Comments on: But then I encounter Primark FM…

By: Jon

Jon — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 09:26:40 +0000

I keep coming back to this lyric:

“I try to put everything into perspective
Set it against the scale of human suffering
And I thought of the Mugabe government
And the children of the Calcutta railways”

What I find ‘wrong’ is that the Mugabe government have it quite cushy really – it’s the people under the Mugabe government that suffer.

Is there a place for ‘wrong’ lyrics…..?

By: Ricardo

Ricardo — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:34:52 +0000

Or maybe “B”

By: Ricardo

Ricardo — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:33:48 +0000

Ricardo guesses “C”. Exford unfolds card revealing the word “TRUE.” Ricardo heads back down the library.

By: Charles Exford

Charles Exford — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:09:48 +0000

Wow. Brilliant literary exploration and yet in its own way strangely Shackletonian. At least no-one died in the attempt.

We should play HMHB “Call My Bluff” (or perhaps some sort of version of Radio 4′s “Unbelievable Truth”) on the extremely rare (well actually virtually unique) occasions when we happen to know the truth of the matter. I’m sure NB57 won’t mind too much if I self-indulgently play “Call My Bluff” with this one.

Is Stringy Bob in National Shite Day:

A) inspired by the above Mississippi jailbird bluesman character as researched by our Richard ?
B) a well known local Wirral rough sleeper, with an incredible love and knowledge of the natural history of the Dee Estuary but an equal antipathy towards HM Constabulary?
C) a kind of roadie for a band they once shared a studio with in Warrington, basically a sort of mate of the bloke ?

By: Ricardo

Ricardo — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:13:06 +0000

Right. After extensive digging by my crack team of literary sleuths (Ricardo, Mrs Ricardo and the bloke who hangs round the library all day smelling faintly of beetroot), we have managed to unearth precisely one reference to a “Stringy Bob.” He turns up as a minor character in “Children of Noah: Glimpses of Unknown America” by Ben Lucien Burman, which is a sentimental account of bygone days by the Mississippi. OK, it’s not the Dee Estuary, but there are the allusions to Southern Blues, of which Nigel Blackwell is obviously a big fan, but for me the clincher is that Burman’s Stringy Bob is also a prisoner – though rather than sending dead wading birds to obscure comedians…

“…Stringy Bob was a valued resident, serving a considerable term because of some carelessness in his moonshining. An accomplished musician in the native fashion, he had fashioned a guitar out of a cigar-box to while away the time; all afternoon he entertained me and his prison mates with a rich store of doleful songs. Several days later, court was opened, accompanied as usual by an old fiddlers’ contest. My praise of Stringy Bob was so enthusiastic, he was permitted to leave jail and enter the competition. From the moment of his appearance there was no doubt of the result; the judges without consultation awarded him first prize. Next day, though his sentence still had a considerable time to run, I saw him walking about the town wearing the tight, white duck suit borrowed for his recital. The music-loving authorities has properly decided that the community’s leading talent could not be thwarted by prison bars, and had given Stringy Bob his liberty.”

The book’s rubbish, mind.

By: Jan

Jan — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:11:22 +0000

Brilliant, Mr E, I was hoping to make their Kingston in-store but some urgent pedantry intervened. Mind you, there’s nothing like the Brut on stage in full cry. Hope you and Maud have a right night of it.

By: Charles Exford

Charles Exford — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:06:02 +0000

Now this is the kind of obsession with detail we shall need as we run out of unknown lyrics to dispute. Well spotted, Jan, and yes please, Glaswegians, please do be alert on our behalves.

Jan – I’m off to see your mate Eddie & his arty brutes on Friday. Must admit Maud & I still haven’t formed the band he told us to when last he joined us down in the mosh at one of his gigs. It’s definitely on our ‘to do’ list though.

By: Jan

Jan — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:10:29 +0000

I’ve always thought the first chorus in the middle –” I guess this must be National Shite Day/This surely must be National Shite Day/Don’t tell me, it’s National Shite Day” — was a bit weak in the first two lines (I know, hark at me, which I’ve never written a song in my life) because they are so similar. But I have heard Nigel and the lads perform it twice now and both times Nigel has sung it as “I guess this must be National Shite Day/I’ll wager it’s National Shite Day/Don’t tell me, it’s National Shite Day” and I think he’s found the right and true lyric he wants to put in there, the one that — in his genius — he always knew belonged in that space. Anybody going to Glasgow? Fancy listening out to see if he keeps it up? I’ll be at Bath.

By: George

George — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:59:17 +0000

I have looked at the Festive 50 and have noticed that both National Shite Day and Took Problem Chimp are both on there.

1. Took Problem Chimp should be higher than National Shite Day

2. Why isn’t FOR WHAT IS CHATTERIS on there? best Biscuit song ever

3. Im probably the youngest fan of them ever. Age: 12

By: Charles Exford

Charles Exford — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:01:57 +0000

As an alternative, somewhat inebriated and wildly over-optimistic approach to possibly learning some of the stories behind the lyrics, Mrs.Exford and I got a bit of a chant going at last Friday’s gig, between songs, not once but twice, and several of our fellow moshers at the front joined in with:

‘Who the f_, who the f_, who the f_ is Stringy Bob ?’

[we didn't wait till he played NSD though cos we thought it might be v. late in the set, which indeed it was]

NB seemed to acknowledge that he’d heard it the 2nd time, but wasn’t impresssed. No response. We won’t be trying anything like that again in a hurry.

But that’s what I say every time I make a fool of meself at HMHB.