The Culture Vulture

In January 2021 Paul Whitelock and his wife Rita contracted the Coronavirus after spending the end of 2020 in Cádiz. Both were very ill, Rita more so than Paul. Rita spent 10 days in hospital in Ronda, before the couple took the decision to self-discharge.

At home again, Rita was so weak she stopped eating and drinking. Then her niece, Dana, a physiotherapist, took unpaid leave from her job to come and treat her aunt. She did a great job, and Rita's younger son, Jojo, who came with Dana to help me, decided to take Rita back to Germany with them for further treatment. She was away for two and a half months.

This is Paul’s diary, written in 2021, describing what happened when Rita returned to Spain.

Preamble

Paul Whitelock hasn’t seen his wife Rita, except on WhatsApp video calls, for two and a half months. In early January, after a short post-Christmas break in Cádiz, the couple contracted Covid-19, Rita particularly badly. She spent 10 horrendous days in the Hospital de la Serranía, followed by 10 days bedridden at home in Fuente de la Higuera (Ronda).

Miracle Worker

Then a miracle worker in the shape of her German niece Dana, a physiotherapist, arrived from Germany. She had taken 10 days unpaid leave from work to come and treat her aunt. Rita’s son Jojo also came to relieve the pressure on Paul as lone carer.

The family then decided Rita would get better post-Covid care in Germany, so she returned to Germany with them on 15 February and was immediately admitted to hospital in Ludwigsburg (Baden-Wuerttemberg) for tests.

As fate would have it the doctors discovered another, potentially fatal, medical problem, and they had to operate straightaway. But it was a false alarm, thank God!

But, nevertheless Rita had undergone a major abdominal operation – no joke for a lady who was already physically weak from her bad experience with the Coronavirus.

After recovery in hospital and a period of recuperation at her daughter’s, Rita went to stay with her niece Dana and had a further 10 days of physiotherapy, which worked so well that Rita felt able to plan her return home to Ronda. She flew home last Monday 26 April after 10 weeks away.

Here’s Paul’s diary for the week.

Sunday 25 April 2021

"Off to Málaga Airport early tomorrow morning to pick up Rita. She’s due to land at 09.40 on the Ryanair flight from Frankfurt International.

"I haven’t seen her for two and a half months, except on WhatsApp, as she’s been in Germany recovering from a very bad dose of Covid-19 and a major operation.

"But she’s feeling well enough to travel and will be back home where she belongs in our home near Ronda tomorrow afternoon.

"I shan’t sleep a wink in anticipation."

Monday 26 April 2021

"Left later than intended, bugger! Happens every time we do an airport run!

"I estimate that, by the time she’s got her luggage, she’ll emerge in her wheelchair, being pushed by one of the airport wheelchair pushers, around 10.00 am.

"That didn’t happen in Málaga! Worked fine in Frankfurt and during the flight, but no-one came to get her on the ground at Málaga.

"So, with typical teutonic pragmatism she sorted herself out and when I arrived there she was outside arrivals, looking very smart indeed, I must say! But then she always dresses nicely, does Rita, doesn’t she?

"I wanted to “nip” to Leroy Merlin for stuff you can’t get easily in Ronda. Unfortunately, it was really busy. Pandemic? What pandemic? The world and his wife seemed to be there, spending money like there was no tomorrow! (OOPs! Tactless remark – for some there won’t be a tomorrow, sadly.)

"And the “nip” turned into an hour and a half.

"Quite justifiably, Rita, who had stayed in the car, was not ‘appy! Well done, Paul!

"We headed back to Ronda in silence, arriving late afternoon.

"I cooked a nice meal tonight. Cheated on the starter (Mercadona), but the main course and dessert were all mine. Genuine beef fillet pepper steak with mushroom sauce and freshly picked broad beans from my garden, and French beans from another supermarket. Dessert was berejenas con sirope de agave. First time for me – not bad. (By the way, I used sirope de agave cos there was no honey! Just as good, if not better, and natural to boot – like honey, of course.)"

Tuesday 27 April 2021

"We tried to have a quiet day recovering. Rita is still unwell. She’s as skinny as a rake and is in sporadic pain.

