Guitar Emporium

Two of my least favourite current very popular phrases. This track needs to be played very loud to appreciate the full unsubtlety of the riffs - fun to make - not sure about the listening experience. Support the show

or Never do well. Apparently an old Scottish saying for someone who will never "succeed". Used in my family a lot for the wasters and scroungers of society (as the right wing press love to describe them.) I beg to differ - not everyone has the same view of what is a good, bad or an indifferent way of living your life.  Support the show

I was in Perranporth in west Cornwall earlier this week. Weather cold enough to wear several layers. I love it - the British holiday maker is a hardy beast. There they were T shirts and shorts eating ice creams - took me back to the days of the 99. as wikipedia describes ... A 99 Flake , 99 or ninety-nine [1] is an ice cream cone with a Cadbury Flake inserted in the ice cream. The term can also re...

The phrase "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" initiated the lyrics for this song. If you throw the first stone you're in danger of starting a sequence of events which can bring the whole place crashing down. Whats that old phrase - you've got broad shoulders - you can take the grief - maybe ?  Support the show

Carlos Santana's early work I really enjoyed but I also loved some of the tunes that came later on Supernatural ( 1999 ). I haven't heard Black Magic woman for a long time - but at a recent barbecue I heard it on someones ( relatively young ) phone. A revival of Santana's music is due once again.  Support the show

As we celebrate the summer out they come in whatever they drive , wear, go to, or be with, or eat Who cares - get over yourselves ladies and gentlemen  Support the show

I don't suffer from insomnia but goodness I sympathise with those who do.. Occasionally if something is bugging me I lose a couple of hours and feel hungover without the nice memories the next day.  I was half asleep this morning ( the 28th June)  when these words "she rows across the ocean, she rows across the sea" - kept coming up in my head.  I've got no idea why. Support th...

When you listen to any election stuff, or even just normal news, it doesn't take long to realise our obsession with numbers and statistics. I was trying to relate in its smallest scale to my existence - I'm exactly the same  Support the show

This is another one of those phrases you hear a lot now - bit like "going forward " " you're a star" except not quite as bad. Support the show

Where there's a will there's some avaricious so and so fighting some other avaricious so and so ..... for a way to get at it . Thats a disingenuous and rather cynical interpretation of a very positive and uplifting saying . In its original form means determination and perseverance can overcome adversity - and it can.. Support the show

Lots of strange English sayings - Pig in a Poke ( essentially get ripped off for not checking something ( a pig in a bag ? .. so you can't see it before purchase). Bull in a china shop ( my dad used to accuse me of this ) - go at something full tilt causing mayhem - I still do I'm pleased to say.  Support the show

We were having a light hearted conversation ( seems pretty silly really) about names related to illnesses in West Country accents.  Things like "Dermott itis"  and his cousin  "Hal  itosis"  followed closely by his nephew " Arthur itis " ( Dermotts son)  all sailing on the good ship Psor ( Sir ) iasis.- I had to check the spelling of that one.. For some reason we foun...

You can probably guess the subject of the tune - its a bird - a blackbird who has his nest in a bush at the top of the garden. What a life it makes mine look very mundane. My main concern of the day was that I went on visits with no pen.... Support the show

Rob travelled back to Italy today ( the 20th June ) laden with "stuff". His huge suitcase was close to the 20kg weight limit and his rucksack felt about the same. One delayed train later, across London and he was at that awful airport Stansted. As I write he's been stuck on the runway fro 40 minutes waiting for a tyre to be repaired. Don't you just love travelling ... Support t...

I fell in love with this area of Northern Spain in about 2016. The dream was to escape Brexit and live in the hills near to Luarca. We did for 2 years although I worked in Madrid for much of the time. We used to get out to our house in the hills for holidays and it was as beautiful and unspoilt as I had envisaged. Covid brought us back to the UK and whilst we have got back out there for brief spel...

Great word - it is what it sounds like , take it steady, don't hurry, everything has its place everything can take it s time  Support the show

I'll try most things - at least once . Suck it and See Support the show

When registering to vote your National Insurance number is the key - but your records hold so much interlinked information on us now you hardly need that . driving licence number , passport number , national insurance number Support the show

Not a very relaxing Sunday tune - Musical Chairs is just a play around with a different key ( for me ) Eb major and some different instrumentation - or certainly things I don't use as frequently . Moving the Musical Chairs. Support the show

Black and Blue  owes much to the tune " This Classical Bizz" which went up in late 2022 which in turn was influenced by ELO and Roy Woods guitar tune First Movement Jumpin Bizz and the Mason Williams Classical Gas ( 1968 ).  Support the show

For good or bad the mood in the UK is for this change from what's been going on for the last 14 years - the next week or so will decide. Support the show

I really enjoy colourful bedding plants in our little garden in the summer. Unfortunately I was late getting them in and all Aldi had were geraniums and begonias - they still brighten the place up ! Support the show

The spark of conflict is the subject. The spark leads to a flashpoint and then all out war. The spark maybe political , the flashpoint will be eye -catching  = maybe repulsive - but eye catching.  Conflict and all its terrible consequences will be the outcome. Support the show

There is, justifiably, a huge amount of attention on Taylor Swift's world wide tour - she is amazing - and there are many talented female singer songwriters out there today. My personal favourite is Rickie Lee Jones . This tune takes a snippet of the tune from "On Saturday Afternoons in 1963"  from her 1979 album (where we first heard Chuckee's in Love) and plays around with it...

Elections underway all over the place at the moment. I don't have any natural affection for politicians of any persuasion left or right wing ( although the right wing is a little scary and generally unpleasant ). BUT you've got to admire the sheer neck they show. Putting themselves up to be shot at by every media hack trying to make a name for themselves. Show some respect ( not too much...