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conn-tinuity · 5 years

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Outline for Reverse Connor I've made so far:

He has a Jack Russel named Judo and two Dwarf Gourami named Daniel and Emma, otherwise lives alone

Homoromantic asexual.

Trans, Non-Binary, Genderqueer

Severely Depressed, Autistic, Suicidal, ADHD, Anxious as all hell. Rarely eats and just about never sleeps. So basically, a self-insert, but he actually manages to be extremely productive. Wow. Go me.

Was promoted to Lieutenant for his exceptional work leading the Red Ice task force. Has unfortunately since been demoted to Detective and moved to homicide due to personal issues. Nothing bad on Connor's part, just that the Captain didn't think he should have to cope with all the extra stress that came with the position. Connor has mixed feelings about it.

Doesn't register sarcasm often. Quite literal. Rather sassy. He's kind, but cynical. Likes helping people, but doesn't trust them. Has built up many walls. Deadly and manipulative when he wants to be. Works himself into the ground. Always dead on his feet tired, with one foot already in the grave. Trying to quit smoking. Can't stand neither the taste nor smell of alcohol. He's glad for that.

Hates cops and regrets being a one. Wants to quit and do something nicer like run a dog shelter or work at a local library, looking after what's left of physical literature.

On that note, he wears glasses. Contacts badly irritate his eyes.

His hair is really curly and soft!!! When it isn't greasy as all hell because he hasn't been looking after himself.

Silas and Niles are there... Somewhere. Connor has a good relationship with the both of them, but they're not as close as they used to be. Connor feels bad for that. He wants to reconnect with them, but he doesn't know how. Something will change. It has to.

Connor was in an abusive relationship. He was gaslighted, manipulated, used often. His partner accidentally impregnated him. Connor was scared, tentative about whether he was ready to go through pregnancy and childbirth and raising a child. He debated on whether he wanted to abort or not. In the end he decided he wanted to try. His partner wasn't happy when they found out Connor was pregnant. They didn't care that Connor wanted to keep the pregnancy and didn't want to talk about it at all. They beat Connor and he suffered a miscarriage. The breakup was messy. Silas and Niles helped with putting the guy away for as long as they could. Connor found he could never stop thinking about what could have been. He thought he would have named the child Cole.

For the longest time, Connor wanted to say he was dealing the best he could. He didn't know what his best was anymore. Routine was all he had. At least Silas and Niles were there to comfort him.

Don't really know what Silas and Niles should be career wise. I'm getting bored of the brother cop trio, at least like this. Maybe Silas could be a lawyer? I don't know. I was going to put him in the morgue/coroner, but the whole deviant hunter instant analysis thing would put him out of a job pretty quick. Niles could be a 911 operator. Regardless, I feel like having them retire and find different jobs later on.

The three of them are adopted. Amanda is both their mother and their captain. She's stern, like her last name, but she's still a good parent and a good boss.

They triplets are all queer. Connor was assigned female at birth, the other two male. Silas is aromantic pansexual and a demi boy. Niles is homosexual and genderfluid. He develops a romantic relationship with GR200, or Gavin, surprisingly before deviancy is even heard of. Gavin really is just that stubborn.

Uh, yeah, HA800 is there too, of course. His name is Hank. He's Connor's work partner, and eventually becomes his equal. He's gruff, and somewhat scary, but he quickly begins to care deeply for Connor. He wants to help the young man in any way he can. He doesn't want to see Connor suffer, and certainly not at his own hand. If deviancy is the only sure-fire way to do so, then so be it.

Jeffrey is HA800's handler. He may come across as strict, with a no-nonsense attitude, but he's surprisingly compassionate. However, his job comes before anything else. He regrets having to make sure Hank is focused on the task at hand.

Markus Manfred is a chronically ill, disabled young painter, who spends his days in his art studio, with the pleasant company of his caretaker android, CM200, or Carl, a philosophical old android who cares for Markus like a son. He deviates when Markus nearly dies one night after a break in almost causes his heart to fail. Leo is there too, and he's still an addict, but he's not demonised or treated like trash. He's last of the family. The three of them kick-start the revolution together because why not.

I'm not changing anything around with Kara's story because I love her too much and Todd does not deserve a redemption arc in any shape or form. I might switch Kara and Luther's places though. Also Alice is human. Fuck you.

Young, kind Chloe Kamski is a gentle genius who distributed her wealth to help people. The world is greatly better off for it. She lives in a modest house away from the city, with the original Elijah RT600 for company. He's deviant, and cunning, but he's not a complete ass. He cares deeply for Chloe, and he's not creepy about it at all.

Connor/Markus is endgame. It's good and beautiful and nothing hurts. Except sometimes it does because trauma and mental illness and chronic illness is like that. But it's a lot better than it could be.