"One of Rita’s friends, Heather Cooper (Hike + Bike the Sierras), popped by in the afternoon. Heather is a fluent German speaker, so Rita enjoyed that interlude immensely.

"It looked like our neighbour Julian Marshall’s sheep had been rustled, until the four lambs (lawnmowers) were found wandering among the vines of the Badman Wines bodega, which is adjacent to our properties. Julian runs Cortijo Perla Blanca with his wife Jody.

"We had another nice meal prepared by me this evening – pez espada, swordfish, with a king prawn garnish, fried potatoes, onion and garlic, and, of course, fresh broad beans from the garden."

Wednesday 28 April 2021

"Today my British-registered VW camper van is due to have its ITV inspection pending matriculation.

"I was a touch anxious, but it sailed through the ITV. Just need to go to Tráfico in Málaga City now, to complete the paperwork. Then I can get my Spanish number plates.

"Bought a load of second-hand stuff for Casa Real, the house I’m doing up in Montejaque. There’s a great shop in Calle Monterejas in Ronda called Mi Atillo.

"We decided today we have to let Berti, our gorgeous German pointer, go. He’s still a puppy and way too boisterous for Rita the way she is physically at the moment. We do this with great regrets, as he’s such a loveable, yet mischievous pet, but at least his new owner, José, a friend of ours, lives nearby in La Indiana, so we shall see plenty of Berti. When José needs a dog-sitter, “we’re his men”, so to speak.

"This evening, Berti-free, we dined at one of Rita’s favourite restaurants in Ronda – Las Maravillas on Calle La Bola. Yummy!"

Thursday 29 April 2021

"I have to get a blood test in Ronda this morning for my urologist appointment on Monday in San Pedro de Alcántara.

"Rita is expecting a visit from three girlfriends from Montejaque: Jill, Tracy and Pippa. Pippa is a relatively recent arrival in Montejaque, compared to Jill, resident about 16 years, and Tracy since 2016, I think. Pippa is a trained masseuse and Rita is hoping she can help ease her (sometimes) terrible back pain. For more information on Pippa’s services go to www.montejaquemasseuse.com

"Blood test done and back home. Spent a delightful couple of hours sitting on our new terrace at Villa Indiana with Rita and her guests. Rita gets her first massage tomorrow.

"Slight panic late afternoon. Our neighbour Jody WhatsApp-ed me. Did I know there was a lot of smoke coming from my field? Went to check and sure enough, smoke was billowing from a mound of dead vegetation that had been piled up there. I went to go in to try to put it out but the gate was locked and the key, which for the last 10 years has always been left in the lock, was missing! It must be José, I thought.

"Rang him. Yep, he’d popped the key in his pocket automatically, without thinking. I asked him to hurry back, which he did, and we got in the field, extinguished the fire and bob’s your uncle!"

Friday 30 April 2021

"Today I have lots of things on my to-do list.

"LIDL for some stuff from their Bazar.

"Unicaja to transfer funds.

"Santander to the cajero for cash. Parked in a zona de carga/descarga for 5 minutes and got booked by the local fuzz – 200€. 100€ if I pay quickly. Bugger!

"GP for face-to-face consultation re Covid-19 jab, long-Covid, which I have, unfortunately, and to update my prescriptions on my tarjeta sanitaria.

"Peugeot workshop with car – driver’s window won’t shut. 36€ to get it fixed. This is turning out to be an expensive day!

"Ferretería to get some cupboard locks.

"Mi Atillo again to identify more bargains for Casa Real.

"Policlínica de la Serranía to get results of blood test ready for my urologist appointment on Monday.

"Venta el Puente in La Indiana for a quick drink and to pay my builders.

"Montejaque to deliver stuff to Casa Real.

"Ronda for Covid jabs. We got Pfizer.

"La Cascada for dinner.

"Bed and sleep."

Saturday 1 May 2021

"Just posted this on Facebook:

“Hi, everybody.

Rita Whitelock thinks I reveal too much about our lives on Facebook, and she’s probably right. I just felt it was the easiest and least time-consuming way for me to let people know how she was progressing.

