Candle-lit Vigil for Ian Baynham - pictures...

Below are some of the pictures I took on Friday night.

First They Came For The Drag Queens...

First they came for the drag queens, and I did not speak out — because I was not a drag queen;
Then they came for the fairies, and I did not speak out — because I was not a fairy;
Then they came for the poofs, and I did not speak out — because I was not a poof;
Then they came for the queers, and I did not speak out — because I was not queer;
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Candle-lit Vigil for Ian Baynham...

A silent candle-lit vigil will be held against hate crime in memory of Ian Baynham in Trafalgar Square 8pm to 10pm on today Friday 30th October 2009 to show the world that this criminal behaviour is unacceptable here and to stand shoulder to shoulder to stop this happening again.

Below is a picture of Ian (centre) in happier times at Shake Your Tail Feather in August with Janet and David.

Too Perky...

Sometimes people can be too perky in their jobs. Last week we went to check on my nan in the hospital to see if she'd made it through the night.

"How is nan?", we asked the doctor nervously.

"GIVE ME A "D"...!

Daphne And Celeste Getting Bottled At Reading 2000...

Ooh stick you, your Mamma too and your Daddy!

U G L Y you aint got no alibi. You're ugly!

I like the very end when she says, "You guys are wasting so much food!"

The Triplets...

The other week I had the triplets, Sarah, Myrtle and Dad over. Myrtle bought them some toys, we had lunch and we played in Highbury playground. All great fun. 

Ging Gang Goolie...

Ging gang goolie goolie goolie goolie watcha,
Ging gang goo, ging gang goo.
Ging gang goolie goolie goolie goolie watcha,
Ging gang goo, ging gang goo.
Hayla, oh hayla shayla, hayla shayla, shayla, oh-ho,
Hayla, oh hayla shayla, hayla shayla, shayla, oh.
Shally wally, shally wally, shally wally, shally wally,
Oompah, oompah, (stick in up your jumpa).

Had Had...

James, while John had had "had", had had "had had"; "had had" had had a better effect on the teacher.

And And...

The pub sign painter had spread the lettering out too much. There was too much space between the 'Pig' and 'And' and 'And' and 'Whistle'.

Paloma Faith...

On Saturday night Simon treated Stu and I to a trip to the HMV Forum in Kentish Town to see the rather marvellous Paloma Faith.

The support acts on the night were Mumford & Sons (rather pleasing folk rock with the emphaise more on the 'rock' than the 'folk') and Mr Hudson (without his Library and it has to be said, rather loud but rather bland).

Ms Faith herself was a complete star. She took to a stage that looked like something from Alice In Wonderland - decorated as it was with white helium balloons, over-sized white dominos and small white chairs. Dressed in 1940s garb she bore comparisons vocally to Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Kate Bush and the Puppini Sisters.

Song of the night was definitely current single New York. This was mashed up rather wonderfully with the classic New York, New York and features on her debut album Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful. The song itself has been described as "a gospel-tinted ballad painted with orchestral beauty for broken hearts and dark, sleepless streets." So there.

Ms. Faith is also an actress and appears as the devil's lover in The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus. There is obviously no end to this lady's talents.

Good Riddance You Corrupt Homophobe....

Tory MP David Wilshire is a truly odious man.

It's not just his £160,532 parliamentary expenses bill that make him odious (with his London flat less than 15 miles away from where he lives) or his expenses claims for furniture or travel or entertainment or paying £105,000 over three years to Moorlands Research Services (a company he set up and owned with his partner Anne Palmer to run his office.) Oh no. He has a worse side to him.

For it was David Wilshire who was responsible for introducing the Section 28 legislation in 1988.

The ban was eventually reversed by Parliament in 2003 but naturally Wilshire was one of 76 MPs to vote against the repeal. Early in 2000 the lovely Mr Wiltshire had voted to prohibit teachers from introducing steps to prevent bullying on the grounds of homosexuality in a later Local Government Bill. He also voted against homosexual couples being allowed to adopt children in 2002, against the Civil Partnership Bill of 2004 (which granted a legal relationship for same-sex couples) and against the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) in 2007, which outlawed discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities, services, education and public functions on the grounds of sexual orientation. In each case Wilshire's vote was in the minority.

Well, now we hear that David Wilshire has announced that he will stand down as an MP at the next election. Shame really as I'd have liked to have seen him stand - and lose. Badly.

Good riddance you corrupt homophobe.

Freedom of Speech...

Nick Griffin on Question Time last night was odious. But, as Voltaire said: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Annie Get Your Gun...

Last night Stu and I went to the Young Vic in London's fashionable Waterloo to see Annie Get Your Gun.

Jane Horrocks plays sharp-shotting Annie and Julian Ovenden plays Frank the handsome, womanizing star who challenges anyone in town to a shooting match when Buffalo Bill’s ‘Wild West Show’ comes to town.

