I'm reading a collection of true stories compiled by The Moth, a non-profit storytelling group from the US. Some of them are very good, some of them are rather annoying, some of them are full of self-aggrandizing bullshit... but I guess that's a pretty accurate representation of the human race.
One of the stand out stories for me came from Darryl McDaniels, aka the DMC of Run DMC. He tells how at the height of his fame, he found himself suffering from chronic depression, and the only thing that made him feel even slightly better was the music of Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. He met her at a showbiz party and behaved like an embarrassed schoolkid, but she recognised him, knew his music, and that made him like her even more. After a while, he discovered the source of his depression, after learning that he was adopted and he had no idea where he really came from. That's when he had the idea of recording a song about how it feels to find out your parents aren't your birth parents, basing it on the old Harry Chapin tune Cat's In The Cradle... and what he really, really wanted was for Sarah McLachlan to sing the chorus. So he called her up and she agreed, inviting him out to her home to record it. And that's when she told him that she was an adopted child too.
DMC tells the story a lot better than that, obviously, but it was a really sweet tale, and the last thing I expected from one of the godfathers of hip hop.
For our annual Boys' Only Holiday this year, Sam and I visited the West Midlands, spending a lot of time in Dudley, which had more to offer than just the brush fire that got us kicked out of our hotel.
Dudley Castle & Zoo was much more impressive than I'd expected - to be fair, I thought it would be a castle with a few animals outside, but actually the zoo offered a greater range of wildlife than anywhere this side of Chester - lions, tigers, giraffes, wolverines, monkeys... and Sam's favourite, the snow leopards.
I always visit zoos with a heavy heart. I understand the conservation and protection of endangered species, and I've no doubt that they do good work in that regard... but it always makes me sad to see wild animals caged, or away from their natural home.
Equally, if not more impressive - and without the added layer of guilt - was the Black Country Living Museum next door, a real "step back in time" kind of place...
...well, you get the idea. Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in the area.
Sam and I visited Dudley a week or so ago. Our Premier Inn was evacuated on the penultimate day of our stay due to a brush fire on land behind the hotel. Fortunately, the fire brigade got the blaze under control and we were able to return to our room at night.
Next week, the whole family is away in Pickering, one of our favourite holiday destinations, though I'm unsure whether we'll get to see the steam trains. Last time we visited, there were only diesel locomotives running due to the danger of sparks causing fires on the train line.
Considering the wildfire situation in Europe at the moment, missing the sound of the steam train firing up seems a small price to pay. Still, The Orange Idiot assures us that global warming is a "con job", so nothing to worry about there.
Former Go-Between Robert Forster's solo output is a continuing joy to me, even if some people get frustrated he won't revisit his old glories anymore...
That track is taken from last year's album Strawberries, an excellent collection of songs, my favourite of which is Breakfast On The Train, an 8 minute story song written during a train journey from London to Glasgow.
There was a family in the room next door
They were woken by the banging and the roar
They phoned Reception to complain
Reception said, "Over the volume of love we have no claim"
Naming your band after a car? That'll never catch on.
Here are some bands named after the car above. Gee. Tee. Oh!
THE GTOs #1
More famously known as The Rocking Ramrods, this Boston beat group released one single in 1965 as The GTOs. And here it is... if only the Cancel Culture Club were still around!
Seven young women who started out as groupies but ended up with Frank Zappa producing their records in 1969. And for once, the GTO actually stands for something... Girls Together Outrageously!
Although not credited on the label, discogs informs me that the Henry Moore* song below features Larry Johnson & The GTOs on backing duties. Worth a listen even if discogs are lying just to Payola this song into this blog.
Techo/rave act who first stepped foot outside their bedrooms in 1985, when they were known as Greater Than One. Changed their name to GTO in 1990 "because it was easier to spell".
Dutch GTO with a curious link back to our third GTOs above. Firstly, the band apparently used the same initialism - Girls Together Outrageously. Secondly, they covered a track written by Zappa acolyte Steven Siro Vai.
"G.T.O. are a 5 piece Alternative Rock band from Regional NSW bent on exploring sound and energy, heavy riffs, intertwined with swirling guitar ambience to create a progressive wall of sound inspired
by artists such as QOTSA, Karnivool and A Perfect Circle. "
Did I have a drink problem before that? My liver thought so, because I have Gilbert's syndrome, which the AI Gods tell us "is a common, harmless inherited liver condition where the liver processes bilirubin more slowly than normal, leading to mild jaundice, fatigue, and occasional abdominal discomfort."
I would add that the fatigue I suffered, especially after drinking a little too much, was far worse than "mild", and lasted longer than any hangover you've ever had.
The Thin Yoghurts, on the other hand, clearly did have a drink problem back in 1980.
5. Her father found a Newlove... but carried on with the old one too.
Kirsty MacColl's mum was Jean Newlove. Her father, Ewan MacColl "was also in a relationship with folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Peggy Seeger (a relationship that would continue until his death in 1989), and already had a son with Seeger."
