Archived News - Posted On Thursday 25th March 2021
FROM THE METRO-LIB-ELITE DESK OF Stewart Lee – April 21
1) KING ROCKER ON NOW TV
2) ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION
3) 7” SINGLE
4) LIVE DATES NEWS
5) MEDIA GARAGE SALE
6) PODCASTS AND THAT
7) MINIATURES 2
8) WEIRD WALK
9) CROWD FUND TRUE WEST
10) I Arrogantly Recommend
Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licóur
Of which vertú engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye,
So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages,
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially, from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
1) King Rocker Now TV
Thanks for watching our documentary KING ROCKER last Saturday on Sky Arts, and spreading the word, and crowd-funding it, if you did.
Our labour of love really landed. I arrogantly think it knocks most rockumentaries into a cocked hat and will cheer you up no end in the awful times.
“I loved every minute” – Ben Dowell, The Times
★★★★ Financial Times
★★★★ Chortle
“One of the best music documentaries of all time” – The Quietus
“The new gold standard for rockumentaries” – The Scotsman
Anyway, it appears you can now watch it, ad-free, on NOW TV if you have that;
NOW TV LINK
2) COMIN’ OVER HERE 12”
An actual physical 12” EP of Asian Dub Foundation(feat. Stewart Lee)‘s Brexit day number 1 Comin’ Over Here will be out on March 26th and can be pre-ordered here…
Bandcamp | X Ray Production
Brilliantly, higher shipping costs on ADF’s Anti-Brexit anthem are due to…Brexit, but they will try and circumvent this.
The remixes are of other bits of the Paul Nuttalls routine and work great.
I can’t believe how well the ADF’s made this work. I was their mere tool.
3) TEN BOB/USE LOAF 7”
‘Ten Bob Each Way’ / ‘Use Your Loaf’ is a limited 7” single, featuring a brand-new Nightingales recording, their first since recording their ‘Four Against Fate’ album.
B-sided with Stewart Lee and Nick Pynn covering the band’s second single, ‘Use Your Loaf’, a track that was for a mooted Nightingales tribute album. ‘Ten Bob Each Way’ / ‘Use Your Loaf’ will be released 15th May on Fire Records/King Rocker Records.
Pre-order 7”: https://fire-records.lnk.to/TenBobUseYourLoaf
4) LIVE DATES NEWS
It looks like all the SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO tour dates outstanding from 2020 will be shifted into 2022, starting in Jan, and below are the ones we know about so far. Thanks for bearing through all this with patience.
Local venues will contact you if they haven’t already. All the club dates you may have bought tickets for I will try and slot in in Dec 2021 and Jan 2022, covid willing. Please do not hassle venues about all this. They will contact you. We will get there!
I am planning on re-writing the SNOWFLAKE half of SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO to reflect our drastically altered world and will make as good a recording as possible of the abandoned original SNOWFLAKE available at some point. It’s all bacon!
Currently, the following dates have been re-arranged;
Saturday 15th January 2022 – Theatre Royal, Norwich – TICKETS
Tuesday 25th January 2022 – The Lowry, Salford – TICKETS
Wednesday 26th January 2022 – The Lowry, Salford – TICKETS
Thursday 27th January 2022 – The Lowry, Salford – TICKETS
Friday 28th January 2022 – The Lowry, Salford – TICKETS
Saturday 29th January 2022 – The Lowry, Salford – TICKETS
Sunday 30th January 2022 – Theatre Royal, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS
Tuesday 8th February 2022 – Town Hall, Cheltenham
Wednesday 9th February 2022 – Town Hall, Cheltenham
Sunday 13th February 2022 – Hippodrome, Birmingham
Friday 25th February 2022 – The Dome, Brighton – TICKETS
Saturday 26th February 2022 – The Dome, Brighton – TICKETS
Sunday 27th February 2022 – The Dome, Brighton – TICKETS
Monday 28th February 2022 – The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury – TICKETS
Wednesday 2nd March 2022 – Northcott Theatre, Exeter
Thursday 3rd March 2022 – Northcott Theatre, Exeter
Wednesday 9th March 2022 – Theatre Royal, Wakefield – TICKETS
Thursday 10th March 2022 – Opera House, Buxton – TICKETS
Wednesday 16th March 2022 – The Sands Centre, Carlisle – TICKETS
Wednesday 23rd March 2022 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Thursday 24th March 2022 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Friday 25th March 2022 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Saturday 26th March 2022 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Sunday 27th March 2022 – Royal & Derngate, Northampton – TICKETS
Saturday 2nd April 2022 – Storyhouse, Chester – TICKETS
Sunday 24th April 2022 – Mayflower Theatre, Southampton – TICKETS
Tuesday 3rd May 2022 – Theatre Royal, York TICKETS
Wednesday 4th May 2022 – Theatre Royal, York – TICKETS
Thursday 5th May 2022 – Theatre Royal, York – TICKETS
Friday 6th May 2022 – St. George’s Hall, Bradford – TICKETS
Saturday 7th May 2022 – Gala Theatre, Durham – TICKETS
Sunday 8th May 2022 – Theatre Royal, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS
Friday 13th May 2022 – The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford – TICKETS
Saturday 14th May 2022 – The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford – TICKETS
Sunday 22nd May 2022 – The Grand, Wolverhampton – TICKETS
Monday 23rd May 2022 – Hippodrome, Bristol – TICKETS
Wednesday 29th June 2022 – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
Thursday 30th June 2022 – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
Friday 1st July 2022 – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
Saturday 2nd July 2022 – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
Sunday 3rd July 2022 (EARLY SHOW) – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
Sunday 3rd July 2022 (LATE SHOW) – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London – TICKETS
All Covid rescheduled dates will be added to the Live Dates page of the website, here, as they are confirmed.
