The Truth Is Strangler Than Fiction

Post by **Alias** » 18 Aug 2008, 16:25

Nice one Rodders.

I've got my thinking cap on.....

kevukuk · Post by **kevukuk** » 18 Aug 2008, 18:06

Back in the early nineties was working as a baker and we all had to attend a one day course which ended with a multipal choice exam in order to gain our food hygine certificates.
The bloke running the course was a loud,brash idiot who gave the impression that he didn't really know what he was talking about,simply reciting what he had written in front of him.
Part of his "lecture" concentrated on pest infestation and when he started talking about rats he asked if anyone knew the latin name,now i normally keep pretty quiet when attending these type of things but as no one else knew i blurted out rattus norvegicus,to which he replied "no,its norvegicus rattus"
I told him he was wrong so he asked me how i was such an authority on the subject"its the name of the stranglers first album,and they saw it on a picture of a rat"i replied,to which he said"on this occasion i think johnny rotten and his mates got it wrong"much to the amusement of the rest of the people in attendance.
I thought about putting him right on that as well but got the feeling that i would be banging my head against a brick wall.

kevukuk · Post by **kevukuk** » 18 Aug 2008, 18:10

So who is right?loud brash idiot,or the stranglers?i'v often wondered but i'm not really up on my latin.

Post by **MULLY** » 18 Aug 2008, 18:18

Of course it's The Stranglers

Genus: Rattus
Species: norvegicus

Using the popular classification.

Post by **Rodney Blackstaff** » 18 Aug 2008, 18:52

And ofcourse Rattus Rattus does not have the same ring to it as Rattus Norvegicus, but would have been more apt, as the future bared witness to

Rodders

Post by **MULLY** » 18 Aug 2008, 21:00

Indeed - The Black Rat rather than The Brown (or Norway Rat).

Hindsight being a wonderful thing - but wasn't it so named because of the rat pictured on the sleeve?

Post by **Alias** » 18 Aug 2008, 21:12

Rodney Blackstaff wrote:And ofcourse Rattus Rattus does not have the same ring to it as Rattus Norvegicus, but would have been more apt, as the future bared witness to

Rodders

"Ees no rat, ees hamster!"

Post by **MULLY** » 18 Aug 2008, 23:25

Post by **gizzard** » 19 Aug 2008, 09:51

Alias wrote:
Rodney Blackstaff wrote:And ofcourse Rattus Rattus does not have the same ring to it as Rattus Norvegicus, but would have been more apt, as the future bared witness to

Rodders
"Ees no rat, ees hamster!"

Basil, Basil

Post by **jamesgreenfield** » 20 Aug 2008, 21:56

Many moons ago (around Aural Sculpture time) on holiday in Corfu, me and a mate went for a walk along the beach, looking at the peaches and all that. Now I am not a great walker, but give me a beach and I can go for miles, and did. The lure of what is round the nest headland always gets me. So after and hour or so in the midday sun, wearing nothing but a well packed pair of Speedos and a Walkman, I was getting all hot and bothered and realised we had walked several miles form the last bar and where in the middle of nowhere. Turn back or just round one more bay and hope that there is some sign of life? We pressed on and there in the distance was what looked like a taverna, nothing else, but it definatley looked like a beer shop.

As we closed in there was definately a Amstel sign on the side of the building, we had hit the jackpot! Closer still and there was a familiar sound, a bit like someone playing the bazouki, which in Greece should be expected...but this sounded very familiar....just like 'No Mercy'. Surely this was just a mirage, too much sun and heat... I must be halluncinating.

We finally reached the building, surrounded by a lot of nothing and the sea, and went in. There, above the bar, was a big poster of the boys, and another, and another, and the Clash, Damned and Pistols. This was somekind of Greek punk bar...in the arse end of nowhere, with a distant view of Albania in the distance. And it had ice cold beer.

