Outer Hebrides (Part 3)

September 2008. Barra

As I enjoyed myself on Harris and Lewis earlier, I wanted to go to the other Islands. I have read about Berneray and Barra. When I figured out that you can actually go on Barra by plane from Glasgow International, I thought I could save some time for traveling. Then I found that Barra airport is actually a beach, planes land only at low tide... So I planned my trip and booked a flight.

I'm going to take that plane...

On board

Erskine bridge from the sky

Barra airport from the sky

Landing

Passengers getting off


Alone on the beach...

Be careful!

Plane leaves for Benbecula (Uist)

Barra is a small island, you can walk around easily. I spent the first two nights in a B&B near the sea.

Castlebay is the main village on Barra. Name probably comes from the fact there is a small castle in the bay, clan McNeil's castle.

You can also come to Castlebay with the ferry from Oban (5 hour journey)

And pictures from Sunday's walk, something like 16 miles.

This is actually the airport, no plane on Sundays, it's safe.

Then it started to rain, a proper Scottish rain for eight hours...

Outer Hebrides (Part 2)

May 2008. Lewis

From Tarbert, I took a bus to Stornoway. I talked with a retired Dutch guy at the bunkhouse, he told me to go to the Hebhostel. http://www.hebhostel.co.uk/home.htm and he was right. Place is clean, comfortable and Christine, the young Scottish girl who runs the place, is nice.

Stornoway is the main town of all the Hebrides. Around 6000 people if I remember well.

There is a castle, Lewis castle but you can't actually get inside.

Place to see on Lewis are the stones at Callanish.

Lewis is flat compared to Harris and coastlins are rough, there is no beach like on Harris neither.

I went to the top North of the island, called Butt of Lewis.

The Vikings came from the nordic countries and settled on Lewis. They tried to invade the main land from there after. You can find paintings or statues of them like in Stornoway harbour.

Dr Scott has a chess game in the Museum with pieces like those:

Then I had to go back to the mainland. I crossed the Minch with the Ferry and went to Ullapool. John told me to go at some place to sleep and "Tell Andy, you know John from Largs, he will remember" but Andy is retired know...

Ullapool bay

Outer Hebrides (Part 1)

Due to a request from Miss Cupial...

May 2008. Harris.

Best weather in the UK so far since November 2006!

I went to Isle of Skye but instead of coming back to the main land, I took a ferry to Tarbert on the isle of Harris.

Leaving Skye from Uig

Bye bye Isle of Skye

Harris is a incredible scenery. Desertic hills, long beautiful beaches and small lochs. The beaches were the best. Loooonng. I got sunburns, yes true, in SCOTLAND!

A small loch near Tarbert

I actually never found McMillan's house...

From Tarbert, I took a bus to Leverburgh. I've found a nice place to stay, I didn't sleep there as I was in Tarbert, but this a good location to see the beaches on Harris and you can take the ferry to Berneray from there. http://www.ambothan.com/

Then I started to walk the way back, something like 16 miles.

Chaipaval

Then I walked towards Luskentyre beach...

Maybe grass proves this is really Scotland

I actually never expected to find such a blue sea over there. Most incredible thing was that, despite the weather, I didn't see anybody on the beaches .

Music (Part Three)

The legends...

My legend rock band is The Stooges. Not the first band but the one that made James Osterberg aka Iggy Pop famous at the end of the sixties. They did only three records, then split, Iggy wanted a break, he went to rehab in 1974. Their last gig, Iggy was knocked out by a bottle thrown by someone in the audience. The band was composed by Iggy as lead singer, the Ashton brothers, Scott on Drums and Ron on guitar and Dave Alexander on bass. They reunite the group without Dave (who died in the 70s) in 2003 and tour outside the USA for the first time and did another record. I promised to myself, I would go to every gig in Paris. So I have seen them live five times between 2004 and 2007 in Paris or suburbs. I have just heard that Ron has just died on Tuesday, the 6th... "I am in shock. He was my best friend.“ Iggy Pop.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojti8oEZI7g
Fuckin' bad news...


