The time is straight after work kicks out (i.e. 6pm onwards. if you want to come along later, no worries, we'll probably be there until 11pmish, depending on last trains).

The venue is The Prince Arthur, Eversholt Street, Euston.
More on the pub: http://www.golden-p.co.uk/

Walk into the pub and turn left - the whole of the left-hand side is reserved for us.
Location: http://www.golden-p.co.uk/location.htm and Google map.

Based on an earlier thread, this is who I reckon is already coming / possibly coming. Apologies if I've missed you out, or put you in the wrong category, just put me right!

Will be there:
Backwards7
Bob
Carl Parker
Drakeygirl
Mr Drakeygirl
Lenny Law (and home-made pork pies)
Dave the DogFacedBoy
Reno Dakota (all the way from Hartlepool!)
Joe R
Steven C
Leedsboy
JoLean
Richie B
Rosbif
VincePacket
Steve Turner
Emu
Baskerville Old Face
Gavin Adam
Five-Centres
man.of.soup
Handsome P. Wonderful
Katyg
Jimmyshoes
Twango
Specs_Beard
Ozmium
Martin Simmons
Phil Pirrip
el hombre malo (all the way from Scotland!)
Rocker 43
Vorgongod
Mike_H
me!

Weren't entirely sures:
Patrick Crowther
el toro calvo grande
Fatmanjez

Special "absent friends" mentions to:
Ganglesprocket (and a million happy wedding wishes if I don't see you before)
and Birthday Boy Beezer!

Now, how about you? Hope to see you on the 25th!

*frowny face at Beez and gs.*

is coming down for the mingle is he. Will save me a stamp posting his Cds to him

I'm really looking forward to seeing you all again. There's a particularly enjoyable brand of bollocks that I only ever get to talk with the Word crowd.

I ahould say that evening is the start of my stag weekend and I'll be seeing Josh T Pearson in Glasgow. Any Glasgow Massive members going to that?

I'll have turned 47 the day before and it obviously being one of the key birthdays Hyacinth Beezer has 'arranged' something for the Friday.

47. Good God. What can the surprise be? Possibly a fitting for the Incontinence Pant de jour. Or an induction into Bide-A-Wee Home For Those Who Can Remember When This Was All Fields.

...a cunning plan! I have arranged a lunch that day, so I have two reasons to be in town. Looking forward to meeting you all in person and, if the lunch goes well, in drink!

Which is not unusual for me.

I'm looking forward to another night of daftness. I must make it out in time for my train - I'm getting the sleeper home.

that the last train out of Euston to get me home goes at 9:30, I have booked a hotel. Consider me completely confirmed and expect to see me misbehaving as I don't have to pass an FPO breath test at the end of the evening.

I might be able to make this one. But I'll have to drive, so water for me too.

*sobs*

I'll be there.

this time, had to miss the last one - unavoidable. Hopefully someone will be able to help with my Ipod which is spiteful in the extreme, it's refusing all entreaties to work and I'm fed up with the damned thing.

although with friends due to stay for the weekend I might need to pace the ol' hangover juice.

see you there.

If I promised anyone CDs then please remind me.

My singing group/choir-type thing now has a short-notice benefit gig for MENCAP going on that night - will try to make another one later in the year.

Vast apologies to all - try to contain your grief (;-)

I will send somebody to represent me in my absence.

I'll see you there

Not all my posts rhyme,
(But they do this time)

The feeling is mutual
(This should have appeared further up the page)

Retro, we have a psyche CD swap tentatively arranged, non?

I'm going to have terrible trouble remembering everybody's name... so apologies in advance!

my attendance?

Well I'll be there anywhere.

Am runniong off a few copies of a DVD packed with PJ Harvey rare live, b side n demo stuff. If anyone wants one just PM me or post here so I know there will be enough to go round

Or any other bootleg wants, bring em on (Costello a speciality)

Mr Drakeygirl and I seem to be the only 'couple' attending.
Does this mean we are weirdos?

eh, honkytonks?

I've never thought of myself as being "off the internet" but I suppose to many people I am. We're real people folks, even if we are a bit avant garde - progressive even!

I'm podcasting tomorrow, out Thursday and Mrs M's out with the girls Friday..

