1207 The Tube programme and all that All this and Heaven too

This writing marks the completion of the second series of 101 Myspace writing, or as I now wish the work to be known as 101.75, a total of 1074 pieces if added to those on AOL, within 2 years. It commenced on May 24 2006, with 19 pieces that month, and then in June 151, July 76, August 76, September 99, October 96, November 76 December 87, January 2007 62, February 69, March 61. My objective is to complete a further set of 100.75 by the anniversary of my first year on Myspace on February 17th.

I commenced to write this piece while listening to a commentary of Newcastle at home to Portsmouth. Within nine minutes the score was Newcastle 0 Portsmouth 1, a minute later it was Newcastle 0. Portsmouth 2 and then Newcastle 0 Portsmouth after 10 minutes, with two mistakes. A scrambled own goal via Michael Owen made it 1-3 and from horror disaster the fifty thousand crowd sensed all was not lost.

There are many advantages to living in the North East and one of these the absence of traffic jams. When I travelled, usually by car, once a month to London, for a decade, I dreaded the last fifty odd miles where the choice was the M 25 stuck in a slow moving end less four and three lane chain of cars for miles from the area approaching London Airport through to Purley, or into central London, past Lords, across Oxford Street, to Victoria, with an option of routes through South London, with slow moving traffic and dozen upon dozen of traffic lights. Such was the nightmare of this apart of the journey that after several years I commenced to break up the journey, with a leisurely start, a visit to the cinema or to a country house, an overnight stay at a Travel Lodge paying as little as £5 a night, £10 or £15 and never more than around £25. And then after breakfast facing a morning drive in traffic, traffic, traffic.

Several years before this I learnt the reality of London traffic when serving on a sub committee of a committee organised by the Home Office which offered a car parking space for meetings which commenced at 10.30 am. I remember the first occasion well in that unsure of what the traffic would be like I set off after 8 am probably nearer 8.30 thinking the ten to twelve miles would take a hour to an hour and half which would give me timer to go through the papers once more and get ready any contribution, or chat with other colleagues as they arrived. I had anticipated some traffic congestion as I approached inner London, having in the later 1960's travelled for three years from Teddington to Ealing in West London a journey of a similar distance. I just had not anticipated the growth in traffic out into the suburbs in a decade and a half and arrived just as the meeting commenced. The alternative was a walk to the station, a forty minute train ride usually standing, and a crushed underground ride of one station from Victoria to St James, on a walk. I thought of these experiences as for the first time in years I encountered major congestion last night in the City of Newcastle.

For the second time in a week I miscalculated the time required to journey from my home, on this occasion to the Sage Concert Halls for a curious event to celebrate 25 years since the birth of The Tube, the Iconic contemporary music show produced by Tyne Tees Television for Channel Four in Newcastle from 1982 to 1987, 121 episodes and 10 specials. Given the previous experience I should have set off at 6.30 but it was after seven. I had planned to travel by car to Hewarth, then take the Metro to Gateshead and a special bus service to the entrance of the Sage. I decided not to risk a late arrival and took a taxi although I could have kept to the original plan as it was well after eight before the evening commenced. It was after 11pm when I I decided to take the first special bus which first went to the Baltic, then to the Quayside in central Newcastle and the City station, rather than wait the nine minutes for a bus which would have taken the short distance from the Sage to Gateshead interchange station.

From the moment the bus crossed over the swing bridge onto the Newcastle Quayside the traffic was solid and slow moving, from those leaving after a night out at the theatre, cinema, or concert hall or music gig and those arriving for the night clubs. The streets were pulsating with mainly young people, mostly in single sex groups, although as previously observed there was an age range down by the Quayside. One of the venues, a bar, which might also serve food, has been renamed Rumpole's, after the fictitious barrister created by John Mortimer who frequented a bar called Pomeroy's, popular with members of the legal profession. One group of young men, whop engaged in conversation with a single young man with the appearance of a bouncer, explained that they had stayed in Newcastle after work, doing the pubs and bars looking for lasses, and without success were heading for the night clubs in Shields, where they also had lodgings. I was right about the bouncer as he explained that he guarded the entrance to the restricted area of one of the clubs.

And the event? Was a little disappointing. There were six individuals on the platform but no presenter although Jules Holland did a good interview in which he described how he was appointed and the significance of the show as the creator of a culture in which musicians and comedians would come up to Newcastle, often staying over for the party atmosphere although BA reorganised its Friday flight schedule to bring up those who wished to travel from London for the day or return after the evening performance.

The most rewarding aspect of the evening was the account as to how the show got off the ground, including a meeting in a Newcastle fish and chip restaurant in which Sir Jeremy Isaacs, the founder and chief executive of Chanel allegedly told the commissioning director and programme directors, Don't' f…k up. The use of descriptive expletives was a feature of the Tube, with Jules Holland having to resign after he unintentionally swore on a live programme which went out early evening tea time and was watched by school age children. The programme also gained notoriety because of the outlandish appearance and behaviour of its main presenter with Jools Holland, the later Paula Yates, the former wife of Sir Bob Geldorf. Paul had responsibility for the first 45 mins of the programme which concentrated on interviews, fashion items and comedy, with Paula conducting her interviews on a bed and one on occasion persuading Sting to remove his trousers.