That's it.

That's all I got.

...

That's actually a lot more than I had before I started writing this post.

...

Great.

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all-gorillaz-imagines · 6 years

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Could you write about the band having a someone who is a master at jokes and generally being silly?

I’m so sorry I’ve been gone for so long. Life was getting rough and I just needed to step back and take some time for myself. I love you all so much and I’m here if you need anything at all!!

2D: 2D is used to pranks but usually the hardcore stuff that Murdoc would pull like putting a baby alligator in the shower with him or putting hot sauce in his underwear. When you started acting goofy and pullinh pranks, he felt refreshed to see he wasn’t in any physical danger, except maybe when you hit him where the sun doesn’t shine with a nerf gun bullet. When 2D gets blue, you’re usually the only one who can put a smile on his face. You’re quite the comedian and a boss at making people smile but out of all the smiles in the world, his was your absolute favorite. 2D loved the dad jokes you would tell in the morning over some coffee mixed with Jack Daniels, not a fan favorite but 2D insisted it was delicious. “What sound does a grape make when you step on it?” You giggled as your blue haired boyfriend starred into his mug in thought. He bit his lip trying hard to think outside the box and solve your ridiculous riddle, but he had no luck. He shrugged his shoulders and you giggled some more. “Nothing much, JUST A LITTLE WINE!!!” You and 2D howled with laughter. He nearly fell over in his chair and you had to hold onto your stomach from laughing so hard. You both suddenly heard the angry yell of a familiar old man. “WILL YOU TWO PIPE THE FUCK DOWN?!” Murdoc stuck his greasy head out from his bedroom door. You took another sip of coffee and yelled back, “Can it, you old pickle! Some people actually like to laugh!” You and 2D laughed again until tear fell down your faces. Murdoc huffed and slammed his bedroom door. 2D wiped the tears from his face and you wiped your nose on your shirt. When you looked into each other’s eyes, a fit of laughter hit you both again as Murdoc’s screams could be heard from just down the hall.

Murdoc: When Murdoc first saw you, you had been laughing so hard at your own jokes you fell out of your chair in a local pub. Just before you hit the floor, Murdoc scooped you up and gave you his signature smirk. “I know I’m handsome love, but you didn’t have to fall that hard for me.” You giggled and smirked back. “Oh sweetie, I’ll show you falling hard.” With that said, you kicked Murdoc’s feet out from under him and chuckled down at him. Murdoc fell straight onto his ass and his eyes grew wide. “I think I’m in love with you.” You laughed and winked, “Yeah I love me too.” You held out a hand from him to grab and helped pull him up. Murdoc instantly wrapped an arm around your shoulders and whispered, “Wanna get out of here?” You looked over at him and whispered, “You wanna know what I really want?” He smirked and clicked his tongue. “Why don’t you tell me, baby?” Your face grew serious. You grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. Your lips were barely touching his. Murdoc immediately felt his pants get tighter. You took a deep breath and whispered ever so gently, “I wanna race you to the car.” As soon as those words left your mouth you bolted for the parking lot. Murdoc scrambled after you and you laughed. He started to laugh too and eventually caught up to you before you could discover which car was his. “You can’t beat me! You don’t even know what car is mine!” Murdoc chuckled while catching his breath. “Is it the one with the license plate that says, ‘Daddy XO’?”

Noodle: You and Noodle had been having a rather lazy day at home. Neither of you even bother to change out of your pajamas. You were cuddled up to her when your stomach let out the biggest growl. You began to blush and Noodle giggled. Immediately, you jumped out of bed and stood in front of Noodle. “I shall defeat the Beast of Hunger! It is a dangerous quest and I require the help of a fair, young maiden.” You pretended to look around the room as if it were full of several other women. Your eyes stopped when you looked at Noodle. “Ah, the fairest one of all.” You kneeled beside the bed and held out your hand. “Will you do me the honor of allowing me to have your assistance in this quest?” Noodle laughed and sat up. “I will.” You smiled at her and pulled her from the bed and gave her a peak on the cheek. “ONWARD!” You yelled out as you pulled her into the kitchen. Noodle started looking through the fridge for some food to eat. You looked through the pantry and cabinets but ended up empty. Noodle pulled out some eggs from the fridge. You glared at the eggs and took them from her hand. “These will not do! The beast is too great!” Noodle smirked and put the eggs back in the fridge. “What shall we need to slay the beast?” She asked as she leaned against the counter. Her stomach then let out a growl just as loud as yours did before. “Hush hush! The beast speaks to us!” You fell to your knees and put your ear against her stomach. Noodle giggled and pulled you up. “The beast is asking for Father John!” Noodle rolled her eyes, “Papa John’s it is.” She smiled as she found her phone to call in a delivery. You smiled back and kissed her, “Love you, babe!” Noodle giggled and said, “I love you too.”

