The Great Climb !

Yesterday I happened upon BB2 sometime around mid afternoon .
Two guys were climbing what appeared to be an absolutely impossible & at points overhanging, sheer rock face .,., in the wind & rain !!
I watched for only 10-minutes .,., or so it seemed .,., turned out to be maybe 1/2 - 3/4 of an hour or so !
I then went back to watching the footie ( yeah I'm a Saturday intellectual ) .,.,
And after the footie I watched a bit of the golf from Gleneagles ! ( the intellect just pours out of me at weekends ! )
You wonder how the beloved puts up with me don't you ?  Yeah, me too !
But she has her own things wat she does too .,.,., :)
Anyway an hour or two later I thought I'd check if the two climbers / madmen were still at it ?
It was maybe 5pm by now .,.,
I watched again for a few minutes .,., aye ok it was maybe about an hour this time .,., Jesus, these guys are either the bravest I've ever seen or completely mental and needing locked up in a secure establishment provided by the State ! ,,, ( my gut feeling tells me it's the latter ! )
It turned out that what I was watching was this .,.,
A spectacular live rock climb broadcast from the daunting overhanging cliff face at Sron Uladail on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. Dougie Vipond commentated, while leading climbers, Dave MacLeod and Tim Emmett, attempted a first ascent of an extreme new route, which promised to stretch their physical endurance and skill to the limit. ( I'll say it did ! ) With absolutely no guarantee that they would be able to conquer the route, and the huge physical and technical challenges involved, this promised to be a unique and compelling live event.
And so it turned out to be !  It went on for a further two hours !!
It was absolutely compelling viewing ,, but very, very stressful .,.,
The beloved actually couldn't watch it, it was making her all fluttery and shaky just being in the same room !!
I was now completely hooked and watched 'til the lead man ( Tim ) on stage 4 made it to the top ,,,
Oh boy, What a relief ,,
I had to go and lie down for an hour .,., Phew ,,, what an exhausting day !
But tell you what .,., if you didn't see this, then do have a look .. you can catch it on the BBC iPlayer ,,
I was never attracted to this kind of extreme sporting activity, even when I was young & relatively fit ,, but this is really compelling viewing ,, TV at it's very best .,., I guarantee if you start watching it you'll be hooked within the first 1/2 hour !
And don't blame me if you decide to watch the whole 7-hour climb !!!

This makes me weep just to think about it.

Some religious leaders tell us that Heaven is just outside the human psyche, our understanding is incapable, we cannot possibly visualise such a wonderful, beautiful place !
And ... If you think you've ever visualised Hell, then think again !

You're 4 miles underground ,, ( that's 21,120 ft ,,) you're trapped in a tiny air space about the size of a small one bedroom flat ,, there are 33 of you ,, most are simply fellow workers but a few are close friends too .,., you have little water and even less food ,,, you've been there 17-days already ,, most of your friends & relatives on the surface assume you're already dead ! ,,
Then CONTACT .,., Elation !
Oh Lord be praised ( or anyone else you might consider your saviour ? )

The men, estimated to have already lost up to 22lbs after surviving those 17 days with only a mouthful or two of tuna, a biscuit and half a glass of milk every 48 hours, have now been warned not to put on too much weight through lack of exercise.  Whit ?  in 30*+ sweating hot heat .,.,How like ?
A 26" diameter borehole will eventually be dug through to bring them back to the surface so they REALLY need to stay SLIM !!
BUT, and here's the rub ,, they have now ( some days after first contact ) been told that this hole will take some 3-4 MONTHS  to dig .,.,.,
The men apparently took this information calmly we are told ,,, but a spokesman said, and I quote !
"a period of depression, anguish and severe malaise could ensue." ,,,,  COULD ? Did that idiot say COULD ??? Jesus !! 
So now the Agony begins,,


OMG ,,, I can't even begin to think what state of mind these guys will be in by then ?
In an attempt to keep them fit and sane, they have now been given daily tasks such as digging latrines, ( there's a whole other problem in a confined space ! .. 33 guys for 120 days are going to produce a waste mountain down there & no A/C ! ) while they will also be delivered playing cards, dominoes, pens and paper and music to relieve the boredom. ( oh and food & drink of course ! not to mention anti depression medication )
The men, trapped in the San Jose gold and copper mine, have also been sent a video camera so they can record messages for their families above ground.

