15th & 16th January 2010

Got some bad news on Friday, have not been near computer. Friday was a wash out, Saturday came across a real treat on Sky Arts One. First, the Robert Mugge doc on Al Green, a performer I have adored ever since I heard How Can You Mend (A Broken Heart) written by those great songwriters, the Gibb Brothers. The doc works on two levels. It not only tells his story but also spends a lot of time in Al's church. After Al delivers his Sermon, he goes into a song called The Lord Will Find A Way Somehow which ends with his jacket absolutely drenched in sweat. Apparently he once played a gig in San Fransisco and then flew to Disneyland to do a midnight show. With him was his girlfriend. After the show they went back to his hotel. Al says he was too tired for any activity and went to a separate bed to sleep. He said he woke up at four thirty in the morning praising the Lord, talking as they say in voices. He said he has never felt so great in all his life. And that was it. He gave his life to the Lord and set up his own church. What struck me was the humour Al deployed when recounting his conversion. He wasn't trying to convince the world, he was telling of his experience. 'I had a million dollar career on one hand and the Lord on the other. I am going on stage and I'm playing to people at two in the morning in a club and they are sipping whiskey and they are looking for women and they are drawing joints and I am going to tell them about The Lord?' Talking of religion went to Spurs in the afternoon to see us draw nil nil with Hull. Even for people who do not like football, that sounds bad. Anyway after the great Al doc,came a French doc called The Soul Of Stax. There was some amazing footage in there, Sam and Dave performing You Don't Know (Which Issac Hayes revealed from a gospel song) with Booker T backing them, Rufus Thomas performing the Funky Chicken at a massive Stax gig and the young audience breaking through the barriers to dance in front of the stage (one guy pulling off striking northern Soul moves) William bell performing You Don't Miss Your water with just piano, and then stories about the great Otis, a man with such a huge heart, no wonder the Lord wanted him in Heaven quickly, as he did Teddy Pendergrass and Mick Green this week. Al made me want to pray, the Stax doc made me want to put on mohair. God and Mod, a great morning. That night was going go into the End for a drink with Dirty Den and Mal but by the time they called was plotted up ploughing through the Capello biog. So God bless Al and Otis and Stax, and God bless you. Paolo

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Not a lot to report. George got back to me having read my new children's home book But We All Shine On. His comment was typical of his shall we say succinct manner - 'your book is very good, very very good.' That was it. Glad to hear it though. Whenever I finish a project such as this I always find I can't really get a perspective. With But We All Shone On, I kept thinking I like this but am I fooling myself? Apparently not. Two other close links are reading it as well. See what they have to say. if you want to read an extract there is one on my website - paolohewitt.co.uk - It details the story of a guy called David who i was in the Home with nicking a car in Woking to go to court in Liverpool....Few people wrote in after my mentioning of the great Norman Jay yesterday. Got me thinking about 'celeb' fans and whether you can tell a club by the people it attracts. I think there is a lot in that. for example, Arsenal have got Piers Morgan and we have got Paul Whitehouse. Says it all really. Up British Library today researching. Would love to tell you what on but I have had too many ideas stolen in the past to go public so have to keep everything under wraps. Got a meeting tomorrow I'd love to tell you about but again my lips are sealed, loose talk costs commissions. Read an interview with John Hellier my co author on the Marriott book conducted by someone who I would say doesn't particularly like me, probably because of my Changing Man book. Which is absolutely fine. I take no offence at all. I understand completely why people love that book and why they hate it. I truly think God bless all and God bless you. Paolo

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Was out all day yesterday. Swim, steam, then up to the Mecca, back to the End, over to the British Library, back home, into town to appear on Spurs podcast with Norman Jay MBE (Member of the Bill Nicholson Empire). had not seen Norman in ages. He is truly one of the best DJ's around (check out the Good Times comp he compiles with his bruv Joey) and I have spent enough hours in clubs such as High On Hope grooving to his tunes. He is off to Australia in a couple of days time to carry the word - soul and Spurs! Then onto Antony's to watch Small Island. Antony is Pearl's brother. I was married to Pearl in the 80s. Shockingly, she died about four years ago and that sad event brought Anthony and I together. From there, we got together to write a script entitled Notting Dale which is currently doing the rounds.The script is a love story set in and around the 1958 Notting Hill riots and we have had some - if I say so myself - great feedback. Now we need some money. Small Island is based on Andrea Levy's best selling book and focuses on the Windrush generation. Much to like about it, some great acting and sharp lines, but much also to annoy such as the portentious voiceover and the cloying music. It also looked too nice for a London suffering the Second World War. Got home and put on Comedy channel. Am a big fan of King Of Queens, American show based in a working class family. Ben Stiller's dad Jerry plays a wonderful cranky lunatic who lives in their basement and drives them mad. In between the show, the channel often runs ads for stand up comic shows they are to air. All they do is make me pine for the great Sam Kinison who I discovered in the mid 80s. He made two albums and was that rare thing in a comic - very funny. His obssessions were religion and women. Example - Sam talking about the Last Supper, 'So Jesus goes out on a Friday night with twelve of his best mates, gets back Monday morning.....' Sam was derided in his time for being non PC which tended to happen a lot in the 80s. Today he would have been massive. Without Sam no Bill Hicks nd that line of humour, that is for sure. He was unique at the time, a true one off. Sam got into a lot of stuff but got himself together settled down and was then - big joke this - killed in a car crash. You can see him on You Tube. Watch him and then consider that today the biggest comic in the UK is Michael McIntyre. God Bless Sam Kinison, God bless Pearl, God bless you. Paolo

