Big Mick

I have a suitcase of mainly 70s Blues & Soul... also copies of various soul magazines and odds and ends from the 80s.. 90s and early 2000s. Most are ok but theres a few rough editions.. I live near Bolton.. if interested drop me a line come look and if they are any good to you make me an offer... Big Mick, fat boy on tour. mikeowens4@msn.com

Just learned today that disco DJ and one of the founder members of the Blackpool Casino Soul Club back in the 70s has passed away suddenly at his Yorkshire home... Zaney DJ Gary Wild best known for his resident spot in Diamond Lils on the Pleasure Beach was at home with family. Along with the late Baz Stanton and fellow DJ Poth.. Gary opened up the Blackpool Casino Soul Club in the Pleasure Beach building opposite the Noahs Ark attraction back around 1975... Along with the Mecca.. Lemon Tree and Lytham Football Cub soul nights Blackpool Casino was instremental in bringing Northen Soul to many of us who lived in and arround the Fylde area. Condolences go out to Garys family... To the soul crowd in Blackpool in the 70s Gary was a legend an a loveable character.... R.I.P. GARY WILD (aka Barry Johnston).

great times great memories... the best for me was the rehersal of Eddie Holman and the interview i did for the magazine.. the guy was a pure gem... the bar-b-ques and charity venues and everyone concerned made Lowton the success it was. Thankyou Kev and Julie and the rest of the crowd... Big Mick

Richard has ALWAYS been a gentleman and very professional in everything he undertakes. I have had a couple of opportunities to be on his radio show and many more visits to the studio when the Sunday shows were in full swing and made umpteen cups of tea/coffee for all parking their arses and Richards' 'guests' in the studio. It will be a damn shame if Jazz fm closed the door on his shows, and changing from Sunday to Saturday night was not a good move. The controller for Jazz fm must be a moron... Richard will be ok, he doesn't need Jazz fm But Jazz fm are loosing a very talented radio show host and it will be their loss... sod 'em.. BIG MICK

same to you Davey boy.... all the best.... Big Mick

one last point before I go oft and stick my head down the toilet.... I want it on record (whatever the label) that I think that there Dave Rimmer geezer is a hellova fine guy.. he's been put down somewhat on here over the last day or so and unduely too.. please stick to the topic of conversation... respectfully, to everyone on this forum...BIG MICK....

in the nude she did a good inpersonation of a spider..........

brains and beauty......

by the great Godess, you must be related to my ex-wife.... can you drag your tits too ...?

Thing is though... would you get a plumber making a film about cooking in a top notch resturaunt or a political activist / suicide bomber maiking a film on the Nobel Peace Prize...? So why are some usless tossers who think 'Duffy' is the epitome of northern soul doing a film about something as sensative as Wigan Casino.... Did their mam sing 'love bandit' or some other light ditty to them as she rocked them to sleep before dropping them on their heads.... Hang on though... just had a thought thingie... wouldn't all this debate and bitching just create more interest for the film.. and wouldn't it make more money for the backers.... jeeze me finks we shud just ignore the whole fing and pretend it doesn't exist......

Jeeze... look at all the dust in the air...... reckon it's coming off all the handbags being pulled out storage... Grab yer tin hats and dive for cover... he he he he

I refer to the one they're shooting about Wigan Casino.... isn't what this discussion is all about...? If I'm on the wrong track then please accept my appologises... I'll just blame it on old age... BIG MICK

Steve Penn at Wigan Town Hall is unofficially quoted as saying that Russ Winstanley is the main point of contact for the production company, suggest someone should ask him....

Damn interesting point..... lots of credability in that one..

well done mate... at last there's someone out there who beleives in the 'scene' and wants to give people a chance... you get my vote. Gonna buy you a pint when I bump into you....

Just saying Mr D lets put it to the public in a light-hearted fashion and in a manner where everyone who wants to dj gets a chance to 'showcase' themselves.. aiming for the 'top' is healthy.... I don't want to see torch carrying lynch mobs baying for the blood of so-called big djs... no.. but lesser named(?) djs could one day reach that height possibly and lets face it, one day we're gonna need them when 'big names' hang up their record box padlocks and dust rags.... who's gonna play to the crowd then? I'm not attacking you Mr D, you put some valid points across, I just wanted to see if anybody else thought this addition to a weekender, possibly, was worth thinking about like the dj dance offs Adey puts on at Cleethorpes...brill idea and people get entertainment too. This goes one step further where all djs who partisipate have some fun too AND the 'lower' ranks get 'shocased' which could result in bookings so everyones' happy......