Irving Berlin wrote the musis and lyrics which includes some of his all-time favourite show-stopping tunes, including, There's No Business Like Show Business, Doin' What Comes Natur'lly, You Can't Get a Man with a Gun, They Say It's Wonderful, and Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better.

The song I'm an Indian Too was dropped from the show as it was considered racist and demeaning of Native Americans - although other shows see it as a mildly satirical attack on racial stereoyping. Hey ho.

Good show though.

Japanese Whispers...

You've heard of Chinese whispers, right? Well this is Japanese whispers. Start with a sentence in English and then keep translating it backwards and forwards into Japanese and see when the translations stabilise.

In Their Ivory Towels...

One of my favourite malapropisms: "I bet they feel safe in their ivory towels"

Stonewall Awards...

On Thursday 5th Nov 2009 the Stonewall Awards will be held at the V&A. It's the biggest event in the gay autumn calendar and honours those who have made a positive contribution to lesbian and gay equality in Britain in the past year. The show is hosted by Gok Wan, and nominees include Paul O'Grady, Janet Street Porter, Beth Ditto and Stephen K Amos.

And guess what? Paul is up for an award for broadcast of the year with Economy Gastronomy. Go Paul!

Broadcast of the Year
‘Corrective Rape in South Africa’ (Samira Ahmed – Channel 4 News report)
Economy Gastronomy (BBC 2)
Find me a Family (Channel 4)
FYI Radio (lesbian and gay youth radio station)
Pobol y Cwm (BBC Cymru)

Outrageous! (1977)...

Out at last on DVD is the cult 1970s camp classic drag film Outrageous!

Telling the story of Robin Turner's (Craig Russell) rise from hairdresser to fully fledged drag queen the film's limited budget, so-so sound and grainy print quality does nothing to detract from the great performances.

Craig Russell has a three octave range and is an uncanny mimic (Mae West, Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, Ethel Merman) - so that’s who Dame Edna Experience got his act from! Close your eyes and it could be SLAGS @ RVT only circa 1977.

The action starts in Toronto where Robin lives with his mad female friend and flatmate Liza (Hollis McLaren). Robin's rapid rise in the drag world is mirrored by Liza's own gradual descent into schizophrenic fantasy. It is both moving and funny to watch the two - the madness of him performing to leather queens in a frock and the madness of her as she tries to cope with her own delusions. Ultimately it is their love for each other that keeps them both going as we see them move from the gay bars by the Great Lake to the The Jack Rabbit Club in the Big Apple.

This is rare film indeed - a pre-AIDS gay film which manages to be non-judgemental in it's depiction of gay men; leather queens and drag queens drinking, dancing, loving and living.

It's a sort of The Next Best Thing meets Hedwig And The Angry Inch meets Priscilla meets Shortbus.

My favourite quotes:
Why do you live with 'that'? 'That' is my best friend.
There are three important things in life: sex, movies, and my career. You should think almost entirely about them and never about yourself.
I'm dead inside. You're not dead. You're alive and sick and living in New York like eight million other people.
You’re mad as a hatter darling. But that’s OK. ‘Cos I am too

It's competition time! I have five copies of the new DVD Outrageous! to give away. Yes, to give away! All you have to do is answer a simple question.

What is the name of the actress who plays Robin Turner's flatmate Liza in the film?

Email your answer and your postal address to onthe@hotmail.com before 26th Oct 2009 and you could be in with a chance of winning a copy of the film to keep and keep again. 

The small print: Five winners will be randomly chosen from correct entries. UK entrants only I'm afraid. overyourhead's decison is final. 

Blackpool Pictures...

Roger and I went to Blackpool last weekend to see the Funny Girls show. We had great fun up and down the Golden Mile and in and out of the bars. It was great to meet Spencer again and indeed his parents.

NSPCC City Conker Cup...

Last night I attending a charity event - the annual NSPCC City Conker Cup at Loose Cannon down by Cannon Bridge.

I'd been baking my conkers, soaking them in vinegar and threading them on the toughest twine I could find - but as per the rules, we could only use their conkers not our own.

Our team was called Conkering Heroes and we got through to the 3rd round before my and ne of my team mates strings broke.

It was a great night and although I didn't win The Conker Cup as planned I did win something way better at the silent auction. I how have a very big hole in pocket now but big ups to the NSPCC for organising.

Canada Victoria and Whistler Pictures...

 

Canada Vancouver Pictures...

 

Canada The Rockies Pictures...

 

Gladys Knight...

Last Friday night Stu treated me to a trip up the Jubilee Line to Wembley to see the truly wonderful Gladys Knight perform. Allegedly her farewell tour she was saying goodbye to the UK the best way she knew how; a blinding set of her classics, standards and modern songs reinterpreted.

The night began with Tito Jackson and his band The Brothers performing a tribute to their late brother Michael; a string of Michael's best loved songs - along with Jackson 5 hits and his own material. Interestingly his brothers Marlon and Jackie were there too as was their mother Katherine.

