The Running Man

Last week my wife invited her manager Frank and his wife Marci over for dinner. Naturally I was told to be on my best behaviour and not to whip my Stunningly Savage book out under any circumstances. “If they ask you what you do for a living tell them you’re a garbage man” instructed Sally.
Well, the evening was going fine until the subject got around to music. “Who’s your favourite band?” enquired Marci.
“Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers” I beamed.
“Ugh” spat Marci “they were my ex husband’s favourite group; bloody awful, I hate them.”
Fighting the urge to pick up my cheesecake and smash it in her face I asked who her favourite band was.
“Take That” she trilled “their songwriter, Gary Barlow, is obviously much better than Tom Petty because his songs got to number one.”
I pointed out that if the quality of music was judged by number one hits then ‘My Ding-A-Ling’ would be the best thing Chuck Berry ever wrote. I might also have added that any tosser can churn out formulaic shite like Take That and that Gary Barlow is a knob.
This set Marci off on one and she started shrieking that Tom Petty sang like a whiny little c*nt and that I had no idea of what attributes make up a true artist.
Then I got my book out.
So what has all this got to do with The Running Man? Well nothing, but hopefully this magnificent painting will speak for itself! I do have to atone for my sins though, so after spoiling Sally’s dinner party I’ve got to take her to Stratford-On-Avon for a few days and suffer a goddawful Shakespearean play so it’ll be week before I paint anything else.

Still, like Tom Petty once sang ‘some days are diamonds, some days are rocks’ and I’d like to see Gary facking Barlow come up with lyrics as good as that!