MommaBear posted below about the small town in Kenya giving its sympathy to the U.S.A.; what she failed to provide was the source of the link, for which many thanks are given by this blog. Her only excuse to the personna under the Editor Cap is that she had 3 browsers open with a total of 7 active pages at the time she picked the link and set it aside. Try as she might searching several Histories, your Editor cannot locate that source. She apologizes for this egregious oversight, as it is an unwarranted violation of blog manners.
The Telegraph has an interesting piece advising the Tories to follow the Queen's lead on how to get back into favour. She has managed to pull an amazing come-back from the depths of the post-slappper (sorry-Princess Diana) saga.
As I reported last week, the Conservatives are finally attempting to get things right (in earnest this time) and redo their party to be one that is electable in the 21st century. If they can truely look forward but not surrender to PC-ism they will be able to pull themselves back from the brink. As a speaker said that night, the Tory Party is dead. It needs to be resurrected, not just changed.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/07/2002 01:39:00 PM [+] ::
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A Plea From The Den........
MommaBear had read about the Maasai from a small village in Kenya giving 14 cattle to the United States as an expression of sympathy for the tragedy of 11 September. For those of you who do not realize just how very significant that gift was from that small village, read the story linked to from the following site.
Now we all have a unique opportunity to say "Thank You" back.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/06/2002 10:07:00 PM [+] ::
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Shoggoth.net has just published another one of my stories. It is called Yazidis Needed? The story continues the adventures of the Sage of Wales and his colleagues as they battle against the minions of the Cthulhu. It would be advisable that one read the story that directly precedes the above one in the running order; Iman to Come.
The GODS 2002
Pennington's
Bradford 2nd, June 2002
This year's GODS show was held in Bradford. Yes, Bradford. Many attendees had made the trip early to attend the pre-show party featuring Shotgun Symphony. Sadly, too appropriate. There were news reports that 4 people had been gunned down in a shoot-out the night before the gig. A police statement assured the populace that there would be armed patrols the following night. I can bear witness to this. Many of us watched as an "armed response" vehicle flew by the venue at a high speed, followed by an ambulance. And so, on to the show.
The actual venue was absolutely perfect for a 14 hour+ show (not including the England vs Sweden match being shown before the gig). With its many levels, ample seating, decent loos (complete with fish-pond), in-house chippy, and numerous bars, P's is one of the most impressive venues I have ever seen. The venue seemed to swallow the crowd with great ease. I am actually looking forward to attending the next GODS at the same location.
Now, onto the 14 hours of hard rock that filled the day. Pulse began the day with a competent set of blues-edged hard rock. The band were still getting used to their brand new singer and Ten's former keyboardist. Those who attended the previous year's gig assured me the band showed great improvement. The band were lumbered with having to overcome the malaise of a crowd who had just watched England's disappointing match performance. The band played several songs from their debut as well as a few new tracks.
What followed came close to eliminating much of the improved mood of the crowd. Bailey's Comet delivered an appallingly bad set. Tony Martin (Black Sabbath, The Cage) as their vocalist did not improve things, as his voice did not raise the overall level of the performance. The band should have been run out of town for their dire rendition of Sabbath's "Headless Cross" and Blue Murder's "Valley of the Kings". The audience was relieved when this lot finished. How this band got a higher billing than Pulse is a mystery.
Shotgun Symphony could do no wrong with their set and the level of performance to that point had been set pretty low. The band produced a stellar set which got everybody back in the mood to rock. There is no doubt SS are a great band, and their live performance proved it. This tight professional group got the crowd going with music from their Now & Then albums, as well as debuting material from Tracy White's (vocals) solo album. The performance was all the more special as it was SS's last ever gig as a band. Sad that they are no more. But we can be assured that their parts will continue to produce great music under many other banners.
Honeymoon Suite were next up and came across as a tad limp. The crowd was a bit indifferent to the arrogant Canucks as they debuted new material very few had ever heard before. While it could be said many in the crowd were unfamiliar with the group's 80s hits, those of us who knew them then would have upped the tempo a tad. Once they began playing their older music the crowd got going. The solos the band indulged in nullified the mood. It was only the last three from the 80s ending with "New Girl Now" that really got it right. A mixed performance that. One soon forgotten.
After an extended interval, Jeff Scott Soto appeared to remind us all why the hell we were there in the first place. From the opening note to the amazing finale of Rising Force's "I'll See the Light", JSS had the entire crowd eating out of his hand. This best of gig show was a stunning piece of showmanship that left many wondering why he was so far down the playing order. The gig was a bit of a greatest-hits performance featuring material from both his solo albums and his time with Eyes, Talisman, and Humanimal. The band was tighter than a Scot's wallet, and Howie Simon (Tamplin) on guitar was stunning. Pontis, from Humanimal, joined JSS on stage. JSS also treated the audience to an acoustic medley of some of his more famous ballads including cover of Seal's "Crazy" and the stunning "Nobody Said". He left the crowd panting for more. For good measure, he spent several of the breaks outside the venue, where many of us were getting fresh air, signing autographs and chatting to punters. (Yeah alright, chatting up the crumpet as we...bastard!)
