Ten-Ten-Ten

My friend’s son celebrated his birthday on 10th October, 2010 which is a truly unique date, and it prompted me to compile some lists:

Ten British Rock Bands recalled:

  • The Beatles were influenced by Buddy Holly, Elvis and Eddie Cochran in their formative years as a struggling band plying their trade in Hamburg, Germany, but over a period of seven years (1963-1970) they changed the course of popular music.
  • The Yardbirds featured a great vocalist in Keith Relf who unfortunately died too young from a drug overdose. An emerging Eric Clapton played lead guitar; R&B orientated with a bluesy, smoky atmosphere to their music.
  • The Animals were the first band to make it big from Newcastle; gritty, earthy sound fronted by the pock-marked Eric Burdon with Alan Price on keyboard. They were the first band to produce a Number 1 single over 5 minutes long which was a cover version of an old blues classic “House of The Rising Sun.”
  • The Hollies were a solid mid-stream group fronting Manchester’s challenge to Liverpool as the capital city of sixties pop music. They had a string of hits before founder member Graham Nash left to form one of rock’s super groups, “Crosby, Stills and Nash.”
  • Rolling Stones were the antithesis to the Beatles clean-cut image. Unkempt, unwashed, rebels with a cause to making lots of money. They were competent musicians but with Jagger gyrating and strutting around the stage they became great performers.
  • The Kinks fell just short of greatness with a unique style orchestrated by Ray Davies who fought constantly with his jealous and younger brother Dave. They produced one of the classic rock tunes, “You Really Got Me,” later covered by The Clash.
  • The Who is my wife’s favorite band: violent, moody, destructive, and malevolent(The Who not my wife, cue cymbal.) They were never quite the same when they lost Keith Moon, their manic drummer, to a drug over dose.
  • ELO (The Electric Light Orchestra.) I liked their use of violins and cellos in their line up. I rejected cellos lessons in school because I wanted to play the drums and then years later fantasized about playing cello in the ELO.  Jeff Lynn was the leader and later produced and played in the phenomenal band “The Traveling Wilburys.”
  • Queen: Freddie Mercury was irrepressible as a front man and performer. He saved Live Aid back in 1985 by producing an energetic and memorable set second to none.
  • Deep Purple: for personal reasons I just loved their throbbing track, “Smoke On the Water.” Kudos to Sharon.

 Ten of my favorite destinations:

  • Durham: I went to Durham on a field trip with no expectations. It was mid March but the snow was falling heavily creating a stark contrast to the brooding, dark stained walls of the majestic cathedral that dominates the town. I felt like I was walking though a scene from a Hallmark Christmas card. It was here that I first discovered a stout beer called “old peculiar.”
  • Three Cliffs Bay, Gower is a majestic beach where soft, powdery white sand melts through your toes. It is protected from inclement weather by fantastic limestone rock formations, overlooked by the ruins of a medieval castle. Access is problematic which thankfully keeps most of the punters away.
  •  Winchester is a city steeped in Saxon history, and was originally the capital of England. The Wykeham Arms is arguably the best pub/restaurant in England providing elegant accommodation and service second to none. A statue of Alfred the Great greets visitors as you enter the city and step back in time.
  • Chicago comprises the best Blues clubs, and restaurants owned and named after Chicago icons Michael Jordan and Harry Caray. Chicago pizza and river boat rides through downtown make this a memorable city to visit, but boy is it windy.
  • Big Sur, California comprises stunning coastal scenery. The section of Highway 1 running through Big Sur is widely considered as one of the most scenic driving routes in the USA, if not the world. Crossing Bixby Creek Bridge is truly breathtaking and for a second or two you feel like you’re flying like an eagle.
  • Bristol is probably the most underrated city in England. Move past the concrete jungles of modern shopping centers and multi-storey car parks and take a stroll down Park Street which oozes history and atmosphere comprising a plethora of bars, restaurants, eclectic shops and art galleries.
  • Bedfont is a blue collar district near to Heathrow Airport. My wife rented an apartment there for approximately 18 months, and the concord flew majestically over the friendly confines twice a day. Tucked away in the High Street was a little gem of an Indian restaurant that served a mean murghi jhal frezi.
  • Paris is a city of contrasts. I shared a room in an attic (a gitte?) with a friend on a college field trip, and he snored continuously like a warthog. I met my future wife in a bistro in Ille Saint Louis, and we returned to spend part of honeymoon there a few years later. I was also mugged in the Metro for my troubles so I have mixed emotions when I think of Paris.
  • Savannah is a unique city inextricably linked to its colorful history by a series of delectable town squares depicting various characters who played a notable part in its evolution.
  • Buenos Aires is a vibrant and dazzling city. Its architecture is an eclectic mix with various elements resembling Barcelona, Paris and Madrid. The City is the home of the Argentinean tango and there is no dance more romantic or sensuous. My lasting memory of Buenos Aires was the preponderance of dog walkers some of whom were grappling with 10-15 leads at any given time.

Ten of my favorite dishes I love to prepare and eat:

  • Chicken tikka masala
  • El Cid chili
  • Chicken with lime and ginger
  • Murghi Jhal Frezi
  • Mussels Provencale
  • Nana’s  ham and pea stew
  • Shepherd’s pie with cheese-crusted leeks
  • Turkey with a hint of Thai
  • Poor man’s jambalaya
  • Salmon fillets with fava bean sauce

2 Responses to “Ten-Ten-Ten”

  1. What a wonderful blog. I invest several hours on the web reading through blogs, about tons of various subjects. I have to to begin with give kudos to whoever produced your theme and second of all to you for writing what i can only describe as an post. I honestly think there is a skill to writing articles that only a few posses and frankly you have it. The combination of informative and high quality content is definitely very rare with the big quantity of blogs on the internet.

  2. A very great article. Well done. Very motivating!! Go on that way

Leave a Reply