A GRAND NIGHT (14/09/10)

Last night was spent dissolutely in The Foresters Arms just outside Darlington. I seem to be spending half my life in pubs at the moment, either cooking, boozing or just cluttering up their car parks.

  The Foresters Arms and our hostess, the landlady………………

“I hate having my photograph taken.”……..Could have fooled me or perhaps she was just putting on a brave face, a lovely brave face.

It was folk night so decided to give the people the benefit of my ignorance, all images are shot with bounced flash.

This is Dave and he really is from Detroit, in fact he should be home by now. One happy American. A happy pissed American. Not used to our beers. (Budwiesser is his home tipple………An old joke……’What’s the difference between Budwiesser and making love in a Kayak?……..Precious little…they are both F…ing close to water!).

Now the folk singers were not quite so happy. Who would be singing songs of love thwarted……….those songs reflect the lighter side of life……………we then get the real belly laugh stuff………..mining disasters…….rail crashes…….all grist to their mill.

The master of ceremonies.

The backing band….of one. He sang the Tom Lehrer classic………..’Poisoning Pigeons in the Park.’ I have not heard it in ages, if you haven’t then it will no doubt be on ‘You Tube.’ Worth a listen.

The headline band of one, I’m completely hopeless, prayed I’d remember his name but of course I’ve forgotten it. Sorry these things happen when one has partaken of falling down water. Sadly these things happen to me when I haven’t.

The business end of things. I do have some shots of the audience but will spare you……………As I said miserable faces one and all, or almost, this lady is beautiful…………………

A grand smile………and so has this gentleman.

I kept missing the smiles and laughs but he is also a superb spoon player……………………

I know…………..watching a spoon player here is like watching snooker on a black and white television. I can actually remember being daft enough to do so………..in those far off days telly was magical. A damn sight better than radio though! For me things have come full circle……..I’m radio man again. Sorry lost the plot for a second.

What do I do with this, our hostess deciding that whatever they can do she can do better. Here we go…………………..

‘Sloop John ‘B’. Not brilliant but entertaining, I’ve got to sixty and a half without ever realizing why guitars have a dent in them……….Slow learner………Just twigged……so ladies can play them………..one would think Eric Clapton wealthy enough to buy a straight topped instrument………….Not get by with the unisex version. Sets me thinking about bicycles…No… I’ll not go there!

“ Awlright was it?”

“ To be honest….. No!……….maybe”

Entertainment (10) ………Star quality…….weell!… don’t give up the day job.

I will now bring this post to a close with a picture of two Irishmen who are building a local prison………..The reason they are included was because they requested to have their photo taken. Funny this genre of photography, it takes an hour of chat and banter to pull a semi reasonable image and then after one has acted the court jester no one wants to be left out.

Please don’t grin laugh at my accent………………I laugh at yours!

A great evening and I learned so much. The one thing I did learn is to wander about with the gear and keep asking and keep flashing, sorry firing the flash. People like to be appreciated……………..Flash is distracting…………But bounced of walls and ceilings just about acceptable. The biggest thing I learned was to become part of the show. I will try for more of this sort of thing and hopefully concentrate less on me and more on the subjects. ( How can one be so camera shy when working the blunt end?)

Thank you one and all you were tolerant and gorgeous. I just hope I did you justice.