Break on through to the other side

A customer who always talks about 60s groups mentioned the Doors the other day. I said that I knew someone who saw the Doors in LA in the 1960s. I also visited Morrison's grave in the Père Lachaise cemetery  in Paris in 1985. I was with a group of friends when we visited the cemetery. On our visit we saw the Oscar Wilde  grave modelled by Epstein (the penis had not been hacked off) Sarah Bernhardt, Sartre and others. Morrison is buried in a remote part of the graveyard. And directions were handily given by previous visitors who scrawled “This way to Jim”, “The way of the lizard” and “Break on through to the other side” on the sides of the 19^th century monumental tombs en route to the grave. When we got there there was a guard of “ heads” around the grave. There was a small bust of Morrison on the site where someone in felt pen had written “ do not write on Jim's face” on the right cheek of the bust. There were several other visitors to the grave. Unfortunately one of the heads asked a young American woman where she was from and she answered LA. This was the cue for the heads to do an impromptu performance of LA Woman as they sang and dances around the tomb of their hero.

Is Wigan exotic?

Man buys several trees and shrubs and for a moment they tower above on the belt. For a moment I half expect to see an aye aye looking down at with the hushed tone of a Attenborough voice over

Having a footballer, as Port Vale have, with the surname Pope must be be a god send to headline writers. "Pope gets crowds blessing"  featured today. Although harder to get words like " encyclical" "conclave" or "Curia" into football related stories. Although Wolves did have a Steve " Papal" Bull who played for them.

Magazine with the improbable name of "Pick Me Up" which featured a rape, incest and violence with the Head line " Stabbed to death" does not suggest a periodical to lift the spirits

Man talk about a band called "The Pixies". I think they were west coast although cannot be sure. Man who always talks rock music to me says that it must have been great to see the Doors. Do have an excellent story about Jim Morrison's grave which I promise to tell him when we are not so busy.

Woman saw Ken Dodd and was forced to leave theatre in the early hours. She was slightly cross as he had joked about Hull. She thought it unfair but I don't. I think Hull is fair game. I once saw an article in a Manchester newspaper where someone had changed a billboard advertising a film in the East Yorkshire city to read " When Hull is full then zombies will stalk the earth"

"Life of Pi" is out on DVD. I tell woman with straight face that it was filmed on location in Wigan. She believes me. The next woman in line realises my joke says that " There is nothing exotic about Wigan". How little she knows I think parts of Standish are very bohemian