Putting aside the cuisine (the very idea of haggis scares me), so many of my favourite things are Scottish. So I thought I'd make a list:
- Primal Scream (no huge surprise there as I have mentioned them umpteen times already and they have their own category on the blog!)
- Jesus and Mary Chain - I saw them again this week and they were still brilliant
- Malcolm Middleton and Arab Strap
- Belle & Sebastian
- Teenage Fanclub
- Deacon Blue (uncool but I love them and could happily singalong to the first two albums)
- Simple Minds (again not at all fashionable but who can deny the power of "Don't You Forget About Me)
- The song "The Second Summer of Love" by Danny Wilson
- Even The Proclaimers are better than most English pop
- The Loch Ness monster
- Glasgow
- Edinburgh
- Invereray
- Edwin Morgan - I've just discovered him (I'm somewhat out of the loop with poetry these days). He's way better than our poet laureate and his poem "When You Go" can reduce me to tears
- Ian Rankin, the man as well as his books
- "The Wasp Factory", "Complicity" and "Espedair Street" by Ian Banks
- Trainspotting, the book and the film
- The film "The Flying Scotsman" about cyclist Graeme Obree
- Jonny Lee Miller when he's pretending to be Scottish (as in the above films)
- Sean Connery
- Taggart
- Robbie Coltrane in Cracker
- This album "Ballads of the Book" which combines music with writers and poetry and looks fantastic and is on my 'to buy list'
I even like their politicians. While my Amercian colleague lusts over Alistair Darling (I kid you not), I have a bit of a thing for Alex Salmond and the SNP could have my vote.
10 comments:
I'll show my lack of culture and relevant knowledge of Scotland by adding Mel Gibson in a skirt in "Braveheart" to the list. :)
Personally, I rather like Haggis (it goes down even better with Whisky) and have fond recollections of Bridies...I draw the line at Deep Fried Battered Mars Bars and Irn Brue though!
M - if I can have an English actor pretending to be Scottish, I don't see why you can't add an Australian pretending to be Scottish.
Cogi - I don't know Bridies - what are they? The OH liked Haggis and it was served with a warming dram of whisky thrown on top I seem to recall. Irn Bru is awful but it is so popular once you get north of the border. We'd just stepped off the plane in Glasgow when we saw someone drinking it.
Bridies are a kind of pasty (a bit like the Cornish ones, except without any potatoes/swedes) containing minced beef, onions and spices...
Apparently they originate in Forfar, but I first encountered them sold from a chippy just outside a certain American submarine base in Argyle...they're delicious.
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Having just read your list I now wonder if I am a scotophile too!
I'd add highland toffee to the list - I so loved this as a child even if it did almost pull out every last filling; the lovely glenmorangie single malt which is my special treat, over ice with a splash of water and haggis hunt on the scotsman website - crap but highly addictive annual fun!
Hello. Been having a wee look at your blog and wanted to add a book by TC Boyle - The Tortilla Curtain - fantastic!
Oh. My. Goodness. This describes me perfectly. I'm OBSESSED with Scotland. and I'm really only half Scottish but I say "No No Mom, I didn't get your genes" ;D
I'll add my peculiar favourites: Rabbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Freemasonry, the Declaration of Arbroath (the precursor to our Declaration of Independence), the Scottish National Covenant of 1638, and inflatable tyres.
Hi. The list of bands you mention here doesn't include The Associates from Dundee. Billy Mackenzie had probably one of the best male singing voices. He could reach notes most men cannot. They were a dark post punk band from the early 80's. Highly recommended. Also, I'd include the Cocteau Twins ( Liz Fraser is excellent
) Orange Juice and Aztec Camera in the list of good bands. There is also the band who inspired Kurt Cobain, The Vaselines.
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