The weather has been beautiful in the south of France and we had a beach day today. It’s a while since we carted the whole kit and caboodle to the beach but we needed shade for the little people who are with us and they enjoyed going into their little tents. There is little sign of the recession here and the beaches are pretty crowded with the bars and cafes looking busier than what we’ve seen in parts of Benidorm. In this particular part of France it seems a little more expensive to eat out but that isn’t to say there aren’t places in Spain where you will pay more and there definitely appears to be more domestic tourism than anything else. For example, we haven’t seen many English tourists about. There also appears to be an absence of loud people. There are plenty of groups of young lads about but they appear more interested in the waves than anything else. The houses appear well maintained and there isn’t a lot of graffiti. With it being a surfing area I would imagine there is an all year round market. It almost appears as if there is no European football being played although I had no trouble getting the matches on French TV the past two nights. I did speak with one of the locals who was disappointed in the French team but I haven’t seen many flags about and I don’t think I’ve seen a bar advertising the games. The beaches seem to stretch for miles on end and there are plenty of bars and cafes which seem to be pretty full of customers.

The waves roll in and the surfers are there waiting to meet them! Each morning the locals gather to see where they can catch the best waves and it is very reminiscent of our days in Cornwall. Right opposite where we are staying is a bar called KostaldeA. Talk about location, location, location. This bar is packed night and day and is obviously the ‘in’ place.

Born Salesman

I learned a lesson in marketing from a man who bought an old
boat, a trailer, and a motor from me. “Thanks,” he said as
he loaded them up. “I’m planning to resell them.”

Good luck, I thought. I had been trying to get rid of them
for months. But when I ran into him a few weeks later, he’d
sold everything.

“How did you manage that?” I marvelled.

“I took out an ad: ‘Heavy-duty boat trailer with free boat.’
When the buyer came to get it, I asked if he had a motor. He
said no. I told him I happened to have one in my garage.
Bought that, too.”

1096 – Peter the Hermit’s crusaders forced their way across Sava, Hungary. What about Herman?

1483 – Richard III usurped himself to the English throne. Painful?

1541 – Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish Conqueror of Peru, was murdered by his former followers. Nice friends

1819 – The bicycle was patented by W.K. Clarkson, Jr. Good idea

1870 – The first section of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, was opened to the public. Getting fuller by the minute

1900 – The United States announced that it would send troops to fight against the Boxer rebellion in China. The gloves were coming off

1900 – A commission that included Dr. Walter Reed began the fight against the deadly disease yellow fever. Good

1907 – Russia’s nobility demanded drastic measures to be taken against revolutionaries.Too late, Ethel

1908 – Shah Muhammad Ali’s forces squelched the reform elements of Parliament in Persia. Your time will come

1948 – The Berlin Airlift began as the U.S., Britain and France started ferrying supplies to the isolated western sector of Berlin. Heavy operation

1951 – The Soviet Union proposed a cease-fire in the Korean War. Good

1961 – A Kuwaiti vote opposed Iraq’s annexation plans. They’ll be back

1963 – U.S. President John Kennedy announced “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner) at the Berlin Wall. Das is gut

1979 – Muhammad Ali, at 37 years old, announced that he was retiring as world heavyweight boxing champion. I loved his arrogance

1981 – In Mountain Home, Idaho, Virginia Campbell took her coupons and rebates and bought $26,460 worth of groceries. She only paid 67 cents after all the discounts.

1997 – The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Communications Decency Act of 1996 that made it illegal to distribute indecent material on the Internet. Good

1997 – The U.S. Supreme Court upheld state laws that allow for a ban on doctor-assisted suicides. This is a difficult issue for many

1998 – The U.S. and Peru open school to train commandos to patrol Peru’s rivers for drug traffickers. Good

1998 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employers are always potentially liable for supervisor’s sexual misconduct toward an employee. Good

2000 – The Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics Corp. jointly announced that they had created a working draft of the human genome. I don’t totally understand this

2000 – Indonesia’s President Abdurrahman Wahid declared a state of emergency in the Moluccas due to the escalation of fighting between Christians and Muslims. It’s everywhere!

2002 – David Hasseloff checked into The Betty Ford Center for treatment of alcoholism. Comes across on TV as a nice person….

1955, Elvis Presley (Scotty Moore and Bill Black) played the first of three nights at the Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. The local paper ran a preview which read; “A good looking youngster who has become a juke-box favorite with his That’s Alright, Mama, and Blue Moon of Kentucky.
Presley is expected to repeat some of his hit tunes at the Airmen’s Club show in addition to mixing up a few country tunes with some “bop” and novelty numbers.” These are not easy gigs to play at although well marshalled!

