Tag Archives: Elvis Presley

Taking Care of Business

July 9, 2022 Neil

I am a big fan of Elvis Presley. My first visit to America was to Las Vegas mainly because of the length of time he had spent there in the early seventies. A few years ago now I went on a short US Road trip to Memphis were I of course visited Graceland, spent time on Beale Street, went to Sun Studios and even the shop where Elvis used to buy a lot of his clothes. On the same trip I went to Nashville making sure I took the tour of RCA Studio B which is where he recorded over two hundred and fifty of his songs. I absolutely loved that holiday and I would happily go back and visit all of those places again.

You will not be surprised to hear that I really wanted to see the new Elvis Presley film directed by Baz Luhrmann at the earliest possible opportunity. Therefore on the opening United Kingdom release date I booked tickets to see it at the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square in London. I got seats in what they called the Royal Box section. These were extra large recliner chairs which almost gave you the chance to lie down and watch the film. They were also right in the middle of the auditorium so you had the perfect view of the big screen and were centrally placed to get the most out of the surround sound set up.

Lynda met me after work and we went and grabbed a pre-film Leon. As a coeliac they are pretty much my go to gluten free relatively fast food option nowadays. I was very excited about seeing the film. I had seen a few of the trailers and visually it looked absolutely stunning. I already knew I liked the music, plus I have enjoyed Baz’s stuff in the past. I think his movies do have a certain feel to them that I like. He I reckon also has a short attention span like me as his films seem to move between scenes very quickly and he tries to cram a lot of the story in to quite short timescales.

We arrived at the cinema and had a quick drink in the bar that had greats view over Leicester Square. It was then time to go and take our seats. I was so keen I was even happy to watch all the trailers. I am not sure if there were a few Americans in as this does not strike me as overly British but there was a round of applause just as it was about to begin. It is I guess if you like the potted history of the life and times of Elvis, there is forty-two years to get into two hours and thirty nine minutes, so the pace is fairly fast at times. However I like how his childhood was covered it gave you a flavour of his influences and upbringing.

It does tell the parallel story of Elvis’s manager Colonel Tom Parker. Well nobody is hiring Tom Hanks and only giving him a bit part. To be fair he was a big part of the Presley story and was there from very near to the start right to the end. The relationship between the two men was very complicated it kind of worked but often not really how either of them wanted it to. I think it is fair to say that the Colonel helped launch his career and made him into a star but he also held him back from achieving more when he was alive due to his huge dependence on what his man’s talents were doing for him.

I know the story of Elvis and the Colonel very well and I think on the whole it seems to be an accurate portrayal but there does seem to me to be some artistic licence at certain moments in the plot. Austin Butler is brilliant as Elvis. He does not particularly look like him but he fully embodies his style and presence. He also does a lot of the singing himself as early Elvis and does an excellent job. The music of course is cleverly used and a few of the big songs have had the Baz Luhrmann touch to enhance the storyline and make them more distinctive to the film.

Neil Quigley and Elvis Presley hanging out in the 70's #crazydays — Neil Quigley and Elvis Presley hanging out in the 70’s #crazydays

I thoroughly enjoyed it and it kept me transfixed even though I knew exactly what was going to happen. It really is an exceptional piece of cinema. Tom Hanks is of course brilliant, he plays the role so well. It bought back lots of great memories for me seeing all the places that I have previously visited. Elvis was a truly amazing performer with such a sensational voice and stage presence. His Vegas Shows and live tours in the seventies were as close to perfection as you can get I think. Whether you are a fan or not it is well worth seeing Elvis, it is actually quite up lifting and life affirming.

This is a film I will definitely see more than once. The only thing missing for me was the fact that Elvis did famously have a great sense of humour and was often joking around during recording sessions and on stage. That does not feature really in this take concentrating more on the taking care of business and looking after everyone angle and the slightly darker side of his final years to do with possibly being overworked and feeling too much pressure to look after everybody who relied on him. When I did the Graceland Tour we visited his gym area. It had a piano in there. On the day he died the last song he ever played and sang on that instrument was Blue Eyes Crying in Rain, which in a way may have been sadly to apt.

I am massive music fan and have been over the years trying to make sure I have seen all the big and dare I say iconic bands. There was one huge group from the sixties missing from my list. I had been trying to catch them for years but it had not quite worked out. Two Saturdays ago I finally managed to put that right as Lynda and I went to see The Rolling Stones at Hyde Park. We booked the tickets while out for dinner a couple of months before, we were just chatting and both said that we would like to see them. I mentioned I thought they were playing in London during the summer but I thought the tickets would be sold out. Lynda looked online there were tickets available so we bought them there and then while we were waiting for our main course to arrive.

We paid the extra to get the early entry tickets meaning we could get in one hour before general admittance. We got to Hyde Park and there was just a sea of people everywhere, happily for us a very nice gentleman directed us to the right queue. He was not a member of staff just a Good Samaritan. This line did a massive figure of eight and had nobody directing it but somehow managed to snake its way all the way round to the entrance. I was amazed by how everybody knew where to join and how it just kept its random shape. That would not happen anywhere else other than England.

I must confess and I am slightly embarrassed to admit this but I did not know who any of the support acts were. That said I enjoyed all of them, they were great and very much played the type of music I like so I will keep an eye out for them all in the future. The weather was not quite as warm as I would have liked but it did at least stay dry. The time flew by with the live music on stage, the food, drink and comfort breaks we had while fighting off lots of potential stealers of our seats. We could have tried to get closer to the stage but we had a good view of the big screens and the sound was fine where we were.

After a quick look round to see what food and drink options there were we spotted a space on a picnic table and made that our home for the rest of the day and evening, taking it in turns to leave and do things while the other one secured our place. As they did not say that they did any gluten free food I got an exemption email so that I could bring my own food in. However it did appear that one of the food stalls at least may have been able to cater for me but I would much rather be safe than sorry.

