Please Note: I do NOT do FaceBook,  MySpace, Bebo, Tagged,  or any other similar social networking sites. I simply do not have the time, nor the inclination to get involved with these sites.   I welcome comments you may have arising from anything you may have seen on my website, but I do not respond to invites from social networking sites to become "friends, buddies" etc.  My Email is set to block and treat as junk, anything originating from social networking sites.  If you wish to contact me, I would be very happy to hear from you, but please do so through your own Email address, and send it to the address shown in the graphic on the right. Many thanks - Dave

A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.  As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it   needs washing.  As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.  I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the waste paper basket under the table, and notice that the basket is full.  So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the rubbish first.  But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the rubbish anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.  I take my cheque book off the table, and see that there is only one cheque left.  My extra cheques are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.  I'm going to look for my cheques, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.  The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

• The car isn't washed.
• The bills aren't paid.
• There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the worktop.
• The flowers don't have enough water.
• There is still only 1 cheque in my cheque book.
• I can't find the TV remote.
• I can't find my glasses.
• I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Monday, 5th August 2008 Happy Birthday Betsy I just want to record the fact that today is the birthday of a good friend of mine. I first met this dear lady back in 2003 on Paltalk, and over the last few years we have become good friends.  As a singer,  I want to thank Betsy for all the support and encouragement she has given me in recent times.   A lot of the material I do now, I would have never known about, if it were not for the many helpful suggestions she has made. I also want to thank Betsy for all the hard work she has put into the running of Ron Clay's Easy Listening & Country Music room on Paltalk.  I just hope that Ron appreciates what she has endured in his absence, these past few months, in order to keep his room afloat.

Happy Birthday Betsy

Sunday, 3rd August 2008 A Warm Welcome In Widnes All too often these days, I see almost empty clubs that are struggling to survive.  So it made a refreshing change to be invited to appear at the R.A.O.B. Club over in Widnes, last night.  Although I had been there a couple of years ago, I had no recollection of the place, other than a rough idea where it was. What I found there was a well-run, well supported club.  I was made to feel very welcome from the moment I arrived, both by members and committee alike.  Everone was so friendly, and keen to chat, and very appreciative of what I did on stage. Between my two spots there was no shortage of fine volunteer singers to keep the resident musicians,  busy.  I've said this before; There's not many clubs that still have musicians on stage these days, and the two guys at the RAOB were superb.   Their rendition of Billy Joels' classic piano number  "Root Beer Rag" was absolutely amazing.  The keyboard players fingers were just a blur.  Well done guys ! So all in all, full marks to the RAOB Club, Widnes.  Thanks for a great night, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

EYES DOWN FOR A FULL HOUSE AT THE R.A.O.B. CLUB, WIDNES

Wednesday, 30th July 2008

Growing old - Disgracefully !

There's No Answer To That !

Does Anyone Here Speak  - Cat ?

I know I always seem to be going on about my cat here, but cats can be very difficult to understand, as I found out today.

In common with most cats, there's nothing more he enjoys than having his coat brushed through. In fact, it's become a routine every time I come home. Even if I have only been out for five minutes.  He's got his favourite spot, ( on top of the tumble-dryer ), where this ritual must be carried out.  But just lately, after a few minutes grooming, suddenly he wants to attack me.  Now claws and teeth can be pretty off-putting, especially when you're not expecting it. And he's drawn blood from my hands and arms on several occasions already.

But apparently, it's his way of being friendly, and a feline of way telling me he wants to take our friendship up a notch . Hmmm, I'm definately NOT into that !!

So, I posed the question:  Why does my cat want to bite me ? to Google.  This led me to several websites that offered an insight as to why he does this.

It seems I have a lot to learn about my much-loved pet.  According to: www.thecatco.com

" The scratches on your arms reflect the million years or so of evolution looking out from behind a cat's eyes.
 In cat culture, claws and teeth deliver cattishly affectionate embraces....or they can serve as lethal weapons "

" When humans roam outside their species for companionship, they have to realize that the things that are pleasureable
to other species may be painful to the human.  It would be wise to remember that in all things "

Does anyone know where I can enrol for a cat  language course ?

---

Thursday, 24th July 2008 Some Thoughts Regarding Paltalk Room: Ron Clay Easy Listening & Country Music Since April, opening times of the room have become somewhat erratic, to say the least. The reason for this is that due to personal reasons, Ron - the room owner, has not been seen on-line since that time. It has fallen on Chief Admin Betsy, to soldier on, single-handed. Even Betsy doesn't know how long she can cope with this situation. Running a room on Paltalk responsibly, can be a difficult, thankless and stressful task. Its not a job for the faint-hearted. People can be all too quick to criticise. Yet they can be extremely slow, even reluctant, or too self-centered, to offer a word of thanks or encouragement. Genuine and committed offers of help, from the right kind of people, are few and far between. Many one-time regular visitors to the room, are never seen these days.  For some perhaps, the novelty has long since worn off.  Others went off to start their own rooms, taking with them their respective followers.  A few, no doubt will have made a sucess of it, but the majority found out that it's not as easy as they thought.  Paltalk users can be so fickle, and as a room looses its "Flavour Of The Month" status, the owners soon find themselves wondering - Was it worth the hassle ? So if the room is not open tonight, or even if it is, and Betsy says she needs to close up because she needs to eat . .  . Before you rush to complain, please  take a moment or two to consider this question: Would YOU be prepared to commit anything up to six or eight hours a day to running a chatroom, single-handed ?

