Following your disastrous holiday at the Joe Bugner Ornamental Koi Carp Breeders Nudist Camp, the only course of action open to you seems starkly plain...
Sadly you have no oven cleaner and the gas has been cut off...
So sticking your extravagantly bouffanted head in the gas oven is out...
What are you to do...?
Well, why not visit the City Folk Club...?
You may find the answer to your existential conundrum...
(Or not...)
Let's examine what happened in the performance space...
Between The Lines: David
The Swimming Song: Jane/Dave
Halcyon Days: Mike/Yvonne
Lady Of Autumn: Eddie
Buddy Can You Spare A Dime?: George
If I Were A Blackbird: Ray
Winchester Cathedral: Brenda/Berry
I Like The Way You Look :Berry
Time In A Bottle: Gigi
April In Portugal: Maggie
The Hard Times Of New Labour: Jenny/Jerry
Sweet Primroses: Bill
Gypsy: Mike
Ae Fond Kiss: Colin
I'll Be There: Paul
Sad Ending: Mick 1
Take This Hammer: Tom
The Dogger Bank: Charlotte/Spon
Down By The Dockyard Wall: Ray
I'll See You In My Dreams: Berry
Teenage Kicks: Dave/Jane
Lady of Beauty: Eddie
North, South Of The River: Mike
Till The Stars Fall From The Sky: Yvonne/Mike
Country Fair: Mick
Moon Shadow: Paul
Creeping Jane: Bill
Farewell To The Creeks: Jerry
Things Ain't What They Used To Be: Charlotte/Spon
Fever: Gigi
A bitter sweet evening...
Why...?
We had the highest attendance this year but....
Gigi is leaving us...
Bye, bye Gigi take our best wishes for your future with you...
We'll miss you dearly....
A chronicle of 'doings' for posterity... and other things of little consequence!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Being the 18th of July 2008
Awoken from your slumbers by a rude and hairy skymatelot grunting and gesticulating wildly, you pull on your Ruritainian Dirigible Captain's uniform and helmet to investigate the hullabaloo on the bridge...
A glance around the dial covered cockpit confirms your worst fears, the airship is going down...
Pausing momentarily to step aside as the first mate, his body alight, jumps screaming through the window to certain death many hundreds of feet below...
Stiffening your upper lip you brace yourself against the binnacle, make peace with your strange gods and await impact...
It is early evening when you regain consciousness. Your helmet, once burnished to a gleam, lies smoke-blackened and dented at your side, several spokes of your wheelchair are bent and and one of the buttons is missing from your jacket... Still, things could be worse... You could have missed this evening's City Folk Club...
So, put a bob in the jukebox and dig these crazy tunes:
The Story In Your Eyes: David
Pull Down Lads: Sylvia/Max
Davey Lowston: Max/Sylvia
Jimmy Brown: Paul
Sheep Crook & Black Dog: Anne
Why Did You Leave The One You Left Me For?: Maggie
Sweet & Innocent: Berry
That's Amore: Gigi
The Butcher's Boy: Linda
Cry Me A River: George
Love Is The Sweetest Thing: Mave
Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues: Ken/Berry
Reynardine: Colin
Labamba: Ensemble
Willie O'Winsberry: David
Mary & The Gallant Soldier: Syliva
Blackwaterside: Max
Walk Right Back: Paul
The Cock: Anne
April In Portugal: Maggie
Ain't No Sunshine: Linda
Time In A Bottle: Gigi
Let The Rest Of The World Go By: George
Twice Daily: Mike
The Boy I Love Is Up In The Gallery: Mave
Down In The Basement: Ken
Row On: Colin
(+ Several examples of the Devil's music played by the ensemble...)
Till we meet again...
A glance around the dial covered cockpit confirms your worst fears, the airship is going down...
Pausing momentarily to step aside as the first mate, his body alight, jumps screaming through the window to certain death many hundreds of feet below...
Stiffening your upper lip you brace yourself against the binnacle, make peace with your strange gods and await impact...
It is early evening when you regain consciousness. Your helmet, once burnished to a gleam, lies smoke-blackened and dented at your side, several spokes of your wheelchair are bent and and one of the buttons is missing from your jacket... Still, things could be worse... You could have missed this evening's City Folk Club...
So, put a bob in the jukebox and dig these crazy tunes:
The Story In Your Eyes: David
Pull Down Lads: Sylvia/Max
Davey Lowston: Max/Sylvia
Jimmy Brown: Paul
Sheep Crook & Black Dog: Anne
Why Did You Leave The One You Left Me For?: Maggie
Sweet & Innocent: Berry
That's Amore: Gigi
The Butcher's Boy: Linda
Cry Me A River: George
Love Is The Sweetest Thing: Mave
Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues: Ken/Berry
Reynardine: Colin
Labamba: Ensemble
Willie O'Winsberry: David
Mary & The Gallant Soldier: Syliva
Blackwaterside: Max
Walk Right Back: Paul
The Cock: Anne
April In Portugal: Maggie
Ain't No Sunshine: Linda
Time In A Bottle: Gigi
Let The Rest Of The World Go By: George
Twice Daily: Mike
The Boy I Love Is Up In The Gallery: Mave
Down In The Basement: Ken
Row On: Colin
(+ Several examples of the Devil's music played by the ensemble...)