Russel: Russel had always been a quiet guy. He blended into the background and kept his opinions to himself. He hardly laughed or smiled. Russ had also been a very sweet guy. When you two first met, he picked pebbles from the coast that reminded him of your eyes. He never said anything overly sweet but his actions spoke louder than any words could. Russ loved having you around. You were quite the goofball and pretty much the only person who ever made him truly laugh. When you started getting more serious, he realized that you had become his source of happiness. You liked making funny faces at him but he thought no face you make could make you less beautiful. He would often kiss you in the middle of a joke and whisper kind things that were almost inaudible. When you’re out with a group of people, Russ tended to get jealous of how many smiles you make. He wanted to be more like you and bring joy to other through comedian the way you do. He began researching jokes and working hard during the nighttime to memorize and execute them right. One time you found him asleep at his computer with pieces of paper and joke books all around him. When you saw his state, it broke your heart. You woke him up and led him to bed. When Russ woke up the next day, he found the bed empty. He searched the house looking for you and found you cooking breakfast in the kitchen. You smiled at him when he walked in. Russ came over and kissed you before stepping in to finish up the food. “Russel, you know you don’t need jokes to make people happy.” He stopped in his tracks and looked over at you. “You make me happy by just existing in my life, that kind of happiness doesn’t come from some $5 joke book.” You kissed him sweetly and felt his tears wet your face. He hugged you tightly and whispered, “I love you so much.” You hugged him back and said, “I love you so much too, Russ.”

#gorillaz #gorillaz imagines #gorillaz imagine #2D #2D gorillaz #Murdoc Niccals #gorillaz murdoc #Russel Hobbs #gorillaz russel #Noodle #gorillaz Noodle #reader insert #gorillaz reader insert

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davidastbury · 4 years

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The Couple

I had a feeling that things would not go well for them. Everything looked fine; they were young and radiated happiness and optimism - he, doing well at his firm; she, post-grad in Russian Lit and offered a permanent position - you couldn’t find a nicer couple. But I had this feeling and it coloured the way I viewed them.

Impossible to put into words, of course. It wasn’t anything that I could explain - utterly intangible - to the point that I suspected myself of projecting some inner malice - some grudging resentment - perhaps some unconscious jealousy.

Only later, when hearing from friends, did a faint perception begin to dawn. There had been too much of ‘something’ about them. I didn’t know what that something was - I still don’t know what it was ... but that ‘too much’, which had illuminated their happiness and optimism, became the ‘too much’ which broke them.

Heart To Heart

In the gentlest way she was reminded of how life can upset the most careful plans and how our affections and wishes sometimes change. It is difficult for young people to appreciate this. There can be massive personal changes when careers and locations and ambitions are being settled. It needs to be carefully thought over. As if to consolidate these important points it was also mentioned (again in the gentlest way) that the commitment to love doesn’t always survive physical impairment or the loss of features that may have played a big part in that love.

She replied - ‘I would never, never give up someone I loved. It wouldn’t matter what happened to him; I would love him the same as I always did. It wouldn’t change my feelings at all - nothing like that would change my feelings - I would love him just as much - I would love him more!’

Young people eh?

1964…..A Fine Romance

She:

She used to sit on her boss’s knee and flick his tie – she took part in beauty contests and had been on TV – she was stalked by a footballer – she was assaulted by a dentist – she went to the Lucy Clayton school of modelling – she liked pubs and would order pints of beer and leave them – she couldn’t cook – she enjoyed dancing by herself – she didn’t mind men ‘trying it on’ – she loved her German shepherd dog and she wanted to live in New York.

He:

He wanted to marry her.

Up the Stairs

He didn’t actually lie to her, but he often raised her hopes by saying that he was thinking of making a move - and that they might live together - but nothing definite - nothing specific. She would cautiously try to draw-out more information, but he would change the subject, as if it wasn’t very important to either of them. And time passed, and he visited her erratically - when he felt like it. She was always waiting for him in her cramped top-of-the-stairs flat - waiting for the phone to ring - rehearsed in subjects that might interest him - keeping the ingredients for his favourite meals - ready to change quickly for going out, whatever he wanted - but always waiting.

She knew he was seeing someone else; her friends told her. It hurt dreadfully, but she didn’t blame him - instead she blamed the girl and felt like killing her. It wasn’t his fault - he was just a fool - too good-looking for his own good - too stupid to realise that no one would ever love him as much as she did ... never ... not ever.