Hope to catch you all at the next shindig

After all that organising - sorry Hannah... 8-( - work is going to keep me away tomorrow evening. (We are several folk 'down' and the week seems to have been one long crisis...)

A virtual 'cheers' to everyone and see you soon, I hope.

Can anyone bring a clipboard tomorrow? Need to borrow one for the evening if poss.

Also, I have an early pass so I should be there from 6ish. Rah!

I'm travelling on the train.

Boo. I need to drive home from the station.

I'm going to have to send apologies for absence.

I spent a significant portion of last night waiting at A&E to have an ear infection attended to. So apart from being extremely tired I've got impaired hearing with tinnitus in my right ear.

I'd made a lemon cheesecake for you all as well. Mrs P is really disappointed that we're going to have to eat it all here.

but I may have confused you - I am not able to attend tonights soiree as I have just got back from a week in Texas listening to music and drinking beer and I would like to preserve my marital status. Which means Dog Faced Boy needs to buy a stamp (may I suggest a whip round Dave?) and I dont to listen to Joleans hilarious outpourings on anything and everything.
Will be at the next one - promise - I suspect I can persuade El Toro too as we are both keeping a beady eye on the Fela box set which we are hoping comes down in price. Anything below £50 would be great!
Dont eat too much cake - will be watching the Chubby Checker site with interest next week.

if you have something as swanky as Saturday postal delivery then you might get em for the weekend. Just to tease your curiosity there are 4 2 CD sets in there.

Hello chums, thank you for coming along last night. I had a splendid time, hope you did too!

Firstly, an enormous thank you for my ukulele. How utterly lovely of you all! I was completely overwhelmed by the gesture (as evidenced by the fact that I spent the rest of the evening wandering around happily repeating the phrase "I've got a ukulele!"). I promise to serenade you all at the next mingle. Special thanks to the excellent Katy G for arranging the surprise, I was so touched.

It's always lovely to meet new minglers, so particularly delighted that Gavin Adam (please stay later next time! you missed the cake!), YTDS, VincePacket and Reno Dakota all came along (and special kudos to RD for making the long journey down from Hartlepool).

Also mighty big thanks to Lenny Law for his frankly stupendous pork pie, Katy G for the lovely bumhole biscuits (I picked your tin up, will give it to you next time I see you) and Drakeygirl for the yummy chubby checker cake.

Absent friends - you were missed and hopefully we'll see you at the next one!
BTW I was gathering email addresses last night, so I can give you a heads-up for the next do (I know it's easy to miss the posts on the blog). If I didn't get your email address last night, and you want to be on the mailing list, just DM me your address.

Finally... had a few requests for the salted caramel chocolate matza crack... I know Leedsboy wanted the recipe but I can't remember who else, if it was you, let me know and I'll send you the recipe.

See you next time (late May?)

Much love
Hannah xxx

was looking forward to this, but spent the week involved in one of those ghastly off-site management things. Three days in a badly air-conditioned hotel, pretending to like other people, is a loooong time.

So, lovely as you all are, I'd run out of the ability to push beyond my personal parameters in order to challenge preconceptions, embrace new experiences and enhance my current armoury of life-tools.

Even for pork pie and cake.

Roll on May!

Feel strange writing so early in the morning after a Word get together - normally it takes me a day to recover. But early start today hence me leaving earlier than usual last night - very difficult to tear myself away at a time when some people were just arriving (sorry YTDS, I just had time to admire your T-Shirt...).

Lenny Law, I appreciate your first words to me were concern about my wife's family in Japan - hope you enjoy your Soundtrack of Our Lives CD.

Looking forward to the next one!

Oodles of cakes and a meaty pie that is a work of art. Trouble is, most of my incoming Twitter messages contain words like blehhhhhhh and bleurrrrggggggghhhhh. Did some people overdo it a tad?

and all the cakes went down a treat. I had four bumhole cakes. Four. And then I found I had to go home.

Great night,sorry not to have spoken to or met everyone. Until next time.

What is it about word meetups that make me get so horrendously pissed? Still, there's no shame troubling my soul today: just the usual warm post-mingle glow and a liveable-with hangover.
To everyone whose conversations I loudly interrupted and/or steered down filth alley I apologise and thank you all for indulging me.
However, special thanks and apologies to the following
Hannah (wish I'd been more coherent when we had a few minutes)
Katy G (That was a beautiful thing you organised for Hannah; you should be very proud)
Bob (as ever but with added Marge Simpson and rrrolled phonemes!)
DFB - you are a mine of just the sort of musical information I love.
Drakeygirl and Paul Merton...thanks for the cd. Hoping to, ahem, christen it this evening after work!
Lenny Law. You sir, should you ever tire of the gnashers game, are a piccalilli maker of such talent, subtlety and tangtasicality that Hayward's very profit margins would evaporate should you ever set up in business - and the vulgar speculation as to your fine condiment's possible 'secret ingredient' is no deterrent to me.
To everyone else, you know who you are, THANK YOU!
Let's do it again. Soon.

.

It was great to meet so many of the Massive last night and to put faces to names. Some were strangely apt, but we don't need to talk about that now.

I know that my stay was fairly brief and that I missed both cake and pie. I'll be honest, a combination of over zealous chubby checking and lack of food intake led to a pretty rapid alcohol-impact-being-felt situation. When I realised I was talking total bollocks - and my apologies to those, including Mr Ellen, who had to suffer that - I realised it was time to go. Next time, I'll be better prepared.

Many thanks to Hannah for organising and all those I chatted to for being such fun. To others who, like me for so long, sit outside and wonder what it's like...come along, it couldn't be easier and more enjoyable.

that I couldn't make it.

Lenny's pie looks most impressive. Are you doing one for the next one? I'll make another cheesecake for the next one. Eating the one I made for yesterday is small consolation.

so in future can we request adequate stocks are in place before the event. Having said that, the drought probably enabled me to get moving reasonably quickly this morning.

Twas good to catch up with everyone and meet the first-timers.

Now I don't really have a sweet tooth but for some reason the urge to eat cake at these events is overwhelming - yes katy, drakey and Hannah, it's you I blame. However, if any more savoury tongue ticklers like Lenny's pork pie and piccalilli turn up in future, my culinary pendulum will I'm afraid swing away from the dessert end of the menu. Alternatively, as a human dustbin I'll just eat and enjoy regardless.

Many thanks again to Hannah for organising and I look forward to a Uke solo at the next bash. Finally, thanks to Colin for the bluegrass CDs - they'll definitely get an airing during my commute this week.

Loads more here on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drakeygirl/sets/72157626231844147/

First off, I'm afraid I was very, very drrrrrunk. I may have been talking bollocks. I talk bollocks when sober, too, but I can only imagine it's worse on nights like last night.

These mingles do just get better and better, though. I had a blast and a half. And I owe Mark Ellen a pint, but he disappeared before I could reciprocate (sorry, Retro. Not the face! Not the face!)

As always I didn't get to spend half enough time with half enough people, but everyone I did natter with (or possibly at, once Mistress Lager had had her importunate way with me) was a total delight. I look forward to these nights months in advance, before they've even been announced.

Some photos:

The (partial) Massive in glory assembled.

The ravishing Jo.

The ravishing Joe.

I can only apologise for this. Richie B has been saying for the last couple of meet-ups that I look increasingly like Colin Meloy as the weight has come off. Then someone DARED to suggest that so did Reno Dakota. The CHEEK. So I made Reno (and I'm so, SO sorry, Reno) come outside and have a Meloy-off, which was won by, erm, nobody. Because the only things we have in common with Colin Meloy are dark hair, glasses and (in my case) a checked shirt. But never mind. And sorry to Reno. Again. I was - and I may have mentioned this before - pissed.

What a great night.

also adorned Hannah's ukulele case with this little newspaper cutting:

What a great, great idea getting the uke was, Katy. And I'd like to say I have never found it so easy to extract money from people - everyone was as keen as mustard to contribute towards the surprise gift for our organiser-in-chief, the increasingly trim Hannah.

Photo is from the set Word Massive London Drinks (25-03-11) on Flickr.

