Right, then, since we're all depressed and there are a few birthdays, let's all pop into the El Vino Veritas BBS for a few pints. I'll get them in first. Who wants what? I'm having a Bloody Mary and a bacon sandwich. While we wait for that barmaid, who's doing what this weekend?

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Answers

I'm going to the hospital in a minute to have my blood tested (hence need for drink and sustenance), then I'm going to do some Christmas shopping in Newcastle (and will check out the new calendars in the club shop and purchase one for me and Ciara if they are available). This evening, I'm going to have dinner with friends some school. Tomorrow, me mam's going away so I'll take her to the station and then chill out. Sunday, haven't thought about.

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Cheers Dougal, I'll take a large glass of port and sit next to the fire over there

Usual weekend.... golf tomorrow morning then no plans. Still loads of jobs in the house to do so it'll be filling and painting no doubt.

Ahhhh that's nice

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Well DOugal, looks like it's just the two of us. Another bloody mary?

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

I'm up for a free game on the Who Wants to be a Millionaire Machine, ask the audience - you two will do :-)

What is the plural for a Mongoose?

a.Mongeeses

b.Monganders

c.Mongooses

d.Mangoslings
Not 100% but I think it's c.

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Has to be c. It Mongeese would have been better than mongeeeses!

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Interesting question, Scratchy: Moongeese, I think. Another beer anyone?

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Aye... go on then. It can be either Mongeese or Mongooses so the answer is c) as Mongeese was not an option.

A bag of pork scratchins with that pint there Dougal please!

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Pork scratchings? Hey, this is a sophisticated place, this, man. Oh, all right. I'll have some, too. I bet the others are all somewhere else..

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

There's a happy hour on at the Old Trout, they'll be down there probably, are you two barred from there as well?

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

This is a nice pint of Guinness but I wish to register a complaint. I bought a bag of peanuts in good faith, fully expecting a lass in a bathing costume to be revealed on the cardboard holder where this particular bag had beem fastened. Imagine my surprise to see a picture of Aaron Hughes' arse instead! What kind of a place is this?!?! I'm off to the Strawberry and I might even pop into Sven's adult bookstore on my way home to reassert my hetrosexuality.

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Ahh, that's where you all are. Same again everyone?

Did anyone press 'c' on the machine or are you just going to stand there staring at it? Here we go, next question..

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Come on let's get past the easy ones: Who fronted 80's band Bad Manners?
A: Buster Mottram
B: Buster Gonad
C: Buster Bloodvessel
D: Buster Keaton

Keith Gillespie's obviously been in here before us. We'll clean up at this rate. Hey, Dougal, that's the tenth bag of pork sctachings you're on there...are you sure it's Aaron Hughes?

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Pint of cider please dougal and gizza look at that calendar.......

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Sorry I'm late the Concorde just isn't what it used to be. Another round for everyone while I join Dougal and Steph in the calendar corner.

May just hang out in this pub all weekend as I've no real plans for the first time in a few weeks. Looking forward to it!

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Pint of \HEineken please

It reminds me (I don't knnow what but something does) of the time that one commentator was drrolling about Manchester United. He said something along the lines of 'When you play the Cantonas, the Keanes, the Giggs' and the Kanchelskii of this workd it's very difficult.'

Anyway for me it's almost Saturday so I have an excuse of being drunk. Can you top up me beer please it's gone a bit flat as I've been chatting.

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

I'll have a pint of Margaret River Cab Sav please. The second quiz question answer is c as well.

For the first answer I am disapointed that "Mongsgoose" was not an option!

I'll have a CD holder for the bairn and a smutty calender for the missus an aaall.

Got to do some house cleaning, got some visitors begging on the door step Sunday.

Someone called Tynedale Man and Lady Tynedale, any of you know them?

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Sorry, Softie, I was overcome for a moment. Have just put up a pitcture of the landlady from the Strawberry. Will that do? If not, someone left a soggy copy of Razzle in the gents, I'm told, so I could get out the Superglue (on second thoughts, this sticky stuff whatever it may be will do) and stick these pics up.

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Bliddy hell Dougal, you're on good form. Graphic, but good.

Is this something to do with the fact that "Harper is apparently canny up front" (off the other thread)???

Yours, feeling inadequate

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Watch out, gus - that Lady Tynedale is a monster when she's had a glass of fizzy pop....

;-)

give them my best. And tell Lady T. to keep away from the greyhounds...

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Sorry, Bill, I dunno what's come over me today. Oh dear, I feel another double entendre coming on ;)

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Shh! Don't let on about the landlady, I can't handle the competition. She's mine, I tell you, all mine.

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

C - It was Mr Bloodvessel

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Now, see...I wasn't going to go down the road of Harper's canny up front, but seeing as Dr. Bill has, I'll say Harper's back isn't half bad either.

Coat, gloves, etc.....

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Mine's a John Smiths, and a bottle 'o Double Maxim for the barber's pole in the corner - haway ower heor soops and have a blather, man.
Can you stilll get Double Maxim?

Me and wor lass went for a walk on Embleton beach this afternoon - jeeeeeeez, I swear it was caad enough to liquify nitrogen! Back to N/Shields the morra for the England match -nee Sky feed up heor!

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Any real ales on the pumps, if not i'll have a pint of Smith's.

I'm just watching the England game over a few cans wiv me mate.

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001

Sorry - Aah just woken up. Aah'll heve a strong black coffee please. And can Aah hev me pitcha o' the Straabeery Landlady back please. And will somebody please turn doon the volume on the jukie? God, Aah feel aahful.....and Aah've got a party the neet :-(

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

Bloody Mary and a full English is the only answer, pet...

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

Working Sat/Sun, no alocohol for the Buff , incidentally the good lady is been picked up 4,30 after drinky poos in the village , down to Aberdeen with 20 others, more voddy`s or bacardi`s , ten-pin bowling, supper , expect her to be on Gaelic coffee or Baily`s by this stage, angelic ladies choir norm on way back , its a hard life, tis a womans world , so what eh?

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

Annual dabble with pretentiousness and elitism tonight at the Theatre Royal and the RSC's Hamlet, so I'd better just restrict myself to a Tio Pepe. Don't want to show myself up supping pints. You lot can have anything you like, but. :-))

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

I'll be really interested in what you think of it PB - was there on Thursday neet. It's very long, with bits I've never heard before - think it must be the full narrative.

As ever, the RSC production is first-class. Sam West's Hamlet is certainly different to previous interpretations, but I thought he was very good. Despite that the production didn't quite hit the mark for me, but I really don't know why.

The blerk playing Polonius was good, but I'm not sure the other main players were quite up to it.

Be interested to get your observations.

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

Clarky, my nephew saw it and thought the entire thing was miscast and only the threat of expulsion (it was a school outing) made him stay for the second half. It's nice to hear someone agreeing with him.

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

Crikey - is that the time? Aah think Aah just beat the sun to wor village. Canny "do" mind. Pint o' milk anybody??

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

Aye, will you get me a paper, a video and a box of Lite Pringles please?

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001

urrggh.... how the hell did I end up sleeping in the loos?

oh well... hair of the dog anyone?

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001

Clarky
Something like 4 printed versions of Hamlet have come down through the years, with one of them sort of standard. The RSC used a bit of poetic license and mixed and matched from among them, hence the unrecognised bits. This from the programme, mind. I ain't no scholar.

I'd forgotten how long it is anyway, without the extra bits, so it was a bit of a marathon - 7:00 until 11:15. Not having seen that many performances of it, though, I can't say I noticed any bits that sounded out of place. Some bits were over elaborated, so maybe they were the add ins.

Being a big fan of Mr Shakespeare regardless, they'd have had to really go to town on it to spoil it for me, so I enjoyed it. Some of the stuff definitely didn't come off, though, particularly the play within a play episode. That was crap IMO. And the scene that started with the guy at the back playing the piano. Too much of a distraction from the words, but maybe that one is just a bit of a nit pick.

Personally can't see the point of doing stuff like this in modern dress and using modern props. Puts extra strain on the dialogue IMO. You have to suspend your disbelief even more. Could have done without the machine guns and stuff. Definitely didn't work - came across as a bit of directorial self indulgence.

Couldn't fault the performances though. Seeing Twelfth Night on Saturday, which should be a bit easier to keep up with, and if the performances are as good as last night, I'll be well pleased.

Dougal, hope this doesn't come across as patronising, but I'm not surprised your nephew found it hard work. Shakespeare can be at the best of times, so a performance of that length would be bound to bring out the best in a kid. Not sure what he means by 'miscast' though. I couldn't really fault any of the cast.

Right, there's the bell for the end of the period, don't clash your chairs on the way out. :-))

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001

Hoy you lot. Can you keep that high-brow stuff oot the bar. Ye caan gaan ti the lounge if yer ganna taak posh like. Bottle o' Dog please. Crikey - my heed horts.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001

Me mates and me wor hevvin a friendly yack, yay shouldn' a been nebbin. Sorves yer reet, a've got nee sympathy for yuh. And it's norasif the bliddy hoosey's started yit.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001

Pit Bill, are you including the classic Not 1982 Calendar version of The Skinhead Hamlet?

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001

PitBill, I'm not sure what he meant by "miscast" either but he recent helped direct a school production of "Grease" and he suddenly thinks he's Ridley Scott. You can't watch Eastenders without him saying that Charlie would have been better played by Terence Stamp...;)

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001

A version with which I'm not familiar Geordie, but no doubt it has it's merits. :-))

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001

dougal,
Tell 'Ridley Scott' that I for one agree with him. Claudius and Gertrude were both weak, wooden and entirely miscast, imho. On the other hand, Sam West was excellent as the troubled Kieron Dyer Hamlet. ;o{)

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001

That's interesting Fellini, but I suppose it's the advantage of live theatre. Once it's down on celluloid, that's it, and if the performance isn't up to scratch, it's there forever and you can't change it. If it's repeated live, you get more chances to get it right. If I'd had to single out anybody in the one we saw as 'could do better', it would have been Ophelia.

I think Shakespeare can sometimes be as satisfying if you just listen. The dialogue is nearly everything IMO, and I'm not sure that indifferent acting detracts that much from a performance, as long as the actors are on top of the words. I think that's one reason why they can get away with the sparse sets that seem to be the hallmark these days, there's so much left to your imagination anyway, that lack of scenery can easily be overlooked.

That point of view maybe explains why I didn't particularly notice any other wooden performances, and even Ophelia wasn't consistently below par.

I'll clam up now in case that stroppy bugga who whinged about the noise earlier, is still hanging around. :-))

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2001

Shhhh. Some of us are trying to (look like we're) doing some work ;-)

-- Anonymous, November 12, 2001