Now she’s back home where she belongs and things are beginning to look good, so I should probably quit my bulletins while I’m still ahead. This will be the last one.

We both got our first jabs yesterday and get our second doses on 21 May.

We went for dinner last night with our good friends Kevin and Yvonne Speak at one of our favourite restaurants, La Cascada at Hotel Molino del Puente. Rita enjoyed her mejillones and so did I!

Today we’re hoping to make it to Bar Allioli for live music, a great choice of beers and burgers to die for.

So … no more FB updates. Lots of you will see us around; others will pick up info from my outpourings on www.secretserrania.com and elsewhere.

Mucha suerte a todos.”

Saturday 1 May 2021 continued

"Rita drove a car for the first time in four months today! She went to Montejaque to have breakfast with her good friend Jill La Pêche. They chose La Terraza, where they offer  a damned good desayuno inglés by all accounts.

"Me? I went to Ronda to get the newspapers to read later. I got SUR, Ronda Semanal, SUR in English and The Olive Press. That should keep me going for an hour or two. The Spanish Press keeps me informed about the latest news and helps maintain my level of Spanish, a good discipline to have (see “Top 10 Tips for learning Spanish”), while the two English “freebies” always come in handy for lighting the chimenea on chilly evenings. (Only joking!)

"Also popped into Mi Altillo to confirm the purchase of other items of furniture and décor.

A couple of hours gardening at Villa Indiana until Rita returned from her breakfast date.

"We later went to Bar Allioli in Jimera de Líbar, where Jens, a Dane from Alhaurín El Grande played two great sets of folk, reggae and soft rock. We ate well too. Plus I met Alan, a real ale importer who was at Bar Allioli for the first time in his life. He’d brought a barrel of live beer (a delicious mild from Hobson’s Brewery in Shropshire) and a selection of the Hobson’s bottled range. For more information, contact: realaleandciderdistribution@gmail.com

"With lovely weather to boot we had a great afternoon.

"In the evening I went to Ronda to withdraw some cash from the cajero and visited the Feria del Libro in the Alameda. Spent rather a lot of money, but got some great books about Ronda and the Serranía, together with some recipe books and a couple of classics: La Cabaña del Tío Tom and El Diario de Ana Frank.

"I prepared a nice dinner of salmon steaks with salad, before we called it a day."

Sunday 2 May 2021

"After breakfast together on our terrace I headed off to Montejaque to deliver stuff for Casa Real. I also watered the plants at Casa Rita and Las Hormigas.

"Rita had plenty to do at home in Villa Indiana after being away for so long. She also found time to chill out in the garden and do some “pottering”.

"I did some tidying up at Casa Real ready for the start of work on Monday.

"The week wrapped up with dinner (trio of roast sausages with Mediterranean vegetables) and an early night.

"It’s been a bloody good week, and well-deserved, I reckon."

A personal message

At the end of the best week of 2021 so far for both of us, we’d just like to say thanks to all of you for your continued enquiries, good wishes and offers of support. Some from people who have never even met Rita and who I haven’t seen since graduation in 1973. We were very touched.

I never thought I’d feel this positive about the good things that Facebook can do in the world. I love you, Mark (Zuckerberg)!

Paul Whitelock

Photos:

Photowall

The Stay At Home Chef

Tags:

Baden-Wuerttemberg, berejenas con sirope de agave, Cádiz, Casa Real, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Dana, Frankfurt International, Fuente de  Jojo, Germany, Hospital de la Serranía, Leroy Merlin, Ludwigsburg, Málaga Airport, Mark (Zuckerberg), Paul Whitelock, physiotherapy, post-Covid care, Rita, Ryanair, teutonic pragmatism, Villa Indiana, WhatsApp video calls,

The well-known musician, formerly a member of the band Alisha’s Attic*, lives nowadays in Cortes de la Frontera (Málaga).

On Sunday 25 August 2024 Marcus Myers performed live for diners at Restaurante La Cascada at Hotel Molino del Puente, Ronda, to celebrate the hotel’s 19^th birthday.

Preamble

Owners Ian and Elaine Love left their successful restaurant, Harbour Lights in Cabopino, to move inland to offer their three young daughters a more authentic experience of Spain, away from the mass tourism of the coast.