It was the second 45 minutes of live music performances which made the show essential viewing for popular music promoters, managers and record producers and who in some instances snapped up a new artist to make them instant successes, with the Liverpool band Frankie Goes to Hollywood giving their raunchy performance of Relax. They immediately appeared on Top of the Tops and Relax shot to number 1 although he video was banned by the BBC and MTV which had just started.
For young people to day there are over 20 music dedicated stations providing 24 hour entertainment as well a similar number of radio stations with the number exponentially increasing through the use of the internet, there are hundred of music live music gigs and an area such as Tyne and Wear but back in in the early ages, when I was middle aged, until MTV there was only Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test was coming to an end and the Tube was a significant break through with its midsummer special programmes lasting five hours.

Looking at the footage of the first programmes in black and white I was struck by the audience, unsophisticated , also church like in their wonderment at the experience unfolding around them and how different from the lively crowds in the Quayside and Bigg Market after the show, many looking as if they had come from on were going to appear on Top of the Pops during its sexual hey day of up short skirt close ups and Pans People. Some of those young original young people were in the audience at the Sage from a hand sup request. There was also a gathering of insiders with many of the crew and production team. My taxi driver said that there had been a feature on the show on regional news before he came out to work for the evening.

The disappointing aspect was the absence of an appearance on the night or a film tribute collation from a major performer. Heaven 17 was a Sheffield based band which appeared on the first show and lead singer was part of the platform team and because he had agreed to participate whereas I suspect many others invited had not, an inordinate amount of attention was given to his work with two numbers from the original show and then a ten minute film, which was out of proportion to what the Tube came to stand for. I very much enjoyed the first part of the show but the second was something of anti climax, rushed because of over running with some clips cuts.

This was an interesting project something of an experiment for the Sage and there was no doubting the enthusiasm of its organiser who acted as chair of the panel and the best were the reminisces of panel members who I thought they were less convincing when they attempted to evaluate the show or comment on whether a similar kind of rough at the edges spontaneous show was required as an antidote to the polished scripted professional music channels and videos and orchestrated live music and dance performances of today.

This is an appropriate moment to mention that New astle eventually lost 1-4 at home indicating what I anticipated as a failure of Sam Alladyce I only know how to play one way with also ran players. Sunderland are at Man City who lost heavily at Chelsea last week so theatre is no expectation of a match which is live on Monday night TV. The following week it is Sunderland laying Newcastle at home with both teams wish to give their loyal fans something to shout about for the rest of the season, or at least the return Derby game.

Earlier in the day I saw the beginning and the end of a melodrama with a young Bette Davis showing the talent which made her I to one of the finest Actors of Hollywood. There were sugary children and one sided characterisations and dodgy script. All this and Heaven too. In past years when it came to a choice between the X Factor singing and the dancing with celebrities there was no context, and last year was exceptional with the amazing Leone and several others destined for a career in 'the business.' This year there are several weak finalists and no one world class uniquely outstanding, and the youngest was booted out when it emerged she had put on phone record a violent outburst involving a former friend. However there is a former school teacher from Luton who has a great voice and the right kind of image and personality. The programme also manufactured two groups one of five, originally six young men and one of six young women, who have talent and are learning presentational skills quickly. There is also one odd looking young man with a powerful stage voice and polished entertaining presentation. But the dancers took the honours.

My chess playing skills matches by lack of concentration and application since the monster work effort a week ago and having reached 50 and 40 runs of wins on level 2 I have not failed to progress into double figures several time in succession but suffered several checkmates. I know what the problem is but the mood and inclination is against making the required changes. So I shall watch the first 15 mins of the Newcastle horror show, the masochist that I am and then start the final episodes of the Great War to mark the third series of 101.75 writing.

1201 Casanova a play

Last night, as I was saying, I left the theatre at the interval. The work was called Casanova although if this is a male name the play ought to have been called Casanove although traditionally the converse would have been batter. I was attracted to a play about the life of Casanova. I have seen nothing better since the 1971 BBC TV series written by Dennis Potter with Frank Finlay in the starring role, but I also liked the 1976 Fellini Film with Donald Sutherland and I have a Men of Destiny volume on his life, a work by Chevalier de Seingalt, translated by Bonamy Debree. I ought to have known that this was an experimental concept work for two three reasons. Casanova in this work is played by a young female actress whereas in most other works it is about an old man reflecting back, now where I have heard that approach before? Secondly it was billed as a comedy, and I usually avoid anything which sets out to attract an audience as a comedy. Thirdly the company attempted to get bums on seats by displaying the part of the naked bum of the lead actress although she admitted on local radio that this was a stand in. The radio show was about he fact that it was alleged people had been stealing posters of the play, no doubt to put on their student room walls, and certainly the theatre was more than a quarter full of students, mainly young women, given that it was about half full overall. Anyway I sat there for the first half saying I am not enjoying this, I am not amused, intellectually challenged or emotionally engaged. This is adding nothing to my life and I could be making better use of my time. I blamed myself for not taking more care before making the investment.