Finally it was time for the main attraction. They just bound out on to the stage and got the party started. They were brilliant from start to finish. It was quite a poignant gig as it was the first one that they had played in London since the death of their original drummer Charlie Watts, which they did of course acknowledge. Their singer Mick Jagger is seventy-eight years old and he has just recovered from COVID. He was jumping around the place like a teenager for the whole two hours dancing and running. I am not sure what he was drinking while he was up there but I think I want some. His voice was still sounding as good as ever.

Then of course you have the two guitar legends that are Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, again you could not fault their energy and commitment to putting on a show. The three of them go through more outfit changes than Madonna! I am so pleased I finally got to see them play they are easily one of the greatest bands of all time. Even the journey to and from the gig was not too bad considering it was a day of train strikes. A top day out seeing some legends I must say I have been to a few of the BST events and they are always very well run and organised.

The day after the Stones, as we did not think we had squeezed in enough during the previous two days we went to a play that we both wanted to see. The reason it had attracted our attention was that it was an Agatha Christie courtroom drama set in a very unusual yet very apt location. The production of Witness for the Prosecution is being staged in the County Offices on the Southbank. It is actually being performed in the County Chamber Meeting room to be more specific which of course has a courtroom feel to it.

It was fantastic we had really good seats right next to the stage so you almost felt part of the performance. It was like watching a play from the public gallery in court. It all fitted together perfectly, the cast were brilliant and it really kept you guessing right until the end. The staging was very clever and you can actually book to sit in the jury seats, which does really make you the jury and part of the play someone even gets to play the foreperson and get a very small speaking role. If you fancy seeing a great play in the perfect setting I would very much recommend it.

Last Friday we went to a Sausage and Cider Festival in Hemel Hempstead. They had some tribute acts playing so we just thought it might be fun to have a few drinks, enjoy some music and sample a few sausages. We got there a bit late and the place was already packed with huge queues for the bar and the limited sausage stalls. I had a quick look at what was available and saw one stand with a sign that said gluten free sausages.

I waited in line for just over half an hour and then when I got to the front I found out they cooked the gluten free sausages in the same oil as the gluten containing sausages. That is no good for a Coeliac as I cannot risk any cross contamination. Not to be beaten I asked the guy on the stand next door if he did gluten free sausages, he said yes, I then waited in his queue for thirty minutes before getting to the front and finding out all the stalls were linked and only had the same options, which of course were no good for me.

I was starving by now so we had a pint of cider each while listening to a Kasabian tribute band before leaving the place to get a gluten free takeaway pizza before I chewed my own arm off. Sadly it was not the greatest success but I did get to have a chat with my mate Lee, so it was not quite a total waste of time! While I was waiting for the food that I could not have there was a Madness tribute playing. I have been lucky enough to hear the actual band sound check in a nearly empty Wembley Stadium and let us just say to use a food advertising slogan you could taste the difference!

A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/

I do like to keep myself busy and see and do as many different things as I can. I got Lynda a meal for two at a very nice restaurant run by one of her favourite Chef’s as a present. And happily she has decided to take me there with her, so we are off to enjoy that today. I will of course report back on what it was like next time we speak. Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.

A Matter of Taste

December 4, 2021 Neil

Two weeks ago today I went to the Taste of London winter event with my girlfriend and a few of our mates. We had all been to the summer event in Regents Park together and enjoyed it so much we thought we would give their seasonal offering a go. It was held at Tobacco Dock in East London. It is a part of the capital that I do not venture out to that often but as it was a dry morning I decided to get the tube to Tower Hill and then walk from there. That did of course mean I got to walk past the Tower of London and Tower Bridge both of which I still find breath taking to look at I think just because of the historic moments associated with them.

We all met up outside the dock which is now a warehouse turned office space come conference centre. The event started at eleven o’clock in the morning. On arrival because we had purchased VIP tickets we were given a glass of champagne. Prior to this I had been handed a couple of small cheese samples which accompanied the drink very nicely. Once inside and with the first drink of the day consumed we made our way to the VIP bar where we also got another glass of fizz on the way in. It was a very cool place with a DJ playing a chilled and relaxing set. We were enjoying ourselves so much in there we treated ourselves to a cocktail before we moved on.

Already three drinks to the good we figured it might be an ideal time to try out some of the food. Like the previous one we had been to there were lots of pop up restaurants to sample. Our ticket came with vouchers that meant we could try up to three dishes from any of the places we liked. Due to me being a Coeliac and unable to eat gluten this did mean my options were slightly more limited than the others. However I did find myself some ribs to start my food journey for the day. They were served on a paper plate with a wooden fork and knife. I did try to use these to eat the meat initially but this was not working so I had to go full on caveman and pick them up and eat them off the bone. They were really nice!

As I was walking around looking at some of the produce stalls I was handed a free can of a pre-mixed margarita which would have been rude not to accept and drink. I then managed to find some pieces of fried chicken that were made with a gluten free coating. They were great, just what I needed. We then found the same gluten free fruit beer that was there at the summer event Jubel, so we all had a pint of that. Obviously everybody was making sure they managed to eat and get their own dishes in as the time seemed to go so quickly. The whole thing lasted for five and an half hours but it seemed to go by in a flash.

For my final dish I had a potato and cheese meal, which was very tasty. That is always a simple but effective combination as far as I am concerned. We then stumbled across the Grey Goose bar so felt it would be wrong not to try one of their Vodka based cocktails. That for the record was nice and refreshing. It was then time to leave so we made our way back across London. Lynda and I then went back to my place to get ready for a night out seeing a mate of mine who I had not seen perform for ages. The Taste of London winter version was a huge success and we will more than likely go again next year the only slight disappointment was that I did not manage to find any mulled wine.

My parents had invited us out to see Alvin Printwhistle do his Elvis Tribute Show at Broadmoor Farm in Haddenham. They have their own bar and entertainment facility there, which is actually rather nice I thought. They have had it specially built and I think the stage and the bar are in exactly the right place, which always gives you a good chance of creating a decent atmosphere at a venue. This was in the evening after Taste of London so Lynda and I may have already been a bit merry by the time we got a taxi there to join my mum and dad as well as my Aunty Shelia and Uncle Mick, who were all already there.

