Posts by David Haywood
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Beautiful stuff 81st!
And a good point about the handrail/belt. That's sort of thing that OSH should be insisting upon, rather than wasting all that money on ladder-safety and so forth...
-
Just got back from Bob's morning walk to find all sorts of interesting comments here...
Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere wrote:
David, you're preaching to the choir!. Now, just set up your own pub that meets your five criteria and we'll be away laughing...
I'm thinking even bigger -- my own official quality system like ISO 9000 for pubs. You could all it DH5i (David Haywood Five Ingredients) and pubs could advertise themselves as being DH5i compliant.
Then I could go round and have a lovely Captain Bligh-ish time shouting at people to tear out their speaker systems and fruit machines, as well as sampling the beer: "I don't think this beer is up to scratch, but perhaps I should just have another pint to make sure."
In fact, I think I see a reality TV series in this idea. Russell, can you organize something with your mates at TVNZ?
Shep Cheyenne wrote:
My favourite bar in Christchurch has to be without doubt, Pomeroys Bar... The brothel up stairs is now a yoga studio...
No kidding, that's just up the road from where we used to live -- I used to cycle past it every day. The brothel always put me off dropping in, but I'll definitely give it a visit next time I'm in Christchurch. Thanks for the tip.
dc_red wrote:
David, what is your opinion on the question of fireplaces (pref open and a bit smokey) in pubs? For 'em or ag'in 'em?
I'm in favour of fire in nearly all contexts, Mr Red. But yes, definitely better open and slightly smoky in a pub.
Russell Brown wrote:
[Ice cubes in beer is] absolutely customary in Vietnam. You have to ask them to leave it out if you don't want it.
Well, blow me down. Until now, I would have bet money that if an alien civilization ever visited earth, the one thing we'd definitely have in common would be no ice in beer. What a wonderful world we live in that there could be such different customs. I don't suppose we can somehow blame the French?
Jackie Clark wrote:
My requitements are almost in complete opposition to yours, David... I don't do the whole sport thing, so natch to that... our bars and pubs have become repositories for those dreadful bloody fruit machines - pokies is such an apt name.
Actually, the sports thing was meant as a piss-take. I hope no-one really thinks that darts or dominoes is a form of competitive physical exertion!
You're dead right about the fruit machines, of course. I meant to mention my hatred for them but somehow forgot -- so I've amended the article slightly (to fully express my disdain).
I quite like Rich of Observationz's idea for poison gas in fruit machines. Excellent creative thinking on his part.
-
Emerson's on tap? You lucky bastard -- which pub?
I was just last week in Dunedin, and had no idea. By the way, what a brilliant city Dunedin is -- I fall in love with the place every time I visit.
RE: darts
From one point of view the risk aspect of darts can add considerably to the enjoyment of the game. Although I agree that if the dart becomes embedded in your own cranium, it somehow becomes less amusing.
-
Oh, a truly excellent song!
Of course, teenagers all over will be going: "How does Mrs Peacock like, you know, just know how it feels to be me."
-
If Mrs Peacock are reading this then I'd like to congratulate you on the awe-inspiring guitar solo at the beginning of 'Tony'. It requires a lot of skill to take the piss so magnificently in an instrumental.
Also, wouldn't it be cool if they accidentally gave you a death-ray instead of a laser?
-
Emma Hart wrote:
The War of 1812. This is a favourite for family car trips.
Wow, that takes gloating to a whole new level. I'm sending the link to all my American friends right away.
-
Wow, I'm completely impressed by the erudition of the PAS people on such obscure subjects...
Jake Pollock wrote:
... still amazed that a baby could have such specific, and extremely obscure, taste. I guess it bodes well.
I'm completely unable to explain his taste in any way. I keep asking Jen: "Was there anything unusual you did when you were pregnant?" She can only think of playing the concertina a lot (which Bob doesn't especially enjoy) and listening to Lucinda Williams.
Bob Munro wrote:
And of course Bob (the Pulitzer Prize winning one) is a formidable anthologist himself...
Thanks for the tip on the other Bob's show (and Jake for his pointer to the archives). I can see that we have lots of fun family listening to do...
Jackie Clark wrote:
Are you sure that Baby Bob couldn't be soothed by a bit of jazz? I defy anyone, including snippy babies, to resist a bit of Brubeck, or Getz...
Bob defies you. And I wish he didn't. Jazz is right up my alley, but makes him scream like a stuck pig. Mind you, it's just occurred to me that we haven't tried him on really old jazz (1920s, etc).