5) MEDIA GARAGE SALE
My trusted sales partner Media Garage has compacted all my available stand-up dvds into one convenient on-line marketplace, with most available to d/load too.
Remember, if you buy here we will pay tax on these purchases, and help with British schools and hospitals, whereas many major physical media suppliers and streaming services have found ways to avoid declaring their profits, as have NETFLIX, the utter bastards.
AMERICANS – stop moaning about not being able to see me and visit MEDIA GARAGE!
MEDIA GARAGE | MORE INFO ON THE MERCH PAGE
6) Podcasts
To try and promote King Rocker I have been pimping myself about on every Podcast going, alone or with dir M Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast), saying the same things in the same room in the same clothes to all different people, all of whom were very kind.
I don’t know what a podcast is really but I think you go on the internet and click on something.
As my grandfather once said, in 1983, “Do you know, in America, there are shops that only sell Kentucky Fried Chicken?” I enjoyed being on the internet with all these people enormously, but will put some blue water between me and the next wedge.
David Baddiel told me it was good to be on the internet, though. These are available..
AND THERE’s A 3000W ARTICLE ABOUT ITALIAN WESTERNS IN VICE BY ME
SOHO RADIO 1981-1991 LIVE MUSIC MEMORIES SHOW
Some of the music I saw live in my 1st ten years of gig going
SPIT OR SWALLOW
Comedians Sally-Anne Hayward and Lou Conran, and me, on alcoholic drinks
ALEXEI SAYLE’S UNFIT FOR PURPOSE
A rambling chat in which I fail to promote King Rocker at the expense of a Marxist analysis of culture and history from the inventor of Alternative Comedy ™ ®
KERMODE ON FILM
Dir Michael Cumming and I discuss King Rocker with Britain’s top film guru and skiffle enthusiast, who has been very supportive of the no-budget project.
BACKLISTED
Andy Miller and John Michinson’s long running and much loved books podcast. I discuss the waspish poet and novelist Rosemary Tonks with them, Nicky Birch and Jennifer Hodgson.
This is a marvellous ongoing Podcast which is unashamedly civilised in an unenlightened era, and this episode is full of great writing, batshit radiophonic music and clever women.
OWEN JONES
North London echo chamber fun sure to irk people of all political persuasions with the forensically-minded folk devil for the far right and snowflake do-gooder Owen Jones, and me, talking about King Rocker and more general stuff. His current run of ‘casts has some great guests.
GINGERBEARDMARK
Informed Wolverhampton-based comedy and music enthusiast of uncommon warmth and knowledge talks to me about KING ROCKER and what the Gray Pays ‘n’ Bacon are like at the Great Western pub.
ADAM BUXTON PODCAST
I asked Adam if I could go on this massively popular podcast and he said yes which was very kind of him. It was fun hearing his Mark E Smith story from the horse’s mouth and he asked me hard questions of the type I usually avoid.
A DRINK WITH THE IDLER
I answer questions from various utterly delightful members of the Idler’s thoughtful middle class readership from their wine and book filled homes.
They are the real stars here! You will emerge from watching this in love with at least one of them.