Eric Martin, sans Mr Big, had the task of following JSS. Quite frankly he did not quite live up to the task. He produced a lack-lustre set, even downright boring at times. His band were a bunch of faceless dummies who played flawless if uninspired music. He made the crucial mistake of leading off with new material, which most of the crowd had not heard, instead of beginning with some more recognisable Mr Big music. In fact, the only time he really got the crowd going was when he sang the huge hit "To Be With You". Interestingly enough, he got JSS and Catley (Magnum) on stage for this cracking finale.
AOR darlings Harem Scarem made their UK debut next and did not disappoint one bit. The crowd was with them the whole time as they played music from their recent Now & Then release and their extensive back catalogue. They even dared to play a few tracks from their Rubber iteration. The announcement of this was greeted with one cheer. The band were tight as hell and produced a brilliant set that had the entire crowd going. Many wondered aloud why HS were not given a long set in the end. HS held their own against several great bands.
Ten followed HS and proceeded to bore many in the crowd senseless. Ten, led by Gary Hughes, have zero stage presence. The are extremely competent musicians, but live, not terribly inspiring. There was a fair percentage of the crowd that left the venue during the band's set, preferring fresh air to the band. The band played material from a wide range of their albums, including their widely acclaimed release on Now & Then, "Far Beyond the World". Trust me on this one. Buy their albums. Just don't go see them live. Definitely, they are one of the few bands that were not meant for live performance.
Headlining the show was the triumphant return of Hardline after 11 years. As one could expect they played virtually all of "Double Eclipse", their debut. They debuted several tracks from their forthcoming release, "II". As one of the new tracks was featured on a recent Now & Then compilation, only two tracks were not known. Needless to say, the band have wisely stuck to a winning formula. It was as if grunge had never happened. The band knew they had to pull out all the stops. They provided us with 9 on stage. 2 female and 1 male back-up singers complemented the band which now features the talents of former Nelson drummer Bob Rock and former The Storm/Two Tribes guitarist Josh Ramos. It was obvious the band were well rehearsed. This truly stunning performance was enhanced by Johnny Giolli's brilliant vocals. Ramos was a more than an adequate replacement for Neal Schon. It is a great shame that due to time constraints, the band were unable to do an encore. If it had not been for Jeff Scott Soto's stunning set, these guys would have been the best band on the day. Still, they lived up to the hype and delivered a cracking set. The crowd were with them all the way.
All in all, it was a brilliant 10th anniversary gig. The throngs headed off into the very early morning hours. While not necessarily agreeing on who was best, they all agreed that the GODS 2002 truly rocked!
My thanks to Mark Ashton and his team at Now & Then for everything. I can't wait to make the long trek up to Bradford, though perhaps with some kevlar protection, for the GODS 2002 Part 2!
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/06/2002 01:12:00 PM [+] ::
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Boris Johnson MP slams George Bush for his porkbarrel politics of late. It is an entirely justified takedown of the Bush administration's attempt to bribe the voters of key states in the upcoming mid-term elections. First those ridiculous steel tariffs, and now this. Has Bush lost his nerve on the domestic front? Or worse yet, is he in a desperate attempt to keep the RINOs (like that wretched Susan Collins from Maine) from defecting to the Democrats? I suspect it is the latter.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/06/2002 11:03:00 AM [+] ::
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In a break with the current policy, I shall be posting my review of the afore-mentioned GODS gig here on Dodgeblog. (Ok, to be honest, Mommabear is not around, so I took an "executive decision".) I can highly recommend this annual event. It looks likely there will be a GODS 2002-2 in November of this year. If you are into good old-fashion hard rock and can make it to the UK, it is a gig not to be missed.
(Besides, if you are male and single...let's just say there are still rock chicks (of all ages) in this world. It was as though the unwashed masses of grunge/nu-metal fans never existed. Don't know about you lot, but I prefer that the people I am going to spend a sweaty few hours with bathe first. Oh, and there was no patouli smell either.)
[ed. - in this case, what Andrew has decided does make sense (for once)]
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/06/2002 11:02:00 AM [+] ::
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Joe Katzman writes about fall-out projections after an India-Pakistan nuclear exchance. He has two interesting diagrams and links to further explanation. Amusingly enough, he does not believe it will escalate to nukes. I wish I could share his optimism.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/06/2002 10:37:00 AM [+] ::
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:: 6/05/2002 ::
Robert Locke has written an article for Front Page that should give pro-Europeans apoplexy. It is one of the strongest broadsides against the Second Holy Roman empire...er I mean EU that I have ever seen written by an American. Cracking stuff that needs to spread far and wide!
