Glasgow May 28-31st 2010 (Part One)
Book Writing, Round Two
It’s a bank holiday so I must be in Scotland.I’m going for my second book writing trip (that’s first book, second trip). The train is just as busy and this time I have a table seat but quickly realise there’s three distractions on three seats right there. Unfortunately that wasn’t all. There is only one thing louder than a noisy child and that’s a hen night. They were polite enough talking to us civvies but as loud and colourful as you would expect otherwise when conversing with each other. I was just grateful not be going to Blackpool.Not much writing gets done. Instead I’m defending the otherwise excellent Virgin Trains to a couple who live in Spain as for some reason, there were problems reserving seats. I had to be persistent to get mine but still bought rare full price tickets.I’m not looking forward to Glasgow as I had Edinburgh and have already lowered my expectations after that primary Scottish adventure. The taxi driver who stays silent throughout the £5, not £3-4 journey I had been lead to believe didn’t change my opinion.After checking in and realising I was on the third floor of walk-up, I discovered there was no bath. It was an even smaller room than Edinburgh but less than half the price so it’s still fantastic value but no bath. Noooo!Luckily, they are able to move me but not till tomorrow so I don’t unpack but step out into the street to get acclimatised. Turn left for city centre and right for the West End were my instructions from the staff, who I’m warming to now. I have a good feeling for going right as that’s where the university is and experience has told me, universities equal lots of coffee shops of the non-Starbucks variety.However, already feeling weary, I went to investigate the city centre first.It’s a standard city centre, with more bars. Many, many more bars, right there amongst the shops.
Having got a good grip of where everything is; cinema, train station for return and Marks and Spencer, I turn back to find the recommended fish & chip place. There are the standard amount of outlets in Glasgow, compared to none in Edinburgh so as much as I’m not a fan of chip shop chips; fish is my Friday tradition whenever possible and the salmon sandwich on the train doesn’t really count.The Sandyford Hotel is an old fashioned family run hotel and they have real keys that actually work every time complete with a huge tag so you cannot walk out of the hotel with it and have to hand it in. It’s quaint and it also forces the staff to talk to you each time so they quickly got to remember my room number.
BBITW
As I walk, I’m thinking about the fantastic music scene that was so persistent in the 1980s and still plentiful now. The BBITW, GUN came from here and I go past the well known small, live music venue, King Tuts that everyone plays at.When I return to the hotel, I check on the status of El Presidente, the band formed by ex-bassist who I loved but hadn’t heard anything form since the brilliant first album in 2006. I had looked up El Pres recently and there was still no word on any new material. Back in the day, junior members of my staff were riotous in their collective jibes of my supposed shrine to them. Brilliant new bands only come along once every few years and perhaps I was a little over excited and imitated a slightly younger music fan.Things I learnt: Mark Rankin, former singer of BBITW is the cousin of Sharlene Spitteri of Texas, El Pres are still not ready with a second album and GUN have reformed.I said Gun reformed!Wikipedia of all places told me Gun had reformed and started playing gigs last year and despite my listening to the radio all day and paying close attention to social media, OK just Twitter, no-one had told me!However, excitement was quickly over as they are without, although with the blessing, of their lead singer. Could you have the Stones without Jagger, Beatles without McCartney, Guns N Roses without Axel Rose? No.So whilst they will play the old stuff and the new tracks are so far so good, I’m taking the attitude it’s a new band and I’ll follow with interest. They have got an established new singer, Toby, who used to be with Little Angels and is voice is nicely similar so he can cover the old classics. I could probably cope with that but of course we’re all 10 years older and Joolz the guitarist, who I rate being up there with the best and certainly a mesmerising musician to watch used to have de rigueur long messed up hair as befits a guitarist of such stature. Sadly he is now shaven headed but it is the first time I have actually seen his face! And he looks happy.Boy it was exciting for a while there.
West End
I learn I’m staying in the right area as I can walk to all three Bean Scenes, my favoured discovery in Edinburgh. This small independent chain promises coffee, food and music. I never got to hear any live music but what they played was always excellent. And they open until at least 10pm which is great for the solo traveller in a city that likes to DRINK alcohol.The nearest one was around 10 minutes walk in the West End direction, opposite a lovely looking, but un-attempted museum and park. That was my destination each evening until around closing time.