A Social Media Policy.

Here's yet another post that i've written for the Pierless Music website.

As the title suggests, it's all about social media policies, especially when it comes to bands and musicians. But, the points that i have made in the post are quite often equally as relevant to individuals as well.

See what you think:

A Social Media Policy

B(r)and.

Here's another blog post that i wrote recently for the Pierless Music website.

Although, it is primarily music related, the thoughts in it can have implications at a personal level. Especially if you have an online personality, or persona.

Blog Post - B(r)and

Time To Get Serious?

This is a blog post that i wrote for the Pierless Music website recently.

It concerns Facebook and how that, although Facebook may well be a huge and influential social media site, it is not the only game in town.

Blog Post - Time To Get Serious?

Bland

A bit of a rant after listening to Danny Baker's last show for BBC Radio London.

Running Before We Can Walk?

I'm back online once again.
It turns out there was a fault with the phone line, apart from the major local fault we also had.

Together Again

This is a blog post that i wrote recently for my new website Pierless Music.

We've all seen many bands put it all behind them and get back together again over the past few years. But, i've noticed that trend with local bands too. Why?

Blog Post - Together Again

Pierless Music.

I've only gone and started something new.

Pierless Music website: http://pierlessmusic.co.uk/

Let me know what you think.

WordPress: http://wordpress.org/
Instant WordPress: http://www.instantwp.com/ (Only works with Windows btw)

It Was 50 Years Ago Today.....

An historic day.

'Let It Be' blog post: http://vinyljunkie58.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/let-it-be-by-beatles.html

Previous video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvBJbcbvSLo

Do It Yourself.

If they can do it, why can't you?

The Choice.

To pogo, or not to pogo. That is the question.

'Graffiti and Street Art' on Flickr.

Graffiti & Street Art, a set on Flickr.

Some of you who read, watch and listen to my random musings may well know that i also like to take photo's. Especially since i bought a new DSLR camera 2 years ago.

Some of you may even have ventured to my Flickr account, where i post some of those photo's?

Many of the photo's that i post onto Flickr do tend to be from my local Hastings and St Leonards area. There always seem to be photo opportunities, whatever the time of year.

One of the great things about my local area is the abundance of street art. Something that i love finding, admiring and also taking photo's of.

You may have read my blog post, "The 'scrabbleman' Trail", that i wrote a few months ago about the "scrabbleman" mystery?

For those of you who might be new here, or who have not seen any of what i've referred to above, i thought i'd post some links here.

My Flickr page has several photo albums, or sets on it. But, i thought i'd share a couple of them with you here.

This is the first one: "Graffiti and Street Art"

I hope you like it?

Vinyl Junkie: Let It Be by The Beatles

Talking vinyl again and this time it's the turn of probably the biggest band ever.

Vinyl Junkie: Let It Be by The Beatles: Well, what can you say about  The Beatles that hasn't already been said? For that reason, i'll presume that you already have a good ide...

Travelling Men.

My son has just come back from a holiday in Hawaii. So, i thought i'd talk about travel.

One of the ironies of this is that, when i worked full time i could afford to travel, but didn't have the time. Now, i have the time, but not the money to do so.

Album Review: The Ukuleles by The Ukuleles.

For a while now i've been thinking of writing some reviews of albums by local bands and musicians. Local to the Hastings area that is.

I used to write periodic reviews for my local newspaper and therefore sent this one into them recently. But, because they apparently don't have room for local album reviews, it has not been printed. I can't say i understand that reasoning, but there you go.
There is a chance that come October this situation may change, we'll see.

Meanwhile, here is that first review.
I intend to do some more. Especially if i get the source material and also if the local paper find room to print them.

The Ukuleles by The Ukuleles.

Just recently it seems to me that you can’t turn on the tv, or the radio without someone talking about ukuleles and how they are back in fashion.
Part of that media interest has been centered around this new album by The Ukuleles. I’ve seen this duo on two tv shows over the past few weeks alone.

But, did you know that The Ukuleles include local man Logan Wilson, who plays in the Hastings area on a regular basis and who has released two solo albums over recent years? Both of which were released on a local record label and both of which i’ve had the pleasure of playing on local radio.

Neither of Logan’s solo albums, "Geography" (2006) and “This Luxurious Life”  (2010) feature a ukulele. But, they have included the mandolin and bazouki, which does suggest that Logan has an affinity with lesser used musical instruments.

The Ukuleles are Logan Wilson and Martha Paton.
The story goes that they met at a music festival in Brighton, where Martha was playing a ukulele. This sparked something in Logan and The Ukuleles were born.

This eponymous album, released on the DMG label, contains 16 tracks, all bar one of which is a cover version. The exception being “Sky”, a track originally on Logan’s “Geography” album, albeit a slightly different version.

On first listen, it was these cover versions that grabbed my attention. Because the vast majority of the songs are fairly recent chart hits, such as “Price Tag”, “Rolling In The Deep” and “Forget You”, my initial thought was, who is this album actually aimed at?
My reasoning being that these performances are really just straight forward cover versions, but with added ukuleles. After the tv appearances that i’d seen of The Ukuleles, i was expecting different arrangements of these very well known songs. Maybe more stripped down versions to accentuate the use of the ukulele?

For that reason, my two favourite tracks from the album are “Sky”, which is a pretty laid back song anyway and “Over The Rainbow”, which is a stripped down version with a very understated arrangement.

Having said all of that, the album is definitely a “grower”.
It is well produced, Logan and Martha obviously work very well together and the vocals are strong from both of them. Logan also plays most of the instruments on the album including drums and keyboards, apart from the obvious ukulele.

The album is also very easy on the ear and made the perfect accompaniment to a recent long car journey. It even had me singing along to songs that i’m not really that keen on. Just think yourselves lucky that you weren’t there to witness that!

And, if you buy the album itself, rather that downloading it, the cover art features diagrams of how to play four different chords on a ukulele.
So, if listening to this album makes you want to join the current surge in ukulele playing, it will also give you a head start on the opposition.

The Ukuleles website: The Ukuleles

Amazon UK: The Ukuleles You can listen to snippets of the album tracks there.

Happy listening.

Squat And Roll.

Talking music once again. This time about the creative process & how that's changed over the years. Especially in these digital times.

The Malcolm Gladwell book i mentioned is called "Outliers" btw.

AudioBoo - Radio Rental.

listen to ‘Radio Rental.’ on Audioboo

I've been decorating and have been listening to the radio. But, it's been a frustrating experience.

Vinyl Junkie: I Know What I Like - Genesis

Talking vinyl again and getting a bit Progressive this time.

Vinyl Junkie: I Know What I Like - Genesis: Over here in the UK, there has been much said and written recently about the supposed return of  Prog Rock . There is even a new  magazin...

AudioBoo - Saturday Morning Beach Walk.

listen to ‘Saturday Morning Beach Walk.’ on Audioboo

An impromptu walk along the beach on a lovely sunny, September Saturday morning.

Ideas Of A Solitary Walker.

Walking often leads to ideas. Here i'm talking about a few.

Vinyl Junkie blog: http://vinyljunkie58.blogspot.co.uk/

A beach vlog.

Vinyl Junkie: Walk On By by The Stranglers

Writing and talking about vinyl once again.

Vinyl Junkie: Walk On By by The Stranglers: I thought it would be rather appropriate if my next blog post in this series celebrated the work of Hal David , who died a few days ago. ...

The DNA Test - The Results.

Yes, i know that this is a long video, but i wanted to give the full story.

Original DNA Test video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4gj95HYvUA

The Genographic Project:
https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html

As mentioned, i am a member of haplogroup R1a1, M17 (Subclade R1a1a, M198).
If you've done this test yourself & know your own group, please let me know

Having found all this out, i'd now love to retrace my ancestors journey & visit those countries myself. Can't see that happening though.

Vinyl Junkie: Stuck In The Middle With You by Stealers Wheel

Talking vinyl once again.

Vinyl Junkie: Stuck In The Middle With You by Stealers Wheel: "Stuck In The Middle With You" by the Scottish group Stealers Wheel reached number 8 in the UK charts in May 1973. It also got as high ...

Vinyl Junkie: The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore by Keane

Talking vinyl once again.

Vinyl Junkie: The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore by Keane: So far i've written about the first vinyl single that i ever bought and the first one that i ever owned. Now, it's time to tell you about...

AudioBoo - Coincidences and Connections.

listen to ‘Coincidences and Connections.’ on Audioboo

It never ceases to amaze me how often coincidences occur. Here i talk about a few more.

David Hepworth blog post: http://whatsheonaboutnow.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/who-remembers-actual-pay-packets.html

All of my content mentioned in this AudioBoo can be found posted in this blog.

Watch, Listen, But Not Read?

Are blogs being overtaken by visual and audio content?

Blog post mentioned: http://www.fastcompany.com/3000794/rise-visual-social-media

YouTube video mentioned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXTcq3Fhiw4

My 'Vinyl Junkie' blog: http://vinyljunkie58.blogspot.co.uk/

Vinyl Junkie: Life On Mars? by David Bowie

Talking vinyl once again. Today it's David Bowie.

