yes… very busy indeed, seems like 
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@sairfingers
@glpguitar
@Lisa_S
@domi7
@Socio
@avalon
Aw… Thanks guys 
That’s more birthday wishes than I received in real life!
This Billy-no-mates is a sad soul, living out his fantasy life online with imaginary buddies…
(I suppose I deserve all the above ‘teasing’ as I do dole it out liberally 
)
I had completely forgotten Domi’s domicile is Berlin-based ( - obviously pathetically practicing assinine alliterations. I’ll get my coat 
).
Sounds like a great idea. Let’s exchange phone numbers by msg and see if we can align the stars). No point in trying to force it if it doesn’t suit either of us for whatever reason, but if you don’t keep your eyes peeled for opportunities, they just sail by…
I should be in town from the 7th-10th March
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It was busy musically last week 
I had an unexpected bed and breakfast guest stay Mon-Friday. Becky Jones , who records as Saint Saviour , was recording her next album in Bill Ryder Jones’ (ex The Coral) studio in West Kirby. She became ‘well-known’ as a singer/songwriter with Groove Armada back in the day and although her Spotify numbers are in the millions, I admit to never having listened to any of her music. Still, I was my usual star-struck self and did my Spanish Inquisition routine over breakfasts and dinners. She is a lovely person.
I even looked up the chords and lyrics for her most famous song and will have a bash at that some time (although it does involve picked arpeggios. Sigh…)
I had a good time at our Friday night open mic in West Kirby, then the songwriting workshop with the Igloo Hearts in Chester on Saturday and our JG open mic on Saturday night (where I played the same two songs)
All the while, I was trying to herd cats and finish off the latest Lego Lads project, which you can view here if you like.
Tomorrow is a ‘rest day’ as it’s Geraldine’s 60th birthday and we’re hoping to go tramping around the slushy Welsh hills for the day.
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Fun musical weekend-
I played a couple of songs at the local open mic in West Kirby
On Sat morning I visited John Lennon’s and Paul McCartneys childhood homes in Liverpool.
I strummed some guitar in Paul’s living room and also played and sang When I’m 64 on the same piano the youngster composed it on 
(well, one line of it with one finger )
To round it off, I helped organise a Ceilidh on Saturday night in our local church hall and met a friend of Nigel Blackwell from the superb Half Man Half Biscuit. I’m a proud possessor of their Achtung Bono! T-shirt and Joy Division Oven Gloves
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OUT OF OFFICE notification
I’m off to Berlin to see Johnny Dowd play in a bicycle cellar on Sunday,and catching the ueber-cool dEUS play their first two albums in Paris on Friday
Service will hopefully recommence upon my return 
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Just been catching up on the last few months or so posts. Man you’ve been busy and productive. Keep it going,always a good read.
Cheers Toby, must send you a catch up pm after Easter
Brief update before heading off to Dublin at the weekend.
Berlin was fab.
Family time with my daughter and her boyfriend, helping out with DIY, nice walks, and a great gig in the basement. Some guy had converted his cellar into a small gig venue, about 40 seats and a fridge bar. I plonked myself in the front row, a couple of feet away from the band; Johnny, his sister Jif on drums, Amy LaVere on bass and her husband Will Sexton on guitar/banjo. It was a great, intimate gig, and I got to chat with the whole band in the break as well as afterwards.
I met up with an old schoolfriend for breakfast, had lunch with someone I know who used to live in West Kirby and moved to Berlin a couple of years ago, and last but not least, hooked up with our very own @domi7 for a lovely, leisurely chat and stroll through the park, before hopping on an overnight bus to Paris to visit my l’il brother’s widow.
Walked the streets of Paris in the sunshine, listening to music in the Tuileries, Luxembourg Gardens, visiting museums, lovely restaurants, topped off by a great gig in the Paris Olympia. I arrived an hour early to secure a standing place at the front. By the end of the evening my back was aching, but it was worth it. dEUS are still a superb, exciting band, even if some of their youthful energy has waned over the decades. I left by a side door and was pleasantly surprised to catch the whole band sneaking a cheeky cigarette on a street corner outside. Well, it would have been rude not to introduce myself, complement them on their show, and let them know that the last time I saw them was in the Olympia as well, but in Dublin in 1999! Tom Barman beamed, saying he really loved that show.
