When the Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died last month, the first of their songs that popped into my head, for no particular reason, was “Under My Thumb”, a mildly controversial 1966 album track the band never released as a single in the West.
Its most infamous place in history, though, is this.
Until Watts’ death I was only very broadly aware of the events at Altamont Speedway in 1969, a free festival at a racetrack near San Francisco at which four people died in scenes of malevolent chaos and which is widely regarded as the grim headstone of the hippy era.
But on seeing the extraordinary footage above for the first time on the day of Watts’ death – taken from “Gimme Shelter”, notionally the official movie of the show, although the first two-thirds of it are actually a mundane travelogue of the preceding tour dates – I did some proper reading up on it.
And as I did, a horribly familiar feeling started to unfold.
Although we’re retired we already wrote this, so we may as well put it up for the 99.9% of Scots who don’t read the comments on David Leask‘s columns in the Herald.
It’s a claim he’s been banging on about since at least 2014, without ever providing a scrap of evidence to support it (his standard modus operandi), and yesterday was no exception. So let’s show Little Dave how proper big-boy journalists do it.
Our always-alert readers will probably have noticed that Nicola Sturgeon’s constant catchphrase this week has been how Yes supporters still need to “build the case for independence”, rather than actually do anything to achieve it.
But the thing is, she’s the leader of the SNP. Building the case for independence is literally her job, and she’s now been doing it for six and a half years. So how much progress have we made?
Holiday Boy is on holiday. But remember in 2018 when Nicola Sturgeon was going to use next week’s election as a de facto referendum if the UK government hadn’t given her permission for one by now, readers?
It’s almost like you can’t ever believe a word she says.
Peter McAvoy on Green Eggs And Bams: “Another dismissal of the concerns and welfare of all native or permanent resident Scottish people would be to easily forget…” Mar 7, 02:21
sarah on Green Eggs And Bams: “Focussing on getting the hell out of this dreadful Union, there’s one thing that ALL Yes voters have to do…” Mar 6, 22:06
Ian Brotherhood on Green Eggs And Bams: “Cheers GM, It’ll be a good night, even if there’s not that many of us. 🙂” Mar 6, 21:59
GM on Green Eggs And Bams: “Will maybe pitch up Ian. Curious to put faces to names etc and have a craic with like minds.” Mar 6, 21:48
Hatey McHateface on Green Eggs And Bams: “Sorry Dan, I didn’t bother reading your ill-tempered, abusive and no doubt factually illiterate rant. Your belief that wind energy…” Mar 6, 21:42
Dan on Green Eggs And Bams: “Fuck off John Hatey Main the ever-present bot twat. We’ve been over this matter for years and I’ve provided plenty…” Mar 6, 21:14
Muscleguy on Green Eggs And Bams: “And woodburners pollute the house they are in so badly it has been compared to having a diesel exhaust piped…” Mar 6, 20:42
Derek on Green Eggs And Bams: “Of course, the 2021 figures were significantly inflated by the double whammy of the pandemic and Sturgeon’s one and only…” Mar 6, 20:37
Michael Laing on Green Eggs And Bams: “If only the cycle lanes were empty! Here in Edinburgh, these lanes are an absolute menace to pedestrians, with cyclists…” Mar 6, 20:14
Ian Brotherhood on Green Eggs And Bams: “Thanks Sarah. No idea what kind of turnout to expect but the capacity of the function room is 100. 🙂” Mar 6, 20:13
Hatey McHateface on Green Eggs And Bams: ““a geographic area having an abundance of clean renewable energy generation yet it being too expensive for many to access,…” Mar 6, 20:00
sarah on Green Eggs And Bams: “You are right, Breeks. We have been, and continue to be, betrayed by nearly every SNP MSP and MP. How…” Mar 6, 19:59
agent x on Green Eggs And Bams: “The Scottish Government signed off on guidance last month which said “trans staff should choose to use the facilities they…” Mar 6, 19:55
sarah on Green Eggs And Bams: “It sounds perfect, Ian. I know there will be a great atmosphere and old comrades remembered – Cearc, Smallaxe among…” Mar 6, 19:54
Marie on Green Eggs And Bams: “Correct Breeks. I’m with you as well. Scotland has been hollowed out by successive Governments including the SNP led governments…” Mar 6, 19:30
twathater on Green Eggs And Bams: “@ Breeks and 100% yes, YES there are many dullards and fuckwits out there who will continue to vote for…” Mar 6, 19:28
JockMcT on Green Eggs And Bams: “The definition of insanity; Voting SNP 1 & 2 and hoping for a referendum from WM.” Mar 6, 19:27
Dan on Green Eggs And Bams: “Or “enjoy” the illegal level of noise generated by dodgy shite totally inappropriate air sourced heatpump installs in what were…” Mar 6, 19:10
Ian Brotherhood on Green Eggs And Bams: “The next ‘Friends of Wings’ gathering will be in The Eagle Inn, Coatbridge, on Friday April 4th. The function room.…” Mar 6, 18:58
agent x on Green Eggs And Bams: “10 October 2017 The Scottish government is to set up a publicly-owned, not-for-profit energy company, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed. The…” Mar 6, 18:40
Hatey McHateface on Green Eggs And Bams: ““The Russtis are not our enemies” Phew, thank feck for that. So when one of their senior politicians calls for…” Mar 6, 18:33
Hatey McHateface on Green Eggs And Bams: “It really is black and white though, twathater. An invading army from one country is 40% into its neighbouring country.…” Mar 6, 18:30
Alex stewart on Green Eggs And Bams: “I doubt this, the snp are way too far gone now to “grow up”. This blog post pretty much sums…” Mar 6, 18:09
Ian Brotherhood on Green Eggs And Bams: “No, Breeks, you’re not an ‘oddity’. 🙂” Mar 6, 18:02
twathater on Green Eggs And Bams: “Where is all the misinformation peddled by the kremlin and the honest and verifiable facts issued by the EU, the…” Mar 6, 17:45
100%Yes on Green Eggs And Bams: “The SNP hasn’t changed, its the traitors running us and the SNP leadership which has. Its was all about riding…” Mar 6, 16:32
David Rodgers on Green Eggs And Bams: ““So easy to delude people, so hard to get them to recognise that they’ve been deluded.” – This also applies…” Mar 6, 16:09
