…with Kirsty MacColl.
A screenshot of the 100th episode of Jools Holland’s inexhaustible show “Later..”. Here sittin’ at the piano with the irreplaceable Kirsty. Her writing,singing and musical attitude were a wonderful thing. From “Fairy Tale of New York”, to “Looking for a New England”, and a heartfelt “They don’t know”. Such a loss. Jools is sporting an Ace Cafe Tshirt; and the world can’t have enough motorcycle themed t-shirts in it!
Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham is considered to be the greatest rock ‘n’ roll percussionist of all time. Where Page gave color to their music and Plant texture; Bonzo was the heartbeat. Pulsating longship oarsmen rhythm in The Immigrant Song or the progressive Kashmir, they all were founded on the granite of his skills on his Ludwigs. Here he is in a suburban garden on his Triumph Chopper a la Captain America.
Leather Tuscadero played by Suzi Quatro, was the younger punk sister of Fonzies on again off again gal Punkie. Suzi was also a pioneering woman rocker in the seventies helped with her growling vocals, big bass slapping and one piece race leather outfits. In her mid sixties she’s still belting out her hits.
Can the Can? You be she can!
Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?You been out ridin’ fences for so long now
Oh, you’re a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Can hurt you somehow
Don’t you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She’ll beat you if she’s able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can’t get
Desperado, oh, you ain’t gettin’ no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they’re drivin’ you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that’s just some people talkin’
Your prison is walking through this world all alone
Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
You’re losin’ all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?
Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you (let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you before it’s too late.
Glenn Frey 1948-2016
The Eagles are one of the best soundtracks of the open American highway .
Didn’t know what time it was and the lights were low
I leaned back on my radio
Some cat was layin’ down some rock ‘n’ roll ‘lotta soul, he said
Then the loud sound did seem to fade
Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase
That weren’t no D.J. that was hazy cosmic jive
There’s a starman waiting in the sky
He’d like to come and meet us
But he thinks he’d blow our minds
There’s a starman waiting in the sky
He’s told us not to blow it
‘Cause he knows it’s all worthwhile
He told me
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie
David Bowie 1947-2016
Bowie at 69. New album release today with more astounding creative force from music-man David.
★
New Musical Express: the long and short of it. Another photo of LEMMY riding a Triumph; this time a looong forked chopper. Here as bassist from Hawkwind years before Motörhead.
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
Nine Rockets rockin’
Eight Dommies roarin’
Seven Comets thumpin’
Six Lightings flashin’
Five Golden Stars!
Four AJ’s harin’
Three Cafe’s brewin’
Two Bonnie’s beltin’
And a Vincent doin’ the ton along the A3!
Back in the eighties British music had a hint of dour feeling with such acts as The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, New Order. 
Colin Vearncombe also known as Black had a hit with A Wonderful Life. The Liverpudlian sang this minor key ode to Thatchers dream using a very effective black & white video filmed on the seafront of Wallasey. One frame shows a small BSA C11 rolling along the promenade.
Three Triples lined up: white, green & black. Like some dollar bill waiting to be spent.
Schoolhouse Rocks
Written by Blind Melon
Three is a magic number
Ya it is, it’s a magic number
Somewhere in that ancient mystic trinity
You’ll get three
As a magic number
The past, the present, the future,
Faith, and hope, and charity,
The heart, the brain, the body,
Will give you three,
It’s a magic number
It takes three legs to make a tripod or to make a table stand,
And it takes three wheels to make a vehicle called a tricycle
And every triangle has three corners,
Every triangle has three sides,
No more, no less,
You don’t have to guess
That it’s three
Can’t you see?
It’s a magic number
A man and a woman had a little baby
Yeah they did
And there were three in the family
And that’s a magic number
The Nez: one of the sixties assembled pop groups to thwart Beatles domination the guitar singer songwriter Michael Nesmith enjoyed all things cool Californian. And that included his love for Triumph motorcycles.
Plenty of zany shenanigans on their TV show.
And that green wool bobble hat!
Scottish heavy metal band Nazareth had a fantastic hit in ’75 with the posts titular name:
Heart breaker, soul shaker
I’ve been told about you
Steamroller, midnight stroller
What they’ve been saying must be true
Red hot mama
Velvet charmer
Time’s come to pay your dues
Now you’re messin’ with a
A son of a bitch
Now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch
Now you’re messin’ with a
A son of a bitch
Now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch
Talkin’ jivey, poison ivy
You ain’t gonna cling to me
Man taker, born faker
I ain’t so blind I can’t see.
Nortons rotary F1 was their last hurrah into early nineties racing actually taking a win at the Isle of Man TT with Steve Hislop at the controls. Many consider Hizzys race to be the superlative classic of the event pipping Carl Fogarty’s Ysmaha: a true David versus Goliath. In black it certainly looks the part. Those wankel power units spinning like a jet turbine at speed.
Here’s Ron Haslam winding this one up to good effect…
Here’s the Triumph dealer down in New Orleans Louisiana. Our man on the ground Dean Rennie was down in the Big Easy for a conference and had a few moments to pop in and see that southerners are being offered the same Bonnevilles, Daytona’s, and the usual range as up here in Chi-Town where the Delta Blues ended up.
Nice display with plenty of sparkling new product being looked over by choice vintage specimens, such as this Tiger. Of course our correspondent was also enjoying the outstanding music Nawlins has to offer. Ask the Big Chief:
After appearing on the cover of the Beach Boys 1963 album “Little Deuce Coupe” Clarence “Chili” Catallo’s glorious ’32 Ford coupe hot rod, nicknamed the “Silver Sapphire”…became the very definition of sixties Hot Rod.
Purchased in Motor City Detroit when he was 15 he completed its muscular yet spare blue and chrome vision whilst working at the great George Barris’ LA suburbs kustom ‘shop in California. After appearing on the cover of HotRod ‘zine the rest is music history.
“Just a little deuce coupe with a flat head mill
But she’ll walk a Thunderbird like it’s standin’ still
She’s ported and relieved and she’s stroked and bored.
She’ll do a hundred and forty with the top end floored
She’s my little deuce coupe
You don’t know what I got..” Brian Wilson
A Paul Simonon painting of a dour T100 Triumph Bonneville. Stealthy, gothic, oily. Looks like you could hop on her and hare off down to Boxhill. Looks like our Clash bass-man has this very machine.
geordiebiker.com 