To that end they bought a disused corn mill and spent some three years getting it renovated into the charming riverside hotel and restaurant it has now become.

It’s been one of our favourite eating places since the Meter Maid and I moved to live in Fuente de la Higuera thirteen years ago.

In those 19+ years the Love family has grown up. All three girls attended state schools in Ronda and as a result are bilingual.

Robyn Love is a marine biologist based in Scotland and is married to Gianlucca Gerich from Germany. He is also a marine biologist. They met at university in Cádiz. They are often away onboard a ship somewhere in the world studying the marine environment.

Carly Love is an estate agent by profession. She also owned and ran a successful restaurant in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife) for a few years, together with her novio Tom O'Connor, a trained chef. Since the birth of their daughter Sofia, they have returned to the mainland and now live in Ronda.

Carly has gone into partnership with her dad Ian to establish their own estate agency, Love Viviendas, with their office at the hotel. Ian has retired from the kitchen of La Cascada in favour of son-in-law Tom, who has continued to maintain the high standards of comida casera (home-made cuisine).  Ian is now “on the road” selling properties. He also helps out as barman and waiter in the restaurant.

Megan Love, the youngest daughter, has just finished her degree in Public Relations at Málaga University, and now works as a PR consultant in the city, but she is often to be seen in La Cascada, helping out if need be.

As for mum Elaine Love, she now runs the hotel and restaurant single-handedly. (I suspect she always did!)

Birthday “do”

A trained plumber, Marcus Myers no longer needs to get his hands dirty fitting pipes and mending washing machines, as he earns his living from singing and playing guitar around the area.

As well as a soloist with some 200 songs in his repertoire, he is front man for the rock group Equis, who play a different kind of music altogether.

On this night, Marcus entertained us with his cover versions of classics from the 60s and 70s. The Beatles featured heavily, as did Simon and Garfunkel. There was also material from Neil Diamond, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Eagles, Louis Armstrong and many other recognisable musicians of that era.

The audience was mixed with local guiris, as well as guests of the hotel and two others nearby, mainly Spaniards, but not exclusively.

One table of six seemed to be enjoying themselves hugely, singing along and dancing.

When I spoke to them afterwards, they told me they were visitors from the Cádiz area and they had never heard Marcus before. They were very impressed. The main cheerleader, Antonio, is a soldier based with the American forces in Rota (Cádiz). He is about to be deployed to Ukraine.

Two of the women in the group were born in Germany of Spanish parents, one in Essen and the other in Dortmund. They are, of course, bilingual (I can vouch for that as we spoke German together for a while).

Our Meal

While Marcus was performing, everybody was eating and drinking.

Rita and I each chose a starter: gambas al pil-pil for Rita and gazpacho for me.

We opted for a main course to share – a mixed barbecue grill of three meats, morcilla and chorizo with a huge grilled green pepper, corn-on-the-cob and French fries.

We were pleasantly replete yet found space to share una tarta de queso con nata y helado de vainilla.

The whole thing was delicious, washed down with still water and a nice bottle of Ribera del Duero from Burgos.

Thank you, Rita (she paid the bill!). A “consolation gift” as she heads off to Germany in a couple of days to care for her sister who has just had an operation.

Leaving me “de Rodríguez”!*

Epilogue

A very enjoyable and relaxing evening with great music, delicious food and good company.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Hotel Molino del Puente!

© The Culture Vulture and The "Guiri" Gourmet

Links:

Alisha's Attic - Wikipedia

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Marcus Myers Music

What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad? (secretserrania.com)

Photos:

Hotel Molino del Puente

HotelSearch.com

Karl Smallman

KAYAK

marcusmyersmusic.com 

Paul Whitelock

Tags:

19^th birthday, Alisha’s Attic, Beatles, bilingual, birthday “do”, Burgos, Cabopino, Cádiz, Carly Love, chorizo, classics from the 60s and 70s, comida casera, corn-on-the-cob, Cortes de la Frontera, De Rodriguez, Dortmund, Elaine Love, Essen, estate agent, Feliz cumpleaños, French fries, Fuente de la Higuera, gambas al pil-pil, gazpacho, Germany, Gianlucca, green pepper, “Guiri” Gourmet, Harbour Lights, Hotel Molino del Puente, Ian and Elaine Love, Karl Smallman, La Cascada, Louis Armstrong, Love Viviendas, Málaga, Málaga University, Marcus Myers, marine biologist, Megan Love, Meter Maid, mixed barbecue grill, morcilla, Neil Diamond, Paul Whitelock, plumber, Public Relations, PR consultant, Puerto de la Cruz, Ribera del Duero, Robyn Love, rock group Equis, Rolling Stones, Rota (Cádiz), Scotland, Simon and Garfunkel, Sofia, tarta de queso con nata y helado de vainilla, The Eagles, Tenerife, Tom O'Connor, Ukraine, What is a guiri?

The six-string guitar is a relatively modern instrument. Whilst acoustic guitars with four or five strings had been used to play classical music for several centuries, the guitar really came to the fore, as the electric guitar, in the early sixties with the advent of the rock/pop group.                         

Early 20th century users of the guitar were, of course, The Beatles, The Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas and a dozen other Merseybeat groups. Bands from elsewhere in the UK, such as The Rolling Stones, The Hollies, The Dave Clark Five, Freddie and the Dreamers, The Animals and many more, also emerged around the same time.

Across the Atlantic similar developments were taking place with bands such as The Beach Boys, The Eagles, The Loving Spoonful and Buffalo Springfield. These had been preceded by the likes of Bill Haley and the Comets, Little Richard, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Eddie Cochrane and Chuck Berry.

As for drummers, we all know that they are crucial, along with the bass guitarist, for keeping the band together. But, from the sixties onwards, the drum solo caught on and brought drummers more to the attention of music fans. Prior to the sixties boom we had only heard of Buddy Rich.     

So, let's explore my personal choice of guitarists and drummers.

I was born in 1950, so I was a teenager in the sixties with my transistor radio, Radio Luxembourg, the pirate radio stations like Radio Caroline and eventually Radio One.

I remember hearing the start-up of Radio One in the VI Form Common Room. I think the first record played was "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas.

The best guitarists?

Andrés Segovia – This Spaniard from Linares became the greatest classical guitar-player of all time. His interpretation of works by Albéniz, Granados, Torroba, Villa-Lobos and others is stunning. Pupils include the Britons Julian Bream and John Williams (qv).

Segovia's contribution to the modern-romantic repertoire included not only commissions but also his own transcriptions of classical or baroque works.

In recognition of his contributions to music and the arts, Segovia was ennobled on 24 June 1981 by King Juan Carlos I, receiving the hereditary title of Marqués de Salobreña. He died in 1987 aged 94.

Andres Segovia: Estudio Sin Luz - Classical Guitar (Francesco Teopini) (youtube.com)

Brian May – Lead guitarist of Queen,  his spectacular playing of the National Anthem from the roof of Buckingham Palace in 2002 as part of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, confirmed this astrophysicist as one of the greatest guitarists ever.

Brian May God Save the Queen - Buckingham Palace 2002 (youtube.com)

Carlos Santana – This Mexican-American is now 77 years old and still performing. As front man of the Latin/Rock band Santana his unique style and consummate playing hooked me when I was a student in the late 60s/early 70s. Definitely in my top five.

Santana IV - Black Magic Woman [2016] (youtube.com)

Eric Clapton – A great guitarist – albeit not my favourite – he has been a disappointment as a human being. From his “dogged pursuit” of Patti Boyd, his friend ex-Beatle George Harrison’s wife, to the mysterious death of his four-year-old son, Conor, I can not forgive him for walking away from Blind Faith, arguably the greatest of the supergroups, after just one album and one tour.

Eric Clapton - Tears In Heaven (Official Video) (youtube.com)

Hank B. Marvin – As lead guitarist of The Shadows, originally Cliff Richard’s backing group, in the early 60s Marvin was the forerunner of great guitar players. Between 1960 and 1963 The Shadows clocked up five number ones in the charts with Apache, Kon Tiki, Wonderful Land, Dance On and Foot Tapper. They also recorded the musical soundtrack of the film "The Deer Hunter" (1978) directed by Michael Cimino and starring Robert de Niro, Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep.