American Literature

A friend invited me to go along with him to an open lecture at Manchester University. The subject was ‘The Modern American Novel’ - my friend was actually studying fluid mechanics but wanted to ‘broaden his outlook’.

About twenty of us turned up - bunched together on the first three rows of the lecture theatre - mostly students but also a few lost souls needing to pass a few hours somewhere warm. The lecturer gave a long introduction of the area to be covered - lots of names - Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck and so on. And then he asked us to name the writer who had done most to create our understanding of the American psyche and the American way of life.

Working along the line the names were trotted out - mostly what you would expect - but a girl near me said ‘William Burroughs’ and the chap with her called out ‘Jack Kerouac’. I tried to be honest - after all I was only eighteen years old - I didn’t want to sound pretentious and I was prepared to be laughed at.

I called out ‘Grace Metalious’.

This Morning

Dead fox lying at the side of the road. Hit by a vehicle but had somehow made it to the pavement. Hated by everyone - hunted by toffs on horses, shot at by farmers, gassed by the men from the ministry - living a life of hiding by day and searching for food at night.

I once fed a fox all through a winter. Every night I put food in a dish and every night the fox came. One day, in springtime, this same fox came to the garden with her cubs. She let me get near but wouldn’t allow me to touch them. Friends thought I was being fanciful when I said that she had come to show off her family, but I didn’t mind. They sometimes tried to cut through my illusions by asking - ‘Do you know what happens when a fox gets into a hen-house?’ My only reply was that hens should not be crammed into sheds like that - you cannot blame the fox - it’s not likely that he would take a single portion as if in Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Anyway ... it’s all over for this one. Lying on his side, eye open, lips pulled back in a snarl. That snarl says it all - his final comment on the whole rotten lot of us.

Night Visiting ... Winter 2009

The top floor flat was always full of visitors – all refugees from Iraq – men leaning against cushions drinking tea, women endlessly cooking and children swarming everywhere. We would shout to them and faces would appear at the top of the stairs, peering down to see who it was. The women would wipe their hands and the children would jump about - squealing with happiness. The men would get up and rush to help us. Pat struggling up the narrow stairs with bags bulging with gifts and me behind, staggering with a sack of Basmati rice.

She keeps busy - supporting many social issues - animal welfare, children in central Africa. She attends all sorts of committees, and being competent in bygone office skills, takes minutes and types reports. An active church member, skilful and good humoured In ecclesiastical politics; she has served a long line of encumbents and keeps contact with many of them. She achieved newspaper prominence in the 1960s as a champion for coeducation - speaking of the benefits of educating boys and girls together. Perhaps she was remembering her own mixed schooling - the creative aspects of competitiveness - the happy knockabout for those who didn’t have brothers or sisters - the blossoming confidence in dealing with the opposite sex - the buzz and thrill in remembering those wonderful years, all neatly packaged in her memory. But one aspect she keeps to herself - (but who am I to say that?) - is how quiet the school was within minutes of the final bell - the noise of her shoes on the corridor - the sunshine - the smell of polish - the boy waiting for her in the bicycle sheds.

Summer ... 1958

A hot afternoon. Unable to decide whether to stay or go. Russell looking at me - those eyes - as biologically close to Caroline’s as it was possible to be. And she was in the next room practicing at the piano. I could actually hear the thud of her thumbs and imagined her splayed fingers - stabbing through the octaves - wrists arched, skin stretched. And the noise - it couldn’t be called music - the noise made my head spin until I had no thoughts at all - just the start of a strange, painless ache that would never get any worse - and would never go away.

A Fall in Winter - 2015

A fabulous winter day; all things bright and beautiful - the muffled crunch of snow under your feet and a low sun shining right into your eyes. Very cold indeed - the road is frozen and will remain frozen.

He was walking too fast - worse than that he hadn’t adapted his way of walking to the new conditions - he wasn’t using the required slow, flat-footed walk - instead he was striding quickly along the pavement as if the ice didn’t exist.

So he fell. Quite a balletic fall - not at all slapstick or silent-movie funny. He landed with a thud and lay still, looking at the ground with an immediate self-consciousness of having done something silly, and yet staring down as if blaming the pavement itself. At the same time he was cautiously testing his injuries - you cannot fall like that, with such a thud, and get away with it - despite the pain there appeared to be no fractures.

So he lay in the snow - feeling very odd, trying to get over onto his side, wincing. Several people had rushed over - passers-by who had seen the old man fall. They crouched down around him - so many of them that it became like a tiny room opened up to the sky. So many questions! He tried to tell them that he was fine - that he wasn’t hurt. And then he started to apologise; he wanted them to know that he was sorry for having fallen and taken up their time. And then he felt a choking gratitude at their kindness - these total strangers who had been going about their own business but had put that aside - like the woman who pressed her gloves over his hands as if he belonged to her family.

