'How these curiosities would be quite forgot, did not such idle fellowes as I put them down.'
- John Aubrey
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 -
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.
Glasgow's current marketing slogan has been announced as 'People Make Glasgow'.
Quote:
'a creative team from the marketing bureau came up with the new slogan, which was approved by board members.
Councillor Matheson added: "Over the past five weeks we have reviewed all of the contributions from Glaswegians and from across the globe.
"We also interviewed more than 40 of Glasgow's leaders from the private, public and academic sectors and, overwhelmingly, they told us that what makes Glasgow great is its people."
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, principal of Strathclyde University, said: "This launch is another milestone in Glasgow's renaissance and it celebrates what makes us a great city.
"It is absolutely fitting that the city is putting its citizens front and centre with the new brand."
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stuart Patrick said: "On behalf of the business community, we warmly welcome the new brand.
"Now our job is to go out and use the brand's core message to sell Glasgow to the world."
End Quote
Am not much of a salesman myself, but here is a sampler of people in Glasgow (if not necessarily from Glasgow) - and also a few non-human animals.
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| One of my favourite pics; a quick kiss at Glasgow Cross in the march against cuts. See
STUC March Against Public Spending Cuts
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/stuc-march-against-public-spending-cuts.html |
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| Love this one too - an 'Accidental Tondo'. Lots going on in that hoop frame. See
West End Festival June 2010
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Fab stiltwalkers on Glasgow Green. See
Glasgow Green: the 2010 Scottish Junior Run
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| A romantic encounter in Buchanan St Bus station. See
Public Art 1: Love in Buchanan St Bus station and St Mungo Avenue
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| Life imitates art |
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| A hug in Sauchiehall St. See
Sauchiehall St and Buchanan St: street life February 2013
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| Speaker from the Destiny Angel church; see link above. Hug in background |
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| Evangelical dancer from the Destiny church; RC nun in background |
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| My Washington State cousin Bill with Pakistani piper at the 2010 Piping Festival. Many thousands of miles apart in birth, but a shared love of the pipes. See
Glasgow Piping Festival
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| No argument about who wears the troosers here |
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Quantum of Solace: a soldier tidies a wreath in George Square
George Square
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| A soldier holds some balloons in Buchanan st. See
Sauchiehall St and Buchanan St: street life February 2013
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| Some banter |
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| Big Issue seller and his lovely dog Max |
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A cycle from Kelvingrove Park to Clydebank and back, to raise funds for the Paul O'Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre at Glasgow University. See
Cycle Glasgow 2012 - Sunday 19 August
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One of Glasgow's street entertainers. See
Entertainers 2: the Golden Man
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| One from a forthcoming series on Roma Big Issue sellers and beggars in Glasgow |
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| Glasgow's Sikhs. See
Glasgow's Sikhs
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| This and the next four pics are from the opening of the Pollokshields Gurdwara -
Glasgow's Sikhs 3: the Pollokshields Gurdwara
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| Laughter in the Rain |
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| One often finds memorials such as this on bridges and by the roadside. See
Clyde St to Victoria Rd to Bridge St
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/clyde-st-to-victoria-rd-to-bridge-st.html |
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| Celtic scarf and colours with Union Jack bag by the Forth and Clyde canal. See
Welcome to Glasgow 6: West End to Bishopbriggs - Main Drag up, Canal Back
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| Dundee United and Ross County fans at Hampden. See
Hampden Park: Dundee United v Ross County Cup Final 15 May 2010
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| Bananaman bonds with police horse |
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| From a forthcoming post on the Scotland v Ukraine friendly |
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| Celtic fans having a huddle. See
Hampden Park 3: Hibernian v Celtic 26 May 2013
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Celtic fans celebrate winning the league. See
Celtic are SPL Champions for 2013: and a walk down London Rd
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| Rangers fans marching in support of their club. See
Glasgow Rangers 2: the 50,000 sellout match
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| St Patrick blessing a Rangers scarf. See
Tommy Burns Tribute 16 May 2008
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| I left my Partick Thistle hat beside the Rangers strip |
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| Firhill, home of Partick Thistle. See
Sunshine on Firhill: Partick Thistle 1, Morton 0
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| Old Guard Jags fans |
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| Thistle mascot getting instructions |
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| Glasgow's Horrible 'Pay Your Rent First' poster. Most charmless poster I have ever seen. See
Red Road Flats
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| The last remnant (now gone) of an older marketing campaign, Glasgow's Smiles Better. See
Gorbals 3: Saltmarket to Tradeston
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| Refugee march from Red Road Flats passes a closed City Chambers. See
Red Road Flats part 3
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| Squirrel eating a Yorkshire pudding foraged from the bins. See
Colebrooke st tenements: more inconvenient Glasgow buildings come down
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| Pagans and Druids at the 2013 Sighthill Summer Solstice. See
Sighthill Summer Solstice 2013
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| A perfect Hogarthian line of beauty |
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| Cycling beside the Forth and Clyde canal. See
elcome to Glasgow 6: West End to Bishopbriggs - Main Drag up, Canal Back
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| Courting swans. See
Sampler 1: Some Forth and Clyde Canal Photies
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| Swans and cygnet |
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| Reaching for the sky in Glasgow. See
Riverside Museum: Danny MacAskill and the Clan come to Glasgow - Part 1
Riverside Museum: Danny MacAskill and the Clan come to Glasgow - Part 2
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Thank you for browsing, dear visitor. And finally, I must plug my wee book Brief Encounters - the KIndle edn is now available on Amazon for 99p!!!
There is much Scottish interest in the book, including Macbeth's pilgrimage to meet the Pope, Flora MacDonald meeting Dr Johnson, Walter Scott meeting Burns and much more. For glowing reviews of the print edition, see the end of this post.
My other wee blogs are
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!)
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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