THE LAST LINE
In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to comedian Stewart Lee about his new film King Rocker, a documentary about Robert Lloyd, lead singer of 70’s post-punk band The Nightingales.
During their conversation they discuss the new film, its central protagonist Robert Lloyd, stand up comedy, Stewart’s propensity to defend stand up comedians against the views of the general public and his reluctance to participate in podcast interviews.
There’s an interview with Michael Cumming on this podcast too, link below.
OUT TO LUNCH WITH JAY RAYNER
Sometime in March you will be able to hear me eat a really lovely Sri Lankan mutton curry from the Kolama restaurant, Soho, with bon viveur jazz pianist Jay Rayner. (I see how this works now!)
This is the most showbiz thing I have ever done, and I am glad it was with jazzy Jay Rayner.
HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD
with post-mod post-man, old school Labour face, and former near pop-soul star, Alan Johnson.
THE C86 SHOW
KING ROCKER viewed through an astringent ‘80s rock filter, w me and dir Michael Cumming
ROBIN INCE’S COSMIC SHAMBLES
This is a new series of docu-chats on different esoteric subjects.
You have to pay for them because they are finished pieces of work not just some fuckers talking or wandering about.
I have appeared on three of them – on Hawkwind, Penda’s Fen and John Carpenter’s Apocalypse Trilogy.
THE MRS BARBARA NICE AND FRIENDS PODCAST
I am winsomely x-examined by the Midland comedy legend and former Everready singer
ADRIAN GOLDBERG ON BRUM RADIO
Dir Michael Cumming and I discuss King Rocker with the Nightingales’ contemporary Adrian Goldberg.
7) MINIATURES 40th
I appear on a 40th anniversary celebration of Morgan Fisher’s various artists album Miniatures (ask your dad, kids), available now.
https://www.barrylamb.com/miniatures-2020.html
8) WEIRD WALK
I have written up a weird walk around the landscape of Lamorna, in Cornwall, for the latest issue of the weird walking magazine, Weird Walk.
www.weirdwalk.co.uk
9) CROWD FUND TRUE WEST
If you happened to be a fan of short-lived but brilliant early 80s California band TRUE WEST, as I was, you will be delighted to know that the country rock meets Television group’s entire recorded output is headed for an obsolete physical media 3 cd and accompanying 24 page booklet set, but needs a bit of crowdfunding.
My band, which only played four gigs, had a song named after True West’s lead guitarist.
Here is 1983’s Hollywood Holiday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSQARW4_aq0
Here are the kickstarter details. http://kck.st/3tDjQ6i
10) I Arrogantly Recommend
NEW FILMS
Ronnie’s, Ronnie Scott & His World Famous Jazz Club (Oliver Murray)
The Dig (Simon Stone) ★★★★★
Little Joe (Jessica Hausner) ★★★★
The News Of The World (Paul Greengrass) ★★★★
OLD FILMS
Box Of Moonlight (Tom DeCillo, 1996) ★★★★★
Local Hero (Bill Forsyth, 1983) ★★★★★
Where Eagles Dare (Brian G Hutton, 1968) ★★★★★
The Big Gundown (Sergio Sollima, 1967) ★★★★★
The Sting (George Roy Hill, 1973) ★★★★★
Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) ★★★★★
The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)★★★★★
Good Vibrations (Lisa Barros D’sa/Glen Leyburn, 2013)★★★★★
Caliber 9 (Fernado di Leon, 1972) ★★★★★
‘71 (Yann Demange, 2014) ★★★★★
Big Night (Campbell Scott/Stanley Tucci, 1996) ★★★★★
Jason & The Argonauts (Don Chaffey, 1963) ★★★★★
Goldstone (Ivan Sen, 2016) ★★★★★
Witness (Peter Weir, 1985) ★★★★★
