So today really is Sunday? I’m glad to have that sorted out during this weekend of confusion. Last night we watched one of the DVDs of Svengali, meaning that one of the winners of The Sunday Alternative’s first competitions will receive a copy without the cellophane wrapper. I tried to find the original series on YouTube to compare it to the film, but it doesn’t seem to be there now, perhaps it was removed so people couldn’t make comparisons. The series was very funny from what I remember, although it has been a few years since I have seen it. The ending wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it made the story all the better, my big surprise is that it has seemingly gone straight to DVD without a proper cinema release. A couple of screenings took place in Nottingham as far as I am aware, but that could just be because of Vicky McClure’s involvement.

I didn’t get up until about noon, by which time Mandi was up and dressed and ready to leave the house for lunch at my dad’s. I was appalled to see on the walk to my dad’s house that McDonalds was open, and there were families in there. Every time we walk past on a Sunday it appalls me to see families in there destroying the family tradition of Sunday lunch. Can’t people cook anymore? I know that society has changed slightly, but it shouldn’t affect family life in this way. People without a family have the option these days to volunteer to work on a Sunday for double pay, but if you’re taking the family out on Sunday lunchtime, at least take them to a restaurant or a carvery.

Every week without fail I turn to Mandi on the journey to my dad’s and say the same thing; “I remember those golden Sundays of my childhood, the family gathered around the table. My dad would stand at the head of the table… and empty the paper bag of burgers and chips”.

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The Sunday Alternative returns as a fortnightly podcast on Sunday May 4^th (anyone doing Star Wars Day jokes will be taken out and beaten up).

If you receive parcels (or any item of mail too big for your letterbox) while you aren’t at home then you will be familiar with the red and white card (known as a P739 to postal workers, or a ‘slip left’, and known to the public as a pain in the arse) that the postman, (or woman) puts through the door. When I was a postman I discovered that the system was fairly basic; you have a bundle of letters in your hand with the addresses all facing up, and when you come to a letter facing the opposite way it tells you there’s a packet in your bag for that address. If there was no reply at the door, you filled in and posted the card telling the householder to either come and collect the packet, or arrange for it to be redelivered. These days the postman (or woman) doesn’t even bother taking the packet out of the office, preferring instead to just post the card to save a lot of time, or so it seems.

Today I had such a card summoning me to my local Royal Mail sorting office to collect what turned out to be two parcels. Luckily I don’t live too far away so took Jack for a walk at the same time to enjoy the afternoon sunshine. When I got home I opened them to find two lots of competition prizes for The Sunday Alternative when it returns as a podcast. I have five DVDs of the new film Svengali to give away on the first show which is pretty cool. The film stars Vicky McClure, an actress who was born in Nottingham and is now enjoyed all over the world, just like The Sunday Alternative. One of the DVDs will have the cellophane removed because I want to watch the film, which has been made from an original series on YouTube. There’s hope for us all who use the Internet as a broadcast medium.

The other package contained a new hardback book, the biography of Jake Bugg. I was contacted by the author David Nolan to see if I would be interested in interviewing him when he comes to Nottingham on his promotional junket. He’s booked to talk to BBC Nottingham and The Nottingham Evening Post (as I still call it) and a few others, and I’ll be taking my turn in the evening. I assume he knows that I’m not the world’s biggest fan of the boy Bugg, but as one of the Nottingham music scene’s media flag wavers it makes sense that I was approached. I’ve only just started to read my preview copy to prepare for the interview, and although the subject matter isn’t my cup of tea, the book is well written by a music biographer with an impressive pedigree, here’s a list of books and television credits. The interview from my point of view will focus on the city as a whole with mention of Bugg and the part he has played putting Nottingham on the map. I’m flattered to be asked, as I am still sometimes ignored when it comes to this sort of thing, (I’m still pissed off about not being invited to the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in Nottingham despite my connection to it). The weird thing is that here is a book about a Nottingham musician that doesn’t mention me at all, which I suppose is fair enough given my comments when his first album came out. If a book is ever written about another Nottingham musician or band then the chances are that I’ll get some recognition in the thank-you list. That of course depends on the artist, because there are some pricks about. Perhaps I should start knocking out books about the bands and musicians that I like so that I’m in on the ground floor?

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My daily blog can be delivered straight to your Kindle for 99p a month (link)

If you’ve enjoyed reading this, please consider showing your appreciation by way of a donation using the PayPal button above this blog. Every penny will be used to create free online content. There are currently plans for a comedy sketch series, an online cookery and music show, a video version of The Sunday Alternative and plenty more including documentaries, short films and podcasts.

The Sunday Alternative returns as a fortnightly podcast on Sunday May 4^th (anyone doing Star Wars Day jokes will be taken out and beaten up).

I have several projects in the pipeline that are all ready to roll; the main one being the documentary about The Sunday Alternative along with the comedy stuff and the other things I’ve mentioned on the blog before. The sticking point is the lack of a film crew that I can rely on. It would seem that once again Nottingham’s creative folk are content to not actually do anything other than waste time. If I’m going to collaborate with someone then I am going to have to trust them to stay the distance, which is something that is lacking. The trouble with Nottingham’s creative media type people is that most of them don’t get beyond printing business cards; if you trust Facebook and Twitter then you will think that there are film makers around every corner but that simply isn’t the case. It isn’t as if I want the earth from these people, just a commitment to two weekly series of six episodes, a documentary, and if that goes well a couple of short films. They may even make some money from it. That of course depends on people donating, and in return being able to watch it for free with a free screening thrown in and the chance to ask questions later.

I’m starting to get a bit stressed out by it, as I don’t just want to throw out some camera phone quality stuff, even though camera phones have come a long way since the days of four minutes worth of pixilated footage.

On the plus side, the podcasts are coming along brilliantly. The Sunday Alternative’s return is right on schedule for Sunday 4^th May, and the audio version will this time around be all about new music. I have a huge amount of tracks that has been sent in, and I now have a handful of DVDs of the new film Svengali to give away as a competition prize. This is a rather fitting prize because of the tenuous connection between the film and the show. Svengali stars Vicky McClure, who was born in Nottingham and is now loved around the world. Just like The Sunday Alternative.

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My daily blog can be delivered straight to your Kindle for 99p a month (link)
If you’ve enjoyed reading this, please consider showing your appreciation by way of a donation using the PayPal button above this blog. Every penny will be used to create free online content. There are currently plans underway for a comedy sketch series, an online cookery and music show, a video version of The Sunday Alternative, and plenty more including documentaries, short films, and podcasts.

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The Sunday Alternative returns as a fortnightly podcast on Sunday May 4th (anyone doing Star Wars Day jokes will be taken out and beaten up).