Friday, 4 May 2012

DID ROBERT JOHNSON START THE 27 CLUB ?


Robert Johnson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson



Robert Johnson was an African-American bluesman. He was born and raised in Hazlehurst, MS and Memphis, TN. He tried to mimic a popular musician in his town, but failed at it because he simply was not born with a musical skill on the guitar. He really wanted to be famous and good at playing the guitar like his role model Son House, and he says "someone" answered that request. Maybe some of you have seen "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" with George Clooney where the African-American character Tommy Johnson sells his soul to the devil for musical prowess because he said, "I wasn't using it". He was representing this Robert Johnson. "
Late in life, Son House remembered Johnson as a boy who had followed him around and tried very unsuccessfully to copy him. He then left the Robbinsonville area, but later reappeared after a few months with a miraculous guitar technique. His boast is entirely credible."
"Robert Johnson sounded primal, sang with lived passion about dark meetings at crossroads, love in vain and hellhounds on his trail, and died from poisoning under strange circumstances. The legend went that Johnson, not blessed with guitar talent when he first began playing professionally, yearned for overnight success that would put him in league with the other guitarists on the circuit. One night, he heard a voice that told him to visit the crossroads by Dockery's plantation at midnight. There, he was met by a large black man who apparently was the devil in disguise. The big man took the guitar from Johnson, tuned it, and returned it to him."
"Johnson was giving mastery of the guitar and the devil gave him back his guitar in return for his soul. In exchange Robert Johnson became able to play, sing, and create the greatest blues anyone had ever heard.
"Johnson's improvement on his instrument was swift and amazing (although historically, it took him about a year to become great). He earned the instant recognition of big name guitarists like Son House, who championed his cause. However, Johnson was tormented in his dreams by visions of the devil, and hellhounds on his trail. In his waking hours, Johnson played the role of bluesman hero, chasing women, drinking, behaving arrogantly. In 1938, during a show, he was poisoned (possibly by a jealous husband of a woman he had been putting moves on). The poison had him foaming at the mouth and talking babble, he died within days.
He wrote songs about his experience with the devil with such titles as "Hell Hound On My Trail" (utilizes another common theme: fear of the devil). Six of Johnson's blues songs mention the devil or some form of the supernatural.
In "Me And The Devil" he began, "Early this morning when you knocked upon my door/Early this morning, umb, when you knocked upon my door/And I said, 'Hello, Satan, I believe it's time to go,'" before leading into "You may bury my body down by the highway side/You may bury my body, uumh, down by the highway side/So my old evil spirit can catch a Greyhound bus and ride."
His last words were 'I pray that my redeemer will come and take me from my grave.' He died at age 27.


"The Blues has always been the Devil's music. Music that glorified drinking, womanizing, gambling, dope, violence, and depravity, blues was an easy target for ministers and pastors of the South, who countered with sermons forbidding the congregation to listen to it. Many god-fearing churchgoers heeded this message, establishing Gospel as the safer alternative. Even some bluesmen were convinced; legendary blues picker Gary Davis usually refused to play blues after he was ordained as a reverend in 1937. Ultimately, he relented just before his death and recorded a historic session of blues (secular and gospel) in 1971. He died soon after."

So is that where the 27 club started . I am sure there were a few court jesters that bite the dust before that for not entertaining , or saying the wrong thing . I am sure Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Henry the eighth, Wasted a few for one reason or another , They may have been bad or maybe too good a bit of a threat .

But the modern day 27 club they all have one thing in common they were all good. But could not live with that themselves . Here is a list of some of the more high profile members of the 27 club

Janis Joplin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janis_Joplin

Jim Morrissonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Morrisson

Brian Jones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Jones

Kurt Cobain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Cobain



Monday, 30 April 2012

MY DAY AT GLASTONBURY WITH RY COODER


RY COODER



Out of all the artist I have worked with at Glastonbury Festival with out a doubt Rye Cooder has to be the most courteous and dedicated . In 1990 he played the Pyramid Stage with David Lindley a legend in his own right .

