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Post by Redders on Jun 8, 2007 14:45:48 GMT
By Mike Harding called
Yorkshire Transvestite found dead on Everest.
It was well funny and had many references to the Barnsley & Wombwell - Boozing, Formation drinking and weight Loss Club.
Tis a book of short musings that he does for a walking magazine.
That man ought to be a TOG!
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Post by Sir Blimely Windy on Jun 8, 2007 19:48:55 GMT
He is a fantastic broadcaster, comedian, writer and folkie. If you want to find out more about him, go to www.mikeharding.co.uk
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Post by smiglet on Jun 8, 2007 19:55:29 GMT
I think his father or grandfather was involved in the Mass Trespass protest that helped open up the country side to everyone His dad / grandad was confronted by a landowner and told to get off his land - when asked how he knew it was his land he was told that the landowners family had fought for it... 'OK then' said Harding Snr 'Get yer jacket off!' What a cracking response
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Post by Sir Blimely Windy on Jun 8, 2007 21:54:17 GMT
Must have been his grandfather.
Harding's biography is, sadly less colourful. It is, however, very sad.
I am quoting from his website:
"Mike Harding was born in Crumpsall, Manchester in 1944, into a working-class Irish-Catholic family.
His father, Flight Sergeant Louis Arthur 'Curly' Harding, was killed returning from a bombing mission just 4 weeks before Mike was born. This had a profound effect on his childhood and later life, and provided the inspiration for his haunting song, 'Bombers' Moon'. Much of the inspiration for his writing comes from his early years growing up in post-war Manchester. "
The full biography can be found at his website:
The lyrics of 'Bombers Moon are fantastic:
Bombers Moon Mike Harding
1 '44 in Bomber County Young men waiting for the night, In the hedgerows birds are singing, Singing in the falling light. ~ And the captain says, 'Tonight there'll be a bomber's moon, We'll be there and back underneath a bomber's moon. A thousand bombers over the northern sea Heading out, out for Germany.'
2 Chalkey White stands at the dartboard, Curly Thompson writes to his wife, Nobby Clarke and Jumbo Johnson Are playing cards and smoking pipes; And over the hangers rises a bomber's moon, Full and clear rising, as the engines croon And the planes they taxi out on to runway five And sail off out into the silvery night.
3 Sandy Campbell checks his oil gauge, The Belgian coast is coming soon; Curly Thompson lifts his sextant, Lines up on a bomber's moon And waves are shining there beneath the bomber's moon. The Lancasters flying high beneath the bomber's moon Coming in along the Belgian coast A thousand silver-shrouded ghosts.
4 Flak flies up around the city, Jumbo Johnson banks the plane, Goes in low and drops his payload, Turns to join the pack again. And people are dying there beneath the bomber's moon, The city's a raging hell beneath the bomber's moon, And the planes head out towards the northern sea: Young men coming home from victory.
5 Over Belgium came the fighters, Flying high against the night; Curly Thompson saw them com~ng, Closing in before he died. And the young men shot them down beneath the bomber's moon, Shot them down in flames beneath the bomber's moon; Young men sending young men to their graves Saw them down into the North Sea waves.
6 Now it's '83 in Bomber County Mrs White dusts the picture and she cries: Chalky White in uniform Looking as he did the day he died. And for God's sake no more bomber's moons, No more young men going out to die too soon, Old men sending young men out to die, Young men dying for a politician's lies.
For God's sake no more bomber's moons, No more young men going out to die too soon, Old men sending young men out to kill. If we don't stop them then they never will.
No more no more bomber's moons No more no more bomber's moons.
If I keep a green bough in my heart The singing bird will come
I love folk music, and I used to live in Bomber County
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Misty Meena
TOG
I'm still hot - it just comes in flushes now!
Posts: 813
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Post by Misty Meena on Jun 14, 2007 8:01:14 GMT
I hadn't heard that one of Mike's. Thank you for posting it. My mother's cousin flew Lancs during the war. He was lucky, although he was shot down he survived and spent the rest of the war in a Stalag Luft III. But so many died
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Post by Glen B Ogle on Jun 15, 2007 18:57:08 GMT
Mike Harding's Bombers' Moon album is absolutely superb. Very unexpected I suspect to anyone who only remember's his comic appearances on TV. I'd forgotten about it for a while (as it's on vinyl) but I recently copied it onto CD to play in the car.
To get back to books though I can also thoroughly recommend "Rambling On", an earlier work of his about rambling (note NOT hiking or walking).
Glen
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