The start of the football season! What is in store, my round up and predictions

 On Saturday, I watched my first competetive game of the season. Hadley FC lost 0-2 at home to Hitchen Town FC at Brickfield Lane in the Southern League Division One Central. It was not the start I'd hoped for, as Hadley had a good pre season. Hitchen had come down from the Southern Premier Division and are strong favourites to go up. Their pre match boasts of 'outnumbering' the Hadley fans was a bit wide of the mark, but after an even first half, they took control and won comfortably in the second half. Over the last seven years, I've become a Hadley fan, buying a season ticket and enjoying supporting a grassroots team. I couldn't make it last night, but they got the show rolling away to Northwood last night, with a decent 0-2 win. I am looking forward to Saturdays FA Cup gane against Maldon & Tiptree, who by all accounts are a very strong team. I am rather hoping Hadley will once again be in the playoffs and maybe do a bit better in them than last year. The team has got some good players and in pre season and in the first half against Hitchen, looked very solid. Manager Anthony Clark has done an excellent job establishing them as a step four club. 

My other team is the world conquering Manchester City FC. I've yet to buy any tickets for games or make any arrangements. We have a busy social calendar, but I hope to get to see them in September. City had a poor (by their standards) season last year. Winning nothing and finishing third, a long way short of Liverpool. I genuinely can't see City performing as badly again. They are my favourites for the title, although they've lost their talisman Kevin DeBruyne, who will be missed. They look to have bought well. 

Liverpool look very strong, especially if they secure their transfer targets, but retaining the league is harder than winning it. When you are the champions, teams are up for it. I don't think anyone expected Arne Slot to win the league in his first season. In truth, he won it at a canter, as both City and Arsenal pretty much fell apart and gave them a pretty easy time. It is a bit harder, when you are neck and neck and need to win your last twelve games on the bounce, as has happened to City in previous years, when tussling with Liverpool. I expect to see a far harder test for them this season. 

I am not sure that Arsenal have done anything to persuade me that they will make a stronger challenge. I am surprised that they are not going for Isaak, as they need a top class striker. I think they will be top four, but not really do much else. Chelsea are an enigma. For much of last season, looking pretty poor, but finishing in a Champions League place, with the Europa Conference and World Club Championship. Nothing would surprise me with them. I think they are a good wild card to actually win the Premiership. They seem to be able to pull out performances in big games and that is priceless. 

Tottenham Hotspur have a new manager and silverware. I liked their manager at Brentford, but he's not been proven at a big club. I am not really sure that Spurs have a squad that can compete for the Premiership, a top four place and a cup is the best I can see for them. They have to cope with Champions League football. I find it hard to understand their strategy as a football team. I liked Ange and felt he should have been given another season.

Then there is my least favourite team, Manchester United FC. It strikes me that the club has become toxic. They have actually made a few decent signings. If he wasn't the Utd manager, I'd like their coach, Ruben Amorim. I think he made a mistake going to Utd mid season. It looked to me, escpecially in the Europa League final, as if his players didn't understand his game plan. Bruno Fernandes, who I dislike intensely, but is a good player, seemed to spend a lot of the game with the ball at his feet, looking for his team mates to make runs, that never materialised. If Amorim manages to explain how he wants them to play, they may do OK. If they still look as clueless after a couple of games as they did against Spurs, he will be in big trouble.

As for the clubs that have come up? I expect Leeds to stay up. I think they have what it takes. I expect Burnley to go down, unless another Prem team falls apart. I think they will finish above Sunderland, who I expect to finish bottom of the pile. Burnley have recent Prem experience and know what to do, so may just scrape enough points if the bottom of the league is poor. I don't believe Sunderland do. I expect Sunderland to finish bottom.

And as for the other teams I take an interest in, across the leagues. Watford in the Championship are a favourite. Sadly, the club seems to be in a permanent state of chaos, with owners who seemingly don't have a clue and plan A is always sack the manager if he loses a few games. For many years, when they were in the Conference and before that, I used to go to watch Wrexham play when they were in London. We'd do a beer trail and have a curry, punctuated by a usually pretty poor, but entertaining game of football. I've not seen them for since they left the Conference, I can't get tickets. I hope they do Ok, but I think they will struggle. If they stay up, it will be a successful season.

In League one, I'll be looking out for AFC Wimbledon. Like many real fans, I see them as what real football is all about. A phoenix club, which rose from the ashes, when the money men nicked their club and moved it to Milton Keynes. If Wimbledon ever won the Premiership, it would give me nearly as much joy as if Manchester City did (or even Hadley, but that would doubtless involve the club losing what I love about it). I've never been to Plough Lane, but it is on my list. I think they'll struggle on low budgets and in a tough league. I think they'll just about stay up, but it will be tight.

In League Two, there is Barnet. Until they moved to Harrow, my second team. I don't like the Hive, I don't like their chairman, but I still have a soft spot for the club, even if I never go! The last time I saw them, I went in the away end, with my Wrexham mates, when Wrexham were still just an ordinary conference club, struggling with no cash. It didn't persuade me to break my boycott of the Hive.

The False Dots recorded a song with Lee Thompson of Madness, called Saturday, to celebrate football and football fans. I co wrote it with Poet Allen Ashley, who sings. We will shortly be releasing  a new version, called Hadley FC We Love You, with Tom Hammond on Trumpet. Here is Allen & Lee doing their stuff with us, enjoy. I love the thumbnail, which I think sums up football in the Premiership in 2025. It's my nephew Martin looking happy! He's a Man U season ticket holder for his sins, and rather unusually, he lives in Manchester. I've no idea who the glamourous lady behind him filming is. 

Rog T Food Blog - Making salad sexy!

I've been on a diet since last November. Salads are a big part of this. The problem for me with salads though, is that they always seem like a penance! I'm not even convinced that most of the ones you buy in a supermarket plastic carton are actually healthy. I always check for additives and you'd be surprised what they put in. Is there any reason why salads need to be as dull as dishwater? I think not.

One of my missions over the last year has been to make tasty salads that are not unhealthy and have some nitritional value.  Some of the ingredients of salad, such as lettuce, don't really have much flavour. Alternatives such as rocket and watercress do. Fresh tomatoes are a healthy vegetable. Beetroot also has benefits. I quite like cucumber, especially when pickled. Finely chopped shallots also add a bit of flavour. 

I like to make up my own dressings. There are many listed health benefits of cider vinager with mother. That is my base. I add some tumeric, smoked paprika and pepper and a small amount of olive oil. If I am feeling spicy, I add some finely chopped fresh hot chilli and some grated garlic.

Depending on the day of the week and my mood, I have tinned sardines, boiled eggs, cheese or smoked mackerel with it. I am not a fan of mayonnaise or salad cream. They leave a cloying aftertaste. By making my own, I get something to my taste. It also works out much cheaper to make it up, rather than buying a bland, tasteless shop made salad.

The Sunday Reflection #58 - No one knows the hour....

 This week, we saw the sad passing of legendary British singer Terry Reid. The news shocked me, not least because I spoke to Terry in June, when he booked some studio time with us for some forthcoming gigs. He was on good form and rather optimistic about the forthcoming shows. As is the way with long standing customers, we exchanged a laugh and a joke. He must have been diagnosed with cancer shortly after I spoke to him. He certainly gave no inkling of the problem when I took his booking for sessions in September (which at the time of writing are still on the system). I was not a close mate of Terry, we always had a bit of a joke and a laugh when he rehearsed. I learned of his passing, listening to the radio. It served as a reminder that no one really knows the hour when our time is up.

Back in 2012, I had the sad task of watching one of my best mates die. He had oesophageal cancer. In his final hours, there were probably half a dozen moments when we thought he was gone, but he hung on. He finally went at a point when everyone thought he was ok for a few minutes and nipped out for a cigarette. He died on his own, he clearly wanted to (or maybe the grim reaper simply waited for the opportunity to sneak in). 

