SUGAR MAN

I was driving in the car the other week, when a song came on the radio.  I instantly fell in love with it and did my usual routine of shazaming the the tune, so I could find out its origins.  It came up as Sugar man by an artist called Rodriguez.  I had never heard of him before.  I went to down load his album when I realized it was called "Searching for Sugar Man: Original music from the motion picture." There's a movie I thought?  My detective work, then took me  You Tube, where I typed in "Searching for Sugarman" and this is what came up:

I have to go and see this film, I told myself.  I posted one of his songs on Face book.  My friend Kym left a comment, staying that she loved this guy and it reminded her of her youth, back in OZ where everyone would get stoned to his music.  I told her I'd never heard of him before. She said we had to go and see the film together, and a week later when I was back in London that's exactly what we did.
There are not a lot of good films to see these days I think.  They are ruined with visual effects, tired old stories, and little substance, that leave you with little belief and you come out the cinema feeling cheated or depressed.  Not this time.  I haven't seen a film in a long time that made me feel this good.  Its an amazing story, that I bet would uplift anyone that sees it.  I will never know why his albums were never a success, for me he is better than Dylan, who is now seen as a God in so many peoples eyes.  But maybe that is part of Rodriguez's charm, he is not a God but an ordinary man, who worked hard all his life, with none of the fine trappings that stardom brings.  It is this that makes his songs more real, and for me, more beautiful.  His album without a doubt has found a place in my heart in such a short time and I believe it will remain there forever as one of my favourites.

So I wanted to choose for you my favourite Rodriguez song, but it was impossible for me, because I love so many, so here are my top 3 instead.

SUGAR MAN


SANDREVAN LULLABY


A MOST DISGUSTING SONG
A Most Disgusting Song

ANYONE FOR A DIP?

It's a Sunday. It's my only day off work and amazingly, I'm not hungover. Today will be the day, I tell myself. Today will be the day I go and see something of Wales! You see all I've really seen is a costume truck; retail parks; pubs and Jamie's Italian! I was feeling the need to get into the countryside and I'd heard so much about Wales great beaches, I felt the need to go by the sea. I decide on the Gower, as it's meant to be the best.
I drag Lauren along too, as she has expressed an interest in seeing some nature and that's good enough for me. Kat decides to stay home as she tells me she is in hermit mode at the moment which makes her anti social (She should come out of it in a couple of weeks)?
The sun is shining as we leave and we know this was the right decision. Then half way through the drive, the sun disappears through the clouds, the temperature drops and it starts to spit with rain. No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is not meant to happen! This is my perfect day by the sea in Wales! Well maybe it will pass?

We arrive at three cliffs bay and stand on the beach facing the sea. The weather hasn't passed; it's still cloudy, windy and cold. The sea looks rough, but the bay is still beautiful. Sod it I think, I'm here and I want to do this no matter what the weather. I'm going for a swim! Luckily Lauren is just as game as me and before we know it, we are stripping down to our bikinis and running towards the waves, much to the shock of the passerbys walking on the beach. I hit the sea. It's bloody freezing! Mind over matter I tell myself. I'm reminded of my childhood when I would rush into the same cold Irish sea of Blackpool and Southport even though everyone would say it was too cold. After a bit I don't feel the cold anymore and it becomes quite pleasant, fun even. Me and Lauren are splashing around like children. I've swam in some of the most exotic, beautiful seas in the world, but this was up there with them all. Why? Because it was my country, my coastline, my cold old island and I was swimming in my sea. Refreshing wasn't the word.
I didn't wash the salt water from my hair that night, but let it form salty ringlets in my hair. I wanted to keep the sea with me. I had my day in Wales finally.

MR & MRS WEST (NOT FRED & ROSEMARY BEFORE YOU START)!

You know who your real friends are when the shit hits the fan.  A couple of years ago I went through a horrible break up.  We lived together and it was that terrible situation where one of you has to go.  As I believed he was in the wrong, I told him that he had to move out.  The problem was until he found some where else to go, the thought of staying under the same roof as him seemed impossible to me.  I rang my friend Ali, as I knew she had a spare room.
"Ali can I stay with you, I don't know where to go", I remember saying tearfully down the phone.  She welcomed me with open arms and took me on for two weeks, though I can hardly say I was a barrel of laughs and was constantly in tears.  It didn't matter, she looked after me all the same; cooked me food; poured me wine and listened to me spill my heart out.  I have always remembered this and how she was there for me when it counted.

Not long after, Ali & me went on a trip to Paris.  I needed cheering up, and she had never been.  We spent most days walking, seeing the sights, drinking and eating too much and staring a Chanel bags that we couldn't afford.  It cheered me up no end, but I wasn't the only one that needed cheering up.  Ali was down in the dumps too.  She had been trying Internet dating and had the misfortune to come across a precession of idiots.  She wanted to give it up; it wasn't working for her, but  She had received an email from a guy on the site.  His name was Kevin.  She was unsure of whether to give him a chance.  It was decided that she would try one last time, and thank God she did, because here I am at the final wedding of this years trio.  Their wedding!  It was right with them from the beginning.  There was no trauma, or the complications, that we come to expect these days from modern relationships.  It has always seemed easy and they are happy.  I think a lot of us, these days have forgotten that a relationship can be just that; easy and happy, but when it is right, it is always that way.

