This week we were struck (once again) by how differently people are treated depending on which side of the political divide they fall into. Granted the only thing we like falling into here at Americana-UK Towers is a gently drunken slumber but it piqued our interest that one fellow, a life-long anti-racist, can’t seem to do enough to persuade others of his credentials (despite all of the evidence being there) whilst another has been gently ticked off (and has indeed seen his cachet rise with some in his own ranks) for saying some quite obviously and overtly racist (and indeed sexist) things. Not fair we thought. But hardly surprising we thought. There really are some foolish people in the world we thought.
Author: Paul Villers
Pick of the Political Pops: Tom T Hall “Sneaky Snake”
We don’t pretend to know much here at Americana-UK Towers and when hunkered down in The Bunker we care less than we know. Except about hard liquor and great tunes. We certainly don’t pretend to know anything about certain conversations that have been had of late between two parties who we shall call A and B. It goes something like this: Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Tom T Hall “Sneaky Snake””
Pick of the Political Pops: Hank Williams “Cool Water”
It won’t have escaped the attention of UK based readers that it’s been a tad warm of late. So warm has it been, in fact, that we have taken to The Bunker at every opportunity to cool down with select beers and suitably frosty chasers. And, in extremis, the odd glass of chilled water. News has reached us that the water companies are mooting a restricted use policy on the old Adam’s Ale starting with hosepipes but who knows where it will end? Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Hank Williams “Cool Water””
Pick of the Political Pops: Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn “You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly”
There’s a reason that we are glad to have The Bunker at Americana-UK Towers and that reason is because there are folk like Donny John and Vlad the Inhaler in the world. Now, we’re all for having a fine old East Meets West hoedown and putting past animosities to bed but the prospect of having two of the most dangerous men in the world back-slapping and toe-sucking frankly leaves us cold (even in this heatwave). It did give us great sport in trying to identify what their “Our Tune” might be and we reckon this fits the bill…
Pick of the Political Pops: The Rolling Stones “All About You”
As we realised when we were excavating the cellar in order to turn it into The Bunker here at Americana-UK Towers – when you’re in a hole, stop digging. Such advice seems to have fallen on deaf ears with Terry Might and The Blues however. In the continuing saga of “Leave You, EU, Wouldn’t Wanna Be You” it would, for all the world, appear that (a) there isn’t a plan (b) there isn’t an objective and (c) there isn’t an achievable outcome. If anyone is unfamiliar with the back story here then what you need to know is that the mess we’re in is entirely about the survival of The Blues as a political entity and always has been – from the announcement of The Plebiscite to the triggering of Article 50 the main focus has been on balancing the various factions of The Blues from the Raab-id right to the Eton(ian) Mess to the Vaguely Misguided In Thinking That We Are Centrists. So thanks for that but, as this tune has it, we’re sick and tired of hanging around with dogs like you…
Pick of the Political Pops: Peter, Paul and Mary “Leaving On A Jet Plane”
This week we were struck by the fact that there are many politicians in Westminster and elsewhere who are decent, committed folk who conduct their political life with courage and conviction. And then of course there is Boz The Turk who would rather fly out of the country than stand by previous comments and do what he had promised to do. Presumably Afghanistan was the chosen destination because it’s a dangerous place and painted him in a better light. It doesn’t. Run away from the runway would make a decent song title but we’re going with this little ditty.
Pick of the Political Pops: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young “Teach Your Children”
We’d like to say that we’ve been distracted by world sporting events and the farcical comedy of Westminster politics this week down in The Bunker. Instead of that we have been distracted by the fact that Donny John thinks it OK to separate children from their families and put them in what amounts to cages. This is a truly desperate state of affairs upon which we can find no sensible comment to make. Utterly unconscionable.
Pick of the Political Pops: Wilbert Harrison “Let’s Stick Together”
This week we have noted with a strange combination of amusement and disbelief that the UK’s negotiating strategy regarding Brexit (yep – that again) continues to consist mainly of our glorious leaders throwing their toys out of the pram and stamping their petulant little feet (supposing that it is possible to stamp one’s feet in a pram). People from all over the political spectrum are divided over the issue and it did look at one point as if The Blues might implode under the pressure of self-righteousness. However Minister Prime Terry Might stepped in and poured oil on burning waters promising some of the rebellious little tykes all manner of concessions in order to keep the party together. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Wilbert Harrison “Let’s Stick Together””
Pick of the Political Pops: Utah Phillips “There Is Power In A Union”
Two snippets of information reached us this week: on one hand a certain rabidly right-wing foaming at the mouth hack is said to be walking away from is job of stirring up the elderly middle class of middle England which we considered to be good news and on the other hand trade union membership is down particularly amongst the young which we considered to be bad news. Here then, as a cheery send off the to the former and as a rousing call to the latter, is a nice little tune which encapsulates our feelings of the moment:
Pick of the Political Pops: Waylon Jennings “Mental Revenge”
We like to think ourselves as fairly tolerant folk here at Americana-UK Towers and are prepared to forgive and forget most things (except not putting fifty pence in the meter over the Bank Holiday so that the jukebox in The Bunker wouldn’t work just as we were getting nicely sloshed and enjoying some banging tunes – the perpetrator was taken out and flogged, obvs.) Occasionally though we can’t help thinking that those who’ve got it coming will eventually get it – y’know – the bigots, the racists, the homophobes, the zealots, the misogynists, the misandrists, the misanthropes, the lickspittles, the gobshites, the userers, the polluters, the falsifiers, the fakers, the corner-cutters and – generally speaking – the human excrement that you wouldn’t cross the street to piss on if they were afire. Yeah, those people. You’ll get your comeuppance. By the way we hadn’t realised that Waylon Jennings was so clean cut back in the day: