types who occupy it. Years ago, when I resided here, and to be blunt it hasn’t really changed except for the house prices, there was a large Asian (Indian, Pakistani) population, along with students from the nearby Glasgow University, and cheap pubs.
Arlington Baths, Woodlands, Glasgow
Many are still here, but there has been an obvious proliferation of cafes and coffee places now, yet there is an always nice, and an unpretentious feel to it. It almost has a don’t blink you’ll miss it look, as you head up to Hillhead (more later in the blog), and then onto Byres Road – West End ground zero!
Curious Bystander 