I had not been there before and when we walked in it looked like a Wedding venue and for a split second I thought we had gone to the wrong place. Until I spotted a table plan with my dad’s name on and then looked up to see him and mum waving at us. We took our seats and said hello to everyone before heading to the bar to get ourselves some wine. I have known Alvin for over twenty years and I have seen him perform many times. He always puts on a wonderful show. As it happened I bumped into him on the way back from the bar so I did manage to have a quick chat and catch up with him which was nice.

The ticket for the evening did include a buffet style meal. My mum had enquired if there would be gluten free options in advance and they said there would be but I am a bit sceptical about these things until they happen. However I need not have worried as soon as I said I was Coeliac and could not have anything with gluten in it the lady behind the counter took my plate and then went into the kitchen before returning with a plate of uncontaminated gluten free food kept and prepared in a special area. That is some of the best service I have received for my condition since I had been diagnosed. The meat they served was amazing. To say that I was happy with this situation is an understatement.

After everyone had finished eating Alvin came on and did his first set. He was wearing the famous leather jumpsuit from the comeback TV special that really relaunched “The Kings” music career after the years spent in films. He sang a few early hits and some songs from the movies as well as telling a lot of jokes and interacting with the audience. He takes the music and the show very seriously but not himself plus he enjoys having a laugh and some fun with people. Then there was a brief interval which gave us a chance to go to the bar and refill our drinks. It is a pretty brave thing to move around while he is on stage so I tend not to if I can help it.

The second part of Alvin’s show is always the Las Vegas years’ so he puts on the old seventies style stage jumpsuit and performs a lot of the great man’s biggest hits with a few jokes and some laughter thrown in. Elvis Presley had a great sense of humour and he would often mess around on stage during his performances. I actually ended up having a dance with Lynda and my mum at various points. The first time I had been on a dancefloor inside since long before the first lockdown. We got a taxi home to bring to a close a very long but brilliant day.

Last Saturday night Lynda and I went and saw one of my best friend’s and his wife. We had not seen both of them for well over a year. We booked into a hotel just up the road from them so we could all have a few drinks and we met up at their house. It was marvellous to see my mate and his family I had not seen his children for so long I had a few gifts to give them that I had been holding on to for ages. Among the items was some rock. I made the mistake of giving her stick straight to their daughter and she started eating it right away. You can tell that I do not have kids as I never think of these implications when it is so close to bedtime.

We had a fantastic night just chatting and laughing. Each other’s company was the only entertainment we needed. They laid on some nibbles. We arrived with some drink and Lynda supplied an amazing cheese cake for our pudding. For our main course we ordered some Pizza’s and side dishes from Pizza Express completely at my request as I knew from past experience that they had a decent selection of gluten free food options on their menu. The only slightly awkward moment was when I accidentally mentioned something to my mate’s wife that I had forgotten he had told me as a secret. The problem is they are both such lovely people and I get on with them both so well that I am so relaxed in their company so I talk very freely in fact too freely sometimes it would appear.

I had a brilliant time and we did not leave their place until about 2 am. I felt sorry for them, Lynda and I could have a lie in at our hotel while they had to be up early to take their son to football and their daughter to a party. I often forget how tough it is to be parents when you want to do your own thing yet have to be available to do a whole host of things normally early in the morning. I am now hoping we can start to see them a bit more regularly again now.

I had my annual contact lens check up in the week. Eye health is of course extremely important. It all went fine my prescription has not changed and my eyes are healthy. The only issue is they are very dry. It is not a major problem I just need to start using the eye drops I have a bit more during the day, a minor inconvenience to solve the issue. The optician was saying that dry eyes are becoming a bigger problem in all age groups as we all spend too much time looking as screens. Basically the natural moisture in our eyes is produced when we blink and we do that a lot less when we are staring at computers and phones. Therefore if you want healthier eyes just try to blink more!

The other thing I learnt from the appointment shocked me a little bit. As I am very short sighted I just presumed that my eyes would more than likely remain at the same level for the rest of my life. However apparently as I get older at some point I will also become more long sighted meaning I may end up needing bifocals or some reading glasses to use while I am also wearing my contact lenses so I can read things close up. This all sounds like a bit of a pain and was honestly the first time that I was aware of it. Although the one slight benefit is that as I get more long sighted I may get slightly less short sighted so every cloud does have a silver lining I guess.

I had a phone call from my dietician the other day to check how I am getting on with my gluten free diet. It has caused me to lose a bit of weight as it is actually quite a healthy way of eating. It seems like I am doing mostly the right things but because I exercise so much it was suggested I try to have more carbohydrates and some higher calorie foods, which I actually think is quite a nice position to be in. As we are now in December I am sure gaining a little bit of weight will not be that much of a problem but we will see.

It was brilliant to see my horse Stage Star win his second race of the season at Newbury last Friday. He led from start to finish and was perfectly ridden by Harry Cobden. The trainer Paul Nicholls is now probably going to enter him into a Grade 1 race towards the end of December. It will be very exciting to see how he does as he steps up to compete against the best young horses around at the moment. We have very high hopes for him he seems to improve every time he is on a race course at the moment, which is just fantastic.

What can I say about my team Tottenham Hotspur at the moment? I think after our defeat to Mura (no I had never heard of them either) in the Europa Conference Trophy Antonio Conte now realises the scale of the job he has got at the club. I have felt this for a while but there seems to be something wrong at the core of the club. I still maintain we have some good players but the level of performance from them has just not been good enough for quite some time now. That is massively frustrating. There have been several times in the last three years when I thought we may have turned the corner only to then be proved wrong very quickly.