I was unsure that I had made the right decision when I attempted to book a ticket for a performances at the Sage next month, w eek Friday in fact. This a celebration of the Tube, a Newcastle music programme twenty five years ago presented by Jools Holland, Paula Yates and Murial Gray for Channel 4. The show" will include a production commentary on the first show, plus exclusively screenings special guest When I appeared to fail to complete a booking twice on the internet I gave up only to receive two tickets in the posy, one of which has been returned. The indications are that the performance is not well supported as the tickets were for rows two and three. Among the long list of performers who emerged through the five years of the show were , the Boomtown Rats, Big Country, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Elvis Costello, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Human League, Iggy Pop, Madonna, Meat Loaf, Paul Young, REM, Simply Red, Siouxie and the Banshees, the Jam, The Pretenders, Thin Lizzy, U2, Ultravox, the Smiths and on and on and on.

However while tempted to get a half season at Newcastle, given the progress being made in results, but not in the quality of the football, and at Durham given their progress, the latter at a fraction of the costs of the football, there is the question of allocated the time if I am to undertake a major work project which could move me into a new dimension for the last phase of my life, winning the lottery or a major premium bond prize being unlikely. Such a win will be necessary to buy a home in the new Ocean Village complex built out of a former industrial shipyard area which was already underway when I last visited in 2004. This is an upmarket residential and leisure development for those with lots of dosh. The Gibraltar radio news hour featured the development today together with the extraordinary development that GB airlines, operated by BA at Gatwick and been sold to Easy Jet for over £100. What this means in terms of flights from other airports and on price remains to be seen. It is such commercial enterprises that has driven the political changes between Gibraltar GB and Spain, and will in due course alter the sovereignty question and the composition of resident voting population changes. The thought of all this is very dissatisfying so I wills top and do something else.

1184 Our Friends in the North

Tomorrow (yesterday I went) I go to a theatrical performance of Our Friends in the North, a TV series which I saw when first broadcast and again subsequently. Although this is a fictional drama it expressed the political and social history of a North East which was very evident when I first arrived in the mid 1970's. It has now changed beyond recognition, I believe!

I missed the conference speech of Ming Campbell, and was very impressed by that of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He had the middle England Scotland Wales and Ireland gravitas which Blair lacked and the power base he established at the Treasury over central and local government departments through budget control will have provided him with the mechanism for at least having some prospect of translating political decisions into effect, although whether the outcome will bear any resemblance to the political aspiration is another matter. Yesterday, as it is now tomorrow, I listened with growing concern about much of what David Cameron had to say. It was clever and will have great appeal to his own supporters but not without reservations from his right wing, however there was much about delegating power to school heads for example or the abolition of ring fencing in local government that would be disastrous and dangerous given my experience and which hopefully should outweigh his main bribe, that of the abolition of the inheritance tax on properties worth under £1 million with those who it will affect most in the outer London suburbs and which are marginal seats.

Overall I thought his approach was likely to have greater appeal than Labour's presently, because of the ten years of government and the attraction of a new group, despite their lack of experience in Government. However if as in the past this was to be an election of Gordon versus David there is no competition. David was the right match for Blair but wrong for Gordon. I am still of the opinion that there is no need for an election unless things about the economy, about terrorism or other nasty's are known and are likely to have great electoral impact, or if he knows that internal division will open up once legislation is put to the Parliamentary test. The one potential nasty which I should have mentioned is the Diana Inquest which has opened and where information has been disclosed which begins to show a different light on previous official investigations. I mention this because one major theme of Our Friends in the North is cover up

This is the second opening of a season's major production of the Playhouse Directed by Chief Executive Erica Wymark that I have experienced. I was not taken with the Potter play Son of Man because I was still full of the experience of Mel Gibson's The Passion and I did not think using the double stage worked. Although this is a long production of a play with approaching a two hour opening act and then approaching a one and half hour second act 19.00 to 22.45 performance I thought it was terrific and having a sequence of dramatic endings which were more effective than the TV series and which enabled the three level structure of the play to be understood as an integrated whole.

Our Friends in the North is fiction but because of the deaths of a number of individuals the programme has a Timeline of real life events which covers in the North East the significant moments in the political life of Newcastle City Boss T Dan Smith, and his subsequent imprisonment for six years for corruption. I worked in local government in the North East just after the prison sentences commenced so I knew politicians and senior officials who knew the man and who did then not look the other way. Without exception they spoke of a dedicated man with a vision and a determination to make the City Newcastle a significantly better place for the majority of all its people. I met Dan when after his release he obtain work for an prison after care organisation, at his request, in an official capacity to discuss the role of a social service department when individuals are prison and afterwards, especially on the impact of partners and children. Having been the only local authority chief officer appointed who had been prison beforehand he expected me to have taken a greater personal interest than I did, but my responsibility was for the policies and services of my authority in general and for the Social Services Department in particular, so I identified the specialist staff in the department who coordinated our work with the Criminal Justice system and its agencies and had no subsequent contact.

