Edwyn Collins, Oran Mor, Glasgow, 22 April 2008

If there was ever a more apt use of the old saying, "Where there is life, there is hope", this had to be it.

Edwyn Collins is back and what a performance he put in last night at Oran Mor. The gig was completely sold out and the crowd were loving it.

To come back from his terrible illness and put on a show like he did is nothing short of miraculous. He played tunes from his latest album and some classics as well.


I wish him well for the future.

Ain't Nature A Wonderful Thing ?

It was such a nice day that I decided to get out and cut the back grass. Now my back garden is a total mess. The only thing I do is cut the lawn and the rest of it has gone to jungle mode.

It was a delight to see this fine specimen doing so well in the middle of it all.

How it got there I'll never know, I just wish more of same would flourish.

Alternative Energy ?

I heard on the news today that planning permission for a wind farm on the Isle of Lewis
had been turned down.

Wind farms have always been a contentious issue and it was pure coincidence that I passed one on the outskirts of Callendar yesterday. I can't make my mind up about them.
They are very "21st century" looking and I suppose that when electricity pylons were first introduced there would have been the same arguments against them as well.

What do you think ?

All I know is that I wouldn't be publishing this blog without electricity.

The Trossachs.

I was in Callendar on Sunday to take photographs for a forthcoming poster campaign. It is a great town with lots of shops and features and on the way out, is the famous Lade Inn. If you like your traditional music, this is the place to be on a Friday and Saturday night and it now boasts a real ale shop with around 150 beers to sample. Sounds good to me!

Now this has to be one of the most beautiful locations in the country and it took me right back to my early teenage years. My best friend Alastair's mother was the teacher at Brig O Turk primary school and we spent many a long hot summer fishing, swimming and generally messing around. It was one giant adventure playground. I was astonished to see that the tea room hadn't changed a bit since the seventies. It could have been straight from a film set of a thirties movie, fantastic.

The scenery around Loch Venachar and Loch Achray is simply stunning and the wee Brig O Turk Church was just as I remembered it. With all the new development that's going on everywhere, it's great to see that there are still protected areas of natural beauty.

1st Year Anniversary.

Well, I can hardly believe that a year has passed since my first blog posting.


I thought it would be fitting to resurrect that first entry. The legendary John Martyn, held a secret gig at the Bein Inn with his entire band. About forty of us lucky people were treated
to an absolutely brilliant set by the maestro. He played the whole of Solid Air which left everyone almost speechless.

He threw a towel over his head and "asked" us all to go home.

What a night!

Park Life.

Following on from the protest at the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow last Sunday. The idea that a nightclub in the park would be a good idea, didn't seem to make any sense at all.

Yesterday's stroll had everything. Families enjoying the sunshine, flowers in bloom,
wildlife in abundance and people enjoying a quiet moment reading or just generally relaxing.

Surely this can't be the best location for a nightclub ?

Shine A Light.

Now this is a completely biased blog entry. Everyone who knows me is well aware of my love of the Rolling Stones. One of the first albums I ever bought was High Tide and Green Grass. This album was released in 1966 and was even then, a "Big Hits " album. I would be ten years old and I still have it in my vinyl collection.

Let's get on to this Scorsese masterpiece. I was at the premier last night in Glasgow and I am still recovering. It was the nearest thing to a live gig I have ever witnessed, even the audience were whooping and applauding. I sometimes think I am getting old, well after seeing this movie, I have changed my mind about that. To see the energy of Mick, Ronnie, Keith and Charlie in full flow and up close was quite mind boggling. I was tired just watching them. The camera angles and close ups have to be seen to be believed.

The highlight for me was the guest appearance of Buddy Guy. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and you could clearly see the respect they had for him. Keith handed him his guitar as he left the stage. Brilliant!

The best one liner of the film came from a B&W interview back in 1972 in America. A young, fresh faced Mick was asked.... "Do you think you'll still be doing this when you are 60"? His instant reply, " Yea, easily". Scorsese, then immediately cut to a full frame head shot of him at full throttle from today. What a piece of editing!

In my opinion, the Rolling Stones are the greatest rock & roll band in history. Formed in 1962 and still touring, who else can come near them ? I've seen them many times live and they just seem to get better and better. Here are some shots I took of Mick and Keith from Hampden, Glasgow, in 1990 and as you can see, even then, they were full on and every gig on the tour was a sell out.

Shine A Light is a must see film on the big screen, right from the front and right in the middle. Do not miss this film.