Tausendsassa

I have a had a range of responses to my posting of the Heimatdamisch video. It was pointed out that the correct term is not Oompah, but rather Oberkrainer; there was a request to know what I was smoking because that particular reader wanted some too; and there were a number of enquiries as to whether I had access to any more videos featuring Conny Kreitmeier, Bavaria's answer to Elkie Brooks. Well, indeed I do.

The audio quality in the first isn't up to much, and frankly nor is the music, especially by the end. But it does show Fraulein Kreitmeier's talents to good advantage.

As does this:

I'm not sure this final one shows anyone in a positive light, despite the admirably odd time signatures and weird chords which would normally be very much to your bloggist's taste. I have no idea what she is wailing about and include it merely so we can all admire the guitarist's barnet.

Brown eyed handsome man

There's only one subject worth writing about today. He might not have been a nice man - indeed I heard Bill Wyman use pretty much those exact words once - but...

That's Albert Lee in the Emmylou Harris video, proving once again that everything is connected to everything else; and yes, that is Elkie Brooks singing backing vocals behind Marc Bolan, Dave Edmunds and, er, Alvin Stardust.

Pot57pouri

I have still not received the new laptop charger ordered some weeks ago, indeed it has not yet been dispatched.  I am therefore unable to post to this blog on a daily basis as I would wish. This delay is the fault of - and this is the honest truth - Elkie Brooks. I know that is going to upset her greatest fan and quondam blog reader, but I have to say it as I see it. Ms Brooks is playing the Royal Hall in Harrogate later this year and I think I might have to get myself along there and take her to task about this charger business. In the meantime various other things have occurred.

Somewhat unexpectedly, even to me, I have been on a stadium tour of White Hart Lane. The place does have vague connections - via Harry Hotspur - with things that I am actually interested in, like medieval history and Shakespeare, and I have actually been there before on numerous previous occasions as a spectator. Indeed I have very fond memories of a game against Ipswich (Spurs 5 Ipswich 3) where Carl and I happened to meet two visiting Rhodesian nurses keen to be shown the sights of London. Their country of origin is an indication of exactly how long ago it all was - living in the past, moi? Anyway, I enjoyed the tour more than I thought I would and was rather surprised at a couple of things, notably how small the dressing rooms were and how uncomfortable the chairs in the directors box. I was impressed by the medals won by the incomparable Dave Mackay during the double season of 1960-61 and, to a much lesser extent, by the hideous monstrosity that is the Costa del Sol Cup, a trophy whose size is in inverse proportion to the number of people who have ever heard of it.

"Where's them nurses at?"

I assume that everyone has, like me, been expecting 3D printed figures to become available to wargamers for some time now. I have only just become aware that they are already here (and reviewed here).That link is to the 1/72 page, but there are others, and by the nature of their design and manufacture they are of course easily scalable. They are ridiculously expensive to the point of being completely unaffordable, but what a brave new world that has such figures in it.

Anyway, in tomorrow's non-daily post there will be some non-wargaming news. Stay tuned.

Who's gonna furrow your field?

This blog has once again been blessed with a non-wargaming female reader. Regulars may remember Elkie Brooks' biggest fan who took me to task for the perceived lack of respect that I showed to that lady, although from memory all I did was acknowledge that she preferred to take to the stage refreshed. I believe I was very complimentary about her singing.

Anyway, the new visitor has observed that readers only leave comments when I am complaining about something, whereupon there is a wave of people piling in to also moan and grumble. She has deduced ["Hmm," says the Rhetorical Pedant "I'm pretty sure that you mean abduced."] that I and all my readers are grumpy old men. How rude and how inaccurate.

Blog readers are as puzzled as I am

In the aforementioned blog comments there was a request for me to identify myself among the walkers pictured on Hare Head. Now the requester is not the sort of man to mess about with; by his own admission he regularly dines on raw alpaca. However I'm afraid that for reasons of security I prefer not to be recognisable. Apart from the obvious and ever present danger from enraged husbands I have an additional concern: I have already bought a ticket to an Elkie Brooks concert this autumn. And we all know how fierce her fans can be.

Proud to be a honky woman

Regular readers may have formed the conclusion that in the seventies I was a fan of British rock bands fronted by women - and they'd be right. And so I have been to see Elkie Brooks. Now you may never have heard of her, or you may associate her with "Pearl's a Singer", but either way check this out to see why she stirred the adolescent male of forty odd years ago. Her Vinegar Joe bandmate the late Robert Palmer (who incidentally was a very keen scale modeller) went on to have more success, but she has been constantly performing for more than fifty years.

"Don't let the bastards grind you down"

It would seem that notwithstanding the subsequent middle-of-the-road hits her heart remains in the Blues/Rock of those days. She and her band benefited from an astute choice of playlist with fine covers of 'Nights in White Satin', 'Purple Rain' and songs from such as the Doors and Bob Seger. I was also surprised, but delighted by their version of "Burlesque" by the much under-rated Family.

"Rolling and Tumbling ain't done me no harm"

She did perform both her big solo hits, 'Lilac Wine' being the better of the two on the night. Like Ralph McTell she threw in the one they'd all come to hear half-way through as a singalong, but this time it didn't really work.