The good the bad and the ugly Jan 2011

The good:

Recently I was talking about Billy Bragg, err yes well...very recently (Isn’t everyone?? His name seems to be 'in the air') and while some groaned at the sound of his name, others swooned and said ‘Oh I love Billy Bragg!’ and words like ’comrade’ and ‘on with the revolution’ popped up every few moments in the conversation. A few poor souls even said ‘Billy who?’ can you imagine?

The ‘believers’ (AKA the converted) are a tough and loyal mob and I was recently almost beaten up by them.. As they talked about how they love his political views, I jumped in with ‘ehh… he talks too much , I pay to hear him sing, ‘play your songs bragg!!’, I don’t want to hear some guy who has just flown over from the UK ranting about local Australian politics…I’m paying for a concert, get on with it!!!’… yeah.. very brave of me I know.. because ‘crazy eyes’ happened.. you know what that is, when the eyes glaze over and they are experiencing silent rage and thinking about the many ways they would love to kill and dismember you… So the moral of the story is, Billy Bragg fans are loyal and crazy Mofo’s- so bag Bragg at your peril!

But this is about the ‘good’ so lets quickly move onto that.. the good, yes…that would be the seven inch double A side single that arrived at my house this week. It was Billy Bragg’s – ‘Accident waiting to happen’ (red star version) which has the sublime AA side ‘sulk’.. one of my favourite Billy Bragg tracks. I am playing it as I type and singing along, It is up extra loud so that my neighbour can hear it through her wall… I am thoughtful!!

"If you love me, why don't you show it?

If you hate me, why don't you let me know it?

Why don't you just pick up something and throw it?

You just sulk"

Simple and great.

The bad:

I am always mistaking people for someone I know…

Once, many years ago I walked up to this guy in the street thinking it was my housemate and as I stood standing in front of him silence ensured.  I just stared at him wondering why he wasn't saying anything. At some point I said ‘hey!! John!!!’ in a tone that suggested something was wrong with him and I was a tad annoyed.. he just stared at me silently confused… This lasted a few moments more until I then realised that this was not my housemate, they had jackets that looked a little similar from a distance, but up close looked nothing alike, it also dawned on me that he didn't even really look like John.. in fact I had no idea who this guy was! This week I did something similar. I was walking down the street and saw this guy coming towards me from a distance and thought ‘Hmm I know this man from somewhere’. As we got closer I thought.. ’oh !!!  I think we had done some volunteer work together’, so we make eye contact,  nodded a hello and smiled. As we get very close I slow my walking pace down and say ‘hey!! How are you?’.  This guys just smiles and does not slow down (I think I may have heard a faint ‘hi’). Now I have come to a complete standstill (as you do when you want to say g’day), but he keeps walking!!!! ..Rude bugger!!  I stare in outrage and somehow get his eye, he then looks at me almost transfixed as he passes (yes, he is still walking!!!) ... I give him a ‘what the FUCK!’ look and have my arms flapping about in a ’what?? Your ignoring me now?’ way… I mean what is this all about?  That is just so bloody rude!! And to think we worked together…. … and then it hits me.. I don’t know who this guy is.. umm maybe I saw him on tv once… maybe…

The ugly:

Picking up people at the scene of an accident, which they have caused… is all kinds of wrong and morally ‘ugly’ in my books. Let me explain-

This week a poor young female cyclist accidently ran over a cats head in my street. She door knocked looking for the owner, which is how I got involved.  I went out to look at the cat, just in case it was my next door neighbours, thinking it would be better that I see the poor thing and tell her about it, then she see it... anyway my neighbour was already at the scene of the accident (thankfully, It wasn’t her cat, we don’t know who’s cat it was). Some towels were fetched and placed over the poor dead cat and then it was rolled onto the towels.. where the extent of the damage to its head was seen.. It was pretty bad…I have no idea how this slight lady could have done this simply by riding her bike...the damage suggested that someone had done a ‘bunny hop’ on the poor cat. Though my neighbour ‘kindly’ suggested we just put the cat in her rubbish bin, we as a group decided that the cat should be taken to the animal hospital and if it has a microchip the owners can be advised of what has happened… instead of waiting about fretting, putting up posters and wondering what might have happened….Anyway… one of the guys present offered to put the cat on the back of his ute and take it to the hospital. I asked the young cyclists if she is feeling ok… she says she is, but I suspect she is in shock. Everyone leaves and I go off to get some water to clean the road as there is blood and bits of stuff on it... as I return, the guy ( who owns the ute),  has walked back over to the distraught cyclist and asks her if she is currently seeing anyone!!!!… errr not sure if this is the right time.. she just killed a poor harmless beautiful cat,  and I am washing bits of its skull and brains off the road!!!!! Mind you he walked over that mess to try and pick her up !!! What is going on with that??? So very wrong on so many levels... what is this world coming to and what’s wrong with the youth of this country? 

Yes, I am 38 going 70.