The Black Pig

Robert Rankin

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:34:34 GMT

I got into this character pretty recently as a consequence of a rather good radio adaptation of 'The Brightonomnicon' on the splendid Radio 7 (any station which broadcasts Round the Horne regularly has to get my vote) and have subsequently been scooping up his ouevre from charity shops whenever they surface, which is relatively rare compared to his namesake Ian. Anyway, my most recent purchase has been'Nostrodamus ate my hamster' and blow me down, the musical entertainment booked for New Year's Eve by The Flying Swan pub turns out to be none other that my chum, the incomparable Johnny G! It's always good to have an excuse to chat with John so I emailed him and he confirmed that yes, in fact he only encountered the much-married Mr Rankin at a gig recently. So there y'go - we're not worthy.

The legend limps on...

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:02:03 GMT

Last nite on Radio 4's 'Chain Reaction' interview show, Alistair MacGowan did an impression of John Peel introducing a record by "Evesham band The Dancing Did". To be fair, his parents lived next door to (Did drummer) Chris Houghton's, but nonetheless it gave me a frisson.

On the move...

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:44:28 GMT

http://www.andrewsonline.co.uk/buying-selling/property-details.aspx?ID=55570

Fifteen happy years at The Black Pig, but now it's time to move on. After six and a half years of seeing one another, Moby & I have got a bit bored with walking the mile-and-a-bit between our respective homes. So I'm going to sell and move in with her and then at some point down the line we'll sell hers and get somewhere altogether different. Our buying criteria will be a garden and walking distance to The Bell. We both like walking, so that leaves a lot of scope. Onwards and upwards.

Big bucks (sort of)

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:12:45 GMT

Found out from Pete the soundman at The Bell the the gig Swamp Donkey played two Sundays ago was the highest grossing Sunday lunchtime since the start of the smoking ban. Remuneration at that august venue is by a small flat fee and then a collection from the punters via the 'jugs'. It's like winning a reality TV show...

Swamp Donkey at The Bell 26 - 7 - 09

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:24:56 GMT

Official Swamps guitarist Andy is on hols so we were joined by left-handed slide supremo Simon Grimes and had a brilliant time more-or-less making it up as we went along. The near-capacity crowd loved it and so did we. Nothing else on the horizon gig-wise, which is a bit of a shame. Have to do some hustling...

Back from Glastonbury

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:44:08 GMT

And what fun it was. Hot though, I bet there were a few burned people. Dave the boss of Swamp Donkey is a free spirit who doesn't much like planning things and so generally speaking we play without a set list but the Glastonbury stage management is so precise that he was forced into it, which couldn't have been an easy task as he'd been smoking a awful lot of bob. He'd also invited two mates to join us so there were seven people on stage rather than the usual five and consequently it took an age to soundcheck. In fact it was all so rushed that when the soundman failed to get a signal from my uke through the d.i. box there wasn't time to sort it out so I ended up MIMING! Hilarious, miming at Glastonbury, I felt like a proper pop star and posed like a good'un, shades of Marc Bolan. The set seemed to be over in a flash and I made my way back to the Cider Bus in something of a daze once it was all over. And after some cider I pretty much stayed in a daze...excellent.

Vale of Evesham Morris Festival

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:16:44 GMT

Flagcracker Morris performing in Chapman Court, Pershore. The mandolin player had a transmitter to his amp, no old-fashioned leads for these folkies nowadays. Actually, it was a bloody funny day out all round; we initially went into Evesham but could find nothing whatsoever going on. So after a couple of pints we caught the bus to Pershore where we found a lot more activity. All pretty shambolic really and I think they're going to have to do some sorting out if they want the event to be successful in future, but we had fun...

Sunday June 7th

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:41:25 GMT

Robert Dormer, my father, 83 years of age today. Fair play to him!

Bedlam Fair

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:16:45 GMT

These lovely girls are Kokococo (or possibly Cocokoko, forgotten which way round it goes), one is from Spain t'other from Argentina and they are terrifically entertaining with full-on circus skills and lots of screaming. Knockout. The whole Bedlam Fair weekend (which is the central weekend of the two week Bath Festival Fringe) is great value for money, which is more than I can say for the pub in the background which charges £4 a bottle for Weston's Organic. Utterly outrageous!

