Pynchon

It was a seismic event.

It was a meeting of minds.

It was Lennon meets McCartney.

It was Page meets Plant.

It was Jagger meets Richards.

It was Chilton meets Bell. (Look them up, if you don't know who I am talking about.)

Actually, I take the piss. It was Pynchon meets up with a fellow blogger, finally. Not such a big deal to a lot of people, but a very big deal to me, and as it happened very enjoyable because Mark is one of the good guys. He was in Birmingham for a gig at the Academy last night (Karl Bartos, ex of Kraftwerk) and then work today. One of us suggested meeting up, I cannot remember who, and then suddenly it was on. How the fuck did that happen? Very disturbing.

We met up at New Street Station just after 5pm, checked each other out (I know what he was thinking - this guy looks nothing like George Clooney) and then went up to Broad Street. We then retired to "The Figure Of Eight" for a brew or two (he drank cider, I drank Guinness) before he had to dump his stuff at the hotel (more about that later) and go off to the gig.

First impression. Hmm... Mark is not nearly as angry and as intense as his blog makes out. Nice guy. Laughed a lot. Talked a lot. Hey, I am not being insulting. I talk a lot as well. The conversation was random and all over the place. It was great. I love a good chat/argument/discussion.

Highlights? Some of them. I was very pissed after two Guinness and I am sure that some brain cells may have perished. I am a wuss.

1. James Bond. Being a man of taste and distinction Mark believes that "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is the best Bond film, but that it has the worst Bond. I would agree with the film, but don't know if I agree with Lazenby as the worst Bond.
2. Music. Mark doesn't dislike the Beatles so much as he dislikes Beatles fans, especially those that believe that popular music started and ended with the Fab Four. No argument there from me. I hope that a better band comes along one day. How depressing to think that the Beatles are the best band that there will ever be. All new bands might as well give up now.
3. Mark has never seen "Lost" or "The X-Factor".
4. Mark does not think that Gordon Brown will ever be Prime Minister, or if he does, he will not be Prime Minister for very long, because Labour will lose the next election.
5. Mark likes his job. He likes the flexibility in the hours, although the traveling can be a drag sometimes.
6. Mark likes Suburban Hen's art very much. Actually, so do I.
7. Mark sympathised deeply with the reasons for the death of my last blog. He thinks he may have written things online that might come back to haunt him in the future.
8. Mark thinks that Swiss Toni and LB are the tallest people in the world. Hey, I am as tall as Tom Cruise! That counts for something, doesn't it?
9. I cannot think of anything else. I was pissed.

At 6:40pm we went in search of Mark's hotel. It was the Premier Lodge behind Old Orleans. We entered. It was quiet. Too quiet. There was nobody behind the desk. The was a sign. The sign said something like "Back in 5 minutes - I am performing routine maintenance around the hotel." Fair enough if it was true, except that it wasn't. 20 minutes later (and this was after Mark had called a number - the head office? - to enquire when exactly he could be let into his hotel room) a guy turned up. He had been in Old Orleans, picking up something to eat. The guy was a magnificently rude and arrogant shit with an attitude problem. Very bad and totally uncalled for. When Mark said, quite rightly, that he had been waiting for 20 minutes the guy said that there was no need to be "sarcastic". Oh, dear... Sirens were going off in my head. A full scale wanker alert, if I was not mistaken.

Checked in, we charged down Broad Street (Mark was late) and I met up briefly with Mark's Brother Graham, who I think wrote the first blog that I ever commented on. Graham checked me out (I could see what he was thinking - this guy looks nothing like Brad Pitt), we exchanged plesantries and agreed to meet up early in December. Graham is a busy guy. He is sorting out his new place at the moment. I hope to attend the house warming party.

...And then I went home. Lorraine had cooked chicken. It was nice chicken. Later, after watching a Bob Marley concert on TV, she let me play with her tits. And then I was allowed to play with the rest of her. We were up late. I was knackered going to work today.

Sunday was a great day.

Nearly forgot, on Sunday afternoon I went to see the movie adaptation of John Le Carre's novel "The Constant Gardener". I thought that it was wonderful and thought provoking. It is a beautiful, passionate, angry and emotive thriller set against the background of western exploitation of Africa. Just brilliant. I have never read the book. I will have to get to that soon. Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz are both excellent and if Rachel Weisz, at the very least, does not get an Oscar nomination next year, I will be very surprised. Highly recommended.

There you are...