After the interval the Knight really started. “Hey y’all!", she said. "Work day’s over it’s time to party!”

Opening with her very first hit of Every Beat of My Heart from 1961 Gladys treated us to a wandering through her career both with and without the Pips. We were treated to such hits as:
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
If I Were Your Woman
You’re The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me
The Way We Were
Come Back and Finish What You Started
Licence to Kill
If You Don’t Know Me By Now
End Of The Road
Midnight Train to Georgia
I Will Survive

She mused at one point, “I didn’t really understand If I Were Your Woman when Mr Gordy gave it to me and didn’t want to sing it, but he was right in the end to make me.” Too right he was.

Gladys Knight has a uniquely emotional and spiritual voice, few can compare to The Empress of Soul. The raw emotion that she put into her singing meant that every song sounded fresh, bringing many spine-tingling moments.

Canada Toronto Pictures...

 

Canada Montreal Pictures...

 

100 Famous Rock Guitar Riffs...

And here's the answers.

Doctor Who Fans Name Best Episode Ever...

Over 6700 Time Lord fans responded to a Doctor Who Magazine call to rate all 200 episodes of the classic sci-fi TV series, and selected 1984's The Caves of Androzani - in which fifth Doctor Peter Davison hung up his sonic screwdriver - as the best of the bunch. Davison's finale beat 2007's excellent Blink, with David Tennant, into second spot. Tom Baker deservedly took third place with 1975's Genesis of the Daleks.

In The Caves of Androzani, the Doctor and companion Peri arrive on the planet Androzani Minor, and are soon entangled in a dark plot involving gun-running, drug-smuggling and android duplicates. At the climax of the story, dying from poison, the Doctor has to regenerate to save his own life, but saves the life of Peri in the process.

The full 200-episode league table appears in Doctor Who Magazine #413. The top ten are:

1. The Caves of Androzani (1984 - Peter Davison)
2. Blink (2007 - David Tennant)
3. Genesis of the Daleks (1975 - Tom Baker)
4. The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977 - Tom Baker)
5. The Empty Child (2005 - Christopher Eccleston)
6. Human Nature (2007 - David Tennant)
7. Pyramids of Mars (1975 - Tom Baker)
8. City of Death (1979 - Tom Baker)
9. The Robots of Death (1977 - Tom Baker)
10. Bad Wolf (2005 - Christopher Eccleston)

Victoria Wood's Talent...

Last night the lovely Guy and I went to see Talent at the Menier Chocolate Factory; written and directed by the oh so talented Victoria Wood.

It was funny night and we had the privilege of attending a Q&A with the cast and Victoria after the show.

'Talent' is set in 1978 with a talent night at Bunter’s niteclub, and contestant Julie and her fat friend Maureen are waiting backstage. As they are plunged into a world of ukulele wielding pensioners, crotch grabbing comperes and some long buried personal history, Julie and Maureen have to decide how lucky they really want to be.

Talent is a comedy with original songs written by Victoria Wood. It was first performed in 1978 at the Crucible Theatre Sheffield, winning Wood the Evening Standard award for Most Promising Playwright. Adapted for TV the following year, it won her another Most Promising Writer Award and a BAFTA nomination.

Dr Who New Logo...

Dilwyn's Birthday Party...

On Saturday night - still awake from our 500 mile journey and 9 hour flight from Vancouver - we headed out to celebrate a couple of birthdays. As a warm up we popped into Nat's 30th down in Fulham and afterwards we popped into Dilwyn's 48th... ahem... 38th in Dalston. As you can see. We had fun.

Back In The Saddle...

Did I say saddle? I meant harness. So I'm back at my desk - with terrible jet-lag. Just hope I can make it though the day.

Canada: Victoria...

Our last full day in Canada so we decided to take a day trip to Vancouver Island. It was a bit of a haul - a twelve hour plus round trip but we wanted to explore the coastline a bit more and perhaps catch a glimpse of a whale on the way.

Our transportation method of choice was coach to the ocean then ferry across to the island and then coach again once there. This seemed to be the best way to relax and take pictures, listen to the live commentary should we want to and also take a nap(!) The driver was a right comedian and gave us the low down on what we were seeing as well as the state of politics in British Columbia.

The trip was good fun - despite the initial rain. Victoria wasn't quite the chintzy bundle of British kitschiness we'd been lead to believe but is was good to see it. We had a late lunch in a Scottish-themed pub (no really) and then spent the next two hours playing "I see your and raise you " Oh, we laughed.

The day wasn't a total wash out though. We got to spend some time in the rather wonderful Butchart Gardens (fifty-five acres of stunning floral show) and despite not actually spotting any whales, we did enjoy our little cruise amongst the Gulf Islands.

Canada: Whistler...

We left Vancouver behind us yesterday and boarded the glamorous Whistler Mountaineer train. We were booked in Glacier Dome class (first class to you and me) so Stu was smiling from ear to ear; free food, free booze and a glass domed carriage to see all the passing scenery. And what scenery it was!... mountains, forests, gorges, waterfalls, bridges and rapids.

Whistler itself is a beautiful alpine skiing and mountain biking resort nestled 78 miles north of Vancouver in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains. It will jointly host the 2010 Winter Olympics and there is plenty of evidence of the preparations.

Sadly it was raining when we arrived so many of the vistas were obscured. We settled for dinner (oversized steaks @ The Keg) and a movie (two hours forty-five of Inglourious Basterds. Good but waay too long.)

Luckily the weather this morning is a lot better so we're planning some more exploring before heading back into Vancouver on (you guessed it) the Whistler Mountaineer. Glacier Dome class 'natch.

Canada: Stanley Park...

On Monday we decided to have a slightly more active day. Kicking off early we swam, we walked and we hired a tandem (yes, again) and circumnavigated really rather wonderful 405 hectare Stanley Park - an urban park bordering downtown Vancouver. It was a fantastic day and basically what coming to Vancouver is all about for us.

Flushed with the warm feeling of having done ourselves some good we went... shopping. American Eagle to be exact. Think we might need an extra suitcase now!

Canada: North Vancouver...

On Sunday Stu and I headed north to do a bit of exploring. First we walked down to docks and took the Sea Bus over to North Vancouver. Then we took the regular bus up the hill to the (inexplicably) popular Capilano Suspension Bridge and Park. It's an eco-park whose centrepiece is the world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge (450ft) spanning the vertiginous Capilano Gorge. I have to say that apart from the bridge the place was a bit tame. Trap de tourisme, je crois.

Later on we headed back into town for a swim, sauna, steam and jacuzzi before heading off to Pumpjack for their Sunday night beer bust. Great night.

Canada: Vancouver...

We hit the town running and went straight down to Davie Street; Pumpjack to be exact. Vancouver is a rather lovely place so we didn't stay out too late - just long enough to pick up a number and get our bearings.

Our hotel is the Metropolitan on Howe and perfectly placed for walking everywhere. Still, the next day we jumped on a hop-on hop-off open-top City Tour bus to get a slightly more guided look around town; Gastown, The Station, Canada Place, Granville Island, Davie Street (gay village), English Bay Beach, Second Beach, Stanley Park, Robson shopping district, the coliseum-style library and finally Chinatown.

In the evening we had a quite one as we were pretty knackered.

Canada: Rockies...

The second day on The Rocky Mountaineer train ride was quite spectacular. The first day had been been full of landscape fashioned by glaciers (mainly U-shaped valleys) whereas the second day was landscape fashioned by rivers. An altogether more dramatic erosion tool altogether. So it was meandering deep ravines, amazing torrential rivers and precipitous drops. Way cool.

It took us eight hours to eventually wind our way down to Vancouver leaving the awful Kamloops behind us. Kamloops reminded me of my favourite repetitious film title - "The Hills Have Eyes 3: The Hills Still Have Eyes".

The city awaits!

Canada: Kamloops...

The Rocky Mountaineer train ride is quite something; a two day trip through the mountains, ravines, rivers, glaciers and gorges of the Canadian Rockies. We started off early fromn Jasper and are currently staying at Kamloops - halfway through the trip to Vancouver.

Kamloops is a pretty dire town to be honest in the middle of nowhere but it served fine as a whistlestop. Battling banjos, you get the idea.

Canada: Jasper...

The Icefield Parkway is a three hour stunning drive through mountains, gorges and along rivers starting at Banff, up through Banff National Park and into Jasper National Park. We saw sweet white mountain goats, giant jet-black crows, deer, squirrels and chipmunks en route.

Once in Jasper itself we settled into our (frankly mediocre motel) Lobstick Lodge for a couple of days of rest and relaxation. We had nothing scheduled - just lounging by the pool, eating, drinking and reading trashing books (yes, you, Dan Brown). It was the halfway point of our holiday and time to reflect both upon all the places we'd visited thus far and also were looking forward to seeing.

Tomorrow we'll be up early to climb aboard the Rocky Mountaineer train - heading off on the two day trip across the Rockies all the way to Vancouver.

Canada: Lake Louise...

Just before we headed up the road to Lake Louise we popped into the Banff Cave and Basin (barrel scraping as far as sightseeing was concerned really) a rather drab hot spring. After that we started up the Icefield Parkway towards the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise - a fantastic Swiss-styled hotel at one end of the lake (itself nestled between mountains).

Valet parking of course but sadly our lakeview room wasn't quite ready - so we hit the mountain trail hiking up to Lake Mirror and further on up to Lake Agnes. It was a tough three hours climb but well worth it for those panoramic views.

Once back down the trail we checked in, took a swim in the pool and a whirl in the whirlpool before dining in the saloon - 64oz beers anyone?

The next day we swam and whirled again before heading up the Icefield Parkway all the way to Jasper.

Canada: Banff...

Friday we had a very early start leaving for the absurdly picturesque town of Banff - a limo picked us up at 6:30 followed by a four hour flight to Calgary and then another limo ride at the other end. We were knackered by the time we got there.

Our hotel, the Banff Caribou Lodge and Spa, was fine however - comfortable and great service. After a spot of lunch we popped downtown for a beer and a sniff around before heading homeward for an early night and resolving to start the serious business of sightseeing the next day.

On Saturday morning we had a big breakfast in the hotel and, after consulting a map, picked up a car from National and headed up Tunnel Mountain Drive to (surprise, surprise) Tunnel Mountain. Then we crossed the TransCanada Highway to the Minnewanka loop; Johnson Lake (watch out, there's a bear about), Two Jack Lake, Lake Minnewanka itself, Upper and then Lower Bankhead.

After that we hopped, skipped and jumped up Mountain Avenue to the Banff Gondola to take a further eight minute cabin cable-car ride up to the top of Sulphur Mountain. 2.6km in the sky it commanded amazing views of all the mountains and valleys in the locale. Mind you, I was shitting myself on the way up. That's high, people!

Once we came down off the mountain we crossed over to the Upper Hot Springs - a municipal style 39C spa pool. Not a patch on the Blue Lagoon or Bath, mind you.

We had dinner at Bears Grill in town (for all your hot stone self-cooked meat needs) and we were sorted for the day.

Buffalo...

When we went to the Niagara gorge earlier in the week we went quite near the city of Buffalo. Or, as they say quite grammatically correctly, Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Canada: Toronto Islands...

Just off Toronto shoreline are a group of fifteen islands which were originally part of a peninsular. A massive storm separated them from the mainland and dredging widened and deepened the gulf. A short ferry journey however and we were there.

Most of the islands are now joined to each other by bridges so creating an interconnected network - known as Toronto Island Park. There are no cars on the islands - just bicyclers, boatmen, walkers and Rollerbladers. We were told that eight hundred people live on the islands but most of the uber-cute cottages looked fairly deserted.

Stu and I hired a tandem and had great fun criss-crossing our way everywhere the board walks and pathways would take us. The park is beautiful with many outstanding beaches. We even found one that was clothing optional. Fancy.

Later on, back in the city, we met up with Stu's friend Catheryn, her sister and friends for some wine, eats and TIFF star spotting in Yorkville. Biggest celeb was Verne Troyer (Mini-Me).

Canada: Toronto City Tour...

We got up later after our boozy night out and headed out for some trashy food; Wendy's. Stu had never had that particular variation of processed junk food so was keen to try it. And coupled with the fact that we saw on TMZ's TV show that Diana Ross had been spotted in Taco Bell he'd got a taste for the trashy.

In the afternoon we opted for a guided and narrated city tour to get a feel for the place. It turned out that the tour guide that we'd had the previous day to Niagara, Gord, was the man so we were in familiar hands.

The delights that awaited us were the Distillery District, St Lawrence Market (we were to return here later for a massive mustard purchase), City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square, the peace pagoda, Church St, a bunch of hospitals, the university and PATH.

PATH is a 27-kilometre (17 mile) network of pedestrian tunnels beneath the office towers of downtown Toronto. Quite amazing. An underground city.

At the end of tour we stopped off at the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre. Stu persuaded me to go up the CN Tower (181 floors yikes!) I was pressed to the back of the lift all the way up with my eyes closed.

There was a fantastic view out across the city, as you might expect, but looking down we saw U2 setting up for their gig later that night. They played a bit of "Beautiful Day". It also looked like RIM were closing off the CN Tower restaurant to host U2's after show party.

After the hot and dusty city tour we headed for the hotel spa. We had a swim, went to the steam room, the jacuzzi and the hot tub. After that we went out to Stu's favourite Alsace restaurant Les Trois Brasseurs (renamed The Three Brewers for Toronto).

The TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) is also here this week. We saw Steven Spielberg and also Whoopi Goldberg (no ghost of Patrick Swayze sadly).

Canada: Niagara...

When I was five years old my Dad showed me some grainy black and white footage from a trip he took to Niagara Falls. Ever since then I've wanted to go there. Yesterday I realised that dream.

Stu and I jumped aboard the Toronto Tours bus at about 9am and for the next ten hours we enjoyed a guided tour of Lake Ontario, the Niagara whirlpool, Niagara Falls itself (American, Bridal and Horseshoe), Journey Behind The Falls, a soaking trip on Maid Of The Mist, picture perfect Niagara-by-the-Lake and some local wine tasting. A great day out and a big box ticked for me personally.

On the trip we chummed up with a couple of Guatemalan guys; Roberto and Esteban. Later on back in Toronto we met up with the guys for eats, beers and a drunken (and perhaps ill-advised) trip to a strip joint. At least I've now seen what 'a private dancer, dancer for money' does. And what the going rate it. Sore head today though.

Canada: Toronto...

The VIA rail journey down turned out to be first class... er... First Class in fact. Posh waiting lounge, free massage, free booze and free food. Yay!

Our hotel is a massive tower block on the harbour front. Great view but also the CBD so not much happening at street level.

First impressions of Toronto? Not as friendly at Montreal, but we're warming to the place.

We checked out the gay district last night (OK, typical 'village') and today are heading to Niagara.

Canada: Montreal...

So we've arrived safe and sound in Montreal. The Air Canada flight was just fine - great service and not too many bumps en route. The films I watched to pass the time were Moon, The Hangover, Terminator Salvation and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. All suitably diverting.

The limo was waiting for us at the airport and before we knew it we were sitting in the Grand Plaza Centre Ville wondering how to spend out first night in Canada. Thirty minutes later we were in The Stud (at that point fairly empty) supping on a beer or two. Later we shuffled over to the L'Aigle Noir for a bit of variety before returning to the The Stud for a bit of a bop and a boogie. On the way home we popped in to a Maccy Ds for a MacPoulet and frites. Class.

The following day we started off with a swim before hitting the tourist trail proper. First we crawled all over the 343 acre Parc du Mont-Royal. Then we crawled all over Vieux-Montreal and Port-Montreal. Finally we headed up to the rather stunning Oratoire St-Joseph. All impressive stuff.

Next stop was the Sunday night bars on the morrow we head down to Toronto.

Regina Fong...

I just loved Reg. Witty, subversive and a born entertainer. Ah, memories.

Arsenalisation...

Ivan Gazidis talks about the Arsenalisation (proof that we're not an American corporation as otherwise it'd be Arsenalization, right?)

Whale Meat Again...

That Vera Lynn - she may be back in the charts but it makes me sick that she pretends to be all into animal rights, when her whole lifestyle is based on royalties from a song about whale meat.

iPhone OS 3.1 Software Update (here at last)...

• Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on
• Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe
• Use Voice Control on iPhone 3GS with Bluetooth headsets
• Paste phone numbers into the Keypad
• Option to use Home button to turn on Accessibility features on iPhone 3GS
• Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phishing)
• Improved Exchange calendar syncing and invitation handling
• Fixes issue that caused some app icons to display incorrectly

Products compatible with this software update:
• iPhone
• iPhone 3G
• iPhone 3GS

* Not available in all regions.

For feature descriptions and complete instructions, see the user guide for your iPhone at:

For more information about iPhone, go to:

To troubleshoot your iPhone, or to view additional support information go to:

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:

Cut!...

A mate of mine works in PR @ 11 Downing St. They had a kids party there earlier on today for some 7 year-olds to celebrate some kid's payment scheme or other. Alistair Darling was about to cut the cake when my mate stepped forward. With his back to the press pack he mouthed the word "CUTS?". The knife was hastily taken out of Alistair's hand. The cake was cut by Maggie Darling - *after* the cameras had left. PR in action my friends.

Jane's 40th Birthday Party...

Last Saturday night we and a bunch of other revellers were part of a surprise chinese karaoke for the lovely Jane. We ate, we drank, we sang. Great fun. More snaps here.

Afterwards we headed up the road to the uber trendy Dalston Superstore. Cool.

Marc Almond, I (Heart) You...

Last night I got to meet my idol. I went to HMV Oxford Street to an album signing. Marc Almond was signing copies of his new album Orpheus In Exile - The Songs Of Vadim Kozin. I queued for about an hour but it was totally worth it. He signed my copy of the album (well, my two albums as a took a different album for him to sign too), we chatted for a minute or two (OK, I gushed and he was utterly charming in return) and I had my picture taken with him.

My heart was racing, racing, racing. Afterwards I was on such a high. It's fabulous to meet those you worship and not be let down.

Is the album any good? It's OK. But I don't care. I got to meet my idol.




More snaps here.

Alan Cumming...

Last Friday night Stu took me out for a (three week early) birthday surprise. He knows how much I like Alan Cumming and so had booked us in to see his one man show at the Vaudeville theatre: I Bought A Blue Car Today.

The show was a mix of chat and singing. The chat was camp, gossipy and very funny. The sixteen songs all meant something to him - written by people he'd worked with (Cyndi Lauper's Shine), written by people he admired (Victoria Wood's Thinking of You) or from shows he'd been in (Mein Herr from Cabaret).

Favourite songs for me of the night were Where I Want to Be from Chess and a mash-up of Dolly Parton's Here You Come Again with Mika's My Interpretation.

Sparky's 39th Birthday Bash...

On Saturday afternoon we popped over to see the lovely Dan to help him celebrate his 39th birthday. We had a rare old time and it was of course marvelous to meet some of his other chums.

So now we know were Pink Mince towers is. More snaps here.

Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple In The World...

As reported here last year season two of Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple In The World is soon to be upon us. On E4 this Tuesday at midnight to be exact.

QVC Guy Falls Of Ladder...

Synth Britannia...

Coming to BBC Four this autumn: the story of the synth.

In the late Seventies small pockets of electronic artists such as The Human League, Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle were inspired by Kraftwerk and J G Ballard to dream of the sound of the future against the backdrop of bleak, high-rise Britain.

Gary Numan's 1979 appearance on Top Of The Pops heralded the invention of synthpop, which would provide the soundtrack as Britain entered a new, ruthless era in the Eighties.

Depeche Mode, four lads from Basildon, came to embody the new sound, while post-punk bands such as Ultravox, Soft Cell, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark and Yazoo took the synth from the pages of the NME and onto the front cover of Smash Hits.

By 1983 the Pet Shop Boys and New Order were pointing to where the future of electronic music lay – in dance.

Contributors to Synth Britannia include Philip Oakey, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, Bernard Sumner, Gary Numan and Neil Tennant.

While I Was Away...

Note to self: make sure partner 100% knows you're going away. Otherwise...

Gay Sports Day...

On Monday it was the Royal Vauxhall Tavern's annual sporting event - Gay Sports Day. Basically it was a 50/50 charity/piss-up event with the money going to GMFA.

Before the track and field events kicked off Darren and Mark hosted a brunch for a bunch which was just lovely.

Suitably fed and watered we headed down to Vauxhall Gardens to watch the games; egg and spoon race, tug of war, space hopper relay, 50m mince, sack race, drag relay, handbag throw and space hopper equestrian. Great fun.

Below is a montage; more snaps here.

Wanstead Park...

We met up with Kerry, Fergal, John, Monica and the kids in Wanstead Park on Saturday. And that Lucy's a demon football kicker.

Slingbacks...

On Saturday night we went to Slingbacks at The Rose on the Albert Embankment. The gorgeous Darren was DJing. We danced and danced. Well, apart from when the Elvis impersonator was on (no really). More snaps here.

Wind turbines? We're big fans...

Who needs air con? This is how I keep cool at night.

Disinterested vs Uninterested...

Someone at work just told me that they were disintersted in attending a meeting. I think that they actually meant that they were uninterested in going to it.

I think we've perhaps finally lost the battle on this one; 'disinterested' (impartial, doesn't take sides) has finally beaten the more lowly and now less used 'uninterested' (shows no interest) in common usage. Shame. I guess people would rather 'dis' than 'un'.

Arsenal 3-1 Celtic (agg 5-1)...

It was a thrilling game last night; a penalty that never was, Celtic in the most bizarre bumblebee strip and outstanding play throughout by the Gunners. So we're through. Phew!

Lego Video Games...

This is simply genius. Frogger, Space Invaders, Pac Man, Breakout, Tron and Asteroids faithfully recreated in stop motion Lego.


And here's Super Lego Mario

Captain Pugwash, Master Bates, Seamen Stains et al...

There is a persistent urban legend, repeated by the now-defunct UK newspaper the Sunday Correspondent, which ascribes sexually suggestive names – such as Master Bates, Seaman Staines, and Roger the Cabin Boy – to Captain Pugwash's characters, and indicating that the captain's name was a slang Australian term for oral sex. John Ryan, Pugwash's creator, successfully sued both the Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian newspapers in 1991 for printing this legend as fact. In a stage show in Frome on 5 June 2009, Richard Digance claimed to have originated this urban legend in a 1970's sketch. A 25-year injunction preventing Digance making any further references to Captain Pugwash expired at the end of 2008 and the material is now part of his act.

The characters were actually Captain Pugwash, his crew; Master Mate, Barnabas, Willy, Tom the Cabin Boy and the Captain's mortal enemy Cut Throat Jake.

Doctor Who: Dreamland...

A new Doctor Who animated series called Dreamland is starting this Autumn. It will star David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and air in seven parts (six minutes each) starting in Autumn 2009 on BBC One's Red Button service and the official Doctor Who website. It will later be broadcast in its entirety on BBC Two and BBC HD.

Arsenal 4-1 Portsmouth...

It was our first home game of the season and Paul and I were in seventh heaven. We'd moved into the Red Action area in Block 6 and were singing, dancing and jumping up and down for the whole ninety minutes. Great after noon and great result.

Rosebery West...

I walk past here everyday but I'm not sure I'd want to live there.

Shake Your Tail Feather...

Last night Stu and I went down to the Ritzy in Brixton to listen and watch Darren spin some tunes for Shake Your Tail Feather. Great fun.

World Pride 2012...

2012 is going to be a busy year in London. First we got the Olympics, then there's the Queen's Diamond Jubilee to celebrate. And now London has won the right to host World Pride in 2012 too. Heavens.

Here's the winning video bid (which brought a tear to my eye).

Facebook for iPhone 3.0...

Coming very soon. So what's new in this update?
1. The "new" News Feed
2. Like
3. Events (including the ability to RSVP)
4. Notes
5. Pages
6. Create new photo albums
7. Upload photos to any album
8. Zoom into photos
9. Easier photo tagging
10. Profile Pictures albums
11. A new home screen for easy access to all your stuff, search, and notifications
12. Add your favorite profiles and pages to the home screen
13. Better Notifications (they link to the comments so you can reply)
14. Quickly call or text people right from the Friends page
15. Messages you are typing will be restored if you quit or are interrupted by a phone call

Helpdesk...

Gays Up The Arse...

Last week Paul had a letter published in the Metro about homophobia (or lack of it) at football grounds. I have to say, I agree with last week's issue. We never experience any anti-gay feeling when we go up the Arse of a Saturday afternoon.

Jim and Phill's Big Day...

We were privileged to be invited to help celebrate part of Jim and Phill's big day.

The NHS...

I had a dilemma over the NHS recently.

We get private health cover at work and I had to see a specialist (for something fairly trivial I might add). The dilemma? Should I go NHS or should I go private for my treatment?

In the end I went NHS but was conscious I might be using up some of its valuable resources unnecessarily when the private healthcare was already paid for. Granted I'd probably have seen the same specialist in either option!

Did I do the right thing?

Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy...

This genius series, which consists of comic cartoon shorts unrelated to each other, is added to every month or so on YouTube at SethComedy. There have been twenty-three so far and will be fifty altogether. The series is similar to the "cutaway gags" of MacFarlane's TV series Family Guy. Since the twelfth episode, profanity has been uncensored. The first season will be released on DVD in the UK on September 21 2009. Right before my birthday (hint, hint).

How To Open A Banana...

1980s Sax Solos Rated...

Careless Whisper? Baker Street? Will You? True? What's you favourite 1980s sax solo? This guy has rated them all.

"I realized about 5 years ago that at some point in the 1980s, lots of the popular music started incorporating saxophone solos into their songs. Some of them are fine, but most of them are ridiculous to have in the songs. Below, I have attempted to separate the quality and appropriateness of the solos from what I think of the song as a whole..." Hear the solos and see the reviews here.

Matt's 40th...

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending Matt's rooftop 40th. It was a brilliant afternoon; buckets of Pimms, cakes, great crowd, sweet family, sexy men, Punch & Jude (sic) and a live Kate Bush show. More snaps here.

Eminem meets Dr Who meets Benny Hill...

Periodic Table of Typefaces...

Gay Blood...

Why can't gay men donate blood in the UK when they are able to donate organs? Here's the reasoning.

Comments:

Anonymous said...
Ok, so let me get this right... apparently it's about discriminating against the sexual act, even if it was oral sex and it happened once, not against the population group. Yet there is no exclusion recommended for women who have ever had sex with a man who has ever had sex with man. If it’s only based on sexual activity, this population group of women must carry the same risks as the excluded group.

It isn’t about individuals and their sexual activity because this exclusion is recommended on the basis of epidemiological research at a population level, therefore it does discriminate against individuals (even if the intention behind it is worthy). It doesn't consider variation within the population group some of who will be zero-risk takers and others extreme-risk takers with the majority somewhere between.

But that’s a more complicated message to convey and the Blood Transfusion Service only has a limited resource to do it, but the BTS should at least be honest. Say that this will discriminate and scapegoat individuals but we believe it’s in the common good to do so. The gay community should be able to cope with that, what is difficult to cope with is avoiding the issues and dressing them up in anti-discrimination terminology.


overyourhead said...
You make some good points. Something I'd not really thought about before.


Gert said...
Ultimately, it's about responsible self-exclusion/inclusion, isn't it?

For example, I recall one occasion when I was asked whether I had ever been to New York, which at the time was a ground for exclusion. I had recently returned from a visit, with my mother, staying with my aunt, and I led a more chaste life in that three weeks than at any other time in my entire post-pubescent existence. I made the decision, knowing that HIV etc are not air-borne, that that exclusion actually didn't apply to me.

I know from conversations with female friends and other observations that many 'respectable' straight women have multiple instances of unsafe sex in less-than-permanent relationships, yet very few 'respectable' women have HIV tests, except after sexual assault or work-based contact (eg health staff), so, to my mind, there is an evidential flaw in the assumptions about prevalence. I suppose a lot of women get picked up in antenatal settings, but I think the majority of women blood donors have probably not been to antenatal ever, or recently.

I use 'respectable' as clumsy shorthand for women - such as myself and most friends - who don't (knowingly) fall into the stated high-risk categories.

Beyonce dances to the Birdy Song...

Brighton Pride (the next day)...

We had a lovely day on Sunday. The weather was fantastic so we pootled about on the seafront and at the various street parties. 

Brighton Pride...

We had a lovely day on Saturday. Sure, the weather was pretty lousy towards the end of the afternoon when the heavens opened but that just meant we had the opportunity to huddle with some cute men in tents. Here are some of the snaps I took on the day.