Wednesday, 20 February 2013

Sauchiehall St and Buchanan St: street life February 2013

Welcome to my wee photoblog on Glasgow, where we feature the  joys and unjoys of walking and cycling through a fascinating, beautiful and often badly run city. For the blog's origin and a  list of all posts see the  'Introduction' post  -

http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/02/introduction.html

 Feel free to drop me an email with suggestions, offers of £20 notes etc. The address is damnyouebay@gmail.com. I have had to start watermarking the pics as I have come across one big website using a pic without permission - I suppose there must be others.

If you are a private individual and want to use any of the pics for non-commercial purposes please get in  touch and I will usually be happy to say 'Aye' for free - just give the Album a credit. If you want to use a pic for commercial purposes a small mutually agreed fee and a credit will suffice.Today is Saturday, 16 February 2013, and we are having a wander down Sauchiehall St to the top of Buchanan St, to see what we shall see.

For a walk down here in January see

Sauchiehall St: Recession Street, January 2013
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/sauchiehall-st-recession-street-january.html

And for earlier pieces on Sauchiehall St see
Sauchiehall Street: after the Rain
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/sauchiehall-st-after-rain.html

Sauchiehall Street: after the Rain 2
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/sauchiehall-st-after-rain.html

Sauchiehall St: a Meditation on Scottish Exceptionalism
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/sauchiehall-st-meditation-on-scottish.html


As we are lazy today we are going to jump on a bus at Kelvinbridge, where we notice this poster for the Scottish Beef industry, a marketing response to the horsemeat scandal. As a veggie I don't have a hot dog in this fight but I note that the bottom photie is of a cottage in Glencoe, which is an odd choice for two reasons: (a) Glencoe is not exactly a hot spot for beef cattle, (b) when people think of a cottage in Glencoe these days they think of Jimmy Saville

In Sauchiehall St, we come across a rally for the Destiny church see

http://www.destiny-church.com/

For a walk past the church see

http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/townhead-to-duke-st-to-george-square.html

The church is evangelical,  and like many British evangelical churches has many members of African origin





A big hug




Pressing on, we come across an American Indian musician - this guy has been about for years I think


The music is that New Age  flute, pipes of pan stuff. Not sure how authentic the costume is

Moving on - the Officers Club is closing down we see,  those posters not here when we walked past in January; an addition to the recession casualty list. See  http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/sauchiehall-st-recession-street-january.html


Street marketing outside the great Watts store

Busker coming up in doorway

Singing Irish folk - great voice this guy

Moving on. Something uncommon ahead






This guy deserves a quid






Moving on, we find a Big Issue seller. . .

. . .and his dog

Am not much of a dog person, but this is a lovely creature


Pressing on

The street has its harmonies as well as dissonance


A wee sit down. . .

. . .and a chat

Soldiers gabbing

Gaza Aid Convoy Stall

Buskers outside the shut Jessops

This is a popular stop for buskers, handy for shoppers coming in  and out of the Buchanan Galleries. I saw a handsome young lad here last year, playing his guitar and singing his own songs, surrounded by a large circle of girls and women gazing upon his comely form with yearning eyes


Tourists here I suppose



Pressing on into Buchanan St, we find a para chatting to the lads

Ah, recruiting








Try some cropping




We hear a piper further down Buchanan St






Excellent young piper



We pop inside Buchanan galleries for a moment


Heading  back out


Heading back to Sauchiehall St


Some banter









What do you make of it all, eh Donald?









Looking up Sauchiehall St



Back with the nice Big Issue guy and his dog


We have a chat. The dog is called Max, same name as our dear old cat who died at Christmas

We buy a Big Issue; chap gives us a treat to give to Max, who takes it with great delicacy

A wee break. This can be a tough street for entertainers -
Entertainers 1: old French chap busking in Sauchiehall St

http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2011/09/entertainers-1-old-french-chap-busking.html

Entertainers 2: the Golden Man

 http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/entertainers-2-golden-man.html

A sit down with the Watt Brothers bags

Two cops over there looking after a guy slumped on wall

He is OK. Lots of people having it hard these days

An abandoned balloon



There was a Roma Big Issue seller about a moment ago, who has vanished. Some are still not accustomed  to cops, such as ours, that are polite and helpful

Back at the Destiny rally

A lass dancing

Am no judge of hoofers, but she seems very talented to me

Interpretative dance I gather, about sin and the world and redemption

A crop from last pic

'O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,
 How can we know the dancer from the dance?'
Yeats, 'Among Schoolchildren'

The nun outside Boots is  collecting for Nazareth House care home  in Paisley Rd West. See

http://www.carehome.co.uk/carehome.cfm/searchazref/10006040NAZB

Collecting for Comic Relief at TK-Maxx. Camera shake damn it but kept because - see pic a few stops down







Christian  Stoicism. It is cold


The TK-Maxx people changed awfy quick - only minutes since the blurry Green Man was there





Young woman describing how God changed her life. Bright, articulate, passionate speaker






Now who can this possibly be?


Hold it, Mickey!





Hard, cold times

Grab shot from the top deck of 66 bus





Thank you for browsing, dear visitor. My other wee blogs are

http://parkeddogs.blogspot.com/

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/

Reviews of Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know


RADIO AND TELEVISON

'I love it - I'm giving this copy to a friend and buying another for myself' - Darren Adam, Presenter, Radio Forth, 17 November 2008

‘It’s a great wee book’ – Stephen Jardine, introducing Edwin Moore on Scottish Television’s Five-Thirty Show

'A fantastic book' - Scott Wilson , talk 107 Breakfast Show host

'A great read' - Dougie Jackson, Drivetime host, Smooth Radio 105.2

THE PRESS

'Despite its apparently humorous format, this is a serious and extensive dictionary on all things Scottish; from Jean Redpath to Lorne sausage, from Flodden to the Corries. Is particularly good on history and minutiae. There's a useful chapter on famous Scottish legal cases and another on literature. Excellent' - Royal Scottish Legion, Feb 2009

'This is the ultimate Scottish reference book' - Waterstones Christmas catalogue, 2008

'This is a fascinating look at the history of Scotland: its languages, politics and great achievements, from its origins in the ancient landmass of Laurentia 400 million years ago, to devolution and Billy Connolly. Edwin Moore has collected a thousand important facts about this beautiful country, covering Scottish history and culture, correcting misconceptions, and examining the mysteries of haggis and bagpipes with insight, warmth and impressive attention to detail' - The Good Book Guide, November 2008


'This is a recipe for revealing how horribly ill informed you are about your country. Although, if you are skillful, you can nod sagely as you read some new fact and mutter 'Ah, yes!' as if recalling the information from your excellent schooling. Where else will you find a real recipe for making haggis from scratch side by side with a potted biography of David Hume; a section of the Declaration of Arbroath and the curiously touching fact that Lulu was only 15 when she had a hit with 'Shout'? The whole thing is of course, silly - but oh so addictive.' - Matthew Perren, i-on Glasgow, December 2008


'. . . well crafted and witty' - Bill Howatson, Aberdeen Press and Journal, 18 October 2008


‘While most of Edwin’s entries are entertaining and scholarly – he writes like a Scottish Bill Bryson – it is when he takes an interest in the backwaters of history, the details lost down the back of the sofa, that he is at his best’ – Jack McKeown, The Courier, 27 October 2008


'History, it is said, is written by the victors. Trivia, meanwhile, is written by the guys with the smeared spectacles and the breathable rainwear. The first discipline is linear and causal; to quote from Alan Bennett’s play The History Boys, history is “just one f****** thing after another”. Things look different, though, when viewed through the prism of trivia. The past is reduced to one big coleslaw of fascinating facts that in their randomness tell a more mixed-up tale entirely.
The first approach leads to big, frowning books by the likes of Tom Devine and Michael Fry. The latter results in small, cheerful books such as Scotland: 1,000 Things You Need to Know, Edwin Moore’s valiant attempt to navigate the more trivial contours of enlightenment and clearances, crown and parliament, dirt and deity.
Moore proceeds from a sincere and controversial first principle: Scotland is really a rather pleasant and interesting place. . .As a work of popular scholarship, though, it’s in a different league to the Scottish novelty titles that get stocked next to the bookstore tills as potential impulse purchases, those little handbooks of parliamo Caledonia and regional braggadocio, such as Weegies vs Edinbuggers.' - Allan Brown The Sunday Times, 21 September 2008

'In his book, Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know, Edwin celebrates all that sets us Scots as a race apart - our language, law, flora, food, and of course, our people. From our poets, architects and inventors, to our artists, entertainers and fighters. But he doesn't shy away from the more unpleasant aspects of our history. . .' - Robert Wight, Sunday Post, 14 September 2008

‘We think we know all about William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and the Union of the Crowms. However, according to Edwin Moore, author of , Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know, we’re still in the dark about many aspects of our history and culture. . . The Big Issue looks at 20 of the most astonishing examples of secret Scotland.’ – The Big Issue, 18-24 September 2008