yer know.. I'm fed up of hearing Butch this and Butch that.... if you like the guy so much get a bloody room together and get it out of your system... Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against him but too many people seem to idol worship him... he's just a guy who may have a passion for music and may be a really good dj but there's many more like that out there and don't get the same 'breaks' as he does. Maybe my idea of this topic wasn't a good idea after all but I think you're missing the point. I just wanted to say that it could be possible to help all the other up and coming 'Butchs' out there and put some of the 'prima-donnas' in their place. Ok some "big djs" have all the "big" tunes but that does not make them Gods.... many other djs work just as hard if not infinate more because they have to in order to get bookings and to try and search through the left overs that the 'priviledged' Gods leave behind in order to put a good selection together... It's like saying Bill Gates is a fantastic bloke coz he has so much money..... bollocks... Oh here's another example.. just becasue a record is uber rare it must be the best track that would ever whisper it's golden melody down the lugholes of man... bollocks.. it' depends on the quaity of the music.. lyrics etc.. get it? I just want to see hard working djs and djs who should get some of the breaks given a hand and some recognition for putting their heart and soul into what we pay them for whilst so called Gods who think they own the scene and the scene would crumble without them shaken back to reality.... As for some person oppening their own "doo", isn't that their choice? If it didn't work and their "doo" flops should we say at least they tried instead of sitting on their arses and bleeting like sheep because they are not one of the 'chosen' few who should be allowed to open their own "doos"..... No one owns our scene that's why it's OUR SCENE... everyone should be able to contribute in what-ever way they choose. It was just an idea to also lighten the mood and bring some of the human element back to the scene and glamour.. humour... ENTERTAINMENT if a national dj competition could be feasable... Think outside the 'box'... the interest, advertising, the partissipation, the passion........ Jeeze, Im gonna have to lie down after this..... The idea is not to insult anyone but to help those who could do with a hand and to add some thing to the thing we are supposed to love THE SOUL SCENE................................ Mam fetch me hotwater bottle and an asprin... I think I've got one of me 'heads' coming on.... nite nite....

This is what I'm trying to say... couldn't have put it better..."closed shop".. I used to dj over the years, mainly oldies and R&B and always encouraged new comers to try their hand. But the idea of this post is to stirr up some response and highlite the possibility that out there are up and coming djs who would love the chance to play. Some new djs dont get the breaks and organisors concentrate on 'safe' djs and big names... But don't you think things would open up if all interested parties were able to take part in a copmpetition of this sort were the new and lesser known djs could 'showcase' themselves on the same forum as so called 'big names' and with the added bonus of perspective and established organisers taking note of the performance of new djs enabling all to be NOTICED ....?

Be great if we could see a panel made up of a 'star' soul artist, dancers/soulies, promoters, media etc... I guess there would, obviously have to be taken into account the many genres involved within the music platform itself in order to judge but that would be down to the 'organisor' not me to sort out. You know... the more I think of a national competition for British djs on the soul scene the better it feels... who knows.. we could include a foriegn section for visiting djs if this was nationally recognised and held at one weekender each year and possibilly rotated so other weekenders could host it in turn... Good idea or bad?

Good points put across there... it is difficult but what I was trying to find out was, if it might be a good idea to rank a dj and/or hold some sort of venue where djs could compete against other djs irrellivent of how long they had been spinning the records. I thought it may be interesting to see, on as many levels as it takes, just what our scene produces as a dj and how 'good' (for want of better words) they could be. Is this a feasable idea to hold a national competition on a once a year basis? Could the dj fraternity benefit, could the scene benefit or even dancers benefit by recognised voting of a djs' ability or shall we just leave things as they are and let the dj tell us how bloody good they are.... in their own mind???????

I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who really knows a guy that can get you any wine in any amount what-ever for a damn good price.... no questions asked.... Also.. a bloke down the pub told me in confidence that Mr Gil - Scott - Heron was a TEA TOTALER !!!!!!!!!! The whole song thing and the man himself is a sham... I'm with you.. this is just not 'on'.. Mr Angry.

Concider the possibillities... there are the djs who really care about the dancers on the dance floor and are the good guys and down to earth and there are the djs who are prima donnas who think the dancers should be greatful for the opportunity to be entertained by these self styled Gods.... We see the up and coming djs who want to give their best shot for what-ever reason that motivates them ... And the djs who educate(?) the dancers to what the dj thinks the dancers should dance to... Now.. what if there were to be some kind of 'face off', some national contest to pitt the djs against each other and marked on points such as flow of music.. the number of dancers on the floor... originality of their spot... etc.. Who would host the contest? Would this influence the outcome? Should the djs be ranked? Would the prima donnas shit themselves when reality kicks in and the 'public' have their say? How many would have the balls to attend???? What other catagories could they be judged on (?) do you have any ideas yourself? Who would you suggest be on the panel of judges.. and would their 'position' be fair to warrent them to be awarded a position on the panel? Wouldn't the competition be interesting on so many levels? What do you think.. would the scene benefit? Enjoy the thought provoking issue and feel free to comment if you feel this topic has any merit... what if....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! ! ! tell me it's not true... Ian Levine will be putting disco backing to it next ! ! ! aaaaaaaaarggghhhhhh.......................... my life's in tatters... we're doomed.... doomed I tell you... Benny Hill.. my hero..

I went and released my own 7 inch last week... nothing clever really... got caught and now I have to go to court for flashing... BIG MICK