I like the new boss and given time I think he can turn it around. There were some great videos of him joining in during training throwing himself into tackles and winning the ball. His passion and intensity for the game is clearly there to see. He has so much experience and is a proven winner but being at the helm of my club could prove to be his biggest challenge yet I fear. The big matches keep coming thick and fast and at the moment I think I might be happy with a top eight finish. I feel you either have to be in a Europa League place or not in Europe at all. I am not a fan of this new competition and I have been saying that from the start not just because of the most recent result from it.

A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/

Just in case you were somehow unaware of this it is my birthday this coming Friday 10th December. I will be celebrating it in style and I will tell you how I marked this huge occasion next time we speak. Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.

The Name Game

October 23, 2021 Neil

Despite the obvious mask wearing in certain situations things in my life do now seem to be more or less back to normal in the things that I am doing and the places that I am going at least. That said I am still trying not to get too close to strangers and I keep my distance if I am able to. For me personally with how things look globally and in the United Kingdom especially that just seems like common sense and good practice to me to protect myself and those around me as much as possible. It is no real extra inconvenience plus as it gets colder the mask will help keep me warm I reckon.

A couple of weekends ago my girlfriend and I ventured up north to see some friends of ours. We went to stay at one of their houses for the night. This required a Saturday afternoon trip up the M1. It had been a while since I had been on it for that length of time but I think it is fair to say it is not one of the most exciting stretches of road. We were on it as far as Stoke and then it was A roads all the way to our destination of Congleton in Cheshire. It was somewhere I had never been before but on arrival my first impressions were that it seemed like a nice place.

When we arrived at their house as it had been a journey of over half an hour I required a cup of tea. That is simply a basic human right when you have been travelling any distance as far as I am concerned. We were meeting some other mates there so there were six of us in total. The plan was to hit the town and have a few drinks then some food. Our hosts had very kindly done some extra research and found a place that did gluten free meals and booked us a table there. Even before we left the house we may have had a couple of glasses of fizz each, which is of course the perfect way to begin any event.

It was about a ten minute walk to the High Street and our first stop was this rather dark and trendy looking Cocktail Bar. We arrived in there just as their Happy Hour was starting so Lynda and I enjoyed some “two for one” Margaritas. We only stayed for one drink before moving on to another very friendly pub. Then it was time to head to the table that they had booked us for dinner. When we got there and tried to order our food they had run out of nearly everything on the menu. We did all however manage to find something to eat. I had a gluten free halloumi burger with salad. To be fair to the staff they were really nice and looked after us well, all things considered.

Next up we went to a bar that we had passed on the way up that I really wanted to go to as it was called Quigley’s. Naturally the first thing I did was had my picture taken pointing to the sign outside. I was tempted to show them my driving licence at the bar to see if I could get a discount on my drinks. I did not do that in the end but I did swan around like I owned the place. It was a nice pub but it did have quite a young feel to it. I think it is safe to say we were the oldest people in there, but I liked it and would definitely go back if for no other reason than its magnificent name.

We then stopped off at one more pub on the way back to the house. There was meant to be a DJ in drag performing in there but sadly the event had been cancelled. We stayed for a drink anyway as they did have some decent music on. When we got back to where we were staying it was time for dessert. Lynda had made a gluten free Cherry Bakewell Cheesecake so I had two large helpings of that and may be a couple of glasses of red wine before we all decided to call it a night and head to bed.

The next morning our host cooked us a huge breakfast which I really enjoyed. You cannot beat a nice fry up after a night out on the town it kind of just resets the body does it not? Once we had digested enough food to be able to move off our seats we jumped in the car and headed back down the M1 to home. It was a fun night out in a new place that had lots of decent venues to spend time in. The best of them of course was the one named after me. I do not know if it is owned by any distant relatives or not but I am really hoping they could become the next nationwide pub chain. That would be pretty cool!

As part of her birthday present for this year I took my mum to see the Elvis Tribute Artist World Tour at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury recently. It was the first time I had been to see this show to. It features a backing band and three different Elvis Tribute Acts all of whom have won the competition that is held in Graceland as part of Elvis Week. That is basically the premier event when it comes to pretending to be the great man and is technically endorsed by his estate as they are involved in the staging of the celebration. As you can imagine as a result of this I was expecting big things from these guys.

First on it was Dean Z who came on dressed as 1950’s Elvis and did a few of his early hits followed by some of his early movie songs. He is from America and did look a lot like him and certainly displayed his famous energy on stage. Then we had an English performer in Ben Thompson who covered a lot of the film songs. He had a fantastic voice and was really good. They all have the moves and the way he talked down to a fine art, that is clearly why they have all won the big contests to be the best portrayal of him.

Dean Z then returned wearing the leather suit from the famous 1968 Comeback TV Special. That was the thing that kind of relaunched his singing career after his movies had stopped. You could not fault his effort and stage craft like the man himself Dean is clearly a born entertainer who loves being up on stage. He really did seem to be enjoying himself and to be fair quite a few of the women in the audience also seemed to be really enjoying it to. The first two performers were on for an hour and fifteen minutes then it was the interval.

As mum and I were having a proper rock and roll night out I got us some water and ice- cream during the break. The final “Elvis” was the winner of The World’s Greatest Elvis (apart from the real one of course). His name is Shawn Klush and I had heard of him before. He has toured on his own many times but for whatever reason I had not quite managed to see him in action until now. He was portraying the seventies Las Vegas and touring Elvis complete with of course the white jumpsuit and silk scarfs to hand out to the ladies and also the occasional gentlemen in the audience.

I thought he was excellent, he looked the part and had all the moves but he looked very natural doing them, which is not always the case with some tributes. His attention to detail was spot on I thought. Does he have the exact same voice as the real one of course not nobody can sing with the range, power and emotion that the actual Elvis Presley used to but Shawn can really sing and entertain and he does try to keep it as authentic as possible. He did eighty minutes on stage.

During the whole evening they did so many of the hits finishing as Elvis always did in his live concerts with “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and no encore. By the time that song had finished Elvis was normally in the car and on his way from the venue before the announcement that Elvis had left the building was made. The great thing was all of them were massive fans of the man and his music. They saw it as a celebration of his memory rather than actually believing that they were really him. It was a great night out and I am glad I caught the show happily my mum really enjoyed it to.

