10p bought more than a Deadbeat back in my youth

A quality fanzine!!
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Deadbeat Christmas book

I've been a bit slow with this but it should be ready for the 40th anniversary. I've gone for the simplicity of leaving the spelling mistakes and there's alot (!!)

There was a rhythmic quality to the way Rhythm was always rythm. Clearly we were practicing for text speak and allied to this was our removal of vocabulary - most Deadbeat copies used less than 400 words and most were utilised at least 20 times. Original, beat, ... pulsing was up there, we liked our pulses. There was a lot of dance, dance, dance, to the radio, or even, can't dance, can't dance. Words not often used were Vespa, mobile phone and internet. You tube hadn't made it to our screens and we were only just entering the era of the £50,000 video. I remember when Scars made their video on Arthur's seat etc - that put them up alongside Madness and the other great silent movie makers of the time. Only a short year or two later the budgets were going berserk. The great thing about the early videos is the comedy. There were a whole generation falling out of art school who wanted to shoot shorts or had an idea for a mini movie. The songs proved the perfect fodder, especially the 12" single.

The horror genre often got its own 5 minutes of fame as band after band tried to craft a story board depicting the dark side of their creation but let's face it they were hysterically funny. Deadbeat never got around to doing videos for the tapes until 10 years ago when I discovered some copies of the tapes and proceeded to load them up here. The best is still the strawberry tarts one loaded back around 2010. Enjoy

I'm a European

A clarity of thinking

Brexit talk needs no walk now we need to act.

The country has been loud about the fact we don't want it.

It's the last stand for our politicians they only have one vote

Get to work now you crazy folk

You will sleep better in years to come

Unlike the poem I hope 

We have elections and we elect MPs and we don't want it cited that they never did their job.

We want to hear that 337 stood up and said I'm NOT AGREEING WITH  THIS  STUPIDITY 

THANKS 

AL

vinnybee and Al are great friends and disagree over most stuff - over Europe they agree - the U.K. Is best served in the E C - it's not any more complicated than that.

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Mont del Perdon outside Pamplona

Views of Middle Earth outside Pamplona

Borrowed from www 500m. Wordpress.com

The FAT BOY DIARIES FROM 2007

The setting is two lard asses going from Edinburgh to walk 500 miles across the camino to Santiago de Compostela having never walked further than their local or a bus stop on work days....

Arrival at the airport...September 2007

We made it up the stairs before our first lapse of concentration.

I was first – I put the rucsac in the box for the scanner – it tilted sideways and the handy 72 different buckles caught in the xray machine and jammed the blighter. This then involved 9 security people advising how best to approach it. Where's John Smeaton when you need him.

Si then decided to omit all the toiletries advice and offers of poly bags. Something must've registered as he took out his suntan cream – I guessed it was an offering – and placed it with his phone and assorted trinkets.

"Who does this sunscreen cream belong to?" Bellowed our man whose day was destined to be hell and was only 15 minutes old.

"Just bin it" cried Si as the offering was duly sacrificed.

"Hoi, are you the rucsac with the toiletries? Toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, mouthwash and assorted foot creams" sighed mister day from hell and its only 16 minutes old.

"Duh, yup" said Homer Si

"Sod it just go on", whaurs smeato when you need him, he thought.  It'd be handy if he could fly in and banjo a few of these clowns that are spoiling my day.

"Look" says si pointing at a big sign, "we can buy liquids here to take on the plane".

"Aye and bin them at Stansted!"

"Aye, a fair point. Go through three tubs of the stuff and we've no even left the great UK port"

===

Alors – nous sommes en France.

Biarritz ya dancer.

Please don't snigger – these hills are looking bigger!

I've finished chapter 4 in my head of 1000 reasons why I love smoking.

You see, people grump more when they don't have a fag to take away the strain – and today – on the plane – how topical – as we get ourselves into position for the starting gate and our "one penny a step" for the children's charity – there's parents abusing their children on the plane.

Give the kid a dummy – I'm hearing my ears pop – I'm watching the water bottle contract – I'm thinking this is the pressure building in the kids head – SCREEEEEEAAAMMMMMMMMM! – that's better a full 12 minutes until we bump land the bus.

Parents eh? Who'd be one. Well we have good news and bad news on the trek front. The Bayonne train leaves at 9pm and its currently 3pm

Do we

A. Get pissed and miss it

B. Bump into fellow pilgrims and get a taxi

Or

C. Walk it and see how long it takes to get lost in SW France!

Its France – we've got loads of time!

===

And now we've arrived at St Jean – we've just taken another look and already Simon is starting to agree with the Irish women Aileen who's going to walk to hunto tonight so its 2 hours less tomorrow,

"Oh so why not when I said it last july!"

Let the battles continue – fair play though he climbed the hill and found the shop that gave us the guide and passport (credencial) and also sells b and b for 7 euro.

Now all we need is to find a shop selling suncream!

The problem is, we're sitting in the shade, with our credencial which gives you discount at the restaurants on tour and already wondering if they hire golf buggies!

Good news is we've got a bed and the clothes are still clean!