Paul had been the bass player of the False Dots from 1980 until 2009. We had so many shared moments in the band, key moments in my life that were absolutely elemental to me. He left the band in 2009, when he moved to Portsmouth. We replaced him, but I would have always welcomed him back and found a way to accommodate him in the line up, had he returned. I always believed he would, I believed (wrongly) that the Good Lord had put Paul on earth to be the bassist of the False Dots. When he died, I couldn't play the songs he'd played on. Even though we knew he was dying, I clung to the mistaken belief that there may be a miracle. To this day, I still occasionally have dreams that he turns up to join the band again. But life doesn't work like that. Time has moved on and we are now a very different band. If he did a Lazarus and returned, I don't know how we'd fit him in? Maybe he could take over guitar and I could concentrate on singing? Am I alone in agonising over dilemma's that simply won't happen? 

The truth is that we had our chance and we had our time in the band and that time has gone. It was only really when Covid hit and the world tilted on its axis that I became comfortable with that part of the bands legacy and felt I could move on. Someone asked me what me greatest weakness is. That (to me anyway) is easy. As you probably have guessed reading my comments about Paul, I find it difficult to let go of the past. My one saving grace is that I also believe in the future, but mentally, I carry too much baggage and it slows me down and drags me back. I have things I want to do in my life and as I will soon be 63, I am aware that time is not on my side. I don't need to be dragged back by battles that have already been won or lost.

It is strange. When I walk around London these days, most of the offices I worked in have been rebuilt or repurposed. Pubs, some of which had been around for centuries have gone, or been renames. Half the bus routes from Mill Hill that I used as a child no longer come here or have different destinations (52, 140, 113, Green Line). The shops that were the pinnacle of the Broadway have also gone. Woolworths, the COOP, WH Smiths are now just memories on photographs. The Church I attended as a child was demolished and rebuilt. My Dad, who passed away in 1987, would hardly recognise the Broadway now. I suspect he'd do a double take and make sure the Motorway Bridge was still there! When he passed, we still had a cold war, the USSR, The UK was in the EU, South Africa was still living under Apartheid. Northern Ireland was living in a state of terror. There were no mobile phones or internet (Dad would have loved them). Cars still ran on leaded petrol. Smoking was allowed in pubs. 

Dad died without warning. He left a massive hole in my life. If he was still alive he'd be 108 now. He smoked 60 cigarettes a day and drank at least three beers every day. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this took its toll. That doesn't mean it wasn't a massive shock when he died. Like Paul, I still have dreams about him. Usually, he's imparting some sort of wisdom and I always take note of it. In 1988, I was run over by a car. For about three seconds, I thought I was going to die. It was an odd moment. I was actually quite pleased. My first thought was "I'll see Dad again". Once I got over the pain and shock of the accident, I often thought about this. I am no longer scared of death. I don't look forward to the process, but I am at peace with what comes after. 

No one teaches us how to cope with death, be it our own or that of the people we love. The world moves on. Things change, but it seems to me that such events anchor a bit of us in the past. I am still not sure whether it is best to forget those we love and move on, or to sit around as I do, mentally trying to rewrite the past, as I tend to. The one thing I've learned is that no one is immortal and no one is irreplacebale. I thought my Dad was immortal and indestructable and I thought Paul irreplaceable in the band. I've learned the hard way that neither was true. We don't know the hours that both us and our friends will leave this small globe circling a medium size star. All we can do is make the most of it whilst we are here. The one thing that I am pleased about is that with both my Dad and Paul, we had major fallings out a couple of years before they passed. In both cases, we had made our peace, not in anticipation of their passing, I must add, and we were on good terms. A good friend advised me when I fell out with my Dad "Think how you'd feel if he dropped dead tomorrow and you weren't talking to him". It was advice I heeded then and advice I heed now, when I have fallings out. You have to do something pretty bad for me to drop you, if you are a friend. 

And I'll leave you with a song. Back in 1984, in a pub that no longer exits, Paul plays bass for The False Dots. A different world. I do miss this, even though I'm having a blast with the band and what we are doing now. I never thought we'd play this song without Paul!

The Saturday List #493 - My top ten non pharmacutical remedies!

 I bought a new pair of trainers yesterday! So what you might ask? Well I went to Soultasia in Bushey last night, and had no ankle or knee pain at all, despite having done an hour in the gym. I am plagued by ankle and knee pain, sobeing on my feet for four hours with no pain is a good thing. My old trainers had worn out and weren't providing proper support, meaning I was starting to see the return of chronic knee pain and ankle pain. Now it is not just the trainers, I get custom made insoles for them, which provides arch support. It works. I always look for a non pharmacutical solution, if I can. I am not an idiot, when my urologist said I needed a radical prostatectomy, I had one. But I will always try a non medical solution first. Now none of this is medical advice. See your doctor first! But these work

1. Ankle and knee pain. As mentioned, I get ASICS trainers, which have the best support and I get custom made insoles. This almost cures it for six months until the trainers wear out. I was told in 2009 I needed new knees. I played football for another eleven years and even now I am keeping the surgeon at bay.

2. Chronic back pain. In 2005, I had an MRI and it was found that I had fractured my spine and where the bone healed, there was a spur of bone pressing on the nerve that runs down. It was causing intense sciatic pain. I was told I needed an operation, that meant 12 weeks in hospital on my back and had a 20% risk of paralysis. I asked if there were any other options. The surgeon said "You could try physiotherapy", but with this level of problem, I think you need an operation. I said I'd try physio. I was given 22 sessions of massage and manipulation. I also was given a series of exercises that I do until this day. I have constant pain but 95% of the time it is at a manageable level. 2-3 out of 10. When it gets worse, I do the stretches and it improves. Some things, like standing still in one place make it worse. I avoid this.

3. Thyroid problems. In November, I was advised that my thyroid hormone levels were out of the normal range and rising. I had also let myself go, My weight had ballooned to nearly 18 stone. I set out on a regime of fasting, dieting and exercise. I read up on the condition and found that it could be caused by low selenium levels. So I also started eating brazil nuts every day. Now it is back in the normal range.

4. Acid reflux. This has plagued me for decades. I am prescribed omnaprazol, but I've found that if I don't drink alcohol and don't eat fatty foods or pastry/dough, I don't get it. Eating after 6pm is also a bad thing. So I only take the omnaprazol on days where I am breaking the rules.

5. Immunity issues. In 2000, I got really ill. The doctor did tests, including an HIV test, that was negative. There was no explanation. Eventually we discussed diet. I was not eating meat at the time, I hadn't for 16 years. He then suggested that it could be a vitamin b deficiency. He told me to go and have a liver dinner. I did this and all of the problems disappeared. I know several other men who have had the same problem and the same solution worked. I now have liver at least once every six months. I like it, so it is not a problem.

6. Obesity. As I mentioned, in November last year, I was obese, with a BMI of over 35, Now I am just fat! It is under 30. I have been following a 5-2 fasting diet, doing an 18 hour fast on two days a week. I also limit my drinking to 3-4 days a week. It works. I've not gone down the Ozempic route, although most of my friends think I have. I also eat less most other days.

7. Depression and Anxiety. When I was 13, I suffered massive anxiety issues. I know (and this is self diagnosis) put this down to seeing my Mum go through cancer when I was eight and being told she'd die and I'd be put in the orphanage! I believe the experiences caused PTSD. When I was fourteen, I discoverd punk rock music. The anxiety issues abated. They still resurface. When I was 24, a mate suggested I try yoga and meditation. It works. I am not doing Yoga at the moment, my knees wont take it but I do meditate. Playing the guitar and being in a band also helps.

8. Dyslexia. I am dyslexic. Until I was 12 I'd never read a book. I was always bottom of the class. I was only diagnosed when I was 33.  My problem is mainly that I cannot process a word unless it is descriptive of an object. So a word like apple is easy to process. However to this day, a word like noun, which simply describes an item of language means nothing to me. I've still no idea what a noun is. I can look it up, but I will almost instantly forget it.  Three things made me able to cope and develop a strategy to get by. These were things I developed myself. The first was when I started writing songs and poetry, aged 14. I realised that I had to have a larger vocabulary. I also started to appreciate the feeling of words. The second thing was that I had an English teacher who hated my guts. At Finchley Catholic High School, my physics teacher John Shuttler was very much a mentor. I discussed this with him. He said "If you fail, she wins. If you want to piss her off, pass". A light came on and I worked my socks off. To mine and everyone elses amazement, I passed an English Language O level. The third thing, which I thank my mum for, is that I've always read comics. Having pictures and words together helped me join up the synapses in my brain.

