Jazzy D's Soul Notes

John Higgs "Love and Let Die: Bond, the Beatles and the British Psyche" (Weidenfeld and Nicolson)






On the 5th October 1962 two events occurred which were to change the cultural landscape forever in both the UK and across the world: the Beatles released their first single Love Me Do and the first James Bond film, Dr No was also released in cinemas. The biggest band and the single greatest film character of all time exploded onto the scene and here we are sixty years later. The Beatles' legacy lives on and No Time to Die, the 25th Bond film, ‘saved’ the cinemas when it was eventually released post Covid-19 lockdowns.

To have one such an institution is rare for a country, to have two is a rich treasure, and to give birth to both on the same day is a very special day indeed. Jon Higgs has had fun comparing and contrasting the themes and similarities and the crossover points, and his observation that the Beatles were all about Love, and Bond about Death. The anecdotes and moments in history that coincided with their story are interesting. Some of the connections are a bit more tenuous than others—the chapter about Desmond Llewelyn, for example, links Bond and the Beatles by the thread of car crashes, but I suppose it works.

If you are a fan of both the Beatles and 007 movies, you are in for a treat.

I got back from London yesterday at around six and thus decided to pop off to the local cinema to see the latest DC Comics movie "Justice League". With the hand of Joss Whedon in the film i was hoping it to be a good movie, and in fact it was a great movie. The fact that you have Wonder Woman in it made it so, alongside Batman,The Flash, Aqua Man and Cyborg - and yes, he is back ,Superman.

Thoroughly entertaining.

I went back home and after listening to some music i promptly fell asleep and realised this morning i had not finished my two reports which i have now just done. Hence being up early again.

I picked up some old copies of the Wire magazine ,three in total,one from 2011 (which has the best of the year's releases) , and two from 1989 and 1990. Pics of these later, as it shows that the mag has changed and grown and sizewise got larger.

But the two early ones were these -





I started collecting the magazine late 1990 so these two i have not seen before and they only cost 25 pence each from MVE's Book Exchange in Notting Hill.



Finally, after my two visits in London i just had to have a couple of pints at the Draft House in Fetters Lane again. It is a great beer house and eatery, but whilst the normal beers are around a fiver, the beer of the day is only £2.90. It was the same beer i had Monday - a delicious brown ale. The Draft House looks like this inside -



Anyway, that was Tuesday and my last day in London for awhile but i bet something will come in December.

Meanwhile, today , more work in my local Kent area with a trip to Tenterden and Tunbridge Wells.

Well,all three visits and their subsequent reports are now done I picked up some pipe tobacco in Faversham and then waited for my connecting bus to Ashford - the ill number 666 bus!

It was a very mild day - approaching 15 degrees C by midday - and that are near the library is such a sun trap.hence i took two selfies.





Once i did my other supermarket visit in Ashford i headed off to the cinema complex to watch the SciFi film "Arrival". I really enjoyed it,more brainier than some SCiFi fare on the big screen.

(from Google pages}

Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) leads an elite team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors. Hoping to unravel the mystery, she takes a chance that could threaten her life and quite possibly all of mankind.

Here is a trailer for it -




( Mild spoiler alert )

Finally got round to doing the Rochester visit , despite the fact that the R company still has not paid me for work done in the month.Jeez!

So, popping over to the Medway towns i first had a charity shop visit and then a cinema visit at Cineworld. I saw a fantasy film called Seventh Son. Not bad either, and i get paid by the company to see the film of my choice and to eat some ice cream for free. Canna be bad!

The charity shop visit was done in the quaint old High Street of Rochester. Found a couple of DVD's -

Hex Series One
Donnie Darko

and these paperback books -





The latter book being the best find for a quid!