My cousin Jono Manks makes a few appearances in this video

Click Here to visit The Trees website

Apologies for the lack of blogs recently. As some of you may know I have been taking part in the Basildon District Art Trail. Over the past couple of weeks I've been running their blog site.

I was lucky enough to have a few days away, and headed up to Liverpool. I’d visited the city a few times before but this time I wanted to visit some of the Beatles locations.

First stop was Houghton, the resting place of Stuart Sutcliffe, the Beatles first bass player. If you haven’t seen the film Backbeat, I highly recommend it. It follows the life of the early Beatles line up including Stuart Sutcliffe.

Next stop was St Peters Church in Woolton. This was where Lennon first met McCartney. It’s also the location of the graves of Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie.

Just around the corner is Strawberry Field. This used to be a children’s home, but the land has now been sold off. The gates still stand and are popular with fans.

Literally around the corner is Mendips, the childhood home of John Lennon. Another great film I can recommend is Nowhere Boy. Lennon lived at the house with his aunt Mimi. The National Trust now owns the home and admission is only available by one of the Beatles tours. The road outside the house is also the location where Johns mother was killed as she crossed the road.

By now it had gone mid day and with drink and food calling we headed into the city centre. We went to Mathew Street, which is where the Cavern Club once stood. We stopped off at Lucy In The Sky restaurant for some food. It stands on the site of the original stage area of the original Cavern club.

No visit to Mathew Street would be complete without a visit to the Cavern Club. Although it isn’t the original location, it still attracts a lot of visitors. Most of the bricks are from the original club and recreated as accurately as possible. The original club was only a few meters from its current location. During our visit there was some live bands playing. Another location Id highly recommend if you are in the area.

We then stopped in the Hard Days Night hotel to buy some souvenirs. Outside are statues of the four Beatles, perched on ledges along the front of the building.

A short walk down to the dock front is the Beatles exhibition. The museum/exhibition follows the Beatles road to stardom and includes many pieces of memorabilia. The exhibition ends with John Lennons Imagine piano and a pair of his rose tinted glasses.

On route back to the hotel we drove down Penny Lane. Some of the original locations are still in the street.

Some excellent tips....

Its been a bit of a busy day today. Ive been busy working on the Basildon District Art Trail map. Its suprising just how much there is to do even on a simple map. That was followed by the New Zealand World Cup football match. Luckily I was listening to the alternative commentary, which made the match a bit more bearable. It was good to see the Kiwis equalise right at the last minute.
This afternoon I recieved a lovly card from one of the classes I helped teach yesterday. It was so good to have such positive feedback from the class. It was good to pass some artistic knowledge back to the youngsters. The teacher had a few of the students come in this morning proudly showing her the drawings they had done at home. They had remembered everything we had said.

Today I had a great day helping Steve Hearn (a talented caricature artist) teach 3 classes of school kids how to draw a face. It was so rewarding seeing the children, when they were able to draw a face using simple numbers and letters. All the classes were well behaved and really enjoyed the lessons.

Tomorrow I will be working alongside the talented caricature artist Steve Hearn. He will be helping teach art at a local school in Basildon. This will be the first time Ive worked along side Steve and Im really looking forward to it.

Yesterday I handed in my application for the Basildon Arts Trail. I will hear in a few weeks as to whether Ive been selected. Now to get around to actually starting the pieces I want to produce, just incase I am selected. Im thinking about doing some illustrations fused with photos. Now heres where you can help me. Im after some ideas as to what celebs/icons/bands you would like to see. If you can email me or message me via my Facebook - Carl Brind Graphic Artist.
Thank you in advance for all your help and support.
If I do get selected, the Arts Trail will be running in Basildon for a week in Sept (dates to follow) PLUS I may also be showing work at this years Basfest.
Hope you all have a great weekend :)

Well, not long now. Less than 24 hours til the begining of the 2010 World Cup. Lets remember that glorious day in 1966!!!

Sorry, Ive just missed the midnight cut off for my DAILY blog. Im currently trying to plan my trip up to the north of the UK. Well, when I say north I mean Liverpool, York, Chester. I hope to spend a whole day doing the Beatles thing. I love Liverpool. I remember the first time I visited there, I was greeted by a shop lifter being chased down Mathew Street by a security guard. That didnt put me off and Ive had many enjoyable days there. Still loads of new places to explore as well as visit the usual places. Nothing like stopping off for a drink in the Cavern Club.

Todays blog Im on a bit of a plee-athon to you all. Sorry to any of you that have already read these posts.....

