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So, at least, according to Hugh Laurie: Can a white man really sing the blues? – Telegraph Blogs

I am troubled. Hugh Laurie doesn't strike me as a proper channel for the blues, though I admittedly speak as one who doesn't know the fellow.

The Telegraph has a comment section within which a 20-part list of attributes has been copied, describing what's blue and what isn't. Mr Laurie fails by a mile.

Should any of you be near a venue, I'd be interested to hear your opinion.

Actually HOUSE as he is know here is a pretty talented guy. He strikes me as a white guy who could sing the blues easily.

Actually he plays Dr. Gregory House in the best drama here called 'House.'



He has many talents, from piano playing, singing jazz and the blues & years of outstanding acting.

He is also a director and producer. and a writer.

spot;1356664 wrote: So, at least, according to Hugh Laurie: Can a white man really sing the blues? – Telegraph Blogs

I am troubled. Hugh Laurie doesn't strike me as a proper channel for the blues, though I admittedly speak as one who doesn't know the fellow.

The Telegraph has a comment section within which a 20-part list of attributes has been copied, describing what's blue and what isn't. Mr Laurie fails by a mile.

Should any of you be near a venue, I'd be interested to hear your opinion.


That's intellectual snobbery every bit as bad as someone in the arts arguing that council house tenants are incapable of appreciating opera. Music is music you either like it or you don't, you like some styles other you can't stand. Blues and rock and roll and country music and opera and lady gaga ones is as good as the other if you like them and who cares what colour the artist is so long as they are good. Should I object to americans playing the bagpipes?

There's Will Self, Kenneth Tynan, Brian Perkins, and then there's me. "Woke up this morning" is as far as any of us could legitimately step along the path of the Blues, beyond that bar lies willful victimhood. There are some people to whom fate is not permitted to deal a duff hand. We tend to be born outside the Southern States, to avoid entanglement with social disasters called Bessie and to settle our occasional differences with The Law in a civilized manner.

You should quite definitely object to Americans playing the bagpipes, and indeed anyone else not explicitly authorized by a man with Ilk after his name.

You should quite definitely object to Americans playing the bagpipes, and indeed anyone else not explicitly authorized by a man with Ilk after his name.


As a scot the connotation of the phrase of that ilk may differ from yours. My instinct is one of base hostility. It was those with the pretension to have of that ilk after their name that banned them in the first place. If the blues appeals to those given to melancholy and sadness or who can understand, for whatever reason, where it comes from in the human spirit then the appeal is universal.

Pretension? You surprise me. I thought these were, originally, highlanders who navigated the political ebb and flow on behalf of their many dependents. There are still adherents, I'm told. But I'm more than happy to be educated by one who's better informed. Why pretension? The word implies a lack of underlying reality, that those doing it came in from outside and took up what didn't belong to them.

There are two aspects to it, one is that it dies mean having a name that is the same as the place where one lives, or of that kind; of the same kind of person or thing as the one just mentioned. The use of the phrase in the latter sense, kind or sort, is actually quite recent, having been first recorded at the end of the 18th century.

The older use of ilk in the phrase of that ilk, was used chiefly in names of landed families used to indicate that the person named is proprietor or laird of the place. So someone using of that ilk as part of his name is basically - in this day and age -a pretentious snob with some claim to be descended fro the medeival warlords who used to rule the place. Hence my base hostility. You might remember Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk, basically he was Moncrieffe of moncrieffe. In england The earl of norfolk is known simply as norfolk. If his surname also happened to be norfolk and norfok was in scotland he would be norfolk of that ilk rather than norfolk of norfolk.

Peculiarly enough it seems to be an old english (as in anglo/saxon german) word - go figure. Actually there are a few broad scots words that are very similar to low german (country german -can't remember the correct term).

This thread reminded me of an old website on singing the blues - it still makes me smile:

http://www.analogman.com/singblues.htm

AussiePam;1356867 wrote: This thread reminded me of an old website on singing the blues - it still makes me smile:

http://www.analogman.com/singblues.htm


Hi Pam :-6

Have you tried :-

Bonzo Dog Band:Can Blue Men Sing The Whites? Lyrics - LyricWiki - Music lyrics from songs and albums

That is excellent, Bryn. I found the Youtube video for the lyrics. I'd never heard the group before. Thank you.

YouTube - Bonzo Dog Band - Can Blue Men Sing The Whites



Bryn Mawr;1356898 wrote: Hi Pam :-6

Have you tried :-

Bonzo Dog Band:Can Blue Men Sing The Whites? Lyrics - LyricWiki - Music lyrics from songs and albums

Hunting Tigers, Pam. And the Urban Spaceman.Give me ten years of your life and I'll trade in that puny flab for living muscle. The physique you deserve! Strong chesty shoulders to hold your shirt up. Five years ago I was a four-stone apology, today I am two separate gorillas.

No tiresome exercises! No tricks! No unpleasant bending! Wrestle poodles and win!

AussiePam;1357396 wrote: erk


You already have strong chesty shoulders to hold your shirt up?

spot;1357333 wrote: Hunting Tigers, Pam. And the Urban Spaceman.Give me ten years of your life and I'll trade in that puny flab for living muscle. The physique you deserve! Strong chesty shoulders to hold your shirt up. Five years ago I was a four-stone apology, today I am two separate gorillas.

No tiresome exercises! No tricks! No unpleasant bending! Wrestle poodles and win!


And, apparently, Mr. Apollo

Coming soon on BBC iPlayer Mr Lawrie BBC iPlayer - Later... with Jools Holland: Series 38: Episode 3

I found it mildly embarrasing

Oh go on, I've only found the duet section at 15 minutes so far but that was the sort of thing that makes me smile.

Try at about 50 minutes, that will wipe the smile off your face.