But think about it ,,, cooped up with virtually nothing to do for 4 months .,., it's the stuff of nightmares ,, your very worst nightmares !  I can't think about it without wanting to weep for them. 
You see, I've been deep down various coal mines both here in the Uk & in France .,., a 7 hour shift is bad enough ,, the thought of being stranded down there for a few weeks sends shivers of sheer panic down my spine.  For a few months, noooooooooo .,., I doubt I'd ever be sane again.
Nasa have been contacted for help, ,, they have stuff in place for dealing with astraunauts in space for long periods ,,  the Chilean navy has been called in to share their experiences of working in submarines, both conditions said to be similar to that of the miners.
Oh no it's not !

There are certain things that happen in life that tear at my soul ,, leave me completely naked and feeling utter wretched despair : fire is one, ( my blog readers will know why ) falling from a great height is another ,,( the Twin Towers was a nightmare with both ,,) seeing anything hurt my wife, my children ,,
But this, this goes to another plane altogether .,.,
God help them ,, I have no religion in me but I will hope & even pray for their survival both physical & mental.

Ah Must be a Doddery Auld Bugger right enough !

So yesterday I was busily working away ,, in the garden of all places ! ( well it was sunny ! )
Cutting the grass, weeding ( although I'm not actually trusted too far on that chore, having a penchant for pulling up anything that even looks weedish ! but generally isn't ! ) so the beloved is our real family weeder. :)
Anyway I decided I'd "edge" the lawn ( ha, lawn is mibbie a wee bit of a stretch on the imagination here ! ( our little square of front grass )
I got out our strimmer to do this ( having watched the green staff on the golf course the day before making a beautiful job of the bunker grass edges & it looking soooo easy ) ,, I wondered why I hadn't thought of this before always having done this with the edging tool ,, yon wee half moon shaped spade kinda thing !)
By now you might be getting the impression I'm not any kind of "gardener"  .,., you'd be correct !
Now this strimmer thing ,,, I've never been able to work it !  5 seconds and the wee nylon string snaps & another 5 minutes coaxing a new length of "string" out ,, oops it's snapped again ,, what a useless bloody tool !
I'm very careful of course to pull the plug each time I open it up to pull out the next length of "string" !
Well normally I am !!!  Yesterday it was really frustrating me ,, I was in & out of it's workings more often than a taxidermist stuffing a big cat !
Then all of a sudden Ouch, ouch, shit ,, bugger ,, awlll ,, the nylon string was whizzing round at 1400 rpm and slicing the back of my hand to ribbons ,, I finally managed to throw it off me but only as far as my leg !!
It then started pulverising my thigh ,, ouch and stuff again ,, Oh that was sore .. but at least I had shorts on so the leg lacerations are minor ( by comparison ! )  I finally kicked the damn thing into submission and a stop as it hit the ground .,., The bloody "string" didn't break this time of course ,,
The back of my hand now looks a bit like something you'd see in the butcher's windae !
Anyway just about this point a nice, presentable, confident  young man in a suit, & complete with collar & tie stops by ( jings whit is the world coming to ! ) ,, ,,, clipboard in hand and starts chatting to me about possibly changing my Utilities supplier ,,
Oh bugger off son, I said ,, can't you see I'm busy ?  Well says he, you kinda look like you need a wee break !  Cheeky upstart I thinks ! You'll sell me NOTHIN' son ,, besides I've never been known to buy anything from anyone chapping my door cold !
Who are you with currently ? he continued.   EDF as it happens ,, and aye, they've been pissing me off for some time now with their funny estimates of how much my monthly D/D constantly seems to need to increase by ,,, ( Naturally I'm always on top of my Gas & Elect usage and know to the penny what my D/D needs to be ,, I frequently explain to them that I bank with my BANK and not with them and I will NOT pay exsessive amounts to keep me in credit for them to use my money ,, 
So, I relented and gave the boy a chance to impress me with his undoubtedly cheaper G & E ,,,
And so it turned out to be ,, well for now anyway ! ,, a full third less than I'm currently paying and with two £100 discounts ( one for 12 months only, the other for always & no tied contract for life or anything ,,  ) so I finally agreed to change ( the beloved was keen to ditch the FRENCH EDF people too ,, remember the daughter's ex was French !! )
The boy turned out to be a fellow Golfer, which of course did his sales pitch no harm whatsoever !  ( a real golfer in fact, playing off +1 ,, a veritable Pro in the making .,., why are you wasting your Saturdays selling Gas & Electricity son when you could turn professional with that handicap ? )
Now to the punch line from this whole story !!
The boy does all his business, explaining every detail to me about what I'm about to sign up for ,, showing me all the relevent paperwork etc ,, then tells me that he now needs me to talk to a head office wallah to confirm that I understand it all ,, DOH,  I say ,, it's not rocket science son ,,  but nevertheless he puts me onto his boss man who then proceeds to go through the whole spiel again ,, almost verbatim as already done by his young salesman .,., until he comes to the bit ,,, Can you confirm for me sir that you are between the ages of 18 and 65 ,,,
Eh, naw says I ,, I'm just a tad older than that ! ( a very little tad ! )
Oh ! he says, a little taken aback  ,,, eh, well,
A problem ? asks me.
Eh, no sir, not a problem but I now have to ask if you'd like us ( or yourself of course ) to provide a witness before you sign anything since you fall into the "older" catagory for signing up on your own !!
Well let me see, says I ,, eh, what was it I was signing up for ,, I've forgotten ,, I'm a doddery, grumpy old codger you see ,, just don't know what I'm doing half the time !  Jesus !
Gimmie the papers son ,,, before your daft boss loses you a sale !  Ma faculties are still working fine !
But eh ,, Doh ,,, mibbie this G & E is rocket science efter aw ,,,
I know Strimmers definitely are !!

