Places I Love. No 3. Runswick Bay.

I discovered Runswick Bay when I was employed as lead actor in a huge corporate advertisement.
I portrayed a Pirate.
In a foam cup commercial.

It was directed by a bloke I vaguely knew, on the beach in March and it was perishing.
I was reasonably warm, being dressed as a pirate afforded me the comfort of a vest, the Dolly Bird (Directors term, honest) in a bikini was giving it chapel hat pegs, the poor thing.

Anyways, over the years I've had some rare old times there. I've slept in three different houses and one campsite in the village, I've been there with my all my friends and family, and you can spread my ashes, behind the chair on the path that runs just above the white house on the top right of the picture. That'll do me.

Places I Love. No 2.

No 2. The Cumberland Arms, Byker.
In the late 80's, due to some daft housing mix up, I scored a hard to let flat in Byker Buildings, which was just along from The Cumberland Arms. 


At the time it was managed by a bloke called Billy. The tip of Billy's nose was plastic. It looked as though someone had bitten it off in a fight. 
Come to think of it, Billy looked like he could have  bitten his own nose off in a fight with himself. Despite this, regular visits brought about a warm familiarity. 




The same could not be said of the barman, whose name was quite inappropriately, Tommy Cooper. He was a sour man. I only ever once saw him outside the pub, walking down Shields Road. It was wrong seeing him out of context and in daylight. Daylight didn't suit him. He died in the end. Probably of sourness.


One of the great things about the Cumberland was the upstairs room. It was free to use. Just about anyone who had an interest in comedy and music played here. It was a bit shabby, and you could do whatever you wanted. At one show we were playing, and, this still haunts me to this day, I hit Phil Hinsley, from the stage, on the head, at full swing, with a Blue Peter annual. Really hit him hard. There were cartoon birds flying round his bonce. I'm sure I had good reason to, but it was a big surprise when it happened. 

These days, thanks to some canny management, The Cumberland is still going strong. When twatty pubs the length and breadth of the country are being closed down, this simple, friendly no frills pub goes from strength to strength. It's a testament to all who frequent the bar, a bar that still supports local talent and, on sunny days, brings round sun cream to ensure you don't get burnt whilst in your cups. If they could just sort out the staffing to calm endless bar queues on busy days it's be the best pub in the world. Oh, fuck it, it is the best pub in the world. 

Places I Love.

Just a slight swerve, from the music.
Some places in Newcastle that I love.

No 1. Scotts Gentlemen's Hairdressers, The Side, Newcastle.

I've been going here for 25 years. I was first taken here by Steve Lynch, one of the worst drummers I've ever had the pleasure of being in a band with.



It was 1985, and the height of checky-shirt-flat-top-mania. I'd already got a good flatty after getting my hair fettled by the barbers that Madness frequented on Camden High Street. In a new town, I needed a new gentleman barber, and I found one.

There were queues into the street to get your hair cut, especially on a Saturday.  They close at 12.30 on a Saturday morning, but followed the golden rule, if you're over the threshold, you get your haircut. Quite often people would be there a couple of hours later.

Nowadays it's a little quieter, but the crack is just the same. There's Dave, Shaun and Barry. Shaun's the new boy, he's been there a couple of years, his cut is top notch, he takes really good care. Barry is a grumpy young man, he left for a while, but came back in the end. Dave is the boss, he's a little mellower these days. When I first started going there, I thought him to be quite ferocious.
He knows all about me and my family, and I love the fact that he asks after them. That's him there talking. And talking. And talking.

In 25 years I've only had my haircut in three different places. They never got it right. At Scotts they do. It's a great place to spend half an hour, and you always come out looking smart, and it's still less than a tenner to get a haircut. 

Yesterdays Sounds Today.

The first evening in the second season was a beauty. A full house of music fans old and new, great see the returnees and the new folk too. It still surprises and heartens me how taking in the music makes for a bit of a chill, sitting and saying nothing, just taking in the music.

My favourite moments were the 'Shheeeee' part of She's Leaving Home and learning about the animal sound effects at the end of Good Morning.  Oh and the piano at the end of A Day In The Life......

The Queen Is Dead on Thursday, I think it's going to be a humdinger.

On a modern note, I've been back in the record shops again, I don't even bother with ordering online or downloads these days, I want product. Maybe I didn't really need those Charlie Williams and Kenny Lynch elpees, but at a pound each - be daft not to.

I've also been getting all modern, with these three really catching my attention. Early days yet, but they're all worth a listen if you like something new and worth an explore.

Django Django - Django Django.

This could be a real car crash, but it's not, it's quite brilliant. I've only heard it about three times in full so far, there are a couple of stand out tracks, Default being an absolute stonker, the guitar part is especially fine.

Gillian Welch - Harrow and the Harvest

I think this came out last year, it was a fiver in Fopp, so I had to buy it,  just because.  It needs some quiet and in the wrong mood it could be a bit of a wind up.

At the right time it's lovely, I've had a Sunday afternoon with it. It was sweet.

Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care.

I know they've been a round for a while, but they're new to me. I saw that Lanterns on the Lake were supporting them, so had a 5 pound each way bet on this. It's a proggy thing, no stranger to melody. It sounded good this afternoon on the A1 in the sunshine.