9. Cancer. Now if you have cancer, follow the doctors advice. However, there is one aspect of cancer that they don't tell you. It is as much a mental illness as a physical one. It is mentally devastating. At times, I've not been able to cope and have been awful to live with. I found that the normal mechanism I used to deal with anzxiety didn't work, such as meditation. I was so overwhelmed, I couldn't do silence. I had to fill my brain with positivity. That is why my band have been so much more active in the last three years. Making music, writing new songs lifted me from the torpor. It is just an ill fitting sticking plaster, but it is all I have.

10. Erectile issues. I had my prostate removed. I was told that there was a 50 percent chance that after I had surgery, I'd never have another erection. This didn't fill me with happiness and I almost refused surgery. After the operation, I saw a specialist mens health physiotherapist. He explained to me the mechanics, and suggested I use a vacuum pump, to improve blood flow. He said use it every day. This stops atrophy of the blood vessels. Many men do not understand that it is very much a question of maintaining blood flow in that region. For me, this is still a work in progress, but I do have a degree of normal function, without using medication. I do take pills sometimes, but to be honest, they make me feel weird and I prefer not to. Men should discuss these things.

And a final bonues remedy. Did you know that when you sing, it improves your mood and raises your seratonin levels. The reason is that it increases the flow of oxygen to the brain. That is why, when you sing along with a band at a gig, you feel euphoric. I learned this through singing with my band. It is odd how few people realise this. This is why I also think that churches should only choos hymns that you can belt out. That way everyone gets happy!

And I will leave you with a song that makes me very happy, when I sing it and when I listen to it

The traditional English pub is dead!

Of all the titles of blogs I've written, this is the hardest to write. But the sad truth is that it's true. I drink in a lot of pubs and have done for the last 50 years. I could write a million pages on my life in pubs. But the sad truth is that the traditional English pub is dead. You may well say "Ah, but my local is thriving". It may well be, but my guess is that it is not what we would identify as a traditional English pub, where people came to drink beer and chat to their mates. The only person who seems to be doing OK doing this is the Wetherspoons chain and to me, they are not traditional English pubs. That is not a criticism, it is an observation. They do not have darts teams, they don't exist at the end of high streets in sleepy villages. 

The sort of pubs that have survived in villages, tend to do food or have some other unique charm. I doubt any survive just on beer sales (what is traditionally called a wet pub). There are busy city centre pubs that make this model work, but they are ones blessed with a location that provides a brisk trade. Areas in London like Camden and Kings Cross have a few. There are quite a few high street bars, converted from shops that simply sell beer, we have one in Mill Hill, The Bridge Tavern, but I don't think anyone would describe The Bridge as a typical English pub.

One of the things I wouldn't have predicted is that in Barnet, pubs in the more upmarket areas have survived where the more working class areas, such as Burnt Oak have seen their once thriving pub scene completely disappear. Last Saturday, we went to The Three Wishes in Edgware to watch my good mate Alan Warner's band. When I was in my Twenties, we'd go to Edgware most weekends, when we didn't g to gigs. We'd do a pub crawl, having a pint in the Railway. The White Hart, The White Lion, The Masons and we'd end up in the Beehive (it was full of pretty girls). Not one of those pubs remain. Oddly, The Three Wishes is a new pub. It seems to do OK and puts on a lot of music, which is good. 

Burnt Oak has seen a similar devastation. When you read about the decline of the pub industry in the UK, there are many factors. Margaret Thatcher passed laws banning breweries from owning large chains. This broke the link between making beer and selling beer. The new pubco's that formed, realised that they could make more money selling the pubs than beer. Then Tony Blair banned smoking in pubs. Many punters simply couldn't be bothered with the hassle and sit at home drinking cans and smoking. Then Brexit removed the source of cheap, hard working labour. This occurred at the same time that Covid got us all out of the habit of going to the pub. 

I think it is no exaggeration to say Covid brought twenty years of social change in six months. I had thought the traditional pub model was saveable. I've changed my mind. Young people do not find the traditional English pub enticing and older people have got out of the habit of going for a drink with friends. What is the answer? I don't know, I wish I did. I like pubs that have character, that are not homogenous brands, that have staff who work their because they like doing it. That know the regulars and the regulars know them. Where they sell beers because they like beers and they know what the beers are like. There are still a few pubs that, to me at least are proper English boozers. My favourite at the moment is The Southampton Arms in Kentish Town. But it seems ever harder to find good pubs, selling proper beer, that have an atmosphere where you want to stay and have another pint, when you should be going home.

Anyway, I'll end with this. Back in 1984, The False Dots had a residency at The Bald Faced Stag in Burnt Oak. It was a pub where everyone knew each other. It had a bit of a reputation for trouble, but I knew many of the regulars, a fair few had worked for my Dad at MacMetals. This sort of working class pub in council estate areas seems to have disappeared from London.  Here is a video of the band playing there. Enjoy and have a pint on me to start the weekend. I miss such places

Rock and Roll Stories #42 - The joys of studio overdubs

Have you've ever wondered why the music you listen to at home sounds so different to the versions bands play live? If you are in a band you'll know, but just in case you are not, one of the main reasons is because the versions you hear on Spotify, CD's, vinyl records, etc, has been put together in a very different way to the music you hear being played live when you go to a gig (or at least it has if it was recorded after about 1955). Up until that sort of period, records were by and large live performances. In the mid 1950's, recording technology improved and adding tracks to records. In the early days, recording was done on reel to reel tape machines. Multi track recording made all manner of things possible for artists, such as singing harmonies with yourself, adding a triangle solo or the sound of cows mooing. All sorts of things.

This series of blogs isn't a historical document though, it is very much the story of one band existing in a period of constant change in the art of making rock and roll. Nowhere is this more true than in the way The False Dots record. Our first 'demo' if you can call it that, was recorded at a rehearsal on a portable mono cassette player. We knew no better. It sounded pretty rough. I can remember all being quiet at the start of each track. That was in 1979. Sadly the tape is long gone. At the time, we were quite proud of it. I played it to my mate at school, Boz Boorer of the Polecats. I saw him listening to something on his portable mono cassette playerinthe Orange Hill School common room. I asked if he fancied listening to The False Dots debut demo. He said OK. He put it on and this awful racket emerged from his player. He said "Did youy record that on a cassette player" I said "Yes". He said "If you want to do a proper demo you have to record it in a studio" and proceeded to play me the Polecats demo. I was gobsmacked. It sounded like a record. In fact it went on to be the Polecats first single, Rockabilly Guy, on Nervous records, an indie rock and roll label. 

I sheepishly asked where there was a studio we could make a demo in. Boz replied "Alan Warner from the Foundations runs one in Hendon". Immediately, my priority was to make a proper demo in Alan's studio. Events and band break ups meant that it took us a year to get it together. Homework was done. When I felt we were ready, we got Alan Warner down to listen. I thought that if we bought him a pint, he could give us some feedback. He did "Get rid of your drummer, he can't play". Alan arranged for a mate of his, Dav Davies to step in. With Dav, suddenly the False Dots sounded like a proper band. We recorded our first demo on Alans eight track tape machine. He gave us some great advice. As we had eight tracks, it meant two tracks of drums, a track ofPetes bass, my guitar, Paul Hircombes guitar and Pete's vocals. We had two tracks left. We double tracked Pete's vocals and I added an acoustic guitar to two tracks. The idea was to make it sound a bit more like seminal New York band The Velvet Underground. 

When it was done, we thought it was great and I took it into school to play to Boz and associated mates. They had expected it to be rubbish, like the first demo. They were shocked. It didn't really sound like anyone else. Pete left the band shortly afterwards, ace guitarist Craig Withecombe joined. We did a second demo at Alans studio. This time, I was more adventurous, adding a monophonic synthesiser to one track (Fog). If people were shocked when they heard the first demo, they were amazed by the second. Paul Hircombe had switched to bass and Craig had taken over lead guitar. Paul sang two songs and Craig two. The demo was really good and Chiswick Records boss Ted Carroll asked us to do another demo with more synth songs on. As I'd borrowed the synth and given it back, this never happened. 

