If your name is Fender, it would be hard not to be a musician. Fortunately, Sam is a rather good pianist, guitarist, singer and songwriter. In fact, he is one of the biggest stars in the pop/rock/indie style around today. And he deserves to be. This song came up on my Spotify Release Radar last…Read more Wild Grey Ocean
pop
Panopticom
One of the artworks in the Panopticon Sculpture Trail, Lancashire, UK Panopticom? Is that a word? And, if it is, what could it mean? Well, 'pan', as a prefix, is the Greek for 'all'. 'Optic' is also Greek, and it refers to the eye. So, perhaps, a panopticom is a device that sees everything. But,…Read more Panopticom
I Believe In …
Sunday is the target day for a regular Crotchety blog post. This year, though, the fourth Sunday in December falls on Christmas Day, and I will have other things on my mind. Quite apart from the present giving and the usual festive meal with the family, there is also a funeral on the near horizon.…Read more I Believe In …
Running
Back in the dim, distant days of my youth, the school made us play rugby in the autumn, cricket in the summer, and go on cross-country runs in the winter term. Now, the Crotchety Lad was a bit of a swot and not very sporty at all. Distance running, in particular, I hated. It would…Read more Running
Changes
Here in the UK, summer has slipped gently into autumn. It's always a season of change, but recent events have been much more dramatic than usual. We have a new prime minister. We have said a fond farewell to our queen of the last 70 years. And, closer to the Crotchety home, my father has…Read more Changes
Avalanche
It doesn't take much to trigger an avalanche. Sometimes a fresh fall of snow or the warmth of the rising sun on a mountain slope is enough. In this case, though, it was just a brief entry on a social media feed - barely more than a link to this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASjn1Z83g9c Aimee Mann…Read more Avalanche
Nothing Left to Say
I'm a firm believer in the adage, "If you have nothing to say, say nothing". And, when I started this blog post, I had nothing to say about Imagine Dragons. So it came as a bit of a shock to discover that they were phenomenally successful in the 2010s, especially in the U.S. They had…Read more Nothing Left to Say
Those Were the Days
I well remember the sixties. It was a time of unbounded optimism. Well, except for the Cuban missile crisis and the assassination of JFK, it was. Bright young things were putting a fresh coat of paint on everything - fashion, art, music and even politics. The kids were wearing flowers in their hair, and the…Read more Those Were the Days
Ukraine
In the summer of 1971 a group of school-leavers embarked on a trip to Russia. The 19-year-old Crotchety Man was one of the party. In those days, a political Iron Curtain separated Europe from the U.S.S.R. and we were warned to behave ourselves. High jinks and selling our Westerner's jeans to the locals could lead…Read more Ukraine
Party’s Over
It's time for a change of style. So far this year, we've had humour, jazz, blues, folk and indie themes - today it's pop and soul. Visually, Rag'n'Bone Man cuts a striking figure. He stands 1.96 m (6' 4") tall and weighs 125 kg (275 lbs, or nearly 20 stone). And his big frame carries…Read more Party’s Over
Crotchety Man 