Author: bigdunc09

AKA: ‘End. Begin. All the Same’ which was also the title of the first episode of the new Dark Crystal series (more of which later)

The second half of the summer, as always, flew by. A welcome trip to see family; catching up on those books I was still reading; a wet but memorable sojourn to Peppa Pig world… these were the things as we entered the latter part of the holidays.

It’s always nice to go to Reading, a town with an amazing history, and it inspired me to read some Oscar Wilde after his trials there.

Back home, I spent a day in town at the summer shows of the Bluecoat – interesting as always and cleverly arranged – and the outgoing film inspired show at the Walker, which included the excellent paintings by Mario Rossi, before yet another appointment about my Teeth which I had hoped would herald some extraction but didn’t and therefore led to yet more pain and disappointment.

After all this, Betsy turned six.

Someone once said to me that it just gets better and better… and I would have to agree. At various times this summer, with significant events just around the corner, I reflected on where exactly things are and how those six years have changed me, shaped me… made me. I’m so incredibly proud of her, but thought I should maybe rein in my showing the world so much after a conversation I heard on the radio. Around the same time, someone also shared a post about idiots who share photos of their tea and I really started to consider exactly how I’m using my time online, plus what could change in the near future.

Whilst in those pensive moments, we went to Blackpool and specifically the Sea Life Centre which was fantastic although, for someone who has recently been obsessing over octopi, a little disappointing that there were none there (their one was instead at the Manchester version we had been to the year previous) but the theme of seeing Nature at its source continued after Brockholes, a lovely little nature reserve which we romanced in the rain, and then the south lakes wildlife park with myriad meerkats and other creatures.

I also fell back in love with cricket this summer, and specifically the Ashes series, the highlight of which I watched at the New Brighton Cricket Club much more educated people than I and it made me think a lot about redemption and resilience. Similarly, a trip to Southport brought back great memories and made many more as my son passed on his passion for model trains and meant that I now happily forego any cultural opportunities to instead, concentrate on YouTube clips of toy trains running endlessly around the track which are actually quite soothing and not at all emblematic of any mid life crisis I may be currently enveloped in… I digress.

Cooking continued – just maybe not so many photos thereof – because I need an escape plus I love the catharsis it offers (especially when you’re teaching someone else) and as a reward, we had a lovely trip to a luxurious cinema. I looked on enviously as friends there were off to see the new Tarantino, whilst we awaited the UglyDolls film but I was pleasantly surprised with the movie and even more so with the comfort of the electric recliners, the unlimited soft drinks, the decadence of this wet Wednesday morning and wondering why we’d not been before? Anyone else who hasn’t, get on the Odeon Luxe soon!

Back at home we indulged in some quality viewing before the opportunity would be lost. The Dark Crystal back story started really well (even B loved it) then the even darker ‘Temple’ which we are loving. Honourable mentions to A Ghost Story, described as ‘the most existential movie ever made’ which you’ll be thinking about for weeks after watching, and I concur.

As a last hurrah, we decided to book in one last blowout at our favourite neighbourhood bistro – and not just because our names are on the wall, after helping to fund the Kickstarter project – Pinion in Prescot. 

I’ve written about it before, and there’s a documentary just been on Channel 4 which will explain it all better than I, but let’s just say it’s a wonderful little place where only wonderful stuff happens and I’ve got so much admiration for the staff and especially the guy who started it all, Gary Usher.

Before the meal, we drank with gusto in the cool Lord Strange and the Balearic-buzzy Urbano Chiringuito, whose owners I really admire for what they have achieved in a short space of time. We were transported back to our pre-wedding, and then mini-moon, trips to Madrid and Barcelona respectively, due to the beverages on offer, but the highlight was undoubtedly the Hacienda Gin I’d read about. 

It didn’t disappoint.

Then, over the road for the meal and a brilliant evening getting served exquisite food in lovely, relaxed surroundings and yet more pride in something we had invested in. Part of the problem with following bars and restaurants on Instagram etc is that you’re always aware of the specials and the menus so, if the truth were told, I already knew what I wanted on arrival. Thankfully, WW chose equally well and we could share dishes meaning double the enjoyment. 

Memories of school were then made in Manchester, meeting an old school friend I’d not seen for twenty years, then in Morecambe with a flat mate from uni with whom I’d not conversed for about fifteen. Both were happy moments amidst the sadness of losing a brilliant and brave lady who’d been on the earth for ninety nine years and nine months, who always had a smile and a song for everyone… but that’s all I want to say about that. 