1990 at Glastonbury was the year

Now officially The Glastonbury Festival for Contemporary Performing Arts - The Green Fields are extended to 60 acres. Circus, comedy, theatre and cabaret areas. Travellers and security clash causing £50,000 worth of damage -The Cure, Paul Oakenfold, Happy Mondays, Lush, Sinead 0'Connor, James, Ry Cooder, Aswad, De La Soul - 70,000 bought £38 tickets.
£100,000 raised for CND and local charities.

It was an event full year with sun and rain . Happy Mondays forged back stage passes (tell you about that an other time). Trouble with the travellers and security . (I will leave that for an other day as well).

But the joy of having worked with Ry Cooder was in an other league to anything else that went on .
The stage manager came over to me saying . “Norm I have got a special job for you today” 

He went on to tell me that until early evening I would be at Rye Cooders beck and call. Wow I was the envy of  the rest of the crew . “Nice laid back day for you then” was the general comment . 

But working a festival like Glastonbury. You expect nothing and expect every think . But on this occasion they were spot on.

Suddenly he was there it was not 10.30am yet. I was introduced he shook my hand .
His comment to me was . “So Norm your going to have a wander round with me today” in a very laid back American accent . At once I was at ease with him . He had a brief word with the stage manager . Then it was off to his dressing room . In his porta cabin dressing room was a stack of a dozen Guitars . One by one he I opened the cases . He quickly showed me how he wanted to me to handle them, not in a patronising way . As I handed the guitars to him he stripped them of their strings and handed them back , putting them back into their cases and so on .

All the time he was asking me about things . He had loads of good things to say about Liverpool , How he had met the Beatles, many times and their contribution to music was huge . He told me how he wished that there where more festivals like Glastonbury in the USA . After stripping the strings we made six trips back and forth to the stage with the guitars. It was muddy he did not look energetic but he just plodded on . Seemingly enjoying him self . Funny I remember thinking the young bands don't lift a thing . I was still a bit confused on what he was doing . But it all came clear when all the guitars were on stage .

He had some fight cases at the back of the stage that the lads had got up on stage . We made a little workshop at the back of the stage . I started the process all over again . This time it took longer as he was stringing and tuning all the guitars . He handed them back this time I placed them in guitars stands forming an impressive semi circle .

He explained he liked to string and tune his guitars in the environment he was going to play more so if it was outdoors , temperature constantly changing . He was constantly telling me to hand him back the guitars once they had been in their stands as temperatures changed . What a perfectionist . Finally he was happy he told me to get a Security man to guard the guitars .
DAVID LINDLEY

We made are way back to the dressing room . He had now became my work mate it was a surreal feeling but so good . In the dressing room a buffet had been delivered and a long haired guy was picking at it . It was David Lindley they cracked jokes so laid back

There was still 2 hours before they were due on stage . Ry Cooder started to pick at buffet . He said “help your self Norm” .

I did being with him lunch had gone out of the window (a small price to pay) .
Chit chat over .
“Right Norm the big one”
He pointed at a tiny Marshall valve amp .
“I have had this from the beginning it is very special to me”
“Every think on stage will go through this first ”
“Its still muddy out side I will trust you with this Norm”.
“Take a step have a think take another step”
“I don't care how long it takes you just get it there safe” . He smiled .

I picked it up, for its size it was heavy . It was gorgeous looking thing he had it customized over the years by the look of it , Anyway it was in my care , no pressure . He let me go on my own . It took me ages I hugged it getting there safe had a minor slip on the ramp, (pumping heart)

With still over hour to go before set time . Ry was back on stage . He started on the semi circle of guitars again fine tuning . As I passed them to him and then returned them . His two man crew turned up who started to work on the huge effects rack . But it was all going to come from that tiny golden Marshal valve amp . 15 minutes before he was due on, my role was coming to a end . He shook my hand and thanked me.

I had just purchased the Sony recording walk-man . Plucking up courage I asked him if he minded if I recorded the set . Showing him the walk-man ,
He said “set it up put it under my chair” . Wow so cool .

