Bloody hell, what a week. I don't know what was most shocking - seeing a skip fill up with bits of my home (more on that in a mo), or the enjoyment I got from the Chas 'n' Dave documentary, 'Last Orders' on BBC4. I mean, this weekend we watched two music programmes - the one I've just mentioned and the one on Robert Plant, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the former was far more interesting and entertaining by a mile. Did you see it? Did you see the clip from BBC Breakfast Time when Chas 'n' Dave were interviewed by Selina Scott and Nick Ross? Unbelievable. "Tell me...why do you wear braces?" was one of the questions from Selina, with no attempt to disguise the snigger in her voice. "To 'old me trowsiz up" was the simultaneous reply from the interviewees. The look on their faces as they tried to keep it civil whilst being patronised and treated like some alien species by their smug and incredulous hosts actually brought the Bill Grundy/Pistols incident to my mind. It really wasn't that far removed, and could just as easily have been John and Steve sitting on the breakfast TV sofa wondering what the fuck they were doing there. I saw the Rockney duo in a whole new light after that programme. Just wish I'd had a bit more respect for them when they did an album signing at the record shop I worked in during the early '80s. I'm afraid I was slightly embarrassed about the whole thing at the time.
So that was one surprising revelation. Here are some others from the past few days:
We took out a door frame and found the original red brick wall, layers of dark orange paint and some good old '70s (?) brown and white patterned wallpaper beneath it... I love the way you get a kind of palimpsest (a favourite word, that - any excuse to use it) when you strip back those layers. A snappy(ish) phrase came to mind, one that you don't want to try without your teeth in: "decades of decaying decor".
If I seem a bit out of sorts at the moment it may be because my kitchen looks like this
...which resembles a sort of warped Mondrian to my tired mind right now. Whaddya reckon to the light switch hanging from the ceiling, eh? (if you look closely, top centre). An art installation?
Meanwhile, back in the living room, it's all about plaster... but I'm liking those parallel lines.
And as for the back wall of the 1950s breeze block extension (also part of the kitchen), here's what it looked like earlier today. When is a door not a door?
I'm shattered. I can't wait until I no longer taste dust.