While the first level of the play concerns the working of politics in the North East1958-1982, when the play was first performed, starting with the covering up of a accident between a car and bicycle as the driver was a member of the Police Committee and ends where one of the victims considers executing the culprit, much of the play is about a second real life situation when it was found that the a significant group of Metropolitan CID officers were receiving substantial amounts of money to effectively protect the Porn and sex club industry in Soho London from prosecution. Detective Chief Inspector George Fenwick was jailed for 10 years as the chief Architect. As previously mentioned I had spent several years of my youth around Soho because of my interest in Jazz and activist politics and I was aware of street life and the clubs, and subsequently I learnt something of the problems at that time at being a straight cop from someone who had worked for the Met CID.

The third level in the play does not suggest an obvious immediate connection, the time in Northern Rhodesia when in 1965 the Harold Wilson led British Government imposed sanctions on a white minority led independence and where it was subsequently alleged that a British oil supply company found a way through the technicalities to maintain the flow using agents and oil from other countries, just as arms manufacturers are always able to find ways of supply any and every side or interest that wishes to buy their wares. The Timeline also makes reference to the unusual choice of honours in Prime Minister Wilson's resignation list and to one in particular where one individual, the son of a close personal supporter of the former Prime Minister, committed suicide a year later during investigation for fraud. It was established that a former senior Conservative Cabinet Minister was an adviser to one of the companies of this man. The former Minister had resigned as Home Secretary four years earlier because it emerged that he held a directorship in the architectural firm of John Poulson who had also gone to prison for five years for corruption along with T Dan Smith
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The individual who links what happened in Northern Rhodesia before it became Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe, with Porn police corruption in Soho, London, and the building of dangerous and unliveable flats on Tyneside is Geordie, was one of the young men who witness the bike accident and cover up. When his loses the love of his life to his best fiend, he decides to make his fortune in London and by accident becomes involved with London porn and club life as personal security and bag man for the man bribing the police at their request. When things hot up Geordie is the fall guy who goes to prison, although in the play the police escape because of the way the enquiry is fixed by those with the most to lose. When Geordie is released is seeks revenge first on the minor villain who has scarred his drug taking soliciting female friend because she has advised that Geordie would know who the bribe taking police were, and then on the boss who betrayed him. He then goes as a mercenary to Northern Rhodesian hired by South Africans to help their friends in the North and in the least credible segment of the play is spared by a ruthless black rebel commander who has recently murdered his former farm master and his wife. It on his return and the funeral of the former Labour and life long socialist activist parent of the third friend in the bike incident that the play comes to an end when Geordie confronts the corrupt politician. A second link through the play is that the young constable who expected the corrupt politician to be prosecuted for the bike incident becomes the Assistant Chief Constable appointed to advise the Met on the allegation of corruption involving the Soho porn world. I was reminded that Get Carter also centred on the connections between criminal gangs in London and Tyneside was the catalyst a funeral, and where as in most films about the US Mafia, bootlegging, dealing in girls and porn and thefts from business is considered to be acceptable but switching to illegal drugs and child pornography involving is not and often leads to dispute and power battle between the older time criminals and the upstarts who take their place.

Because it is a good but long play which could have done without the African oil dimension, no doubt included now because of Iraq, it would be wrong to quibble too much about where fiction leaves reality someway behind. In the world North East Politics that I know a senior politician would not have pretended non involvement in an accident involving the loss of a bicycle and he would have settled it on the spot replacing the bicycle with a couple of quid for the trouble or it had to be officially reported because the rider of the bicycle had been hurt, then any offence would have been dealt with quietly minimising publicity by inducements to enable the aggrieved party to settle with the minimum of fuss. I also believe that the whole situation regarding the building and subsequent state of the flats in the North East would not have led to a prosecution had not the 1968 Ronan Point disaster occurred when a gas explosion affected a load bearing wall in a 23 storey Tower Block at Newham, site of the 2012 Olympics and new high speed train stop via the Channel Tunnel.

Unfortunately because the servicing of my car was not completed until today. I could not stay for the after show discussion at which the author Peter Flannery was to be attendance. It is probably just as well because I would not have been able top resist asking him the question, Do you think anything has changed given the ending of a four year enquiry into allegations of fraud involving the leadership of a North East local authority in the early 1990's came to nothing and that a similar level of allegations involving child abuse rings involving the police and local and health authority and other big wigs also came to naught? Perhaps that is material for a new play?

1080 Annie Besant and Gandhi

Last night I went to theatre where only five tickets were sold beforehand and the total when the production commenced was nine. This was very sad because it was a well constructed, sometimes intellectual, sometimes, emotional, sometimes factual work, a little humour, but always interesting work about the life of Annie Besant, during in her time in India, the extraordinary writer of over 100 books about Theosophy and other religions, who had commenced her adult life as the wife of a clergyman, and then progressed into a Marxist, a socialist, trade union activist and fighter for Indian self government, although she believed progressed should be made through democratic constitutional means, opposed to Gandhi's use of non violent civil disobedience protest, because it would lead to confrontation and a holocaust. Having said that according to the play when her approach failed she was said to have swung in favour of Gandhi.

