I may not be Welsh but...

I do have a bit of a thing about St David’s Day. It’s four years (four years!) since a few of us set out on a journey that will forever be known as the ‘radio tour’ (well, some had set out the day before, but that story isn’t mine to tell).

I remember how cold it was, how there was the remnants of snow on the ground in Stockton, and how I thought my feet were going to freeze in Blackpool. I remember the leeks in gift bags, the pink post it notes that led us to Salford Quays, and an incredibly successful piece of ‘research’ which took us into Manchester city centre. I remember the flags, the way we all ended up in the Manchester paper, even though none of us was from Manchester, and the old man’s pub in Blackpool (somewhere past the scary roundabout) where we ended the evening.

The following year, a few of us were at the Bedford in Balham, armed once again with leeks, listening to Fox singing, and having a conversation by post-it notes, and taking comedy pics whilst messing around on the stage, with that wonderful sparkly backdrop, not realising we were live on the internet via webcam.

The last few St David’s Days have been staid in comparison. But I think I will always look back and smile at the memories.

Farewell to The Tank

If I knew how to locate pictures in the middle of the text, then that's where these would be, as it sort of spoils the narrative (!) to put them first, but, hey, I don't, so they're 'up front', so to speak.

Anyway, I got a new car on Friday, well, new to me, at least, so it was time to say goodbye to my little fiesta, known as 'The Tank', and I couldn't let it go without reflecting on some of its travels.

Its certainly put in the miles over the last 3 and a half years. I think the furthest reaches have been Cardiff, Swindon, Newmarket, and Cheltenham. I don't think I ever got further north in it than Newcastle. But its served me, and the ND, well, so here are a few memories:

The Radio Tour - The Tank's most memorable road trip, complete with the 'race' down the A1/M1. The signs, the posters, posing by the car, complete with flags (see above), everyone gathering round the car radio in Blackpool to listen to the interview, and then making Griffin pose next to the car in Blackpool (see above).

Nik and Coza 'testing' the suspension whilst ‘dancing’ to Steps outside Minster Radio

James clocking my ‘Wherever You Will Go’ poster in the Radio York Car Park, left in there from the Radio Tour

Nearly (but thankfully not quite) getting stuck in the mud at Danby Show

Another epic road trip - Whitby, to York, to Birmingham, to Liverpool and back to York - and Nik discovering that 'gummi bears stick to maps' on the journey from Birmingham to Liverpool.

Car park trauma in the Hill Street car park in Boro* (subsequent car park trauma at various locations, e.g. Manchester (the near lock in), Nottingham (another near lock in), Billingham, Sunderland (the actual lock in**))

The comedy value of topless pics of James ‘what’s he doing? He’s a f****** musician. Well, not anymore!'

Asking people to press the 'Emergency Tim button' when I get tired while driving - never known to fail yet.

Singing along to the JCS soundtrack on a crazy journey from Oxford to York

Nearly careering down a mountainside in Wales on the way back from Cardiff, with Corinne turning a delicate shade of green.

The winter journey from York to Peterborough, stopping to defrost every few miles, as the ice from the washers froze as it hit the screen.

Goodbye, little Tank. I hope you get treated gently for the rest of your life, as you deserve a bit of a rest

*which is etched on Corinne’s memory forever

**though actually, that one wasn't that traumatic

Movin' Out

Possibly one of the rules of blogging, (are there 'rules'? I bet there are somewhere), is that you shouldn't do it when you're really tired, which I am, as I've just worked a 12 hour day, and come home to find my kitchen overrun with ants!

However late it is, I can't resist checking round various sites on the computer, but it was perhaps more of a shock than it should have been to read that Movin' Out is indeed moving out of the Apollo Victoria theatre, on 22 May. For any new readers, I was there on opening night for this show, which uses the songs of Billy Joel to tell the story of a group of young Americans through the 60's, Vietnam and it's aftermath, through the medium of dance.

Right from the start of the run, I've been aware that it's a 'hard sell' - it's a hybrid of dance show/songbook/musical - and it's difficult to know where it's audience is in this country. Billy Joel's music doesn't tell the stories of our lives in the way that it does for the Americans.

Shortly after I saw it I wrote the following:

It's an interesting idea - to take a set of Billy Joel songs, written over a number of years, and with no narrative connection, and to put them together to form the 'book' of a musical/dance piece. Does it work? well, yes, in parts. The strongest sections are those where the emotional theme of the song was the strongest, ...the weakest were where the song itself had a strong narrative, and the dancing did not seem to express this - at best this seemed disjointed, and at worst confusing for the audience... How will it go down in London? I'm not sure - I think many who go to see it will find it much harder to get to grips with than they think - it is, primarily a ballet, but a ballet accompanied by popular songs. It looks at the 60's and 70's American generation who were affected by Vietnam and the fallout after it, and I'm not sure what resonance this really has for a British audience.

Sadly my worries have been born out by poor audience figures. I've noticed discounted ticket offers have been around for a few weeks, and still the theatre was often only half full, and I know how disheartening that it for performers. I'm also really gutted for James*, as he's put his heart and soul into this production - his 'dream job' effectively - and I think we all felt so proud to see him there on opening night, singing his heart out. I read that he'll be re-joining the American tour of the show, which whilst good for him, is sad for us as we lose him to the US once again.

I haven't got much else to say really, so maybe this is the best way to end. (the photo at the top should have been here, but it wouldn't work!)

*For anyone who has been on another planet - James Fox, one time TV Reality show contestant, UK Eurovision representative 2004, Judas, and all round star