The next demo was made at a 16 track studio in Sydenham in late 1982. It felt like we were in heaven, I added keyboards to the two songs, and we added some additional guitars etc. The result was "A Memory for you", which was our first song to be released, on a compilation record called "Directions" on 101 records. The real problem for me was that it was only after we finished the demos that I got my head around what we should have done with the extra tracks. It was an expensive process. 

In 1984, we went back into the studio, when Venessa Sagoe was in the band. We recorded three songs and our then 'manager' Dennis produced it. I thoroughly disliked him, but he was a great producer. He did things like getting Bill Pithers, who was then on lead, to play a guitar solo to Africa Morning with the tape reversed. His solo was backwards! It sounded great. The studio was a sixteen track in Reading.  Dennnis got some great backing vocals. Sadly, the rest of us had to sit in a broom cupboard whilst he worked. That was the only place to chill. Dennis also edited the tape with a razor blade. His work was very good and I think the demo stands up.

That was the last recording the False Dots did on tape. By the time we got back together and were doing demos, tape was old hat and now we record on a Mac Computer, with logic. There are no real constraints on what we can do. We can edit notes in and out of a solo, put 23 tracks of backing vocals on, etc. We spend endless hours "getting things right". I was out for a beer with Alan and I thought back to that first demo. We really reheased hard to ensure it was right. Now, we can edit bits of different takes together. I like a live vibe on tracks, so I try to avoid that. The big difference between our first demo and now is that we used to really rehearse properly for recordings, so we got a good version in one or two takes. Now, it is relatively easy to wing it and edit errors out. As a band, we are reasonably tight, but back in 1980, when we first went into Alans studio we were really on the button. 

In fact for all of our early demos, we were so well rehearsed that we always ended up with spare time to play with overdubs. As we'd booked and paid for the studio time, we thought we'd use it to the ultimate. Often this could be counter productive, as we'd put unneccessary frills on, then have to book another mix, and take them all off again. It was a much more communal thing back then. It was a day in the studio and all the band would be around. We'd all put some input into what was the best thing to put on the spare tracks. Occasionally, we'd have heated arguments about overdubs. When we recorded Fog and put the synth on, I removed Craig's guitar track. He was livid. I think he seriously considered quitting the band. Then he listened to it again and told me I'd been right. He was a good enough musician to see that it worked. Although I never really got on with Craig, I had a lot of respect for him as a musician. His response to what happened was to buy some extra effects for his guitar and write a new guitar part for the song. He felt that he had a point to prove. Sadly, shortly after, Dav left and his replacement didn't have the right feel for the song. When we were in Sweden in 1982, we had a long chat about the demo. Craig said that he felt that we should sketch out overdubs before we went in and not approach them in the spontaneous manner we had previously. I said that in principle that was a good idea, but often you only really hear the song properly in the studio and so you get ideas on the spur of the moment. We were both right. When we recorded A memory for you in Sydenham, the studio had a brand new Prophet V keyboard, that had amazing sounds. I said to Craig "Look I'll do one take and if you don't like it, I'll drop it" and we can try one of your ideas. Craig liked it and then did his guitar overdubs. Of all our recordings, it was probably, at that stage, the one we were happiest with, but listening back to it, I can still feel the frost in the room. 

I recently went to see the play 'Stereophonic' which is allegedly about Fleetwood Mac recording Rumours. I was disappointed. I had read about arguments about overdubs. It didn't really capture what I felt was the true nature of such arguments. The odd thing is that we'd get incredibly annoyed with each other, then as soon as it was clear that an idea worked, we'd go into back slapping mode. The dynamic changed when we got a female singer, who always sided with Craig, as she thought he was clever and a good musician and felt I was neither. Even when Craig had decided he liked my idea, she'd still be in his ear. Our bassst Paul Hircombe generally wouldn't get involved, but he did once say to her "you should listen to Rog, because he understands the feel of the song and he's usually right". I was quite shocked. Years after, Paul told me that when Criag and the singer left to set up their own band, they tried very hard to persuade him. Paul told them that you can't be a rock and roll band if you don't understand what rock and roll should sound like, and they didn't, wheras I did. 

Paul said that everything we'd ever recorded, good or bad, was rock and roll. He told me that his best memory of the band, was sitting up at 3am working our overdubs with me in Alan Warners studio on Fog. We were on a roll and it just seemed that everything we did worked. I am not sure, but in some ways, he may have been right. God Bless him up in heaven!

Anyway, we'll play out this episode with Pauls song. This song has more overdubs than anything I've ever recorded and doesn't eve have any singing! Paul wrote this in 1986 and we recorded it in 2007. Paul is on bass, Fil Ross plays lead, I play rythm, Keyboards and percussion, and Tony Cavaye played drums. Sadly, Paul never heard this. We played it at his funeral.

Rog T's Cancer Blog & Wellbeing Wednesday - Going in the right direction

 Back in February I outlined the challenges I had last year and my health targets for this year. Following my cancer surgery in August 2023, I had a follow up PSA test last week, so I thought now was an excellent time to give a round up. As mentioned in the February blog, a check up in November showed a few things that were not right. One of these was a raised thyroid level, as well as high cholesterol and an increase in my blood sugar, moving me firmly into the pre diabetic scale.

I responded to this by bringing in a pretty strict fitness regime. I've been doing an 18 hour fast 2-4 days a week. I've also cut out a lot of snacks etc from my diet. I don't drink 3-4 days a week (something I've been doing for a couple of years, but I've stuck to it more religiously).  I also set myself a target of doing 1,500km in the gym on the bike, rowing machine and treadmill. I also set my target weight as 14'7 by the end of the year. 

So where am I. Well lets start with the best news. My PSA is < 0.0, which means I can sleep easy for six months. I've been managing to go to the gym  4 times a week. I've already met my 1,500km target and I'm hoping to do 2,500km by the end of the year. I am back on the treadmill (just) although I am walking at incline rather than running at the moment. I am building up to that. My thyroid level has returned to normal. I read that if you are on Omnprazol, you should increase your selenium levels. I've been eating brazil nuts and this seems to have worked. As for the cholesterol and glucose levels? Well the surgery didn't do the tests, so I don't actually know. I asked for them, but that didn't happen. 

My weight is down to 15'12. As I predicted, the first stone and a half is easy to lose, then it gets hard. I've only lost 1lb since June, but that is still progress. My BMI is no longer obese. I am on the high end of fat. I must add that this is all without the help of any weight loss drugs. 

Mentally, I am in a reasonably good place. I seem to have a couple of days a month where I struggle a bit to motivate myself. Being in a band and making music helps. 

Anyway, that is all. Having had two days fasting and not drinking, today is a day off!

What have Bonnie Blue's videos got to do with sex?

 First, a bit of context. I am a dinosaur. I still have a couple of newspapers delivered every day and I read them, over a cup of tea before I get up in the morning. It sets me up for the day and I had always hoped it would give me an informed view on the issues of the day. My papers of choice are The Guardian and The Daily Express, to give me a range of views on both the left and right. There was a time when both papers had regular columnists who were brilliant writers and gave a unique perspective on the events that mattered. Since the passing of Frederick Forsyth, who wrote for the Express and was always interesting, just about the only writer left who I make a point to read is the Guardians sketch writer John Crace. The Express buys freelance articles that are occasionally interesting, Sadly many are written by befuddled cranks, who simply aren't capable of putting a coherent article together. One recently spelled out a dystopian future for England, where we were all forced to live in an Islamic state, St Pauls was the Mosque of the 7/7 martyrs, and, wait for it, we were all forced to be Transgender? I kid you not. The poor fool who wrote the article simply didn't understand that whatever radical Islam may or may not be, it isn't woke and if it ever took over, Gay rights would not be on the agenda. 