The Shadows - Apache (1960) 4K (youtube.com)

Jimmy Page – A pupil of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Page left to form Led Zeppelin, who enjoyed huge success, a lot of it down to Page’s fabulous guitar playing. “Whole Lotta Love” was chosen as the theme tune for the long-running BBC chart show Top of the Pops.

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love (Official Music Video) (youtube.com)

Joe Walsh – As lead guitarist of the Californian soft-rock band The Eagles he made a massive contribution to their fifth and greatest album Hotel California (1976). Unfortunately, tensions within the group – Don Felder, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Timothy B Schmit and Walsh – caused the band to split in 1980.

Joe Walsh Hotel California solo (youtube.com)

John Williams – A disciple of Andrés Segovia, who famously dubbed Williams 'prince of the guitar' when the 17-year-old boy made his Wigmore Hall debut in 1958. This Australian-born maestro was also greatly influenced by his father Len, who could also play to a high standard. Williams has become the greatest classical guitarist of his generation. Many years ago, I saw him live in a lunchtime concert at the intimate theatre-in-the-round The Royal Exchange in Manchester. Just brilliant. Now 83 years of age, he has retired from touring, but still plays his guitar every day.

John Williams: Isaac Albeniz - Asturias (Leyenda) Part 7/9 (youtube.com)

Peter Green – Yet another guitarist who attended John Mayall’s “finishing school”, he left Mayall to form Fleetwood Mac with Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass guitar. As basically a blues band they had a remarkable series of big hits, including Albatross, Black Magic Woman, Man of the World, Oh Well, and The Green Manalishi, before Green fried his brains on a drug-fuelled weekend in Germany and disappeared for a good decade, languishing in therapy. His attempts at a comeback failed. He died in 2020 aged 73.

Peter Green-Fleetwood Mac- Albatross- (youtube.com)

Best drummer?

Buddy Rich - Bernard "Buddy" Rich (1917 – 1987) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was known as "the world's greatest drummer" and was highly regarded for his virtuoso technique, power, groove, and speed. He was born in New York and died  from heart failure in Los Angeles, California, aged 69.

Buddy Rich drum solo 1974 Wolf Trap - West Side Story (youtube.com)

Carl Palmer - From the legendary supergroup ELP, namely Keith Emerson (The Nice), Greg Lake (King Crimson) and Carl Palmer (Atomic Rooster). ELP's tracks were very long and often included a drum solo by Palmer. He is the only surviving member of ELP. Emerson and Lake both died in 2016, aged 72 and 69.

Best Drummer Of All Time! Carl Palmer Drum Solo Live (youtube.com)

Ginger Baker - Baker is regarded by many, including himself, as the greatest rock drummer of all time. I can't agree, I'm afraid. Baker played with two supergroups: Cream, with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, and Blind Faith, with Clapton, Stevie Winwood (Spencer Davis Group and Traffic) and Ric Grech (Family).

Blind Faith - Do What You Like (youtube.com)

John Bonham - John Bonham was the drummer with several unsuccessful groups before being recommended by the vocalist Robert Plant for the newly formed Led Zeppelin, alongside himself as singer, guitarist Jimmy Page (qv) and bass guitarist John Paul Jones. Bonham was reckoned at the time to be the hardest hitter of a drum that there was, yet he introduced new ways of playing and is now considered to be amongst the greatest. He died very young from inhaling his own vomit after drinking to excess. He was only 32.

Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick Drum Solo (Madison Square Garden 1973) (youtube.com)

Keith Moon - Keith John Moon (1946 – 1978) was an English musician who was the drummer for the 70s rock band The Who. Regarded as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music, he was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour. He died aged 32, the same age as John Bonham (qv).

Keith Moon Drum Solo (youtube.com)

Mick Fleetwood - I'm not sure if Mick Fleetwood is a great drummer, but he has longevity. Briefly with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, he went on to become the Fleetwood in Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. Following Green's disappearance after a bad acid trip, Fleetwood went to America with John McVie and Christine Perfect where they hooked up with Americans Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The addition of this pair gave the band a more pop rock sound and their 1975 album Fleetwood Mac topped the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. 