Vinyl Junkie: Life On Mars? by David Bowie: Seeing as the  last post in this blog was about Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 moon landing, i thought it might be appropriate to cont...

AudioBoo - Where Will It Take You?

listen to ‘Where Will It Take You?’ on Audioboo

The power of Social Media & how things come together in a digital age.

Twitter: @twitchhiker @paul_a_smith and @bwitterhiker

Vinyl Junkie: Man On The Moon

A slight departure maybe? But here's my latest installment of Vinyl Junkie.

Vinyl Junkie: Man On The Moon: Due to the recent sad death of Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong , i though i'd take a little sidetrack with this trawl through my vinyl si...

Vinyl Junkie: Gangsters by The Special A.K.A

My latest Vinyl Junkie post.

Vinyl Junkie: Gangsters by The Special A.K.A: As mentioned in a previous post in this blog, the Punk and New Wave years unleashed a whole new group of Do It Yourself record compani...

Neil Armstrong RIP.

Some thoughts on the passing of a boyhood hero and the memories that that provokes.

My AudioBoo: http://audioboo.fm/boos/933933-rip-neil-armstrong

Apollo 11 Timeline: http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo_11i_Timeline.htm

Books mentioned:
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
A Man On The Moon by Andrew Chaikin
Moondust by Andrew Smith

AudioBoo - RIP Neil Armstrong.

listen to ‘RIP Neil Armstrong.’ on Audioboo

Some thoughts on the sad death of Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong. The first man to ever set foot on another world.

Vinyl Junkie: Urban Guerrilla by Hawkwind

Todays musical offering from 'Vinyl Junkie'.

Vinyl Junkie: Urban Guerrilla by Hawkwind: "Urban Guerrilla" by Hawkwind was released on 27th July 1973 and reached number 39 in the UK charts. It would quite probably have r...

Six Years And Counting.

Yes, it's really been that long since i started here on YouTube.
Here are some reflections.

Vinyl Junkie blog: http://vinyljunkie58.blogspot.co.uk/

Moose Musings eBook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moose-Musings-ebook/dp/B006RXBRTC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1345825598&sr=1-1

Vinyl Junkie: The Day The World Turned Day-Glo by X-Ray Spex

Here's my latest offering from 'Vinyl Junkie'.

Vinyl Junkie: The Day The World Turned Day-Glo by X-Ray Spex: "Some people say little girls should be seen and not heard. But I think, Oh Bondage Up Yours! 1-2-3-4!" And so starts the first ever si...

Vinyl Junkie: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

Here's the latest post from my trawl through my vinyl 45rpm singles collection.

Vinyl Junkie: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen , is one of the most successful single releases in UK chart history and from one the UK's most successful...

Vinyl Junkie: Anarchy In The UK by Sex Pistols

Here's the latest post for my new Vinyl Junkie blog project.

Vinyl Junkie: Anarchy In The UK by Sex Pistols: After my  post yesterday which talked about a day that changed my life in some ways. Here is a record that changed many people's lives a...

Vinyl Junkie Blog.

I guess it had to happen at some time and today is the day.

Yes, i've gone and started a new blog all about my vinyl 45rpm singles.
The new blog is called, appropriately enough, 'Vinyl Junkie' and you can find it here:

"Vinyl Junkie"

I've talked about them in the past, made videos about them and even shared photo's of them in various places online, including here.
But, now is the time to have a dedicated space where they can live and breath all by themselves.

All is explained here: "Why Vinyl Junkie?"

So, why not head over there and see what it's all about?

AudioBoo - Death Of A Pub.

listen to ‘Death Of A Pub?’ on Audioboo

Talking about the potential loss of a local pub & the loss of history that goes with it.
The book mentioned: The Pubs Of Hastings & St Leonards, 1800-2000 by David Russell.
Available from the author via hastings.pubs@gmail.com & local booksellers.
The photo is not of the actual pub mentioned by the way

AudioBoo - Fantasy Reformations.

listen to ‘Fantasy Reformations.’ on Audioboo

Talking about a recent lottery winners idea of paying to get Guns N Roses to reform.

AudioBoo - The Listening Project.

listen to ‘The Listening Project.’ on Audioboo

Talking about lost memories & a new way of recording them for future generations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/the-listening-project
https://audioboo.fm/channel/listening-project

Olympic Marathon.

Yesterday, i went to Leadenhall Market in London to watch the men's Olympic marathon.
Hopefully, this video gives at least some idea of the atmosphere of the event.

My Olympic Vlog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqE8nfo1Xoo

Olympic Vlog.

Today, i went up to London to see the Olympic marathon. It was well worth the effort.
Here are some thoughts about it.

You Never Know.

The recent video i made about the Olympic torch relay coming to my home town, made one man very happy.
Here's why.

Original video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro5Po5caIXc

Mixcloud

I've discovered yet another website to use!

Here's my page: http://www.mixcloud.com/AndyGunton/

My last video, which was also about radio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAbf5K0hvnU

There is a link in the border, to the right of this vodeo, where you can follow my Mixcloud account.

Radio, Radio.

Well, i've now finished doing my local music shows on Carnival FM.
Here are some reflections on my latest stint of radio DJing.

Carnival FM website: http://carnivalfm.co.uk/

I hope to be able to post, or at least share links to, podcasts & videos of the local music shows & live sessions at some point.

I'm On The Radio Again.

I'm going to be doing some more local music shows & even doing a bit of of comedy acting as well.

Carnival FM: http://www.carnivalfm.co.uk/

Local Music Shows - Monday 30th July to Friday 3rd August, 6 to 8pm BST

AudioBoo - Walking On The Beach.

listen to ‘Walking On The Beach.’ on Audioboo

The tide was right out this morning, so my walk turned out to be further than expected.

Two Events.

What a great week we've had here in Hastings.

Pirate Day video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41nsQX4mpis

Olympic Torch video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro5Po5caIXc

Hastings Pirate Day 2012.

On Sunday 22nd July 2012 the people of Hastings & beyond attempted to gain a new world record for the amount of pirates in one place, at one time.
This is my record of the main part of the day.
I won't spoil your fun & give you the result, just in case you don't know the end of the story.

Here's the official website: http://hastingspirateday.org.uk/

Don't you wish that you lived here?

Arrr...

AudioBoo - A Tale Of Two Torches.

listen to ‘A Tale Of Two Torches.’ on Audioboo

Yesterday the official Olympic Torch Relay came through Hastings & St Leonards. Today, it was the turn of the Real Relay.

My Olympic Torch Relay video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro5Po5caIXc
The Real Relay website: http://endurancelife.com/RealRelay/

The photo is of the Real Relay runner on St Leonards seafront on 18th July.

Olympic Torch Relay - St Leonards On Sea/Hastings.

The Olympic torch relay came through St Leonards & Hastings this evening.
This is a video of the whole procession passing near to my house, sponsors and all.

The torch bearer is Eric Hardwick, who seemed to be enjoying himself:
http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/torchbearers/torchbearers=eric-hardwick.

Rain Rain Go Away.

I felt like turning on the camera & talking about the weather. Well, it's what us Brits do best isn't it?

Uploads vs Downloads.

Talking about content creation, amongst other things.

Here's the link to the video i mentioned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSXuNY3azCg

AudioBoo - The Real Relay.

listen to ‘The Real Relay.’ on Audioboo

Talking about the Real Relay, which is following the Olympic torch route.
Here are some links:
http://endurancelife.com/RealRelay/

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/allow-the-real-relay-to-finish-inside-the-olympic-stadium?time=1342127231

AudioBoo - No Hiding Place.

listen to ‘No Hiding Place.’ on Audioboo

A story about trying to avoid the result of a football match.

I've Got You Under My Skin.

Has your use of Social Media got under your skin?

AudioBoo: The Knock At The Door.

listen to ‘The Knock At The Door.’ on Audioboo

Saturday was an interesting and eventful day.

The DNA Test.

I've signed up to a project to trace my deep ancestry. In this video i explain about the project & take a DNA test.

The Genographic Project:
https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html

Ken's Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npbaSRjQfP0&

I'll do a video os the results that i get when i receive them.
Thanks to Ken & Marc.

Too Wet For A Boat?

listen to ‘Too Wet For A Boat?’ on Audioboo

An Audioboo Podcast.

A bit of a rant about a few Olympic related events & happenings. Or, non-happenings, as the case may be

Embrace Your Inner Nerd.

Relaying a story of a recent happening.

Are we all becoming nerds, or geeks these days?

Revenue Streams.

A couple of recent events have made me think about this topic.
Where does your money come from & has that changed over recent years?

David Hepworth blogpost: http://whatsheonaboutnow.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/what-closing-magazine-tells-you-about.html

Word Magazine: http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/

Planet Rock story:
http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1050208

Teenage Wasteland.

A sort of follow-up to my last video "It's like Punk never happened".

Talking, once again, about the 1970's & some of my memories of that era.

Also featuring the separation of the audio from the video part way through!

Beige Magazine and the Scrabble Bomber.

