McFly

Just use a bit of imagination Jimmy. It's not that hard.

HA!! Paid. Oh lord, if only.........

Maybe it would be useful to hear opinions from some people in the industry in Shetland. Is there an Alan from the North Star on the forums? Anything to say Alan?

I did have some problems with tendonitis a couple of years ago Radarman. It's a truly horrible condition and there's not a lot you can do about it once it's set in, other than rest. I had to stop playing completely for about three months. Prevention really is the only cure, and as peeriebryan says that involves a thorough warm up and stretching routine before EVERY playing or practice session and continued stretching excersises every five or ten minutes while playing. You should also take a serious look at the ergonomic impact of your personal playing technique. If you're suffering from repeated bouts of tendonitis you may have to take some professional advice and alter the way you play. I know it sounds like a real pain in the ass, but it's better than not being able to play at all, which is a realistic alternative!

Maybe it's time to stand up and be counted.

I couldn't let the string twiddlers get away with it any longer, so...... What do all the real band leaders out there play? I've got a Pearl BRX Masters Studio in emerald mist (22x16, 12, 16), a 1970 Slingerland Radio King snare in Silver Sparkle (very disco!) and various HH and AA Sabians. I love the Pearl kit for it's versatility. It can go from open and jazzy to dry and controlled in minutes. Same with the Sabians, I reckon I can get more varied noises out of my Hand Hammered ride than out of a whole shop full of Zildjians! The Slingerland is a bit old now and not the most responsive drum on the planet, but I love it's warmth and fullness. What do the rest of you guys play and why?

There's a team Fair Isle?! What do they play? Oh please tell me it's basketball. I'd love to see Neil Thomson trying a slam-dunk.

So you want covers bands? That wouldn't make for an interesting or vibrant music scene. Belive me, I've been in a few!

Steve White! Surely not THE Steve White?

I hate to be a stuffy old pedant, Trout me boy, but Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain. Great Britain is just England, Scotland and Wales. The full name of the UK is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Cheers pb. I'm back noo. We had a great weekend. An absolutely fascinating city. I really expected London style crowds and bustle, but what we got was very laid back strolling and graceful streets and buildings. We managed to see the Eiffel tower (from below, bloody big and with really cool searchlights on top), The Louvre (grand, way too many, frankly dull paintings), The National Museum of Modern Art at the Pompidou Centre (much better than the Louvre, a managable size and more challenging material). But the best bits all involved just wandering about, stopping at the odd cafe/bar or creperie. We particularly liked the area around St Michel in the Latin Quarter.

Thanks guys. I'm not taking a car, so that's not a problem. Anyhoo, I better go or I'll miss me flight. Hae a good weekend!

Probably not. Unfortunately our bass player is snowed under with uni work just now.

I know you've had it for a while noo PoolHaddock, but........great avatar! Captain Haddock rules. Blistering Barnacles!!

Vincenzo Galilei probably invented the twelve tone, equal tempered scale, so he's got to be a candidate. But then you could go further, back to Ugbog the caveman who first hit a tree trunk with an antelope bone, was it him? I made up Ugbog.

Absolutely not! Fotunately, very few criminals in this country carry fire arms. I don't see any reason why the establishment should be the first to up the ante. And besides that, our good old bobbies seem to be able to make plenty of mistakes as it is (Charles de Menezes, Harry Stanley). God knows what it would be like if they all carried guns.

How the hell does one repel garlic? It's a vegetable, not an insect. Next time I go to Ireland I'll take some potato repellant shall I? You know how bothersome those tatties can be.

Looks like I'll be able to get plenty of those around here. Thanks for the bar area recommendation Moorit. I was kind of hoping for more cultural stuff though...........anybody?

There's not MUSH-ROOM for a big guy like Distortio to sit on a toadstool!

I'm off to gay Paris this weekend. I've never been. Anybody got any recommendations for things to do?

No, unfortunately it's very real.

Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/radioscotland/index.shtml and click on "listen via the web". Once the radio player opens you can scroll down and choose Radio Shetland.

Ahh yes. Surely the biggest funk orchestra ever assembled in Shetland. What a bloody unholy racket.

Are you Richard Littlejohn?

Good point Distortio. I believe that Aberdeen is one of the most intensively CCTV monitored cities in the country. It's also one of the worst for saturday night violence. So, it hasn't worked there, has it?