Tuesday 30 June 2009

A dirty trick from AEG (O2 Arena) re MJ tickets

Well what do you know, further to my recent rant on the media coverage of the death of MJ and the potential fiasco with ticket refunds things have just gone from bad to worse!

It is well documented that AEG (O2 Arena) failed to get insurance to cover all 50 MJ shows at the O2 Arena. Reports seem to suggest that they could only manage to insurance to cover 10 of the dates.

Suddenly they come out with a very "generous" offer to fans. If you decide not to take your refund (and respond by August 14th) you will get a souvenir ticket instead. So AEG (O2 Arena) get to print a ticket for £10 and keep the additional £40+ per ticket. NICE MOVE and a great way of recouping some of the losses as a result of not being able to get full insurance. Some people seem to think that these tickets will gain value over years but at this moment in time, if everbody took one, there would be approximately 800,000 of them in circulation, hardly a limited edition rare run now is it?

Of course if you just bought one ticket at £50 - £75 then you might be able to write off the amount to get the little souvenir. I would imagine though that anybody who bought 2 or more would be less likely to see the souvenir ticket as an attractive proposition against a full refund.

What AEG (O2 Arena) should have done is given full ticket value refunds and then used the extortionate booking/admin fees to supply all purchaser with a souvenir ticket as well. Of course there is no money in that and so they will screw the purchasers over instead.

Totally outrageous, I am not impressed with their attitude at all. So here is my reworded statement from the O2 website that I quote last week:
"At this moment our thoughts are with Michael's children, family and friends. We will announce ticketing information in due course once we have worked out how we can maximise our profits and fleece those that are due for a refund in order to recoup the shortfall as a result of us knowlingly booking 50 dates when we could only get insurance to cover 10."

Will be interesting to see if they stick with this policy or it gets amended at some point.

Last.FM listening post

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:






Top weekly artists:






Overall top tracks:






Overall top artists:




Monday 29 June 2009

Big hugs.............

......... to Hazel. I know things seem pretty bleak today the way things were stacking up against you but you can get through this. You are a strong person and you have lots of loving friends and family around you who will support you and help you no matter what happens.

......... to Stephanie who has been suffering from a severe adverse reaction to some of her drugs as part of her treatment for cancer. I know things were improving slightly when I spoke to dad earlier so I hope that all continues quickly and you make a full recovery ASAP.

Thinking of you both.

BIG HUGS

Sunday 28 June 2009

Lunch at Sophie's

Toni, Sam, Tristan and I went over to Sophie's to see her and mum and we enjoyed a very lovely roast dinner of chicken and beef, followed by chocolate puddings and strawberries.

It was nice to go over and see them both, spend some time chatting and chill out. Must have been fantastic for Toni not going near to a kitchen at all LOL

We were there for nearly 5 hours and had a really good time.

Saturday 27 June 2009

Sam's prom night at William de Ferrers school

Sam went to his prom night tonight and seemed to have a good time. That's it now, school all over and done with.

He went with his friend Tristan who was staying over and they both looked pretty good:



Sleep, sweet sleep!

Just had a wonderful 7.5 hours sleep as we got in at 07:45 after being out clubbing all night and were both completely shattered.

Friday 26 June 2009

Club Antichrist 5th Anniversary Birthday Party

Toni and I got ourselves dolled up tonight (pics at some point) to hit Londinium and go to the Club Antichrist 5th Anniversary Birthday Party. It was a long night, we didn't leave SWF until 23:00 and arrived at the venue at 00:40. Just as we arrived we bumped into Cat and Mark (old friends from Evolution/Vendetta days) and had a chat and a wander. We then found Dren and Emma and spent some time with them. It was a great night, lots of dancing, talking to friends and watching all the wild and wonderful outfits that were on display.

I spent ages in the loo at one point talking to D Void, the owner of Antichrist, about a particular issue that you will all hear much more about very soon.

Dren and Emma had to leave early as Emma was in a lot of pain due to a bad back which was a damn shame but we will be seeing them again at the end of July.

Finished the night off with more dancing and people watching, it was a great night.

We left the venue with Cat and Mark at around 05:30 and were back home in SWF by about 07:45 where we promptly crashed out for a LONG sleep!

The hype machine has started..........

.........let me start by preceding my rant by admitting that it is always said when people die. Some people, however, seem to get elevated way beyond what they really are.