Learning Our Lesson

Whatever she wanted we got her. We got it and doubled it. Whatever one of us got for her the other one added to it. Whenever she wanted our time, time stood still for us. Whenever she needed specialist help we begged the services of friends, some of whom, wearied by our persistent requests, dropped us.

There was no end to what we would do for her, but there was an ending of sorts - and we still don’t really believe it.

People now say - not with words but with their tone of voice - ‘Well, we warned you - I hope you’ve learned your lesson’. ’ And we nod our heads at their wisdom - knowing damned well that we will do exactly the same again.

Old Photograph

The photograph is from the winter of 1963. Two young people standing in the snow. That winter was one of the coldest on record; the snow came and the snow stayed. The photo shows the two of them, smiling, holding hands, with snowflakes in their hair and icicles dripping on the railings behind them.

It’s interesting and rather dramatic; the couple are in dark coats - creating a sharp contrast to the absorbing white everywhere else. They have a strong presence - you cannot stop looking at them.

So what happened? The snow eventually stopped. The ice thawed. The two young people no longer held hands and smiled at each other ... everything melted away ... back in 1963.

Visiting the sick ...

I heard from someone that the Rebbe was ill, but the doctors had allowed him home. Our friendship was slight - I enjoyed making myself useful, driving him to appointments, helping him with shopping bags in the street, things like that - and I decided to visit him. So ... holding a basket of fruit, I rang the doorbell and one of his students took me to his room.

He looked very frail - his face as white as his beard. I gave him the fruit and he smiled and thanked me. I must have given the impression that it was no big deal; it was just a basket of fruit - but he quickly put me right.

‘No, no!’ he said. ‘This is important. You have given me the opportunity of fulfilling a mitzvah. I am going to say a Blessing over this fruit and then I am going to eat. The fruit is physical, it belongs in the physical world, but saying the Blessing will transform it - it will no longer be simply physical. This is not something insignificant - this is something very important. This is a miracle and anyone can do it.

Say the Blessing with me and together we will do this miracle.’

Then

She had been his girlfriend for a few weeks and the boy decided to introduce her to his parents. They liked her instantly and soon she was frequently calling at the family home. More than that, they got along so well with her that the girl visited when her boyfriend was away - working in other cities and sometimes overseas.

When he was home, he invited his dad to meet up with the two of them in a nearby bar. They spent the evening talking - talking about everything. And then, this became a fairly regular thing; the three of them at a little table, drinking and endlessly talking.

Once, he said to his dad - ‘We’ll see you later as usual’ - and his dad replied - ‘No, you don’t want me around. Let it be the two of you’.

The son replied - ‘Of course we want you to be with us!’

And so the dad did as he was told.

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sounds10thapr1976-blog · 7 years

Photo

Final page of news.

Page 4 SOUNDS April 10, 1976

NEWSDESK

TOUR DATES

NILS LOFGREN A further date has been added to the Nils Lofgren tour: Edinburgh Usher Hall May 13.

DARRYL HALL/JOHN OATES Darryl Hall and John Oates, the blue-eyed soulsters who made their British debut at the New Victoria last autumn, will play nine dates next month.

The full list is: OGWT Special May 18, Bristol Colston Hall 19, Manchester Free Trade Hall 21, Oxford Polytechnic 22, Croydon Fairfield Hall 23, Birmingham Town Hall 24, Brighton Dome 25, London New Victoria 26, Leeds Town Hall 28.

MANHATTAN TRANSFER Manhattan Transfer have added a third night to their stay at the London Palladium so the dates are now April 26-28. Their second Atlantic album, produced by Richard Perry, is set for mid-May release.

HEAVY METAL KIDS Heavy Metal Kids have already started on a short series of gigs which they describe as “a tour of our favourite clubs” before picking up work on their first album with Mickie Most.

The upcoming dates are: Birmingham Barbarellas April 13, Cromer Pavilion 15, Maidenhead Skindles 17, Croydon Greyhound 18.

Their first RAK single, produced by Most, titled ‘She’s No Angel’ b/w ‘You Got What It Takes’ will be released on April 21. They are about to finish mixing the album which has been recorded on the RAK mobile in France and at Morgan Studios in London.

JACK THE LAD Jack The Lad are back at work after their bad road accident in Norway and are recording and preparing to go out on tour again. They plan a single and album with producer Tom Allom who has worked with The Strawbs and Hundson-Ford.