On behalf of the ‘Manksy In The Morning Show’, I would like to thank you all that have joined the the shows Facebook group. Please forward the groups details to your friends or click the suggest button and add all your Facebook friends....simples!!!
There is currently an online auction by Gary (from the show), which can be found at
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=295594532
Go on, you know you wanna!!!! HAPPY BIDDING!!!
Don’t forget to tune into the show, weekdays from 6am until 10am.
If you live outside New Zealand you can still listen to the show and enjoy the fun at http://www.x105.co.nz/
(UK – 7pm until 11pm Sun to Thurs)

Lets make MANKSY IN THE MORNING, New Zealand’s top breakfast show!!!


Second Plee.......
Hi,
As you may all be aware, there is an important event happening shortly. This is the Basildon District Arts Trail. The event will showcase the arts in Basildon and give it the huge success it deserves. For too long the arts in Basildon has been overlooked and it’s now time, as Im sure you will all agree, to change that. Lets get rid of the negative stereotypical image of the town, but this can only be done WITH YOUR HELP!!!


Basildon District Arts Trail – This event is being held in September, however application forms need to be returned BEFORE 18th JUNE 2010!! Don’t forget to enclose the relevant monies, application form and 3 photographs of your work. Please check the BDAT website at http://www.thebdat.com for more details or to download an application form. Alternativly there is a Facebook page set up for this event (Basildon District Art Trail 2010) If you know someone who may be interested in taking part in the arts trail, please forward these details.

Today I was shocked to hear the death of Stuart Cable who was the former drummer of The Stereophonics. He was a great drummer. Their first two albums will always remind me of the great times I had at college.

Just a quick message today. I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who has been reading my daily blogs and letting me know what they think about it. Also I would like to thank everyone who has sent me comments/ feedback about the 2 recent music links Ive posted (the Trees and Val Aviv).
It looks like its going to be another busy week. Tomorrow Im off to Chelmsford and then get back to working on the art trail brochure. The brochure is coming along nicely and hope to have it ready in plenty of time.
Also thanks to everyone thats joined the Manksy In The Morning Facebook group. If you havent already done so.....GO AND JOIN IT!!! Also if you get chance, have a listen to his show online.

I had a good catch up today with an old school friend. Its hard to believe that nearly 20 years ago to the day, we were these spotty faced urchins who had just finished their exams. I will always remember my last exam, Business Studies, and couldnt wait for it to finish. That night a group of us headed off into town to the Roof gardens to celebrate. Little did I know 10 years later I would be sitting more exams, this time as a mature student at college. Those 20 years have certainly flown by. So much has happened over those years..some good and some bad memories.
So what was I doing 20 years ago. Well, I really had no idea what I wanted to do for a living. Deep down I knew it was going to be either music or art related. I was in my very first band, rehearsing in a tiny shed at the bottom of someones garden. Luckily theres no tape recordings of this band. I remember having to carry 2 keyboards, an amplifier, keyboard stand and other bits and pieces through Glouster Park to rehearsals and then carry them back, normally about 11 at night. I must have been mad!!! I was so much better when I moved onto guitar. Just the one guitar and amplifier. I still cant believe I used to do that. When we werent rehearsing we would be at the local pubs, watching bands play. Memories of the Roof Gardens...ahh the good old days. Then when things started getting a bit rough in there we used to goto either the Mirren Studio in the Towngate or off to the Castlemayne. Sometimes a hike to the Crown pub would be in order. I have no idea how we used to do it. I used to finish work at 5 and be home for 6. Have a quick shower and grab a bite to eat. We would all then meet up and head off to which ever pub had a band playing. After one or two pints (hmmm) we would walk home, often getting in around 1am. I'd then be up at 6:30-7am to be in work for 8...with no hang over and feeling fine.
Hopefully my guitar playing days arent over. I still have a small collection of guitars and basses. Maybe one day I will blow the cobwebs off them and give them another outing.

Please support one of my old school mates band - The Trees

I want this drummer for my band!!!!!

Please check out this video by one of my talented relatives.

After a busy weekend I set aside half a day to do some geneology. Its such an addictive hobby!!! I find it rewarding when you hit a brick wall then have to put in that bit of extra effort. Ive been very fortunate to have had help from Jonathan Brind who has spent over 20 years researching the Brinds family name. Today I visited the Essex Records Office in Chelmsford. If you are into family history, I would highly recommend a visit. Today I found pages and pages of new family history. Hopefully I will be able to tie up a few ends. Tomorrow I may possibly visit south London and see if I can find any more information. If you are interested in family history and are either looking to start out in it, or if you are stuck, please feel free to drop me an email.
This evening its back to designing the layout for the Basildon Arts Trail brochure. Im really proud to have been asked to design and produce this. I will also be having a think of what artwork I can produce for the BASFEST. If you have any ideas of iconic figures which would look good as artwork, let me know.

