Tag Archives: Glasgow

It’s that stage of proceedings

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Good morning Tash Appreciators,

It may not quite be panto season yet, but we seem to have reached the stage of proceedings where we take a slight pause from the action to make some shout-outs. Feel free to whoop loudly if you, or someone you know, is mentioned…

This week, a steady trickle of Movember-related Tashes have been submitted for TF’s consideration. Here are a selection of my favourites:

From the world of professional sport comes a Tash which must surely have been on the go for some time.  This chap is a South African rugby player who has played for the Lions in the Super-14 and, more recently for the Glasgow Warriors. I think this effort may take some beating:

Tash Friday 8:11:13 3

From across the Pond comes a Tash of a sweeter kind – a sugary effort from the stupendously named Glory Hole Doughnuts in Toronto:

Tash Friday 8:11:13 2

Last, but not least, comes another offering from Scotland. I am reliably informed that this chap is known for smashing his way up and over various high mountain passes around west central Scotland. I also hear that the shape of his Tash is the result of exhaustive aerodynamic testing – a man must be aerodynamic, after all. Mr Russell Bridges, take a bow, sir:

Tash Friday 8:11:13

Thanks for all the submissions and #keepgoing to those taking part in Movember.

Have a great weekend folks!

#keepgoing

Same Rules Apply

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Morning Tash Appreciators,

A couple of weeks ago I saw Filth, the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh‘s book of the same name. For the first 45 minutes or so the audience laughed as Bruce Robertson – a dirty, racist, sexist, drug- addled cop – strutted around Edinburgh causing chaos and doing his utmost to manipulate his way to a promotion:

Tash Friday 25:10:13

After that though, the perception of his appearance changed as the audience discovered the reasons why Bruce is the way he is. I don’t think I’m ruining the plot by saying that, while he is all of the things I’ve already mentioned, beneath his filthy veneer is a broken, lonely man struggling with mental illness. At the end of film, as the credits whizzed by to “Love Really Hurts Without You” by Billy Ocean, I was in bits. It’s stuck with me since then and I’ll never listen to that song (or a cover of “Creep” by Clint Mansell) the same way again. This week’s Tash, by the way, is Billy Ocean:
Tash Friday 25:10:13 2

I was thinking about the film afterwards, and what really upset me was that Bruce was totally alone. He was alone because of the way he treated those around him but it struck me that he had lost his family, he bullied his only “friend” and he hated his colleagues. Even without any underlying issues, circumstances like those would pose a problem for any person. After all, by my reckoning, we spend the majority of our lives in three ways: asleep; with our friends and family; or with our colleagues. If something has upset our relationships with one of those groups then that would be upsetting, but if something is wrong with all three then that’s a perfect storm – just like the tempest in Bruce Robertson’s mind.

The same rules apply to family, friends and colleagues: we don’t often choose them; we don’t always like them; we will in all likelihood be around them for a significant time; but, if by some quirk of fate we find ourselves with people who end up being a blend of family, friend or colleague then that’s something to really cherish. In the film, Bruce’s problem is that once he’s lost his family, his friends and colleagues follow shortly after.

TF usually has a point and this week’s is two-fold: firstly, people who appear to have filthy characters tend to be that way for a reason; and, secondly, most of us are driven, intelligent folk who could, if we wanted, manipulate those around us for our own ends. The most common example of that is in the workplace but, to my mind, getting ahead in that way is a pretty hollow victory – is it not better to be able to say your colleagues are friends rather than being promoted but without any support? The other thing is that if you act in a way that is manipulative or underhand then, when someone has the opportunity to get you back, the same rules apply.