Mick Fleetwood on Drums (youtube.com)

Paul McCartney – When fellow-Beatle John Lennon was asked by an American journalist whether Ringo Starr was the best drummer in the world, Lennon replied: "He's not even the best drummer in The Beatles!" Legend has it that he was referring to Paul McCartney, a drummer before he became a bass guitarist.

After the break-up of The Beatles in 1970, McCartney formed Wings with Denny Laine from the original Moody Blues.

Paul McCartney on Drums (youtube.com)

Ringo Starr - Despite the above anecdote, Ringo was a great drummer. He was poached from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes after The Beatles sacked Pete Best for not being good enough. Starr (real name Richard Starkey) was technically extremely proficient and kept The Beatles “tight”, along with bassist Paul McCartney.

Post-Beatles Ringo married Bond-girl Barbara Bach and moved to California, where he still records and tours, despite being 84 years of age!

Ringo Starr Shows How to play Ticket to Ride, Come Together and Back off Boogaloo - YouTube

© The Culture Vulture

Acknowledgements:

Wikipedia

Youtube

Photos:

ABC

Adobe Stock

BBC

CNN

Classical Guitar Magazine

DRUM Magazine

Facebook

La Razon de Mexico

Los 40

Primicias

RockFM

Rolling Stone magazine

Sonidos Ocultos

Wikipedia

www.guitar.com

Tags:

acoustic guitar, Animals, bass guitarist, Beach Boys, Beatles, Bill Haley, Billy J Kramer, Buddy Holly, Buddy Rich, Buffalo Springfield, Chuck Berry, Comets, Crickets, Dakotas, "Dancing in the Street", Dave Clark Five, drummers, drum solo, Eagles, Eddie Cochrane, electric guitar, Freddie and the Dreamers, drummers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, guitarists, Hollies, Little Richard, Loving Spoonful, Martha and the Vandellas, Merseybeat, pirate radio stations, Radio Caroline, Radio Luxembourg, Radio One, Rolling Stones, Searchers, six-string guitar, sixties, teenager, transistor radio, Wikipedia, YouTube

Many years ago I wrote an article about the “doubles” of famous people who were living in the Serrania de Ronda. There was Leonid Breznev, ex-leader of the Soviet Union, living in Montejaque; Cheryl Cole, the "Girls Aloud" singer, running a business in Ronda; Lech Walesa, erstwhile president of Poland (1990-1995), Garth Crooks, former Spurs footballer and BBC football reporter, and Ray French, the rugby league commentator and former player, were all playing in a modern flamenco group I went to see. Lech was on flute, Garth on guitar and Ray on drums.

And Robert de Niro, the Hollywood actor, was often to be seen around the Barrio San Francisco, where I lived at that time. He spoke really good Spanish albeit with an andaluz accent.

Fast forward to 2024

Now it has been reported that the real Robert de Niro, aged 80, has spent some time recently in the City of Dreams. He was seen dining at one of Ronda’s top restaurants, Bardal, which has two Michelin Stars. Chef Benito Gomez didn’t realise that the long-standing booking was for the star of The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.

De Niro and his fellow diners were happy with the lunchtime set menu, priced at an eye-watering 180€ per head. At that price, I’m glad they were happy!

“Mr De Niro was straightforward, very polite and approachable. He didn't want a private booth or anything special in the restaurant”, said chef Benito Gomez. "He seemed to me to be a very normal, elegant man, very interested in cooking, but without eccentricities."

De Niro is passionate about cuisine and has on several occasions publicly praised the standard of Spanish gastronomy. He has been a frequent visitor to Spain and, of course, lived in the barrio for several years …..!