Ive been asked to produce a poster for X105s breakfast show 'Manksy In The Morning' .I origianlly produced a spoof poster but the station have now asked if they can use it. (Jono) Manksy appeared in a comedy horror called Black Sheep a few years ago. As New Zealand are renouned for the amount of sheep (I think the ratio is 20 sheep to one person...now thats greedy!!!), I thought Id play on it a little. The trailer for Black Sheep can be seen below.
Also today Im starting work on the layout for Basildon District Art Trails brochure as well as research various music locations in the UK, for a new series of artwork Im producing.

Kiwi Horror/ Comendy - Black Sheep

I caught glimpses of Britain’s Got Talent tonight. I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s getting fed up with all these street dance acts, who say they are ‘different’ to the rest of them. Now don’t get me wrong some of them are talented, but seriously there’s nothing different between each of them. Most of the time they use the same songs to dance to. Last years winners we good, because they were doing something different, but even when they performed tonight I’ve seen so many groups do something similar. Mr Cowell obviously has these shows planned out in advance. He knows which acts he can put out on tour and make money from. I personally thought the regurgitating guy (Stevie Starr) was amazing. Now that IS a talent and is something different. But no, what goes through….. a dancer, who didn’t really do anything different and a group of acrobats. Yes the acrobats were very good and probably worthy of going through. I can see them doing big shows like Cirque de soleil. Even the ‘chopping chopping wood’ guy was doing something different. Maybe I should show my dancing skills off to Mr Cowell!!!!

Today sees England playing their last friendly before heading off to South Africa. I personally think this is one of the countries best chances to win the World Cup. So far there is only one player injured and has been ruled out of the tournament. So Fingers crossed there’s no more in today’s match.
It was also nice to hear the good old English press getting behind the country. What is it with these people? I’m sure they don’t want England to excel at anything. They are now saying that Cappellos future is in doubt. Isn’t that great, to plant that seed in the players’ minds just before a massive tournament. Anyway lets get that negativity out of our minds and back the England team 100%!!

ENJOY THE VIDEOS BELOW

Classic!!!

Chooooooon

This will always be Englands Football anthem!!

Today sees England playing their last friendly before heading off to South Africa. I personally think this is one of the countries best chances to win the World Cup. So far there is only one player injured and has been ruled out of the tournament. So Fingers crossed there’s no more in today’s match.
It was also nice to hear the good old English press getting behind the country. What is it with these people? I’m sure they don’t want England to excel at anything. They are now saying that Cappellos future is in doubt. Isn’t that great, to plant that seed in the players’ minds just before a massive tournament. Anyway lets get that negativity out of our minds and back the England team 100%!!

ENJOY THE VIDEOS BELOW

If you love Star Wars, you'll love this!!!
http://www.everybodysucksbutus.com/darth-vader-facebook/
You have to start at the bottom of the page when visiting this link.
Enjoy :)

Im a bit pushed for time today but still wanted to post something. Over the years theres been a number of artists which have inspired me. Recently Ive got into the work of Matt Busch. If you visit his website, you will see he has uploaded a number of art tutorials which are really informative. Heres episode one........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB2DQhbszFI

John Lennon......LEGEND!!!!!

A brilliant performance by a talented musician

.

RIP KURT

One of my favourite songs at the moment. Very haunting

Today is the 70th anniversary of the evacuation of Dunkirk. My granddad was one of the many people who were sent here. He was a motorcycle dispatch rider, and it was his job to transport orders, messages etc between regiments and bases. When I was younger I never really appreciated just what he did. He very rarely spoke about the war, like so many others. I was later told of one day while he was in Dunkirk. His regiment had two motorcycle riders, my granddad and a close friend of his. A message came through that one of them had to take their motorbike and deliver a message. My granddad and his friend tossed a coin to see who would go. My granddad lost, and set off. As he started his journey he heard a bomb buzz overhead. As he turned to look, the shell directly hit the building he was just in. It killed his close friend and many other people he was stationed with.
Today I will remember him and all those that lost their lives and took part in the battle.

Hopefully this will bring a smile to your face. This is the now infamous video of me dancing at the 02 in London to Tiger Feet.

Welcome to the second day of blogs from me. Today is the celebration of 100 members of the Basildon Arts Collective. For those of you that don’t know Basildon, it is often the butt of many jokes. Sometimes with good reason to be. Pre WW2, Basildon was a collection of small villages and farms. When London started to be rebuilt after the war, lots of families moved out to the new town.
Over the years Basildon has produced a number of people who have gone on to have success in the arts and entertainment. Probably the biggest name to come out of Basildon is the band Depeche Mode. Around the same time there was also Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke, also from the town. Other names to come from Basildon include the actress and presenter Denise Van Outen and Eastenders actress Kara Tointon.
Over the years the live music scene in the town has slowly dried up. In the mid 90s there were approximately 6 venues, today there is only one. This isn’t to say there isn’t the need for such venues. Infact it is probably the total opposite. I can imagine it is frustrating to be part of a band and have nowhere in your local town to play.
There are a number of public artworks in and around the town centre. You can download a copy of the Heritage trail at
http://www.visitessex.com/discover/cultural/summer-of-art/Basildon_Heritage_Trail.aspx
Unfortunately, over the years some of the public artwork has been neglected.