I went to the play because of my interest in Gandhi an non violence protest having acquired one of only 2000 first edition translations of Satyagraha in 1960 and the UNESCO work about his life and thoughts, All Men are Brothers purchased on December 1st 1959 and where I wrote on the frontispiece, "this day shall be remembered annually when the way became clear. May the light always shine and may you (I) always have the courage, strength and humility to serve until the end." I was twenty years of age This book helped understand that means to an end are everything and it was three years later that I acquired Huxley's work on the subject. Having gone to the play with one interest and quickly realising it was not about non violence as a means of action to achieve major political and social changes, I had to dig deep to try and remember what I could remember about the principal subject.

What I was reminded in the play and later from the internet was her Marxist, Fabian Socialist, Trade union activist background after breaking from the confines of being the chattel of Clergyman's wife and losing her children to him

Although brought up in a middle class environment by her widowed mother, her mother had no income except which she created from running a boarding house, and it is of considerable interest to me how and why she, having been given a conventional education and upbringing as a young woman expected to marry and raise children, but have no major influence or role in political and social development matters, she rebelled, went to what was then regarded as extremes, and found herself prosecuted over publishing a work promoting birth control and which dared to suggest that working class families would be happier if they could control they number of children they wanted and could afford to raise. She lost her children and became involved with Irish Home Rule, and interest which she maintained after her life became centred on India. She had a relationship with George Bernard Shaw when he was a young man and others and was inclined to change her politics and her views accordingly, Marxism (Edward Aveling), Socialism (William Morris) and Theosophy, where she subsequently took over the leadership from Charles Webster Leadbeater who also achieved international notoriety through his advice for young boys to masturbate as a prelude to an otherwise celibate spiritual life.

The play is written through the eyes of a young India female searcher for the truth, Sidra, (Ruby Sahota) who approaches Annie at the commencement of the play to become a pupil and stayed closely with her "guru" until her death. The play was written by Rukhsana a writer and adaptor of plays, with a first novel and short stories to her credit, and she devised the idea of having an another actor, perform the role of the Sidra, telling the story of her experience, sitting to one side of the stage for each half of the play. This role is played the artistic director of company Dr Vayu Naidu, whose company bears her name and working with the Guildford Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.

The play is also about the relationship between Annie and one of her adopted sons Krishamurti who she had hoped would become an internationally recognised spiritual leader under her direct influence. The plays, I have yet to establish if it is historically accurate, suggest that he was sought out by a visiting seer and warned that he had to find his own truth. This he did after being educated at Oxford and becoming part of the European social scene, announces his approached to an audience which included his shocked mother.

Again I have to disclose my ignorance of his writings until now, but will be something quickly remedied taking precedence over everything else. In the play his statement of belief is its high point and fortunately the programme notes amplify this further. "Truth is a pathless land. Man cannot come to it through any organisation, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any creed, through any philosophical knowledge, or psychological technique."

For years I have beaten myself up because although I believed I understood the nature of being and how to live and not to do so, I failed in my efforts to integrate into my being all great writings and teachings of philosophy, psychology and spirituality, in so far as I was able to understand, and which has always been limited. I could not justify what I knew to be right or wrong, as a consequence, and here was someone who in 1929, was saying that's Ok, you wont get there by that route alone, the path is a different one. You have to look into yourself and understand your own soul and observe everything in the world around you and then are. You may if driven to do so explain yourself to others if they are interested, but your message must be, do not follow me, accept what I say to you, but find your own solution, this is how I came to be as I am, hopefully something of my experience may of help to you." I now need to find out if this actually what be believed and promoted.

This is not to reject scientific and philosophical knowledge and investigation, for in order to reach an effective and sustaining level of understanding which will enable one to function in different political and social systems, to have satisfying relationships with others and face the possibility of self conscious life ending within a moment, or in prolonged agony of mind and body, one has to acquire and develop abilities to their maximum potential, and this includes removing or quarantining obstacles to making progress,

It is in nature of being that having worked out a truth, the assumption is made that this is the only perspective on truth, that it will not change through further thought and meaningful relationship interactions, and that it will not be different for others. It is not the false prophets without that should be of constant concern, but that of within.

Another stunning piece of writing....Colin have you ever considered being published? Posted by ANGELICLYNORTE on 12:05 - 12:51

1072 Gormenghast

Yesterday I wrote about my often repeated views on the question, who am I? I also suggested the value of talking over the answer with your ancestors. Last night I appeared to be the only Goth at an incredible physical performance of what is regarded as one of the great written works of imagination on the concept of a Gothland created in the twentieth century, Gormenghast, recreated by the David Glass Ensemble at the Newcastle Playhouse. Twice a character asks, what does it all mean? My answer is what you know and what you believe.

This was not a planned visit, although when the season programme arrived, I had made a mental note of this as one of the performances not to be missed. Then MySpace and other matters took over, so it was only on Wednesday that I decided to see what was on at the Playhouse this week, and only then discovered that while there had been a performance that night, there was to be an after performance presentation by the company, on Thursday. I rang at .ten am, when the box office opened, and obtained a seat four rows from the front in a central location.

