Jose Archer - TTC chapter 27

Jose sat sipping her tea, "what's going on" shouted Holly as she made the long approach through Los Herrerias to the last cafe before the climb.

"Menta poleo, with extra sugar for O"Cebreiro".

"Yes, it's a long one" replied Holly. "I'm sure even the men will care" she laughed.

Holy and Jose had been discussing the night before the "while men talk" series of short stories Jose had written in the early 70's. 

"While man walks on the moon....women care" they laughed in unison.

It seemed to them that every stage of life had been about picking up the pieces discarded based on this very simple theory.

Sometimes they laughed at the stupidity of men but at other times they were befuddled as to why they did nothing about it. We didn't live in America. We could do something about it. In America it seemed that men were carving out a job description for women on the television.

Man had clearly decided that women were very good at caring and therefore men should do f*** all, care not a hot. Have the life of Riley. Women should aspire to a beautiful kitchen.

The seeds were sown when the Neanderthal were slowly bred out of the species. They were a caring docile creature, the Neanderthal, and were largely replaced by homo sapien.

As larger societies formed there was a fine line between slaves and women. When slavery was abolished in the UK it became apparent that women should perhaps be allowed more freedoms too. This is when we diverged with our colony in America.

The real freedoms began when men broke ranks and started to care. This all began when Nannies started influencing their early years. Show me a child and I'll show you the man was a cheeky way of explaining how society would change.

This is then freed up some women who were able to take the fight upstream and find out why they were so busy caring for people who had been wounded maimed or murdered on a battlefield. Caring for those who had been scarred by a society that cared only for a progress that carried with it wealth and awe.

Only when poverty hit the wealthy classes did some men really start to care.

As more men started to care This allowed more women to interfere in the direction society was taking. Medicine grew into politics, but it was through writing that the imagination was inspired. Reading about doctors, teachers and great leaders of history touched a nerve and 6 or 7 generations later, Jose would recall them.

This silent revolution was simple economics. Supply and demand are gender neutral and inevitably head for equilibrium. If society wants less Oxford boys clubs residing at 10 Downing Street it will happen.

I like caring, it's in my nature, but when I am doing unnecessary work, created by foolish actions, I know it's time to change our society.

Jose had been inspired by many of the unsung heroes who got on with it. Marketing was manmade and her women didn't need praised. There wasn't time for it, there was work to be done.

When Jose was writing her series of stories they were designed to set the story straight and record the works of women. Holly loved the series.

Scottish league's winter USA break

Signs of Scottish football will soon be looking forward to continental football in the new year

Normally the seasonal break has the Scottish winter ravages would see the club's head to Dubai, Spain or the Isle of Arran depending on budget, but 2022 could be different.

With so many owners having contacts in the southern states, where the winters are fine for soccer as well as the West Coast And does the golfing world knows the Arizona swing.

When the NFL brought its US football teams over to Wembley you could tell it was a very successful marketing venture. It's not to do with whether or not the teams win the Super bowl it's primarily to create an event.

Taking hibs out on tour for example will need permission from the Proclaimers to ensure that the aftershow experience is as good as the football. Coinciding two schedules sounds a logistical challenge (anything with football and music is) but what an event to be at and I know a few people who might just pop over to the states to join the fun.

Horse racing has been putting bands on after the racing has finished for a while now. Often people will go to the racing who only want to see the band while similarly those at the racing stay on to make a complete day and night of it. This is the entertainment of the future once you've got an audience utilize it.

Visit Scotland are clearly going to be excited at the prospect of a touring football followed by music with plenty booze and haggis suppers to be sold. I'm not sure I want to go to a game where the band gets piped on but if it's in the middle of a 2 week holiday and our whistle stop tour includes New Orleans I'll go for it.

The kids of course will be hoping that they get the game that goes ahead near Disney world at LA Galaxy's home. Others will just be hoping for a spot on the beach in Miami. The crucial aspect though is to sell football and the Scottish identity to a brand beset nation.

Scottish football needs very little from America 0.000001% of GDP will do very nicely thank you very much.

More importantly it is the sense of fun and enjoyment which needs to come back into the game after the crisis of the pandemic.

The winter break of 2022 gives us all plenty time to book our travel and for the locals to be educated into what team they should support. Let's keep it simple Americans like colours. We need to get nice bright strips and then we need to market them.