© Pablo de Ronda

Links:

Doppelgängers in Andalucía: Robert de Niro's waiting... in Ronda? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Doppelgängers in Andalucía - Olive Press News Spain (theolivepress.es)

Robert de Niro enjoys a gastronomic getaway in Ronda: where did he dine and what did he feast on? | Sur in English

Acknowledgements:

Enrique Miranda

Paul Whitelock

Secret Serrania

SUR in English

Photos:

EuroWeekly News

Malaga Hoy

Tags:

andaluz accent, Bardal, Barrio San Francisco, Benito Gomez, Cheryl Cole, Doppelgängers in Andalucía, Enrique Miranda, EuroWeekly News, Garth Crooks, "Girls Aloud", Karl Smallman, Lech Walesa, Leonid Breznev, Malaga Hoy, Michelin Star, Montejaque, Paul Whitelock, Poland, Raging Bull, Ray French, Robert de Niro, Secret Serrania, Serrania de Ronda, Soviet Union, Spurs, SUR in English, Taxi Driver, The Godfather Part II

I wrote recently on another website that I’ve discovered three places around the Ronda area that have self-service book exchanges.

This is such a good idea, because new books in Spain are very expensive, compared to the UK and Germany where I also buy books.

Preamble

Just to remind you, or in case you didn’t see my original article, the book exchanges I have discovered recently are:

• Super Chisma, the low-cost supermarket on the Polígono Industrial, Ronda;
• Bar Ambigú, the bar/restaurant run by the AAVV (Asociacion de Vecinos), next door to the gasolinera in Barrio San Francisco, Ronda;
• Complementos Vero, a general store on Avenida de Knittlingen, Montejaque.

Yesterday, at Super Chisma, I swapped three books in English that I no longer needed for "Gran Atlas Turistico de España y Portugal", an ABC publication; "Tales of the Alhambra" by Washington Irving; and "Yerma" by Federico Garcia Lorca.

Note: My actor son, Tom Whitelock, played the role of Juan, Yerma's husband, in an English version of Lorca's tragedy at the Cervantes Theatre in London in 2018.

Tom Whitelock and Leila Damilola [Photo: Elena Molina]

Here is a review in English by theatre critic Amber Woodward: 

Yerma | Cervantes Theatre | ★★ | thespyinthestalls

Upcoming swaps

On the rear seat of my car I have several books for swapping: "Love Story" (Historia de Amor) by Erich Segal (in Spanish); Booker Prizewinner "Life of Pi" by Yann Martell; "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson; Barbara Cartland's "Etiquette Handbook"; and "Somewhere to Hang my Hat" by Irish-Jewish Stanley Price.

Come to think of it, I haven't read the last two. Well, I've never read anything by Cartland and I'm not going to start now, but the Stanley Price book looks interesting. I think I'll hold on to it.

Epilogue

So, a trip to Bar Ambigú later this week is on the cards. Apart from the fun of swapping books it's a good place for a drink, a tapa and a natter with the staff - mum, dad and son - or one of the customers.

Footnote:

There is a thriving book swap in San Pablo de Buceite (Cadiz), between Gaucin and Jimena de la Frontera. You can read about it here:

Book Swap in San Pablo de Buceite - Secret Serrania de Ronda

© The Culture Vulture

Photos:

Cervantes Theatre, London

Elena Molina, London

Facebook (main photo)

Paul Whitelock, Ronda

Links:

“Book Exchange” - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)

BOOKS and WRITERS - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)

Book Swap in San Pablo de Buceite - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Eye on Spain blogs - Edit posts

Yerma | Cervantes Theatre | ★★ | thespyinthestalls

Tags:

Amber Woodward, A Short History of Nearly Everything, AAVV, Asociacion de Vecinos, Avenida de Knittlingen, Bar Ambigú, Barbara Cartland's Etiquette Handbook, Barrio San Francisco, Bill Bryson, Bodas de Sangre, Complementos Vero, Culture Vulture, Elena Molina, Erich Segal, etiquette, Facebook, Federico Garcia Lorca, Gran Atlas Turistico de España y Portugal, Historia de Amor, Leila Damilola, Life of Pi, Love Story, Montejaque, Paul Whitelock, Polígono Industrial Ronda, Ronda, San Pablo de Buceite, Super Chisma, Tales of the Alhambra, Tom Whitelock, Washington Irving, Yann Martell, www.eyeonspain.com, www.help-me-ronda.com, www.secretserrania.com