As for the Guardian. This morning, I was treated to an article by Gaby Hinsliff, about porn star Bonnie Blue making a video where she had sex with 1,000 men in 24 hours. The sad thing is that it was probably the most interesting article in a very dull edition. This time of year used to be called "the silly season and the article certainly fitted the title Hinsliff's premise is that as Blue is making a fortune from the men (they are not paid for appearing), she is not being exploited. As Blue has had a Channel Four documentary made about the project, she is doing rather well in what us music business types call hype. I did some quick maths. To meet her target, she would be servicing around 44 men an hour, which is less than 90 seconds per person. To facilitate this, she advertised for 'just legal' University graduates. I guess a  primary requirement is to be able to perform quickly. God only knows what was going through her mind when the 834 fresh faced young man delivered his load. Whatever it was, I doubt it was anything to do with how enjoyable and memorable the moment was. As for young man number 834? He probably will be telling all his mates 'she loved it' and celebrated his luck at bedding a porn star. Unless he picked up and STD, I doubt he'll come to much long term harm.

I am fairly relaxed about the issue of pornography, when there is not exploitation involved and everyone is a grown up. It is by and large unrealistic and devoid of fun. I grew up in an age when access to porn was not straightforward. When I was 18, porn videos had just started being circulated. Given that I was living with my folks, who were strict Catholics and video was in the front room, it was not really feasible to watch such things. By the time I had the opportunity to enjoy such materials, I had a girlfriend and felt I had no need for such things (yes I know that is an old fashioned view). Although in my teens, I was rather partial to spending time with as many females as possible, by the time I was 20, I had concluded that I preferred to just be with one person I liked. My view, again pretty old fashioned, was that sex was actually best with someone you liked and when you could take your time and enjoy the moment.

I can imagine no worse vision of hell than having to watch Bonnie Blue spending 24 hours with a long line of 16 year olds making out in a rather dull fashion. My guess is that in twenty years, she'll be presenting a knitting show on channel four and saying how dull it is when the next generation of Only Fans star has sex with 10,000 young men in an hour.

What has interested me more, when it comes to the issue of online porn, is the outrage of Reform MP Rupert Lowe at the online safety bill. This requires platforms that share porn to prevent accounts that are not properly verified to see hard core porn. To see it, you need to prove you are over eighteen. Clearly Rupert is not keen on sharing his age with such companies. Personally, I don't really think that stopping children from having easy access to porn is a bad thing. If you are 18+ and want to watch such things, then it seems easy enough to get access. If you are prepared to share your credit card with Only Fans, then surely a snap of your passport or whatever other mechanism they use should not really be an issue.

Hinsliff is correct to applaud the business acumen of Bonnie Blue. She has clearly twigged a way to make a lot of cash quickly. I can't imagine it was much fun, but then again, working as a plumber, removing turds and tampons from blocked drains is not much fun either. There is an old saying "where there's muck there's brass". Never has it been truer. 

Growing up in the 1960's - The joys of playing on the M1 as a kid

When I was a wee nipper, back in the mid 1960's, gardens were a treasure trove of interest to young boys such as myself. There were still homes with Anderson shelters in the back garden, many gardens around Mill Hill had detritus from the two railway lines and the recently constructed M1 Motorway. In our street, Millway, we had both at the bottom of the garden. In the no mans land between gardens and the recently built M1, you would find all manner of weird and wonderful things. The land had been railway sidings before the M1 was build and there were still plenty of artefacts lying around. 

Myself and my mates even built a 'base' in this no mans land, our of old sheets of iron and old water tanks. We christened it Ironbase. We'd but my mate Rick's little brother Luke in it and bombard it with rocks, bricks, stones and clods of dried mud. The dried mud clods were the best, as they'd explode like mortar shells if you lobbed them really high. Luke developed a fascination in 'iron base' and ensured it was constructed to the highest standards possible.  As he's now a top engineer, I think it set him up for life. Although it sounds awful, the base was more than capable of withstanding the bombardment and for us the fun was hearing the loud bangs as the lobbed detritus clanged on the base. Perhaps the most spectacular assault on Iron Base was when we found a gallon of petrol that had been disgarded over the M1 fence. We decided to see if Iron Base could withstand a molotov cocktail. A milk bottle was acquired and the plan was made to perform the test, when no parents were around. I had no idea what to expect, but the results were spectacular, beyond our wildest dreams, resulting in a fire engine being called by a neighbour. Sensibly, we'd not put anyone in the base for the test. I think we'd done it when Luke wasn't around, as we wanted to ensure that no one told on us. Some of the vegetation and shrubbery got burned The fire brigade put it down to a stray cigarette from the Motorway starting a fire. To be honest, by the time they got there, it has burned out. They just saw some smouldering shrubs and some blackened metal sheets, at the time there wasn't much to birn there. 

Oddly there was hardly a mark on it. The neighbour who'd reported it had been most worried that we'd been involved, but we'd legged it and were watching the telly, feigning innocence. He claimed that he'd seen us playing there earlier. In truth, my Dad wasn't terribly interested. He thought setting things on fire was a perfectly normal pursuit for bored boys. When my parents realised that we'd constructed Iron Base, we were forbidden from 'playing on the motorway. Fortunately, they were too lazy to actually dismantle it and we didn't listen.

Another favourite game was building bonfires and throwing lumps of asbestos on, which would explode, doubtlessly showering us all with dangerous particles. There was plenty of old sheets of asbestos just left when the railway buildings were demolished. We didn't know it was dangerous. It was quite spectacular the way it exploded. I wouldn't recommend it though. 

In truth, railways, building sites, bomb sites (of which there were still many), were places of fascination. We'd go exploring, as would most kids my age. Occasionally, we'd find the strangest things. The other boys at school were equally 'inquisitive'. Occasionally, we'd hear reports of guns and bullets being found. Even mundane things seemed rather interesting though. We'd go exploring on the Motorway embankment and deposit all manner of old signage, workmens lamps, bits of fences, etc in Iron base for later investigation, The old road works paraffin lamps were especially treasured. Often these would be painted and hung in sheds. It is odd, back in those days, there were all manner of perils we were warned about. There were even public safety films made, advising kids not to hide in fridges. At school, we were warned about playing on railway lines and also of the dangers of derelict houses. We never listened. 

As we grew up though, we lost interest in such things. As the cutting next to the M1 became overgrown, there was less to find. We had other things to interest us. Expeditions over the fence became more difficult as nettles and brambles grew. Iron base eventually rusted away. When I was about 14 Rick moved away. Like moved a couple of years later, I'd got into punk rock and Luke, who was a couple of years younger had discovered Motorhead. I didn't see him for a couple of decades. Through facebook, we eventually met for a drink. When we got chatting, the subject of Ironbase came up. We both agreed that it was a highlight of our youth. I am not sure either of us would be chuffed at the idea of our kids doing the same sort of things when they were 7 or 8. 

If Benjamin Netanyahu really cared about Israel he'd resign as Prime Minister

 Whatever you may or may not think of Israel, wherever your sympathies lie in the Palestine/ Israel situation, anyone who looks at the record of their Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can only conclude that the man has been a disaster all round, he is an obstacle to any settlement and peace and that nothing good is likely to happen whilst he is in charge of Israel. In two months time, it will be two years since the 7th October 2023 attack. Hamas has not been destroyed, innocent Israeli citizens are still held in tunnels, people on both sides are still dying. When the attack first happened, an Israeli friend told me with absolute certainty "within six months, Hamas will cease to exist and every hostage will be freed". He is as hard line a Zionist as you are likely to meet. I bumped into him yesterday and we had a long chat. He reminded me of all of the successes of Mossad, etc over the last two years. They decapitated the leadership of Hezbollah with the exploding pagers. They have effectively emasculated Iran and their nuclear programme. But the difficult truth is that Hamas still exist. The hostages are still in tunnels and even my friend admitted that Hamas had proven a harder nut to crack than he ever anticipated.

I asked him what he thought of Netanyahu as Prime Minister. He finds it very hard to be critical, I suspect he feels that it is an act of disloyalty to criticise Israel when they are at war, but he did say "We need a new Prime Minister, however you look at his record, history will not judge him well". I was actually gobsmacked at this response. He explained that he was worried that Netanyahu had lost the trust of Donald Trump and that is something that Israel simply can't afford to happen. I know little of Israeli politics, I have no idea who would be a good or a bad replacement should he go, and it's not really my job to advise Israelis. My friend mentioned a couple of people. I thought I'd ask Google, rather oddly, all I got was links to rather old articles. I asked @Grok on Twitter and the answer I got seemed to follow the logic and views of my friend yesterday

As of August 2025, with Netanyahu's coalition fracturing and early elections likely, Naftali Bennett emerges as a strong successor candidate. Polls show his leadership could secure an opposition majority. Bennett opposes Palestinian statehood, favors annexing West Bank areas, and supports aggressive policies against Hamas.

