GJs

I have been playing about with Google's new mapping and local information services and I have been interested to see that they seem to return information from this weblog. You can see the result of searching for "A Welsh born icon" around the postcode of the office here.

Funnily enough, the overwhelming majority of the results are local pubs that I have written about. Empirically, it seems that the posts are picked up whenever I include a full address in the post.

A lot goes on at GJ's (62 High St, Colliers Wood, London SW19 2BY) so I am writing this post to let me test what Google map and local searches will return a link to it based on my text over the next couple of weeks or so.

GJs - bizarrely - is Colliers Wood's own ski bar, run along with its sister pub in Wandsworth by people who cut their teeth during 8 years runnng the reportedly legendary original GJs of Val d'Isere in the French Alps.

All through May, chalet girls will be flocking to SW19 to see the cream of the bands who have entertained them in the Alps over the last few winters playing live. You have missed Superfly aka The Feeling who played last Friday, but you can still catch Mowgli this Friday and Mullit on Saturday.

On Friday 20 May 20 May - The Noize will be playing for the Ski Workers Reunited and Natives 6th Birthday.

(No, I have never heard of any of them either.)

On Sunday evenings, GJs plays host to BB's Blues Club. The eponymous BB is Bob Brunning who was a founder member of Fleetwood Mac, and went on to join Savoy Brown. I try and get along to "enjoy the best British and American blues bands around" as often as I can, and I have always had a great time.

On the second and last Thursday of every month there is a stand up comedy at GJs. Roar with Laughter entertain with some well known and up and coming acts. I seldom go because whenever I ever encounter some self righteous clown performing edgy and provocative material they inevitably succeed in in provoking me to thoughts of violence. Mark Thomas is playing there tomorrow. "You wanna talk about cutting edge comedy? In the real world it begins and ends with this man. He's prepared to make people uncomfortable about things that really matter". On his website you can vote on what you would like him to do next. I have voted that he "shut his big mouth up". I suggest you do the same. Let's just leave it at that.