So, the Big Yin is a Freeman !

Well his mooth has always been a bit on the FREE side anyway, has it no' ?!
“I didn’t even know there was such a thing as freedom of the city,” he said. But I'm delighted to have it !
Aw c'mon ya big lying bastard  ,,, ( oops, did I just lapse into a Connolly moment there ? ) ,, of course you knew about the freedom of the City .,., you must have known ,, you bloody petitioned like the rest of us to FREE NELSON MANDELA .,., remember ? ., & he's wan o' Glesca's free men !
So is Alex. Ferguson & Kenny Dalglish ( yer pal, late of your beloved Celtic ! ) so don't try kidding a kidder big man .,., you knew bloody fine !
Anyway, I dare say he deserves it ,, he's made us laugh for many's a long year now, and from the belly too, and that's not easy, albeit he's a bit on the coarse side but seemingly only on stage ?  Off it he somehow manages to putt oan a bit of a Bools in the Mooth accent .,., Must be aw yon mixin' wi' his Royal chums ,,, yer mooth probably goes like that with too much arse licking ?
But hey ,, who am I to critisize a man trying to better himself ?  I mean, the man's a Laird, living in his Castle, so he's got appearances to keep up.
He's also done some damn fine documentaries touring the world & shown us all stuff we'd never have seen any other way ,,  I've now toured New Zealand ( twice ) which saved me the boring flight and cash of actually going there myself ! Thanks for that Billy.
Among his newly begotten rights are the following btw :-
He can now graze his cows on the common land of Glasgow Green ( and don't think he won't ! )
He's allowed to fish in the Clyde ( and this he will definitely do for he's one o' them ,, a bored sportsman ! )
Attend all court hearings in the city ( eh ,,, well would you ? )
Trade within the burgh, specifically on market days ( he's sold himself  there for years ! )
And now for the real goody ,, he gets to have a prison cell all to himself if he's ever imprisoned ( and that might well come in handy one of these days? )
And what duties does he need to do for the City in return ?
Oh aye ,, he's to defend the town by arms – and if he doesn't, he could be prosecuted for perjury of his oath and flung in the Pokie ! ( to his single cell ! )
Only question left for the Big Yin is .,.,Why has ma wee pal Queenie no' tapped ma shouder yet ??
Wis it somethin' a said ????

