Bomber Command over Disneyland?

On display outside the Johnny Cotter gallery...
Familiar with the Dickies back catalogue Mr C?

Or, a day trip to the seaside.

Time was when Folkestone was just another fading English seaside town, with only a brief flirtation with booking interesting new bands (we're talking early '80's so think New Model Army, Brilliant and er, The Milkshakes, at dingy 60's nightclub Pipers), to suggest any kind of cultural life.

Fast forward to 2012 and Folkestone is being pre-fixed with words like 'groovy'.  As David Coleman might have said, 'quite extraordinary!'

It's been going on for years of course, as artists have long had a fascination with the Kent coast for its open sky and natural light.

More recently Saga mainman Roger De Haan has invested in 'The Cultural Quarter' an arts led regeneration of the harbour area that's led to the Triennial arts festival, a string of small creative businesses opening up on the Old High Street and lots of spin offs, like music events, such as the 'Skabour' festival.

All highly commendable.  And then the global economy went belly up. What's that do to your average arts led regeneration?

No doubt it's been tough, but even the response to the inevitable empty shops, ends up producing yet more photo opportunities on a day at the seaside, thanks to the 'Hidden Gems' project...

Maria Slovakova  - artwork as part of a display 
at the excellent Googies art cafe

Pop Eats Itself (again and again)

A quick post, I know it doesn't matter, I know I shouldn't care.  But The Clash's 'London Calling' being used in an advert?  It just seems wrong.

I know 'Should I Stay, Or Should I Go' got re-released off the back of a jeans commercial, becoming a far bigger hit than the original single and plenty of Clash songs have made it to film soundtracks, with varying degrees of success.  But the effect of hearing 'London Calling' co-opted for the benefit of a large British airline, still doesn't sit well.

Pop Eats Itself (again)

A rather tired old cliche now, I know, as pre-teenage kids wear Motorhead t-shirts as fashion accessories as a matter of course, without even the slightest knowledge of the work of Mr Kilminster & co.

But old punk iconography in the High Street still makes me wonder.  What next?  UK Subs slippers?  And more pertinently, whose licensing this stuff and where is the money going?

Such is life it seems for bands who are now routinely described as 'legendary' or 'iconic'.  Either you become accountants like U2 or you get ripped off.

Of course Tommy and the estates of Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee may be getting a slice of the shopping bag action.  I don't know.  Or perhaps it's Sire Records or their global owner who owns the rights to this Ramones artwork?

Like I said, I don't know, maybe it's the graphic designer who came up with the Ramones 'seal of office' in the first place, who should be topping up his pension fund.  Or has the copyright holder shuffled off this mortal coil?  Unlikely as copyright generally covers a set timeframe or the author's lifespan plus 70 years.  So ownership should fall to their beneficiaries, rather than becoming out of copyright.

OK, I'm not a lawyer, but that's my guess.

What I do know, is taking this photograph got me thrown out of the shop I saw it in, amid demands that I delete the photo.  Well as you can see, I chose to delete a photo... oops guess it wasn't the right one.

Back in the day, I had a Ramones t-shirt, bought at a gig of course.  Saddest thing is, I rather like the idea of punk rock shopping bags, I'd just be a bit happier knowing that the bands featured, or at least a retirement home for distressed punk rockers somewhere on the south coast, was benefiting from the deal.

Somehow, knowing the fine upstanding reputation for ethical trading of the high street shop this picture was taken in, I doubt it.

Wiggo, sideburns, scooters and yellow jerseys

Hardly had time to watch this year's Tour de France, let alone write about it as last year - for reasons too tedious to go into, but had to post a belated comment on Bradley Wiggins ride into history.

He may be efficient rather than flamboyant on the bike, he's certainly benefited from the no expense spared team Sky have built around him, but every other rider who laid down a challenge, got an answer from the Kilburn Mod.

But that's not the best of it.  Wiggins, you suspect to the frustration of the team Sky PR machine, is not media trained to within an inch of his life, to trot out bland platitudes.  Ask him a question and you'll get an answer.  As demonstrated by Wiggins f-word strewn response to yet another insinuation about just how it was possible to ride clean and achieve all Wiggins has this season.  For a slightly more reasoned variation on that, see Wiggins excellent tour blog from The Guardian here.

That's still not the best of it.  We know he collects scooters, loves real ale (although I suspect that's a strictly rationed indulgence at the moment) and may own a record or two by The Jam.  But better still than all that, was his reaction as he stood on top of the podium as the newly crowned winner of the Tour de France.