A running joke on the WORD website, regarding Lenny Law’s mooted onanism has grown to such engorged proportions that it is now almost impossible to have a conversation about the famed blogger without sounding like you’re speaking exclusively in double-entendres lifted from an un-filmed ‘Carry on...’ script. This evening Lenny ups the ante considerably by gifting the Massive a homemade Pork Pie (apparently made according to a recipe by Fraser Lewry) decorated with a perfect pastry copy of the magazine’s logo, right down to the abridged down-stroke on the W. It looks like it’s been pilfered from the table of a medieval banquet. He’s also brought along what is probably referred to in culinary circles as “a huge f**king knife.” As he slices through the golden pastry, dividing the pie into meaty segments, Katy and I stand on the sidelines adding puerile commentary:

“It’s such a privilege to see Lenny wielding his enormous weapon at close quarters.”

“Lenny chopped-up his pie and then left!”

The food-sex analogy reaches a predictably sordid climax when after a few mouthfuls of Lenny’s pork monstrosity Katy goes outside, allegedly in search of a cigarette.

Lenny’s pie is the sole savoury contribution to a small movable feast: Drakeygirl’s healthy fruit cake is a noble attempt at offsetting the two-pronged calorific assault of Hannah’s salted caramel, and yoghurt and poppy-seed sponge. Katy’s self-Branded ‘Bumhole Biscites’ only really resemble bumholes if you’ve been rolling around naked in flaked almonds.

* * *

“I’m not evil,” insists Bob, adopting a faintly desperate tone, before describing the pivotal moment in a teacher’s career when a member of a new class acts-out and the only logical response is to make an example of them via a restrained act of bastardry, that clearly demonstrates to everyone that you are not to be f**ked with.

It’s around this point that Bob uses his smart phone to illustrate the similarity of one of the barmaids to the actress Mary-Louise Parker. By the time he has selected a suitable picture the barmaid has vanished, having presumably flown to the US to film another season of Weeds. I dream of the day, a few years from now, when I am controller of the BBC and will be able to cast Bob and Hannah as presenters on Blue Peter - Bob visiting the factory where they manufacture guide dogs for the blind; Hannah going to an RAF base to meet the Red Arrows; perhaps Vorgongod in the garden bellowing at a sunflower.

* * *

El Hombre is one of a select group of men who have been more or less ordered by their wives to form a band. On the eve of a run of shows by The Primevals he’s talking with great enthusiasm and wit about life on tour and the people-management skills he uses in his day job that were learned almost exclusively by mediating between feuding band members in the back of transit vans.

El hombre has a way of telling a story where it ceases to be narrative and becomes a re-enactment (I’ve noticed Mark Ellen does this too). It leads to a rather unsettling moment when he’s talking about the way you bring a disruptive band member in line, where I assume the role of the weak link. He places his hand on my shoulder and says:

“You’re drinking too much it’s dragging the rest of us down.”

Part of me wants to reply:

“I’m sorry Tom. I’ve been having problems at home. I’ll try and cut down.”

* * *

Drakeygirl is taking small donations in her role as fundraiser of a Machiavellian plot that will ensure that no good deed goes unrewarded. Katy has acquired a fantastic ukulele for Hannah – the beaming organiser and caterer of the London meets. Now everybody’s chipping-in a few quid to pay for it. This sparks-off a lovely chain of events that sees Mark Ellen presenting said ukulele to Hannah, who is later seen carefully lifting the instrument out of its case and studying it while Katy explains what the various bits do.

We’re like an independent arts council - a small society of affable drunk people, subsisting on pie and cake, and good-natured discussions regarding the merits of different periods in David Bowie’s career.

On the short walk from the pub to Euston station, a fractured discussion with Fraser, regarding whether, in Cameron’s absurd Big Society, muggers and victims will know each other by name, tails-off when I am distracted by a passing bus. I’m turning into Truxton Spangler - the borderline aspergers case from AMC’s conspiracy drama, Rubicon - minus the intelligence and the amoral tendency to manipulate global events for profit.

* * *

What’s the public opinion on Liam Gallagher’s new band Beady Eye? The word on the rails, which I acquire by eavesdropping on the rowdy conversation of some people sitting adjacent to me during the train ride home, is ‘good but not as good as Oasis.’

Another couple get on at Limehouse and announce that they were planning to see Primal Scream at the Brixton Academy but decided not to go. From now on I’m getting all my band reviews from late night trains.