"The older I get, the better I think I used to be."

You can get almost any message on a car bumper sticker these days !
And what a brilliant wee statement that one is ?
It no doubt gives you some idea of my age however !
I confess ! .,., I moved into the league of super Pumpas recently  ,,,  the current count of grand-we'ans is a staggering but magnificent SEVEN !! and that needs you to be aged . ( or leads you to be aged maybe ? )
I retired from the "Rat Race" 10-years ago now ( too many rats ! ) ,,,
Then I became a fully paid up member of the Grumpy Old Men's club .,., and that wasn't yesterday either !
The eyes are a bit dimmer now .,., the hearing's getting a bit suspect too nowadays ..( Whit ? )
And now the memory's starting to go ! 
But of one thing I am still sure  .,., and that is,.,.,.,,.,
The older I get, the better I think I definitely used to be !
And who's gaunae dispute that ?
:)

Well here they all are !

First (of many nae doobt ) picture of the complete Magnificent Seven !
Introducing from left to right ,, Big teen now Marcel, newest baby Alasdair, little Amaia, Ginger bonce Gordon, Dumbo ears Leon, the wee blonde Anna bits, and the beautiful almost grown up Charlotte.
My photographic task over the next few months will be a simple one .,., to get THE picture .,., you know, the one where ALL seven are looking at the camera, all smiling AND all with clean faces !! 
Hopeless objective ?? You think ?
Not on your life ,, you just watch this space !
An Ohhhh, Footnote :
I started referring to this brood as .... My Dynasty !
However, there could be a real challenge awaiting me down the line somewhere !
The daughter ( responsible for 5 of the 7 tells me that I 'aint seen nothin' yet ,,, somehow she's managed to pluck some quick calculation out of her ( crazy ) head & has now threatened me ( yes I consider it a threat ! ) with a possible 29- great grand children !!
The seven only just get the Dynasty started she says .,.,., Arghhhhhhh
I actually worried about this for a micro second or two before realising that by the time this might come about I would be well past the age of knowing that they were mine .,., or caring :-)
And as for getting 29 ( +7 ) to sit and smile at the camera .,.,
Forget it, I already have !!

Jimmy's Rat Race is finally over.

At the time of the Clyde shipbuilder's work-in, in 1970, I felt a bit embarrassed for Jimmy Reid. ( as well as Jim Airlie & Sammy Barr. )
This rough Clyde-built union man came to prominence with his now famous speech containing the lines .,.,
"We are not going to strike. We are not even having a sit-in strike. There will be no hooliganism, there will be no vandalism, there will be no ,, bevvying, because the world is watching us - and it's our responsibility to conduct ourselves with dignity."

It just kinda made me feel a little sorry for him. The mere fact that he had to voice such warnings with the world listening I felt was something of a stigma on us proud Scots. But the man knew his workers .,., and the discipline they were capable of. 
But .,., he had obviously no chance of winning this battle against Ted Heath's Tory government ,,
Had he ?
Jimmy was a true fighting Scot and boy did he win that battle .,., This speech saved the yard, and the decision to close with thousands of redundancies was reversed.
The man turned out to be a GIANT .,., possibly the best Scottish MP we never had right enough !
His speeches became legendary ,, his absolute committment to his working class roots immense.
Even if you didn't share his Communist politics you had to admire the man ? He was an iconic socialist from the tip of his head to his boot laces .,.,
His inaugural speech as Rector of Glasgow University is rated as the best since Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address !!  Now that's quite something for a wee boy from the Gorbals is it no '?
The Rat Race is for rats he said, humankind can create a fairer, more compassionate and better society.
He spoke and wrote with such passion and much of what he had to say was worth a listen !
This week we've lost one of the greats ,, a leader of men who actually could get things done.
He was one of the few Scottish political figures who can genuinely say that they provoked real change for the better. He argued eloquently and passionately against the insanity of the capitalist system which once again has caused a major recession where the many will pay for the greed of the few.
“His whole being was about helping others. The work he did in the shipyards and the socialist beliefs he held and held onto were a fundamental part of his life.
Today was a sad passing.
R.I.P. Jimmy ,, working class hero .,., you'll be missed.