Today the Basildon Arts Collective celebrates over 100 members. It is the collectives’ aims to look after and protect the public art in the town. It was also formed to encourage and unite the artists in the area. There is a healthy arts scene in the district, which is often overlooked. A number of artists involved with the collective have a very rich and knowledgeable background. There are no age or ability restrictions within the group, everyone is welcome. If you live in the Basildon area and would like to find out more about the group, please visit their webpage at
http://www.basildonartscollective.co.uk
The group also isn’t specific to the visual arts (painting, sculpture) but also includes writers, bands, dance groups etc.
These are exciting times for the group and the arts scene in Basildon.

Well this is a bit of a 'Brucie Bonus' of a blog. I hope you enjoyed reading my first blog and continue to do so. Id like to take this oppatunity to promote my cousin, Jono Manks, radio show. As some of you may know I have a branch of my family tree out in New Zealand. This is one place I would love to visit. Two of my cousins in particular are like brothers I never had. They are probably two of the nicest blokes you could meet and no Im not being biased.
One of them you may have heard me mention on Twitter or FB before, Jono. He is a radio DJ on a station based in Wellington on the north Island. If ever you get the chance, tune into his breakfast show on X105 (105.3fm). His show airs from 6am til 10am, Mon - Fri. If you arent lucky enough to live in Wellington, you can catch his show online. Simply visit http://www.x105.co.nz For those of you that live in the UK, his shows normally air 7pm til 11pm, Sun - Thurs....these times are based on you living in the UK during BST. He also appeared in Peter Jacksons film Lord Of The Rings : Fellowship Of The Ring. In the film he played a Ringwraith/ Dark Rider and a Twilight Ringwraith and was lucky enough to film alongside Elijah Wood. Jono also appeared in another film called Black Sheep. This was a Kiwi comedy-horror about a group of weresheep that go on the rampage.

Welcome to my very first blog. I will try to add entries each day, which I hope will be informative, interesting and maybe on the odd occasion, a little bit funny. Ill introduce you to the people I meet along my way in life, my daily goings on and other things that pop in my head. For those that don’t know me, “Hi, Im Carl”. So where do I start? Normally the beginning is a good place.
Just incase you have forgotten already, Im Carl. I live in a new town called Basildon, which is just outside London, in the UK. If you would like to know more about this place, you can look it up on Wikipedia. I’ve lived here all my life and seen the place change dramatically over the years. I am a graphic artist/ illustrator and live with my fiancée Suzanne, who I’ve been with for 10 and a half years.
I have a few hobbies and interests. I love music!!! When I was little there was always either the Beatles or the Beach Boys being played on the record player. Lots of songs hold memories for me and everytime I hear them again, those memories come flooding back. In the very early 80s I was given my own record player for my bedroom. I used to spend hours up there listening to my parents old 45s. By the mid 80s I had started to develop my own taste in music. Now, music back then was very limited. Stock, Aiken and Waterman had taken charge on the UK charts, but occasionally the odd decent tune would appear. I will warm you, my music taste is varied. Around 1998 I was bought my very first guitar. Id been after one for years. It was a black Encore electric guitar with a little 15 watt Sunn amp. I would spend anytime I had playing along to records, learning new chords etc. Having a guitar got me interested in rock music. I started to listen to things like ZZ Top, Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi. I would often sit in class daydreaming of being the next rock star. By the end of secondary school I was in my very first band. The beginning of the 1990s saw this new wave of music coming in from America called Grunge. I remember hearing Nirvanas Smells Like Teen Spirit for the first time. WOW!!! I was hooked in this type of music. Then came bands like Metallica and Guns and Roses….music overload!!! Over the years Ive played in various bands, from a 50s & 60s cover band through to one playing heavy metal.
Another huge interest of mine is geneology (family history). I come from a real mixed bag of people. My roots are nearly all English. My dad and granddad worked in the aircraft industry. My granddad was also a policeman in Southend. The rest of my Brind history is made up of the army, artillery workers and shipwrights. My Brind family have been very difficult to trace but I’ve had some great help from various people who share the same surname and it’s been really enjoyable trying to solve some of the families mysteries. My mums’ side of the family are mainly from Up t’north, and were mainly mill workers. Theres also a coast guard, merchant seamen, green grocers, farm hands, silk workers.
Well that’s a little bit about me. I’m sure I will go into more detail on some of these things again further into the blog. Thanks for having a read and please feel free to email me if you have any questions or would like to ask anything.