1961, Gary U.S. Bonds started a two-week run at No.1 on the US charts with ‘Quarter To Three’, a No.7 hit in the UK. He was a guest on my show and we have a podcast at www.vincetracy.com/bonds.html

1964, During a world tour, The Beatles played two shows at Town Hall, Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand. The flight from Auckland to Dunedin was tense due the receipt of an anonymous threat that a “germ bomb” had been placed on board the aircraft.Horrible experience for anyone

1965, The Byrds went to No.1 on the US singles chart with their version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’. Only Roger McGuinn from the band played on the song, the drummer Hal Blaine played on the track also played on ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’. I had been trying to get Roger McGuinn for a podcast but it became virtually impossible
1966, During a North American tour, The Rolling Stones played two shows, a matinee show at The Coliseum in Washington DC and an evening show at The Baltimore Civic Centre in Maryland. The McCoys and The Standells were the support acts.Good show

1969, Joni Mitchell appeared on the ABC TV Mama Cass Television Program from Los Angeles, California. She arrived in a big yellow taxi
1973, Rolling Stone Keith Richards and his girlfriend Anita Pallenberg were arrested at their home in Chelsea, London on drugs and gun charges. Bad gear
1974, Cher divorced Sonny Bono after 10 years of marriage. Four days later, Cher married guitarist Gregg Allman, the couple split 10 days after that, got back together and split again. They did stay married for three years, producing Elijah Blue Allman. I stood next to Sonny Bon0s’s statue in Palm Springs

1975, Paul McCartney’s version of the theme to ITV’s UK weekday soap ‘Crossroads’, was aired for the first time. I don’t think I heard it…
1976, TV talent show winners from Liverpool The Real Thing were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘You To Me Are Everything’, the group’s only No.1 hit. It was the first single by a Black British band to top the UK charts. They were extremely popular in Liverpool and their music lives on….

1977, Elvis Presley made his last ever live stage appearance when he appeared at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Presley would die less than two months later. The last two songs he performed were ‘Hurt’ and ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water.’ Before the show Elvis was presented with a plaque commemorating the 2 billionth record to come out of RCA’s pressing plant. Another sad memory near the passing of a legend
1982, American singer and One hit wonder Charlene was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I’ve Never Been To Me’. The song was recorded in 1976 and was reissued by Motown records in 1982 by which time Charlene had moved to England and was working in a sweet shop in Ilford, east London. Not an easy face to remember for me

1988, Bros were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I Owe You Nothing’. It was the only No.1 for the Boy band comprising of twins Luke & Matt Goss and Craig Logan. They owe us nothing

1993, Gabrielle started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Dreams’. Jamiroquai started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Emergency On Planet Earth’.Quality acts

1999, Elton John was reported to be in talks with a City finance house to secure a £25 million ($42.5 million) loan, using his back catalogue of hits as security. It had been reported that Elton had been spending £250,000 ($425,000) a week on credit cards. Will you please confirm that figure…
2000, Britney Spears hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana announced that a new museum, due to open early next year, would include a section including fan mail, platinum records and genuine items of the singers clothing. She should have been chuffed
2001, The Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey caused uproar among theologians after rejecting an application from a rock star for a degree course on religious grounds. Former Cockney Rebel member Andrew Brown who was now a minister of the Unitarian church wanted to complete a MA in theology but Carey had rejected his application because Brown did not belong to a mainstream church. Sorry, your Eminence, but you are out of line on this one. Surely, this should have been a moment to embrace other’s beliefs

2003, The Sun newspaper reported that Gareth Gates’s mum had moved into his flat to curb the Pop Idol star’s wild behaviour. Wendy Gates was said to be furious after her son had been spotted out on a string of benders. Well done mum…
2005, Tickets for a forthcoming Rolling Stones gig at the Hollywood Bowl were set to become the most expensive in rock ‘n’ roll history. Fans would have to pay up to £249 for a seat – £2 per minute to watch the Stones. I love the Stones but this was ridiculous
2008, Total Guitar magazine voted Celine Dion’s rendition of the AC/DC track ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ as the world’s worst cover version ever, the magazines editor Stephen Lawson said Dion’s cover was “sacrilege”. In the best cover versions list, Jimi Hendrix was voted into first place with his version of the Bob Dylan song ‘All Along the Watchtower,’ The Beatles’ rendition of ‘Twist and Shout’, (first recorded by the Top Notes), was in second place, followed by the Guns N’ Roses version of the Wings song ‘Live and Let Die’.Cover versions are always interesting. Initially, the instigators wanted to pay tribute to the song they are about to cover

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