We are both big fans of Elvis Presley a couple of years ago we went to see “Elvis” and the London Philharmonic Orchestra play the 02. Elvis was on video and the orchestra were on stage. They were joined by members of “The Kings” TCB band for a few of the songs including his long-term drummer Ronnie Tutt. Sadly he died last weekend at the age of 83. If you watch any of the live footage of Elvis from 1969 until his death you will see Ronnie sitting there just behind him on the drums. The connection they had really comes across in all of their performances.

Last Thursday night Lynda and I had a midweek night out at the theatre for the first time in a very long time. We had managed to get some very good and reasonably priced tickets to see Blithe Spirit at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London. I met her after I had finished work and we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Pizza Express round the corner. I had a rather nice gluten free pizza and a nice glass of red. It was then time to go to the venue for the play. I prefer to get in there a bit early to get to the bar and have a drink before the show and place your order for the interval to avoid any unnecessary queuing.

For the record the Malbec there was very nice I would definitely recommend it. The play was brilliant it starred Jennifer Saunders, who was hilarious and wonderful as she is in every single thing that she does. Just in case you are not aware of it Blithe Spirit is a comedy based around an eccentric clairvoyant “Miss Saunders” who has a talent for bringing back deceased wives so it appears. It is lots of fun and was written by Noel Coward no less. If you fancy a quirky, easy and entertaining night out go and see this show, although you will have to be quick as it is only on until the sixth of November.

Last Saturday as Lynda had been sent a voucher for a free bottle of Prosecco from Prezzo we went there for dinner to take advantage of their generous offer. I quite like it there nowadays as they are fully Coeliac accredited and have a good selection of gluten free meals for me to choose from. We walked there and back so it was quite a healthy evening apart from the three course meal and the bottle of fizz. While we were eating a couple of teenagers came in to eat and they were holding hands over the table and smiling at each other it was lovely to see, although it did make me feel really old to be fair.

I do not watch much television really but I do like a good chat show. I am clearly quite a nosy person as I like finding out people’s secrets or what happened off screen or in their private lives. I have been lucky enough to interview quite a lot of celebrities over the years. Surely it is about time I got given my own chat show Graham Norton cannot go on forever. Mind you I might be wrong but I think the producers may already have Jack Whitehall lined up for that gig. I think I just like the idea of drinking wine and having a laugh with people as that is what I do most weekends anyway.

Neil Quigley & Russell Brand

Tottenham returned from the latest international break with a win away at Newcastle. A good result in the end bearing in mind they were on a high after their recent takeover. We are currently fifth in the Premier League and just four points off the leaders, which if you say it quickly and do not look into it to closely sounds encouraging. We have a difficult game away at West Ham United tomorrow in which anything can happen! They are always up for the games against us and would love to beat us. Hopefully we can nick the three points come on you Spurs!

May I remind you that the clocks go back next weekend so you will get an extra hour in bed or an extra hour partying totally up to you! When the clocks change it always reminds me of somebody I played Sunday football with as a kid. Every single time the clocks altered you could guarantee this lad would always be either an hour early or an hour late for the match that weekend depending if it was October or March. To be fair to him he was consistent, it was the same every year. He was really bright apart from when it came to amending the time on clocks and watches seemingly.

London River Cruise — A well known clock

You can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings. https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/

Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.

Taking Care Of Business

September 11, 2021 Neil

Is it just me or is the time flying by at the moment? May be that is because I am back to being nice and busy again alongside the fact that things are opening up and more events are now taking place. The month of August just seemed to be a blur. The more things I do the more energy I seem to have and of course the more comfortable I am being around people again. As I am back working in London and going to the football I have had to just get on with it. And although I still wear a mask when I am inside anywhere it all feels pretty normal and natural.

I had a brilliant time last weekend. My girlfriend and I got invited ages ago by a group of friends to go to the Pub in the Park event in Chiswick. We decided to spend two nights in the hotel just around the corner from the park where it was taking place. I was working in London on the Friday so I got the tube and met Lynda at the hotel. She had already checked in and scoped the room informing me that we were a towel short. I managed to collect one on the way up from reception. I did somehow resist the urge to do a room service joke as I arrived with it.

Now I am Coeliac I really have to plan what I am doing for food and where I am eating in advance. Coeliac UK supply a very handy phone app that informs you of any accredited or recommended restaurants nearby to where you are. I checked this a few weeks ago and found a Cote’s Brasserie about a ten minute walk away from where we were staying. They happened to be fully accredited by Coeliac UK, which means they have a good selection of gluten free meals and take all the necessary steps to avoid cross contamination.

We arrived and they had a great table for us by the window with plenty of space around us. I identified myself as a Coeliac on arrival so when we had sat down they gave me my own special gluten free menu. I had my own waiter to take my food order. It was fantastic, we had three courses and my food came out at the same time as the others, plus it did come with a gluten free flag stuck in it, which I really liked. It meant that I could just relax and enjoy my food as I could tell they were taking the right precautions and doing all the right things.

We had a lovely meal washed down with a few glasses of a nice red wine. The Staff were brilliant. After dessert we strolled back to the hotel just before midnight expecting to get one more drink at the bar. To our surprise when we got there it was already shut, so we had to go straight to bed. Mind you as the Saturday was meant to be the main day that might actually have been a bit of a blessing in disguise. It did mean we got a decent night’s sleep. Lynda and I did not get up particularly early choosing to conserve our energy for the long day ahead.

Pub in the Park had two sessions an afternoon and an evening one. We had tickets for both. The first one opened at eleven thirty so we got there at about midday. It was really well organised and set up. The event is the brainchild of the chef Tom Kerridge. He has been doing these events across the summer for a quite a few years now, when regulations allow of course. There are lots of food and drink producers with their own stalls. This was right up Lynda’s street so within ten minutes of being there she had already purchased some tea liqueur and decided she was going to buy some spices.

