I don’t want to bellyache on about my problems, but—as I believe most of
you probably know—last week I had my interview with the DWP via ATOS as to
whether I am eligible to continue receiving the Disability Living Allowance
which I have been getting since 2002. I have never hidden the fact that I am
disabled, or that I have been in receipt of non means-tested state benefits for
many years. Back in 1996 the doctor told me that I should never work again,
something which I have roundly ignored ever since. However, if you are to
believe the arbiters of public opinion I should be being despised by everyone,
because public opinion is—apparently—totally against those who claim any form of
state benefit.
So, I have been doing an experiment. I have been totally open and honest in
blog posts about the fact. And guess what? Although I have had many messages of
sympathy, I haven’t had a single snide remark. And nobody has called me a
scrounger or a parasite. So I am left with two possible conclusions. Either the
British public are much nicer than I thought, or the newspapers and politicians
have been lying to us all. Goodness me, Fancy that!
I think the message of support which touched me most was from Mick Abrahams
last week. He has his own health issues which are far worse than mine, but he
took the time to phone to see how I was doing, offer me his help, and regale me
with dirty and completely unrepeatable jokes, Mick, ever since I first saw you
demonstrating guitars at a tiny show above Bill Greenhalgh’s musical instrument
shop in Exeter back in 1977, I have been a fan. But now you are a friend, and I
value our relationship very highly.
And now I am on the want again. It is time, once again, for me to remind
you all about this year's Weird Weekend featuring our very own Steve Ignorant,
and a whole cornucopia of high strangeness and cerebral silliness. It would make
me very happy if I could sell some more tickets..
find out all about the Weird Weekend
buy tickets to the Weird Weekend:
THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: The Byrds - Eight Mile...
Badfinger interview - Joey Molland
Arthur Brown gives an interview.
THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem
COMING THIS WEEKEND
Gonzo Magazine #184
Mick Abrahams, Blodwyn Pig, Jethro Tull. The Who, Quintessence, Raja Ram,
Lev Grossman, Bruce Springsteen, Mr Biffo, Roy Weard, Dogwatch, That Legendary
Wooden Lion, Hawkwind, and Yes fans had better look out!
And once again we have another monumental groovefest for you all, starting
with the Mick Abrahams Benefit at The Borderline in pictures, Alan writes
about Quintessence and Raja Ram, Doug goes to see The Who, Shosh goes to see
Bruce Springsteen, Jon goes to the magickal land of Fillory and bitches about
the government. Biffo in the meantime, goes on a ghost train. Bloody hell we’re
great!
And there are radio shows from Strange Fruit, Canterbury Sans Frontières,
Mack Maloney, and Friday Night Progressive. We also have columns from all sorts
of folk including Roy Weard, Mr Biffo, Neil Nixon and the irrepressible Corinna.
There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and
pademelons ouyside zoos(OK, nothing to do with small marsupials who have escaped
from captivity, but I got carried away with things that rhymed with OOOOS) than
you can shake a stick at. And the best part is IT's ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!
This issue features:
Pink Floyd, Stick Men, Prince, Tony Henderson, Pink Fairies, Carl Palmer,
Keith Emerson, Corky Laing, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Mack
Maloney's Mystery Hour, Canterbury Sans Frontieres, Nicholas "Nick" Menza,
Herbert Tsangtse "Burt" Kwouk, OBE, The Beatles, Osibisa, Billy Cobham, Wayne
Kramer at the Pink Fairies, Al Stewart, The RAZ Band, The Flying Burrito Bros,
Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Rick Wakeman, Mick Abrahams, The Who, Alan Dearling,
Quintessence, Raja Ram, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Shoshannah
McCarthy, Roy Weard, Mr Biffo, Hawkwind, The Beatles, Bill Graham, Happy
Mondays, Berry Gordy, Neil Nixon, The Butthole Surfers
Read the previous few issues of Gonzo Weekly:
Issue 183 (Daevid Allen)
Issue 182 (Wally)
Issue 181 (Beatles)
Issue 180 (Beltane)
Issue 179 (Gregg Kofi Brown)
Issue 178 (Viv Stanshall)
Issue 177 (David Gilmour)
Issue 176 (Joey Molland and The Raz Band)
Issue 175 (Larry Sanders)
Issue 174 (Keith Emerson)
Issue 173 (Pink Fairies action figures)
Issue 172 (4th Eden)
Issue 171 (Keith Levene)
Issue 170 (Wildman Fischer)
Issue 169 (Wildman Fischer)
Issue 168 (Wakeman/Bowie)
Issue 167 (Paul Kantner)
Issue 166 (Spirits Burning)
All issues from #70 can be downloaded at www.gonzoweekly.com if you prefer.
If you have problems downloading, just email me
and I will add you to the Gonzo Weekly dropbox. The first 69 issues are
archived there as well. Information is power chaps, we have to share it!
You can download the magazine in pdf form HERE:
SPECIAL NOTICE: If you, too, want to unleash the power of your inner rock
journalist, and want to join a rapidly growing band of likewise minded weirdos
please email me at jon@eclipse.co.uk The more the merrier really.
* The Gonzo Daily is a two way process. If you have any news or want to
write for us, please contact me at jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and
want to showcase your work, or even just say hello please write to me at
gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as
widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow, and as soon as
it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the
fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it
raining. See you tomorrow...
* The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine
(mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But
it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The same team also
do a weekly newsletter called - imaginatively - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about
it at this link: www.gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk
* We should probably mention here, that some of our posts are links to
things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not
responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest
guv!
* Jon Downes, the Editor of all these ventures (and several others) is an
old hippy of 56 who - together with an infantile orange cat named after a song
by Frank Zappa, and two small kittens, one totally coincidentally named after
one of the Manson Family, purely because she squeaks, puts it all together from
a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he
shares with various fish. He is ably assisted by his lovely wife Corinna, his
bulldog/boxer Prudence, his elderly mother-in-law, and a motley collection of
social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention the infantile orange cat, and the
adventurous kittens?
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