New arrivals on the River Avon.

Fri, 29 May 2009 09:03:04 GMT

Photographed this week on Bank Holiday Monday - hurrah! There are big pike reputedly lurking hereabouts but hopefully the new family will survive complete. Swans are nice.

First festival of the year

Tue, 05 May 2009 10:39:30 GMT

Upton on Severn has some quaint ideas on street names, but it is a lovely little town and the folk festival was top notch. The sun shone and there was plenty of cider about. Of course being utterly puerile, when I saw Minge Lane on the festival map I had to seek it out. Pathetic. New tent tones nicely with my antique car...

Nearly the festival season...

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:30:37 GMT

...so Moby & I have bought this. it's a Khyam Freelander and it's ace! Tall enought to stand up in at the front, the sloping rear bit is a double-skinned 'bedroom' and the whole thing goes up pretty quickly (4 minutes is claimed, it took us 40 on the first attempt) and even more surprisingly comes down and packs away easily. Mind you, it was a cold night in Worcestershire on Saturday. First event of the year is to be the Upton-on-Severn Folk Festival staring on May 1st. Cider, morris dancing and when-I-met-a-lusty-young-maiden here we come!

Jammin'

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:27:45 GMT

George on didj & drum, Marick on flute & pedals and self on uke & pedals. Can't beat a bit of meandering space rock on a Sunday afternoon...

Ralph le Bonbon's Cabaret

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:52:58 GMT

It's a monthly event in Bath, and at £10 a go must be one of the best value gigs in the area. Last Thursday we got two stand up comedians, one Geordie, one Canadian (how eclectic is that?) plus a theatre group who did a hilarious version of Billy Elliott crossed with The Full Monty, the Hot Potato Syncopators who play hugely amusing '20's & '30's songs on ukulele, tea-chest bass and musical saw and finally my latest employers Swamp Donkey, who are loose but lovable. The venue is Widcombe Social Club, a building which is so perfectly ugly '70's that it should be listed. A good time was had by all, and check out my butch leather uke strap.

The Man with Lucky Lips - Rondo Theatre, Bath

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:18:18 GMT

There's no-one like Bill Smarme & the Bizness; expert musicianship and hilarious schtick, it is a pleasure and privilege to work with them. As The Red Hot Lovers Bill & I performed "I'm Too Sexy" and "YMCA" (hence the headdress) and the band did their bluegrass/rockabilly thing with gusto. The theatre was sold out both nights and a splendid time was had by all. Mind you, all this theatrical stuff is hard work; playing a normal gig is much more straightforward. Next week's event with the much more (ahem) loose Swamp Donkey will be pie in comparison.

New Year's Eve

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:32:11 GMT

Don (organ) is in his seventies, Austin (drums) is 80 and,er, me. We played the standards, 'Blueberry Hill', Georgia' etc.The venue is the Harington Club, a Bath gentlemen's club of which I've been a member for 7 or 8 years. It used to be men only until I started taking Moby there on a "try stopping me" basis, and it is now much more successful and nicer for allowing ladies in. I love the place and would probably stay in on NYE otherwise. Top evening.

December 14th at The Bell

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:34:50 GMT

Phew, what a marathon; on stage at 13.20 and finish after 15.30! Mind you, the boys spend quite a lot of time deciding which song to play next, thus giving me plenty of cider drinking time. Anyway, a good time was had by all, us and the surprisingly crowded pub. Moby took these characteristic photos and there are more if you'd like to pay us a visit on http://www.myspace.com/juggrass - I've just put this together.

So much for rehearsals.

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:24:50 GMT

Are Swamp Donkey, my latest musical associates the greatest-ever musical slackers? With only our second gig together approaching this Sunday, I was fairly relieved when a rehearsal was called for last night (Wednesday). Since the string bass player couldn't make it (no problem, Mike's the best musician in the band) I volunteered to host it at my place, bit of a squeeze with four players but ok. Except they never showed up! Vocalist Dave sent me a text at 22.45 saying he'd fallen asleep waiting to be picked up at 21.00. The rehearsal had been scheduled to start at 20.00. So on Sunday, for only the second time in my life (the first was as keyboardist for a Quo covers band when I was 16) I am to play a gig almost totally making it up as I go along. I love a challenge.