If you get the chance to see Filth, take it: James McAvoy is unbelievable:
Have a great weekend folks!
#keepgoing
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Tashcrawl 2014

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Good morning Tash Appreciators,

First this week, an announcement. Quite independently of TF HQ, a sub-crawl (it has apparently been christened by one particularly poetic Appreciator as a “Tash-Crawl”) will take place tomorrow in Glasgow. I understand it will start with a large lunch at the Counting House and the first stop will be at around 2pm at Times Square, next to St Enoch Square station. All are welcome and although Tash related apparel is recommended, it’s not essential. The arrangements will be on Facebook and twitter. There is a fair possibility that, during the course of the afternoon, this:

 Tash Friday 20:9:13 3
 
May turn into this:

 
Tash Friday 20:9:13 2
 
 
For those who may not be familiar with Glasgow’s subway system, the Tash-Crawl is but the latest incarnation of a very old Glaswegian activity – the subcrawl. Only in Glasgow would people willingly spend the best part of a day travelling in a smelly old orange train purely in the interests of finding a novel way to have fifteen drinks. What makes this even stranger is that Glaswegian comedy duo Francie and Josie used an entirely complimentary song about the subway in their set:
 

 
It’s strange where people get their enjoyment from, I suppose, and another example of that is the release this week of Grand Theft Auto V: the fifth incarnation of what must be one of Scotland’s most successful exports.
 
Tash Friday 20:9:13 4
 
GTA, as it’s usually called, has made Dundee/Edinburgh’s Rockstar North over £500 million in it’s first week and is apparently even more popular than a good Subcrawl. Some people will find it difficult to understand where the fun is in a game where the player is encouraged to commit a variety of pretty awful crimes. Some may even think the game is dangerous.
 
TF isn’t a platform from which to preach morality and I’ve got nothing to add to the debate about whether games like GTA should be allowed. However, what I will say is that we should be pleased that a Scottish product has managed to be so successful for so long. What is clear is that regardless of whether it’s a subcrawl (which could hardly be said to be healthy) or a violent video-game, people tend to be interested, now and again, in things that aren’t good for them.
 
This week’s Tash is a man whose activities would easily fit into the plot of GTA. Although he’s a dangerous and unpleasant chap, we still find him interesting. There have been numerous news reports about him over the years and Eric Bana even starred in a film about his life. I’m talking about Mark “Chopper” Read:
 
Tash Friday 20:9:13 5
 
If you’re wondering where his ears are, he asked one of his pals to cut them off with a razor blade while in prison. See what I mean, you’re interested, aren’t you!
 
Have a great weekend folks!
 
#keepgoing
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Redemption squared

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Salut Tash Appreciators,

With the Tour de France starting in Corsica tomorrow, cycling is our starting and ending point this week:

Image

Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrk_andrsn/

Although that picture includes four world-class riders, it wasn’t taken in France, or anywhere with a particular culture of cycling. It was actually taken during the UK National Road Race last Sunday, which took place in Glasgow.

The front chap, in blue, is David Millar – Scotland’s top road cyclist. Some of you may have heard of him because of his “colourful” past as an ex-doper. He was caught, banned and almost jailed for his part in the doping culture of early 2000s. But since then, he has done more than anyone else in cycling to make/keep it clean. He always been proud of his Scottish background but Sunday seemed to have a special significance for him. You could tell that not only from his performance (which was superb) but also from the tweets he posted after the race:

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There are, as I see it, similarities between Millar and the city he was racing in: both have had a rough time and both looked like their best days were behind them. However, like Millar, Glasgow did itself proud on Sunday. The race itself was fantastic: it was well organised and well supported. But it also seems to have been good for other people too. For a start, it prompted the Council to fix the roads in the centre of town, which is a big deal for the drivers of Glasgow. Not only that, but the Council has carried on with the work and other roads are now being improved. It also got people excited about a sport which is growing in Scotland. I’ve heard stories of customers chatting about the race in shops, and if Instagram and Facebook are anything to go by, many folk who had no interest in cycling enjoyed it almost as much as the sad acts (like me) who watched it from beginning to end.

There are plenty of other things going on in the city at the moment too: the east end is more or less being re-developed for the Commonwealth Games; Strathclyde University is building what seems to be a new campus in the middle of town; and many of the huge tower blocks are being demolished to make way for more sociable social housing. If you look to the east of the country, the new forth crossing (have they picked a name for that yet?) is growing out of the depths at an impressive rate and on an impressive scale and if you look north Aberdeen seems to be booming.

