What floats your boat ???

Well, it's Valentines day today. It's also the 30th Anniversary of the first rehearsal of my band, The False Dots and the founding of my studios - Mill Hill Music Complex. I was only 16 then, where did all of the time go? For those of you unfamiliar with my blog, on Saturdays I generally lay off beating up the local incompetents and have a bit of fun. Given that one of the highly beneficial side effects of having a band is that you instantly become 100 times more attractive to girls, we deliberately started the band on St Valentines day. Mind you we weren't a band singing love songs, it was hard core punk rock, with a political theme. At the time, we had a failing Labour government, shortly to be replaced by Margaret Thatcher's Tories. To be quite honest, the songs we wrote in the first year were mostly rubbish. I can remember when I wrote "Not All She Seems" - our first decent song. We played it and at the end looked at each other in disbelief. we'd actually managed a song that didn't sound awful! We were so pleased that we went out into Mill Hill, rounded up a band of rather startled looking hippies and played it to them. They watched with quiet approval and promised us a support slot at a Friends of the earth benefit gig at The Sparrowhawk in Broadfields. We'd hit the big time ! One of the "awful" Songs we did, which we wrote to mourn the passing of Jim Callaghans government with a no confidence vote and the arrival of Maggie Thatcher was "No Confidence". My then songwriting partner, Pete Conway wrote it the day Thatcher put VAT up from 8 to 15%. Strangely enough, it seems to me that the first verse and chorus could probably apply to quite a few politicians

You all Vote in a General election
for a bit of protection
from the Taxman and VAT
but you screwed it up and voted for Maggie !!!

No Confidence X 4
(Copyright Pete Conway and Roger Tichborne)

Strangely enough, although it was a pretty dire song, I have found myself humming that song quite a few times over the years changing the words slightly on occasion ! My then songwriting partner & I saw the band as a means to an end (or several ends if truth be told). Pete departed the band on the day of our first gig, when he didn't turn up. I still don't know why he didn't show. I think we've only spoken 4 times since (once when we met in Court). As Pete was the singer, the first gig was a real challenge. As real pro's we decided the show would go on. Although it was rubbish, we got through. Sometimes that's all you can do. We vowed to the audience, we'd be back in a couple of months and put on a proper show. We did. The main reason for organising the gig was to get a girl from Rock Against Racism to come down and get us a gig for them. She was drop dead gorgeous. Pete Conway had met her and asked her down. When he'd not shown up and she'd seen the ensuing chaos, I assumed that she'd think "losers" and cut out. That was the first time that I found out that pity can be a powerful aphrodisiac !!!! Didn't get the gig though !

I think it's fair to say that just about every girlfriend (including my beloved wife) I've ever had I met because of the band and music. It floats my boat and I guess it floats theirs as well. Which takes us to the real point of the blog. What floats your boat. Tory blogger Iain Dale ran a poll for which Peer you'd most like to get up close and personal with tonight. I can't say any of his top 10 float my boat, but there you go. I sort of thought I'd check my blog viewing stats to see if there was any hint there as to what my beloved readers may like - here's what you were googling when you found me !!!!!

20.45% barnet eye
18.18% brian coleman
13.64% the barnet eye
9.09% Register of Gifts and Hospitality received by the Mayor and Members of the London Assembly 2008
4.55% rog t blog
2.27% single mum and kids benefits
2.27% bnp barnet
2.27% who responsibility for single mum kids
2.27% boris recording vaz
2.27% sense barnet
2.27% rog t barnet eye
2.27% powerleague five a side football mill hill utube
2.27% we're from woburn place 2008-09 facebook
2.27% JULIUS OBEREGGER
2.27% dr alison moore leader labour barnet
2.27% mike freer blog
2.27% barnet civic awards 2009
2.27% rog t
2.27% barnetcouncilwatch
2.27% barnet labour group

Not much clue there (who is Julius Oberegger?? I've never heard of him & don't remember mentioning him anywhere?). I suspect any Mike Freer fans would have been rather disappointed to get me for their search. It seems that the nearest thing to looking for romance on my blog, was the guy looking for "Single mum on benefits" !!!!

Anyway, just for fun I've compiled my list of people from different walks of life who I'd like to run off with tonight, if Mrs T elopes with George Clooney and leaves me on my own - All in fun with a little explanation of why. I've chosen 1 from a choice of 4 categories.


Musician
Well, I'm sorry, but if your my age and you don't like Debbie Harry, then you probably don't like girls. At there peak, I couldn't even walk past a record shop with a picture of Blondie in the window and not stand and leer.

Actress
When I saw Uma in pulp fiction, I was smitten. My good lady refuses to watch anything with her in with me as she really doesn't like the look which I get then.
Politician.

Attractive politicians are few and far between, but you have to admit, our Nadine is a bit of a looker. Her name is also the title of a Chuck Berry song and on top of that, she's as mad as a basket full of ferrets and that is good enough for me.

Former Girlfriend

Yes, it's true Kim & I were together for a while. Not in real life, but I had this recurring dream for a number of years that she was my girlfriend. Strangely they weren't erotic dreams, we'd just be up at the Railway Tavern or the Mill Hill Tandoori doing sort of normal things and she'd be saying Mill Hill was much better than Hollywood.

Now I'm quite aware that a few Barnet Eye readers are of the female persuasion and I don't want to discriminate, so I thought I'd give you Mrs T's selection of who she'd like to run off with, given the opportunity !!! (Yup she'll kill me for this).

Actor
She's had a thing for George Clooney ever since ER. She always says to me "He's almost as handsome and witty as you" (as if !!!).
Musician

She loves Paul Weller. Personally I was never a massive fan of The Jam or Style Council.

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Anyway whatever you are doing tonight and whoever you are doing it with, I hope you all have a fantastic Valentines night. I'm off down to the fish shop in Burnt Oak to get some lovely fresh fish so I can cook my honey a lovely meal later (if she's still talking to me when she reads this). If you want decent fish, there are two great, proper fishmongers in Burnt Oak !!!! Wash it down with a bottle of the finest plonk from London's best wine shop - Mill Hill Wines, they really know their stuff.