Last Saturday Crotchety Man went back to school. It was the first time I had visited my old school, St. Dunstan's College, in more than 45 years. My father, who also went to St. Dunstan's, had visited a couple of years ago when they celebrated the 125th anniversary of moving to their present site in south London. This time…Read more I Vow To Thee …
Month: June 2016
This Wheel’s On Fire
I remember walking down Putney High Street back in 1968. It was summer and I had time to kill. In the late sixties Putney was a rather dull part of south west London; it probably still is. After so many years I can only guess why I was there. It was where my dad worked and it must have…Read more This Wheel’s On Fire
Magnolia
It's prog, Jim, but not as we know it. Magnolia is the latest album by The Pineapple Thief, which is generally regarded as a progressive rock band. But that categorisation sits uneasily with Crotchety Man. When I think of 'prog' my first thoughts are of Yes, Genesis and King Crimson and then ELP, Gentle Giant and perhaps Jethro Tull.…Read more Magnolia
Golden Brown
The Stranglers were formed when punk was sweeping away the bland and sickly sweet pop groups of the early seventies. They toured with the American punk band, The Ramones, and regarded themselves as part of the punk scene. But they were never a punk band. Originally called The Guildford Stranglers the band was assembled in 1974 by Jet Black (real…Read more Golden Brown
The Kinks
It was 1963 when the Beatles' She Loves You sparked my road to musical Damascus moment. For the next two or three years the Beatles were the benchmark for every song I heard on the radio. Only the Rolling Stones challenged them for the honour of the Crotchety Kid's 'best band' rosette. But there was another group at that time that sounded…Read more The Kinks
Tyler
The bathroom in the Crotchety house is being upgraded. Among other things the pedestal washbasin is being replaced with a basin set into a vanity unit. Initially we thought the new vanity cabinet would completely cover the footprint of the old pedestal, hiding any ugliness on the floor. As it turns out, though, the new units are not…Read more Tyler
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