Usually I undertake research on the company and the play before attending a performance, but because of other commitments, I arrived having only the vaguest recollection of the BBC adaptation and of failing to read the trilogy. For my recent research on the Black and the Goth dimension I had come across countless Myspace sites where I speculated on the depth of commitment of individuals to the cause. On Sunday the majority of the fifty bikers who had gathered on the sea front looked over 30, with a number approaching their sixties. Where are the aging Goths? During the interval, over a cup of strong almost black coffee, I determined to write to 101 Myspace Goths to enquire of if they had read the trilogy of Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus alone. This it will be appreciated as Gothic cheek because I am yet to do so. During the earlier post show chat, where at one point I thought that the audience was going to be outnumbered by the entire ensemble company, an actor commented that there had been occasions when they encountered a row of Goths at the front whose make up was better than theirs, and I wondered if the local tribes would attend Friday or Saturday nights, and if he had spotted that I was dressed in my black sleeveless jacket, black shirt, black trousers and back socks and shoes, or as Benny Hill might say "the oldest Goth in town" although as previously admitted the black hides my overweight and the make up is my natural aging!

I was unprepared for the physicality of this production with its black empty stage, apart from a hidden platform area at the back, and a darkened auditorium so it was impossible to read the programme. You are instantly transported in your imagination to the ginormous Gothic city building of endless corroders, of mystery and gloom and doom. For those like me who had forgotten the story, the first act was primarily an abstract performance art fusion of intense voice, movement, lighting and a visceral sound, live and pre-created, composed by John Escott and Musical Direction by Jonathan Cooper. It was only after one became part of the Mervyn Peake dimension that the story unfolded, and what is in many respects, is a traditional tale, of a situation where the young heir to the throne rebels against the requirements of maintaining the dynasty, imposed by his formidable mother following the disappearance, presumed dead, of his father, and a written constitution of ritual imposed at different times throughout his growing up, coming into conflict with the malevolent designs of a young outsider. Is this really a battle of two opposites, or the struggle within each of us? Is this what our lives are all about?
The characters of the young rebel against his destiny, Titus, is made consistently believable by James Woodbridge, who also plays his father, Sepulchrave, and the bad to his core Steerpike by an equally believable Adam Sunderland, but no one outshines another, except when each is given centre stage, and the others provide support. One way in which Titus rebels is to be drawn to the deliciously ethereal, 'the thing' Played by Elizabeth Collier, whose training as a dancer enabled her to float, while Gertrude Countess of Groan, Sally Mortemore, was convincing, as my mother, in dictating the life of her son, and the protection of the family inheritance, and as one of the damaged identical twin aunts. Elisa de Grey was also convincing as the vulnerable sister Fuchsia who cries out to be savaged by a predator and who switched amazingly into the other identical sister. However she is undone in switching by Eric MacLennan as the grotesque Swelter and the eccentric sympathetic Dr Prunesquallor, and where it was only afterwards I realised it was the same actor. For me the lasting memory will be of Phillip Pellew who as Flay walked the endless corridors in his inimitable and disturbing manner, and who was also the hunchback Master of Ritual, Barguetine, the agent for the rebellion of Titus an also his protector, as is the situation oft in real life. Do not the young always rebel against those with their best intentions at heart? I have mentioned all the cast and by name because of how they fitted into the Ensemble production teams democratic structure, but which only works as well as this when the structure is predetermined by an individual with a singular vision of the script adaptation by John Constable and the overall direction of David Glass. Because I always have found that most live theatre outlives most film experience, and I have spent a lifetime watching most films of substance in the English Language, I am probably being unfair to the BBC drama production, in saying that I suspect this production came closer to communicating the language and intent of the original work. I say this admitting as I have that I am yet to read the text, but will immediately purchase and add to the list of things I need to do before I die.

I read the programme notes when the lights went up for the after show discussion, and rarely, if ever, have I read notes which precisely and comprehensively described the experience I had participated in. Of the ten on stage there was also Associate Director Luke Kernaghan. Others who may have been there but should be mentioned anyway are Rae Smith the designer who drew on the stylised opera of China and Kabuki, Lieustke Visser for the memorable costumes, Spike Mosley for the Original Lighting Direction and Steve Taylor who presumably carried the conception out, Matt Spencer for the technical tricks and Tom Cotterall in addition to holding everything together, along with Marie White made the props, which included a playful monkey whose death caused the young child in the audience to cry out, other parents beware.

I now I turn to the uncanny aspect of this experience. My main reason for always wanting to read the trilogy and also the work on his father by Sebastian Peake, is that as a young man, full of having read the official accounts of the Nuremburg War Crimes trials but before I entered fully into Direct Action and the Committee of 100, I had joined the Local United Nations Associations Association, and was convinced that I had visited the home of Mervyn Peake, in my childhood town of Wallington, when his wife had opened their house for a charity art show. Did I get my idea for ArtmansArthouse then? I had been envious of a full set of drums which I think was in the entrance Hall. I also recollected that the brothers, Sebastian and Fabian went to the St John Fisher School, although I had no recollection of ever having met them.
Before commencing to write these notes as I have done for every theatrical, cinema and entertainment experience since becoming Artman, I did the homework I should done before the performance and on the official Peake family site (see below), I noted that Sebastian had given an e mail address so in the early hours I explained my memory and enquired if could have been accurate. Yesterday I explained that through MySpace I was able to write to departed souls such as Lord Russell and Freda Kathlo, and it was a little scary when they wrote back. This morning only a few hours after sending the e mail, I received an email from Sebastian who confirmed my recollection and asked if he could mention my experience in a work about our mutual childhood town. Now aren't that something and a clue to what it all means?

