Oh I love Boy George and it was great to hear him on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show last Friday. If you didn't hear it go and have a catch up on the BBC radio iplayer if you have a moment because it was really good. Never did I think the combination of guests like Craig Revel Horwood, Katherine Jenkins, George himself and Seasick Steve would be so entertaining but blimey they were.

There was so much appreciation between all these massive personalities and  artists from such different musical genres. I just loved that Seasick Steve wanted to go and see Boy George live and vice versa, what a collaboration that would be if they got together, can you imagine. Fabulous! The love and respect just seemed to ooze from my radio and really made me feel good for the rest of the day.

George was so funny, I could listen to him forever and when Chris asked if he could just play a snippet of his song Victims it just stirred up so many memories. I think that song is just one of the best songs ever. Released in 1983 it's so timeless and still sounds amazing now as it did back then. I was a thirteen year old teenager and loved the music through the 80's, it got me through my adolescence and bands like Culture Club were so iconic.

Victims just bursts out with passion with those lyrics and the strings just make it all sound so dramatic.....I love it when you can just get so many feelings from listening to a song. Those songs stand out as true classics and this one would be there in my dessert island discs if I was ever to choose mine.

Boy George and Culture Club are still brilliant today and they have just released a new album called 'Life' which is also really good. I have a bit of a fascination for lyrics at the moment and I am drawn to George's writing as he tends to write about his life experiences, so I suppose the album title is very apt. A great combination of songs here including the single 'Let Somebody Love You'. This has reggae feel which lifts it and kind of makes you want to let love in, yes even me.....wow. I do love a bit of reggae though, it makes one feel very chilled want to love everyone. 

So go and have a listen to the new and the old music by Boy George and Culture Club and go and see them on their forthcoming tour too. I'm not sure whether they are sick of playing the oldies but hope not as we all love em' don't we? Yes we do, go on admit it!!

Great bloke, great sense of humour, inspirational songs and just generally a nice chap.....thanks for the music George!

Thank you too for reading today, please join me again tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday but for now........

​Take care.

Come on I know.....I've seen you! You are driving along and a classic song suddenly lets rip through your speakers and you become a musical diva, singing it out loud and very proud.

We should all do it but do you get a bit worried if someone clocks you mid 'I Will Survive?' I mean lets hope you're not in full blown 'dumped' mode with panda mascara eyes and a death wish on the ex. I prefer Bohemian Rhapsody myself, it's the only chance I get to sing in so many vocal ranges at the same time pretending to be the best operatic star ever!! Talk about drama, that song just has it all.

This is all ok if you have someone with you in the car as you can laugh it off together but alone.....well that's when you get the person next to you suggesting you make your way to the nearest psychiatrist for an emergency appointment. I tend to be a back country lane diva on my own, somewhere in the countryside where no one can see me, I don't feel ready for the rush hour spotlight yet.

I tend to get caught laughing in my car, not randomly but I listen to the radio a lot and if something makes me giggle well I've gone. I only hope that the person in the next car has the same radio station on with the same sense of humour but no it doesn't always happen. The thing to do though if you do find yourself in this situation is just laugh, make out your saying goodbye to someone on your hands free and go to switch the pretend call off. There you go not mad at all now, just a nice imaginary phone call.

The other thing about being a car disco diva is singing along to someone else's music in their car. You know in summer when the windows are down and you get stuck in traffic? Now some people play some real rubbish but now again you hear a classic and just can't help singing along. It feels like butting in to someone else's conversation but you could always acknowledge that you love their tunes and make friends......better than road rage, lets call it the road stage instead.

Whatever you do just keep singing if you like to, as long as you’re safe and have your attention on your driving well who cares. If I see you singing in your car I'll salute you. Lets be happy and be the diva’s we deserve to be. At least you can get to where you are are going and announce........Thanks to Gloria Gaynor I have reached my destination and I have survived!!

Thank you for reading today, join me again tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday but for now you all take care and.......

​Keeeeeep singing.

I didn't know whether to write this one under Music Monday or Autism Saturday but that picture is literally my brain trying to cope with some background music in public places. 

At home I stick my headphones on and just take myself away from the busy'ness of the world and play what I like, my own little world....ahhhh lovely and if I have a brew as well, that's heaven.

But what if you don't have any choice about the music being played? What if I'm in the supermarket trying to decide between a frittata and a piñata and end up being put off by a bit of Dancing Queen by Abba well then I may end up bashing a eggy omelette type thing hoping to get a prize when really I needed to buy a Piñata. 

I like the idea of spontaneously breaking out into a bit of the Macarena while pushing my trolley or have been known to sing my Rock Choir songs while making a purchasing from the deli at Tesco and that's ok. It's when it's noise in the background that suddenly takes over.