Other legend in a different style, Herbie Hancock. He played the piano in Jazz bands, including Miles Davis quintet, in the 60s and then went to form his own band, the Headhunters, mixing jazz and funk.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=0hmVHhH96es&feature=related
They played that jazz/funk from the very end of the 60s to the mid 70s.


Then I love the funky guys George Clinton and James Brown and guys who played with both of them, like Maceo Parker.
Clinton had two bands, Funkadelic and Parliament, they played "P-Funk", "P" stands for psychedelic and James Brown had the Soul Power...
Maceo is sax player who played with James then joined Funkadelic and then got his own bands.
Well it's funky music, doesn't need to many comments.
Funkadelic "Cosmic Slop": http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=O4U1Ln_X_zo
James Brown from live in Paris: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=LPyaF7_iUTA&feature=related if you need one record from the godfather of soul, it must be this one, it's called "Live Power Peace", recorded at Olympia in 1971.
Maceo with Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=nv_UUIvKT-k&feature=related


And last one, still a bit funky but he created his own style with Tony Allen, it's Fela Kuti, from Nigeria. Known as the "Black President", a fighter against corruption and for democracy.
Two of his sons are well known now, Femi and Seun.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=iBgewcFh-cg&feature=related
He had two bands, first one was called Africa 70 and second one Egypt 80. Fela died in 1997.
Youngest son Seun plays with Egypt 80, his style is very much like his father's.

Music (Part Two)

"Foreign bands"

To follow the first part, still in jazz from nowdays, I came to Nils Petter Molvaer, reading about Erik Truffaz. He is from Norway and he brought electro and techno into jazz and a bit of drum n' bass too...
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=2fAX8kXgtmI&feature=channel_page

Also from Norway, Jaga Jazzist. First time I listened to them, it was actually a gig in Paris, they were the support band for Tony Allen. A group of ten, no singer, very good on stage, their first record, "A living room hush" is really good.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=yeOvxU7bW4c&feature=related

Without any transition, Keziah Jones from Nigeria. Unpredicatbale on stage, funky, incredible guitar player:
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=yodD39mlGBI (you should really click this link...)
His last two records are more arranged, he tried to make real albums you can listen from beginning to the end I guess.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk7ILDXIeRA

Some from the US, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, thanks a lot for the show in 1999 in Carhaix!! http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=epyocEIR_vw
They are well known in France, in the US too but nearly unknown in the UK and it looks like absolutely unknown in Scotland... I was really into it in high school, still listening a lot to their first two records.

A band from Cicago, Tortoise. An instrumental band, French magazine Les Inrocks classified them into "post-rock", does anybody know what's that ?
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=v4G4W3UFv0k&feature=related

From eastern Europe, The No Smoking Orchestra, a band who really became famous in France because of the guitarist, Emir Kusturica. A rock band with a traditionnal gypsy touch.
Check the guest for this gig:
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=2gDOz_8J5xc&feature=related

And Gogol Bordello, Ukrainian gypsy roots even if they live in New York. I already wrote about them but here is a new link to watch, "American wedding" from Le Bataclan:
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=lTOL_Pu6b2w

Coming to Gogol Bordello, I will finish the part 2 with Manu Chao. I know, I could have put him into the French bands but really, why should I do that ??
Mano Negra: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=qWV2kM1laIc
Radio Bemba: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=1tP1umpp4M4&feature=related


A part three will follow...

Music (Part One)

As we have a wonderful tool called youtube, I thought it could be nice and easy to share music tastes.

Let's start with the French singers! I actually listen to only a few artists who sing in French.
First one is Serge Gainsbourg. He wanted to be a painter, considered himself not good enough, turned into music and became popular in the sixties. After that he tried writting, acting and was a director too. He played a lot of style in music, kind of like a chameleon, he changed style from song with lyrics, like love songs to funky music or reggae.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=trLGhbFDIAk
I'm a huge fan of the reggae period, end of the seventies, there's a live record at "Théâtre le Palace" from 1979 with Sly & Robbie which is amazing.
Serge died at the beginning of the nineties.