The set was great huge crowd all his guitars around him .David Lindley was good he he played slide guitar and tabla . To top it all half way through the set he signalled to me . At first I shit my self . But he was trying tell me the tape needed turning over under his chair ,so cool . I scurried across the stage flipped it over . “How cool was that” ,one of the crew said ,I was chuffed . Will never forget my day with Ry so good what a man .

But baton down the hatches the HAPPY MONDAY'S WHERE ON THE WAY (coming soon )
More info on Ry Cooder click link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry_Cooder
More info on David Lindley click link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lindley_(musician)

Saturday, 28 April 2012

A BEVVY STATE SIDE


The Reds will play three games across the Atlantic, starting on July 21 in Canada against MLS side Toronto FC.
Clashes against Roma and Tottenham have then been arranged south of the border, with the former being staged at Fenway Park - home of the Boston Red Sox - to coincide with its 100th anniversary celebrations. Then the final game in Baltimore .Here are a few good bars to visit if you can scrape the cash together to watch the reds pre season state side .


Scallywags



City: Toronto
Name:Scallywags
Address: 11 St.Clair Avenue West, Toronto, ON M4V 1K6
Tel: 416-922-3737
Website:http://www.scallywags.net/
Remarks: Home to the biggest supporters branch in North America, the Toronto Branch (www.lfctoronto.com). Visit the website for more information.

City:Baltimore, Maryland
Name: Slainte
Address: 1700 Thames St.,Fells Point
Tel:410-563-6600
Website:
http://www.slaintepub.com/
Remarks: League games Saturday and Sunday. Open at 7am. Great breakfast
Submitted by:



City:Cambridge/Boston
Name:The Phoenix Landing
Address: 512 Massachusetts Avenue
Tel:(617) 576-6260
Website:www.lfcboston.com
Remarks: The home of the Liverpool Supporters Club Boston.
Liverpool supporters always outnumber opposing teams supporters, great atmosphere for the big matches
Submitted by: liverpoolynwa

I am sure all of these Bar's will give you a warm welcome . So start saving or like me all stuff surplus to needs is e-bay bound .YNWA  

Thursday, 26 April 2012

HISTORY OF THE BALL




Real Madrid v Bayern Munich was a great game kept you guessing to the very end on which team would go through . Both teams where very capable of grabbing victory with a place in final against Chelsea at stake . An extra incentive for Bayern with the final being held in their own stadium.

But all the quality ended when it came to the penalty shoot out . The fine tuned millionaire footballers kicking a computer designed aerodynamic piece of synthetic material at the goal . Ok the goalie saved a couple but they where bad penalty's . For players of that calibre , the first official penalty was scored by Billy Heath for Wolves on the 14th September 1891 against Accrington Stanley Wolves won 5.0 , but he would not of used the same ball far from it , but still 12 yards, Here is a quick look at the evolution of the ball in football.


The football

Although tales of football’s early history involve hogs’ heads being used during medieval kick-abouts, the first dedicated footballs were made from animal bladders, blown up by mouth and then knotted. However, the ease with which these bladders burst led to more solid, leather and cork-encased versions being constructed in Britain during the 18th and 19th centuries, and to rubber and wood being used elsewhere. A breakthrough came in the mid-1800s with the invention of an india-rubber bladder, and a pump with which to inflate it, meaning that the roundness of the ball could – for the first time – be guaranteed.
In 1872,England’s Football Association laid down the first guidelines, stating that a football should be spherical, with a circumference of 68 centimetres, cased in leather, and weigh between 396 and 453 grams at the start of play. The mention of its weight at the kick-off was an important distinction as these early footballs had a propensity to absorb water, often more than doubling in weight during the course of a match. Combined with the laces that were required to hold them together, this made the task of heading decidedly hazardous, with concussions a common occurrence.
Regional variations also persisted, with the first-ever FIFA World Cup™ final in 1930 a case in point.Agentina and Uruguay had both brought their own balls and there was an impassioned pre-match argument over which should be used. The compromise? Argentina's ball was used in the first half and Uruguay's in the second, with that change at the interval perhaps crucial in La Celesteturning a 2-1 half-time deficit into a historic 4-2 triumph. The ball also emerged as a factor in the 1934 final, when Italy– 1-0 down to Czechoslovakia with eight minutes remaining – equalised through a Raimundo Oris shot that swerved wildly beyond the goalkeeper’s grasp. Gli Azzurri went on to win the cup, and the following day Orsi attempted 20 times to repeat his ball-bending trick for the assembled photographers – failing every time!
Distortion of the ball’s shape was not uncommon at advanced stages of matches and could have been crucial to the trajectory of Orsi’s fateful strike. Adidas began supplying balls for FIFA tournaments in 1970, beginning with the iconic ‘Telstar’, and though still leather, a crucial advancement was these balls were coated with a special polyurethane to eliminate water absorption. However, it wasn’t until Mexico 1986, and the adidas ‘Azteca’, that the FIFA World Cup saw its first fully synthetic football, although the years since have witnessed further milestones, with the 1998 ‘Tricolore’ breaking with a purely black-and-white colour scheme, and the 2006 'Teamgeist' and 2010 'Jabulani' scaling new heights of technological sophistication.