Thankfully, we had the distraction of EJ turning three – he’s really growing up fast, and slowly settling in nursery despite the morning – tears – and my own upcoming milestone birthday.

Turning forty is something I’ve been nervous about for ten years (ever since one of the fortune tellers in Blackpool made a big deal of the event) and I suppose in my own way I have made my name in the time since, but I can’t help feeling there is something else over the hill.

I actually can’t believe I am the age I now am, and whilst it really is just another birthday, it really does feel like the end of not just a chapter but a whole book, with another new one ready to take its place in my hands.

End. Begin. The same?

‘Oh yeah, it was the start of the summer

It felt just like it was the start of forever

Oh yeah, it was the start of the summer.’

(Ash, ‘Oh Yeah’ (1977))

The summer started with sadness at certain situations; there was nothing more to say.

It felt like I’d aged a lot…

Thankfully I had the distraction of being a very proud judge on a reading for empathy awards panel, meaning I had myriad books to read in a short space of time. The majority were hugely enjoyable and it was nice to force oneself to read for pleasure, especially when one’s response was being considered so carefully. It was a real honour to be able to enjoy some real quality literature and I know it will stand me in good stead both in the day job and the night job, plus in understanding other life situations needing a deeper understanding of why people act the way they do. 

Around this time, though, things started to look up: firstly, Gomes signed permanently, and anyone who knows me understands how much I like him for how he treated us at the Hug-A-Thon he did last season but also he really impressed me on the pitch so it felt like there was more cause for optimism this summer. Here is a player who clearly really ‘gets’ us, as you can tell from his several films and posts and it’s a joy to see. Similarly, Signing three players from Barcelona in less than a year shows how things are changing, even if there’s still a long way to go, and all of them seem to feel loved by us, so much so it’s a new home for them (more of which later…)

Then came Father’s Day, and a reminder of what’s important: my first thing by the brilliant Hally and a hugely enjoyable trip to the new luxurious Everyman cinema in town, for the engrossing Mara/Dona documentary which made re-question whether or not he could have been the greatest ever were it not for the lure of the white line. Finally, the wonderful Fourth series of Gomorrah which I genuinely believe is one of the greatest things I’ve ever watched on TV – more on which to come – and Stranger Things 3 which had mixed reviews but we really enjoyed.

Talking of stranger things that have happened, the most surreal moment of the summer came on Crosby beach (on the hottest day of the year, no less, when the stadium plans were also revealed) as the past and future collided… somewhat controversially.

Preseason had been filled with glamour friendlies in luxurious locations between Europe’s finest. One such example was Chelsea beating Barcelona in Japan with the help of a goal by someone formerly of this parish. How surprised I was, then, that 48 hours later I took my kids for a picnic and a paddle on the sands near ours and who should be camped out in a windbreaker with his mum and her dog but said midfielder. I sneaked a little picture but really couldn’t believe that he was really there.

As we went for a danger-riddled walk over the hazardous quicksands for a paddle in the sea, it was even more unexpected that who else should be strolling down for the same experience but our Ross and I couldn’t help myself but ask for a photo with the kids who love meeting players but don’t really understand the relevance. I totally understand some fans’ resentment at the circumstances around his departure, but I’m really not bitter and try not to hold grudges (empathy?) so put him at ease that I didn’t want to talk about the Blues because I can only imagine how some fellow fans, had they recognised him on the promenade that day, might have spoken to him.

Anyway, he was a real gent with the kids and it was an honour to meet him but I’ll boo him just like any other opposition player when he lines up against us in December.

As I said, that evening the news broke that Dan Meis was ready to unleash on the world his years of work on Bramley Moore, and how the world fell in love with his designs. It was the little things that meant a lot: the brickwork, the tunnel walk, the myriad other touches you only noticed on the umpteenth watch of the video. That you could then go inside the stadium and see the views from different points, made it even more real… then, of course, the plans for Goodison were revealed and that caused more divide but still highlighted how special, how considerate this club of ours is, vis a vis the supporters’ dreams as well as its environmental impact and its local community’s future, something our near neighbours have shown a blatant disregard for.

We expect nothing less.