We haven’t had a really positive message from TF for a few weeks now, primarily because there hasn’t seemed to be a lot to be positive about. However, that makes it all the sweeter when you look around and see things improving.

So, to the Tash. Unfortunately, Dave Millar appears to have never rocked a Tash. However, there’s a cyclist who will hopefully be on your screens for the next three weeks who does. I saw him riding in the Giro a few weeks ago and made a quick note of his name. Ladies and gents, this chap must be the happiest looking man ever to ride the Tour, Jose Perez:
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Have a fantastic weekend folks!
Keep going!
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Salami Tactics

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Good morning Tash Appreciators,

I apologise in advance for this weeks relatively short TF. Unfortunately, firing out this nonsense every week does not pay enough to allow the giving up of the day job or the employing of someone to cook and clean (if I’m honest, it doesn’t pay anything). Actually, the reason for my lack of time this week is that I need to wash and iron a Tash t-shirt for a dress-down-day at work tomorrow. 

I should also apologise to those of you who complained about the lack of a TF last week. The rule is that if I’m not in work, TF gets skipped too. I was in fact out and about in what felt like conditions like these:

 

Thanks to Mission Cycling; everyone’s got to have a dream. 

This week’s TF is just a brief update to alert you to the creeping influence of the Tash around the world. It’s been very apparent this week.  

In the west end of Glasgow, a (very nice) cycling-themed cafe is using the fact that their staff sport Tashes as part of their advertising campaigns:

 

If big Johnny David’s reaction is anything to go by, it’s having the desired effect. 

Our US correspondent has also dispatched a report pointing out that the sexiest man alive (at least according to People Magazine in 2006); and the nicest man on the planet (see Forest Gump, Apollo 13, The Green Mile etc) have been spotted rocking Tashes this week. They are, of course, George Clooney and Tom Hanks:

 

#swoon 

Anyway, my t-shirt is almost dry. Now comes the hard part: ironing. I will need to concentrate so I shall sign off by wishing you all yet another fantastic weekend!

Keep going.

Tomorrow Never Knows pt 2

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Hola Tash Appreciators,

After the downbeat edition last week, this week’s incandescent Tash Friday is set to blaze a trail into yet another weekend. 

If the last week of August marks the end of some journeys, the beginning of September marks the beginning of others. Journeys in Scotland – particularly when they are attempted using public transport – can be uncomfortable, unpleasant and expensive but, every now and then, you get a pleasant surprise.  

If you wander through Hillhead subway station these days, you’ll see that the old brown and orange is disappearing and a sort of space age station is emerging from the dark. The best part of the new look is the addition of this:


It’s adapted from Canadian poet Dennis Leigh’s “work as if you live in the early days of a better nation” and, if you ignore the fact that you might see a similar sign at the entrances of North Korean sweat shops, it’s not bad.   

However, without intending any disrespect to Mr Leigh, it can be improved. What if, instead of “work as if…”, it was “work so that you live in the early days of a better nation”?

There has been talk all summer about marginal gains in sport having a cumulative and positive effect on the quality of outcomes. If we all worked towards something which led to a marginal (or not so marginal) gain in our lives and the lives of those around us, would we not improve ourselves and our surroundings? Would that not be the beginning of a better nation? Is it that easy? 

How you make that marginal gain is entirely up to you. You might save a life; take your granny out for lunch; or write daft emails about lads with moustaches… Arguably, it all counts. 

Last week’s TF said that tomorrow never knows and neither do we. That’s true but that’s the beauty of it: the future is not set in stone; it’s entirely up to us to decide whether we work and live in a better world/nation/city. 

An excellent example of a marginal gain is the humble Tash. It’s only a small detail but it can make all the difference:


 

Vs.


You dig?
Have an outstanding weekend folks!