Every game will feel like a cup final as the stadium she will be rocking. These are real players in a real league, with something the Americans love, history.

No I know the cynics we'll see Celtic playing their home games in Boston while Rangers play theirs in Alabama but I think we can slide past these issues and accept tribalism for what it is a great tool to be used to develop support.

Now that may sound glib that we exploit the ku Klux Klan and the Boston priests but it's just a marketing ploy.

Okay before anyone gets too excited I am joking there is an elephant in the room. In fact there's one in every room in the house!

Spanish is not quite the national language of the United States of America but it's fairly close and as a result soccer will soon become their national sport. That are so many heritage opportunities that that it is very important that we act now before other leagues realize the potential.

At present most teams are having preseason games and tournaments in the USA but nobody has made the bold step to play league games there.

For Scotland with its winter moving the games and incorporating a warm weather break will be financially beneficial as well as building the audience and brand that is Scottish football.

On this day, one week of July through time

Yes Dear diary, on this day in 1973 I was swimming. We were living just outside Washington DC on Esworthy Road near Darnestown.

I had a penpal from primary school, Adam Kopystynski, and it was clearly his birthday as I posted his present. As well as a squirt gun fight, water pistols to you and I.

1 year later in 1974 on July the 11th I go up I didn't do much Mom took us to the Cash & Carry I got a box of tutti frutti's in a box of Lee's macaroon bars I had a toothache after which  prayed.

four years later the 1978 with the world cup behind us I played around before and after work Good morning round of 18 was followed by an 81 with Graham Mavor.

My golf's not improved by 1979 As I scored another 80 but what does amuse me is apparently I custom swore about what could have been a morning we bastard back then Derek timmons won the medal with the 75

In 1980 we were in Blackpool and it was our last full day We had fun on the shows and then markets shopping for presents haha not me I did buy sticks of rock went to Tiffany's again yeah we were at Tiffany's quite a lot what else is a 17-year-old to do in Blackpool.

July the 12th we went to Seattle's party she got lots of presents John and I went swimming We had lots of fun Sarah must have been about 5 or 6 because she was a friend of my sisters who was 5 That's 1973 for you we're all a lot older now.

well I like about July the 12th is in 1978 my dad proved just how generous he was when he took us to New Battle Golf club it cost £2 each to play so we didn't went to Pollock Halls in the evening and had a laugh putting a box on a window ledge so it fell off when the window was opened now there's a prank The first day of the open championship and Tom weiskopf round in 69 He's my favorite to win He was 3 under The par at theSt Andrews is 72.

In 1979 I got off early and had a bath before rushing to work I got my dispatch pay £4.20 and I get £35 tomorrow from printing went jogging at night phone 6 golf balls for really good ones. I was really lucky to have this job it wasn't a lot of people who were 16 getting paid 35 lb for a summer job

In 1980 all the talk was about returning from Blackpool, 

got train home after going to shows it was tiring watched late films very tired.

July the 13th it was unlucky for some but it wasn't for me in 1973 as we went swimming at the Sweeney's the water was really high we had a really lot of fun swim was too much we went to toys R us I bought a movie projector it was good I was going to get the talking new master but it was just a bit too expensive. The thing about American toys it was such a disposable culture you can get really good things very cheaply. My eldest brother Tom had about seven tape machines I'm not sure how many made it home but there were real to reels all over the place you'd think Nixon had been.

1974 and we're not long home from America I got up I watch TV Mike Lucy Nicola and Uncle Frank went to the Commonwealth pool I went to the shops and got some red cooler Tommy and Gordon went golfing Mum said she'd order the dandy for me I watched the final round of the open championship Gary player one booster house was tied second. Sounds like I had a blast that day and I didn't really make up for it in 1978

played badly at golf Don't know why I'm not playing well went to work and got studs for golf shoes at Lily weights got £6.65 paid taxi to GPU found my keys that I lost on Sunday well that sounds good And on to 1979

Got 63 lbs pay during the 2 weeks 13 8 played golf badly in the evening in preparation for gollan I got a game of golf without a market in the evening at a 78 I went to cathedral Mass. I'm not sure God was a golfer but he did help me hole putts.

Miles and miles.....(for nothing) The Relations - lockdown #10

Its no surprise to me that pedalling miles and miles for nothing in lockdown, I am after all Fat Al, and as the resident pedant, I'm undergoing metamorsphosis into Ped Al.