Trips down memory lanes and promenades etching postcards; spending warm summer days painting outdoors and enjoying nature close up; reminiscing via the help of the very brilliant Blossoms song, the stand out music video of the summer as I’d never seen Teen Wolf in the cafes and casinos of the Prom before… these really were the things.

Moving on, a wonderful trip to Manchester for the new musical ‘Amelie’ which was clever, gorgeous and whimsical in every way the film was… if not more so. I realised I’d not watched the film since before the kids were born which was amazing given how resonant the themes of the film, and the characters’ (Amelie’s and Nino’s) quirks were to my own: the romanticism, then noticing little things, the kneeling down in front of every passport photo booth they see. The show got it spot on and reminded the present author (and most of the audience for that matinee) of what a beautiful little story that fabuleux destin really is. To emphasise the point, we had a great day visiting murals, drinking in cool establishments, seeing old faces and new heroes and wondering if life could always be like this.

Later in the holiday, for the first timewe took the ferry across the Mersey to see the excellent Star Wars exhibition over at Spaceworld.

On the way there, I got all emotional when looking at the Bramley-Moore Dock area and imagining how it  will look in a few years’ time and how that’s what my kids and grandkids will know and hopefully love. 

On the way back to the train, we wandered through the graveyard of the church of St Nicholas and, seeing this, I realised it’s now exactly twenty years since I moved to the city.

Part two coming soon…

(“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself”)

Blue Laocoon is an alternative subtitle for this blog, because it sounds similar to B’s first mocktail – that she had on a recent holiday – and because it nicely summarises recent events experienced by the present author; look up a laocoon if you’re unsure (as I was when I first came across the word (describing Scrooge in ‘A Christmas Carol’, no less))

“Most people get a fair amount of fun out of their lives, but on balance life is suffering, and only the very young or the very foolish imagine otherwise.”

https://youtu.be/5sKMkgp2y40

I start with the art, and the Venice Biennale, because my folk are off there soon and I’m well jel. I really want them to take me some pictures of the refugee boat docked there, not just because it’s refugee week and that this exhibit has caused lots of controversy, but also because I think it’s a pretty important – and beautiful – thing to be on show, so should be lauded, not criticised.

The actual title of this blog post is the title of this year’s exhibition, curated by Ralph Rugoff and, according to this quarter’s TATE magazine “is a phrase that has long been mistakenly cited as an ancient Chinese curse invoking periods of turmoil – apt for our uncertain times.”

“Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible.”

Talking of which, lest we forget that the league was won by Manchester City. I wrote last time about Pep and his class – http://jonathangreenbank.com/index.php/2019/04/28/homage-to-a-catalonian/ – something not always shown by the fans of his oppositions. That last day of the season was fraught, driving home as we were from a wonderful event in the home of A. A. Milne, wondering what was happening at Wembley… we can be proud and positive for the future.

“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.”

The upcoming events, thought, were inevitable and had – sadly – been coming. The signs – the magpies – had been there for a while.

“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”

On a day out, To see some old football shirts, I proudly took pics of the little guy with a Morrissey poster, for his excellent new album (more of which later) that was somewhat surprisingly placed at our local train station. Little did I know that, the following week, someone should be so upset at the display of said advert that he’d get them all taken down in disgust, and I began to question not just my fandom of the said celebrity but also the freedom of speech I this country and the priorities of certain citizens and organisations. Whoever becomes our new leader is inheriting a messy place: ‘England, your England’ remains relevant today…

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

Talking of trains, a lovely moment came at Lime Street, when people were making their feelings and frustrations known… it explained a lot and was fully justified given other events.

“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”

To conquer something means to recognise and overcome the facts, and not everyone can do that. Meanwhile, battles are being fought constantly and some people go through some serious stuff without letting others know. I acknowledge that other problems – without said struggles – are unimportant. But still I write, and will let others tell their own stories in which ever way they feel most comfortable.

“Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.”

We were very lucky to enjoy a wonderful holiday in Crete with some great people, sights, food and drink… and reading.

The real highlights were the swimming, the sunshine, the beers, the butcher, Michael, the birthday drinks, the sunsets, the cocktail bar, the seaside lunches and entertaining meals and the quiet moments in rock pools and churches that said so much.