Our Magnificent Seven !

Friday 6th. Aug 2010.
Red Letter Day number 7 !
My beloved D.I.L. ( that's daughter-in-law to any uninitiated ) is by now in the Queen Mum's maternity hospital, on the operating table and soon our newest grandson will be with us.
Everything is crossed awaiting the news that he has arrived, safe & sound and that mum is on the way to a quick recovery and home to PQ.
As you no doubt noticed, our next baby is a boy ... and has been since his first scan months & months ago !
A little brother for Gordy, the Black Pudding man of Clan Buchanan ,,,
I wonder what our new babe will be called ?  Will he be another wee Buckie Ginger ?? Another smart little cookie ? Who knows ,, but as long as he's healthy & happy who cares ?
I certainly know how he'll be dressed for his first year ,,, for hasn't his Granny been knitting like one posessed for nearly 9-months now ?  Will he suit his new Partick Thistle strip I wonder !! ( His dad will love it ! ) Will he really look like a Teddy in one of Granny's BEAR creations ?? ( His Mum will love it ! )
Oh c'mon, hurry up QM .,., I've been watching this 'phone for any sign of life since 7-30 am this morning !
Needless to say, we can hardy contain ourselves to see our latest grand we'an .... the Magnificent 7th. of the Clan.  WOW !!,,, that's SEVEN grandkids !!
Think I'll just go check that 'phone is working ok ,, again !
Updates will be posted later in the morning ?  afternoon ?? Arghhhhhhhhhhhh SOON ,,,
10-22 am  News Flash :
Master Alasdair Douglas Henderson Buchanan, 7lbs 8oz is born.
Mother & baby both well
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ......
Photos to follow in due course naturally !

                     First pic and note the jaunty (golfer ? ) way he wears his hat !

A Cluster What ?

We were playing golf today, Stevie & I ,,, a not altogether unusual Thursday thing for us retired gents!
At the notorious Eastwood 6th., a long and difficult par 5 he put his first ball from the elevated tee 45* left into deep, deep rough, bush & tree country.
To let you understand, this is not totally unusual for Steve !
His "provisional" ball ( that's 3 off the tee pal, for you've as much chance of finding and playing that 1st. ball as I have of having a hole in one at this hole, and I'm good but not that bloody good ! )
His provisional landed on the fairway ,,, but only just and still a LONG way to go .,.,
His now 4th. hit up the hill took him almost to my drive ! 
His 5th. to about the turn of the dog leg left. From there he hit a rather nice 6th. shot almost onto the green but unfortunately it didn't quite make it and ran off some 30-feet down the slope away to the right of the green. But he was on in 7 and with a masterly putt landed only some 4-feet short of the hole .,., Like the true gentleman golfer I am, I of course conceded his putt to save him the embarrasment of the dreaded 10.
I will say no more about this hole, save to say that I myself had a rather magnificent birdie 4.
The point of this tale we now reach !
On walking to the next tee Steve comes up with one more of his wonderful anecdotes on his golf game & indeed on his life in general.
That, he says was what I call  a Cluster Fuck !
A what ? says I .,.,
You know, he says, when you make one mistake and you then try to compensate for it by trying the impossible, which naturally leads to to a further mistake & so you end up have a cluster of them .,.,
A CLUSTER FUCK ! 
What a truly brilliant expression says I ,, I MUST try getting that one out to the public at large .,.,
I know, I'll do a blog about it !
Och no need, says he ,, I taught all the kids in school that years ago while I was still teaching !!!!

Up on the Roof !

When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much, for me to face
I climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift, right into space
On the roof, it's peaceful as can be
And there the world below can't bother me
Let me tell you now .,.,.,.,
Hahahaha ,, I wonder if that's what was going thro' the young lady's mind as she fell that 25Ft to earth after her crazy notion for a bit of ruff rumpy-pumpy on the corrugated roof of the local Chinese take away ?
Or was it ,,, Jesus, he was good ,, but his coitis-interuptis needs a little "Polishing" up .,., just a bit abrupt !

