Unlucky!

Here's a shot of the Carphone Warehouse shop in the Rotunda in Birmingham. There is a large display of one of the new shiny phones. The new shiny phone display has broken. Woops.

Heroes (Ed. 3)

Triple bill hero recognition time, twinned with a confession.

I am in love with radio. It's all I ever wanted to do since I was bitten by the bug as a toddler. Radio Two as a boy, several songs can take me right back. Sadly, they are too cheesy to repeat here.

The first time I can recall ever hearing 'in the dark' radio was possibly Radio One in the mid to late eighties. The presenter had been to New York and claimed to have been in a room with radios tuned to every station in the city. There was one tune that some stations were playing at the same time, and this seemed to be by a 'Rapping Reverend' of some sort. I was transfixed at the noises of life coming out of my clock radio, and I was transported to my under ten idea of what New York would be like.

If you have any ideas about this Rapping Reverend, or, you heard the same broadcast, please get in touch.

One night in 1990 I stayed up late - possibly due to the excitement of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. On Beacon, was a voice - a Liverpudlian voice, who took calls and let the listeners speak, and he listened. This man is Ian Perry, responsible for me wanting to become a talk radio DJ. I even got my name read out on his show later that year.

It sounded so natural and real, that I was disappointed to hear later on other exponents deliberately rile their callers into arguments in order to create "great radio". Ian Perry created a community of callers, regular themes, topical debate, and edgy topics at times. Characters, The Head of Cock Ups, how to fill for four hours at a time, I learned a lot.

As secondary school got tougher, the all night listening sessions tended to drop away.

On Sunday afternoon, at about the same time, Dad drove back from the pub (yes, I know) and I heard Chris Evans questioning Claire Rayner, at that time infamous for commercials for "ladies' stationery" that featured wings. Every question had the answer 'wings'. Simple but effective. Fun and funny.

This Evans fellow then exploded onto televison, but quickly returned to Radio with Virgin and the Big Red Mug Show - I still have the final one on tape. (First volume of the excellent autobiography for further reading.) To cut the next ten years out, he then became the biggest thing *ever*, thought he was invincible and then, in once sense or another, lost everything. (Would recommend the unpublished second volume of the autobiography for this bit.)

Then someone had the bright idea of asking him to host a radio-a-thon, linking together every commercial radio station in the country in support of the Indian Ocean tsunami appeal. Everyone who listened enjoyed the professionalism and enthusiasm again. Radio Two gave him a job. He's now taking over the biggest job in daily broadcasting, the Radio Two Breakfast Show.

Legend.

Final broadcasting hero? It's a bizzare split, and I have to split it. Not warranting a full hero status each, for reasons that will hopefully become apparent.

John Peel and Danny Baker (at the same time). John Peel is an inspiration because he loved the music. The music was real and he encouraged it. He was there when Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald (true!). He was a wilfully grumpy, aincient, teenager. Nothing gave him more pleasure than discovering new music and sharing it with people. I only heard very few of his shows, and learned more about him following his unfortunate early death.

Danny Baker is spontaneous, witty, and knows how to work an audience. Only been a fan since listening to the Euro 2008 606's last summer, where his total opposition to actually talking about the real events on the pitch was legendary. Now gifted a great slot on Radio Five Live Saturday mornings, still accompanied by the blossoming Issy Clarke. Great to listen to as I prepare to get to my own Sports show on Saturdays!

So there you have it.

Radio Heroes:

1) Ian Perry

2) Chris Evans

3) John Peel and Danny Baker at the same time

Dudley, October 9th 2009

Welcome to Dudley, an improbable stones' throw away from where I used to wait for the bus each day as I went to college.

There used to be a pub by the bus station, called the Joe Darby. (My Dad insists it is known as the Josie D'Arby, which would have made it one of very few pubs in the entire country named after the Welsh actress.)

Anyhow, around the turn of the century the pub needed a reinvigoration. It seemed to be standard to make everything look like New York, lending weight to arguments for a new name. So a neon sign was ordered, hoisted into place...and a couple of years later, the pub lays dormant.

Sadly, it looks as if a bit of the neon sign has fallen off, too.

Welcome to He Metro Bap, Dudley.

Snow...

Yes, the week the nation came to a halt. I couldn't resist taking a few snaps...

Here is St. Phillips Cathedral bathed in snow. Surrounded by bemused commuters.

A chilly statue of James Watt. More photos to follow soon. 

I Am 30

What else to do but to share one of the finest bits of graffiti  in the city:

Advertising

Hello

I thought I'd lose some more sleep and attempt some moody atmospheric adverts for this place. Not that it needs to advertise, of course. So here they are, in glorious mostly grey, white, blue and beard-o-vision. I was trying to be over the top with the moodiness, to make a "Potentially Pretentious" theme to them, but I was overcome with a desire for mildly amusing captions instead for ads two and three.

Some lighter ones maybe later this week.

Welcome To New York

It's two years since visiting New York. My visit coincided with the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. In the five years until visiting the site of the towers, every day those indelible images of the 'planes disappearing into history haunted me. If that did that to me who only heard the events live, I will never understand how it felt to be either in New York or in those fateful buildings on the day. 

By visiting, the terror aspect for me from that day was diminished. 

Here are some pictures, some sombre and some less so from a couple of great days in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

For this post, commentary is above the pictures.

We took the subway south to the pier, to visit the Staten Island Ferry on the 11th. After taking some nice views of Manhattan, we sailed back and walked north. When we seemingly ran into the entire world's news crews. I took the opportunity to stand by one of the remaining items that were beamed around the world from the lenses of Jules and Gedeon Naudet.

Here's a fat me looking away from Manhattan on Staten Island.

Atmospheric skyline shot. 

A view from the Staten Island Ferry of both Brooklyn (foreground) and George Washington bridges.

On Liberty Island, with helpful accidental picture of the hole in the skyline at the bottom right.

Times Square, at night.

The last remaining above ground bit of the WTC complex, known as the "Survivors Staircase". This was moved in March 2008.

Nice shot of a street.

Street signs for the easily confused...

And the view from the gallery...
Inside Grand Central Station
Looking South towards downtown, with Liberty Island and Ellis Island on the right.

And living a bit of a childish dream, outside the Ghostbusters firehouse!

Welcome to Birmingham, 5

Further in this recurring series, more shots that make Birmingham and its environs look attractive and occasionally sexy.

Firstly, the view looking towards Wolverhampton from Tipton’s Owen Street train station. Lovely clouds.

Here, have some Birmingham Council House action.

Late night after visiting Subside, the Council House in profile, but centre stage is ( I think) Joseph Priestly. And some rain for atmosphere. And some flowers.

Lastly, the views from Tyseley station bridge looking towards the city centre. Having visited New York, I can say that this looks similar to the approach to Manhattan Island from New Jersey. Just. If you squint a bit. It was dark when I got to New York, after all.

Theft from Flickr

I am confusingly pleased to mention that I have discovered a way to ‘archive for personal reasons’ photos uploaded to Flickr. I’m sure it’s not just me that knows how to do this, but still. I spent a surprisingly short time downloading for personal archiving reasons some (68!) approval shots for one of my obscure TV crushes. Just to prove that it could be done, of course.

Ooh!

Introducing you to my current desktop at work, stretched full (if you want the full vision). Best viewed in 4:3 square-o-vision, then you get the magnificence of the spherical cloud. Originally only meant to be up for one day, this replaced the vandalised "Windows NT" with NT crossed out and XP written over the top after 11 months.

Of course, this was to commemorate the Trinity test of July 16, 1945; the moment science theoretically could have destroyed the world. The results were less devastating than that, but still deadly enough for its cousins to virtually end World War Two.

From scientists theoretically having the power to destroy the world, the governments of the world now have enough to destroy the world five times over.

Enough doom though - what an astonishing image. Captured (according to the always correct Wikipedia) 0.016 seconds after detonation. Props to the legendary Berlyn Brixner who took the photograph. He's still very much alive, and he's the only 97 year old I want to meet. He is famously also the inventor of the Ultra High Speed shutter.

Welcome To ...Liverpool?

A couple of days ago, in a sun induced moment of madness, I visited the European Capital of Culture, 2008. Here are some atmospheric pictures.

So here we are, coming into view of the Three Graces, about to disembark from the world famous Mersey Ferry. On the boat, I realised the last time I travelled by water, it was on the Staten Island ferry, on September 11th. 2006. In view are some construction projects, where I really wanted to visit - the site of Cream 2000, where I spent the millennium.

Around the corner, Albert Dock, and a yellow water based transport device. Hands up if you thought Liverpool looked like this. Not many hands there...

Another place I wanted to visit was the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. Well worth a visit, even more so on a sunny day as the glasswork viewable from the inside casts incredible colours on the wall. 

