If it’s generally acknowledged that Peter Grant was the fifth member of Led Zeppelin then Richard Cole was the sixth. I’m in little doubt of that fact having spent a very illuminating afternoon with Richard last week. I caught up with the former Zep road manager to conduct an interview for a US radio station.
He was on great form looking very well and very forthcoming on his role within the band during those incredible years. It wasn’t about all the sex and drugs of which there is plenty in his …

TIGHT BUT LOOSE CELEBRATES THE 3OTH ANNIVERSARY OF
LED ZEPPELIN AT KNEBWORTH 1979
YOUR MEMORIES REQUIRED 30 YEARS ON

This August will mark the 30th anniversary of the final UK Led Zeppelin gigs staged at Knebworth on August 4th and 11th 1979. Tight But Loose will be celebrating this event and to that end we need your help. If you were at either of the Knebworth gigs we’d like your memories – How you got a ticket, the journey, the day itself and obviously the performances and your overall impressions. In …

It was back to the scene of those halcyon May days of 1975 last week when I attended the London Trade Book Fair at Earls Court.
The treasured old building still looks much the same from the outside though with the addition of the adjoining Earls Court 2 arena it has increased in size. It was comforting to see that the white surround that separates the tiers was still intact and the big old clock is still in place. Probably not the one of course that seemed to visibly slow as …

Another week of ups and downs.
The downers: well have to say I got it wrong with taking the Borders job.
After a few days it was evident to me that this just wasn’t going to work out. For a variety of reasons I have therefore taken the decision to resign from Borders.
I thought being back in retail would re-energize me – and I’d cope fine but it just opened up all the old Zavvi wounds.
The shift patterns of the job would also have adversely affected my work/life balance …

Well as of Monday April 6 I will be back in gainful employment. I have a new job working at the Borders store in Milton Keynes.
Borders is primarily a major book selling outlet and also sells Magazines, DVD’s and CD’s –the MK store has a Paperchase concession selling designer stationary and a Starbucks café.
It’s the bottom rung in but a foot in the door and as the singer once said ‘’everything that’s small has to grow’’ and it will bring in much needed regular income.
So ends six weeks …

After all the recent stress of form filling, CV’s, Jobseekers etc, it was good to be out and about again last weekend. Main event was of course the W & H Peacock Rock And Pop and Sporting Memorabilia Auction Sale. The auction centre itself has a strong Lewis family connection. Bruv JL has spent months collating and organising the Rock And Pop sale, both my sister in law’s work there and Sam had a Saturday job there so it’s a place we know well.
Setting up the 500 plus lots could …

Well March is here and the first two week of life after Zavvi have nearly passed. Predictably two week of ups and downs.
The uppers have been the wealth of encouraging emails that have come in from all corners of the world acknowledging support for my predicament. For all those that took time to do that, let me say that every one of them has been an inspiration. The good lady Janet has been amazing as has Sam and Adam – so too JL, Sally and Martyn. Elsewhere there’s been grateful …

Well the doors have finally shut on Zavvi Milton Keynes signifying the end of an era. In the end it was a slow death – eight weeks of rumour,counter rumour and many ups and downs. Even on the morning of the announcement last Wednesday, I felt there might be a last reprieve. A few stores were snapped up by HMV and word has it a deal was nearly inked for the Milton Keynes store to be part of the new Head Entertainment chain set up by the former Zavvi MD. …

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow …as Francis Albert Sinatra once said and boy has it done so this week. And as I write it’s still falling heavily.
I’ve had a few days out so have not had to face the journey to MK this week…and let’s get this one out of the way early: with another 17 store closures yesterday, Zavvi are down to 31 stores and the deep uncertainty continues of how much longer I’ll be making that journey in the future.
Coupled with a few other …

So there we were me and Adam crouched around the radio listening to the second leg of the Carling Cup semi final between Burnley and Spurs.
 Three minutes to go Spurs are 3-0 down and going out…..I’m giving Adam the old Homer Simpson to Bart oratory: ”Son we’d have only lost in the final’’ followed by the less than hopeful ”But remember son it only takes a second to score a goal” (copyright Bill Shankly)… then fuck me we did through Pavlyuchenko and then another from Defoe!
6-4 on aggregate
We’re on our way …