Royal Variety Performance

[Iain Purdon]

I am actually very catholic in my cultural tastes and calling "Grumpy Old Man" does me a great and undeserved disservice.

Dear Jim

I apologise unreservedly for prompting the inference that you were being grumpy. You are a well respected historian on this site and we have all learned much from your encyclopaedic knowledge.

I am levelling the description in a jocular way at myself - paraphrasing that to "moan about how things aren't like they used to be" is something I often catch myself doing - and recognising Matt's point that generations largely stick with the stuff they were brought up with and look down on what follows it.

Yes, Benny Green was a great jazzer and Hoots Mon is a terrific track. He made me grumpy when he disparaged what he regarded - and I did not - as the vapid music of the next decade. That doesn't make him wrong, of course

Anyway, I'm the grump around here!

Cheers - I

[Graham C. Marshall]

I remember seeing an interview with Benny Green many years ago in which he confessed to absolutely loathing rock 'n' roll with a passion. He also admitted to feeling great shame at having, for financial reasons, to demean himself by playing with Lord Rockingham's XI.

[Uncle Fiesta]

You wouldn't need to apologise if you called me a Grumpy Old Man - people say it about me all the time and I regard it as a compliment!

It means I'm not afraid to make up my own mind, and form my own opinions, about what I think is, or isn't, good - rather than just accept what is spoon-fed to us as too many people do these days, without bothering to think for themselves..

[MartcasterJunior]

Because she can only sing one song (or at least, it always sounds like the same song) and has about as much talent in her body as Shirley has in a single fingernail?

Interesting that you'd use that description Jim because that's almost exactly my opinion of Shirley Bassey! (I'm not saying that as tit-for-tat mud-slinging either - I'm not a particular fan of Adele but I like some of her material and I respect her abilities as a songwriter). Regarding the amount of talent, to paraphrase my original question, how many Grammy- and Ivor Novello-winning songs has Shirley Bassey written?

Overall, I think it's unfair to both parties to compare artists from one generation with artists of another. They operate in completely different environments, with different audiences who have different expectations. To compare Tommy Cooper holding court at the Palladium with Lee Evans entertaining tens of thousands at the O2 is like comparing apples and oranges.

[GoldenStreet]

That doesn't make him wrong, of course

It just begs the old question, who's wrong and who's right?

Bill

[marvwelch]

Hi . It was also very interesting to see with the Shadows and Beatles , the glorious Vox AC30 amp ( instigated by the Shadows ). And still in production all these years later . Sadly no longer a British product but still a fantastic amp . Take care all . Happy Christmas !. Ron Wood