Avengers Infinity War (Russo Brothers, 2018) ★★★★
Avengers Endgame (Russo Brothers, 2019) ★★★★
OLD BOOKS
Rosemary Tonks – Emir (1963)★★★★★
Rosemary Tonks – The Bloater (1968) ★★★★★
John Berger/Jean Mohr – A Fortunate Man (1967) ★★★★★
NEW TV
Ghosts S2 (BBC, 2020)
Ghosts – Xmas Special 2020 (BBC, 2020)
The Mandalorian S2 (Disney, 2020) ★★★★★
Call My Agent S3 (France 2, 2018)★★★★★
Call My Agent S4 (France 2, 2021) ★★★★★
The Trump Show (BBC, 2020-1)★★★★★
Lupin S1 (Netflix, 2021)★★★★★
Wandavision (Marvel, 2021)★★★★★
Stonehenge The Lost Circle Revealed (BBC, 2021) ★★★★★
Adam Curtis’ Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (BBC, 2021)★★★★★
Raiders Of The Lost Past With Janina Ramirez (BBC2, 2021) ★★★★
Mortimer & Whitehouse Gone Fishing S3 (BBC, 2020) ★★★★★
NEW RECORDS
Lady Leshurr – Quaranqueen
The Primevals – New Trip
Cult Figures – Deritend
Vapour Trails – Celestial Scuzz ★★★★★
Robert Pollard – Before Computers (demos)
Kevin March – Last Night
Doug Gillard – Douglas Scott Gillard II
Guided by Voices – Earth Man Blues
Gwenifer Raymond – Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain
Ustad Saami – Pakistan Is For The Peaceful ★★★★★
The Blue Orchids – Speed The Day
Dave Graney & The Mistly – Live At Byrds ★★★★★
Mainliner – Dual Myths ★★★★★
NEW OLD RECORDS
V/A – Rough Guide To Avant-Garde Japan
Guided by Voices – Live At Irving Plaza (1996)
Damo Suzuki & Echo Ensemble – Live @ Green Door (2013)
Heavenly – A Bout De Heavenly (1989-1996)
Martin Stone – Down But Not Out In Paris and London (1992-2013)
John Russell & Terry Day – Russell & Day (1979?)
Derek Bailey, Trevor Watts & Terry Day – At LTC (1972?)
Sonny Rollins – Rollins In Holland (1967) ★★★★★
Robert Pollard – I Sell The Circus (demos) (2015)
The Fall – St Helen’s Technical College (1981) ★★★★★
Charles Gayle, John Edwards, Mark Sanders – Seasons Changing (2017) ★★★★★
The Misunderstood – Children of The Sun(1965-66) ★★★★★
Dexter Gordon – Live In Chateauvallon (1978) ★★★★★
OLD RECORDS
Cocteau Twins – Treasure (1984) ★★★★
Billy Bragg – Life’s A Riot (1983) ★★★★★
Billy Bragg – Brewing Up with (1984) ★★★★★
The Triffids – Born Sandy Devotional (1986) ★★★★
Siouxsie & The Banshees – A Kiss In The Dreamhouse (1982) ★★★★
Bunny Striker Lee – The Bunny Striker Lee Story (1967-80) ★★★★
V/A – Dub, A Journey Into Bass Culture (1970s) ★★★★
V/A – Dub, Original Bass Culture (1970s) ★★★★
V/A – Dub, More Bass Culture (1970s) ★★★★
Tomorrow’s Gift – Goodbye Future (1973) ★★★★
Jackson C Frank – s/t (1965) ★★★★
V/A – Down Home Blues, Chicago Fine Boogie (1947-1958)★★★★
Maggie Bjorklund – Shaken (2014)★★★★
June Tabor – Airs & Graces (1976) ★★★★★
John Martyn – The Very Best Of (1967-1996) ★★★★★
The Owl Service – The Garland Sessions (2007) ★★★★★
John Lee Hooker – Tantalising With The Blues (1965-70)★★★★★
Furry Lewis, Memphis Willie B, Memphis Slim – Bluesville 3 (1963?) ★★★★
Lightnin’ Hopkins – Prestige Profiles (1960-4) ★★★★★
Magic Slim – Live @ Ma Bea’s (1976) ★★★★
Jimmy Dawkins – Come Back Baby (1977) ★★★★
Allman Brothers – At Filmore East (1971) ★★★★
John Fahey – The Yellow Princess (1968) ★★★★★
Freedy Johnston – Can You Fly? (1992)★★★★
Julie Doiron – I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day (2009) ★★★★
Tragically Hip – Man Machine Poem (2016) ★★★★
Tragically Hip – We Are The Same (2009) ★★★★
Tortoise – Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996) ★★★★★
Grant Lee Buffalo – Storm Hymnal (1993-98) ★★★★
Shiva Burlesque – Mercury Blues (1990) ★★★★