I was having breakfast at The Hilton the other weekend darling......and I was tucking into my full English when I started to notice this yoga/mediation type music playing in the restaurant. It was subtle as it would be, never known yoga people to be rocking to Metallica but hey I now have that vision my head. I love a bit of calming music but it didn't go well with my breakfast, I wasn't sure whether to get into the crouching tiger pose (if there is one) or pop my poached eggs. After a while it was a bit annoying.

The 'on hold' music while waiting in a phone queue can be amusing, again ok if it's a good tune but if it's Greensleeves played over and over and I'm 12th in the queue it's not going to be good by the time I get through, I'll either be classically hypnotised or I will get caught singing 'You're The One That I Want' to poor Daniel from Virgin Media. The shame!!

There is good music and bad in the background, you can choose to block it out or dance and sing like no one is looking. Me? I'm going back to my headphones and my uncomplicated sanctuary. 

Thank you for reading today.....come back tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday but for now........take care.
​

I joined my friends family and I think we made a top team to enter into the Rock Choir Music Quiz Night. Yes a couple of our Rockies (Rock Choir members) arranged a fabulous night of fun and food oh and of course answering sorts of questions about music.

Team Wright Stuff (after the Wright family) were well prepared, we had a good range of different ages and knowledge so it was looking good. Some of the questions were really tough and stumped us slightly. There were categories based around The Beatles, Eurovision, National Anthems, classical music, TV/film theme songs and there was also a picture round too. It was all put together very professionally and Martin and Fiona were top quiz masters. 

Well we had a laugh and it was so educational, I learnt some things I didn't know and also managed to pluck the theme music from the tv series Unforgiven from out of nowhere, see binge watching came in handy there. The song just stuck in my head, and a good job too. So what was the result I hear you say?......Well we only won!! All our great knowledge paid off and we were awarded a lovely trophy. 

It was so good to all get together again, we do tend to have fun us Rockies. I can see why people go quizzing and take part in activities such as Bingo as it really keeps your brain active. I could get used to that, goodness knows my brain needs the exercise. We were very well looked after at Mickleover Golf Club, they provided us with a nice pie and chip meal, gluten free for me as well woo!

If you get a chance to go quizzing do go as it really is good fun. It doesn't have to be a music one, it can be anything of interest you it's just that music seemed a good theme for a choir. 

At Rock Choir we are about to start our next song which is 'Can't Stop The Feeling' by Justin Timberlake, our second upbeat number after completing 'Footloose' in the past few weeks. I'm loving our new songs and always like going over a few of the oldies too. Lots of fun!!

Thank you for joining me today.....come back tomorrow for more with Teapot Tuesday but for now, take care.

I'm just sitting here thinking about these two and especially Paul Heaton's songwriting and thinking, he's a bloomin' genius. All the songs he's written have just been catchy, with a bit of humour backed with a top tune that will stick in your head for ages. That my friends it top songwriting.

I always listen to his songs and wish I'd written that or I'd love to write like that....apart from being amazing lyrically he's a top bloke too.

Paul has a new single out with the lovely and very gorgeous Jacqui Abbott called 7" Singles. I heard it last week on Radio 2, Chris Evans had a chat with Paul and we learnt that this single as actually inspired by the local pub jukebox. Oh I love a jukebox, I do still get quite excited if I see one and cannot resist popping a tune on, that's if you can find one. It's all gone modern now with music online so the classic jukebox is becoming a bit scarce now but there is still the odd one knocking around.

The jukebox was the chance to let the whole world (well the rest of the pub) know what you favourite music was, putting your records on in the pub instead of in your own record player at home. The equivalent I suppose now days of family sharing on iTunes or sharing your playlist. It was great because it wasn't the choice of the landlord it was always the peoples choices on the old jukebox.  

The video to this single is really good, funnily enough it's filmed in a pub with, guess what? Yes a jukebox! Simple but very entertaining. I think I know most songs and artists mentioned in the song, even Peters and Lee.....oh Welcome Home - 'come on in a close the door'.....70's classic (Google it kids!). 

If you haven't heard it go and download it now.........or take a quick look at the video here: 
youtu.be/7A0Td_G-j7E

Great eh? So catchy.......these two never fail to bring out a good song, not heard a bad one yet. 7" Singles is taken from the forthcoming album The Last King of Pop which is a 'best of' album featuring songs from The Housemartins and Beautiful South days as well as his collaborations with Jacqui. I cannot wait to purchase that. 

That song is well and truly in your head now isn't it? Ha ha....You're welcome! Thank you very much for reading today. Join me tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday but for now.....

​Take care.