The Private Widdle Social Club: A Widdle Bit of Jazz

Something of a misnomer: in the absence of Mr Paul Foot (life president) after his appearance on Television's 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks' November (10)'s meeting was a dedicated musical evening in the spirit of improvisation, loosely termed ' a widdle bit of Jass', or Jazz for the modernists.

The idea was, as Private Widdle likes to break the rules, to set up a 'happening' with free-form music, poetry, film and entertainment. Not really jazz, just living art.

The ticket proved a harder one to sell than the cabaret soirees, the faint-hearted and conservative baulking at the mention of the J-word on the publicity.

However, with the stalwart plugging of Mr Greenham, Widdle's musical director, and the hard-nosed schmoozing of the Social Secretary, the night, once again sold out in so many ways.

As ever, Private Widdle was hugely grateful to those who, in the spirit of the event, lent their efforts to the cause. Mr Benji Powling - fresh from his Leed's Conservatoire - gave a fanfare display of a ten minute saxophone solo to open the evening. Young Master Jess McConnell had spliced together an audio visual display of jazz film which was projected to the strains of beat combo 'Gang Starr's' Jazz Thang (v2) by which time the audience numbering already 100, was feverish for more free-form entertainment.

Reader, they were not disappointed:

The Zen Bicycle Band gained one of the Astor Theatre's rare standing ovations for their 45 minute improvised set, warmed up, as they had been, by some jazz-related poems by the wonderful Ms Sophie Parkin.

Ms. Parkin, daughter of 60's novelist and libertine Molly, newly resident in Deal, is doyenne of the Chelsea Arts Club and the much missed Colony room in Soho. She and Private Widdle had exchanged memories of the great scat artist Slim Gaillard, whom both had known in his last soujourn in London in the early 1980's. rare footage of Slim at the WAG, not long after we saw him:

Ancient Slim from the 40's

Zen's flautist, Paul Chenour (world ranking number 74) brought back memories and tapped new synapses with his evocative use of at least 74 flutes: from the bass guttering pipe to the chinese 2" penny whistle. He is expertly aided and abetted by his equal member Zenner's , Messrs Clive Fletcher and Dave Robinson, all of whom enjoyed Private Widdle's pumpkin soup and quiche before the show. (recipes available later on this blog)

A short burst of rapology was interspersed with Mr Ollie Seager aka MC Kochin, plus harmonica playing by diminuitive harp-master, Mr Phil Holden (pictured), who also provided some comical delineations throughout the event.

Laura J Martin next, was a revelation, everyone fell in love with this bastard daughter of Kate Bush and Bjork and...a man. (Her very nice dad who drove from Liverpool, I think)

I will leave the words in favour of her clip...

Finally Zoo For You, 8 piece funky brass combo funked up the remainder of the evening as tables and carpets were rolled up for the medium of dance. Their bedrock drummer Josh is brother of Syd Arthur's Joel and Liam MacGill...fine musical gents all and Canterbury's answer to the Gallaghers.

Words can not do justice to the musical quality of the evening, the reviews have been rave.

Try the clips to get a flavour of the wonderful pot-pourri once again brought to Deal by Pte Widdle and his clever associates at The Astor Theatre.

Widdle once again, pulled himself, and others, off...

The Bigger Bang V : Dirty Bomb.

The BIGGER BANG V...subtitled DIRTY BOMB, explodes on Brighton Dome 3rd Dec 2011 for its fifth sell-out year.

Watch this space for more explosive details.

It's da BOMB!

plus a bit of vintage Doc ans Steve on Holly and Stephen's Saturday Show.

BIGGER BANG REEL

I'm Black and I'm Proud.

Sometimes my inner black man gets the better of me, especially when I hear of the passing of another great...

Phelps "Catfish" Collins, recently deceased (Aug 10) James Brown sidesman, master of the funk guitar. Called Catfish by his brother Bootsy, on account of his looking a little like a catfish. Bootsy Collins is playing bass in the clip.

And another of the late Godfather, playing to a bunch of whiteys on Playboy After Dark.

My guess is that Mr Brown will have pulled the foxy brunette dancing enthusiastically behind him.

RIP Soul Men.

Your Builder - Beauty Pageant

MyBuilder.com Commercial from Sell! Sell! on Vimeo.

Save the Arts: David Shrigley Video

Save the Arts: David Shrigley Video

PRIVATE WIDDLE SOCIAL CLUB - NUMEROS DOS

Magical Mystery

Mulhern

The Private Widdle Social Club Numeros Dos (Number Twos) was a sell-out SUCCESS!

Hosted once again by life President Mr Paul Foot, who was on TOP FORM the meeting had one or two surprises.

The identity of the MAgical Mystery Guest was revealed when TV's Stephen Mulhern turned up as a favour to Private Widdle, showing that "Deal's Got Talent" and demonstrating his superior skills in crowd control. (Very handy when he was mobbed in the kebab shop at 2am)

All the acts were stupendous, but some favourite moments were provided by the previously unseen Hell's Belles. Their charming, tattooed reinterpretations of long-lost dance moves charmed the crowd (see the Cardiff Stroll below) as well as their kitsch raffle which included 1940's hamper of powdered egg and camp coffee as well as a signed Larry Grayson autobiography, a prize marrow and some pig's trotters (organic, local, supplied by Black Pig Butcher, Kingsdown)

Hells Belles introduced Major Pereneum (sample of his act below) Twang to Private Widdle as well as his snake-charming assistant Miss Jezabelle DuBois, who will be displaying her Boa Constrictor at a future event.