Cheers from Simon and Al

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Tags: 500 mile walk, camino,  Day 1, Day 27, Pontomarin, santiago de compostela, st jean pied du porte, The way of St James, walking across spain

Categories : St Jean Pied du Porte

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Roncesvalles, Spain – a look back at the start

16 09 2010

Monday night found us in the largest albergue we're likely to sleep in.

Think of a giant five a side football hall then put 60 bunk beds in it, with 1 meter seperating "twin" bunk beds. If you got in first the row at the end of the hall was just bunk beds but then they became doubles – which would be good if it was empty, it wasn't.

It reminded me of the way Iain did the floor plan for George Street – except there was more room between the desk there!

I was thinking the home office could learn a thing or two from the monks and the pilgrims. Or maybe that's what the french modelled their wee village, sansgat, or whatever on.

Either way you turn up show your passport pay your 5 euro, get handed a pillow and follow your heart to the bunk of your choice.

If you were on your own you'd no idea who's face you'd wake up to which is probably why there are so many swingers here. No problem for me I knew it'd be the Ribena boy wonder Si – which is Navarro for "face been in sun too long – hill was too high".

So we threw our pillows down on the bunk unfurled our flags and went off on the pub crawl. We'd ordered the pilgrims meal – they charge you 8 euro for it and give you a ticket, which you put in your pocket somewhere – and then you turn up at the pre-appointed time of 7pm and your ushered through to the restaurant.

There on the tables are wine and water and a big terrine of soup. Fill yer boots we said and we still couldn't finish it, then the trout with chips and a full head staring at you. Si was feeling brave so decreed "you can eat the head I think". I tried to remind him that the one thing he proved conclusively on a daily basis was that thinking was for wimps and he was no wimp. Within 5 minutes he'd retreated behind that tried and tested mantra – "you know I don't do thinking".

The wine was that why be 11% and drinkable when we could make it 13% and leave you gasping for air.

With a yoghurt to finish with it seemed good fair for a fiver. I thought we could get this lot in to do the prison catering instead of Group 4 or Reliance.

As we tottered back to the ranch, we discovered the beauty of the camino and as I lay on my bed all my prayers were answered. Si said there was nobody above us so he would take the double upper. I suggested waiting until the prison lights went out at 10 but he felt confident.

I later gave the following statement to the local police.

"I was rudely awoken at 9.38pm by these two gentlemen who were shaking Simon. They said they had booked the beds and put there pillows on them in the time honoured way. Simon in his defence had mentioned that he'd seen the pillows but thought he'd just got lucky that he had 3 pillows he could dribble on. He duly to the driest one and returned to his previous bunk. It was then at 2.46am that he snorted, I need the torch, I need the toilet. I duly awoke and reminded him of the place where the torch was and he went to the toilet. I of course then needed to go as well but having been blessed by a father who grew many carrots, I had no need for a torch. The latter was just as well for he duly hid it in a different place. Luckily it was dark out in the morning so we discovered straightaway that he hadn't put it back in the bag."

We were find 10 euro for wasting pilgrim police time and told to get on with falling out.

Next up the tale of 2 trews. Tracky bottoms that never ripped and fancy dan detachables – that did. Guarding against impatience is one of the primary teachings in the way of the Pilgrim. We will never learn more easily that a stitch in time saves nine – or act in haste repent in leisure.

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News from 1983 #13

Issue 13 sold out inside a week across the country. We were caught unawares and as we went to restock virgin in Glasgow we got handed so much cash we had to get smashed. Same thing happened when we got to gold rush in Perth and later the next day at Groucho in Dundee

No hawking please

Subject: No hawking please

Deadbeat back issues sales team caught lurking in rip it up sting!

Yes amazingly there are 7 copies of the Deadbeat 3 tapes but DB1 & 2 sold out in 1984 although I found the master tapes yesterday so sending them to Canada for safe keeping!

Fwd: the final one

Another copy of the Rag many thanks to Gordon

August 1980 Rock Fest issue

So what were you doing in August 1980 - going to the nite club to watch the Ramones or Billy Connolly?

Thanks for this latest copy of the Rag - courtesy of Gordon Gurvan

The Midas Organ - Eric Browns turn

Roll back the clock to the meadows festival and then in August 1980 the real festival. 

I seem to remember the Cubs played the meadows festival in May that year but my thanks to Gordon Gurvan for some more great content from the summer I waved goodbye to Holyrood and fled fifth year for first year at St. Andrews - and the delights of the Dundee scene - the Dalry road venue is below - I believe it was known as Vietnam in its time as Edinburgh got more like trainspotters!

Great stuff in the rag #22

The penny drops as the mushroom rises! When drink was 35p a pint and protect and survive was £1.50. December 1980

Rag #22

How 1981 began with a price hike!

The Rag #18

Another great Regular music find from Gordon Gurvan find. Issue 18 was put out the month I left town for St. Andrews - read reminisce and roll a big fat one UB40 style (just joking) - Enjoy 

The Rag #22

Another piece of magic from Gordon at retroDundee and taysidebar - I'm loving the Shake gig at the Astoria for Edinburgh voluntary transport- back in December 1980 we needed benefit gigs from r a few things!

Talking of benefits - UB40 - owning your own label doesn't always work, unlike psychosis and dope, judging by their brotherly love these days,it seems smoking skunk for 40 years can make you the one in ten....

Reminisce & Read the Rag

Subject: The Rag #22