The Three Pianists Concert

It worked! How can I tell you about this and still be my usual humble self? We were sold out and the audience gave us a standing ovation. That's it. Now it is over I can relax.

Heather Bellene was most impressive, she gave a faultless performance. Sid Wright was loveable as he gave us a review of his life in music. I bumbled about in the beginning but got into my stride quite quickly because the audience was so supportive. I suppose, living in Spain, they must be starved for entertainment in their own language. They were wonderful to play to.

So we made money but, to tell you the truth, I enjoyed this so much I would have paid for the privilege to do it. Now for the next concert...

The Three Pianists

Never mind The Three Tenors, have you heard The Three Pianists? Artists are Sid Wright, accompanist to the stars who was at the Talk of The Town in London for sixteen years, Heather Bellene, concert pianist and London Bobby, pub pianner basher. First concert will be in Spain, Mijas Costa, Friday January 29. Right now, five days to go, busy with last minute promotion, rehearsal and production details. Nice feature article in The Costa del Sol News with this picture nicely displayed. More details: www.thethreepianists.com

Thoughts on the monarchy from a foreign jail

Thoughts on the monarchy from a foreign jail, (or gaol if you are British).

Apparently the U.S. penal system gives Conrad Black enough stability and peace to meditate and commit his thoughts to paper. Whatever your thoughts on the monarchy are, pro or con, I recommend you read this article on the choice for Canada between monarchy and republicanism;

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=2165496

An article in the Calgary Herald says "Prince Charles and Camilla are visiting, and most Canadians don't really care". http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/Prince+Charles+Camilla+visiting+most+Canadians+really+care/2169872/story.html

Conrad Black has written a well-reasoned article as to why we should care. This article is all the more poignant considering the circumstances of its writer. Regardless of the future of our constitution, and the present plight of the writer, here is a quote with which I completely agree:

"Prince Charles deserves a warm welcome in this country. He likes Canada, knows it well, and has a number of friends here. He has recovered well and completely from the buffetings and infelicities of earlier days, when his estranged wife was running a parallel monarchy, and from the sadness and ultimately the tragedy of that marriage. The Duchess of Cornwall is an unambiguously apt and gracious person, and the imperishable and strangely useful institution of the monarchy will be in good hands when their time comes."

Open-air Beer Drinking

Canada: Brampton Fair.
Note wire fence, security guards, plastic cup, mandatory red plastic ID wristband. Click on the picture for enlargement.


Spain: Supermarket car park.
Note footed glass, gourmet sausage.

Nothing to grumble about.

London Bobby's Last Public Performance went very well, place was packed and nobody left during the show! Wow! So maybe not the last performance after all. Have to be careful though, don't want to quit because the last performance is lousy, want to go out with a bang!

Did three hours of songs and comedy without referring to lyrics. Wow! Apparently I only need a set list.

Now I have to be careful about this blog, many more like this and will have to change the name from 'Bob's Daily Grumble' to 'Bob's Daily Brag'. A lot of the credit for the success of the evening goes to Pauline, the lovely gaffer of the Winchester Arms. The place was warm, cosy, convivial, just what a pub should be. It made it easy to entertain. Thanks, Pauline. The rest of the credit goes to my fans who showed up to support me, thank you everybody.

London Bobby, time-traveller from the previous century, bringing the good music with me.

London Bobby -Final Public Appearance!

Well, maybe. Depends how it goes. Soon, though, the damn keyboard is getting heavy.

When London Bobby appears tomorrow, September 26 at the Winchester Arms, in Dundas, Ontario, it may well be the last kick at the cat. This pub is managed by the same folk who had the Winchester Arms in Streetsville where London Bobby appeared in the 1980's. It is a good place for a party, see http://www.winchesterarms.net/

London Bobby's Pub Night, inspired by the music hall of 1930's London, is an anarchy of songs, comedy and audience participation. The songs date from the last century but still go over well, even the young pub staff like it, to their and my surprise. Pleases me no end!

However, I will be retiring soon. My style is a bit mellow for modern ears and real pianos have all but disappeared.To all who have followed me for so many years I give my heartfelt thanks. I hope you have had as much fun out of listening as I have had performing for you. Thank you.

My name is london Bobby and I am a time-traveller from the last century.

In this cage - wicked drinkers.

My first experience of a Toronto pub was trying to get into a bar where the girls were. A very large gentleman demurred and pointed out the wall down the middle of the pub and the sign that said, "Ladies and escorts only". On the other side of the wall was where dirty old drinking bastards like me should go. The decor was 1940 toilet (this was 1953 when I first hit Toronto) and the chairs and tables were Salvation Army basic. Several male waiters walked around with trays loaded with small glasses of unspecified draft and, unasked, slammed down two glasses for the newcomer and demanded twenty-five cents, imagine! You had to be seated to drink, you couldn't take your glass and walk over to another table if you saw a friend and you sure as Hell were not allowed to sing. These were the laws of the LCBO. By God we will make a profit selling the stuff but we sure as Hell won't let 'em enjoy it.

In 1971 they relented a bit and I persuaded the owner of a Greek restaurant to rename it "The Barmaid's Arms" and hire me to sing English Music Hall songs and get the crowd singing. He had quite a tussle with the LCBO to get the name approved with the word 'bar' in it, people might think there was booze in there.

Last Sunday I went to the Brampton Fair. Several stalls sold hotdogs and hamburgers but if I wanted a beer I had to go through this gate with security guards, into this wire enclosure and, get this, wear a red identity band on my wrist. I think the beer concession was being operated by the same people that do those private-enterprise prisons.

What depresses me is that when my friends in England, America and anywhere else in the world except Moroccco read this they won't believe it but my friends here in Ontario will just sadly shake their heads and say , "Yup, that's the way it is". I want to run into the street shouting, "Rise up! Shake off the oppressors!" and make a bonfire of red wrist-bands but it is hard to be a revolution all by myself. Come on, you lot, rise up!

My name is London Bobby. I am a time-traveller from the last century and some things haven't changed much.