Gigs so far confirmed are: Cambridge Lady Mitchell Hall April 26, Southampton University 30, Bristol Polytechnic May 1, St Ives 2, Colchester North-East Essex Tech 5, Liverpool Polytechnic 7, Leicester University 8, Carlisle Market Hall 12, Lincoln Drill Hall 13, Reading Coatham Bowl 15, London Marquee 20, Ilford Town Hall 21, Sheffield University 22, Alsager College 28, Oxford Polytechnic 29, Aberdeen Music Hall June 3, Edinburgh Herriot Watt University 5.

WIDOWMAKER Widowmaker, the new Ariel Bender/Steve Ellis band, are to support Nazareth on their short UK tour of six dates from April 20-25.

AL GREEN Plans for Al Green’s British tour have been deferred and the previously rumoured May gigs are unlikely to take place.

FROGMORTON Frogmorton play Towcester Cornhill Folk Club April 8, Portsmouth Centre Hotel 11, Slough Rotunda Folk Club 20, Ilford Tiffany’s 27, Chichester Bishop Otter College May 1, Norwich Keswick Hall College 7, Cambridge Bassingbourne Folk Club 8, Birmingham Boggery 10, Wellingborough United Reform Church 21, Grantham Kesteven College 22, Ilford Tiffanys 25, Verewood Homelands Farm College 27, Southampton University 30.

CHOSEN FEW The Chosen Few are at Peckham Bouncing Ball Club April 17, Ilford Tiffany’s 18, Manchester Russell Club 19, London Carnaby Street Colombo’s 23, London All Nations Club 24, High Wycombe Newlands Club 25.

BOTHY BAND Bothy Band play Redcar Coatham Bowl April 14, Kilmarnock 15, Inverness Festival 16, Dingwall’s 21, Cambridge Festival July 30-31.

CARAVAN Caravan go back on the road this month with a tour of major colleges and concert halls. They will be promoting their new album ‘Blind Dog At St Dunstans’ out on April 23 – the title comes from a Noel Coward joke in which he tells a curious young nephew: ‘Well, the dog in front is blind the dog behind is pushing it to St Dunstan’s”.

Support on most dates will be Stars who have their debut singles ‘Crossed Line’ out on RCA this week and an album out later this month.

Full dates are: Maidenhead Skindles April 17, Guildford Civic Hall 18, Dunstable Queensway Hall 22, Lancaster University 23, Nottingham University 24, Canterbury Odeon 25, Brighton Dome 26, Liverpool Polytechnic 28, Lancaster Polytechnic 29, Manchester Free Trade Hall 30, Sheffield University May 1, Croydon Fairfield Hall 2, New Victoria 4, Bristol Colston Hall 7, Birmingham Town Hall 9.

SMOKIE Smokie have been added to the Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel bill at Wembley Empire Pool on April 12. The start will be 10 minutes earlier than advertised, at 7.50, to accomodate Smokie and the full two-hour Rebel set.

This comes in the middle of Smokie’s own nationwide headlining tour the remaining dates of which are: Harrogate Royal Hall April 9, Redcar Coatham Bowl 11, Southport Floral Hall 15, New Brighton Winter Gardens 16, Ashford Stour Centre 17, Southend Cliff Pavilion 19, Scarborough Ocean Ballroom 22, Glasgow Kelvin Hall 23, Carlisle Cosmo 24, Hull New Theatre 25, Bournemouth Winter Gardens 26.

UPP Upp are hitting the road again this month with a new lead guitarist, David Bunce. Their dates are Cheltenham Pavilion April 16, Wigan Casino 17, Norfolk NI Club 22, Scunthorpe Oswald Hotel 23, Dudley JBs Club 24, Chester Quaintways 26, Lancaster University 27, Stafford College Of Art 28, High Wycombe Nags Head 29, Burton-on-Trent 76 Club 30, Birmingham Barbarellas May 1, Twickenham Winning Post 2, Chelmsford Mid Essex Tech 3, East Retford Porter House 5, Torquay 400 Club 6, Portsmouth Poly 7, Nottingham Boat club 8, London Roundhouse 9.

NUTZ Liverpool band Nutz have added keyboards player Kenny Newton to their line-up and a lot of dates to their present tour: Thurrock Technical College 9, Darlington Masonic Hall 10, High Wycombe Town Hall 12, Shrewsbury Music Hall 13, Scunthorpe Priory Hotel 17, London Roundhouse 25, Derby Cleopatras 29, Isleworth Borough Road College May 8, Plymouth Woods 13, Wigan Casino 29.

JALN BAND JALN play Coventry Tiffanys 5, Sheffield Top Rank 6, Brise Norton RAF 7, Hanley The Place 9, Manchester Piccadilly Club 15, Birmingham Barbarellas 16, Margate Dreamland 17, Tottenham Royal 18, Farnborough Burlesque 21, Wolverhampton Lafayette 23, Cheltenham College of Technology 24, Newport The Village 29.