It’s funny that someone saw a photo of my traditional composition (beach towel, reading matter, beverage of choice) and said it would be impossible for me to have read something whilst away. I did actually manage to read a lot of George Orwell: enough to absorb his style of writing and to concur with many of his political views as well as to acknowledge his quotes enough to embed them in this article to nicely complement my comments on life as we know it. I found his style so articulate, so eloquent; sincere and concise but factual and detailed. I’ve never really thought about focusing on one writer, apart from the excellent Roberto Saviano whose equally fascinating collection of essays ‘Beauty and the Inferno’ also accompanied us to the island of Zorba the Greek (which we watched on our return: not what we expected, but hugely enjoyable)

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”

I particularly loved Orwell’s essays on the state of England seventy years ago, because what he said wasn’t too far away from what would be true today; similarly, his ideas about miners in Northern towns rang true with this year’s GCSE exam Language Paper 2 exam plus, to reiterate, his political stance is not too similar to my own at present, even if many disagreed with it at the time. Even Morrissey, whose ideas I don’t necessarily always agree with, shouldn’t be censored.

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

Talking of reading, this quote links nicely to my being nominated as a judge on the reading for empathy book panel. It’s quite an accolade and involves reading several texts which promote empathy; I’m flattered and proud and looking forward to it. 

“The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.”

“In the face of pain there are no heroes.”

“Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”

There are lots of things I could say about these quotes, but won’t. Trials and tragedies happen for everyone; life’s never easy. Misinformation and fake news can make things worse, too… sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

Various events and bits of news at home meant that the irrelevance of random people achieving some things melted into insignificance and actual life took over for a long time.

As the great Forrest Gump said, that’s all I have to say about that.

“Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else.”

Escapes could be found, thankfully, online or in the dojo, which is kind of the point of the recently released series of Black Mirror and Cobra Kai. Both of these offered more of the same as earlier series – an escape using technology, or a nostalgic trip to childhood – but with extra discussion points this time, and both were highly enjoyable. I also fully engaged with The Virtues, another excellent series, though not always comfortable viewing… get on it.

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims, but accomplices.”

I’ve discussed the current political situation already, so will just say that whatever happens in the next few weeks, at least we’ve got the new series of Stranger Things and Gomorrah to distract us. The latter has started with three incredibly tense episodes, all of which had fantastic endings.

It’s also festival season, and lots of new music to act as the soundtrack to our lives: many went to see the Spice Girls’ reunion, Take That etc… we, however, well we listened with intent and enjoyment to the new stuff by Richard Hawley, The National and Morrissey (him again) whilst marvelling at the fact that that band I used to do all the artwork for are preparing to support THE ROLLING STONES at the Metlife Stadium, new Jersey… a quick look on StubHub reveals that tickets are currently going for $200 each, which is a far cry from having them perform in the school hall for excitable y10s.

Instead, we look forward to quick trips to Manchester for performances of the new Amelie and Back To The Future musicals… ho, hum.

“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing”

We began with art and we end with art, somewhat serendipitously given that it’s nine years ago this week that I had my eyes lasered and therefore began seeing things differently.

I was excited for several months for the Keith Haring retrospective at Tate Liverpool and was not disappointed; indeed, I was elated that I could take my little boy to see it and whilst – as my old tutor, also there early on the first day, predicted – he was a bit bored after the first room, the bright lights big city style of the paintings and posters on show did engage him for long enough that I was able to spend long enough there to be whisked back to 2001 and our trip to NYC.

Retracing the steps of Haring, Basquiat et al back then – pre 9/11 – the city – the world – was a different place, and only some of Orwell’s comments and predictions had come true. We went to the Pop Shop and read up on what had happened twenty odd years precious in that neck of the woods.

Haring, himself was quite an outspoken artist but his childlike images were often overlooked without people getting the full message. I love the simplicity of some of the quite complicated statements he made, and that they’re now adorning the walls of an institution like Tate when all he wanted to do was really make murals with groups of kids.

“The whole beauty of the drawings were that they were so simple. They told a story that you could see from a moving train and you could get it.” (Keith Haring, 1989)

I also love the bus installation on the ground floor, El Autobus by Sol Calero, because Elijah absolutely loved pretending to drive it and it gives me the perfect excuse and carrot to keep going back there over the summer.

“Art lives through the imaginations of the peple who are seeing it. Without that contact, there is no art.” (Keith Haring, March 1984)

It’s not all bad, then… still lots of cause for optimism.