Charity Chic

CC pictured with Adrianne Lenker 

Our latest #BC25 delegate to submit to having lighted matchsticks stuck under his fingernails is Glaswegian blogger, Charity Chic (again, not his real name: the world of blogging is awash with nom de plumes). CC, as he's known in the trade, spends his days sitting on buses, rifling through the CD racks in charity shops and drinking pints of heavy (of course I may be generalising).

* What was the first record you bought with your own money?

Part of the Union by the Strawbs and Tie a Yellow Ribbon by Dawn - 1973, Selfridges in London on aPrimary 7 school trip.

* CDs in charity shops/blogging about CDs in charity shops - how did it all start? 

Probably due to lack of cash. I was still buying new and 2nd hand from record shops but this was a cheaper alternative. When I decided to join the blogging fraternity it seemed to be something different. Initially the plan was to post exclusively on charity purchases but that changed fairly quickly.

* You're a daily blogger - does writing every day ever become a chore?

Yes - more and more. Sometimes you get a purple patch with plenty of ideas and series on the go - at other times, which is happening more and more, you're frequently  devoid of ideas and it does become a bit of a chore. Usually, however, I enjoy the challenge

* Do you have a favourite charity shop? Give me yer Top 5. 

Not really, tho' I do have a soft spot for BRICC (Ballantrae Rural Initiative Care in the Community) on the west coast. There was a Chest, Heart and Stroke shop in walking distance from my house, but it's long gone now. The Community Shop in Kingussie is pretty good. Oh, and a shoutout to Debra in Shawlands where I got my biggest ever haul; I'm not a fan of ones with snotty staff - Gatehouse of Fleet springs to mind! 

* If I was coming to Glasgow where would I go for a. the best breakfast and b. the best pint? 

It's along time since I've done a breakfast out. The University Cafe in Byres Road was a favourite in my hungover student days. Best pint is Jarl from Loch Fine Brewery in the Laurieston Bar. Great pub - a throwback to the 60s/70s - look it up. (I just have and it looks right up my strasse - JM). 

* Teenage Fanclub or Primal Scream? 

The Fannies all day long, although the Memphis Sessions by Primal Scream is rather good.

* Indian or Chinese? Beer or Wine? 

 Indian and beer - preferably an IPA; although I am partial to a nice Rioja.

* With your access all areas bus pass - where are the outer limits? Do you use it to the max? 

My bus pass covers the whole of Scotland. Broughty Ferry is the furthest I've got to. 

* Nice Swedey McSwedeface btw; who's Adrianne Lenker?

She's the singer with Big Thief. Her song Not from their Two Hands album is pretty special. The SMcSF is her latest solo album Bright Future which is also well worth having.

Big Thief - Not (2019)

 

* You've just acquired a time machine. Where and when are you going?

The American South in the late 40s/early 50s to catch a Hank Williams Concert or a visit to the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals in the mid 60s. 

* Tell us something about yourself you've never told another living soul.

No secrets! I'm an open book.

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Thank you, CC; that wasn't too painful, was it? CC's blog Charity Chic Music is but a mouse click away.