If you are a total Jackson fan then please don't go reading this and then start hurling abusive comments at me, it's just my ramblings on things...............

Yes Michael Jackson has died and I do feel for his children, family and friends and fans.

The press however are just outrageous. Suddenly Michael Jackson has become a legend and an icon. Suddenly we are expected to forget how they have treated him over the years. What about the stories of baby juggling from hotel windows, the whole "wacko Jacko" image that they built up, the potentially sordid goings on at Neverland, not to mention his complete financial mismanagement....

IMO Jackson wrote some good tunes (but there were more bad than good) and he did appear to be a graet performer when he was firing on all cylinders but let's get a grip here people. It is incredible to think that 9/11 brought the internet to it's knees and now we are hearing that things are creaking since the death of Jackson, WTF? We have a TV on at work on Sky News and it has been Breaking News since the early hours of the morning that "Michael Jackson has died". No offence guys but this is NOT breaking news anymore! The last four hours has been dominated with stories from around the world about Jackson. I am really glad to see that the world has seemingly stabilised for this morning so that any other goings on are deemed as irrelevant next to the passing of a musical icon. Freddie Mercury didn't get anywhere near as much coverage as Jackson and yet to me he personified a true musical legend.

I also found it particularly distateful that the O2 Arena website (where Jackson was due to play FIFTY sold out nights) had the following message:
"At this moment our thoughts are with Michael's children, family and friends. We will announce ticketing information in due course."
It's great that they have a sympathetic message but what exactly is there to announce? Why delay the refund process? The gigs are cancelled and there is no reason for refunds to credit and debit cards to not be made automatically and immediately (except for the fact that the longer the process it takes the more money they can make in interest before refunding).

According to the BBC News website the Mandela Foundation says it regrets 'untimely passing' of Michael Jackson. What do they have to regret? Are they hiding something?

The news is out, Michael Jackson has sadly passed away, move along now people, there is nothing else to see here, maintain your vigils if you must, watch and listen to the tribute shows and buy the soon to be released greatest hits CD and DVD (come on, you kow it IS going to happens) and let's get back to real life...............

Oh, by the way, in case anyone else missed it amidst the "greater" news, Farrah Fawcett died yesterday, my thoughts go out to her children, friends, family and fans.

Thursday 25 June 2009

Devilish Presley @ Riga

After some kebab van badness Toni, Sam and I went to Southend to the Riga bar to watch the mighty Devilish Presley. It was great to have a chat with Jacqui and Johnny again and also Brian (from Global Noise Attack).

Was also nice to see Steve there and have a quick catch up.

Toni and I having a chuckle!


THE VORONAS
First up were The Voronas, a local band peddling a fine blend of blues, swing and rockabilly. They were really good and the singer had a great voice and a compelling stage presence. Definitely one to watch out for and I'll be sure to try and see them live again.





See all the pics of The Voronas here: 250609TheVoronasRiga

DEVILISH PRESLEY
If you haven't yet come into contact with this duo then where have you been hiding? With four albums and loads of gigs under there belts what you get here is Devilish Presley at their finest, rocking the night away, enjoying themselves and showing what its all about, a great night out!
Johnny was in good form with lots of witty banter and came a cropper when he said that Otway was insane and did stuff on ladders and that we were unprepared as if we'd brought a ladder he would perform on it. In a bizarre twist one of the guys from the venue appeared with a ladder and rest was history!






See all the pics of Devilish Presley here: 0609DevilishPresleyRiga

How to annoy your neighbour!

My friend Mike has one of those irritating neighbours that complains for the sake of complaining and is a complete pain in the backside.

Mike likes his DIY and has been working on his shed which overlooks said neighbours garden.


He hasn't completed it yet but it is coming along nicely. I particular like the attention that he has paid to the custom made gable end decoration:


Wonder how long it will take him to notice!

Wednesday 24 June 2009

And it Harm None, do What Thou Wilt

Bide the Wiccan laws ye must
In perfect love and perfect trust;
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill,
An it harm none, do what ye will.
Lest in thy self-defense it be,
Ever mind the rule of three.
Follow this in mind and heart,
And merry meet, and merry part.

Tuesday 23 June 2009

Curve balls (revisited)

Remember a while back I talked about life's little curve balls. Well at the moment I am in curve ball hell. Have a great big one that I am trying to juggle and it isn't easy. I can't really say too much at this moment in time but I will blog about it when I am able to. It's the uncertainty of this particular curve ball that is so stressful, NO FUN!

