Go - Public Service Broadcasting

Go, Go, Go, Go, Go...

On Saturday I was lucky enough to see the excellent Public Service Broadcasting play at Caerphilly Castle. I’m not sure what Gilbert de Clare, the 7th Earl of Gloucester would have thought about his 13th Century Castle creation being used for such purpose but hopefully he would have marvelled at the songs and videos featuring the story of the Titanic, the Race for Space and the rise and fall of coalmining in South Wales.

I came away with my mind working in overdrive. A lot of the songs and footage captured events that have happened in my lifetime. A fifty-year span where Man land on the Moon, industry changed forever and the world went digital.

Has it all been worth it and are we any happier as a result?

Has the immediacy of the modern world enhanced our lives or made it as even tougher place to exist? I believe the world has changed more in the last ten years than the previous forty. I mean, when did you last play a Cassette, CD, DVD or take a photo using a camera? The notes in my wallet have been there for weeks as I simply don’t use much paper money these days. Banks, Shops, Cars, Life...there's a massive revolution taking place. One that when we look back in a further ten years wish we'd been part of as I believe that people are missing out not only on their future but also on their present.

You see, I went to the gig, sober, stayed sober and then drove home. However around me, some folk were completely legless, whilst others smoked endless joints throughout. And hey, it's a free-world and people are there for a good time but there's a whole world out there to create, enjoy and feel part of - and not to miss out on.

The grainy 60's footage of the Apollo Missions highlighted just how long it was since I was a seven-year old boy looking skywards in wonder at the heavens - what I've achieved so far and what I have yet to achieve with my time left on this amazing planet of ours. 

Take some time and think about whatever it is that you are doing today. If you are not doing it very well, do it better and if it's not good for you, don’t do it at all.

Amen.

1,040 Marathons, 242 Ultras, 9 Guinness World Records & 15 Marathon des Sables

Always in my Head - Coldplay

Lyrics:- My body moves, goes where I will – Berryman, Buckland, Champion & Martin

Song Choice:- On a day that I’ll see Coldplay at the Principality Stadium in Caerdydd, it seems only right to choose one of my favourite Martin penned tracks. Hopefully I’ve picked one that reflects how I feel today as I sit on the train, London bound on the 0512hrs ‘Red-Eye’, ready to engage in being ‘Awesome’ rather than ‘Average’ at Threshold Sport’s first ‘Net-Walking’ event.

‘Always in my Head’ is yet another example of Chris Martin’s enduring magical songwriting genius which has produced hit after hit and success after success for nearly twenty years. As a modern-day ‘Rock Band’, their continued success is unparalleled.

So why is that? And why do I think it’s relevant to me and today’s blog?

Well, I was asked to ‘Distill’ my ‘Mindset’ as part of a ‘Personal Development Programme’ that I’m on right now. Getting this down on paper in one sentence or soundbite, is proving virtually impossible as it’s a totally natural process that’s hard-wired into my DNA – but I’m going to give it a real go. It’s going to take me a few days to compose and I’m going to need Lady C’s help to get it just right for sure.

And that’s where Coldplay come in. I mean I’m not Chris Martin but in their analogy what makes Coldplay, Coldplay? – Hmm, well that’s simple, it’s a blend of Chris Martin’s ability, musicality and personality supported by the rest of the band and a producer and engineer that can take that ability and give it the 100% Elite Star-Quality we have become used to.

At the heart of things, Chris Martin’s ‘Unique’. And I can’t quite put my finger on quite what it is as he’s not an outstanding vocalist or performer but somehow there’s a ‘Magic’ and ‘Stage Presence’ that’s infectious. Maybe it’s his enthusiasm that’s the key to their success and I wonder what his ‘Mindset’ might be as they start developing ideas for their next album.

Has he ‘Distilled’ his ‘Mind-set’?’ or is it just hard-wired into his DNA too?

Maybe it’s something you’ve either got or you haven’t. I mean what is the ‘Magic Sauce’ that makes things happen? Means that you never give up, that people find intimidating, that drives you on at all costs, that if you could bottle it would be worth millions…

Well that’s my mission to find out, articulate and deliver. Something I’ll be considering of course when I’m watching Coldplay tonight as the core-elements of my ‘Mindset’ are ‘Always in my Head’.

Amen

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,587 Days' Alcohol Free - 435 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir

Location: Caerdydd, Cymru

Turn No More - Public Service Broadcasting (featuring James Dean Bradfield)

Lyrics:- 'Stand Firm' - Producer J Willgoose Esq.

Song Choice:- I'm loving getting to grips with PSB's latest 'Concept Album', Every Valley. The album's story depicts the history of the mining industry in Wales but more specifically chronicles the rise and decline of the country's coal industry. 

Mining in Wales provided a significant source of income to the economy of the country throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries being key to the Industrial Revolution. Wales was famous the world over for its coal mining and Welsh Coal was said to burn at a higher temperature and brighter than any other coal. By 1913 for instance, Barry had become the largest coal exporting port in the world, which is some accolade and a far cry from it's now Gavin and Stacey fame.

The above track, 'Turn no more' features the 'The Manic Street Preachers' James Dean Bradfield on vocals  whom I often say 'Hello' to at 'Cafe Castan' in Llandaff Fields near my home - His voice compliments PSB’s unique blend of ‘Art Rock’ and film archives of years’ gone by and instantly got my hair standing on end on the very first listen and hitting the replay button instantly. Next time I see him, I’ll let him know just how much I love this song already and I'm looking forward to hearing it live on their tour which lands in Caerdydd in October.

Anyway, it’s the ‘Stand Firm’ lyric that I’m interested in for today’s blog as it’s easy to do any new regime for a day, a few days or even a week – Keeping it going for a month and then on past three – a whole new ball game.

Some ways of making it happen are to have some words to accompany the process:-

• Stand Firm
• Endurance
• Durability.

Well, they are mine... These are the focus for me as I march on towards my sub-4 marathon goal and dream of full recovery from the Guillain–Barré Syndrome. I'm not daft as I know that these goals won't happen overnight but with the above words in place it will make me sharpen my focus and keep me out there bashing out the miles and enjoying getting to grips with ‘Standing Firm’.

What three words would you choose?

Amen

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,585 Days' Alcohol Free - 433 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location: Caerdydd, Cymru

The Boys of Summer - Don Henley

Lyrics:- 'Those days are gone forever' - Henley & Campbell

Song Choice:- Yikes, I've gone back to 1984 for today's aptly named track 'The Boys of Summer'. It's well worth a listen if you've forgotten just how good the song was at the time or if you have never heard of Don Henley or 'The Eagles' in fact, the Group he famously drummed and sang lead vocals for all those years ago.

You see, for me there is no better time, certainly down here in Wales, than the Summer months. Walking across Llandaff Fields yesterday, the scorched grass reminded me of the long, hot summer of 1976.

My those Summer Days' were long... They went on forever, well into September actually, without a single drop of rain. Reservoirs dried up, hose-pipes were banned and the roads simply melted - Happy Days eh?

They were happy though. Perhaps happier for some than they are now, as there was SO much more time and far fewer distractions - our lives were just - emptier. The internet hadn't been invented and good old Apple Corporation, (without whom modern life simply wouldn't or couldn't exist) had only just been created.

Sure, things weren't all rosy and the brown nylon, transistorised world luckily blew out as we headed into the 80's and the digital world took over but is it just me that thinks there was something magical about those days? Temperatures peaked at 35.9°c (96.6°c) in Cheltenham on July 3rd 1976, and 23.65 billion Ladybirds swarmed in to feed on a plague of Aphids, that as I remember, were simply everywhere - Everyday the weather rulebooks were rewritten.

That year will always be remembered even though 1995, '97, '01, '03 and '06 had hotter specific Summer months - funny how Folklore is created.

For me, the one I'll remember the most is the Summer of 2016 as it's the one I missed out on. I spent all of it in hospital missing out on the light evenings, running through golden cornfields and feeling the warm Summer Sun on my skin. Therefore I'm making up for it this year and enjoying every single moment of it.

Are you? And what will you remember this Summer for I wonder? I'd love to know...

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,584 Days' Alcohol Free - 432 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location: Caerdydd, Cymru

Happiest Days of Our Lives - The Pink Floyd

Lyrics:- 'By pouring their derision upon anything we did, exposing every weakness' - Waters

Song Choice:- Oh my, it's amazing just how much negativity some of you lot seem to encounter sometimes whilst striving for your fitness dreams.

For example, how's this for encouragement, word for word that one of my clients received. 

'Mate I'm not knocking it, but you know most people gain weight after losing it'...'Just being realistic...I've a pic of you from 5 years ago. You were as trim as now.

Also.. 

'I had a fat friend who is now thin and nowhere near as nice' and 'I thought you were ill cos you've gone so gaunt'.

Just how demotivating can you get? Luckily, these so-called 'friends' were duly 'un-friended' 'tout-suite' as they simply didn't believe the person concerned had the will-power to maintain their new lifestyle. A simple 'Well-done' would have been far more appropriate than the 'I know you'll mess up and revert to type soon as I've always known you as being overweight'.

But then that's the style of the 'Preying Mantis Energy Vampire'. We all have them in our families, friendship groups and at work. You know, folk that just like to spray a little (or a lot in the above case) 'Kryptonite' on our efforts.

Folk pointing that kinda stuff out to us, just ain't constructive.

So, this weekend when you are out of your work routine, seeing friends, enjoying Wimbledon or family time make sure you take your 'Kryptonite Kevlar-plated Armour' with you. Some trusty replies to throw back at the 'Energy Vampires' will help too - and will help you blow away the tempting 'Just the One glass' or one just one little 'Freddo Bar' that will come your way from folk or from the 'Energy VAmpire' that lives inside your own head...