Danielle wrote:
Cajun French was my grandmother's first language. It is seventeenth-century French, transplanted to the USA via les Acadiens - hence the wacky dialect and accent.
Thanks for the fascinating info, Danielle. How exotic you are! Funny, but somehow I just knew that it would be the Canadian's fault. Typical behaviour for a syrup-eating nation, I'm sorry to say.
-
Rob Hosking wrote:
I think you're a bit harsh on Morcombe & Wise.
Emma Hart wrote:
I did like Alas Smith and Jones as much as some of the other stuff, and more than Reeves and Mortimer...
I used to have long (but good-natured) arguments with my grandfather about these programmes. He could never understand why I liked Python and Cook & Moore, declaring that they "just aren't funny". Of course, I maintained that the programmes he preferred (such as M&W and S&J) weren't particularly funny to me. Perhaps these interminable arguments have clouded my judgement on the subject -- I certainly admit that lots of people did like them, after all.
With respect to Reeves and Mortimer, I think that Creon Upton's comment hits the nail on the head, as far as I'm concerned. I can put up with a lot of misses for a line like: "I used to get into the kennel with him and we’d sip hot water and examine his collection of Nazi regalia".
Robyn Gallagher wrote:
[Numberwang...]
Wow, frighteningly identical to all the actual gameshows that I've ever seen.
Kyle Matthews wrote:
What's with this focus on the duo? I mean all fine, but what about the Goodies? Nothing you've listed can match the mighty MPFC.
Just a random manageable category, dude. Solo comedians being too large a group; the same with comedy troupes. It could equally easily have been inter-war British motorcycle engines, or mount design for sub-one-metre telescopes, or children's literature 1932-1937. Just the way the cards fell at that time of the morning.
Kebabette wrote:
I've been rewatching Fry und Laurie as "Jeeves and Wooster" - it is so damn clever. We should really bring back "What ho" as a greeting.
And I always liked Emma Thompson's quote about Hugh "He is one of those rare people who manages to be lugubriously sexy - like a well-hung eel."
I completely agree with you about J & W, and also about the brilliance of Emma Thompson's description.
By the way, I'm running my own campaign to change the naming convention for 'My Dog Has Fleas' tuning to 'Good Cats Eat Ants'. I'll support your (and daleaway's) 'What ho!' initiative if you'll support mine.
James Francis wrote:
May I proffer, for M'Lud's consideration, Alan Bennett. (Alan & Bennett if we're sticking to duos.)
Yes, the man is unequivocally a genius. And Beyond the Fringe's Betrand Russell/G.E. Moore' skit (audio MP3) is one of my all-time favourites.
-
Jake Pollock wrote:
The Anthology of American Folk Music is what you want. Four discs jam packed with depression-era 78s.
Jake, you beautiful human being. On your recommendation we purchased 'The Anthology of American Folk Music' and it has just arrived.
Bob absolutely loves it -- smiling, laughing, and trying to climb inside the speaker boxes to cuddle up with those cheerful-sounding musicians. Finally, we can play something that's not 'The Carter Family' (although they are represented in the collection, of course).
Your recommendation has resulted in a dramatic improvement in our quality of life, Jake. Whenever you're next in New Zealand please make contact and I shall buy you some pints.
By the way, Bob seems to particularly enjoy the banjo stuff. I don't suppose you want to try for the double and recommend any good banjo music from this period?
Maureen Gallie wrote:
when I take my 13mth grandson out in the car,I put 1950's cds on.He just loves Sugarbush by Doris Day,and kicks up a storm when that song is missed out.
Thanks for the suggestion, Maureen -- much appreciated! I'll give Doris a try, but I suspect that she'll be too modern for Bob's taste. My rigorous scientific experimentation suggest that his cut-off date for music is 1937.
-
Emma Hart wrote:
Mel Smith and Gryff Rhys Jones?
Objection, your honour! I did mention 'Alas Smith and Jones' (or, at least, pour scorn upon them).
Actually, it's a great mystery to me why those series were so unfunny. Smith & Jones were great on 'Not the Nine O-Clock News', and Smith is a really terrific actor (see his Shakespeare work). I guess humour must be more difficult than it looks.
And, yes, aren't Armstrong & Miller fantastic! Did you know that Ben Miller gave up a Ph.D. in quantum mechanics in order to move sideways into comedy. Can't really blame him.
Thanks for the tip about 'Saturday Night Fry'.
Russell Brown wrote:
Mighty Boosh... watched it this week and it took me places.
Know what you mean, dude.