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Jul. 17th, 2006 09:29 amLast night we went to the Milan Mandaric Suite at Portsmouth football ground for the launch party for 'Sam and Chris's Big Adventure', where two DJs from Quay radio will be travelling round the world for two weeks presenting their show from a different country each day, in aid of 'Kids', a local children's charity.
My mother had invited Michelle and her 11-year-old son Sam to join us. Sam, a Pompey fanatic, was made up about going, and even wore his Portsmouth shirt. On the drive there, American Pie came on the radio so I asked John to turn it up, and softly sang along with the whole song (they played the full version). At the end, when I thanked John for turning the volume up, he was just amazed I knew all the words. My mother asked Sam what his favourite music was, but Sam was really shy and didn't say much. Michelle explained that they both just like the odd individual song rather than being fans of any artist.
Wondering what music Michelle liked as a youth, I turned to her and began "I'm guessing you were a kid in the early 80s, like me...", as I truly did think she was in her late 30s. She, with an animated smile, replied "Thank you very much!" as if I'd been deliberately flattering her. I pressed on, asking whether she'd been into Adam and the Ants, or the Police, or Toyah. Michelle said she'd been a fan of The Osmonds and David Cassidy! I told her I really would not have placed her in her mid-40s, and my mother and John groaned and said I was being a smoothie...
As we arrived at Fratton John started to wind Michelle up, saying she was hoping to get off with Lomano Lua Lua. Saying goodbye, he said "If only three of you come out, we'll know where Michelle is!" After Michelle told him to shut up, I said to her "So do you fancy being a footballer's wife, then?" She exclaimed "Ooooh, no!" but added that she wouldn't mind the money.
The first hour and a half were taken up by a disco, with just a brief interruption to introduce the two DJs and a representative from the charity and explain how they'd leave for the round-the-world tour at 11.30. My mother was a bit perturbed that proceedings were going to go on that late, and announced that we'd leave at 10.15 as "we've got work tomorrow". As I wasn't rostered to work today, I pointedly asked her whether she was planning to pack me off to the office anyway. She said "All right, me and Michelle have got work tomorrow!" I perked up when we looked at the timetable and saw Amy Briant was performing at 9 pm.
We spent the disco time sitting with drinks chatting, though Sam remained shy the whole time. We'd met Smiffy soon after we came in, so my mother went over to him and asked him, if he saw a Pompey player, to send him over to talk to Sam.
Looking down the list of auction lots, my mother picked out a few Pompey goodies she knew would appeal to Sam, and flagged up a signed Kylie Minogue CD as something I'd like. At one point, my mother insisted I make up a 'sports quiz' to keep Sam amused, then hindered me by constantly interrupting me to talk while I was devising questions. In the end I got 10 questions done, and (with help from me and Michelle) he got 8 of them right, so my mother said she'd bid up to £8 to try and get Sam one of the lots he'd like.
There was take-away food on sale; I went for very tasty chicken and chips. Just after nine the MC introduced Amy, and she did a set of, alas, only four songs. She was brilliant. As she came off and everybody cheered and clapped, I chanted "Amy! Amy!" The MC picked up on that and tried to get everyone joining in, but Amy looked embarrassed.
Next was the auction. When the first lot, the package for a child to be a mascot at a Portsmouth game early in the season, was announced, Sam looked hopefully at Michelle, but she wouldn't bid. In fact she never bid for anything the whole time, but my mother did bid for a few of the items she'd identified, plus a signed Pele autobiography, a VIP trip to Fontwell races, and a ride in a red Rolls Royce - egged on by the auctioneer, who said to her "Come on, madam, it matches your coat - and your medal!" (She wears her Mayor's badge on a red ribbon.) And yes, she did bid for the Kylie CD for me, but all the lots went for prices in the £200 range - way higher than me ma would go.
We saw the first couple of numbers by a swing band, The Racketeers, but by now it was 10.15. Before we left, though, my mother insisted on stopping by the raffle stall and leaving her tickets and her name and phone number with the girls in charge of the stall, so if one of her numbers was drawn she'd still get her prize. What my mother wants with Portsmouth FC memorabilia, a free day's play at a golf course or a signed Girls Aloud CD is a mystery to me.
As we pulled away, my mother voiced her disappointment that there'd been no Pompey players there for Sam to meet. I pointed out that it wasn't a Portsmouth Football Club event, it was a Quay radio and 'Kids' event - they'd just hired the suite at the ground to host it. My mother replied that it said 'Special Guests' on the ticket; I reminded her that we'd had Amy Briant, and said maybe The Racketeers were the other special guests.
