New plays? Try - Thick Skin

The evening standard sent a watcher north - its all true!

Government to Nationalise Taxi provision

Government considering UBER rival

If you can't beat them join them seems to be the mantra coming from our government as they consider how best to raise taxes from multinationals like Uber.

Uber drivers receive just 75% of the fee that they charge for driving their passengers. Set this against the government who charge only 20% tax after petrol and allowance for the motor vehicle  - it's quite clear to see the government tax revenues would jump enormously if they could nationalise taxi and private hire provision and the mandarins are all over it.

Corbyn supporters have been bemoaning that this government seems to have stolen many of their best ideas and were getting the socialist agenda over to the country but a senior Tory defended the jibe about this intervention in the free market

"We absolutely believe in the free market producing the best solutions - UBER is hugely successful and the software is easily copied so we have decided to plagiarise, that's what the free market's about. Leaving Europe allows us the opportunity to nationalise more of the 21st century industries. Soon nobody will talk about Clement Attlee nationalising or Saint Margaret privatising - it will all be about Mrs May who sorted out the national debt with our taxis."

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Fwd: From hospital D'Orbigo on the back road to Astorga

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> It doesn't get much better than this. Blue skies and then you stumble across a shack where people have set up home and by the looks of things do pretty well on it. Living in the moment with the moment and then I'll photograph it to remind me of the moment - right back to the moment then...
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Sunshine on Sarria

After the showers going into Triacastela this morning, the Proclaimers classic was bastardised into camino version - I'm too lazy to post these to the fatal-bananas.blogspot.com so enjoying the rays and looking forward to the superb tapas in sunny Sarria. It's like a step back in time with beer €1.20 and vino less than a Euro all with the obligatory free tapa- bliss!

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Penny drops part 2

https://youtu.be/soh7i7QrOhA


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THE HAPPY FAMILY-THE LUCKIEST CITIZEN{1984 4AD}{YT}.wmv

https://youtu.be/kxk95AM95oU


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A great looking bill @Summerhall this festival

Typos are us

Scotsman prove they can publish typo free pages but then again.... can they actually publish editorial nowadays?

Getting someone to write a page happens more regularly in the mainstream media than we think. Advertising features are one thing but clever editors ask people who have the proof reading infrastructure to fill their pages, understandably.

We at Deadbeat merely observe that Julian Cope would say "shut your mouth" and I won't try a joy division thought.... I've lost control and I'm giving the game away ... there was glam 1979/1980 and JD. I went from Sailor: the Rubettes and others to suddenly realise I wanted urban angst - in fact I was urban angst and when finally I arrived in later life at Nick cave's I to my arms I released my over inflated liver and released my brother from the bondage of intoxicating a 14 year old too frequently. By 16 I'd decided to ditch drugs for alcohol - cheers Gogs!

Lunchtime @edfringe

The Scotsman used to cover everything back in the days of Orange Juice. Rip it up and start again - whaurs uncle Eric b Mackay when you need him!

My wee dug's last resting (rising) place

With apologies to Jill Bryson who recently tweeted her 19 year old cat's picture, I sit in Summerhall reminded of less good times in The 80's when Alex, ma wee dug, stopped biting my sister's pals and flew up the chimney of the Dick Vet. A wee westie by nature, Alex was stoic to the end. In an era defined by religion Alex was a dug, brought up to bite protestants but Catholics, muslims, Hindus, Jews, Sikhs and particularly Jehovas witnesses. He loved white and black westies, especially those with oil streaks from crawling under cars. While my mum may have vascular dementia, Alzheimer's or whatever even she smiles when I talk about her 'setting' Alex on Jehova's best. Whilst I sit here reminiscing on those days In The early 80's I'm still liking the way Thick Skin at the painesplough Roundabout was received last Saturday. It was superb to witness, a bit like a number of early gigs I was at, there's a smugness as you leave saying I was there. I remember the Clash at La Sorbonne or Aztec Camera in Dundee. 168 in the painesplough Roundabout is a full house and what a venue. When the Beatles played Shey Stadium you were reminded by TV of how vulnerable they were in the centre of the action. I watched the 4 on stage last Saturday and thought - yeah - I'm glad it's a standing ovation - if it was a glassin' you'd be captured! I'm not wanting to put pressure on any of the performers over the next few days but work hard, concentrate, remember your lines and you won't follow the same destiny as Alex!