We had a good walk round the entire site to get our bearings and work out where everything was. Throughout the day there were chef demonstrations. The one that Lynda wanted to see was due to be on at half past twelve, so we rushed to the area to see him in his advertised slot but there were two different chefs on stage instead much to her disappointment. The man she wanted to see was Atul Kochhar so to console ourselves we went to his pop up restaurant and each had one of his dishes. Luckily for me he had a few gluten free meals. Both of which I tried in the end and both of which were amazing. I definitely need to go to one of his restaurants.

We then found our way to the cider bar and had a pint each. Then we discovered a cheese stall that was giving out free samples. It would have been rude not to try some. In fact it was so good Lynda got a selection of them for us to enjoy at a future cheese and wine night. Next to the cheese there was a rum company who were also offering a sample of their product. It just so happened that they were based down the road from where I live. Their drink was really nice, so we purchased some of that to. As well as food and drink the other thing pubs are sometimes known for is live music, so there was a stage that had a few bands playing during each of the sessions.

We saw Nerina Pallot do her set. She was excellent. After that we managed to grab ourselves some prosecco to enjoy. Next it was time to try some more dishes from another couple of the selected chef’s restaurants. I had an amazing beef creation followed by Rick Stein’s black cuttlefish risotto. It tasted alright but I was a bit put off by the colour, as in general if something is black on your plate it is because it is burnt. There were a couple of cocktail bars there so we tried a Pepino Russo. It was a surprisingly refreshing drink that did have a bit of a kick to it.

The headline act for the afternoon session was The Feeling. I have been a fan of the band for years but this was the first time that I had seen them live. Now I appreciate that I have not seen any live music for quite a while but I thought they were brilliant, they sounded ace. They played all their big hits, their latest single and the title track from the musical “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” that was written by the group’s lead singer Dan Gillespie Sells. As we were watching them I managed to have some ice-cream plus Lynda found us some cans of this alcoholic water, which was a great way to stay hydrated while still getting a bit tipsy.

Just when I thought I could not love The Feeling anymore they came back on for the encore and did The Buggles song Video Killed the Radio Star. I had that as my mobile phone ringtone for about five years. I really like that song and it had the park bouncing, possibly helped by all the great food and drink options. That bought that session to an end so we walked back to the hotel to drop off all the items we had bought and then had a drink in the hotel bar while we waited for the evening session to begin.

We strolled back to the park for about six o’clock. On arrival it was obvious that this session was busier than the earlier one. We took the executive decision to have some more food at this point, which was again exquisite. To wash dinner down we found a new cocktail bar and had a couple of their specials.

I then noticed that the chefs that were on when we expected Atul Kochhar earlier were listed as being on that evening. So I wondered if they had swapped slots. We went to the demo area and happily I was right he was on stage doing a cooking demonstration showing us how to make the dish that I had actually tried earlier in the day.

I was pleased that Lynda got to see him in action as she had been a bit disappointed when he was not on earlier. It was then time for another drink and I discovered a Cocktail Bar that were doing Pina Coladas. That used to be my holiday treat drink so I channelled my inner Derek Trotter and ordered one of them.

On the stage at this point were The Cuban Brothers. I had not heard of them before and if I am honest I was not sure what I was watching. There was a lot of just singing along to songs, dancing and a little bit of nudity. It was one of the strangest acts I have seen for a while. They were certainly unique I will give them that!

The headline act for the evening session was The Kaiser Chiefs. I had seen them once before at Glastonbury in 2007. They are a great live band and I think Ricky Wilson is one of the best front men in the business. You cannot fault his energy. He certainly puts a shift in when he is up there. Obviously they did all the big hits and we had a nice sing-song.

It was so great to experience live music again and see lots of people enjoying themselves and dancing in unison. It was a beautiful day, good food, nice drinks, brilliant live music and great company. We rounded things off with one more drink back at the hotel before bed, a fantastic event and a wonderful weekend.

Over the Bank Holiday Weekend as the weather was nice Lynda did a barbeque for us. Well she had one in the afternoon and saved some of the food for me so I could have it when I got home from the Spurs game. She had done a corn on the cob and served it using these pin things that I had never seen before.

It turns out they were small corn holders. You stick them in each end of the cob and they have plastic handles that you hold to eat the corn. I had no idea they existed but they are a real game changer when it comes to eating corn. It makes it much easier and saves you dropping it all over the place.

Around a year ago Pretty Green brought out an Elvis Presley TCB range of clothing. As a big Elvis fan this peaked my interest but all of the items were quite expensive. About three weeks ago a friend of mine sent me a message to say one of these jackets was on a well known auction site. I was watching it all week and then the night before it was meant to close I put in a bid. The auction was due to finish in the early hours of the morning. I woke up randomly ten minutes before it was due to end. I noticed I had been outbid so I then put one more bid in and fell back to sleep. When my alarm went off I woke up to an email telling me the jacket was mine.

It is a denim jacket with a TCB lightning flash on the front. A special patch on the arm and then in the lining of it there is a copy of the TCB Oath in Elvis’s handwriting. This is it “More self respect, more respect for fellow man. Respect for fellow students & techniques. Body conditioning, mental conditioning, meditation for calming & willing of the mind & body. Sharpen your skills increases mental awareness for all those who might choose a new outlook and personal philosophy freedom from constipation.” I mean in general I do not think it is bad advice. I love the jacket and I will be wearing it a lot during the next year.

It was my mum’s birthday last Monday. I managed to actually get to see her on the day, which was great. She is also an Elvis fan so for her present this year I am taking her along to see The Elvis Tribute Artist World Tour at The Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury next month. It will be a night out that we will both enjoy.

The biggest gift you can give is spending time and doing fun things with loved ones as far as I am concerned. She had a lovely time on the day itself and I did also get her some perfume. As I always feel it is unfair if a person does not have an actual present to unwrap from me on their special day.