Till we meet again...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Being the 11th of July 2008
"Will this horror never cease?" you mutter to yourself as you dig, dig, dig...
Whipped by the biting wind with it's needling teeth of rain...
Two hours later your labours see you standing in six inches of muddy water at the bottom of a narrow trench...
You haul your weary body from the trench and manhandle the gore-splattered corpse of the fishmonger into the pit then start to replace the heap of soil on top of him...
Two hours later you light a well earned fag and organise your thoughts...
An alibi, an alibi...
Ah ha...!
Off you trudge to The City Folk Club...
This weeks hit parade included:
The Stars In Your Eyes: David
A Fair Maid Walking in her Garden: Colin
Who Do You Think Your Fooling: Yvonne
Ghosts And Skeletons: Mike
My White Horse: George
It's Hard To Be Humble: Ray
Bay Of Biscay: Anne
Waltz: Mick
Red Is The Rose: Mave
The Eagle Song: Ken
Jack O'Rion: Bill 1
The Last Thing On My Mind: Maggie
The Swiss Maid: Paul
How's The World Treating You?: Linda/Paul
The Thrill Is Gone: Lucy
The Last Time I Saw Her: David
Spanish Ladies: Colin
I Only Want To Be With You: Yvonne
Till The Stars Fall From The Sky: Mike
Women Of Ireland: George
My Grandfather's Clock: Ray
Lord Gregory: Anne
Seashore: Mick
I'm A Rambler: Mave
The Good Ship Calibar: Ken
The Barefoot Quaker/Merrily Danced The Quaker's Wife: Bill 1
It Ain't Necessarily So: Maggie
You Win Again: Paul//Bill 1
Bound For The Mountains And The Sea: Linda
Nettle Wine: Lucy
Yours (until they find the body),
David.
Whipped by the biting wind with it's needling teeth of rain...
Two hours later your labours see you standing in six inches of muddy water at the bottom of a narrow trench...
You haul your weary body from the trench and manhandle the gore-splattered corpse of the fishmonger into the pit then start to replace the heap of soil on top of him...
Two hours later you light a well earned fag and organise your thoughts...
An alibi, an alibi...
Ah ha...!
Off you trudge to The City Folk Club...
This weeks hit parade included:
The Stars In Your Eyes: David
A Fair Maid Walking in her Garden: Colin
Who Do You Think Your Fooling: Yvonne
Ghosts And Skeletons: Mike
My White Horse: George
It's Hard To Be Humble: Ray
Bay Of Biscay: Anne
Waltz: Mick
Red Is The Rose: Mave
The Eagle Song: Ken
Jack O'Rion: Bill 1
The Last Thing On My Mind: Maggie
The Swiss Maid: Paul
How's The World Treating You?: Linda/Paul
The Thrill Is Gone: Lucy
The Last Time I Saw Her: David
Spanish Ladies: Colin
I Only Want To Be With You: Yvonne
Till The Stars Fall From The Sky: Mike
Women Of Ireland: George
My Grandfather's Clock: Ray
Lord Gregory: Anne
Seashore: Mick
I'm A Rambler: Mave
The Good Ship Calibar: Ken
The Barefoot Quaker/Merrily Danced The Quaker's Wife: Bill 1
It Ain't Necessarily So: Maggie
You Win Again: Paul//Bill 1
Bound For The Mountains And The Sea: Linda
Nettle Wine: Lucy
Yours (until they find the body),
David.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
City Folk Afloat....
Ahoy!
On Saturday 5th July 33 intrepid voyagers boarded a vessel of ship shape seaworthiness at the Canal Basin in Chichester bound for … who knows where? All brought beverages, some brought hard-tack, and everyone brought music. No one brought a life jacket!
The Chichester Ship Canal Trust provided the venue and a most helpful crew for their boat The Richmond. Some surprise was voiced at the number of instruments coming aboard, but I believe these were all used at some point in the evening. I guess Cap’n John and his helpers were more accustomed to people gawping out of the windows at the canal-side wildlife while ignoring the floating discarded plastic detritus.
Importantly, we made music, and WHAT MUSIC! Surely, that’s what we’re about. It would be churlish of me to single out performances. Jane video’d much of what went on. I have yet to fathom YouTube, but, for all its flaws, I hope to publish that recording in due course. It is a smashing record of a congregation of good people having great fun together.
My particular and sincere thanks are due to David for MCing the event. Equally, I am grateful for the eager cooperation of everyone who participated. Nearly everyone arrived in good time (albeit Linda and her companions generated some anxiety while stuck in a Bognor petrol station!)