Venturing further onwards, hundreds of houses boarded up. Why? Note that these houses have Liverpool branded boards, and are colourful. I walked through many, many streets in Edge Hill that were awaiting either demolition or resurrection. 

A grand day out indeed.

Welcome To Birmingham, 4

Yet more pictures!

Here's John Bull protesting about the EU Treaty, outside the Labour Party Conference in Birmingham, earlier this year. As you can see by the sheer level of concern on his face, this is a crisis that seriously vexes the 296-year-old fictional British everyman.

More from killing an afternoon in London. I did some sightseeing of a purely anorak style, with a trip to two places in London that I tracked down by post-code alone (gasp!) E3 2NN, and W12 7RJ.  Starting with W12, here is the BBC Television Centre.

Followed by a trip to Bow, and 2 Lock Keepers Cottages, now a private residence. This seems to have been rebuilt after a supposedly devastating fire ( I don't remember the loft windows), but some very visible clues remain.

Finally, some guerilla signposting, in Marble Arch.

Welcome To Birmingham, 3

It is a genuinely glorious Sunday afternoon in the great city, of Birmingham, Ingerland. So I choose to enjoy it by doing some blog updates in a room that according to my £1.99 Tesco thermometer touched 50°C at One O'Clock.

After this, I will be exposing my backside to some cycle-based abuse at the hands of the Spinning class instructor at the gym, then cheering on Poland to almost certain defeat at the hands of Germany in Euro 2008.

I seem to be averse to sunshine.

Anyhow, here are some more interesting examples of contemporary urban photography, compiled and composed by me (descriptions below pictures):

According to the camera, I took this at seven in the morning (!). This is what remained of the Victorian frontage to the old Central Television building, before the unstoppable JCB of progress pulled it down.

Central Television lasted as a separate entity for about 15 years, however it has more of a lasting reputation than other channels that have been around for a similar time (hello, Channel 5!). After the predatory purchase of Central by Carlton (who in turn were merged into oblivion by "ITV Plc.", Ha!) a process of de-Centralization took place, with these studios being sold off and the contents auctioned off for pennies. After the auction, many things were left unsold - there are reports of a slew of awards for Central being discovered in a big skip. One of the very last remnants of Central is this sign, which one day may be Tippex-ed back into existence! 

Next door to the studios is (the previously owned by ATV/Central) Alpha Tower, a dynamic and alternative approach to seventies architecture. You may see that every one of the windows has its own air vent. And isn't rectangular. And the whole building isn't a shape that is taught in primary school. Impressive, if you stand next to it and look up. Gulp.

Alternative view of Alpha Tower (side).

View of Alpha Tower from the 'other side'.

Continuing through Broad Street, to the immediate right of Central Studios, what appears at first to be an incredibly grand location for a cashpoint. Until you read the very subtle stone on the building (above), which reads:

The first municipal savings bank in Great Britain

This stone was laid on October 22nd 1932 by

The Rt. Hon. Neville Chamberlain M.P.

Chancellor of the Exchequer

First chairman of the bank by whom the idea was originally concievd and who was principally responsible for its location.

John. B. Burman Lord Mayor    John. P. Hilton. General Manager

How about that for a slice of Second World War starter nostalgic fried gold?

Moving down a bit, my contribution to the Birmingham Tourist Board photography cache. To the left, Brindleyplace and its clock tower, to the right the 'World Famous in Birmingham' International Convention Centre, at the back the National Indoor Arena [home of the original batch of Gladiators], nicely bisected by post industrial waterway. Nice. I even managed to include the mandatory 'obscured passer by'.

Currently, a symbolic electricity pylon has been erected outside the Council House. Odd. Somewhere, a village in Shropshire is without electricity for the sake of symbolism. To the right, the Council House, to the rear, the refurbished Town Hall, far distance, Alpha Tower.

I was unaware of this until I had enforced waits for trains (thanks, London Midland), but Birmingham has the largest sky in Europe. This is sunset, on Tuesday from the top of Snow Hill station [or more correctly, Livery Street Car Park].

Here is the same view, reflected in the windows of a building [illegally occupying the site of the once great Snow Hill station].

And finally, a picture I have entitled "Triumph of Nature over Man".

A quick word on the new release of Apple's Safari (3.1.1.525.17) - faster than Lewis Hamilton's relocation to Switzerland following earning some tremendous wedge (good work fella).

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!