Have a great weekend and don't pour derision on your own efforts... PLEASE :-)

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables
9 Guinness World Records - 8,583 Days' Alcohol Free - 431 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location: Caerdydd, Cymru

Skyfall - Adele

Lyrics:- 'Where world's collide and days are dark' - Adkins & Epworth

Song Choice:- I saw on Breakfast TV that singing megastar Adele has today pulled out of her final two Wembley gigs with damaged vocal chords. A really tough injury for someone who's fortune has been made using her incredible singing ability and I hope for her sake she gets to do the performances she personally hailed as 'her biggest ever shows'.

Having suffered previously with terrible stage-fright, she must feel a sense of relief as she now won't have to face such a large spectrum of fans and critics. Being SO famous with SUCH a well known repertoire of songs can be so dangerous for the ego. It leaves no margin of error at all and it's easy to see why her confidence has been knocked over the years.

If Adele were a tennis player, it would mean not only winning set but every game and every point in a match too. And as there is no possible change of doing so, there's only one way out -  and that's to do a 'Kate Bush' and just not perform live again, which of course is a real shame - not because I'm a big Adele fan, I'm not. I just feel sorry for her and where her singing talent has taken her.

To NOT singing...

Having ones confidence challenged about the thing in life you love the most, by some idiots that don't even know you, because they are intimidated by your talent or confidence really sucks. These folk aren't even 'Average' in my book and if you have a few 'Confidence Knockers' orbiting your world right now, maybe it's time to set them free and move on to your own 'Oh oh Heaven'...

We might not have Adele's cash but we've got the same spirit and hold your head high, light I do and be confident in being Awesome and don't give a damn what anyone else says as they're just scared... of you and of themselves.

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,578 Days' Alcohol Free - 426 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales

These are the days of our lives - Queen

Lyrics:- 'Sometimes I get to feelin', I was back in the old days - long ago’ - Taylor

Song Choice:- I'm always saying to folk that 'These are the best days of our lives'. It's TRUE. It's just that we don't realise it right now. Take-a-look at the 'Lump in the throat’ Queen video that accompanies this track if you need to see where I’m coming from. It’s super sad… It was the last video to feature frontman Freddie Mercury as he was in the final stages of his battle with AIDS filmed on 30th May 1991, just six months before he died on 24th November 1991 - nearly 26 years ago... His last words to camera were ‘I still love you’ and I’m sure he did.

Since then, so much has happened – We’ve all lived a lot of ‘Life’ that I’m sure Freddie would also have lived to the full, with its roundabout ‘Ups and Downs’, ‘Successes and Failures’.

‘The days were endless, we were crazy - we were young. The sun was always shinin' - we just lived for fun’ – Taylor

You see, we never thought about getting old when we were young – The ‘DFS Sofa buy-now-pay-later' mentality hadn’t been invented and I for one thought that my battery life was endless rather than slowly ebbing away at 1% annually.

‘You can't turn back the clock, you can't turn back the tide - ain't that a shame?’ – Taylor

And ‘Yes’ it is a shame we can’t wind our clocks back to make amends or live life’s highs all over again but I believe it’s our duty now to make the most of what we’ve got. Not of what’s left as none of us know how long that particular piece of string is.

We’ve just got to do, what we do – BETTER… as Freddie says, ‘Cos these are the days of our lives’…

Make the most of YOUR DAYS… Please.

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,574 Days' Alcohol Free - 423 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales

Through the Barricades - Spandau Ballet

Lyrics:- 'It's a terrible beauty we've made' - Gates

Song Choice:- What better track to choose to illustrate the boundaries we build around ourselves to protect us from the 'Hurty-World' that lies both outside our front door and inside our heads. 

This track was actually written by DavidGates of 'Bread' fame and re-released with a 'New Romantic Twist'. The Spandau's themselves were once 'Barricaded' off from my world back in the e '80's along with the Duran Duran Boys but were really a guilty pleasure along with disco music and the Bee Gees (Did you see Barry Gibb at Glastonbury? - He was bloody awesome)...

Anyway, I found over the years I ring-fence lots of things into my monochromatic world with very 'Hit' and 'Miss' labels, which is fine. The only thing is years later, I'm finding I've done a complete 'Opinion 360' and instead of a 'Love-Hate' - I've got a 'Hate-Love' situation.

You see you just can't predict the future - although I'm pretty sure you won't catch me being a 'Swim, Bike, Run Person in this lifetime but then you never know (Let's hope not eh?)...

But then we all change our minds at some point in time and the folk I tend to meet want to denounce their past, shape up and shape their future. It's a good thing to do too as living a life behind 'Barricades' ain't much fun.

Amen...

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,573 Days' Alcohol Free - 422 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location:- Cardiff, Wales