When Bobby met Harry

No rubbing of the nose today at Candlemaker Row. Bobby and Harry remain great friends to this day despite the shite that Bobby dropped on Harry's white poster! A superb performance today from the all girl Poor Michelle proving Bobby and Harry are merely there for decoration. Love it. Hilarious in places and critically moving. This play confronts the darkness we never talk about, the nihilistic moments in adolescence while having the good grace to be funny as well.

In 1980 you thought it was "all about you" Rab. Sorry, Harry in 2017, it's not about you. It's all about Poor Michelle. #harrytheplay @followthecow Cowgate 12:20. #mustgoshow

Tweet by Poor Michelle on Twitter

	Poor Michelle (@poormichelle_)
14/08/2017, 17:53 "poignant piece about friendship & growing up; important for teens to see & nostalgic for adults" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #HarryThePlay @FollowTheCow twitter.com/define_arts/st…

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Skelly eyed fat boy watches out for backlash from Samson's Ribs as Arthur's Seat erupts

Religious laughter

Whether Harry, Robbie John or jaysus is your God it's abundantly clear you need to understand the rules attached to the society you sign up to.

Our gods and Demi gods dictate too much of our life but what's scarier than anything people seriously make a decision about whether it's Pepsi or Coke.

Watching some programme tonight about coming out I thought - surely coming out was in the 80's or 90's. By 2000 there was no coming out, surely.


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Deadbeat Bars - HARRY fans

Just a short step from Summerhall is one of Edinburgh's premier south side bars, Swany's! After Thick Skin on Saturday this place will be jumping.

I like it because like HARRY- I do!

Fringe performers preferential treatment

What an outrage ! Ha ha Paul is that you?

When I was 19

It's so easy to say 35 years on, but why didn't KB and I wait until photocopies got this good.

By issue 33 we had the measure- every week technology brought another treasure and digital imagery was moving fast.

The internet was born not long after and KB and I just presumed the printed media space would get too crowded for a fanzine.

How wrong we were as today the Metro aspires to free recyclable news. Treating news the way it was meant. Tomorrow's chip wrappers. So many people populating that world of journalism spotted this and decided during the 90's to fight back and make news the news, not report or analyse it, be the news - hold the front page - I'm here!

Did James Naughtie leave the today programme because it was about the cult of personality and no longer about the news - I don't know - ask him! - but I stopped listening. Nowadays they have an editor who seems to report on people's favourite colour. Jackie tells me this and I don't believe her but KB says it's true.

Why didn't we wait until the photocopiers were this good! ?

I guess if you wait too long you'll be too old. I'm no conspiracy theory but I'm glad we didn't wait as technology is taking over the world in our decision making and as you count the steps you've taken today you can ponder this. The control and access of Apps is run by a small number of people, sometimes being a wee wino makes sense. The drug cartels have an interest in developing their markets just as much as Coca Cola - will the olympics or super bowl turn them down on the next 35 years?

Let's face it, it's 5 to 9 on a sunny Monday morning!

The venue for Deadbeat 2018

Was this the best Deadbeat cover!?

Deadbeat festival 2017 front cover

It's been a tricky one as issue 7 gets retweeted often, many others look great but issue 5 was quintessential Deadbeat. Old school don't give a fuck, with a brilliant sex n drugs n sausage rolls interview with Roddy Frame. Once the other 400 pages are done I'll probably find that issue 27 with Wild Indians was the one

Deadbeat festival 2017 first 28 pages - 486 to follow

Deadbeat Festival issue 2017

Nothing like the wee cherubs to have me dreaming again. The festival issue will be out to celebrate 35 years. I'm trawling through some of the best bits and clearly that hoochie Coochie club ad will make the final cut!