The discussion soon moves on to an absent friend who hasn’t had sex with his wife for two years, which yields the following pearl of wisdom:

“You’ve got trains and you’ve got tunnels and then you’ve got the railway operators’ service agreement which states that the trains have to go through the tunnels at regular intervals, which according to C2C is once every 35 minutes...”

“You lot are wrong,” says the sole girl present, before debating whether the monthly cost of raising a child would be more or less than the stable fees and upkeep on a second horse.

Exiting the train at Thorpe Bay station I pass a mound of vomit that has been deposited on the floor in front of the pair of seats nearest to the sliding doors. The sheer mind-boggling quantity of puke is surpassed only by the fact that it was produced silently a few feet from where I was sitting, although it does explain why, partway through our journey, the women opposite me suddenly got up and moved to the next carriage.

(I'll even wear a label around my neck like an evacuee), I'm going to make a determined effort to attend one of these this year. Please don't make me stand up in front of everyone and tell you about myself though.

"This is Tom, he's new here, so let's make him feel comfortable by interrogating him."

Wish I could have made it. I recall the previous one being a belter and this one seems to have topped it.

Hopefully I shall see you all at the next one.

You all look soooo slim!

...everyone seemed in fine form. The caterers had been busy (salted caramel matzo, genius, H!) Discussions with David H about rock-stars and their devastating lack of self-awareness, with the Captain about going to the World Cup Final in Mumbai (lucky, lucky bastard), with Tom about the upcoming tour of the Primevals and Gordon Kerr about the Decemberists "the boy's a genius". Retroman on Psychedelia (thanks for the CDs) Backwards 7 on the importance of walking to record shops and Vorgongod on ************ and *** *******. I had to depart early to soothe the fevered brow of my missus. See you all next time, if not before.

a fantastic night. Sorry couldnt make it but I will be at the next one providing it doesnt clash with holidays.
Also message to Dog Faced boy - your package arrived yesterday and a massive thanks from me. The Costello rarities is most welcome. I owe you pints at the next mingle!!

won't be my last. I arrived quite late, but my Trojan Records t-shirt was spotted straight away. I was offered cake and made to feel very welcome. An enjoyable time spent just talking about stuff!

I just wanted to say a big thank you all at the London Massive for making me feel so welcome on Friday night.

I'm not great (it probably showed) when meeting a room-full of people I don't know - but you all helped make the long journey South well worth the effort & expense.

Talking to, or rather being talked to by Mark Ellen, left me rather dumb-struck ("*This* is Mark Ellen!" my brain kept saying over, and over again) and explaining to him how I started reading The Word - and his enthusiasm was a real thrill to hear.

You are all wonderful people, and to pick individuals would be unfair - so hugs or warm hand-shakes to you all.

It maybe a while till I make another visit to see you all again (for obvious reasons) but visit again, I will.

This one, as they say, is for you...

I had an absolutely marvellous time and, as always, the only downside being I didn't get a chance to talk to everybody that I wanted to.

I'm starting to get slightly concerned that many of the Massive seem to want to talk to me about pornography all the time. However, I'm always happy to oblige (""""""").

Bob and I spent a fair while discussing what a pair of lazy ne'er-do-wells we are, and how we like to survive in the world on our wits alone. This ended up as a conversation about how hard-working our respective partners are, and how we pretty much fail as human beings in comparison. It was a good night in terms of conversation, as I remember saying, WE'RE BASICALLY THE SAME PERSON!" more than once... though that may have been alcohol-related too.

Reno Dakota, it was lovely to meet you and I'm glad you made the long journey down. I seemed to intent on making sure you were made welcome I continually asked you if you were having a nice time. Apologies for that - I must have come across as a Club 18-30 rep.

Oh, and I wasn't sick in a bin on the way home. I call that a success.

However Glasgow was lovely, Josh T Pearson's gig at Stereo was a belter and opened with a version of Rivers Of Babylon which I will never forget, and my drunken trip to my pal's Northern Soul club ended with him playing Chic's Happy Man and me throwing some outrageous "shapes" in a circle of love. Still, a bloke really can sometimes wish he could do it all...

Gentlemen, I can't get the email addresses you gave me on Friday to work... if you still want to be on the mailing list then pls DM me.
xx

http://wordmagazine.co.uk/content/london-word-massive-mingle-june-2011-p...

See you then xxx