Bill Smarme & the Bizness

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:16:12 GMT

John Milton, great English poet. In this picture he looks a little like Barry Norman in a wig, but in the picture Cactus Suzie of the Bizness ripped out of the Independent 5-12-08 and gave me on Sunday, he looks frighteningly like me! But that didn't stop me from enjoying the gig immensely and being extremely gratified by being presented with their new cd 'The Man with Lucky Lips'. We're not worthy...

The horror, the horror...

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:09:00 GMT

Hallowe'en at Bath Folk Club. Costume optional, but I decided to play 'Reynardine' from 'Liege & Lief', so the full-on goth look seemed a good idea. I look like Heath Ledger's grandad. To think Alice & R.Smith look like that pretty much all the time. Moby looks ace.

The last of the Experience.

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:08:51 GMT

Mitch Mitchell has died. My favourite drummer and in my opinion the only one capable of allowing Jimi Hendrix to flourish in the way in undoubtedly did. He was only 61 and apparently died of natural causes. And I'm so upset I can barely bring myself to make a joke about that not being very rock & roll...

Rehearsing.

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:53:32 GMT

Friday last I got together with Dave & Mark from Swamp Donkey and the estimable Mike Pryor from Bill Smarme & the Bizness who was to play bass. Guitarist Andy didn't show up despite the fact that we'd only picked on Friday as that was the only evening he was available! Anyway, Dave conducts his band in such a loose fashion that it wasn't really a rehearsal, more of a kind of jam. Mike knew the songs, his knowlege of Americana seems bottomless. I hadn't got a clue about most of them, apart from the handful I'd played at the last gig so it was all a bit Challenge Anneka on my part. But it was most enjoyable and since the next gig is not until Dec 14 at The Bell, the best music boozer I've ever known, we're under no real pressure. Sunday lunchtime is the ideal time to enjoy the jug band music of Swamp Donkey, with a pint or three, and I'm looking forward to it.

My new gig.

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:28:39 GMT

Swamp Donkey. Don't bother searching them cos although they've been trading for over 15 years they've never bothered with the new-fangled interweb thingy. They mostly play jug band music from the '20's & '30's and are raucous, energetic and all-round ace. Loads of Bath musos have passed through their ranks but the core has always been Dave (gtr.voc.kazoo) and Mark (banjo, harmonica, washboard). And now they've added yours truly, hands tightly gripped around pathetically small instrument as usual. They were busking in the street ten years ago when my parents came down to visit and mummy loved them. Shame she can't see her little boy doing his thang in their midst. But gigs to play and a whole new songbook to learn and loads of twiddly. I'm excited.

Great Comberton Flower & Classic car Show 2008

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:31:38 GMT

Another lovely sunny Bank Holiday Saturday, and clever Moby got third prize for her outstanding damson jam made from damsons grown at my father's place. Also, we won a bottle of champagne on the tombola, so hurrah!

Epic journey.

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:28:44 GMT

Moby & I have just returned from a 2 week, 1100 mile round trip of England, going up to Northumberland visiting places like Alnwick (not up to much), Craster (full of yum-scrum kippers) , Seahouses (ace, proper little seaside town). After looping through Berwick on Tweed, the most northerly town in England, we started southward. The middle pic above is of Blanchland, a beautiful mediaeval village near Derwent Water reservoir where I discovered there is no mobile phone signal on ANY NETWORK! Hurrrah! We journeyed through the Yorkshire Dales and then the Peak District, all beautiful ever-changing scenery. The camping pics are of a pub with campsite near Carsington Water reservoir where the landlord had a smallholding which included chickens, donkeys and er, ostriches. Excellent. After that it was down to Worcestershire to house-sit for the old man as he journeyed north coach-wise with his girlfriend pitching up in Skipton where we'd stayed only two days before. Motored back to sunny Bath on Thursday and then Friday pointed the car south west to the Dulverton folk festival which sadly wasn't as vibey as last year and the less than summery weather didn't help. So we came home on Saturday evening, much to the joy of the Skroggy Cat who although well fed and watered in the intervening time was distinctly depressed and hadn't been grooming. So maybe next year we'll hire a cottage and take him with us. But it was a Top Trip, anyway...