I just want to take this moment to thank ALL my friends and family for being there at this moment in time. I know most of you feel just as helpless as I do but I just want to assure that all our little chats, updates and snippets of advice keep me sane and without you all being around me I would surely have cracked already. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and I look forward to the day that this curve ball gets walloped out of the stadium and we can all share a home run!

Last.FM listening post

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:






Top weekly artists:






Overall top tracks:






Overall top artists:




Monday 22 June 2009

Silence is golden.......

....but very VERY weird!

At the weekend we had a house full, Sam and Sophie, Toni, Aaron and Gemima plus Jade and Pete visiting on Saturday. Came home to an empty house tonight (as Sam is staying at Sophie's) and it was so very very quiet.

The silence was very nice but also very weird. When I had no music on and the TV was off you could hear a pin drop. Have to admit that the brief moment of tranquility was a bit of relief after the stress of the tail end of last week but I am not sure I could put up with the silence for too many days.

Tomorrow night will also be a silent one, will see what it is like then LOL

Sunday 21 June 2009

Father's Day

Tis Father's Day and I got to be lazy and be looked after by everyone *grin*

Sophie and Sam got me a mug and coaster:


Scarlett got me a photo frame:

Saturday 20 June 2009

Great day

Today was a great day.
Lots of chilling and doing not very much.
Sophie has been staying over for a few nights.
Jade and Pete stopped by in the evening to help celebrate Toni's birthday. Lots of lovely food was eaten, drink was drunk and much laughs were had by all.
It was really nice to all be together having fun.

Toni's presents:






Gemima having a drink!


Me and my boy:

Rent-a-mob:


The birthday girl:

Happy Birthday Toni

Happy Birthday to my darling Toni.
Hope we give you a great day and enjoy your presents!

ALL my love,

Keith
xxxxxx

Happy Birthday Joy

Happy Birthday Joy

Hope you have a great day

Love, Keith, Toni, Sophie, Sam and Scarlett

Friday 19 June 2009

Out damn spot!

FUCK IT!
I am stressed
I have a spot
I am very stressed
I have TWO spots!
Not impressed at all!

On the plus side, the beauty of an irritating pimple is that you can squeeze and squeeze until it finally pops and is no longer a problem!

She's free, YAY!

Toni's decree absolute finally arrived on Friday morning.
She is finally free
What a great early birthday present!

Thursday 18 June 2009

SLOOOOW doctor

Went to the doctor and after waiting for an hour was prescribed some lovely eye ointment to see if that clears things up. On the plus side I did manage to get my medical form for my rail ticket insurance claim filled in and sent off.

Wednesday 17 June 2009

Grotty day, grotty night

Tough day today, was feeling pretty rough and I think that I have got conjuctivitus. Have to book a doctors appointment for the morning and need an early night as I feel really run down.

Tuesday 16 June 2009

Steel Panther @ 229 Club

Toni and I went to the big smoke tonight to go and see Steel Panther at the 229 Club. Started the evening with our standard gig fare, Pizza Hut. We took out time as I knew the gig was sold out and walked slowly only to find that doors had opened later and there was stil a massive queue, so much for that plan. While we were waiting we saw Phil who came and joined us in the queue with his mate Alex.

There was no support act so we had to wait ages before Steel Panther hit the stage but boy was it worth it. They were superb. The musicianship was superb and they played out every known rock cliche known to man and had some very humerous between song banter as well as great audience interaction.

Justin Hawkins (formerly of The Darkness and now in Hot Leg) appeared on stage to do backing vocals on a Steel Panther number and then they all covered I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness.

The evening was fantastic and the encores of Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart" and Van Halen's "Panama" were superb. All in all this was one fabulous spectacle of an event and exactly what a fun night out is all about.










See all the photos here:
160609SteelPanther229Club

Blink and you'll miss it!

Was having a chat with a good friend today and we were discussing how time just seems to fly by. We initially started talking about a band that we thought were about in 2006 and it turns out it was 2003.

He reckoned that "we're going to be popping our clogs before we know it" and followed that up with, "Blink and you'll miss it."

Funny thing is that neither of us see ourselves as the ages we are (39 for me and 38 for him) but actually feel like we are 26/27.

