Haggis and showgirls

Miss Reader and Mr Burns

For any of my Scottish chums out there, and in recognition of the fact that it is Burns Night [as far as I can see, any excuse to drink whisky and eat haggis to brighten the gloomy days of January], here's our eternal fave [ex-Fairground Attraction lead singer] Miss Eddi Reader and her take on the great poet's My Love is Like a Red Red Rose:

Eddi Reader - My Love is Like a Red Red Rose

However, just in case anyone suspects I'm getting too sentimental in my old age, it is this song [among her solo work] for which I love Eddi Reader the most, and is much more in keeping with my usual diet of campery.

One of the original gay anthems [Mr Gene Pitney knew exactly what he meant to convey with this song when he made it his own - and it was the final song he performed at his final show, at Cardiff's St. David's Hall in April 2006, before his death], Miss Reader and her showgirls take it to a higher camp level altogether - it's A Town Without Pity, and it's a bit of an anthem here at Dolores Delargo Towers:

Eddi Reader - A Town Without Pity

When you're young and so in love as we
And bewildered by the world we see
Why do people hurt us so
Only those in love would know
What a town without pity can do

If we stop to gaze upon a star
People talk about how bad we are
Ours is not an easy age
We're like tigers in a cage
What a town without pity can do

The young have problems, many problems
We need an understanding heart
Why don't they help us, try and help us
Before this clay and granite planet falls apart

Take these eager lips and hold me fast
I'm afraid this kind of joy can't last
How can we keep love alive
How can anything survive
When these little minds tear you in two
What a town without pity can do

How can we keep love alive
How can anything survive
When these little minds tear you in two
What a town without pity can do

No, it isn't very pretty what a town without pity can do

Eddi Reader official website

My blog on Miss Reader's birthday last year