As ‘organiser/dogsbody/etc …’ my aim was to arrange an enjoyable outing subsidised 50% by the club. Between us we achieved that, and everyone willingly coughed up fivers in advance. More importantly, everyone had a great time.
Epilogue:
…. At 2200 hours The Richmond berthed once more at the Canal Basin. No souls were lost in the voyage and the female cabin boy retained her virginity!
I suspect we shall do it again.
Colin.
On Saturday 5th July 33 intrepid voyagers boarded a vessel of ship shape seaworthiness at the Canal Basin in Chichester bound for … who knows where? All brought beverages, some brought hard-tack, and everyone brought music. No one brought a life jacket!
The Chichester Ship Canal Trust provided the venue and a most helpful crew for their boat The Richmond. Some surprise was voiced at the number of instruments coming aboard, but I believe these were all used at some point in the evening. I guess Cap’n John and his helpers were more accustomed to people gawping out of the windows at the canal-side wildlife while ignoring the floating discarded plastic detritus.
Importantly, we made music, and WHAT MUSIC! Surely, that’s what we’re about. It would be churlish of me to single out performances. Jane video’d much of what went on. I have yet to fathom YouTube, but, for all its flaws, I hope to publish that recording in due course. It is a smashing record of a congregation of good people having great fun together.
My particular and sincere thanks are due to David for MCing the event. Equally, I am grateful for the eager cooperation of everyone who participated. Nearly everyone arrived in good time (albeit Linda and her companions generated some anxiety while stuck in a Bognor petrol station!)
As ‘organiser/dogsbody/etc …’ my aim was to arrange an enjoyable outing subsidised 50% by the club. Between us we achieved that, and everyone willingly coughed up fivers in advance. More importantly, everyone had a great time.
Epilogue:
…. At 2200 hours The Richmond berthed once more at the Canal Basin. No souls were lost in the voyage and the female cabin boy retained her virginity!
I suspect we shall do it again.
Colin.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Being the 4th of July 2008
With one bound you are free...
Now all that remains is to save the girl, kill the mad professor intent on world domination and escape to safety...
You run pell-mell down an abandoned corridor towards a door where you perceive a flicker of light from the key hole...
Grasping the verdigris covered handle, you wrench it with all your might...
It comes off in your hand...
"Oh sod this" you say "I'm off up the City Folk Club"...
And what delighted us this evening...?
Well, these:
You Made Me Love You: Berry
Freeborn Man: Maggie
Indian Lass: Ken
The Deserter: David
Down By The Dockyard Wall: Eddie
Maybe Tomorrow: Bill 2
The Good Old Summertime: Mave
The Green Green Grass Of Home: Brenda/Berry
The False Bride: Linda
Three Score And Ten: Colin
His Eye Is On The Sparrow: Paul
Something In Red: Sandy
Dancing With You: Sandy/Geoff
Don't Let It Bring You Down: Anita
Lilly Marlane: Mave
Hey Jude: Linda/Paul
Autumn Leaves: Hildi
A Woman Is A Sometime Time Thing: Maggie
Sea Cruise: Ken/Berry
Grey Funnel Line: Eddie
It Was Pleasant And Delightful: Colin
Love Potion Number 9: Bill 2
Dr Jazz: Paul
Little Ball Of Yarn: Sandy/Geoff
Leaving On A Jet Plane: Sandy/Geoff
The Lady Is A Tramp: Gigi
And so we gird our loins for the next meeting or, as it will later be know,
"The Great Chichester Canal Disaster..."
Now all that remains is to save the girl, kill the mad professor intent on world domination and escape to safety...
You run pell-mell down an abandoned corridor towards a door where you perceive a flicker of light from the key hole...
Grasping the verdigris covered handle, you wrench it with all your might...
It comes off in your hand...
"Oh sod this" you say "I'm off up the City Folk Club"...
And what delighted us this evening...?
Well, these:
You Made Me Love You: Berry
Freeborn Man: Maggie
Indian Lass: Ken
The Deserter: David
Down By The Dockyard Wall: Eddie
Maybe Tomorrow: Bill 2
The Good Old Summertime: Mave
The Green Green Grass Of Home: Brenda/Berry
The False Bride: Linda
Three Score And Ten: Colin
His Eye Is On The Sparrow: Paul
Something In Red: Sandy
Dancing With You: Sandy/Geoff
Don't Let It Bring You Down: Anita
Lilly Marlane: Mave
Hey Jude: Linda/Paul
Autumn Leaves: Hildi
A Woman Is A Sometime Time Thing: Maggie
Sea Cruise: Ken/Berry
Grey Funnel Line: Eddie
It Was Pleasant And Delightful: Colin
Love Potion Number 9: Bill 2
Dr Jazz: Paul
Little Ball Of Yarn: Sandy/Geoff
Leaving On A Jet Plane: Sandy/Geoff
The Lady Is A Tramp: Gigi
And so we gird our loins for the next meeting or, as it will later be know,
"The Great Chichester Canal Disaster..."
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