To top it all off, I received an email from Jim White’s UK promoter, asking me if I’d be interested in hosting Jim again if he comes on tour in May 2027.
Would I what?!?
Back to the grindstone here.
I played a couple of songs at our local open mic last Friday (but can’t remember which ones!)
Tomorrow night I’m doing MC for local musician Jim Pearson who’s emigrating South. About 19 performers are all covering one his songs or creating a tribute for him. Should be good fun.
Chris and I are planning on butchering A Minor Inconvenience , the song I commissioned him to write for Chris’ son, Will, when he was in prison for trying to break into Heathrow.
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Hi Brian ,
Good to read that it has been such an adventurous and pleasantly busy time…
and super nice that you meet and spoke to @domi7 
Greetings 
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I seem to be ‘collecting’ Community members…
Hope you’re not offended I haven’t been yet. You’re still on the ‘list’
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I’ll save a dungeon for you 
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Hey Brian, it was very nice to meet you in person!
My legs reminded me next day that I didn’t walk as much in a long time 
I missed that song before written by Jim Pearson (I loved it) which you probably posted after the events and when it was new. I’m sure that concert tomorrow will be great!
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Likewise!
Next time, we might ‘prepare’ a song or two to play together. I won’t have a guitar, but might test drive that homemade uke 
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I’m just back from trip to Dublin to sort out the property we used to live in before moving to the UK. While away, I noticed with a tinge of sadness, a thread on the number of recent polls in the Community. It’s either been removed or descended down the latest list, but will share my thoughts here, so as not to reignite disharmony.
I used to actively try to create as many ‘interesting’ topics as I could think of.
I regarded it as a way of ‘paying back’ and supporting Justin’s wonderful enterprise
I have created more topics than anyone else in the community bar the madman (and team of course) - many of them trivial rubbish. (I even wrote a song about it after creating 100 topics in 20 months 
)
Times change, and so has the forum…
Some for better, some for worse, but the days of receiving over a thousand likes for an AVOYP after a short period have long passed, and you’ll be lucky to get a couple of dozen likes/comments as you whoosh down the waterfall of Latest Topics
Nowadays I try to restrict myself to this learning log, projects/songs, and the occasional topic I feel is really worth sharing/asking.
Why?
Because I am truly grateful to Justin and his team for creating this free, accessible and above all, positive space, and I want to help keep it as smooth, useful, interesting and fun place as possible
I am as guilty as anyone else for being argumentative, picky, pedantic, wanting to end up ‘being right’, but in all the years I’ve been here, I’ve never taken potshots at the way the moderators, especially @Richard_close2u have guided the Community. It has always been ‘hands off’ gentle, diplomatic, and self-deprecating.
By all means share how you feel about stuff, but let’s try not to race down to the lowest denominator following the path of so many other social media sites.
Looking forward to picking up my six string again!
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I did once go into a sportswear shop in Prague and ask if they had a Dukla Prague Away Kit.
I think it’s fair to say my mate got the joke and the shop keeper didn’t.
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I love my Joy Division Oven Gloves!
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Just over a week ago we had another goodbye gig for local musician Jim Pearson
This time it was at instead of our usual open mic- Jim kicked it off with a couple of songs, followed be ‘the usual suspects’ doing a cover version of one of his songs or something self-penned for the occasion. There were about 20 contributions; cake was involved; yours truly conducted the evening’s ceremonies with panache and pathos
Chris and I played A Minor Inconvenience, the song I commissioned Jim to write for Chris’ son who was in prison at the time for environmental protest.
Here’s a collage of snippets of the performances.
Talking of protests-
When I arrived back from Dublin I had a letter from the courts, informing me that the authorities have decided to pursue prosecuting me as a terrorist
Part of me is looking forward to a bit of anti-authoritarian argy-bargy in a courtroom
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Say it’s not so Brian!
I suggest you start a poll to see what we all think.
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Quirky, witty, straightforward, direct, challenging - never disrespectful, mean-spirited, or personal - at least not that I can ever remember.
You’re kidding?
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Eloquently put Mr L. You echo many of my thoughts on how things have change. Your use of the LL to keep things uncluttered is admireable. My solution was to post less but I have been sucked down the odd rabbit hole.
To be honest I just can’t keep up with everything like I used and many topics have verred of the trusted piste. So my numbers are likely not to go up, as I happily lurk in the shadows.
Keep doing what you are doing 
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