Music Before the Money

Questions: 

So what are your daily habits?

Do you start off on the run or in a slow gait?

What gets you going?

Post some comment!

“I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts
There they are all standing in a row
Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head
Give them a twist a flick of the wrist
That’s what the showman said”

 

One of the first songs I can remember is I’ve Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts and along with Farewell to Nova Scotia were two of the most memorable and rememberable songs I’ve know. Written in 1944 by Englishman, Fred Heatherton, it was actually made famous by American comedian and actor, Danny Kaye. In any event it is one of the most endearing songs of British pubs everywhere.

Stone-Aged Liquor Laws

The British pub gained prominence in this country in in the 1970’s when the archaic liquor laws began to change. In a B.C tavern there used to be two sides: Gentlemen and Ladies & Escorts. Taverns were usually tied to a hotle licence and small entreprenuers could not get in the game. As well, there was never enteratinment and you were not allowed to sing or carry your beer to another table.

Neighborhood Pubs

In the mid-1970’s this changed and the Neighborhood Pub Laws came into effect. This led to live entertainment in the bars and pubs which then led to the demand for entertainers who could keep a crowd. A neighborhood pub was one you which was a leisurely walk away and where you could get either a beer or glass of wine and stand at a table or against the wall and enjoy it. Like the British model the new pubs were a social gathering place for friends, neighbors and small meetings. The fare was usually fish, chips, wings and pickled eggs. But there were also British meals like shepherd’s pie, steak and kidney pie, ploughman’s lunch, cornish pasties and Scotch eggs. The beer was a mix of local and exotic like Newcastle Brown Ale, Guiness stout and Foster’s lager (Australian). The draft was served from “beer engines,” the long-handled pump handles that were prevalent in the UK.

Decor

Here’s the standard decor: post-and-beam, coach lights, stained glass, horse brass, brass-everything-else, flags from the UK, framed commemorative tea towels, small tables, stools, brass standing rails. There should be a red, cast-iron phone booth outside, as well.

Entertainers

I always thought the Brits were the best entertainers in the world. Besides the fact that one of them only played “the white keys” on the piano his wit and comedic songs alwasys had us in stitches. It is no wonder that i gravitated toward them and and mixed their style into my own. The best I ever saw was “London Bobby,” a Cockney piano guy who was the “Pearly King.” His cap and jacket were covered with mother-of-pearl buttons.

Try taking a Brit into a North American British pub and he or she’ll be surprised. Ours are mish-mash of their cultural icons but I think it’s great.