Gary Watton: young, gifted, and white: 1966 album extract from the book 'A Pop Revolution'

Justifying The Unjustifiable

*My blog pieces are grammatically correct and I do not need to resort to any spell check. Consequently, purely in terms of English, this collectively places my blog easily amongst the top ten of blogs for proper use of the English language. Aren't you glad that you have paid a visit to here, you lucky, lucky people?!

**This beautiful blogsite is primarily a vehicle for uploading extracts from my many informative, insightful, insurrectionary, quality reference books. I wish for this site to raise my profile amongst the chattering classes, so that maybe one day I too can be invited onto radio discussion shows to offload my twopence worth. At present, British radio and television shows are over-populated with the same old talking heads. Is Matthew Parris really the voice of England? Does Stephen Fry hold the monopoly on wisdom?

***Also, unlike many attention-seeking uber-egos out there who expect everyone to follow them, if you follow me [RonGattway] on Twitter, I will return the favour. That is a promise.

****Finally, I am extremely grateful for all of the visitors to my site, but don't just browse at my book extracts, please purchase the publications that are showcased. They would make ideal presents for your family, friends, and even worst enemies. I can even arrange a discount if you contact me.

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Yours insincerely

'Gary Watton' xo

Monday, 19 December 2011

1966 album extract from the book 'A Pop Revolution'

The best album of 1966? from 'A Pop Revolution'

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pop-Revolution-Transatlantic-Music-Scene/dp/0956272533
Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
peaked in the UK charts at No.2; peaked in the US charts at No.10
produced by Brian Wilson; released in May
Beach Boy chief composer Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney were not only born two days apart in 1942, but they were a mutual appreciation society. Wilson cites the Beatles’ ground-breaking ‘Rubber Soul’ (born in December 1965) as a huge influence upon the development of ‘Pet Sounds’. McCartney, by the same token, attributes ‘Pet Sounds’ as equally important upon the recording of Sergeant Pepper. Wilson, it has to be remembered, was in the contradictory position of being within a group but at the same time he had to go it alone in terms of finding material that would challenge the British invasion of 1964 and 1965. This was a large burden for the fragile Wilson to shoulder but for a couple of years anyway, he was more than equal to the task at providing America’s belated response to the Beatles, Stones, and Kinks, amongst others. In the event, Wilson took the risky step of forsaking the Beach Boys’ tried and trusted formula of surfing songs and pop songs about cars which largely appealed to an alpha male psyche. Instead, he hired the finest session musicians and a lyricist called Tony Asher and decided to build a cycle of songs which effectively amounted to a teenage soap opera, exploring emotions such as hope and despair which all adolescents could relate to. Whilst the boys were on the road, Wilson retreated to the safe haven of his home (and eventually his bedroom) and in the mean time knocked out a dozen tracks which took the rest of the group by surprise when they returned from touring. Reception was generally favourable though a non-plussed Mike Love (Wilson’s erstwhile co-writer) urged Wilson to jettison this ‘ego music’ and stick to the winning formula. Wilson was not to be deterred, even if Capitol Records also raised their eyebrows at an album that in their commercial minds strayed too far away from mass appeal. With Capitol Records not providing the marketing muscle that Wilson had hoped for and indeed undermining the album’s sales potential by hastening to issue a Best Of compilation which deflected attention and sales away, ‘Pet Sounds’ found a more sympathetic audience in the UK, no doubt helped by lavish praise from media mouthpiece Andrew Loog Oldham and PR guru Derek Taylor who each pushed the line that Brian was a genius and that ‘Pet Sounds’ was the greatest album imaginable. Buoyed by this partial success, Wilson scaled new heights with ‘Good Vibrations’ but then got dizzy in more ways than one as his ‘Smile’ project threatened to achieve world domination, only for an increasingly unhinged Wilson to pull the plug on that remarkable enterprise. ‘Pet Sounds’ features beautiful harmonies from the boys, beautiful strings and musicianship, but it was effectively a Brian Wilson solo album and showcased his own production expertise. It still sits deservedly in lofty positions in ‘Greatest Album Ever’ polls.
The album’s best song?
Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
SPORT IN 1966
English Division One soccer champions: Liverpool
English FA Cup final: Everton 3 Sheffield Wednesday 2
English League Cup winners: West Bromwich Albion
Scottish Division One soccer champions: Glasgow Celtic
Scottish FA Cup final: Glasgow Rangers 1 Glasgow Celtic 0
Scottish League Cup winners: Glasgow Celtic
Irish League soccer champions: Linfield; Irish Cup winners: Glentoran
League Of Ireland soccer champions: Waterford; cup winners: Shamrock Rovers
European Cup final: Real Madrid 2 Partizan Belgrade 1
European CupWinners’ Cup final: Borussia Dortmund 2 Liverpool 1
European Fairs’ Cup final: Barcelona beat Real Zaragoza 4-3 on aggregate
English county cricket champions: Yorkshire
Five Nations’ rugby union champions: Wales
Formula One world drivers’ champion: Jack Brabham
Gaelic football All-Ireland champions: Galway; hurling champions: Cork
British Open golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
US Masters golf champion: Jack Nicklaus
US Open golf champion: Billy Casper Junior
USPGA golf champion: Al Geiberger
Rugby league Challenge Cup final: St Helens 21 Wigan 2
Wimbledon men’s singles tennis champion: Manuel Santana
Wimbledon ladies’ singles tennis champion: Billie Jean King
The Aintree Grand National steeplechase winner: Anglo
The Epsom Derby winner:Charlottown
World Cup soccer final: England 4 West Germany 2