HEDGEHOG PIE Cheadle Threapwood The Highwayman April 11, Ambleside Park Hotel 13, Towcester Cornhill Manor Hotel 29, Lincoln University 30.

HEAD Scottish jazz/rock group Head start an English tour this week. Stockton Dovecote Arts Centre 3, Hull Humberside Theatre 4, London 100 Club 5, London The Phoenix 7, Liverpool Banyan Tree 8, Leicester YMCA Theatre 9, Sheffield Hurlfield Campus 10.

STEVENSON’S ROCKET Dunstable Queensway Hall April 5, Northallerton Sayers 7, Grangetown Rockafellas 8, Cleveland Philmore Disco 9, Cleveland Spa Pavilion 10, Kettering Central Hall 12, Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall 15, Coventry Tiffanys 16, Goole Viking Hotel 17, Mexborough Jesters 18, Warley Haden Hill Leisure Centre 19, Sheffield Top Rank 20, Barrow-in-Furness Maxims 21, Doncaster Bailey’s 22, Edinburgh Clouds 24.

JOHN GRIMALDI John Grimaldi, former Argent guitarist, has got his new band together and they will be making their debut at the Marquee on April 13. The line-up apart from Grimaldi, is Mick Parke (keyboards), John Giblin (bass) and Preston Ross Heyman (drums).

REAL THING Real Thing’s dates are Birmingham Barbarellas April 23, Stroud Leisure Centre 24, Barrow Maxim’s Club 29, Andover Country Bumpkin May 1, Manchester Piccadilly 6, Leeds International Club 8, Norwich Crocker’s 20, Wolverhampton Civic Centre 21.

TRIBUTE TO DUSTER BENNETT

ANY BENEFIT concert that Alexis and Co. might organise for the family of Tony “Duster” Bennett would make real sense if Peter Green was there to lead the parade.

For at a time some eight years ago when Duster was reluctant to push his one man band routine it was Green who gave him more encouragement than anyone, urging him to make a career of his music and ultimately bringing him to Mike Vernon’s attention by putting him second on the bill to Fleetwood Mac at the now legendary Blue Horizon Club.

Tony Bennett was almost dogmatic in his beliefs and was not easily persuaded to abandon a career in ceramics and pottery. But with a guitar style similar to Jimmy Reed, a brilliant harmonica technique in the tradition of Slim Harpo and a Heath Robinson rig out which evoked comparisons with Jesse Fuller, Duster quickly made the Surrey club scene all his own just as the Stones and Yardbirds had done five years before.

This quiet, diffident bluesman never really received the acclaim he deserved although down in Surrey – particularly at his ‘home’ club, the famous Gin Mill in Godalming, where he always outdrew Fleetwood Mac, Free, Jethro Tull and so on – he was a legend. His second album “Bright Lights . . .” was recorded live at the Gin Mill and featured his wife Stella, Peter Green (credited as Blue), Top Topham (the old Yardbird) and Tony Mills (his bass player-cum-roadie).

Over this period he became a good friend although he never seemed certain which way his career should be guided. He turned down many tempting offers . . . including a management offer from Peter Grant after touring the States. In fact his overall guardedness probably stems from the days shortly after he quit the Georgia Skin Band and wound up across the national newspapers busking to theatre queues with acoustic guitar, bass drum, hi hat and harmonica. It was something that repulses him.

Coming from Richmond, the sixties home of rhythm and blues, his vista was much wider than that, and his first album “Smiling Like I’m Happy” had every texture of fifties blues from city r&b to loose southern combo music. He would state such diverse influences as Tommy McClennan on the one hand and Bobby ‘Blue’ Band on the other.

When it looked as though Duster’s career was heading into a rut John Mayall asked him to join the band for a British and American tour. But on his return Duster’s career once again fluctuated. He’d built up a huge following in British clubs and in the States, but afer an abortive attempt to get his own band going with American RICK WRIGHT he went into a recession and over the past five years had largely fallen into oblivion, changing his base from Hampton to Dorking and finally to the Midlands. His third album “12DBs” had not been wholely successful and once he quit Mike Vernon’s Blue Horizon label his recording career was at an end.

But despite his relative absence from the music scene over recent years he will be greatly missed, not only for his genuinely self-effacing, philanthopic demeanor but also because he went as far as anyone in proving that white men could indeed sing the blues. – JERRY GILBERT

We all need someone to lean on and friends, you can lean on SOUNDS’ 56 page musical extravaganza next week including . . .