I certainly know that I have so much more to do with me life and intend to pack as much in as I can. Thinking about it, I actually feel like life is just beginning!

Last.FM listening post

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:






Top weekly artists:






Overall top tracks:






Overall top artists:




Monday 15 June 2009

Monsoon season

So, after a weekend of glorious sunshine and (sometimes too much) heat the heavens have just opened where I work. Massive downpours and some serious thunder rumbling away too. Visibilty is impaired due to the quantity of rain, totally unbelievable!

Sunday 14 June 2009

A nice relaxing day

Today was a do nothing much at all day and very nice it was too!
Had a lovely breakfast and watched School Of Rock.
Mooched around doing nothing in particular
Had a lovely dinner and watched Run Fatboy Run
Went to bed and talked for ages

Saturday 13 June 2009

Camden

Hit Camden again today. Weather was really nice (but WAY too hot for me). Once again we had a gorgeous lunch in Wagamama before having a mooch and picking up a few things. Time flew past and so we then had a snack at The Diner before heading back to SWF. Japanese food followed by American diner food, all bad but oh so lovely!

Traci Michaelz (1974 - 2008)

Trace Michaelz RIP

Traci Michaelz of the infamous PEPPERMINT CREEPS was found dead in his hotel room in the early morning of Friday June 13th 2008

Keep on rocking dude!

Friday 12 June 2009

TGI Friday!

Yup, it is Friday and Thank God It is LOL
Got home, chilled with Sam for a bit until Toni arrived with Aaron and Gemima. Chilled and chatted for a bit.
Whizzed over to Sophie's to drop Sam off. Had a chat.
Driving back we detoured to Bas Vegas and went to TGI Friday's for dinner!
New York Times Square starter and Jack Daniels Ribs were the order of the day (for Toni and I anyway)
Now safely back home, very full and just a little bit sleepy!

...but on the plus side

......I believe the issue is now resolved. Contact has been re-established and our renewed friendship will now continue full steam ahead.
VERY VERY VERY happy about this!
Sorry that it all went weird but so glad that everything is back on track!

The dangers of writing a blog...

... are that sometimes people can read things and interpret them in a manner that wasn't intended. A blog is a very public, but personal, thing (and yes I could make it private) but in a way it is merely a diary for me and bizarrely a whole load of you actually read this stuff!

Anyhoo, it seems that I have upset a friend with my posts. Stuff read in isolation without knowing what was in my head at the time has been taken the wrong way and that friend is very upset. I am trying to sort it out and smooth it over and hope that I can restore our friendship. My intention with this blog has never been to upset anyone (unless of course you are in need of the fashion police or you have made a direct attack on me).

If I do, unwittingly, offend anyone then please feel free to drop me a note and explain why and we can take it from there. Good friends are hard to come by and I would hate to lose any as a result of my blogging.

Take care people
xx

Thursday 11 June 2009

Feel The Steel!

Move over Tenacious D, there are some new boys on the block and they are in danger of stealing the crown!

Steel Panther are here and will not be ignored. Been listening to their album "Feel The Steel" for the last few days and it is totally awesome. Going to see them with Toni next Tuesday and I can't wait.

Here's their first single, "Death To All But Metal"!


Check them out here:
www.steelpantherrocks.com/
www.myspace.com/steelpantherkicksass

As the review of Feel Thee Steel on the BBC website says:
"Forget Spinal Tap, go home Tenacious D, THIS is the spoof band to worship."

Wednesday 10 June 2009

The simplest things..........

......... can sometimes be the best things!

Was feeling a bit urgh at work today as I was suffering from my strange "chaging weather" allergy. Got home, took some drugs for the allergy and then tidied up the bedroom. Not long after that Toni arrived with Sophie.

Asda, dinner, wrestling, hugs and great company

It was a great evening, simple but lovely!

Tuesday 9 June 2009

Hollywood Doll meet up with potential singer

Matt and I went to the Town Crier in SWF tonight to meet Taylor Raven, a potential new singer.

We all got on well and seemed to click which was good. She is away in New York from Sunday for a month so we assured her that despite having a few people to audition we wouldn't make any decisions until she has returned and had a chance to audition herself.

It's a real novelty to have a few people interested in the job, fingers crossed we can finally get a singer!

Last.FM listening post

Here's last week's top picks music lovers!

Top weekly tracks:






Top weekly artists:






Overall top tracks:






Overall top artists: