Biggest genuine contrarians

[Icehaven]

Quite intrigued by one of the other books linked to on the Savile one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Savile-Inside-Greatest-Scandal-History-ebook/dp/B00CKOPKJ0

Savile's spell with the Brummie metal legends is an oft-overlooked period of his life.

This is obviously not terribly important or relevant but Iron Maiden aren't Brummie, they're from London.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I like the blurb for the Max Clifford one where he says "I've read everything in the papers." Ah, right, because that's exactly the same as all the evidence presented in court, isn't it?

[Inspector Norse]

This is obviously not terribly important or relevant but Iron Maiden aren't Brummie, they're from London.

Trying to think who I mixed them up with now; perhaps just operating under the assumption that all British metal bands are Brummies.

[Darles Chickens]

Black Sabbath presumably?

[TrenterPercenter]

Trying to think who I mixed them up with now; perhaps just operating under the assumption that all British metal bands are Brummies.

Home of metal mate. Home. of. metal.

And passing the dutchie pon de left hand side.

Sorry obligatory Brummie post in which I try and remind people that Birmingham and the immediate area had some brilliant and socially important bands throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s.

[Icehaven]

I was briefly in a band with a Portuguese bloke who had moved to Birmingham purely because of Black Sabbath and it's general metal history. When we met him he'd only been in the country for a few days and said he "couldn't wait" to go to Sabbath's old stamping ground Aston. I have no idea what he thought was there, but to my knowledge there's never been anything worth a pilgrimage. Other than a few exhibitions relatively recently and a bench on Broad st. it's surprising how little is made of it really, particularly given how famous they and some of the other bands are/were.

[Better Midlands]

I try and remind people that Birmingham and the immediate area had some brilliant and socially important bands throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s

and UB40.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I mean depending on how far you're casting the net in the 'immediate area' you could also include Coventry, which gave the world 2-tone. And Eclipse was pretty important in the rave days.

[TrenterPercenter]

and UB40.

Ooooof!

[idunnosomename]

I was briefly in a band with a Portuguese bloke who had moved to Birmingham purely because of Black Sabbath and it's general metal history. When we met him he'd only been in the country for a few days and said he "couldn't wait" to go to Sabbath's old stamping ground Aston. I have no idea what he thought was there, but to my knowledge there's never been anything worth a pilgrimage. Other than a few exhibitions relatively recently and a bench on Broad st. it's surprising how little is made of it really, particularly given how famous they and some of the other bands are/were.

there's a few bits of things, like Ozzy Osbourne's childhood house. I think the others moved about too much for them to have a "house" as such. and of course nearly all of the factories that gave its character in the 50s-60s have gone now.

[Sebastian Cobb]

One of my mates used to work in the laundrette that washed Astro's fur coat.

[canadagoose]

Walked past a woman sitting on a bench just as an ambulance went past with its siren on
The woman covered her ears  fair enough.but then gave the albulanxe two fingers because of the noise. The idea that this person had that ambulances shouldn't have their sirens on because some people are very senstive to noise seems to belong in this thread.

Is she aware of the existence of ear defenders? Why not use them? That's what I'd do.

[Fambo Number Mive]

I was going to admonish her for making a rude gesture at the ambulance, but though that might be a bad idea so didn't. Otherwise I would have brought up the ear defenders after admonishing her.

[TrenterPercenter]

I mean depending on how far you're casting the net in the 'immediate area' you could also include Coventry, which gave the world 2-tone. And Eclipse was pretty important in the rave days.

I was including Coventry who originated 2tone but it was quickly adopted and added to in Birmingham.

[MojoJojo]

Top tip for how to read books like this without any money going to a loon/git: download book to kindle. Put kindle in airplane mode. Return book. Read on a kindle at leisure.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Top tip for how to read books like this without any money going to a loon/git: download book to kindle. Put kindle in airplane mode. Return book. Read on a kindle at leisure.

download from libgen and then you won't be driving the popularity neither.

[Cold Meat Platter]

Some of the science crackpots that hang around science and skeptic forums are fantastic fun.

