It Could Have All Gone Horribly Wrong

But, fortunately it didn't.

A chap called Nick dropped me a line to tell me about a new weekly event he was starting called Natural Jam, an acoustic night at The Havana Bar in Southsea. I quite like Southsea, I have some friends there and vaguely remembered going to this bar once last year. I had been drunk but remembered the table football and great murals. I digress...

It was agreed that I would play the opening night last Tuesday 12th Nov.  I Googled the other people on the bill and checked out some of the people attending.  Shit they were young. Teenagers and early twenties types, not my usual audience of 30-40 somethings. I was a little apprehensive.

It could all go horribly wrong. 

My last gig being Chaplins I still felt a little shellshocked but I turned up optimistic anyway.

Nick had decided that all the acts (there were 3 including me) would play without mics, amps and all that shenanigans and play pure acoustic. 

The stage is pretty big, set up for bands and the like.  Plenty of comfy couches and sinking chairs.  The first act, I would guess, are more used to electric guitars and P.A.s but did a pretty good job and the djembe sounded great.  Next came a duo who also accounted well for themselves.  They even had a bash at Hotel California which shows some balls!

I did pretty good! I had re-written "Don't Make Me Wait" putting in a key change and changing the chorus.  I had a ball, I love this pure acoustic stylie.  Unfortunately, the fucking minidisk player didn't work so I don't have a record of it but i enjoyed myself no end and can't wait to play there again. I think that this could be a great success this pure acoustic stuff and I hope Nick realises the potential this place has got.

If I had one niggle it would be that no-one was introduced. We all kind of shambled on and started.

What about a "Welcome to Natural Jam at The Havana. We do this every week. Lets all give it up for Blah Blah Blah?"

Come on Nick, pull your finger out eh?

Celebrity Cum

As a result of not being able to locate my remote and my extreme sloth, I caught an episode of Strictly Come Dancing last Sunday. I had never seen it before but I was aware of its existence.
It's a known format of contestants, judges and humiliation but I find the content very curious.
"Celebrities" pair up with professional ballroom dancers, compete against other couples every week and erm... well that's it really. It's a knock out competition with lesser couples being booted off weekly. I must admit I don't know how as this was the Sunday night "results show" and I wasn't paying that much attention.
What puzzles me is that folk can still make a profession out of dancing the Fox trot etc.
The judges are a rag tag mixture of has-beens and wannabes.
First is Len Goodman who sums up the phrase "Old School" beautifully. A teacher of ballroom for years and Stanley Holloway lookalike.
Arlene Philips who used to tell Hot Gossip what to do and now seems to be an aficionado on the Cha Cha Cha
Bruno Tolioni who, supposedly has been on TV a lot and is totally unintelligible
and Craig Revel Horwood a sour bitter Australian.

The bemused and confused Sir Bruce Forsyth and blond eye candy Tess Daly remind me of clowns at a rodeo, protecting the fragile celebs from the humiliation the judges relish in dishing out.

This show reminds me of a "Come Dancing" which ran in the sixties and seventies and died due to lack of interest. It has been reborn thanks to the addition of the magic ingredient "Celebrities"
Which begs the question, which dead tv prog could be reanimated by adding the life giving celebrity.
The Black and White Minstrel show?
One man and his dog?
Rentaghost?
Please note that video has nothing to do with this post but they are my friends and genius's
and can be found HERE