The wedding itself was just as quirky as them (They have a bizarre, mental sense of humor, which I love): Elevator music during the signing of the register; scrabble place names; Fizz Wizz sweets for dessert; Wellies as foot wear; and Kevin wearing a T-shirt with "Game over" written on it.  Too much wine; lots of dancing; Claire doing the splits by accident and a hall party in our B&B with Debbie passed out on the floor to finish the night! Perfect!

For Mr & Mrs West. xxx

DRESS UP!

I just had to post this picture. Me and Lauren my trainee where trying to sort through the endless amounts of Victorian costumes we had to return, at work. It was all getting a bit much, when I said to Lauren:
"Have you ever dressed up in one of the costumes?"
"No."
"Would you like to dress up in one?"
"Yeah!"
So that's what we did. We were like kids with a dressing up box, but the difference was these clothes were the finest a girl could get for dressing up. It broke up the day and made me laugh. I will have to do it more often.

HAUNTED!

I have just finished two weeks of night shoots, most of which of consisted of overnight stays in the Brecons. While most of the crew were scattered around the area in cosy little hotels, our department got put up in the actually place we were filming, which was not a nice cosy hotel, but a big sprawling Victorian mansion, which also happened to be apparently haunted!

Now I'm not sure whether I believe in ghosts, but this place was spooky. Luckily I wasn't the most scared person there. My trainee, Lauren was absolutely petrified, which was made worse my people jumping out on her and making her scream. It also happened that she had the strangest room as well, which consisted of twin beds, a cot in the middle, the scariest family portrait over looking them and a sink in a wardrobe that looked liked it had been used by serial killers!
"I'm not sleeping in here" she said, "Carly can I sleep in with you?"
Well I could hardly refuse could I? So I did the honourable thing and let her. Besides if I'm truthful I was scared now too!
On are first night there Kat insisted on us scaring the assistant directors who were also staying there. So here I am lay on my stomach, under a bed, with two other girls, in the pitch black dark at 4.00am at 32 years of age waiting to jump out on some one. What the hell! We waited there for bloody 20 minutes, till they got back. Scared the crap out of them, so it was worth it?

My room became the party room and everyone gathered with their drinks. Andy our truck driver turned up unannounced on the doorstep saying he wanted a shower (I told you he was insane)! He settled in for the night with us, with a six pack of Orangeboom! We sat drinking and talking till the sun rose and we couldn't keep are eyes open anymore. In fact I had one of the best nights sleep ever. So no ghosts you ask? No, apart from an mysterious wet glass mark that kept reappearing in the in the same place, but no one had put anything there. The next day the lady of the house showed us a portrait of the suspected ghost, and as I looked closely I saw something. He was holding a glass!

CARDIFF: AN UPDATE!

Still in Cardiff; just! Had a bit of altercation with the director over an actors under wear, which when you put it like that seems rather stupid, but to be fair the whole industry I work in, is rather stupid too. Anyway at the time the underwear altercation seemed all quite terrible and I threatened to resign, until Howard calmed me down, and the rest of my department blackmailed me with the fact they would resign too, if I left, and I don't want to add to unemployment in this country. Besides I'm well over the half way point on this job, and I will see it through to the God dam end even if it kills me? I've got the biggest itchy feet at the moment. All I want to do is grab my backpack and go on an adventure. I have to keep telling myself that by the time I finish this job, I will have enough money saved to go travelling for a long time. I'm already planning routes!

So what have I been up to you ask? Well apart from work, there is not a lot to do in Cardiff apart from getting wet, cold or drunk, but I have found things to do, even if they are well, a bit sad to normal people. Hey! It passes the time OK!

We go to Jamie's Italian ALOT! It's become a bit of addiction. It's usually me and Kat (as we have turned into a couple), but we have now started getting the rest of the crew, even our new leading lady involved too. This maybe due to the fact, that if we try and get everyone else so addicted, we don't feel as bad? We are quite bad though, due to the fact the highlight to one of our weeks, was thay we found out that Jamie's had a new menu! Me and Kat headed down there at our first opportunity to try it out! I feel we may have to go to rehab to sort out this addiction!

OK! I have to admit it! Something terrible has happened. Something that I never thought would happen! I brought a ONESIE!!!!!!!!!!!! Look I had my reasons! I'm living in a big old house and I get cold! I also have no love life what's so ever, and I'm living with Kat and Sir Gareth, so me needing any sex appeal has gone right out the window. Basically it's all gone down hill for me, but that's OK because the onesie is not only warm but comfortable! In fact, I love my Onesie and now couldn't be without it! I have now taken to doing catalogue poses by the log fire, and holding a vino. Oh! And just so you know I'm quite good at building the old log fire now as well. Eat your heart out Ray mears! No actually can we make that Bear Grylls as he's much hotter!