Diary - 11th Jan 2010

Very bitty day. Wanted to go to British Library but need my lap top which S is bringing over tonight. Start tomorrow. Am exploring a book idea, nothing more, but want to get on with it. have had my break, time to start fighting the forces of darkness once more. Also, I feel that in a month's time I will hopefully be overwhelmed with projects. There are several book and TV and film ideas bubbling away at the moment and some will come to the boil quicker than others. Need to be ready. Meanwhile, here is a weird one. Mr Baxter e mails and says a mutual of ours - the esteemed Signor Anthony Polledri of bar Italia fame - has just rung him to say he saw our short film The Mumper on BBC television last night at about eleven fifteen. This can not be so as no one from that fine organisation has been in touch with us. Yet Anthony who has never seen the film describes it perfectly. Guy walks into a pub with a horse and tries to sell it to six guys. Very strange If anyone out there can throw light on this, please do. Mike rings to ask me to do spurs podcast tomorrow night which of course I agree to. One pint I will make is that the current weather conditions have in fact given us a taste of what a winter break would be like. I like it myself. Plus we were due to play Liverpool away this Sunday but without one of our key players, Aaron Lennon. the enforced break now means he can now hopefully recover from his groin strain. Meanwhile, the team will be refreshed and ready. Cold still so i can't help throwing envious glances over towards Martin Chivers. he has just been asked to join a cruise ship on Barbados which will make its way lazily up to South America in the next two weeks. His job? To deliver a forty minute speech about his life going there, and a forty minute speech coming back. The rest of the time all his and all expenses paid. What can you say? Except God bless Chivers and God bless you. Paolo

Diary - 10th Jan 2010

Not a lot to report. Swim, papers, Italian football, 1988 Madness album, phone calls, bit of writing, Capello biography, a listen to BBC 6 Music station which made me want to investigate music by Phoenix, Black Ivory and a marching band called Mucapazza, then this diary. Sunday, sleepy Sunday. God Bless it, God bless you. Paolo

Diary - 9th Jan 2010

9th
On Saturday went to Hampstead Heath for a walk to celebrate the birthday of squadron leader 'Nipper' Harris of the Fourth Battalion of the Yid Army. He had invited friends and foe alike to walk on the Heath, despite it being a million below zero and freezing conditions. Everyone gathered, we started off and within half an hour everyone was in the pub. One of his friends who I got parlaring with had run two successful clubs in London. He worked in the City by day, ran the clubs at night. Then he did a Chic and quit his nine to five to concentrate on the clubs. Big mistake. Within a year he was using all sorts just to get him through the day to get him into the night. Finally, he dragged himself to India, de toxed, and then came back to work as a..............landscape gardener. Made me think how London can be so vicious if you let it be. London can chew you up, spit you out, send you scurrying into the shadows for the rest of your life. It can also realise your wildest dreams. I have lived here now for thirty years and I still do not consoder it 'my' city. I am still a stranger here, still an outsider. London is too vast to become personalised. It still contains sights and sounds I have yet to experience, still retains the capacity to astonish me. Anyway back to Nipper. In Danny Baker and Kelly's new book there is a top ten list of decent football books. In at seven is mine and Guigsy's Robin Friday book. At number six is Nipper's book Dear Alan Dear Harry which details Nipper's hilarious correspondence with Tottenham during the Alan Sugar years. That his book is honoured above mine has made his year even though he relied heavily on the talents of another writer to get it completed. And that other writer was of course....moi. So if you ever bump into Nipper and he starts giving you this line stop him in his tracks and tell him that you know the truth. Still, got to give it to Danny Kelly for having such great taste. God bless Danny, Nipper, London and of course, your good self. Paolo

Diary - 8th Jan 2010

Seem to be writing this diary at about the same time every day. Here is a question. How does your mind work? This morning was in Crouch End pulling out money from the machine, time about 7.45. (Early I know but when the Mighty Cockerel crows first thing in the morning I can't help but rise with it.) When I turn around from the machine I am facing a bookshop which has now been open for about six months and which I like a lot. Interesting books at sane prices. How long before the Kindle takes over an the shop is empty? I then recall that the last time I was in there I got talking to the owner. He told me that the music writer Simon Goddard lives above him. Goddard has just published a book about Morrissey. Personally, I can't swing for the man's music primarily because of one very small factor - Morrissey can't sing. He can write a great song title and some biting lyrics but he certainly can not sing. Which for a man who loves his soul msuic is a bit of a problemo. This gets me thinking about how many Mancs can't actually sing - Mark E Smith, Ian Curtis, Shaun Ryder (I once interviewed Ryder, asked him how long he had been singing. He spluttered, 'Singing? F-- singing. I didn't know I was a singer until some c- in the pub the other night told me...') In fact Liam G. is about the only one of that generation who can hold a tune. (Tim Burgess also but I am not sure if he a Manc) I clear my mind, buy a paper from the news stand outside the KFC. I open up the sports pages and the first headline I read says Man City Earning Power Lags Behind Spurs. Spurs have the fifth biggest turnover in the Prem, in fact it will take Man City years to catch up with us. So now I am thinking about Mancs again and how cheeky they were in trying to say they had invented Acid House when it had been going for at least a year before they got hold of it, so I clear my mind, quick as I can, time about 7.51, and decide to write about all this when I get home. Which emans God bless Manchester and God bless you. Paolo