BETSY 76 RON CLAY

Thursday, 24th July 2008 Way To Go - Joe I don't routinely go in for name dropping, but if you have read my biographical pages, you might remember my mentioning Joe Longthorne.  We started out in the business more or less at the same time, and although I haven't seen him for many years, I have followed his career with great interest.  As a vocalist myself, I have enormous respect for the guy, and given all that he has had to deal with over the years, I admire his courage and fighting spirit. His website recently reported that on12th September 2008, the magnificent setting of the Kourion Amphitheatre, Cyprus was to be the setting for an open-air concert  entitled "Joe Sings To The Gods" . The response for tickets from fans in the UK has been overwhelming.  What an amazing night that is going to be! Joe is quoted as saying: ''You don't expect to travel all that distance and walk out on stage and be greeted by so many familiar faces.  It is such a comfort to know that we will all be there together". Meanwhile, in other news . . . . The Hull Daily Mail website carries a report today that in an exclusive interview with the local newspaper, Joe revealed plans to move back to his home town of Hull - "sometime next year" It's nice to to know that despite fame and fortune, and having travelled the world, Joe has never forgotten where his routes are. It seems that at heart, he's still the same old kid from Hessle Road. The Mail asked Joe where he would like to live in Hull and he said: “What's wrong with Coltman Street?” JOE LONGTHORNE - OFFICIAL WEBSITE

JOE LONGTHORNE

Using a freely available program called "Active Who Is", this is what I have been able to find out about the website so far:

• The Domain name www.01-mp3search.com  is owned by GoDaddy.com
• The Registrant is:  Barnabas Kendelenyi, Nyari Pal u. 61, Ujlengyel,  2724, Hungary  
• The Domain servers IP address is:  212.92.23.114
• The Domain servers are operated by:  Deninet-HU

What I can say is that I have no connection with  www.01-mp3search.com, or any other such site, and have never received any form of payment, or communication from them.  Clearly, they are selling stolen property.  As a result I find myself with no alternative but to stop offering full-length demo-tracks through my website.  I know this will dissapoint people who take a genuine interest in, and appreciate what I do.  I can only  apologise.  But under the circumstances, I don't know what else I can do apart from asking you NOT to support   www.01-mp3search.com  

---

Friday, 3rd July 2008 Visitor From Hull My mum, arrived here in Liverpool last Friday for a few days holiday. So having booked some time off work, we were able to spend some "Quality Time" together, and I was able to act as a sort of tourist guide. Mum is widely travelled, but had never been here before. So there was a lot to see in the short time available. Like myself, mum loves music, and so was keen to see some of the city's links with the Merseybeat era.   What better place to start than Mathew Street, and the Cavern Quarter.  Next stop, a visit to the world famous "Beatles Story" exhibition .  This place never fails to impress.  It would be my fourth visit, and  each time there is more to see.  We just had to take the "Magical Mystery Tour" bus ride as well. Tour guide for the two hour journey was Cavern Club dj - Neil Brannan, who did a great job keeping us all well entertained and informed along the way.  Other places Mum  saw included the Albert Dock complex and the river frontage, the recently restored Palmhouse, and Liverpool's two cathdrals.  I'm not sure what mum expecting when she first arrived, but I did my best to make sure she wasn't dissapointed.  I suppose you can only measure the sucess of  a visit like this at the very end of it,  when you ask - Would you like to come back again ? Fortunately, mum said she would.

MY MUM MEETS JOHN LENNON

---

Sunday, 1st June 2008 Britains Certainly Got Talent Last night saw the Grand-Final of the popular tv show, "Britains Got Talent". Over the last few weeks and months, viewers have seen a seemingly never-ending parade of wannabee's given their chance on nation-wide primetime televison. At the start, as one might expect, there was a lot of dissapointments, both for the participants, and the viewers too. Love him or hate him, watching the show, you sometimes find yourself agreeing with Simon Cowell,  when he asks: "Who told you that you could sing?"   But last night, the thousands of  acts that had applied, had been narrowed down to a handful.  And what a line-up of talent we were treated to.  I don't usually watch these kind of shows, but I have to say that I was very impressed.  It was impossible to predict which act would be the own the pick up the £100,000 prize, and a guest spot on the Royal Variety Performance show.   I am happy to say that my second choice, George Sampson a 14 year old dancer from Warrington took the honours.  In my book, anyone who fights their way back to the final of a show like this, after being defeated the year before, deserves to win.  So, well done George. You have a great future ahead of you.