Highlight's of the first World Cup Final they used a different ball in each half click to watch http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/milestonesoffootball/video/video=1083334/index.html

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

FOOTBALL PLAYER'S NO TIME TO IMPROVE HANDCAPS



2012 is a busy Football year for high profile players , What with Euro 2012 the Olympic Games ,then before they know it the new season will be here. So after taking their family’s on holidays pre season training / pre season tour /friendlies . It will be kick off 2012/2013 season .

So for all the Golfer's amongst the players there will be not much time to improve there handy caps. Leaving the best handy caps in the hands of ex players and pundits . So the players will have to wait for 2013/14 to try and clime the football players handy cap ladder . Lets have a look at how it stands from a year ago according to
.sport.co.uk Posted by Harry Smith




10) Teddy Sheringham       
After enjoying an illustrious playing career which spanned a gargantuan 25 years, Teddy now unwinds by playing golf among other things. More often than not he plays with Shearer and Owen...golf that is. The former Tottenham and Manchester United forward is said be a handy a player but remains more focused on his love at poker at the moment, although his handicap remains a very respectable eight.
9) Matt Le Tissier
Le God, as he is known in Southampton, fills his weekends with his three guilty pleasures football punditry, playing golf and watching Countdown into the wee hours. He probably should not have admitted to the last one but it’s out in the open and everyone knows his sordid little secret. The former Saints man has a handicap of six.

8) Gianfranco Zola
The current Hammers boss can always afford a bit of time off from Upton Park to play a sly couple holes of golf. This is probably why his team are having a torrid time of it, sitting second from bottom of the Premier League, suffice to say his clubs maybe gathering dust for the foreseeable future if he wants to drag them away from the drop zone.
7) Ian Wright
Wrighty has not only been doing the rounds on the television but also on the golf course. He finds golf provides inner calm after all the turmoil caused by all the dodgy TV ads and mind numbing presenting that has haunted his career after he hung up his boots. With all that time he spends trying to cleanse himself of the sinful Chicken Tonight advert it is no wonder that he has a handicap of seven which came into good use when he played for Team Europe at the All*Star Cup at Celtic Manor.
6)   Ruud Gullit 
The former Dutch captain has been playing golf  Ruud Gullitfor a number of years now and has a handicap of seven. Apparently he was better in his youth but since he cut his hair he just has not been the same. Recently though his golfing prowess has been steadily increasing as he is a two-time winner with Team Europe of the All*Star Cup.
5) Alan Shearer
A prolific goal scorer for club and country, Shearer enjoys almost as much success off the tee with a handicap of six. Just like Lee Dixon and Gary Lineker he is a regular pundit on Match of the Day, although he took a little timeout to manage Newcastle into the second tier of English football. He should have stuck to the golf and the gab. 
4) Lee Dixon
The former Gooner, who won the English top flight in three different decades, has made a seamless transition into punditry. Like many of his contemporary couch potatoes he dabbles in a bit of golf too. With a very respectable handicap of five Lee is a regular at Woburn Golf Club in Buckinghamshire.
3)  Michael Owen 
With his new lease of life at Man Utd, Michael’s golfing career, which flourished while he was at Newcastle, looks to have been put on hold for now. He has been playing since he was seven years old and his handicap is reportedly five. The little section on Owen’s golfing prowess in his much maligned summer brochure appeared to really swing the balance for Sir Alex. Getting not only a new striker but a new golf partner for free was the bargain of the century.
2) Gary Lineker
The second biggest swinger is of course Gary Lineker. He was a great player, better sports commentator and apparently a magnificent golfer. With a handicap of four, Gary can find his way around 18 holes very capably and that is probably why he has been made the new face (and ears) of golf at the BBC.
1) Jimmy Bullard
Number one spot has to go to Jimmy for the simple fact that he is a bit of a legend...oh, and he is pretty nifty with a golf club too. The mop-haired midfielder has a handicap of one, not bad but considering all the practice he gets when he’s out injured, it should probably be a little better. He was quoted saying “I would like to become a serious player in the future”, not too sure whether he was talking about football or golf though.