That being said, isn't coitis interuptis sinful and not to be practiced according to Glasgow's coming visitor, you-know-who ?  Auld B16 !!
So not a good catholic boy then ?
She is called Alex, is 19, and is Polish ... & insisted she had no regrets, saying, "We decided to have sex on the roof because we were bored. It was just a bit of fun but it all turned a bit scary. I'm in shock - and a bit sore." Not surprising hen, since you landed flat on your bare backside.
"It was a great adventure,"  she offered !
"He's not my boyfriend & I'm really worried he's going to get into a lot of trouble over this." ( You bet he is petal ! )

Fortunately the lassie survived the fall and lived to tell the tale .,., Not so happy for him though, for his girlfriend was apparently none too happy on hearing it !  
Oops again he was heard to mutter as he was driven away by the constabulary !
A passer by was heard to comment " She was probably a polish slater, typical cowboy builder, not even wearing a hard hat ..
Hahaha ,,,, so much for safe sex ?

How to find new & interesting blogs ?

I decided, having noticed that I now have a regular following of some 11 or 12 readers of my "blog " ramblings that maybe I should also become a follower .,., I do of course have 1 or 2 blogs that I read & enjoy regularly but I've only ever found them from them finding me !
Question therefore is ,, how do you find new, interesting and please ,, NON RELIGIOUS blogs to read ?
I started  trawling thro' "Next Blog" and having a look but EVERY one of the 1st. 20 blogs I checked this way came up with "I'm following God" or "Jesus is my main man" , "we are the Church's Missionaries type stuff " .,., Eh, Back track here a mo' .,., I've just done it again ,, make that the 1st. 100 blogs ,,, not a single blog that isn't being used to push religion down your throat !! Surely this is not right ?  There must be some non holy Willies in there somewhere ?? So why is every page I try dedicated to one church or another ?
Now this may not surprise some of you but religion is NOT my thing ,,,
As far as I'm concerned, and I've said this before ,, Religion ( in all its guises ) is the cause of ALL world conflicts ,, always has been & always will be .,., so what drives these people ?  ( eh, that's just a rhetorical question ,, I DON'T want answers thanks very much !! )
So, is there a method for finding "normal" folks to read, a way to bypass or filter out these people, or has the internet world of Blogging been quietly taken over by the lunatic fringe ?

Is Music Killing me ?

This week I watched (again) a Stevie Wonder concert that I had put a K (for keep) onto my Sky+box.

I've been a life long fan ,,, what can I say ,, I've watched & listened to "Little Thunder", the wee music man since he was about 12 ,,, Steveland Morris is a genius ( not such a wee guy nowadays but a genuine genius giant ,, If you don't believe me listen to Innervisions / Fullfillingness First Finale, Songs in the Key of Life, or Stevie's Journey through the Secret Life of Plants.  

There are a few in the "G" class but more of them later !

My problem now is that to listen and sing along is becoming almost impossible ,, it's the same with Opera ,, well certainly with Luciano Pavarotti, and even fellow tenors José Carreras & Plácido Domingo  ...

I can't listen to certain stuff any more without dissolving in tears !

Stevie's, You are the Subshine of my life ,, Isn't she lovely ,,

Fat Lucy's Nessun Dorma (None shall sleep) the aria from the final act of  Puccini's opera Turandot,  ... Connie Francis' My Happiness ,,