Deadbeat 2018 celebrations

Can we get the bands back together for a night of nostalgia - 2018 could be the year some of the acts from the 3 deadbeat tapes finally get that venue booked. Get in touch if you want to play - I've a small venue with two stages in Edinburgh - depending on the acts it should work well

Deadbeat meadows festival 2017

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFoSkNzhuyo

A blast from the past in my head but as real as today in the rain. Superb live - hope the video does them justice!

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Thick Skin and Harry out now

You've seen the plays now read them, oh you haven't seen them yet? #harrytheplay is on 12:20 - 1:20 in the belly dancer @followthecow Cowgate while Thick Skin has one performance on Saturday 12th August in the Summerhall round @ 10pm.

Harry has changed since I last saw the Poor Michelle team's outstanding performance @kingsheadtheatre and it's even sharper and faster. The props have developed and generally the show has got slicker. There was always an abundance of light and shade in the performance and one year on they've worked at it and there's even more. Caitlin has reworked the script and the snappier laughs have increased, the additional anecdotes are absolutely hysterical and the story works for all generations.

Is it just for the kids or is it one for the family I hear you ask? A "family" must watch, like a football match there should be adult and student gates. Whether father and daughter, mother and son, grandmother and granddaughter etc these moments are worth savouring together, although the crowd of 24 year olds in front of us clearly shared the young ones flat experience as Caitlin and Sophie rattled out the lines from the comedic Gatling gun. A Kalashnikov would have trouble keeping up with them as they finish off each other's sentences with enthusiasm and timing.

So often plays involving teenage angst omit the fun. Harry is full of fun, in fact, so fast and furious is the fun we're allowed to forget our angst and remember the best bits of our youth, regardless of age. The fun and laughter engaged the opening show's crowd on Thursday and when you laugh with the actors you're often never far away from laughing at yourself. Whether you're 20 or 80 the jokes and banter are clearly as fresh as yesterday in your mind. There's a new set of humorous by products from the social media age and the characters are all over it. Halcyon days for some but there's pathos on the way. A great watch and now I know who Harry Styles is.

Vinnybee



Ed comments .....In his day I'm sure Harry would never have made Deadbeat's front cover(!) But then can I say there were no jokes about ET having 2p to make a phone call home - yes 35 years since Deadbeat was first published in August 1982 here's a story worth seeing and reading. My search is over!

Jose Archer

Harry for Lunch 12:20 underbelly cowgate

Plays about fandom are as old as the hills and they represent a fantastic way for each generation to put their take on their society. The prime of Miss Jean Brodie with its admission of admiration for Franco utilised a long standing tool for getting a point over and scoring a point or two is what Harry does in abundance. Harry will appeal to Bay City Roller fans as much as Josef K or Scars fans, to those who liked Orange juice and possibly even Edwin himself! The play's comedic strength lies in the dialogue which rivals some of the best you'll hear as the rhythm is drummed out at a fierce and festive pace. The buzzcocks and undertones had a great turn of wit and if you like a 2 minute pop song some of the soliloquies will tickle your ribs. The darker side is never far away and as mentioned previously on this site the, the darkness does make the play. This all woman production has already made a few must see lists, I concur. A great way to spend your lunchtime during the festival.

"Thick Skin" & "Harry" - two new plays written by Caitlin McEwan and published by Oberon. Available August 3rd underbelly Cowgate and all fine booksellers.

Thick Skin & Harry - two new plays published by Oberon in a twin volume out August 3rd.

A pie a pint and a play - harry. 12:30-1:20pm August 3rd-27th underbelly cowgate

Harry - 12:20-1:20pm underbelly Colgate August 3-27 *****

Why the camino is the best pub crawl