Well we can all see where the T.V deals are done . Would be interesting to see the very latest Professional football player handy cap table . Would not be surprised if that whining little shit Gary Neville is on the list . As he brown noses Sky TV bosses so he can get his weasel face in are living rooms . Or making us feel sick while having a pint down the the local . Don’t care how good he is on a golf course.

SKY PLEASE FUCK HIM OFF  
Reaction to Torres Goal against Barca


Monday, 23 April 2012

LIVERPOOL ASIAN PLAYERS MAKES SENSE IN EVERY WAY


Yet another disappointing result at Anfield . Probably not as bad as previous with the forth coming F.A cup final softening the blow . The football we played at times was top notch but again the finishing and the dreaded woodwork foiling the show , Not to mention a great display again from the visiting goal keeper. . But the lack of sticking the ball in the back of the net is becoming comical . So here is hoping that we ripple net on numerous occasions in the final in two weeks .


So time to look for the future and put this money ball strategy into practice . I am convinced Liverpool are going to look to the Asian markets to buy players , It makes very good commercial sense , but are they good enough and what is on offer .



Liverpool's chief sponsor has urged the club to sign Asian stars in the near future. Standard Chartered, who signed an £80 million shirt sponsorship deal with the club for four years in September 2009, believe a signature would help the club in their global promotion, and help them connect with the market in Asia.


HERE ARE SOME FRONT RUNNERS



Shinji Kagawa Dortmund MORE INFO CLICK LINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinji_Kagawa


Kagawa started playing football in his primary school years. He joined Kobe NK Football Club and later moved to FC Miyagi Barcelona in Sendai,Miyagi Prefecture Cerezo Osaka quickly noticed his talent and signed him at the age of 17. He was the first player in Japan to sign a professional contract before graduating high school, except players promoted from youth teams of the J. League clubs.In 2007, he gained a regular position but the club missed the promotion to the J League 1.
By mid-2010, Kagawa was represented with a sports agency run by retired German professional footballer Thomas Kroth which ultimately handled his transfer to Borussia Dortmund.

SEE SOME OF HIS GOALS + SKILLS CLICK LINK  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7qMwwEJ9wY








Keisuke Honda CSKA Moscow MORE INFO CLICK LINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keisuke_Honda

On January 16, 2008, Honda signed a two and half year deal withEredivisie sideVVV-Venlo. The team was relegated to the Eerste Divisie the second division after the 07-08 season and was in the division for the 08-09 season. In the 08-09 season, he scored 16 goals in 36 league appearances to help the team to be promoted to Eredivisie for the 09-10 season. He became known as 'Keizer Keisuke' (Emperor Keisuke) among the fans of VVV-Venlo.


CSKA Moscow

At the end of December 2009, Honda transferred to Russian club CSKA Moscow Honda signed a 4 year contract. The transfer fee was undisclosed, but VVV-Venlo was said to be very content with the fee as it almost matched their asking price; it is believed to be in the region of 6 million euros.
Honda made his debut for CSKA in the Yu Dabao (22) 1.83m Striker, Winger match against Sevilla In the second leg in Seville, he scored the winning goal through a direct free kick for CSKA after having set up the first goal for Tomas Necid This secured a 2–1 (3–2 aggregate) victory to send the club to the quarter finals, making Honda the first Japanese player to be in the quarter finals as well as the first to score in the knock-out stages.
Honda scored his first league goal on 12 March 2010, in the home match against Amker Perm He scored the goal in the third minute of injury time, slotting home a pass from Necid with his left. With the goal, he secured the win for CSKA Moscow.

