New Nickname (Wednesday June 18th)

I have a new nickname, courtesy of BBC Radio Manchester's Heather Stott. "Chimp Pants!". She copped a flash of my 'Bill Grundys' when I popped into the studios dressed in a loincloth for a chat this morning. Patient confidentiality had stopped her other half, Ian, from telling her that he had been giving me root canal treatment for the past two years. Minutes earlier Heather had been a tad less descreet telling the whole of manchester a great story about noisy lovemaking, a cat, a budgie and her mother-in-law. What a job trying to follow that.

My wife, Ruth, often takes the Mickey out of me for not having heard any songs that are in the charts. I always tell her that I won't know it unless they play it on GMR. ( I know the name is different now, but I have a natural resistance to change, I still live in a land of Lady Di, Deidre Langton, Marathon Bars and New Mills Lo-Cost.) Driving over the M62 to Leeds the station goes Kapput at Rishworth Moor, but I've been a genuine long time fan of Heather Stott, along with Beswick, Dianne Oxberry, Jimmy Wagg and Eamonn (Don't call him Holmes) O'Neill. It's great when you meet someone you like on the radio or the telly and they come over just as warm in reality and that was the case with Heather today. Nice one.

You can listen to the interview for a week from today at http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/local_radio/ We are on after about an hour, but it's well worth listening to the 'noisy lovemaking' section early on in the show.

Elsewhere in Bananaman News. We have three more possible venues that we hope to have confirmed by the end of the week. A radio station, a sports store and a place where you can shop, both outside and in. Watch this space.

I did an interview with self confessed 'Rock Chick' Rachel Clegg today for Manchester Evening News which should see the light of the day either tomorrow or Friday tied in with pictures taken at MRI on Friday. We are having bets as to whether they use a shot of the three of us or just Tarzan.

The Sun once did a piece on the band I sing with 'White Van Man' www.myspace.com/whitevanmanrock and went to the trouble of sending a photographer to a car park in Hazel Grove where the band had gathered, taking time off work, and hiring a white van for the occasion. Multiple shots were taken of the whole band, in the van, on top of the van, around the van, every which way and we all waited with baited breath for the article. They published it with a cropped shot only showing my face.

White Van Man will be playing at the final venue of Tarzan's Bananathon, so if you know of a decent sized pub or social club or community centre that doesn't mind a bit of noise and would love to host a banging great party then get in touch via the website. We are playing an hour's set at The One World Festival, High Lea Park this Saturday June 21st between 5pm and 6pm if you fancy checking us out. http://www.oneworldfestival.org/ The One World is a great event, kid friendly and environmentally friendly too.

All for now

Tarzan