John Gibson: Stay on that Road to Hell, Chris

I’m a Chris Rea groupie. Catching him live in concert makes life worth living. I have to suspect, though, that Chris, a big earner far as we know, currently is short of a bob or two. Either that or his minders have become anxious, worried he pops his guitar before his time is up, before his touring days are over.

What’s got you edgy, John? The fact that they’re advertising his concert itinerary this early and his schedule includes the Usher Hall on March 28 next year. Chris in the past has had his stamina endangered by ill health. We hope and pray he is well able to stay on the road to hell. Meanwhile, Rea is still on the A list for Michael Caine and Michael Winner. He was at the dinner party hosted by Caine for Winner’s wedding.

Flapping around

A READER in Gilmerton (this column is read worldwide) refers to my comments on foul, marauding seagulls and, agreeing with my sentiments, tells me a friend of hers in Bridlington was attacked by dozens of gulls in the Yorkshire town and hospitalised.

“The gulls need to be culled,” she says. Steve Race, a community education officer with RSPB, explains the attacks are from gulls protecting their young.

He said: “There’s nothing that people can do apart from obvious things like not feeding them and making sure rubbish is not dropped where seagulls can get at it.”

This column disrespectfully suggests people who drop rubbish should be culled. Then we deal with the gulls.

Afterwords . .

. . . Barbara Taylor Bradford: “I’ve got my feet on the ground. I’m not a flibbertigibbet. I work hard for it. I would say to anyone who wants to criticise me: fine, but you get up at five o’clock every morning and sit at a desk all day and throw your guts into a book and wait to see who’s going to take pot shots at you and then go out on the road to promote it.”