The Return Of The Evil Dead

I find it hard to fathom the recent effort of the BBC to reinvent Mary Whitehouse (a bit like Enoch Powells 'comeback' or is that a bit strong :))?. If anyone is old enough to remember the 'Video Nasties Debate' they'll also remember the dubious tactics the N.V.L.A used to censor ANYTHING that didn't fit into their view of what constituted 'suitable viewing' (halfbaked statstics, misquoted 'experts' and out of context viewings of gore laden showreels to influential politicians).
The most worrying aspect is the overlooking of the fact that they (and the MEDIAWATCH reincarnation) are in all but name a Christian 'watchdog' group whose main aim would be to return the media to a pre 60's 'we know best' moralistic ideal.
Granted there is a lot of cynically made 'sex n' violence sells' crap on TV and Cinema but this DOES NOT mean that 'sex n' violence' cannot be used with some artistic merit (ok, Porno has NO artistic merit but we don't buy it for social commentary).
I just hope that John Beyer (who thankfully has 10th of the charisma of Mrs Whitehouse) and his bland of few won't now be the people looked to to draw the line!.

Muchos Desperandum!

Wednesday (daytime) and Gibb St is teaming with vibrant (if spotty) Alt. teenagers, Access to Music is in Town (with Goldie and Folk on the same bill). Not ONE sale (not even a sniff for Punk Rock Splatter Massacre), selling horror to depressive hormone ragin' kids used to be like shooting fish in a barrel . Kudos at least to one whipper snapper who knew his Fulci from his Romero but soon the only blood and guts on display in the shop will be gushing from my wrists!

And Then There Were Flea.

Now THIS is what the Custard Factory should look like (look closely and you can just make out some people milling about!), there were some empty stalls which need to be taken up but there really was a nice 'bohemiam' atmosphere (up yours Moseley) mixed with the heady smell of Ostrich burgers. I managed to pick up a Stranglers Live '78 (bootleg) DVD but 'china' bloke wanted too many oncers for his Phrenologists head.Hopefully with word of mouth and some decent weather the Sunday Flea can attract some much needed weekday trade.

(i would of taken a crapload more pictures but my camera batteries ran out)

The Man Didn't Bite Dog

Common sense prevails (from a town council!?) and the ON SITE trouble free Bulldog Bash 2oo8 gets the go ahead. The police must have been on thin ice from the off with their 'received intelligence' otherwise the hearing would have been an open and shut case and not dragged out over 2 days.

So the boots get an airing this summer

Talk Talk

Proposed new sign for shop counter...

Fiddle and Boned (sic) vs Mary Celeste

  It's been around Six years since it was shut down and it's like someone just locked up behind them and left (doesn't show up well on the photo but there's some coffee cups on one of the tables)




And the chalk boards are (spookily) promising something they haven't been able to deliver in a long while!. Just another sad loss which began the demise of some classic Birmingham live venues.

and further...

Have the IT Lab guys packed up and left ?, i know the walls are made of Lead n' Kryptonite but i haven't recieved a wireless signal from them for about two weeks?.

This Town, is coming like a...

I've worked at the Custard Factory for about two and a half years now and always found it's worth as a 'retail centre' dubious to say the least. But since building work has started on the front it's positively dead, i can easily sit in the shop (when we're open :)) for a whole day and not see one customer and from what i can see the other units hain't fighting them off either!, even the Saturday Flea seems quiet.
Hopefully with the good weather the Sunday 'street' Flea (and maybe some advertising) things will turn around but until the refurb is finished belts will have to be tightened.

Moseley Confidence, I Told Ya..

See!, they think they can shore up piss poor architecture with Meccano!.

As one Pub closes another Blog opens.

Bloody tragedy that the Market Tavern closed last month but unfortunately i was at a film fair in Camden so couldn't make it down.
So now the Jug of Ales' had the chop so i thought i'd make the effort and get down there for the last night. I've always liked Moseley/Kings Heath (despite Moseleys strange village mentality) it's just a bugger to get to from where i live so now i feel guilty at not having supported it enough! (though that didn't make a jot of difference to the Fiddle and Bone).