This was a piece done all the way back in 1999, inspired by the James Ellroy novel ‘Suicide Hill’ Well, that and a youth raised on seeing square 80s US police cars and then being disappointed that the newer models lacked the same kind of style and uniqueness.

I thought I’d start posting a few older pieces on here, as its again now nine o’clock on another sunday night at the end of another week and I’ve made it through the whole weekend without starting the new painting I have all sketched out and ready to go. Its not that I’ve been slacking, just not enough hours in the week it seems. More artwork and maybe even new artwork to follow…

Oh, and the magic of Facebook has waned a bit for me, if you want to keep up with the continued occasional flow of amusing signage photographs then you’ll need to join me on twitter.

Thank you, that is all.

r the end of the world as some would have it.

After a week of that, and having some pictures in the local newspapers ‘Snow watch’ its back to busy busy busy. Got a few things on and working on some paintings, hope to update the gallery on here soon. Its been far too long. Then theres the shop page. Should really sort that out. What I really need is some kind of 168 hour weekend. Anyway, heres the snow watch pictures in a size where you can see them properly. May have overdone it with the filter on the first two.

The following quote did make me laugh

THESE beautiful pictures of Bromsgrove were taken by Chris Hathway and clearly show how beautiful the town looked during the wintry weather.

Its taken me three trips to the local park so far to find places that aren’t either over ridden with signage, full of street furniture that isn’t really suited to a park, it being ’street’ furniture, or thats a nice view ruined by one of the varied coloured dog poo bins which are placed in the most random manner posible, in fact, maybe a second post to follow.

eally, its not a joke…

Does that even make sense? Okay, so this one does…

But most of them seem to have got lost in translation and the final one was clearly over ambitious…

A belated Happy Christmas, or whatever you celebrate at this time of the year, and a brilliant 2010 to one and all.

umber ten in the series of near regular roadside photos.

This was taken with a TTV contraption, inspired to have a go by Pete Ashton’s pictures, and taken on a snowy winters morn outside the Bear’s Head in Brereton, Sandbach. I was checking the pubs name online, and it seems a lot of the pubs in the area are named after parts of a bears anatomy, The Bear’s Paw, The Black Bear Inn, The Beartown Tap, wonder why?

More updates soon. I’m just finishing off my second flu bug of the winter and I think two is quite enough for this year.

umber eight in the series of very occasional roadside photos. I suppose strictly this is an under the roadside photo as it was taken on floor one of the Arcadian Centre car park on Bromsgrove Street in Birmingham.

ell, I dare say I’ve built up enough quite enough suspense around my trip to the Royal Albion Hotel and the Colour out of Space festival weekend in Brighton.

The verdict? Well, I was happy enough with what we got for the money on the hotel front. I would have been less than happy if we’d paid the listed price for the rooms, some £200 over what we did pay. However for £30 a night you could put up with the stained carpet, damaged furniture and the hole in the wall ‘repaired’ by someone stuffing toilet paper in it – not that successful a substitute for Polyfilla it transpires. To be fair the breakfast there was good, the bar much as I remembered, I think it was even the same mostly absentee mute barman there and it was well placed for the Sallis Benney Theatre / University of Brighton where the fourth Colour out of Space was being held…

This was my first Colour out of Space, described as ‘three days of unstructured, experimental sound and art drawn from an international subculture of musicians, artists and filmmakers’ I suppose I should have noticed that there was no ‘music’ as such included in the description and adjusted my expectations appropriately.

As It was I must admit I did find much of the weekend ‘entertainment’ something of a challenge. Arriving on a windswept Brighton evening to the Sallis Benney Theatre, it being a part of Brighton University, the atmosphere was quite institutional, right down to people serving drinks, who struggled to open bottles and operated in a three person to one purchase ratio, there was even a hand held school bell to signal the start of an act in a different area. It was all kind of charming, in its own way.

Two weeks on I can’t put names to several of the acts we saw, actually on the night we frequently couldn’t either as the brochure lacked a timetable and most of the acts didn’t feel the need to talk to the audience. There were several acts I enjoyed or found interesting for a couple of minutes, who then went on for forty or so more. In fact one of the funniest moments of Saturday night came from a panicked organiser who passing me and a friend who had retired from watching one particular act after half an hour or so to a seat at the entrance to the theatre enquired ‘They aren’t still on stage are they?’ in an incredulous way and then ran off backstage. The rest of the night ran slightly late with acts over lapping and the final act of Ju Suk & Oblivia having to play a shortened set due to that which was a shame as I enjoyed what I heard of them.

I really enjoyed the free jazz of Wilkinson/Nobel/Edwards or Steve Noble and Alan Wilkinson as it was, their third member being indisposed, who we’re the first act to play actual instruments in the/a traditional fashion, saxophone and drums with some vocal outbursts thrown in. Trevor Wishhart was very entertaining, Justice Yeldham was also a welcome breath of life, suffering from technical issues with the venues sound and his equipment he played as much of his set as he could, his frustration and ranting added to the act for me giving it a slightly cabaret feel, I did find the fact that this was the busiest we’d seen the venue so far to be a little worrying though, it seems audiences are a bloodthirsty lot indeed. That was about if for me. I guess I don’t mind a little sound experimentation but for me, a little goes quite a long way. On the Friday night I think my sanity was saved by hearing R L Burnside from DJ in the bar next to the venue and entering for a swift half or three.

Also over the weekend we managed to visit a pub with Hobgoblin at 1.09 a pint, watched a man in a panda suit play in a pub band, caught the end of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, enjoyed the sights and sounds of a weekend out drinking on Halloween [oddest costume - probably the guy dressed as superman with his mate in the bannana suit - wasn't really in with the haloween theme] and ended the weekend with a very enjoyable reggae late night DJ set into the early hours of Sunday morning from an elderly gent who who looked all set to don a Santa outfit for next month. So all in all, a good weekend but I think once maybe enough for me on the Colour out of Space front.

was just looking to book two tickets for the Alexandra Theatre Birmingham, ticket price is fine, then on booking I get a Service Charge of £5.75 x 2 and then a charge of £3.25 for ticket postage or the same amount to collect them at the door. So I’m looking at £15 in charges just to book the two tickets. This is even worse than the Wolverhampton Civic Box Office charges of a couple of years ago, actually as this is split between two people its only about the same, either way its way OTT. I guess I could always get a taxi to into Brum and book them on the door, as it stands at the moment thats probably going to cost about the same.

‘m not sure if they did get the name from the lovecraft short story but I’m off to Brighton’s fourth annual COLOUR OUT OF SPACE weekend/festival/unstructured event period.

Booked a room in The Royal Albion Hotel in Brighton. I had a very pleasant time in the bar there with several late afternoon drinks a few years ago and remember it being a nice bar in a swish looking hotel right by the pier. Some of the reviews and room photos I’ve seen since I booked have me a little worried. Fingers crossed and all that…

hugely enjoyable show from Billy Childish and the Musicians of the British Empire at the Boston last month. It seems to be going through a quiet period there at the moment so well worth a trip along. He’s playing on Friday 18th and again next month on the 16th[That ones off apparently], In fact pretty much every month, the newsletter from www.dirtywaterclub.com is probably the best way to follow the dates.

Also I see The Wildebeests have there much anticipated, by me, album launch party there on the 25th September. Might try to make it along to that.

I’ve been seeing shows there on and off for, well, quite a few years now. Ever since a good friend of mine used to phone me drunkenly from the phone box up the road, pre mobile phone era, to say what a great show he’d just seen. Actually I was only thinking this morning how nobody phones me drunkenly from gigs anymore. Is this a sign of fast approaching middle age?