http://www.mervynpeake.org/gormenghast/
http://www.davidglassensemble.com/

1001 The X Factor 2007

Considering that the youngest child observed was under 5, carried out asleep in the arms of his mother at the end of the X Factor Finalist's Tour 2007, it is a bitter sweet thought that by the time he has seen another six decades fly past him, like me, his pop and rock concert going is likely to have been in the hundreds, compared to my own handful, commencing and ending with Bruce Springsteen thirty and four years ago.

For the record, and one ought to remember every one, the biggest gigs were Live Aid 1 in 1985 and the Rolling Stone, both at Wembley, with the first Stones Concert cancelled. Other Stadium events, in addition to the Boss at Newcastle and Crystal Palace, with his Sheffield East Street Band in between, included Bowie at Sunderland, and Tina Turner twice at Gateshead along with Rod Stewart, and the Big Country, and involved a lot of standing during the concert and queuing for hours beforehand. I cannot ever recall standing up at the Newcastle City Hall for the Nolans, Bryan Ferry, Elkie Brooks or Phil Collins and where my only visit to punk was Nigel Kennedy.

So as my 68th birthday rapidly approaches I was a little anxious about being conspicuously the oldest foggey in town as I made my way to the Newcastle arena on a damp February night, but soon immediately heartened by the sight of a seven or eight year old travelling with her greying haired grandmother on the Metro train which I joined at Hewarth. And in the brief period in which there was time to mingle as I attempted to find the male loos and my seat, eureka there were several grey heads, but not a lot.

The Metro arena is tucked away behind Central Station, down at the riverside in a dispiritingly bleak part of town with access along a tunnel beneath the train track to Scotland. Since the last visits to experience Elton John and Toon away to the Mackems on the big screen, they have built the Life Centre with its trendy bars on one side and a giant hotel on the car park and market space on the other of the way down to the storage depot, beyond which there is a new multi storey, outside of which I counted three stretch limo's parked on the way back. However there is no escape from great climb up to the stadium entrance.

I reckon that I have only missed viewing 'live' a couple of the 80 or so X Factor TV shows over the past five years, and the starter programmes, full of carefully selected auditionees, lost their novelty after the first season. My reason for investing £28.85 in the electronically mailed A 4 size Ticketmaster with two bar-codes was Leona.

I had sat there memorised by this authentic young woman whose former boss had the good sense to immediately advertise her telephone receptionist job as soon as her heard her sing on the Telly. Simon, never known for overdoing his praise, struggled to find new ways of being ecstatic with her faultless, hair on the back rising, emotional, performances as she made her way to international stardom, with only the universally popular Ray likely to upstage, and which I have to admit, he did on the night. And now to the concert.

Well nearly, because for once I had allowed sufficient time beforehand for preparation, downloading the pen pictures of the other 11 finalists, to remember their names, and to assess anticipation. I had liked Robert but did not think Ashley was as good as Simon suggested. I thought Dionne was good and would have liked the older Unconventionals to have made it beyond the first week. And how would Keri cope with a tour and had Ben recovered his evident disappointment at coming third, and what was the name of that other group. And then of course there was the pride of Scotland, the MacDonald brothers who I agreed with Simon, as usually, were nice lads you could take home to mum, but not in the same league as Journey South.

My seat could not have better, well it could on reflection, but only just alittle: In the first block, at one side, on the back row and on the second aisle. If I wanted to stand and shout there was no one behind me. The same seat about half way down would have been perfect depending on those around. In this instance there was a large size male and energetic fortyish lady on my left and a young mother with six and seven year olds immediately in front. The stage, as it was revealed, comprised the full width of the arena at a height which meant that everyone who stood on the arena floor still looked up to the stage, although I was not sure what would be the position of those who remained sitting. The stage was tiered so I reckoned that sit midway down and you were at the same level as the upper stage.

The show opened with Eton Road, and two of the lads remained on stage as compares throughout the evening. They performed three numbers which included Mack the Knife and from Me to You and the first impact was the noise, superior to St James Park although a fifth of the number, the audience that is, so it meant the music volume was at the maximum so the artists could be heard above the cacophony of shrill, as it was evident there were more kids than teens, and most of the mums had come to do their thing. The males were only more in evidence in their support for Ben.

Eton road were the only group, the MacDonald brothers discounted, who appeared with not a word said about 4sure and the Unconventionals, or that Dionne and Keri were not there, which was surprising as Shaun did a number to rapturous standing applause, Shaun was the baby teenager who could not remember his words when he made it to Florida. There was also an appearance of 4 auditionees, the twins who can sing, and two others who could also give Chico, a run for his singing money but lacking a hundredth of his charisma.

