Posts by Rob Hosking
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
I remembered the song Tom Lehrer wrote sending up musicals like Jesus Christ Super Star, the words of which went something like, 'Jesus, you're making it big on Broadway - Gosh it's good to see your name in lights,' etc. I think it was banned in the 70s
Tom Paxton, not Tom Lehrer. It was called 'Jesus Christ SRO'
And if it was banned it took them a while. I remember hearing it on good old conservative 1ZB and loving it: the satire went a bit over my head (I would have been about nine) but I liked the sound of the words.
From memory it began 'Jesus loves me this I know/gave me [something] seats for his show'. Also some line about 'this time round you're a little bit looser/all you really needed was the right producer'.
-
to this day cannot see that kind of hat without smelling puke in a hot car.
Puke in a hot car is one of those smells of childhood, like squashed marmite sandwiches, half melted crayons, and wet raincoats and widdle in the new entrants' cloakroom...
I only hurled once on one of those long trips: I'd had the bright idea of taking a book to read while we made the three hour trip to Te Kuiti Show.
I can even remember the name of the book - 'Full Circle' by Johnnie Johnson - along with the hill on the edge of the Hauraki Plains where I threw up.
-
Even if it was only two FM presets.
FM??
LOOXURY!
I might add the Velox was acquired in the mid-70s when there was no FM radio: the powers-that-be having decided it was a silly frivolous thing NZers could do without.
-
Is this the big-assed British motor thread?
Hmmm...most of the long trips I recall as a kid were to A & P Shows, where Dad was either judging cattle or taking part.
Earliest vehicle was a 1956 Ford Consul, which I think is more 'industrial strength un-cool' - this car is pretty much like my folks' one except (a) ours was olive green (b) it never shone like this one owing to muck, dust, and rust.
There would be long trips, often over gravel roads. There would be the occasional 'thunk!' of stones hitting the floor from underneath and dust coming up through the holes.
There was one occasion I discovered I could see the road rushing by underneath if I pulled the carpet back and made the hole a bit bigger.
It was replaced by a 1966 Vauxhall Velox
not dissimilar to this.It was awesome!
It had a car radio!
It had shiny chrome ashtray things in the door handles!!
It also had a speedo which was an arrow which crept across the dial and turned colour as the speed went up:hit 60 miles per hour (100 km/hr) and it turned red.
Visiting Mum in hospital one time dad went through a 50mph sign on the motorway and the arrow was red.
it was the first thing we told mum when we burst into the hospital room.
I've only driven over the Timaru-Chch highway a couple of times, both en route to the hills for tramping trips. It didn't seem boring.
The Foxton Straight and associated long bits of road in the Horowhenua-Rangitikei?
Definitely boring. I've driven them lots and the only thing to keep you alert is the near certainty a cop car will be waiting over the next slight bump in the road, radar at the ready.
That stretch was also notorious, back in my bumming around days, for being the worst place to hitch-hike. Cars just didn't stop.
-
I have a hunch the pneumonic way of remembering things works better for sciencey-maths types than it does for those who are into the English language.
The trouble with 'Harry HE LIkes BEer By Cupfuls Not Over Flowing' is its a sentence which no-one would ever say. It's also a rather clumsy sentence. It grates.
One of the best ways I found of memorising things was to make a song of them. I could still sing you the Scout Law, for example, although I don't think anyone is likely to find that a fruitful experience.
My brain rebelled at science. At the start of fifth form we were told we'd have to memorise the formulae for making steel, superphosphate, and aluminium, because one of the three would be in the exam.
As I could not foresee any possiblity I'd need to know how to make any of those things I contented myself with driving the teacher mad for the year.
Of course, my rationale rather fell down because there really wasn't any prospect of me needing to know, beyond the exams, why Macbeth acted the way he did or his musing on triple tomorrows, let alone the causes of World War II or the unification of Italy.
But I was interested in those things. God help me.
-
I think the fun somehow went out of it all when we became bridled with electronic leashes. One by one, people would turn up with cellphones (or PDAs or whatever) and these devices became virtual, if uninvited, lunchtime companions.
You know, I really think you're onto something there.
There were also IDG employees who opted to just go home early rather than join the madness.
I was usually one of those, for boring health reasons, especially during my time in the Auckland office.
The one time I wasn't I weaved back into the office at about midnight to pick up my bag.
The night phone was ringing and in a moment of foggy bonhomie I picked it up.
A very annoyed woman on the other end. "Is Martin Taylor there?" she demanded.
Without thinking I slurred "I think he's over the road in the bar."
"Is he." [not a question, more a declaration of war]
Slam of phone.
So if Martin's reading this, after 14 years - sorry, mate.
-
Sam F:
Speights summer ale is reputed to have an apricot-ish taste...which sounds to me as if it might be more tart than some summer ales and along the lines of what you are after. (Me, I just do the same the year-round - Kingfisher lager or Speights Distinction).
But Scorching Bay on Boxing Day was glorious - blue sky,white sand, aqua sea full of swimmers, magnificent scarlet trees among the green along the hills, pleasantly hot sun, lots of families picnicing. Then the white ferry came round the point and you could almost hear the Warratahs singing.
Presume you mean the Interislander song.
Not the one which starts
'Say goodbye to Welling-town
Before it shakes to the ground...' -
Maybe it was an IT industry thing, but when I was at IDG (1994-97)there was a long and somewhat dishonourable tradition of long lunches. Not just the journalists but the whole staff. (Russell may remember these) The firm would shout all the staff three times a year. Hire a temp to staff reception, book a restaurant.
Usually a different restaurant each time. By and large the restaurants weren't all that amenable to return visits. Kind of like the Romans not wanting the Visigoths back.
-
making Scottish-type noises of disappointment. "Och, it must be nearly a metre tall, Callum, there's no way we could climb over a wall thatheight..."
Come on...these are Scots we're talking about. They'd probably try to head-butt the thing. (Wi' a cry of 'Nac Mac Feegle!!' for the fellow Pratchett fans)...
One of the first things which struck me about the UK...well, apart from Heathrow, obviously, which is a Long Dark Sheep Dip of the Soul in its own right...
...was the sky, but only only partly its height.
It was the skummy rim around the edge of the horizon. It was like a bath which hadn't been cleaned properly.
But on the subject of big skies... and sorry, but the mind is leaping around like a toddler whose had too much red lollies already...
...here's this obscure little gem from the Kinks..
-
I believe its Tui, that are the ring leaders.
Yeah, right.