SEE SOME OF HIS GOALS + SKILLS CLICK LINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM9IAy9frNU


Park Chu-Young MORE INFO CLICK LINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Chu-Young







On 30 August 2011, English Premier League club Arsenal signed of Park. He was given the number 9 shirt. On 1 November, Chu-Young started his first match, a 0–0 draw against French outfit Marseille. He scored his first goal for Arsenal in the fourth round of the Carling Cup against Bolton Wanderers giving them a 2–1 win. He made his Premier League debut for Arsenal as a substitute, 82 minutes into a 2–1 home defeat by Manchester United , on 22 January 2012.
On 6 March 2012, he made an appearance as a sub for Theo Walcott in the UEFA Champions League in the 3-0 win against AC Milan at the Emirates Stadium though the Italians won the tie 4–3 on aggregate.

SEE SOME OF HIS GOALS + SKILLS CLICK LINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUUBUP7qT1I&feature=fvst





But along with the 3 more high profiled players, here are a few more for Kenny to take into concideration

Rong Hao (23) 1.77m Left back http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rong_Hao
Hao Junmin (24) 1.78m Winger, Fullback http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2e6nYFKuSM
Deng Zhuoxiang (22) 1.81m Midfielder, Attacking Midfielder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNoCJMgMctM
Yu Hai (23) 1.83m Left winger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Hai






But the one that stands out for me is





Yu Dabao (22) 1.83m Striker, Winger  MORE INFO CLICK LINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Dabao

Prior to joining Benfica many clubs were reportedly interested in the young talent, including Ajax, Newcastle and Rangers However, the Chinese striker decided to join Benfica on a 3-year deal. In his debut match, only 5 days and 3 training sessions after he arrived in Portugal, Dabao scored 3 goals and assisted a fourth in a junior squad Benfica match against Portimonense.
Due to Dabao's strong performances for Benfica's junior squad, the striker was given the chance of training with the senior team for the pre-season, and was officially added to the Benfica senior squad in 2007-08.
Yu Dabao made his official debut with Benfica on September 26, 2007, in a Portuguese League Cup game against Estrela da Amadora 0-0 (4-5 win to Benfica on penalties), having played the 90 minutes.
On May 13, 2009, Yu revealed in a telephone interview that he was about to leave Portugal to spend the offseason holiday back in his homeland China, he received a call from Benfica asking him to stay in Lisbon until further notice. He made 10 appearances for Olvais Moscavide and scored 4 goals, but was unable to save them from relegation as they suffered defeat in the last match of the season, for which they needed a win to survive.
He had a trial withF.C Dallas in the MLS in February 2010,but didn't get a contract. He moved back to China and signed a contract with Tianjin Teda.
In the morning of 27 February 2012, it was reported that Yu would transfer to Guangzhou Evergrande with a reported fee of ¥15 million.However, Guangzhou Evergrande withdrew from the transfer talk in the afternoon that day. He transferred to Dalian Aerbin who was newly promoted to Super League the next day.

SEE SOME OF HIS GOALS + SKILLS CLICK LINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9YH62DBMPM

China has had well over 200 years connection with Liverpool having one of the countries largest and thriving China Towns. I am sure any Chinese Player would be made very welcome in the city.
You always see many Japanese people in the city with the Beatles connection,and attend the University in great numbers , so again they would be very welcome I am sure.


One of my big traditions on match day is to get cheese pie and chips , from the Chinese chippy across the road the road from the Kop . I take it in if the cheese in pie is Red its a LIVERPOOL win , if its White the result is not what we want . You have guessed it, there have been a lot of white cheese pies over the last few seasons .
!!MAYBE THEY ARE TRYING TO SAY SOMETHINK!! (Lets give it a go Kenny) YNWA