The story of 17 year old Nikkita had moved everyone, having lost her mother a year or so before and she kept up the upbeat tempo with Dancing Queen and one other. Her appearance confirmed the pattern of performances. There were five large screens. The middle two stuck to portrait views of the young starlets while the three others flashed through their X factor experience, including comments from judges, family and visiting celebrity. High above the stage and protruding full width above the audience, a coloured large print ticker tape announced the Christian name of each artist and there was full production pyrotechnics with exploding bursts upwards of silver and gold and various other unexpected surprises of fire, falls and vapour which caused pandemonium among the young, and young at heart.

The third performance was from the exuberant Robert, who after his rocking Take a chance on me, demonstrated that he can also sing with Forever.

The surprise of the evening was Ashley whose Easy, after the Winner Takes All, suggested that it would be worthwhile listening to a full CD, if he ever gets the opportunity to make one. Simon you were right, as usual.

The first half of one hour and a quarter was brought to a rousing, everyone on their stamping feat crescendo of 500 miles in which they removed their shirts, but not their kilts and donned Newcastle shirts donated by the club. They opened, I think with Shang-a-lang and in between there was one other.

The excitement of the two children sitting in front was a joy to behold and the little girl was in ecstasy when Ashley appeared, and by the second half was dancing with that uninhibitedness which I used think was lost as soon as adulthood was achieved, although the behaviour of many around indicated that I was wrong! The evening had nearly been ruined for the young lad whose mum was approached just before interval by a senior steward who said he could no longer wave around a star wars type laser stick, purchased from the train tunnel sellers along with glitter cowgirl hats, much in abundance and colourful mini mouse head gear. The argument was that he was being dangerous (and admittedly he was close to hitting both his mum and sister) but the real reason was the promotion at the interval, as well as beforehand, of a half size version of official merchandising. The only other downbeat incident was an extra money Nokia promotion when three members of the audience for Durham Stockton and elsewhere volunteered (selected how?) to sing a snippet of Crazy for a prize as a result of a text vote, which was as flat as the proverbial pancake.

The interval was of half an hour which enabled visits to the loo, for drinks, doughnuts and chips which were also allowed into the auditorium.

The second half, also a further hour and a quarter was restricted to Ben, Ray and Leona.

The contrast between the three talents is striking and each merit a full length performance in their own right. Both Ben and Ray have singles and CDs launched at the same time in March and the Leona mini CD stayed at number 1 for four weeks which is remarkable given the scale of sales in the first week.

Ben Mills is multitalented, a traditional rocker but who can perform ballads and play the piano as well as the guitar. He performed four numbers of which with a Little Help from my friends brought the house down or raised the roof. One advantage of 24 hour e book is that I already have a third row balcony seat for the City Hall on a Friday in November. While Maggie May has been added to 'With a little help,' his Album, Pictures of you includes his original material and this includes a single to be issued on March 5th. A preview of two numbers is available on www.myspace.com/benmillsofficial.

There is no doubt that the star of the star of the show in terms of audience popularity is Ray and his Performances of You Never Walk Alone and My Way were Outstanding and the audience joined in to an extent that he appeared bowled over. It is evident that he cannot still believe what has happened to him, hence one felt when he mentioned that he would be appearing at the City Hall in October, his question will you come to see me, appeared a genuine question. The album contains his X factor hits and other familiar numbers. I forecast that Mr Quinn will be entertaining long after I am no longer able to write on.

And then came Leona

In the video screen build up the Garry Barlow comment that Leona was fifty times better than any other contestant is included, and this creates a potential problem for an artist appearing at the end of a long audience participation party. Will she measure up? I break off to the check the national lottery you are a winner e mail, but alas it is only 7.20, sufficient for a couple more weeks of entries.

There were moments during the ten weeks of successive performances that I watched in disbelief, how was it possible that despite winning talent contests and seeking to become a professional singer, success had eluded her. There was also the excited, witnessed in previous seasons where the more talented were not supported by the populist public. The only British Diva who has stood the test of time and whose voice can be compared with Leona is Dame Shirley Bassey, and I pick the order of words carefully. I was not to be disappointed.

Forget the spectacular presentation worthy of an international star, Leona has that extraordinary capacity to cut herself off from all that is around and perform with an consistent intensity and integrity which is spine tingling and awe inspiring. It a I was there and saw it first, among ten thousand others, that I will take along with seeing Marlene Dietrich at the end of her career, I still have a German version of Where have all the flowers gone. Alas my only regret is not experiencing Edith Piaf singing No Regrets.

The magical and unique aspect which one hopes she will be able to retain is that the ability to communicate directly with every member of the audience directly, despite being totally engrossed by her own singing, together with that is this really happening to me vulnerability. She is yet to learn to command a stage in quite the same way as Dietrich, Piaf and Bassey, but perhaps Leona's charisma will be that of quintessential English Rose, which you risk destroying with the slightest touch.

Those around her are showing wisdom in waiting for a single which will convert the world, although a I hope her first albums will include all the memorable performances from the series. When she sang I will always love you, the lad in front who spent most of the time being a lad, suddenly hugged his mother and said I love you to her, and after that there is nothing more to say, except lets hope I can get a ticket when she has her first tour.