Tottenham Hotspur’s start to the season has exceeded my initial expectation that is for sure. After the first three games we have maximum points and are top of the league without conceding any goals. Add to that the fact that we are playing more positive and attacking football this year, there is a lot to be pleased and optimistic about. As we now come out of the first international break of the season we have a tricky away game at Crystal Palace today. Never an easy place to go but hopefully we can grab all three points and keep the momentum going.

Another pleasing factor is that Arsenal are currently at the bottom of the Premier League table having scored no goals, which of course does amuse me greatly. I do not think that The Gunners will go down and I do not believe we will win the league but at the moment I do intend to fully enjoy both teams’ current positions. Still a long tough season ahead but I am really enjoying being back in the stadium and seeing live football again. I will be delighted if we are still top of the league going in to the next international break in about a month’s time. But as the old cliche’ goes let us just take one game at a time starting with todays. Come on you Spurs!

I am quite excited as it looks like next weekend I will be going to the Isle of Wight Festival. That is an event I have never been to before at a place I have not visited since I was about ten years old on a primary school trip, so it will be fun to rediscover it. If it happens I will tell you all about it next time we speak.

A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/

Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.

Radio Go Go

August 22, 2020 Neil

Everything is still a little bit strange and more and more issues are arising as a result of the ongoing fun and games. If you have received your exam results I hope you got what you were expecting, which seems very unlikely, if you feel that you have not been treated fairly do speak up and fight your corner. It is such a long time ago now that I got my A Level and G.C.S.E results I can barely remember how it felt. They have never been any direct use in helping me get any of the jobs I have had as an adult, so far at least.

If you are determined enough to pursue what you want to do, you will get there no matter what setbacks arise. I have still got over fifty rejection letters from various radio stations that I received before I even got my first paid gig in the industry. It took me until I was twenty-five to get my first full time presenting job. Therefore you have time on your side, you have got this and good luck for the future!

I have been trying to be a bit more social but I still favour outside meetings with people. That is just my own personal choice in the unusual constraints that are currently placed on our normal lives. A few weekends ago on the Saturday I went to a barbecue at a friend’s place just outside Reading.

It was only a small gathering with five of us in total enjoying the sunshine in his garden. The host fed us with a huge selection of traditional Jamaican dishes, which were amazing! They included a few things that I had never tried before. It made me want to go back to the Caribbean for another holiday.

I had a great time eating too much good food and chatting while also enjoying a few drinks. I had booked a hotel in Reading for the night. It fulfilled my current requirements for these things. The following morning I had breakfast in a well-known coffee shop. They were also on top of the ongoing extra demands. That was the first inside food or beverage place I had visited since this lock down thing began. On the way back I stopped in to see a really good mate and his wife and their children in their back garden. I was not driving the person I was with was fortunately for me in charge of our transport.

My pal offered me a beer which would of course been very rude to refuse so I politely accepted. We were just planning to stop in for a little bit of a catch up as I had not seen them for over five months. It was a lovely warm and sunny day. We were all having a brilliant time chatting and laughing away. Anyway six hours and a few more beers later we finally left. But not before my friend’s wife had fired up the barbecue and cooked us a tasty dinner. It was a wonderful afternoon spent in fantastic company, the time just flew by.

I had really missed seeing them. I cannot wait to see them all again at some point soon hopefully, probably in similar circumstances. It is so nice to be able to see your friends in person again. You realise how important they are to you and how they can instantly lift your mood. If you can and it is safe to do so I would totally recommend it. Things are getting better and you can start doing more as long as you follow all the rules and you are sensible. One thing we can take from this is that if you invite me round to your place there is a very good chance that I might overstay my welcome.

A friend of mine is an actor and a singer so he is not exactly having a great time work wise at the moment. Most of his jobs for this year have already been cancelled sadly. It must be really tough when all your income is stopped suddenly through no fault of your own.

He is an amazing performer and such a lovely person. His name is Mike Sterling and he actually sang at my fortieth birthday party. He was due to be in Spain now working out there for the next month but like seemingly everyone else this year all his gigs were postponed and he could no longer go there.

This is proof of what a nice bloke he is last Friday he did a special online gig to raise money for a charity in Spain that he would have been working with if he could of made the trip. It was on Facebook and came live from his house. He had set it all up perfectly with a nice stage backdrop featuring some of the huge musicals that he has starred in. It looked and sounded great as did he in his suit.

He did an hour show, singing a mixture of songs from the musicals and standard classics. His voice is spectacular. It did feature a guest appearance from his youngest daughter. She must be about eleven or twelve now. I remember when she was born which I must confess makes me feel very old. She was absolutely brilliant doing a bit of Ed Sheeran with her dad. I watched it online with a nice cold bottle of beer. I really enjoyed it but I am looking forward to hearing him sing live in a theatre once again at some point.

I first remember becoming seriously interested in radio when Fox Fm launched in Oxford. There were adverts and news reports about it on television. I saw inside a radio studio for the first time and guess it switched on a light inside my head somewhere.

Fast forward a few years later to when I was attending Aylesbury College. A brand new radio station launched in the town I was born in Aylesbury. For me it was exciting and I started listening to it from the start. It was called Mix 96.

At this time I was doing a Travel and Tourism Course and an A Level in Physical Education, while also thinking that I could still become a Professional Footballer. When I realised I was never going to make it as a footballer I then decided that I wanted to be a radio presenter. I wrote to Mix 96 to enquire about Work Experience. To my surprise they got back to me and offered me a week there. I am not sure who made that decision but whoever it was, thank you very much.

I somehow managed to convince my lecturers to let me do it even though it did not relate to my course at all. I had a great time there everyone was so nice and helpful to me. They all took turns to be stuck with me for a bit so I could see every aspect of the station. I learnt a lot. I even got to sit with Jon Earley during the evening show. I thoroughly enjoyed my first real taste of radio.