Reading this brought to me, the old adage "Careful what you wish for", in respect to those who support Palestinian causes and wish to see Netanyahu booted out. It rather sounds as if Bennett is more, rather than less hard line. Having said that, he would not have the baggage that surrounds Netanyahu. Of course a major realignment in Israeli politics is the only way that there will be a major change in the direction of Israeli/Palestinian relations. That will only happen if an election delivers a significant change in the balance of the Israeli Parliament. I suspect that will only happen if the Israeli electorate actually believe that any peace process will not fundamentally put the existence of Israel at risk, which has always been the Ace up the sleeve of Netanyahu. 

There is a view that Netanyahu is hanging on to power to avoid criminal charges. Personally I doubt that he will ever face a court, but he clearly doesn't fancy taking the chance. If, however, the people and small parties that support him, decide that someone like Bennett would have better electoral prospects and could rebuild the trust between Israel and Trump, Netanyahu may have no choice in the matter. As far as I can see though, his tenure as Prime Minister is no longer about what is best for Israel. That is never a good situation for anyone. 

Talking to other friends who are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause recently, some of whom are also Israeli's, they passionately believe that Netanyahu will ultimately end up before the court at the Hague charged with war crimes. This can only happen when he is no longer Prime Minister and loses the immunity from prosecution that comes with it. When I suggested that they may get an even more hardline PM, they said they would happily accept that if it saw Netanyahu in court. Personally, I doubt Israel would ever give up an ex PM to the Hague, whether he was guilty or not. Even his biggest enemies in Israel understand the precedent that would set.

The most depressing for me when writing about the Middle East is that the more I read about the situation, the less I see a way that the area will ever see any degree of peace. For all of my life, the best that can be hoped for is that fragile ceasefires give people in the area a modicum of normality. I am an optimist and dearly hope that a new generation of leaders emerge on both sides, that can actually deliver a just and lasting peace. I suspect that I'll be a very old man if I ever see that. One thing I am absolutely certain of, is that when we read the history of the Middle East in a hundred years, it will not judge the tenure of Benjamin Netanyahu kindly, whatever happens. The man has been a complete disaster for Israel, the Palestinian people and the world. I suspect that he is the main reason that some people, in my opinion rather misguidedly, see Hamas as a credible force for peace. As far as I am concerned, Hamas is a major reason why Israeli's vote for Netanyahu and he knows it. As for Hamas, their grip on Gaza has git stronger, not weaker since Netanyahu took power. I can only conclude that If Benjamin Netanyahu really cared about Israel he'd resign as Prime Minister.

The Saturday List #493 - My top ten female Londoners

To celebrate the success of the Lionesses last Sunday, I thought I'd do a Saturday list of my top ten female Londoners. ALthough I could make a list of singers, I have decided to choose one outstanding female from different walks of life. 

1. Amy Winehouse. Had to start with Amy, the voice of a generation and a much loved customer of Mill Hill Music Complex. As someone who runs a studio and sees hundreds of female singers pass through our doors, it is 100% clear just how influential Amy was and still is. 

2. Elizabeth Taylor. Liz Taylor was born in London to American parents in 1932 and was raised in London until the second World War started. Taylor was a brilliant actress as well as a thoroughly decent human being, championing AIDS causes when it was still very much a taboo subject. She was also very beautiful (with a passing resemblance to my missus to boot!).

3. Kelly Holmes, Olympic medalist was raised in London. A double olympic champion. There are plenty of sports women to consider, but for me Kelly Holmes was a real ground breaker.

4. Dianne Abbott. Again, there are plenty of female politicians born in London. I picked Dianne Abbott for several reasons. She was the first black female MP. I really admire her. I doubt anyone on the planet has had more abuse thrown at her. Sure she makes mis-steps, sometime says silly things, but she has balls and I will always side with the person being bullied. I know few people who seem to attract such abuse. The fact she takes it and carries on is something that those who criticise her should appreciate. 

5. Verity Lambert. Lambert was a film and TV producer. Her work included Budgie, Rock Follies,  The Naked Civil Servant and Minder. This was at a time when women didn't do such things. I met her a couple of time, as she was a mate of my cousin, film director Midge McKenzie.  Midge once told me that if I ever had daughters, make sure they were aware of the work of Verity Lambert, who was a shining example to everyone.

6. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917) Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was a pioneering physician and political campaigner. She was the first Englishwoman to qualify as a doctor. Female physicians were unheard of in 19th century Britain and her attempts to study at a number of medical schools were denied. In 1865 she passed the Society of Apothecaries examinations and gained a certificate which enabled her to become a doctor. The society then changed its rules to prevent other women entering the profession this way. How could I not include her! I used to walk past the hospital she founded on the way to work.

7.  Elizabeth Webber-Harris. The only woman ever to receive a Victoria Cross. Sadly, the ridiculous conventions of the day, meant that it was not an official VC, it was a replica for ceremonial purposes. I am amazed that there has never been a campaign to upgrade it to the full VC. It was presented with the full blessing Queen Victoria herself. 

8. Pauline Boty. I've written before about Boty, my favourite female artist. Sadly largely forgotten, one day I will write a song and make a video about her. To my delight, a TV documentary was shown about her last year.

9. Emmeline Pankhurst. Although born in Manchester, she is an adopted Londoner, and is buried in the City. The leader of the Suffragette movement, who got women the vote. How could I not include her

10. Poly Styrene. Rules are made to be broken. I know I said one person from each category. For me though, Poly Styrene was too important to ignore. I doubt Poly would have become a Pop star at any other time except during the punk movement. Poly made no concessions to the industry. Her songs were about subjects that most people never even thought of writing songs about. Even more important though was her anti fashion stance. She was very female but not in a sexualised way.  I think Poly probably inspired more people to be themselves than anyone.

And finally. I will finish on a personal level,  with Connie Abbe, former singer of The False Dots. You may not have heard of her, but if there was any justice in the world, she'd be a superstar. A brilliant singer and a  joy to work with. 

Rock and Roll Stories #41 - The Other side of Rock and Roll's wild things!

 This week saw the passing of a Rock and Roll legend, Jock McDonald, a great mate of The False Dots. There were many myths and fables about Jock. Whatever you may have thought about him, it was never dull to be in his company. Jock was one of a number of movers and shakers of the rock and roll scene that I have the privilege to know and to have spent time with. When I got over the shock news of Jock's tragic passing in a swimming accident, I reflected on a few of the fun times we shared. But it made me also reflect on the fact that Jock, like many of the wild things of Rock and Roll, had  a fearsome reputation, but in person he was a great person to be around. As someone who has dabbled in both the world of politics and rock and roll, I reflected on the differences between the two. Whereas politics is (supposedly) built on the principles of integrity and honesty, the individuals you meet in that world almost never live up to those principles. Rock and Roll is built on hype and bullshit, but you actually get very little of that from rock and rollers. Politicians seem to despise and resent the people who support them. Rock and Rollers love them. I am always shocked by just how much politicians, who are almost invariably totally without talent, think we are lucky and should be grateful to have them. Rock and Rollers are the opposite. We are always lucky and grateful to have fans.

Back in 1987, I found myself at a gig and standing next to me, at the bar was Bob Geldolf. We had a brief chat, I asked him if his next move would be into politics "No, they are all C**ts" was his reply. It took me three more decades to realise just how right he was. It is quite remarkable really that the greatest thing Great Britain acheived in my lifetime was Band/Live Aid. It was put together by a bunch of scalliwags, who less than a decade earlier had been seen as "the enemy within". Whilst I accept that it wasn't perfect, it was a serious attempt by the musical community to try and make the world a better place. At the time, I went to the alternative Live Aid at Dingwalls. I didn't see Queen or McCartney. I was bopping alng to Johnny Thunders, Mari wilson , Edwin Starr and The Glitter Band (minus Gary!). To this day, musically I think I made the right choice. One of the nice things about that day was that all of the bands hung around and chatted to fans.