Clearly when I tried to turn the volume up the video cam went off and the first 15 seconds is quite funny as I try to work out why the light is on, then I hear the Director in my head scream "Action" and I'm off and another 3km later I hit pause and have a cup of tea.

After the relations its "Silent Sculpture" by the Men Men and then back to the Relations again for the "Devil in me".

I cant believe I have somehow got the deadbeat tapes on shuffle....

Dancing Bears - dancing feet #4 lockdown bikers it's "Lost in my Mind"

I was and still am a great fan of Richie Lambert songs and the tight Dancing Bears performance. Good drummers seperated the average garage band from the excellent and the dancing drumming and driving bass from the bears was what leapt out of the cassette player in 1983.

The opening three tracks of Deadbeat 2 are "Dancing Beat", "She moves me" and "Lost in my mind". All three get the feet moving but pride of place goes to "Lost in my Mind". It's a song that creeps into every sunny day on Arran as I stroll along the beach or just coming home pissed during the festival. Stumbling along in the meadow's and the music to straighten me up and get me marching home in a zig zag formation.....

Nostalgic songs, "looking back on the days when we had such fun going out in the park in the warm summer sun", work well with every passing year and all the arthritis disappears as you move your feet to the drummers beat.

It always made me chuckle when we'd drive up to St Andrews for our annual golf weekend and Simon would say "Got any Dancing Bears" and boom it's on the cassette in the car. I kept that car until 2018 just so that I could keep playing the brilliant cassettes from an earlier era.

Their first demo was so fresh,  nascent and naive, as Roy Terre would say.

The second demo would contain three songs. "I go where my baby goes", a Mick Jones type Clash song followed by "lucky Son" a surfer song for all you wave riders from Portobello. The happy vibe continues with "thousand miles".

It was good but not as stripped back as the first demo. The Bears were a live band and I think that first demo sounded like a one take wonder. I could picture the three of them looking at each other and thinking "is that it?, Done in 15 minutes and we've got the studio booked all day!"

Deadbeat 2 will be digitalised one day so if you've not got a copy just smile in that warm summer sun!

Bone of Contention - Strawberry Tarts - lockdown #8 on the bike

With pounding drums setting the rhythm, the legs are off and suddenly you're doing 30km p/h and singing away. Just over three minutes fly by and if its your first song then the bike is rocking from side to side and a groin strain is merely another couple of pedals away.

I love this song 36 years after Jeremy and the boys first track on the first Deadbeat Tape broke seal on 3 hours of great local music.

There's a rockabilly feel to it which probably dates it a wee bit, but the sound is fresh as ever and I've played it over 1000 times now as I listen to it at least once a week and since I got this bike its been on at least once a day!

I first heard it in 1983 at one of their shows. I think it may have been the one when we went to a primary school in the middle of nowhere for a showcase gig with Moroccan CoCo. It was brilliant back then and the band, all feather boas and glammed to distraction.

Great memories and still a great sound.

Music from lockdown #5 the Relations from Perth - You're the next best thing

From Perth, the band, the Relations appear on deadbeat tape 3 and the song you're the next best thing it's just one of those cracking exercise bike songs, your legs just can't stay still.

I remember getting a bus up to the fair city to see the Relations play a gig in some hotel on the perth road heading towards Dunkeld I think.

The gig was brilliant The band's performance electric. We didn't sign bands for the deadbeat tapes, we begged them and The Relations were delighted to take part after a suitable bribe of a pint or two.

35 years is a proper test of time and this song is stunning, its longevity like some of the other Deadbeat tape songs is quite simply the soundtrack of the 80's music scene for me.

When I first heard it live I thought it was "you're an express train...", which was strange because I'd just got the bus up from Edinburgh which was a lot quicker than the train. The locals had heard it before and were all bouncing.

Starting off the song with "I'm in love with myself" works well,  it's always a great pop starlet line and as we pump and grind our way to the sound of wedding bells we're asked to spare a thought for the battered wives. The inference being any violence should hit the perpetrators, it's not their fault the next best thing.

The dry singing is set against a very post-punk fast-moving song. The band for me lean towards Elvis Costello with clever lyrics, jangling chords and the undertones and buzzcooks in maintaining the tempo.

As I say they're part of this 57 year old's soundtrack and a must during the DJ set workout!