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Congratulations Gary Watton!

Gary Watton of Coleraine has made history by becoming the first winner of the annual Men's Points Table at the Portrush Parkrun of 2012-2013. This represents a victory for the underdog! Bravo, sir.

I thought that I would mention it here as a form of un-British gloating, because well if you scan through countless Facepuke updates from le menu peuple, all manner of nobodies are updating the most mundane, ridiculous trivia imaginable and their little cronies come on board and give their absurd updates a big thumbs up. For example, ‘I have managed to get through four bags of ironing, with only another four still to do’, which is then followed by about four hundred people hitting the like button. Flip me. Compared to such bullshit, I must be an outstanding success story.

I guess that ultimately it is about playing the game, in other words, selling your soul and accumulating a lot of horrible people as ‘friends’, and then posting Farcebook updates which your army of little minions then come alongside and pay tribute to. Oh I guess that mediocrity attracts mediocrity!

What appals me however are the self-important types who post a message on Facespook but don’t have the generosity of spirit to pay a moment’s heed to anybody else’s updates. It’s a case of ‘hey everyone. Look at me. I’ve got something really important and interesting to say. Come and assemble in your hundreds and read my half-baked nonsense about nothing in particular, but don’t expect me to go and give any time to your updates. I am far too much of an attention-seeker to look at and bother with anyone else’s updates’.

Now this is what disturbs me most about such little people: If you are married, and/or have children, and/or have work colleagues, and/or have loving relatives, then why the fuck do you still crave attention? I guess that folk who seem to be happily married and/or people with hundreds of [virtual] Facepuke friends are horrendously insecure!

A book publisher

GW PUBLICATIONS
If you are able and willing to furnish me with your book project, I am able and willing to publish it for thee. The finished item will be produced to a high specification which will compare favourably with any other product on any given book shelf. That I can promise thee. What I cannot promise is that you will become a best-selling author. However, do feel free to be seduced by other rogue publishers who may mislead you in terms of the eventual outcome. In the mean time, I have set out my stall avec the following questions and answers. Oh do feel free to scrutinise:

Q: Why would I wish to be published by your company when there are bigger, more famous firms out there?
A: Indeed, but you may discover that the large, mainstream publishers tend to back established writers and celebs. They don’t tend to entertain new writers, however talented they may be. We open a door for new writers.

Q: Does my book feature on billboards, magazine, radio, and television commercials?
A: Phew, in an ideal world it would, but regrettably only the huge publishing houses with the books by their non-writer megastars tend to afford such advertising campaigns. Thus, you will be advised to advertise via social networking sites.