This was during the first year of Mix 96’s existence. Thanks to my work experience stint I did end up going along to the Mix 96 first birthday party at Stoke Mandeville Stadium with Jon and Max Hailey. I remember there being some live music and a bar area. I must confess it felt really cool hanging out with all the presenters at such a big event.

On the suggestion of the presenters at Mix 96 I then joined Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio to get some presentation experience with the aim of one day getting on Mix 96 myself. I used to send regular demos to the Programme Controllers at Mix. If they got fed up with me they never showed it, which was very decent of them.

Three years later thanks to Colin Morton and Pete Simester I had an in at the station at last. I came in as a volunteer to collect and read out all the local football results on the Sports Show with Colin on a Saturday afternoon. This led to me going to my first fireworks night that the station used to be involved in at the Aylesbury Rugby Club, but more on that later. I was so happy to be on the radio in my home town even though it was for about one minute a week at that stage.

From here I then ended up there on a Sunday morning producing the Phil Angel Show from the studio. It was a recorded show so I had to play everything in myself. Another step forward! It was a slight bit of confusion that led to my first live show on Mix 96. Pete Simester agreed to let me cover for Phil one week when he was away. He thought I was going to record the links and play them in like I did for Phil. I thought differently and did the whole two hours live. It went alright and I had made my debut doing my own show.

As time went on I ended up presenting the Sports Show myself for several years. I also did the Saturday Night Party Show for a while. It then got to the point where I was covering the evening show when the regular presenter was off. I really enjoyed doing that and it was at that point that I finally felt I was starting to establish myself at the station at least a little bit.

From there and thanks to one of the presenters shall we say leaving a bit sooner then we and even they were expecting I got six months presenting Drive Time on Mix 96. Seven years after first walking into the place for work experience I had now made it to presenting a regular show during the day. Glory Days! Dreams do come true!

I then moved to the morning show for another six months, which was a lot of fun. At that point a reshuffle put me back to just the sports show, which I had continued to host. This ultimately led to me leaving for Yeovil to work at Ivel fm. After five years in Somerset I then returned to Buckinghamshire. Thanks to the legend that is Danny Cox I managed to get a weekly Saturday Afternoon show back on Mix 96. I felt I was home. It was brilliant to be back. This led to me hosting the Evening Show for a couple of years and being in charge of the events team.

Neil Quigley in a still from the Mix 96 behind the Scenes Video

As head of events I had to organise and produce the Fireworks Night at the Aylesbury Rugby Club and the Christmas Lights Switch On in the centre of town, as well as many other events and occasions. I was also covering the Morning and Afternoon Shows when people were off.

I had such an amazing time and lost count of how many shows I presented from the famous Friars Square Studios. I was lucky enough to work with so many talented and fantastic people at the station over the years.

I had an absolute blast. I was honoured to be on my hometown radio station for in the end quite a long time. From work experience to presenting most of the programmes on the station at one time or another it was all great! The laughter, the fun and everything that went on behind the scenes that were often actually more amusing than what was happening on air.

Why I am suddenly reminiscing about my time at Mix 96 you might very well ask? It is because from next month Mix 96 how we know and love it will in effect be no more. Firstly my thoughts are with all my friends at the station who will be losing their jobs. It is so sad. My mate Nathan Cooper has been there for over twenty years, he is basically part of the furniture. I think he might be like the Ravens at the Tower of London.

Neil Quigley at Mix 96 Tour De Vale Bike Ride

From next month the station will become Greatest Hits Radio and the name Mix 96 will be no more. It will still be on 96.2fm but the presenters will all be different. This has happened to a lot of other radio stations I have worked at already.

But Mix 96 as far as I was ever concerned was my local station. Thanks Mix 96, I will miss you. All the best for the next chapter in your life! To quote my favourite Spice Girl from one of her solo hits “Never Be the Same Again”.

Last Sunday 16th August was the forty-third anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. He was just forty-two when he died at his Graceland mansion in Memphis. I am a big fan of “The King”. A few years ago I was lucky enough to visit Memphis.

I did the VIP Tour of Graceland. It was amazing to walk through his house and see all the spectacular rooms. I am not a believer of these things at all but there did appear to be a presence in the place and a special feel to it.

He had a Racket Ball Court and Gym area built away from the main house. There is a piano in there. The day he died he returned from a drive and played a few songs on it including “Blue Eyes Crying in The Rain” That was the last time Elvis ever sang.

Right at the end of the tour I had to put on some white gloves for the chance to hold one of Elvis’s own personal microphones. That was a big highlight for me.

While in Memphis I also went to Sun Studios where he recorded his first ever record. Originally as a present for his mum as they offered the chance for people to come in off the street and pay to record.

A long time after this the owner Sam Phillips invited him back in to record a few other songs and as they say the rest is history.

As part of the trip I also went to Nashville and Studio B which is where Elvis recorded a lot of his best known songs. He installed different coloured lights in there and he would alter them to get the right mood for the song he was recording.

He could not find the right atmosphere for “Are You Lonesome Tonight” so in the end he ended up recording it in the dark with all the lights off. He suffered from insomnia so his recording sessions were often overnight starting around 6pm and finishing at 6am!

The voice, stage presence and the way he inhabits each song in my opinion makes him the best singer and performer there has ever been. This really shows when he has the full TCB Band behind him. He is the one conducting everything from the front.

He had the best musicians and backing singers in the business, which all added to the overall quality. I would recommend you watch some of his early seventies stage performances. They are as close to perfection as you can get.

I have now managed to get fully up to date with the Netflix show After Life. Series Two for me was about the same as the first one in that it was easy to watch and it had a nice mixture of sadness and comedy. Ricky Gervais seems to be on a mission to make legends of comedy say the worst swear words he can think of on screen.

It is not a laugh a minute programme but there are lots of big laughs in it. I guarantee you there are jokes in there that you would not find risked in any other sitcom. I just need to wait for him to finish writing and then film series three. Although I reckon it will not be released until next year at the earliest. But it will be worth waiting for though, when it finally arrives.

You can listen to me still on Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/

Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.

Neil Quigley Presenter