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/05/2002 07:13:00 PM [+] ::
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James "Anglosphere" Bennett has fisked Will "American Hegemony" Hutton for his recent bile-soaked spew. What would be great to see is a head-to-head debate between these two. (Think Tyson vs Lewis with no ear biting.) I suspect, however, that Hutton would not lower himself to speak to Bennett.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/05/2002 01:50:00 PM [+] ::
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MEMRI has an interesting dispatch regarding the efforts being made by more moderate Islamic clerics in the world. The piece explains their attempts to counter the misinformation and bad theology being peddled by the extremists.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/05/2002 01:47:00 PM [+] ::
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On a lighter, but no less important, subject; today's Telegraph has wonderful article about the health of the Monarchy. Unlike the Beeb, Kim Fletcher is perfectly happy to mention the "rocker who we dare not speak of", Ozzy Osborne. Not only does she mention Ozzy, she agrees with me that seeing him and the Princes side by side is a good thing. Truth be told, I would agree with Kim's review totally.
One does wonder whether the film of Blair "headbanging" will be used in the next election. Of course, being the metal 'ed that I am, I would advise the Tory Party not to use it for fear of it helping Blair's cause. It would be fun to the see the po-faced Liberal Democrats use it, though; they of course would think they were being oh so clever.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/05/2002 01:46:00 PM [+] ::
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:: 6/04/2002 ::
The Truth Laid Bare has an interesting side-bar ranking sites for cross-posting. This blog is a "Lowly Insect" which is fairly unimpressive. Shows we need to get our profile up. I suspect that before the SDR&R post we would have ranked a hell of a lot lower. N.Z. Bear has done us a great service and I do hope no one takes offence to his efforts.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/04/2002 08:15:00 PM [+] ::
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The Group Captain has a wonderful take on the gig last night at Buckingham Palace. He also "outs" himself as a metalhead (retired) and admits that seeing Ozzy was a highlight.
I noticed Sky went on about Ozzy and his popularity with the concert-goers. BBC went to great lengths not to mention him at all ! As far as I am concerned, he went down very well indeed. He certainly pleased the punters more than Sir Cliff, Rod, or even Tom Jones. What was really nuts was seeing the Queen standing with Tony Iommi behind her and Prince Philip with Ozzy next to him. Is Ozzy's knighthood that far off?
The vilest thing of the day was watching Will Young, winner of PopStar, singing with Queen. For those of you who didn't witness this travesty I will put it this way: Roger Taylor singing is easier to take. Still the gig was great; it was nice to see that even the establishment realises that a significant amount of people like to rock!
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/04/2002 01:31:00 PM [+] ::
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From The WebMistress........
As you will see aways below, once again we've had a wee problem with trying to do right by a post regarding Winds of Change...something always seems to go awry with the links and edit-system. Please disregard it...our abject apologies to one and all.
Kesher has part of the text and link to a caring and sharing sermon in Saudi. It is nice to see that Imans there are taking great care to give their religion a good name.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/04/2002 12:34:00 AM [+] ::
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Jason Soon has kindly linked to my sex, drugs and rock & roll series. He admits ignorance about rock music but turns his thoughts to looking at jazz through the same glass. I find this amusing since my father's passion is Jazz. He could be accused of being just as anal about jazz as I am with hard rock and heavy metal. I have to admit admiration for the genre, even if I do not listen to it as much as rock.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/04/2002 12:04:00 AM [+] ::
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MommaBear seldom lectures or commands The Readership, believing, instead, that pointing to material found from her wanderings and rootings should just be recommended for consideration. This post, nonetheless, does carry with it the implied concept that what will be found by following the link should be heeded !
Since writing my sdr&r piece(s) and the follow-up, I have revisited an on-going question in my mind about rock music. So, I will ask it of those of you who have enjoyed and commented on my thoughts. Does having a working class/blue collar background make you a better rocker? Does the hunger of trying to better yourself from a humble background make you a better rocker?
Or does it matter?
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/02/2002 01:39:00 AM [+] ::
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:: 6/01/2002 ::
Unix junkie and anti-punditblogger/blogbursting Bb has put out a call for Unix gurus here. While you are there, read some of the anti-SFSU blogburst post and the ample comments section. You will see my responses to some of the bilge being written there.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/01/2002 03:15:00 PM [+] ::
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A Growl From The Den........
And just what has happened to all those who read here? Natalie Solent has fallen a little behind in that poll at WarNow. This is unforgiveable and cannot be allowed to continue!
Since it is apparent that some new people are now checking this site, perhaps they, too, can be persuaded to assist in this endeavor. We need all the help we can get in our campaign.
As the World Cup really gets going it is about time for me to praise the Wetherspoon Pubs. Their policy of NOT having televisions in their pubs is a welcome one. It is nice to know that someone appreciates that not all of us want to have our pints disturbed by drunken football fans.
They will be an oasis in a world that is hostile to those of us who think sports is a waste of time, effort and money. There are some of us who think anyone who wastes an ounce of emotion about a sporting event is pathetic. But to each is own. It is very nice to see that the Wetherspoons believe in giving pub goers a choice.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 6/01/2002 01:22:00 PM [+] ::
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