Second one is Christophe Miossec. He emerged in the middle of 90s with his stunning first record "Boire", meaning "Drink". He's from Britanny, his songs are mainly about it and women...
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=qyo46h6L6M4
I like his lyrics. I've seen a few times in concert in Rennes and Paris.
Have you ever heard about someone who replied "No, it's not. It's shit. My record company pushed me to do it and finished it, I don't like it." to a journalist who just said: "your third album just came out, it's really good"... well he did!
Listen to this one, the video quality is not that good, but sound is fine:
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh3-VUx2w_0

Third one is Noir Désir. Even so sometimes, they sing in English. They are (was ?) a good band, full of energy on stage. They started at the end of the 80s, I was listening to them in high school. They are quite popular in France but then something happened in 2003. The singer killed his girlfriend, a famous French actress, now it looks like they are back on music after he came out of jail. But it's going to be hard for them I guess.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=UAnXOA4kDmk


That's it for the French lyrics!!

But I listen to other French bands, without lyrics or who sing in another language.
At the end of the 90s, two bands arrived on the music scene. They came with their own sound. Music fans in France know them, now we called them and the bands who followed their way, the "French Dub scene". Those two are Zenzile and High Tone. They have somehow managed to import dub music from studio to live scene. High Tone is more "electronic":
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLeHONLB8D8&feature=related
and Zenzile are really using the Dub base (Bass & Drums) on stage with real instruments:
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=RLhmp5rAicA
but their last records turn to rock and electro, which is quite good to see them do some experimentations.

Still French but without a singer, Bumcello. Two guys, one concept, "100% impro". Cyril plays the drums, he is always barefoot on stage and wearing just a trouser or a short and a crazy hat. He is the "bum". Vincent plays the cello, he is more classic, with a shirt on stage. Those two together become Bumcello. They are really talented. They play or have played with numerous other bands. I saw them "live" recently for the 12th time...
Sometimes they have guests on stage too.
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/bumcello/video/xt79w_bumcello-soudanese-rock_music

Last French one, Erik Truffaz. Now it's jazz music, well modern way of it, meaning it goes into plenty of directions. This guy is amazing. He plays the trumpet, he has several bands, but with his main one, they have inserted drum n' bass into jazz.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgs7HMOtgck&feature=channel_page
For me, this guy and his band, they are as creative as Pink Floyd were back in the seventies.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=70HM6V1wx8g


All those are highly recommended, lol
Part two will come soon with foreign bands...

Diego

Hampden Park, 19th of November
Scotland vs Argentina
(Friendly)


The day before the tickets went on sale, I heard that Diego Armando Maradona was appointed as Argentina coach. So I bought tickets to see his first game in charge.

One of the most gifted football player ever, I'm not going to debate if he or Edson Arrantes do Nascimento aka "Pele" is the best of all time, but he as controversial as he has been, he's now the Argentina coach. He didn't come alone, his assistant Carlos Bilardo is no more no less than the former national coach who won the world cup in 1986 with Diego himself.

In Scotland, Diego is a legend because he managed to score a goal with his hand against England in that same world cup before finishing them with his "solo goal".
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ULd3MLm6hlg&feature=related
The Scots even gave him a price for that before the game...

But nowadays, Terry Butcher is an assistant of the Scottish coach and Butcher is a former English player who played and lost that famous game in 1986. He told the press: "I have not forgiven him" and Maradona replied the day after: "If he doesn't want to shake my hand, I will still sleep at night..."

Hampden park is a special place for Diego, it's where he scored his first goal for Argentina back in 1979.

But now he is the boss, he is here to make Messi, Tevez, Aguerro, Riquelme and the rest go to the world cup and win it.




The game itself, Argentina completely overplayed Scotland in the first 15 minutes, and scored by Maximo Rodriguez. Then Scotland improved but never relly came close to score an equaliser.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rzVI58vkY10&feature=related

It finished 1-0. It was just a friendly, it doesn't really matter anyway.

Next time, Argentina will play in France before going back to the world cup qualifying games.

All the best Diego!