I'm a wreck !
I think auld age is turning me into an uncontrollable melancholic ? ( I'm off the booze these days you see ! )
I think I'm gonna try doing a list of the stuff that's gotten into my soul over the years affecting me so badly ,, so wonderfully !
See if that stops the maudlin in me from comin' oot ?
So, to begin ,,, the true Genius ( or "G" ) class :
Well of course there's Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, Buddy Holly, ( how much more might we have had if Buddy hadn't taken that damned 'plane ? ) Abba, John & Paul,
Then there's the awfully good : Performers who have ( and still do ) move me, to the bottom of my very soul.
Sinatra, ( still & always the King ) Tony Bennett, Eric Clapton, Leonard Cohen, ( I'm not sure Eric & Lenny shouldn't also be in the "G" class ? ),
Nat King Cole singing Mona Lisa just blows me away.
John Denver ( his love lost Annie which in the end obviously killed him )
José Feliciano singing anything & playing his wonderful guitar,
Stephane Grapelli playing with Django ( I once shook Stephane's hand after a concert ,., such soft, smooth skin & and a lovely gentle man )
Billy Joel puts his heart & soul into all his writing & performing,
Jack Jones ( for his album Harbour .,., )
Gerard Kenny ( who? I hear you say ,, listen to his tribute to Cole Porter album Play me some Porter Please and just listen to Do I Love You .,., track 6 to save you looking ! ),
Then there's Mark Knopfler & Dire Straits ( a fantastic series of albums, the peak of which surely must be Brothers in Arms )
Don Maclean ( His song for Buddy, American Pie, but also Vincent, And I Love you so, Wonderful baby, and so many more, right from the heart ,, & do listen to Building my Body ! )
Wee Chris de Burgh has done some beautiful things too ( and not only have a Beauty Queen daughter ! )
Barry Manilow, the Showman, wrote & sung some brilliant numbers but has sadly now lost his way ( and his face !  Why did you do that Barry ? )
Freddy Mercury and Queen were extraordinary .,., I'm so glad to have witnessed all Freddie's performances excesses. ( Go Freddie ! You are sadly missed )
Gary Moore brings me to my knees with his guitar solos, I can listen to Parisienne Walkways all night.
And talking French, Gabriel Yared's score from the movie Betty Blue is truly sensational as are most of Jean Michelle Jarre's wonderful electronics ?
Leaping in from my teenage years is Ricky Nelson's Stood Up, Poor Little Fool, Someday ,,,, Ahhhhh
Bobby Darin was a great favourite .... as was Gene Vincent
Elvis of course ( well the early Elvis ,, not the caped wonder of later life ! )
Jerry Lee Lewis' Great Balls were always a Whole Lotta Shakin', his was the ultimate rockin' piano,
Johhny Ray & me Cried together manys a time whilst Walkin' my Baby Back Home !
Marty Wilde was great long before he produced his American girl ! 
Young Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers were top of my pops for a while, back then I too was a Juvenile Delinquent ,,
Mick & Keith's Rolling Stones will live on forever ( always & STILL the best Rock 'n Roll band in the world ),
I loved T-Rex in the Glam age, Marc Bolan, another one gone with much more to give ?
I know there's no logic to this blog but these songs just come into my head in whatever order they like ,,
I have little or no control here ,,so bear with me , ok !
Take That's Gary Barlow will eventually get onto the "G" list if he keeps up his output of magical heart rending songs ( you don't need Robbie back in the band guys ! )
Chrissie Hynde (& her Pretenders) is something else ,, the raunchy bitch of Rock ,, superb.
I'm also a fan of Thom Yorke and Radiohead ( ugly little Creep but a real thinker ! )
Neil Young, in all his guises ,, with or without his Crazy Horse is strange but magnificent.
Belive it or not but writing this I'm currently also listening to Crazy ,, the wonderful velvety voice of Country singer Patsy Cline is melting me as I type ( has anyone ever seen two pictures of Patsy that look like the same woman ? )
On the country front I was once hopelessly in love with Crystal Gayle ,,, her sexy voice did things to me .,., Oooh ya !
Willie Nelson is a legend in every sense of the word, a true singer/songwriter with stories told from his soul.
And will anybody ever top the wee barra from the Blue Grass Mountains for writing & singing country ? Take a bow Miss Dolly P !
The Eagles, ( special mention to the loon guitar man  Don Henley ),  Fleetwood Mac ( special mention to Stevie Nicks but that's just a lust thing ! ) & Bon Jovi ( my wife will want me to specially mention young John B J !! )