Home to see the second half of Vinny Jones' 'Mean Machine' on telly.
My mother had invited Michelle and her 11-year-old son Sam to join us. Sam, a Pompey fanatic, was made up about going, and even wore his Portsmouth shirt. On the drive there, American Pie came on the radio so I asked John to turn it up, and softly sang along with the whole song (they played the full version). At the end, when I thanked John for turning the volume up, he was just amazed I knew all the words. My mother asked Sam what his favourite music was, but Sam was really shy and didn't say much. Michelle explained that they both just like the odd individual song rather than being fans of any artist.
Wondering what music Michelle liked as a youth, I turned to her and began "I'm guessing you were a kid in the early 80s, like me...", as I truly did think she was in her late 30s. She, with an animated smile, replied "Thank you very much!" as if I'd been deliberately flattering her. I pressed on, asking whether she'd been into Adam and the Ants, or the Police, or Toyah. Michelle said she'd been a fan of The Osmonds and David Cassidy! I told her I really would not have placed her in her mid-40s, and my mother and John groaned and said I was being a smoothie...
As we arrived at Fratton John started to wind Michelle up, saying she was hoping to get off with Lomano Lua Lua. Saying goodbye, he said "If only three of you come out, we'll know where Michelle is!" After Michelle told him to shut up, I said to her "So do you fancy being a footballer's wife, then?" She exclaimed "Ooooh, no!" but added that she wouldn't mind the money.
The first hour and a half were taken up by a disco, with just a brief interruption to introduce the two DJs and a representative from the charity and explain how they'd leave for the round-the-world tour at 11.30. My mother was a bit perturbed that proceedings were going to go on that late, and announced that we'd leave at 10.15 as "we've got work tomorrow". As I wasn't rostered to work today, I pointedly asked her whether she was planning to pack me off to the office anyway. She said "All right, me and Michelle have got work tomorrow!" I perked up when we looked at the timetable and saw Amy Briant was performing at 9 pm.
We spent the disco time sitting with drinks chatting, though Sam remained shy the whole time. We'd met Smiffy soon after we came in, so my mother went over to him and asked him, if he saw a Pompey player, to send him over to talk to Sam.
Looking down the list of auction lots, my mother picked out a few Pompey goodies she knew would appeal to Sam, and flagged up a signed Kylie Minogue CD as something I'd like. At one point, my mother insisted I make up a 'sports quiz' to keep Sam amused, then hindered me by constantly interrupting me to talk while I was devising questions. In the end I got 10 questions done, and (with help from me and Michelle) he got 8 of them right, so my mother said she'd bid up to £8 to try and get Sam one of the lots he'd like.
There was take-away food on sale; I went for very tasty chicken and chips. Just after nine the MC introduced Amy, and she did a set of, alas, only four songs. She was brilliant. As she came off and everybody cheered and clapped, I chanted "Amy! Amy!" The MC picked up on that and tried to get everyone joining in, but Amy looked embarrassed.
Next was the auction. When the first lot, the package for a child to be a mascot at a Portsmouth game early in the season, was announced, Sam looked hopefully at Michelle, but she wouldn't bid. In fact she never bid for anything the whole time, but my mother did bid for a few of the items she'd identified, plus a signed Pele autobiography, a VIP trip to Fontwell races, and a ride in a red Rolls Royce - egged on by the auctioneer, who said to her "Come on, madam, it matches your coat - and your medal!" (She wears her Mayor's badge on a red ribbon.) And yes, she did bid for the Kylie CD for me, but all the lots went for prices in the £200 range - way higher than me ma would go.
We saw the first couple of numbers by a swing band, The Racketeers, but by now it was 10.15. Before we left, though, my mother insisted on stopping by the raffle stall and leaving her tickets and her name and phone number with the girls in charge of the stall, so if one of her numbers was drawn she'd still get her prize. What my mother wants with Portsmouth FC memorabilia, a free day's play at a golf course or a signed Girls Aloud CD is a mystery to me.
As we pulled away, my mother voiced her disappointment that there'd been no Pompey players there for Sam to meet. I pointed out that it wasn't a Portsmouth Football Club event, it was a Quay radio and 'Kids' event - they'd just hired the suite at the ground to host it. My mother replied that it said 'Special Guests' on the ticket; I reminded her that we'd had Amy Briant, and said maybe The Racketeers were the other special guests.
Home to see the second half of Vinny Jones' 'Mean Machine' on telly.