'What's the connection between Homer Simpson and Larbert, and why are generations of lawyers grateful to a Paisley snail? Need to know more? Author Edwin Moore has gathered 1000 facts like these about Scotland in a quirky new book. Brian Swanson selects a few favourites. . .' - Scottish Daily Express, 13 September 2008

'The palm for Christmas-stocking books seems to have passed recently to popular science, with best selling titles every year such as Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze? This year there has been a gallant attempt at a historical fight back. Scotland: 1,000 Things You Need to Know(Atlantic Books, £12.99) asks (and answers) such post-turkey questions as ‘How many kings of Scotland died in their beds?’, ‘Who on earth decided that the Declaration of Arbroath was the cornerstone of modern democracy?’ or ‘Why is iron brew spelled Irn-Bru?’ Mark Mazower,History Today; The Best of History in 2008, December 2008

'A real treat for the serendipitous Scotophile' - Reginald Hill

FROM THE INTERWEB


www.Booksfromscotland.com (on the new paperback edition)
Book of the Month, May 2010
'Whether it's Scottish lochs or Enlightenment philosophers, the facts of the devolution referendums or the mysteries of Irn-Bru, myths will be debunked and truths revealed in this light-hearted but rigorous overview of Scottish history and culture.'


Also available for download on Amazon's e-book store is my 100 Brief Encounters (only £3.06!)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Brief-Encounters-ebook/dp/B006CQ8G84/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322393003&sr=1-1

Here are some reviews of the print edition (published by  Chambers in 2007) -


Edwin Moore's quirky collection of a hundred encounters between (mostly) important historical figures is a gem of a book. Where else could you get concise enlightening accounts of Henry VIII wrestling with Francis I, Geronimo surrendering to General Miles, Ernest Hemingway presenting Fidle Castro with a fishing trophy or (as seen on the books cover) a baby faced Bill Clinton shaking hands with John F Kennedy. A marvelous 'little window on human history. ' - Dominic Kennerk, Waterstone's Product Planning and Promotions Co-ordinator (From the Waterstone's 'We Recommend' list for 2008)


Witty, light and packed with information -- The Sunday Herald


In 1936, in the wake of winning a clutch of gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, the great athlete Jesse Owens was snubbed by an imperious leader, on racial grounds. Popular belief would have it that the leader was Hitler, who is said to have stormed off, furious to see a black man beating European athletes. In fact the man in question was President Roosevelt, who worried that paying attention to Owens' triumphs might be a vote loser. Although Owens and the German Chancellor never talked, Owens claimed that Hitler greeted him with an enthusiastic wave. Such near-misses, shakings of hands and ships-in-the-night meetings are the subject of Brief Encounters – Meetings between mostly remarkable people, a likeable new book by Edwin Moore (Chambers £7.99). Flicking through the index, you will find some expected encounters (Dante stares at Beatrice, Corday stabs Marat, The Beatles strum along to a Charlie Rich record round at Elvis's house), and the book's intriguing and memorable cover shows a baby-faced Bill Clinton manfully gripping the hand of JFK. But Moore has navigated past some of the more obvious collisions, collusions and confrontations of history (there is no Dr Livingstone, I presume) and much of the book's pleasure derives from lesser known incidents.

Inevitably, some of the accounts of earlier meetings are somewhat sketchy but Moore offers some piquant speculation, laced with humour (the book is tagged Reference / Humour, rather than History and this feels right, but the book, though wry and opinionated, never stoops to wackiness). I was intrigued to discover that, though Attila the Hun did die on his wedding night, it was not in drunken and lecherous debauchery, as his enemies maintained, but supposedly because he was generally a simple and clean-living man who had a few too many which brought on a particularly bad nosebleed.

Moore's book is full of such tales – it would be wrong of me to steal the tastiest morsels of his research and pepper this article with them, but look out for a subsidiary reason for the Gunpowder Plot (too many dour and powerful Scots in Parliament); a great meeting of great beards, as Castro wins the Hemingway prize for sea-fishing; Dali bringing a skeptical Freud round to the art of the surrealists; Buffalo Bill's wife claiming an aged Queen Victoria had propositioned him; Oscar Wilde getting a kiss from Walt Whitman, while Walter Scott was more taken with Burns's charismatic eyes. This is an enjoyable and vigorous rattle through some fascinating and believable yarns. My only quibble is that it's a little on the short side – let's have Volume 2 please Chambers! - Roddy Lumsden, www.Books from Scotland.com

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