It turned out that the young guy working there was a huge Stranglers fan and was delighted to meet two Brits who had not only seen them a million times, but had a home made C90 Stranglers compilation tape in the walkman which was quickly put in the bars tape machine. No money would be accepted for the beers, or the food that came later. And a taxi was arranged to get us back to town later.

Needless to say we were back the next day, with more tapes and an even bigger session. He was due to start national service in the Greek navy the following week so we gave him all the tapes to cheer him up. A fair exchange for the hospitality extended.

Post by **Claireinblack** » 20 Aug 2008, 22:05

jamesgreenfield wrote:Many moons ago (around Aural Sculpture time) on holiday in Corfu, me and a mate went for a walk along the beach, looking at the peaches and all that. Now I am not a great walker, but give me a beach and I can go for miles, and did. The lure of what is round the nest headland always gets me. So after and hour or so in the midday sun, wearing nothing but a well packed pair of Speedos and a Walkman, I was getting all hot and bothered and realised we had walked several miles form the last bar and where in the middle of nowhere. Turn back or just round one more bay and hope that there is some sign of life? We pressed on and there in the distance was what looked like a taverna, nothing else, but it definatley looked like a beer shop.

As we closed in there was definately a Amstel sign on the side of the building, we had hit the jackpot! Closer still and there was a familiar sound, a bit like someone playing the bazouki, which in Greece should be expected...but this sounded very familiar....just like 'No Mercy'. Surely this was just a mirage, too much sun and heat... I must be halluncinating.

We finally reached the building, surrounded by a lot of nothing and the sea, and went in. There, above the bar, was a big poster of the boys, and another, and another, and the Clash, Damned and Pistols. This was somekind of Greek punk bar...in the arse end of nowhere, with a distant view of Albania in the distance. And it had ice cold beer.

It turned out that the young guy working there was a huge Stranglers fan and was delighted to meet two Brits who had not only seen them a million times, but had a home made C90 Stranglers compilation tape in the walkman which was quickly put in the bars tape machine. No money would be accepted for the beers, or the food that came later. And a taxi was arranged to get us back to town later.

Needless to say we were back the next day, with more tapes and an even bigger session. He was due to start national service in the Greek navy the following week so we gave him all the tapes to cheer him up. A fair exchange for the hospitality extended.

What a great story..

Post by **gizzard** » 21 Aug 2008, 08:01

jamesgreenfield wrote:Many moons ago (around Aural Sculpture time) on holiday in Corfu, me and a mate went for a walk along the beach, looking at the peaches and all that. Now I am not a great walker, but give me a beach and I can go for miles, and did. The lure of what is round the nest headland always gets me. So after and hour or so in the midday sun, wearing nothing but a well packed pair of Speedos and a Walkman, I was getting all hot and bothered and realised we had walked several miles form the last bar and where in the middle of nowhere. Turn back or just round one more bay and hope that there is some sign of life? We pressed on and there in the distance was what looked like a taverna, nothing else, but it definatley looked like a beer shop.

As we closed in there was definately a Amstel sign on the side of the building, we had hit the jackpot! Closer still and there was a familiar sound, a bit like someone playing the bazouki, which in Greece should be expected...but this sounded very familiar....just like 'No Mercy'. Surely this was just a mirage, too much sun and heat... I must be halluncinating.

We finally reached the building, surrounded by a lot of nothing and the sea, and went in. There, above the bar, was a big poster of the boys, and another, and another, and the Clash, Damned and Pistols. This was somekind of Greek punk bar...in the arse end of nowhere, with a distant view of Albania in the distance. And it had ice cold beer.

It turned out that the young guy working there was a huge Stranglers fan and was delighted to meet two Brits who had not only seen them a million times, but had a home made C90 Stranglers compilation tape in the walkman which was quickly put in the bars tape machine. No money would be accepted for the beers, or the food that came later. And a taxi was arranged to get us back to town later.

Needless to say we were back the next day, with more tapes and an even bigger session. He was due to start national service in the Greek navy the following week so we gave him all the tapes to cheer him up. A fair exchange for the hospitality extended.

Thta is a great story James. Nice one!