It was one of many benefit gigs that I've been to, organised by musicians over the years. I've organised a fair few and the  likes of Lee Thompson from Madness, Chris Spedding, The Foundations and Kate Nash have all jumped in and donated their time for free. In fact often what started out as a gigs for the False Dots, where we raise a few quid, became a major fundraiser and we ended up bottom of the bill, as the likes of Lee Thompson roped his celebrity mates into doing slots! Of course our efforts are miniscule in comparison to what Live Aid raised, but many charitys are kept running by such things. It is important to keep doing such things. 

One of perhaps the most illuminating stories was when I was asked to be a character witness for the former bassplayer of The False Dots in a major trial. He'd been on crimewatch as part of a gang that stole hundreds of thousands of pounds from gaming machines in in motorway service stations. When he was caught, I was asked to say something nice about him. I wrote a a speech and ran it by Pauls lawyer. I listed all of the charity gigs Paul had played at over the previous six years and the money raised for charities. Paul gave his time and talent for free and helped make sure it all happened. His lawyer told me to go and rewrite my speech, deleting all references to the gigs. He explained that the court would simply assume Paul was pocketing the cash. I objected and said that he didn't have anything to do with the cash, but they were insistent. The British establishment simply couldn't understand that a scalliwag like Paul was capable of compassion and caring. 

People often ask me about the celebs that come through the studio and want to hear tales of larceny and bad behaviour. It is so rare as to be almost unknown. The likes of The Damned, Tom Jones, Amy Winehouse, Lee Thompson, Raye, Flo, etc have been regular customers over the years. All have been lovely and a joy to have around. The last time I saw Amy was in 2008 in a Camden pub. I was out for beers with my football mates. I saw Amy, worse for wear in the corner, with a group of hangers on. I didn't want to intrude on their fun. One of my mates said "I thought you said you knew her".  I replied "I don't bother people when they are out with friends". I was at the bar and got a nudge. It was Amy, despite having been, shall we say, over enjoying herself with substances that may or may not have been legal. she made the effort to come up. She said "How's the studios, give my love to Fil and Darren". We had a little chat and she returned to her mates. As stories go, it is rather boring, but that is how it is.

I'm not saying we've not had shenanigans and naughtyness, but it has almost always been good humoured. The worst, most horrible customers are usually people who are not professional musicians, but have a lot of money, not much talent and think it is Rock and Roll to be a twat. I am old enough and wise enough to have none of that. One particularly obnoxious customer reacted to being banned from the premises by announcing "You can't ban me, I'm a lawyer". I replied "I am not banning you for being a lawyer, I am banning you for being a twat". I genuinely don't think anyone had ever spoken to him like that. About two years later, I saw him at a gig and he humbly apologised. He has been well behaved since then and is allowed back in. It is perhaps funny to think it takes a bit of rock and roll to educate such people. 

I have a theory. I believe that you can't really make great rock and roll music in a band without some level of human empathy and the ability to work together. When we mix with our own, we remember that!

 

Two days after the Lionesses made us proud, Barnet's Labour Council is to be taken to Court for sex discrimination

File under "You couldn't make it up". The Labour Party was founded by Trades Union members and the Unions pay the bills for the party, regardless of whether the Leader is Jeremy Corbyn or Tony Blair. Whilst the root and branch membership of the Labour Party are proud of this association, it seems that as soon as Labour Politicians get their hands on the levers of power, they somehow seem to have a conscience bypass. Back on the heady night in 2022, when Labour took power and booted the Tories out, I spoke to the rather shell shocked Leader of the Barnet Labour group and the new leader of Barnet Council, Barry Rawlings. I made a note of his exact words. I didn't do this so I had a rod to beat him with, but because I thought what he said was important and I was impressed by his sentiments.

Barry said "We won't get everything right, I am sure we will make a lot of mistakes on the way, but whatever we do, we will put fairness, equality and decency at the centre of it" He then went on to say "I expect you to hold us to account and remind us of this when we do get things wrong". Although Labour has made many mistakes, I've had no reason to remind Barry of his pledge. Until now. Today, two days after the Lionesses amazing victory, where we are all basking in the reflected glory of our amazing female team, a dispute has been launched by the Public sector workers union UNISON, alleging that Barnet Council and its Labour bosses are acting in a discriminatory manner towards their own female employees. The Press Release says:-

"Barnet UNISON is urging its female members in the London Borough of Barnet (LBB) to come forward as the union prepares to launch a collective legal challenge over potential equal pay breaches by the Council.

The move follows extensive investigations into pay practices within LBB, particularly in relation to the use of “task and finish” arrangements in the Waste & Recycling service. UNISON believes there is now sufficient evidence to support equal pay claims with reasonable prospects of success.

John Burgess, Branch Secretary of Barnet UNISON, said:

“The possibility that staff – the majority of whom are women – may have been underpaid for years is deeply concerning, especially in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. Equal Pay is not just a legal right, it’s a fundamental matter of fairness. UNISON is committed to ensuring our members receive the pay they are legally and morally entitled to.”

The union is now asking affected members to complete an Equal Pay case form detailing their job roles, grades, and employment history. This information will allow UNISON to assess each claim and proceed with legal and procedural steps, including lodging a collective grievance and initiating early conciliation.

Barnet UNISON is also reminding staff of the strict six-month legal time limit for making an Equal Pay claim. Anyone who has recently left the Council or changed roles is urged to act quickly.

UNISON has led the fight for Equal Pay in local government for over a decade, winning millions in compensation for underpaid workers. The union will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with Barnet Council while preparing to take legal action where necessary."

It really is appalling that now, of all times, such inequality is happening in Barnet, especially with a Labour Council. Now we all know there is no magic money tree and with cash tight at Barnet Council, it is hard to sort these sort of matters out. However, not only is it morally wrong to pay discriminatory pay rates, it is against the law. Any legal action will cost taxpayers money, and I for one, resent my hard earned cash being spent to defend the indefensible.

I sincerely hope that Barry Rawlings now picks up the phone to Unison branch secretary John Burgess, who is decent man and an excellent Union Rep and gets him around a table to resolve this. The people who are suffering as a result are amongst the lowest paid employees on the Borough payroll and if Barry really is a Labour politicians, he should start acting like it and sort this out. If you see Barry out and about, please ask him if he still believes what he told me on the night he was elected. 

Guest Blog - From the Our North Finchley Campaign - Our North Finchley Campaign Launch

 

Our North Finchley: Launch Event! Wednesday 30th July 2025 at 7pm St Alban’s Church Hall, Nether Street (Entrance to the hall is to the left of the church) We are holding the official launch of OUR NORTH FINCHLEY next Wednesday! + Find out more about the campaign + Collect leaflets to deliver in your area + Meet others taking action locally Whether you can help a little or a lot, we would love to see you there! Let’s stand up for our town together!

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Jock McDonald RIP - A true punk legend and good mate of The False Dots

Jock McDonald

22nd June 2024 flyer

Devastated to hear the tragic news that one of our great mates, Jock McDonald of punk legends, The Bollock Brothers has passed away. The False Dots played with the Jock and the Bollock Brothers many times over the years, at such Camden haunts as The Dublin Castle and The Purple Turtle, as well as other venues around town, most recently on the 22nd June last year at the Charly Records 50th anniversary party at the Dublin Castle.

The band, especially our drummer Rambo were involved in all manner of rock and roll shenanigans, going back to the 1980's with Jock. Life was never boring with Jock around!

Anyone who knew Jock will know he was a larger than life character, who embraced the punk ethic and chaos. He was also a great front man and someone who made things happen.