HEAVY METAL HOPEFULS All the poop on the latest in dry ice, make-up, and guitar smashing from Aerosmith to Kiss to Z.Z. Top

I WAS A ROADIE FOR A WEEKEND We hump gear for Deep Purple and the Stranglers

J J CALE Gets down after midnight

TUBES Mind blowing LA creation starring Fee Waybill and a glittering cast of thousands

COUNTRY MUSIC How the Fest was won

Plus the baaadest singles reviews in North London. Blow your mind and then your nose with SOUNDS

Next time: page five

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davidastbury · 4 years

Text

2020 c

Heart To Heart

Young people eh?

Skill

I like watching snooker, particularly the drama of the opening shots. This comes over on TV, but there is nothing like being in the atmosphere of a sports hall and seeing it live. I particularly like the opening shots when the strict formation of the balls is shattered and multiple patterns of possibilities flash across your eyes. And then you marvel at the mastery of the player’s plan - at his skill and intelligence.

It was similar to when Ian terminated his contract with us. We didn’t understand what was happening. One eye closed to avert distraction, he sent off a perfect screw-ball curling around a delinquent red and knocked a pink on a straight run towards the cushion - where it wobbled deliciously and then plopped into the pocket.

‘Engineering Mechanics’ by Timoshenko and Young - 4th. edition

(Тимошенко Степан Прокопович)

In the 1960s it was unusual for girls to study engineering - but I do remember one! She came into the bookshop quite regularly, lingering in the sections marked - ‘Engineering, Civil and Structural’, ‘Reinforced Concrete Methods’, ‘Materials Management...’ and so on. My colleague Frank, gazing at her in wonderment, would sidle up and ask if she needed help.

If thinking about someone continuously, and being disinterested in nearly everything else - and if the focus of each day is the possibility of seeing that person is an indication of being ‘in love’ - then Frank, poor susceptible Frank, was truly in love.

At the start of the new academic year I would set up tables and load them with titles on the student’s book-list - many published in the International Student Editions of John Wiley and McGraw-Hill. Frank’s dream-girl would leaf through certain ones, sometimes smiling to herself, sometimes frowning. Once she came to the desk and spoke to Frank - I moved away.

After she had left the shop I went across to him.

‘If only you had heard her!’ He said.

‘Heard her - what do you mean?’ I asked.

‘If only you’d heard the way she said “Timoshenko”’.

American Literature

I called out ‘Grace Metalious’.

This Morning

Anyway ... it’s all over for this one. Lying on his side, eye open, lips pulled back in a snarl. That snarl says it all - his final comment on the whole rotten lot of us.

Summer ... 1958

Old Photograph

It’s interesting and rather dramatic; the couple are in dark coats - creating a sharp contrast to the absorbing white everywhere else. They have a strong presence - you cannot stop looking at them.

So what happened? The snow eventually stopped. The ice thawed. The two young people no longer held hands and smiled at each other ... everything melted away ... back in 1963.

Then

Once, he said to his dad - ‘We’ll see you later as usual’ - and his dad replied - ‘No, you don’t want me around. Let it be the two of you’.

The son replied - ‘Of course we want you to be with us!’

And so the dad did as he was told.

Sorrento ... 2016

Sabrina is our new friend - she is taking a break from singing opera in Naples. She strides along the cafe jetties waving to everyone and everyone waves back - she waves to the men in the boats, flicks off her sandals and spreads her arms to embrace the world - what a magnificent exhibitionist.

Everything with Sabrina is 'Che bello!'

As she jumps into the sea she calls out 'Che bello giorno!'

As she splashes a waiter she laughs and calls out 'Che bello ragazzo!'

And when nothing at all is happening she calls out 'Che bello - Che bello - Che bello!’ so loudly that everyone smiles.

Carly Simon has written a book telling of her friendship with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Carly, as a rock star, a famous person with famous friends, acknowledged that Jackie was ‘on a different level altogether’. However they developed a warm relationship and appear to have been good for each other.

Once Jackie showed her a huge leather-bound book. She had copied the entire Odyssey in Greek - with its English translation on each facing page. ‘There must have been a hundred pages of Jackie’s own ink drawings of Ari as Odysseus, depicting his long siren-filled excursion home’... Carly continues ... ‘I can imagine her doing it when he was away on his tankers and she was on the island of Scorpios, making her drawings’.

I can take this one step further! How amazing that this woman - perhaps the most celebrated of the twentieth century, was working on the most celebrated book of any century - and like the beautiful Penelope in that book, nervous and fearful, enduring endless separation, endless longings.

Something Wrong

I once saw a rabbit hit by a speeding car - it was thrown up in the air; then rolled; then settled at the side of the road. A few seconds later I saw his/her mate - ears raised, looking back, confused, aware something was wrong.

And then the realisation that he could not get up, or move - and their world was broken, as broken as the sharp bones in that scrap of warm fur.

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