[non capisco]

One of my mates used to work in the laundrette that washed Astro's fur coat.

I bet there's a few ageing pest controllers round that way that claim they were the one that removed the rat from his kitchen.

[Janie Jones]

and UB40.

When John Peel died, there was an outpouring of dadpunkgammon reminiscences about how the music played by the bogus old nonce had changed many lives. One nice memory was from a Brit who got mugged at gunpoint in New York having got lost in a housing project. His assailants had a ghetto blaster playing Yellowman or something he had heard on the John Peel show and while taking off his watch and getting his wallet out he started talking about the music they were playing and other Jamaican and British reggae he'd discovered through Peel and basically talked himself out of a mugging by enthusing knowledgeably with the gang about reggae. The bit I remember is that the muggers said something about how they'd heard this amazing British band UB40 and the bloke, by now allowed to keep his stuff and be on his way, but still with a gun pointed towards him, simply couldn't stop himself saying, 'Nah, mate. Not UB40. They're shite.'

[Better Midlands]

When John Peel died...

Ha!

[Smeraldina Rima]

I was briefly in a band with a Portuguese bloke who had moved to Birmingham purely because of Black Sabbath and it's general metal history. When we met him he'd only been in the country for a few days and said he "couldn't wait" to go to Sabbath's old stamping ground Aston. I have no idea what he thought was there, but to my knowledge there's never been anything worth a pilgrimage. Other than a few exhibitions relatively recently and a bench on Broad st. it's surprising how little is made of it really, particularly given how famous they and some of the other bands are/were.

You may already know this, but the bench is on top of the Black Sabbath Bridge:


They play "Paranoid" before the matches at Aston Villa, but it's a bit weird and subdued when it comes on.

Before heavy metal and the folk revival, the forgotten Birmingham born pianist, Ronnie Ball, played on some of the greatest Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh albums in the 1950s. So Birmingham also made a small contribution to the development of the Lennie Tristano school of improvisatory cool jazz. They could call one of the tram or rail routes Ronnie's Line.

[dissolute ocelot]

Is this the same John Marsh as wrote The Liberal Delusion: The Roots of Our Current Moral Crisis (2012)? I assume it's not the John Marsh who wrote Young Winston Churchill (1955), although I guess it's possible, but Young Winny is apparently by "John Marsh, prolific writer of romance novels under a variety of pseudonyms; (8 Aug. 1907 - July 1997) wrote as John Marsh and also under the pseudonyms Julia Davis, John Elton, John Harley, Harrington Hastings (joint pseud. with Florence Shepherd), Irene Lawrence, Joan Marsh, Grace Richmond, Petra Sawley, Monica Ware, Lilian Woodward.". So did he write Nighty Night, at least?

[Petey Pate]

I like the blurb for the Max Clifford one where he says "I've read everything in the papers." Ah, right, because that's exactly the same as all the evidence presented in court, isn't it?

The book is actually largely about Ross Perot and the last two chapters are just excerpts from the Oliver North trial.

[Pranet]

Because I clicked on the link, presumably, just got an email from Amazon recommending the Rolf Harris book. In the category "Biography and True Accounts".

So that's me on some sort of list.

[Buelligan]

The book is actually largely about Ross Perot and the last two chapters are just excerpts from the Oliver North trial.

I met Oliver North once, bit of a loomer.

[Ian Drunken Smurf]

I mean depending on how far you're casting the net in the 'immediate area' you could also include Coventry, which gave the world 2-tone. And Eclipse was pretty important in the rave days.

Can't believe no one has mentioned T'Pau, Shropshire's finest.

[Lord Jim]

If people despise politicians so much why do they vote for them? in their millions...... time after time, broken promise after broken promise....

[NoSleep]

If people despise politicians so much why do they vote for them? in their millions...... time after time, broken promise after broken promise....

Rarely do we get something to vote for, but there's always something to vote against.

[Ferris]

Can't believe no one has mentioned T'Pau, Shropshire's finest.

'00s ska legends Spunge were from Tewkesbury.

[Mr Banlon]

Hot Chocolate from Bournville ?