(Could Be) A Country Thing, City Thing, Blues Thing - Richard Ashcroft

I think I used to love the Verve. They kind of came at end of an era for me. The britpop thing was happening. Libby and I were living in Camden. And the whole Oasis thing became very boring very quickly. But I can't really remember much about those times to be honest. We were in the Serious Road Trip. It's all a blur. I kinda knew at the time that it was our last gasp of youthful ways. It was fun. And we were there..

Listening now to Urban Hymns is great. Especially as I don't think I listened to it much when it was released. Anyway... I heard the new Verve single (it's on their Myspace site) and I've decided it's great. And then I remembered this track; '(Could Be) A Country Thing, City Thing, Blues Thing'. It is a B-side to, I think, the first solo single by Richard Ashcroft and it is fantastic. I love it.

Get it here -
http://rapidshare.com/files/125463211/B-Sides___Rarities_Could_Be__A_Country_Thing__City_Thing__Blues_Thing.mp3.html

If you like it (or not) leave me a message, please.

T

Too old to rock n roll ? / Please excuse my gay mate

So we went to Barcelona for the weekend. Mike bought me my flight and got the room in our hostel for my 40th. We spent the weekend with our Spanish friend Carl Duffy. It was rather unhealthy - I still feel somewhat 'out of sorts'.

What we did on our holiday -

1) Got wasted
2) Got ill (not me, Mike)
3) Went to the beach.
4) Had a splendid lunch.
5) Nearly got mugged.
6) I missed my kids, and wife...
7) I did a very hot 4 mile run - I think I must of had some performance enhancing drugs still in me.
8) Turned gay (not me, Carl)
Blablablah

On the way home I decided that the best album I have heard all year is the MGMT record 'Oracular Spectacular'. This here is 'Time To Pretend' as originally featured on an ep from 2005. The latest version from the album is *much* better but you can get that anywhere. The lyrical sentiment of the track seems apt to me given me and my two mates are now middle aged dads with wives and mortgages when once we thought we were rock n roll stars...

Get it here -http://rapidshare.com/files/124994343/01_time_to_pretend_time_to_pretend_ep_2005.mp3.html

T

Blister on foot is doing my head in

What a great picture this is ? This is a 'Study for Head of George Dyer' by Francis Bacon. After seeing this image reproduced in the Metro this morning I have decided that Francis Bacon is my 'new favorite old artist'. How did he paint this ? It seems almost alien in its execution..

I have a whacking great blister on my left foot. It is precluding me from running.

I am going to Barcelona at the weekend with Mike to see our Spanish friend Carl Duffy. I want to run in Barca; I am resting my blister.

Frances Bacon would have painted a good picture of my blister.

T

One More Kilometre And We're In The Showers

I've been reading 'One More Kilometre And We're In The Showers' by Tm Hilton. It's a really great little book. A kind of mental sketchbook of cycling. I wish someone would write something similar about running.

The following is a short passage from the book. I wanted to transcribe it here before I take the book back to the library..

"We (cyclists) have quasi-spiritual memories that come to us when we traverse roads we have known before, quietly gliding between hedgerows, changing rhythm with the lie of the land or the strength of the wind, rising a little from the saddle to catch a glimpse of a stream. Pedestrians do not know these experiences. Neither of course do motorists. Only cyclists know what I'm talking about and it's useless to try to explain it to anyone else."

He's right. When I dream, I dream of the roads and woods of my childhood; I don't dream of people or events. It's me in a place. My psyche is kinda grounded by the landscape. And when I run or cycle it is the road, or the woods, more so than the people I'm with or are nearby, that I am running or cycling with. Anyway..

T

My Pillow Is The Threshold

I rode my bike to Ingatestone early this morning. I spent the day working in peace and quiet at my dear mother in law's house. The trains to London are screwed so I elected to 'work at home'. The fact that I could get to ride to Ingatestone via some bridleways and Galleywood Common was also a factor. I took an hour to get there.

However, I got a little lost and rather than double back I waded across a babbling brook (see the bad pic above). The mud was deep and a I saw a fish. I took my shoes and socks off and with the bike over my shoulder I 'waded' into the water. It was the perfect temperature. I am hard.

Last night I got the new Silver Jews album. This track, 'My Pillow Is The Threshold' is my initial favorite. If it wasn't for this song I probably would not listen to it again. But this is a good one. I had the song buzzing in my head since I woke this morning (and did a 4 mile run with Morgan - I almost take my own breath away).

Get it here - http://rapidshare.com/files/121728056/04_my_pillow_is_the_threshold.mp3.html

T

Thetford Forest - Red and Black

View Larger Map

Keith, Scott and I went to Thetford yesterday to ride our bikes in the woods.

It was a tad muddy. We rode with our 'heads down' and did the Red Run and the Black Run. We did 22.7 miles in 2 hours 26 mins.

To anyone landing on this post from Google looking for conditions of the waymarked routes at Thetford I have the following to report as at 8th June 2008 -

Red Run is more knackerd than the Black Run.

Red Run has more mud than the Black. But the Black has more puddles, I think (it all got kinda desperate towards the end).

Both Runs are fairly knackerd. The Beast is knackerd and is not scary. But... It is still a great place to ride. At the moment it's more about endurance than enjoying any 'swooping singletrack' - which is fine for me.

The bacon rolls at High Lodge are good (08 out of 10).

If you see anyone dropping litter pick it up and give it back to them.

Anyway, we're going to Coed in 4 weeks. I need to get some miles in, as they say.

T