Q: Will my book actually end up in the shops?
A: Yes, unlike lots of other publishers who merely promise the pathetic line about “your book will be available on Amazon”, when actually all books are “available on Amazon”. Instead, we do have books in a host of Waterstones and smaller retailers.

Q: How long would it take for my book to be published?
A: Once your work has been emailed to us, it can take as little as five weeks, and we guarantee no longer than five months. Our service includes proof-reading and also registering your book so that it is available for retail and for the libraries.

Q: Do you charge for your publishing service, and if so, how much?
A: Yes, we charge either £400, you receive 10% royalties and 10 complimentary copies or you pay £500, receive 20% royalties and 20 complimentary copies. By selling your 10 or 20 copies, you already will be recovering your relatively small outlay.

Q: Why do you charge these amounts?
A: For our small fee, £75 plus VAT goes towards the cover artwork. The printers also charge us about £100 for set-up costs. Your ten (or twenty) copies will cost us about £50 (or £100) including delivery charge. Your ISBN is worth about £10 too.

Q: Are you a vanity publisher that pockets a large fee and then cares little for subsequent sales?
A: On the contrary, as we are left with a minimal amount after the aforementioned costs (usually around £150), it is clearly in our interests to ensure lots of sales to increase our revenue and to boost your chances of royalties.

Q: Can you give me one good reason why I should invest with you?
A: You will be the owner of a quality paperback with an eye-catching, laminated cover. Your chances of being taken seriously next time by a larger publisher will increase if you have something in the public domain.

Q: What is the likely scenario after I have invested with your firm?
A: We contact almost 300 Waterstones stores plus several hundred independent retailers plus about thousands of British and Irish libraries. Your book will sell. Sales figures will clearly be conditioned by the subject of your book and its quality.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit more about your service?
A: We are called GW Publications. We have taken over another company called Parkbench Publications. You can email us at gw930@fsmail.net ***Other publishers advertise great offers but are shy at disclosing the small print. We at least publish our fees.***

My Obituary

Family and several friends were shocked, though not entirely surprised, to learn of the sudden death of Gary Watton after a lengthy illness. This supremely talented author, genius, and misfit had fought a courageous battle against alienation and loneliness.
A handful of people jumped at the opportunity to take a day off work and pay their insincere, clichéd respects at the funeral service which passed off without incident apart from when the deceased opened the coffin lid and grumpily exhorted the vicar to keep the noise down, before returning to sleep. At the graveside, a volley of shots was fired over the coffin by the Boys Brigade from their water pistols for their ex-volunteer. Also at the graveside, one relative was heard to remark: “I will miss his sarcasm”, while another mourner added: “I do not know how I will be able to cope without his cynicism.” Watton’s local pub landlord was visibly upset (at the thought that his takings would never be the same again) while a representative from the dead man’s mortgage lenders also expressed his regret at the unexpected death after a prolonged illness. It was however of some consolation to the assembled few that the deceased passed away noisily in his sleep.
The vicar (and presumably a part-time actor) spoke movingly of how the former author had been the very essence of warmth, pleasantness, and sheer joy, adding that no party had ever been complete without Mr Watton letting off steam about something or other. The local police Chief Inspector also paid tribute to how Gary had frequently helped the police with their enquiries. The mourners were assured that the deceased would be joining Adolf Hitler, Michael Jackson, Joe Stalin, Jade Goody, and Frank Lampard’s mum in heaven.
At the conclusion of the burial, some relatives retired to a nearby hostelry where they drank several toasts to the deceased and recalled with considerable mirth, Gary Watton’s many embarrassing exploits, a session which predictably lasted into the wee small hours, before bracing themselves for the reading of the will to ascertain who would be the unfortunate recipient of his clothes and record collection.
Perhaps the most fitting epitaph for Gary Watton was conceived by himself: a hugely under-rated actor, comedian, dancer, politician, singer, and writer, there was nothing wrong with him that a little love and understanding wouldn’t have cured.
In lieu of flowers, please give a donation to the International Ranters’ Society or to S.P.I.T.E (the Society for the Preservation of Incredibly Talented Enigmas).

Gary Watton: young, gifted, and white

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Justifying The Unjustifiable

Monday, 19 December 2011

1966 album extract from the book 'A Pop Revolution'

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