Gravy's good tonight

Despite my love of all things culinary I've never taken this blog down the well trodden path that leads to Gastro-Lit. There's a whole army of writers and fighters out there who are way better qualified than me who can give you 500 words on their latest visit to The Ivy, or the simply divine dinner party they gave at the weekend, complete with photographs* of every course.

But... I can't not mention the dish I rustled up for dinner last night. And all thanks to a fictional character. Anyone who's watched The Sopranos will be familiar with Artie Bucco. To those of you not in the know, here's his bio from The Sopranos Family cookbook, followed by Artie's excellent (sorry, no photos) recipe for Pollo Cacciatore al Forno. You really should try it. If you can't read the scan below, email me: john[at]johnmedd[dot]com

ARTIE BUCCO came home from cooking school in London to receive the keys to Bucco's Vesuvio from his parents, who were on their way to retirement in Brick Township, NJ. That day he became the keeper of the Bucco flame. Today, under the stewardship of Artie and his wife, Charmaine (and after a tragic three-alarm fire in 1999), Nuovo Vesuvio is in its third home, still located in the greater Essex County, New Jersey area. Reservations are recommended.

Gravy's good tonight

* I'm with Giles Coren on the whole photographing your food nonsense.

If John Lennon was still alive today

He and Ringo would go parading in Central Park every Sunday afternoon.

The concierge at The Dakota Building would be remembering that it was nearly thirty years since he had a polite word with the NYPD about some speccy loner hanging 'round the place.

Liam Gallagher would still be labouring on Manchester building sites.

Jeff Lynne would not have been added to the ranks of 5th Beatle.

The rainforest would not be so depleted.

I'd wish him a Happy Birthday.

And if he was still making music, it would probably sound something like this:

Cotton Mather: Homefront Cameo

Hushabye Mountain

Does anybody want an alarm clock? Mine will be going on eBay tomorrow - it's my last day at the coalface. I don't think I'll need much rocking tonight. Anyway, here's Richard Hawley with a classic from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Let's ballad.

Johnny Paycheck

I've recently been reading about country legend Johnny Paycheck. In his time on this earth he'd probably been around the block more times than the rest of us put together. Born Donald Eugene Lytle in 1938 he was known in the 70s for being a big player in country's Outlaw Movement along with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard et al. As with many of his contemporaries he was plagued with drug, alcohol and legal problems resulting in the ubiquitous spell in clink (he shot a man in Hillsboro, Ohio*) followed by a rapid decline in his health and musical abilities.

Paycheck recorded numerous singles and albums including Don't Monkey With Another Monkey's Monkey, Slide Off Your Satin Sheets, Motel Time Again and even made a cameo appearance on the long running TV show Dukes Of Hazzard. But he'll forever be remembered for his 1977 single, Take This Job And Shove It.



He died after a lengthy illness in 2003 and is a member of The Grand Ole Opry. Here's his self penned epitaph.

“I'm a man who believes that right is right and wrong is wrong. Treat me right, and I will give you my all. Treat me wrong, and I will give you nothing. They don't like me for that, but that's the way I am."

* Not Reno

Question Time

I think I'm looking forward to next week, but I can't be sure. I'm leaving the company I set up with my business partner in 1994. It's time to move on. Steve and I have shared an office for nearly seventeen years and in that time we've barely had a cross word. Though that's probably because instead of getting stressed about whether the FTSE or the Dow Jones Index is going up or down, we've wrestled with far more important issues. Over the years these have included:

What was the tog rating on Don Revie's coat?

Can Paul McCartney really peel an orange in his back pocket?

Has there ever been a better single released since White Man In Hammersmith Palais?

What would Dad's Army have been like if Jon Pertwee had accepted the Captain Mainwaring gig?

If you put a humidifier and a dehumidifier in the same room, who would win?

What are the pros and cons of Time Travel?

But, time and again, the burning question we return to is: just how big was Thunderbird 2? As kids we can both remember seeing cutaway drawings and blueprints in comics and magazines, but, if they were accurate, it would have to be as big as a farmer's field. Maybe it was. Well, it had to carry a pod which housed The Mole: and we all know how big The Mole is. Don't we?

I know we could cheat and look it up online. But, like most search engines, Google has killed the heated debate with a single bullet. So no, we won't look. Hell, next thing you know we'd be on Google Earth trying to find Tracy Island.