dougie@dougiemcq.co.uk
I can't believe it's now September & the Edinburgh Festival has been & gone. I took in quite a lot of shows, without doubt the best being "No - Sex, Lies & Videotape". In which a loonie TV presenter called Ross Lee, told the story of his television life. It was a lot sadder than it sounds believe me but Ross put it over in such a way that it was absolutely hilarious. Rich Hall was - as always - a must see on the fringe. I've been going to see him & his plays along with his story reading for about the last 8 years & never has he failed to entertain. He must think I'm his stalker!
I'm not long back from Agia Napa, Cyprus after doing gigs in Luke Kellys' Irish bar & my big mate Brian Waters 50th Birthday bash. It was another week of mayhem & frivollity, especially for the Murrayfield Wanderers Crew! (Incriminating photos in the gallery page) I also managed to squeeze in a couple of rounds of golf & ended up winning the Napa "Bare Arse" golf trophy which now has pride of place on my mantlepiece.
Prior to the Cyprus trip, I was in my favourite destination in the whole world. The beautiful island of Rhodes doing my usual stint in Style Bar, Haraki, for my great mate Steve Fotoulis. Steve & his family also have Da Vincis restaurant which makes the best pizzas in the whole of Greece and, if I'm really lucky, his Mum sometimes makes me her special Moussaka which is the best I've ever tasted. All being well I'll be back to Haraki September.
Sad to say that Finnegans Wake remains closed since the Khushis restaraunt fire & looks likely to be for the next few months. The Edinburgh Festival won't be the same without Finnegans' Wake! The festival is usually a busy time for me so, check out the Gig Page for gigs in your area.
It's been quite funny recently, that Susan Boyle has appeared from relative obscurity to Youtube stardom with one appearance on Britains got Talent. A year or so ago, Susan recorded a couple of tracks for a charity CD at my pal Dave Valentines' Heartbeat studios. There have been reports of this CD selling for onwards of £100.00 on Ebay!!
Last year, Dave released another limited edition charity CD "Songs For A Reason" with all proceeds going to Cancer Research UK. Although this one dosen't include Susan Boyle, it has some incredible talent on it with some rare tracks that will never be found elsewhere. Especially the opening track "Someone to Watch Over Me" written & recorded by Dave especially for the event. A previously unreleased K.T.Tunstall track "Talk to Me" and the original demo of the old "Shaking Stevens" hit "Cry Just a Little Bit" written & performed by Bobby Heatlie. Along with a fantastic version of "In My Lifetime", a Kenny Herbert song featuring a stunning vocal from Colin Chisholm, the CD makes a very interesting listen. Both Kenny Herbert & myself have tracks on the album which I hope you will enjoy. I believe there are a few copies still available which can be obtained from his Heartbeat Studio site. just click here heartbeatstudio.co.uk interesting listen. So go on, support a good cause!
Should you have problems obtaining a copy from the Heartbeat website, email me at dougie@dougiemcq.co.uk & I'll get one off to you.
There are pics of the live event which supported the release of this album on the Gallery Page.
Take Care, Dougie