As mentioned Sir Gareth is still around. He pops in a couple of nights a week in between his jaunts from London, Nottingham and funnily enough Warrington, which he thinks is "Ghastly"! I told him I was from there. He tried to revert. I told him it's too late, he's already dug his own grave! I like having Gareth around. I find him funny. He tells crazy stories; asks us if we are watching anything on the TV, which we are, but puts News night on anyway; and shows me stains on the carpet, which he thinks are new and asks me do I know anything about them, which I find odd as the carpet is already thread bare with a million holes in it and looks like it hasn't been changed in centuries! I have become so relaxed around Sir Gareth, that the other week I didn't realise I was parading around the house in a T-shirt that said "Best blow in Town" that my friend Debs gave to me from the show Benidorm, that one of the actors wore. I now use it as nightwear. First Tesco rotisserie Chicken and now rude T-shirts! This is no way to behave in front of a lord!

It's actually quite lonely my job. I spend a huge amount of time on my own on the truck while everyone else is on set. Most of the time my only company is Andy my truck driver. Through this Andy has become a good friend and I totally adore him. He is also completely insane, but in the funniest way. Me and the girls agree, that we have never met anyone quite like him. He is a prime candidate for a fly on the wall documentary. It's a bit like looking after a child, being with Andy, though to be fair he does his fair share of looking after me. He also likes to do jobs within the department, so I keep him busy with sewing, cleaning shoes and washing the windows. He calls me Miss whip lash! I tell him to shut up and get on with it or else! In exchange for his service, I have to give Andy advice on life, mostly about women, which doesn't seem to be going too well as he has just left his wife of 17 years and mother of his two children! He also had the date he left her, tattooed on his forearm below the tattoo of the day they married! I said that it was a little bit drastic, what if he got back with her? He says he isn't, it far too expensive to get the tattoo removed!

And finally me and Kat have come up with our bands name, well that is if we ever decide to form a band? I want to be the lead singer and she wants to be a cool drummer like Meg White! Anyway, the band will be called: Nonna and the Mitchell's!
Why, you ask. Well, Kats Nonna, which is Italian for grandmother (Kat is half Italian), has got herself three new cats, but seems to have decided to call three of them Mitchell which might get a little bit confusing. Though I doubt it will now, as the Mitchell's are all probably dead, due to the fact Nonna went to Italy for two weeks and locked them in the house, and just left them food and water out in bowls! Either there dead or she is going to have one big shit stained carpet! I have asked Kat to ask to get an update on the Mitchells but she said she is to scared of the outcome!

THINGS

I met up with my friend John the other week. He was late again, but I didnt find it annoying. I have decided that this maybe a character trait of his. We went to see a band play at Rough trade; he got excited like a kid in a sweet shop; we later drank way too much white wine, discussed anything and everything and my night was finished by me drunkenly waking up my friend, after midnight, who's sofa I was staying on for a couple of days.
I first noticed John some months ago at a gig I went along to with friends called shush were everyone had to keep quiet and reframe from talking. As I find it virtually impossible to keep quiet, this was probably not the best gig for me to go to, as I found myself joking around saying shush a lot, and moaning that most of the bands were so depressing I might top myself. I noticed John because he had one of the best beards ever (love a good beard!) and was extremely stylish. I told myself he looked too cool for school and as I was acting so not cool that night (like most nights for me then!), I should try and keep clear of him.
A couple of weeks later I bumped into him again at a gig at the roundhouse organised by my housemate Linn. This time though I was too drunk to really be afraid of talking to anyone. I spent most of the night talking crazy nonsense to him, but John said he found me funny and was quite happy to listen to me ramble on. I automatically felt I could be completely myself round him, a thing I find hard to do a lot of the time.
John himself I found very interesting. He set up his own record label:Brain love; he has the biggest passion for music I have ever seen in anyone; is obsessed with the Internet and he is in love with Iceland. He also writes a blog!
We did the whole Facebook friend thing that seems to christen most friendships in these modern times. I noticed through my news feed that he wrote a blog. I clicked on the link. As a blogger I am interested in other blogs. Most of the time I find them dull and mundane with no spark to them what's so ever. Johns blog was different. In fact he didn't even call it a blog, but an art work. "Things" the title of this work is one of the most beautiful, trueful and open pieces of writing I have ever read. As an open person myself I have often been criticised for baring all with my writing, but this is who I am. I don't know how to be any other way and actually the more I think about it, I wouldn't want to be any other way either. "Things" was nice to read for me and realise that there are other people in this world who are just as open as you, especially a man, as men find it hard enough to open a door for you these days, never mind their souls.
John was live chatting to me (I think it's his favourite form of communication) when he informed me that a company in Italy are thinking of publishing "Things" into a book format. I told him I would be the first to buy a copy.
I do have one problem with his blog though: I wish I could write as good as this!
Check out Johns blog here:
http://thingsbyjohnrogers.tumblr.com/