On the subject of scary things from the Jungle, Karin from the Kongo provided a delightful musical sequence based around the mewling of cats, the like of which has never been seen.

We thought we'd seen it all after "How Much is that Doggy...?" Is there a theme emerging?

Mr Nicholas Harby delighted with his steam train impressions and educational monologue while another surprise of the open spot, Miss Jodie Goffe provided a moving contrast with her first public performance and frail, touching, self-penned song. There was not a dry eye in the house.

Miss Tootsie Sugar was a no-show, but was more than adequately replaced by the beautifully upholstered Missy Maybe who, apart from being a marvellous burlesque performer is an all-round nice girl and good egg, battling through a cold at the last minute to present her Women's Institute Strip. After Missy's display, there was barely a dry seat in the house, either.

Thank you to all our acts. More Widdle to follow. Watch this space.

The Lovely Missy Maybe

Panto, Doc and Glitter

I have finally taken the panto shekel and signed up for Christmas with Paul Hendy and Evolution Productions
The good news: I'm working - and I miss most of Christmas; I'm working with Emma Barton and a lovely cast; I'm reviving the Doc.
Bad news: in Chatham.

I last went to the Central Hall Chatham in 1973 to see Gary Glitter. My mum wouldn't let me go alone, so she came with me. Probably wise. I recall I wore a pair of Brutus dungarees and Army boots painted with red humbrol and stencilled with silver stars on the toecaps.

My mum never really recovered from the experience, she screamed all through Gary's show, vociferously stating that she did want to touch him...there. She went to all his concerts after that, including his Gladiatorial Finale at the Dominion Tottenham Court Road. I regretted for ever that I had not gone to see Bowie's Ziggy Stardust show at Chatham the following week, but I had done my entertainment budget.

I got to meet the Great Glitter on many occasions during my career in semi-showbiz. I moored alongside his boat in Tortola in the Virgin Islands in 1989. We had dinner and he would emerge on deck without his wig. Up until then, I belived it was all his own.

Then, there were several occasions on children's TV. If you were short of a flamboyant guest on a kid's show, Gary would only be a call away. Can't think why? I worked with him at Disney and several times on What's Up Doc. He was always personally charming and mad as a hatstand.

Here's a link to a classic ep of What's Up Doc, featuring not only Gary, but Robbie Williams and Take That, but also an uncredited Chris Sievey (Frank Sidebottom) as a French tunnel digger, Simon Perry and myself as Pasty the worm, who looked a bit like an old boy's penis...

The final occasion was a Christmas Show in about '92. Gary had been booked to sing out with Rock n Roll Christmas with the whole cast and crew backing him. Being one of the show's 'characters", Colin, I was in the first row of backing vocalists right behind Gary.

A lot of the Christmas budget had been spent on a large Glitter Cannon to end with a bang and a flash. On the final chorus, Gary sings: It's Christmaaaaaaaaaaasssss! Throws his arms back and head back, opening his throat to the lighting rig. The cannon goes off and I watch, as if in slow motion as a one-centimetre square twinkles down from the ceiling and lodges itself in the back of GG's gullet.

Showman to the end, Gary disguised his retching and spluttering as a diplay of deep emotion and staggered off the stage in the manner of the late James Brown.

He was found in his dressing room five minutes later, wig off, alternately gasping from an oxygen tank (which toured with him by that time) and taking bites from a Mars Bar to dislodge the offending glitter. It is a ( late ) Dennis Hopperesque image which has remained with me and is my abiding picture of my once hero.

Imagine the favour he would have done to himself and his reputation if he'd allowed nature to take its course and had suffocated and died. Imagine the tabloid headlines:
GLITTER KILLED BY GLITTER.

Instead he suffered a severe bout of tinsellitis. Sorry, too many years with Basil, Boom, Boom.

The DOC never met Gary, although I am sure they would have hit it off with many similar interests. The congenital blond freak from the Institute of Gender Reassignment Studies in Munchengladbach has not been entirely back in his specimen jar.

For the past four years he has done a live science panto at The Brighton Dome, THE EVEN BIGGER BANG and will do two shpws again this year on Dec 3rd, before he takes up his role as Dr Fleshcreep in Chatham. In Brighton he has liebframilch on his rider and hot and cold running boys in his dressing room.

In Chatham, he will have a damp box with a cold water tap and outside lavatory. He was horrified by the lack of sailors on the street in this maritime town whose naval base was once overflowing with discharged seamen.

The Doc, who launched the careers of Stephen Mulhern, Holly Willoughby and Cheryl Tweedy on Ministry of Mayhem, fears that the glory days may be behind him.

A bit of Doc, with James late of Busted, then Son of Dork...where is he...? No, where are any of us...? except Willoughby and Mulhern, ITV's biggest stars!

He is , however working himself up for a BIG COMEBACK, so watch out next year when he will be touring!


Panto2010, originally uploaded by petercocks.