Yo La Tengo – President (1989) ★★★★★
Yo La Tengo – Fakebook (1990) ★★★★★
Yo La Tengo – That Is You La Tengo (1991) ★★★★
Yo La Tengo – May I Sing With Me? (1992) ★★★★
Yo La Tengo – Painful (3 cds) (1993) ★★★★
Tim Buckley – Dream Letter (1968) ★★★★★
Those Bastard Souls – Debt & Departure (1999) ★★★★★
Wanderlust – Prize (1995) ★★★★
Chain – Towards The Blues (1971) ★★★★
The Schramms – Omnidirectional (2019) ★★★★
FOOD
Kolamba Sri Lankan restaurant, Soho, London
Daisy’s pasties
Duncan’s bacon sandwich
My Shepherd’s pie, w cabbage
12) IN OUR COVID ERA LAMENTATIONS
Adam Schlesinger (Fountain of Wayne) (1967)
John Prine (outlaw country singer) (1946)
Henry Grimes (jazz bassist) (1935)
Dave Mountfield (Ornate Johnson) (1970)
Hal Wilner (arranger) (1957)
Tim Brooke-Taylor (Goodie) (1940)
Lee Konitz (jazz saxophonist) (1927)
Matthew Seligman (Soft Boy) (1955)
Millie Small (ska singer) (1946)
Florian Schneider (Kraftwerk robot) (1947)
Bill Rieflin (drummer for hire) (1960)
Hugh McKenna (Tear Gas pianist) (1949)
Steve Weber (Holy Modal Rounder) (1942)
Astrid Kirchherr (photographer) (1938)
Danny Ray Thompson (Sun Ra saxophonist) (1947)
Aubrey Burl (archaeologist) (1926)
Phil May (Pretty Thing) (1944)
The Clacton Fin Whale (circa 2000)
Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (artist) (1930)
Doll Tor stone circle (3300 BC)
Kay Carroll (The Fall) (1948)
Bob the Cat (73 bus) (2006)
Alex Taylor (Shop Assistant, in 2005, and no-one knew)
Simon H Fell (jazz bassist) (1959)
Carl Reiner (director) (1922)
Ennio Morricone (architect of sonic dreams) (1928)
Keith Tippett (jazz pianist) (1947)
Jimmy Cobb (jazz drummer) (1929)
Barbara Smoker (Humanist) (1923)
The Nuffield Theatre, Southampton
Tony Elliot (Time Out) (1942)
Judy Dyble (folk singer) (1949)
Peter Green (blues guitarist) (1946)
Emitt Rhodes (power pop auteur) (1950)
Annie Ross (jazz bohemian) (1930)
Joe Ruby (Scooby-Doo) (1933)
Craig Weatherhill (folklorist) (1950)
Don Weller (jazz saxophonist) (1940)
Simeon Coxe (Silver Apple) (1938)
Diana Rigg (Avenger) (1938)
Toots Hibbert (reggae got soul) (1942)
Dele Fadele (carry bag man) (1962)
George Jeffrie (man’s-laughter maker) (1964)
Dave Kusworth (Brum punk Stone) (1960)
Gary Peacock (jazz bassist) (1935)
Doorkins (Southwark Cathedral Cat) (2005?)
Spencer Davis (Brumbeat pioneer) (1939)
Bunny Lee (dubmaster) (1940)
The Cubbington Pear Tree (1770)
Fungie The Dingle Dolphin (1979)
Jill Paton Walsh (humanist novelist) (1937)
Val Warner (poet) (1946)
Guy N Smith (Lord of The Crabs) (1939)
Richard Corben (decadent cartoonist) (1940)
David Johnson (Duke of Soho) (1960)
Leslie West (Mountain man) (1945)
– 2021 –
Katharine Whitehorn (bedsitter cook) (1928)
Katharine Whitehorn (bedsitter cook) (1928)
Celia Drummond Ford (voice of Trees) (1950)
The Happy Man Tree (Stoke Newington Tree) (1870)
John Russell (guitar guru) (1954)
Marcel Uderzo (Asterisk artist) (1933)
Tom Stevens (Long Ryder and Magus) (1956)
Dougie Anderson (Coda’s Edinburgh record dealer (1952)
Captain Tom (Covid Walkman) (1920)
Rynagh O’Grady (Ted’s Mary) (1954)
Mary Wilson (Supreme) (1944)
Chick Corea (Miles’ tinkler) (1941)
Iain Pattinson (You wanted to see me Prime Minister?) (1951)
U-Roy (Toastmaster) (1942)
Lawrence Ferlinghetti (bookstore beat) (1921)
Wink O’Bannon (Eleventh Dream Day) (1956)
Bunny Wailer (Wailer) (1947)
Doug Parkinson (Oz vocal celeb) (1946)
Milford Graves (temporal explorer) (1941)
Johnny Rogan (Byrds’ Boswell) (1953)