We'll not see the likes of Jock again.

www.donegaldaily.com/2025/07/27/shock-and-sadness-at-tragic-death-of-punk-legend-jock-mcdonald/

The tectonic plates are shifting in British Politics and if you aren't paying attention you might just end up with a dictatorship in No 10

 This week we saw Jeremy Corbyn launch a new political party. Rather imaginatively named "Your Party" it has certainly caught the attention of those on the left of the Labour Party (and those who left the party because they were on the left and had had enough). It now has an email list with half a million signed up supporters. That is more than twice the number of people who have PAID to join Reform. If they all dig into their wallets, when the party actually starts to exist and you can join, it will be the biggest party in the UK. It will still only be around 1% of the population, but my guess is that they will largely be politically motivated people, who are willing to work hard as activists. What does "Your party" actually stand for? Despite Jeremy Corbyn being leader of the Labour party for several years, it occurred too me that most of us don't really know what he stands for. Is he pro or anti rejoin? Who does he support in the Ukraine war? Does he support Hamas, or is he simply someone who wants to see Palestinians have a nation? Would he renationalise water, rail, BT, gas & electricity? Does he support mass immigration, or as a Union man would he restrict it to maintain members pay & conditions? Does he think women can have a willy? You may have your own opinion of what Corbyn believes on these matters, but I have keenly watched Corbyn and I am not at all sure. It is pretty clear what many of his supporters views are on these matters, but Corbyn has been far less vocal publicly than you would imagine. I suspect this is because he hoped to be let back into Labour. Unlike when he was Labour leader, he can actually speak his mind. I'd love to interview him for the Barnet Eye and ask him directly. I think that a hard left approch to some of these, such as Nationalisation would be big vote winners. Issues like support for trans people would be more divisive for his supporters, as some are very pro trans rights and others are militant left wing feminists. When Hamas launched the October 7th attacks, Corbyns views on Israel seemed to be at the absolute margins of British politics.What has transpired since, with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, has lead many corades of Corbyn to proclaim "Gezza was right". I am not sure the majority of British voters are behind Corbyns traditional pro Palestinian viewpoint, but it is clear that many who were horrified by the 7th October attacks have lost sympathy and patience with the policies of the current Israeli government. I was chatting with someone who had been four square behind Israel until relatively recently, who said that he simply couldn't support a regime in Israel that lets babies who were not even born when Sept 7th happened starve. The current Israeli regime had until recently been able to claim that if you didn't support the policies of the current regime, you were an anti semite. It appears to me that this has worn thin. In the last week or so, I've seen more than a few Jewish friends on Facebook, who have never been critical of Israel previously saying "not in my name". Of  course there are plenty who still support the regime, and claim that Hamas are entirely to blame, but my reading of the room is that this view is rapidly losing traction. The harsh truth is that the goodwill towards the Israeli regime, which followed the 7th Oct attacks is dissipating amongst those who are not hardline supporters of either Israel or the Palestinian cause. 

My view? The Netenyahu regime does not represent all Jews or even all Israelis. It failed massively in letting the 7th October attacks happen. I have spoken to an Israeli friend, familiar with their army and seccurit, who tells me that he is familiar with the region and the location of the attacks. He says that the idea that Hamas could run riot for so long is incomprehensible. The Israelis have all manner of security measures in place to ensure such a thing simply cannot happen. They had informers in Gaza, listening posts, drones, watchtowers, sensors, army units on 24 hour standby, attack helicopters ready to take off. His view was that if the Hamas breach lasted for more than ten or fifteen minutes, without a massive response, something was simply not right. I am not going to speculate as to what, but he tells me that the fact that the current regime did not lose power immediately was a disgrace. 

As to Hamas. They are not Palestine or the Palestinian people. They do not stage elections and God help Palastinian in Gaza who opposes them. I have no sympathy with the apologists who excuse them. As best I can tell, they launched the attacks as they knew what the Israeli reaction would be and they are happy with it. They gambled, correctly it seems, that if they hung on long enough, sooner or later world opinion would swing against Israel. The fact that the French have said they will recognise the state of Palestine confirms that this strategy is working. 

I can't see how there can ever be peace when you have Hamas and Netenyahu. I simply don't think the world would support the complete destruction/relocation of Palestinians in Gaza. I don't think Netenyahu can back down from his policies as the consequences for him personally would be rather difficult, to say the least. I see no way out of this with the current players controlling the chess board. However, history tells us that sometimes the likes of Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley can work together and sort things out, so maybe there is a glimmer of hope. Donald Trump needs some good news. He is, perhaps, the only person who can broker a deal. If he succeeds, he surely will get the Nobel prize, to gold plate and hang on the wall. But only the greatest optimists on the planet expect that to happen. 

But this blog is not about the Middle East. It is about the UK and our politics. My purpose for giving my analysis, is that charges of anti semitism destroyed Corbyn as leader of Labour. It is really important to understand that if Corbyn plays his cards right, he can make the case that he wasn't being anti semitic in his criticism of Israel and what has happened has justified this. I am not passing an opinion on whether this is correct, simply predicting that this is the line he will take. It is no coincidence that he has chosen this moment to launch his new party. If Corbyn has read the British public well, this may bear dividends for him. In short, what seemed to be a Kryptonite spear through his heart may have become his secret weapon.

If his new party gets its act together, he may get 30-40 defections from his colleagues on the left, some of whom are already suspended. Labour activists and branches are far more left leaning that Keir Starmer and his cabinet. There are plenty of trades unions with cash to fund a new left wing party and activists and resources to staff it. If Corbyn can persuade them to jump ship, then Starmer is in huge trouble.  If, and this is a big if, the British public decides Corbyn is not the anti semite bogeyman we were warned about and he was actually right about Israel all along, then we may well see the biggest Political resurrection in 2000 years. The launch of "Your Party" has been ridiculed, but I would caution anyone who dismisses it as a bunch of fringe loony lefties, that there are a huge number of people on the left who do not like Starmer and would be more than happy to cheer Corbyn at Glasonbury again.

And then there is the right. Reform are ahead in the polls. We are seeing riots outside asylum hotels. We are seeing councils calling for the closure of these hotels. The hard right have successfully managed to conflate asylum seekers with rapists and child molesters. Whilst the British re tolerant and would never riot against refugees fleeing tyranny, no one wants a hotel full of rapists and nonces on their doorstep. I doubt that any of the protestors really think all of the residents of these hotels are sex offenders, but no one can blame people for feeling uneasy about the fact that some may be. I happen to think that the hard right and the protestors have not thought this through properly. If the hotels close, no one will be deported any quicker. They will simply be given council housing and dispersed and will be even harder to track. But Nigel Farage and Reform don't care about this obvious problem with their protests. In fact it plays well to their agenda. They are happy to shaft British working class people in need of social housing, if it plays well to their political agenda. Whereas we are not sure what Corbyn's answers were to the questions posed - Is he pro or anti rejoin? Who does he support in the Ukraine war? Does he support Hamas, or is he simply someone who wants to see Palestinians have a nation? Would he renationalise water, rail, BT, gas & electricity? Does he support mass immigration, or as a Union man would he restrict it to maintain members pay & conditions? Does he think women can have a willy? - I think we all know exactly where Farage stands on most of these (possibly with the exception of Ukraine and Nationalisation). 

I am going to say something that may be shocking about Nigel Farage. I do not think he would become a dictator if he ever got into No 10. I think he'd be a disaster, because he is, like Corbyn, a perennial oppositionist. A man who exists to say the horrible things that the likes of Starmer are too scared to elucidate. I believe a Reform government would be complete chaos, spooked markets, eternal legal challenges, cabinet reshuffles, MP's resigning over scandals, etc. Unless they can attract a few decent Tories, they will have no real experience of government or dealing with the Civil Service.

But, and here is the big problem. Reforms biggest problem is that it is a one man band. Farage is a good communicator and a larger than life figure. His party has no one else anywhere near his stature. It has all manner of characters who are completely unknown to us. I don't think anyone would disagree that they do not attract people from the Centre of British Politics. It is people from the right of the Tories who largely make up the numbers of members and activists. Of course in the Red Wall seats, many of the voters are disaffected leftists, who feel shafted by the establishment. If Corbyn gets his act together, he may shaft Reform by giving these voters a home back on the left, but it is far too easy to say. 

But my big fear is that Reform will be the largest of many parties, Farage will cobble together a government that falls apart, he will resign and then what? The next election will be in 2028-29. My big fear is not what happens then, but what happens in the election after that one. I can see a scenaruo where a Reform government is formed, implodes and what follows it the last British democratic election and a dictatorship. I have no idea what shape that will take. I dount we've even heard of the players who may emerge. But with the fragmentation of the right and left, we might see a situation where the only way to form a government is with a coalition of half a dozen parties, where nothing can be done. The one thing we know about Farage and his party  is that he loves a referendum. It may well be that the next one is to abolish democracy in the UK.