There's just so many .,., my soul is obviously an easy touch !
Others who do it for me .,., Katie Melua ( new'ish but very good ,, so far )  Liza ( with a Zee ) Minnelli, especially the album she did with The Pet Shop Boys ( never liked her wee mammy though ! ).,., talking of which, Dusty Springfield ( absolutely brilliant and gone too soon ) and again her song with the Pet Shop Boys was fantastic.
Hey, there's also the excellent and very clever Pet Shop Boys ( see how clever these two are ,, they managed to get three mentions ! )
The Beach Boys ,, although I included Brian Wilson in the "G" class the Boys did some really good stuff on their own ,, of particular mention the magical Holland album, my all time favourite Beach Boys gig.
Going on, Carly Simon and all those teeth, Lisa Stansfield ( but that could be a lust thing again on my part ! )
Sophie Ellis-Bexter ( now this is definitely a LUST thing ! )
Oh and the brilliant Duffy, song writer extraordinaire and what a voice ?
The Beautiful South have done some excellent tracks ,,
Hue & Cry I can't possibly miss since they wrote the brillant Glasgow Song, among others.
Barbra Streisand, it goes without saying the Jewish quarter in NYC produced a right one in Babs !
Chris Rea, also a writer, singer & guitarist of extraordinary talent, many of his lyrics take me to the depths !
Otis Reading & I have spent some lazy afternoons sitting on The Dock of the Bay.
Sandi Thom  made me also wish I'd been a Punk Rocker ,, ( I already had the flower in my hair from way back hen ! )
Marillion was a Big Fish for a while and I really liked his stuff too :) .
Jon & Vangelis I always liked ,, well the Friends of Mr Cairo album ,,
Sting writes beautiful songs and is such a thinker and worrier about bad stuff global but I still get the feeling his  biggest fan is Gordon Sumner ?
Earl Brown & Hot Chocolate were up there in their hey day,  as were Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart's Eurythmics ,, The Kinks with Ray & Dave Davies are old enough to be though of as Fab !
And talking old enough ,, the best of the 20's/30's/40's  ,, Billie Holiday, surely Jazz's finest vocalist ?  But having said that, now we need to mention Ella, Satchmo, och I'm not going any further down this road ,,
KD Lang ( Katherine Dawn, that man  face with the voice of an angel, she has a Constant Craving to Wash me Clean .,., now if you want to have a good greet, listen to KD )
Wet, Wet, Wet did it for me too until Marty went off the rails .,., and hard as he tries he's never gonna get it back I'm afraid.
Natalie Cole had her Da's voice box implanted and was also sensational but what's happened to her ?  Last I heard she was needing a kidney transplant and on drugs ? ( the illegal, hard stuff ) What a waste of a wonderful natural talent gift ?
Now who have I not included ? 
Ah, Mike Oldfield and his wonderful Tubular Bells , oops Bowie, Ray Charles, Diana Ross ( A Miss Beautiful Supreme ! )  David Essex in his Rock On days, Kate Bush ( my 1st album on Cd )  Deacon Blue ,,,,
Oh & who could forget that journey Pink Floyd took us on ? to the Dark Side of the Moon ,,
And perhaps the all time tear jerker ,, Sinead O'Connor doing what Prince could never get close to with his Nothin' Compares 2U .,.,
Now then, how could I forget Robert ,, for I drank pints with him once in a wee pub in Kidderminster .,., Planty ,, Led Zeppelin's main man ,, ( alas now Alison Krauss' ? ) THE heavy rock band ?
That Stairway to Heaven takes you all the way to Kashmir don't you know !
Ahhhh, such memories.
Some newer people ,, Leona Lewis, destined for greatness ?  Alex Parks I also liked but she seems to want another life already ? Amy Winehouse has a voice to die for and seems hell bent on doing just that !
Dido, Sheryl Crow, ( ok Shaza's not so new ! ) Natasha Bedingfield, Eva Cassidy ( sadly gone now too )
Will Young, excellent and getting better with every recording.
And of course my son wouldn't talk to me again if I didn't mention the God Father ( well for him ) and possibly my next grandson's name sake ?  Bob Dylan ,, such a commentry on life & the USA  and what an output over so many years ,, amazing !

And to all those artists that I've missed ( but probably also love ) I'm sorry ,,
And I didn't include all my favourite Classical stuff either, from Vivaldi to the Planets and beyond ,, young Nicola Benedetti & her Violin ( so much prettier than the boy wonder Nigel Kennedy ? )

On reflection, music isn't killing me at all ,,, it's keeping me ALIVE !