SIMON COWELL GEORGE SAMPSON

TINY TIM

You either loved him, or you hated him. But there will never be another Tiny Tim.  He was one of a kind.  A true genius.  Most people only remember him as the weirdo that had a hit with "Tiptoe Through The Tulips". But his career in entertainment spanned four decades. Tiny Tim was born Herbert Khaury, April 12, 1932. The son of a Lebanese father and Jewish mother, he grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan. His first performances, as Larry Love,  took place in the early '50s.  By the early '60s, this eccentric entertainer had gained a cult following  and featured bizarre renditions of contemporary songs in his repertoire. It is said he took the name Tiny Tim from that of a character in the Dickens's book, "A Christmas Carol". He appeared  several times on the popular TV show,  Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and was a frequent guest of Johnny Carson, Ed Sullivan and Jackie Gleason.   Married three times, his career continued into the mid nineties, but in  September 1996, a heart attack halted a performance in Massachusetts. After release from hospital, he continued his concert tour.  Tiny had another heart attack, while performing  "Tip-Toe Through the Tulips," on stage in Minneapolis, November 30, 1996.  He died an hour later.

CRAIG HARPER

---

Sunday, 6th April 2008 Springtime In Liverpool This was the scene in our street at 01:00am this morning as I arrived home from a gig.  Luckily, I was working locally , so I did not have so far to drive home. Some experts tell us that snow in April is not unusual. Other experts telll us we can expect more and more examples of strange weather, and that it's all down to "global-warming".  So just who are we supposed to believe ? All I can say is - I can't remember the last time it snowed in April where I live . . . .

Sunday, March 30th 2008 Busy Doing Nothing, Apparently . . . . Seems like ages since I wrote anything in the blog, and yet I can't seem to think of  any particular reason why that should be. Have I been  Busy ? No, not particularly, just the usual stuff . . . Dear Diary,     Got up, went to work. Came home, had tea, fed the cat, went to bed.  Had a very enjoyable night last night, ( Saturday 29th, )  I made a return visit to Tyldesley in Lancashire, where I was appearing  at the R.A.O.B. Club.  In common with many venues, the club seems to feeling the pinch a bit lately, what with dwindling membership, the smoking ban, and recent drinks price increases. Nevertheless, I received a very warm and friendly welcome once again, from both committee and loyal members, who had turned out to support their club, despite the miserable weather.

Made a couple of new videos and put them on YouTube. Been rehersing and recording a few new numbers. Spent a few enjoyable hours with my friends on Paltalk. That's about it really.

Monday, March 10th 2008

Moments With Mushroom

Thought you might like to see a few recent pictures of the "Boss"

---

Sunday, March 9th 2008 A Warm Welcome In Wales It was a great pleasure to be invited back to the Air Products Sports & Social Club last night. This lovely little club situated at Acrefair, between Wrexham and Llangollen is well supported, and has a very friendly atmosphere.  It must be about the fifth time I have been there, and I am always made to feel very welcome.  Thanks to all at the club for a very enjoyable evening.

---

Friday, March 7th 2008 Feeling Much Better Now After consuming a considerable amount of Beechams Powders, Benylin, Lockets, and chewable Vitamin-C tablets,  I am happy to report that my cold is almost gone. I am so glad, because I  am booked to play at one of  my favourite clubs this Saturday. I guess I have been lucky really, in over 30 years, I have never missed a gig because of health problems.

Monday, March 3rd 2008

Anyone who knows me will readily confirm that I have become a cynical old bugger as I have gotten older.

Common Sense seems to be something that is often abandoned in the persuit of political correctness these days.
So my cynicism was somewhat vindicated when a friend emailed me this anonymous article:

Obituary for Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of Common Sense who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valued lessons as:

• Knowing when to come in out of the rain.
• Why the early bird gets the worm.
• Life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by a simple, sound financial policy:

• Don't spend more than you earn

And, a reliable parenting strategy:

• Adults, not kids, are in charge.

His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned, but overbearing regulations were set in place.

• Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate.
• Teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch.
• A teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student,
but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as:

• The Ten Commandments became contraband
• Churches became businesses.
• And, criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot.
She spilled a bit on her lap, and was awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by:

• His parents, Truth and Trust.
• His wife, Discretion.
• His daughter, Responsibility.
• And, his son, Reason.

He is survived by two stepbrothers:

• Ivor Right
• And Hugh Cant-Touchmee.
  

Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone.

Friday, February 29th 2008 Trouble With Wheelie  Bins . . . I live in a modest terraced house.  It has what is probably the most miniscule back yard you could ever imagine.  It is scarcely big enough to store my existing Purple bin.  Even then, it's a struggle to get past the damned thing, to open the gate.  Most of the folks in the street are in the same predicament.  So imagine my consternation when now, in an effort to help me go Green, I  have been presented with a Blue one to put my re-cycleable garbage in.  The local fire brigade advise that you should not leave bins outside, because vandals set fire to them.   Oh, and by the way - if that happens, apparently it will be my fault.<