In the current issue of Beige Magazine, Summer 2012 , there is an article on page 68/69 all about Hastings and St Leonards. (Also on page 35 of the PDF version)

The article mentions the recent "scrabbleman" series of artworks that i have blogged about in the past:
"A recent intriguing artistic development has been The Scrabble Bomber. A series of scrabble themed art works have been mysteriously appearing in all sorts of public places. No one knows who The Scrabble Bomber is but there are already guided walks being offered to view the latest musings from Hastings own scrabble brained Guerilla artist."

The article also includes one of my photo's of a "scrabbleman" piece and a link to this blog.

For those of you who might be visiting this blog because of reading that piece in Beige, here is a link to my "Scrabbleman Trail" blog post that i wrote in April. It might save you some searching:

The Scrabbleman Trail

The "trail" has been regularly updated since then and as far as i know, is up to date.

As for the "guided walks" that are mentioned. This is something that i have thought about doing and did mention to the writer of the article when i was contacted about it.

So, if anyone would like to have a guided walk, taking in the Scrabble Bomber/Scrabbleman pieces and also various other pieces of local street art, including a Banksy, some Ben Eine's, huge moths, many Stewy's Stencils and much more, please get in touch.

The walk should take around 2 hours and be approx 3 miles in length. There would be a charge of £5 per person and a minimum of 2 people would be needed for a walk to take place.
The guided walk can be booked on any day of the week, subject to availability and could start at either the St Leonards, or the Hastings Old Town end of the "trail".

I can be contacted by email at: andygunton@hotmail.com
You can also follow me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/andymooseman

Beige is a free quarterly magazine for the LGBT community in London.

It's Like Punk Never Happened.

Have you noticed how many old Punk songs are being used in adverts these days?

Turning rebellion into money?

For some reason the audio decided to detach itself from the video & go out of synch part way through this vlog. I have no idea why. Sorry about that.

Problems, Problems.

A couple of recent issues that have made me wonder how we managed wthout the Internet & whether we're fully prepared to cope with the continuing rise of its use.

Sorry for the lack of picture quality & volume in this video. Normal service will be resumed when i can be bothered to sort it out ;)

The Art Of Doing Nothing.

It's easier for some, than it is for others.

Here's a link to the video of mine that i mentioned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9zsUSIrMjE

Royal Military Canal Walk - Pett to Rye.

A walk along the Royal Military Canal between Pett & Rye. Taking in Camber Castle.

My other walking videos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL85FB5A1B124FBCCF

Don't You Just Hate It When.....?

A video inspired by a Tweet i posted earlier today.
Talking about the modern phenomenon of people fishing for stories, or ideas for content. When they obviously haven't got any ideas of their own.

Ephemeral.

Talking street art, scrabbleman & the life expectancy of it all.

My updated "scrabbleman trail" blog post:
http://andymooseman.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/scrabbleman-trail.html

My Flickr "Street Art" photo album:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28547473@N07/sets/72157626002412823/

Come In, Your 15 Minutes Is Up.

I'm going to be on the telly box again.

Yes, i meant to say "15 minutes of fame" & not 15 seconds.

BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00kqz5p
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/britaininaday
My footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6bG6SHi2r4

That Was The Month That Was.

Another 28 days of Hastings Rock radio is now over & i thought i'd reflect on the month once again. This year was a little different, especially for me.

That Was The Week That Was.

Last week was a pretty eventful one.
My 15 minutes (or less) of fame & how it all came about.

The "scrabbleman" Trail - This is updated as needed:
http://andymooseman.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/scrabbleman-trail.html

My Flickr album of Street Art - This is also updated regularly:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28547473@N07/sets/72157626002412823/

The "scrabbleman" Trail.

October 2016:
STOP PRESS:

"scrabbleman" (or woman) is back!
Two local street art devotees spotted a brand new "scrabbleman" piece in early October 2016, the first new piece after an absence of four years!
"Say Hello To Strangers" can be found in one of the shelters on the promenade between St Leonards Warrior Square and Hastings Pier, a popular past location for "scrabbleman".

Of course the question that everyone is now asking is, "Is this the return of scrabbleman, and are there more new pieces waiting to be discovered?"
This new piece certainly bears all the hallmarks of those original pieces, so I don't think there;s any doubt that this has been made/created by the same person. Made they'd just run out of Scrabble pieces, and were building up a new supply?
Either way, it's good to see him or her back again.

Original Post:

After all the recent coverage on both BBC Radio Sussex and BBC South East Today, which i was lucky enough to have been involved in. I thought i'd produce a bit of a "scrabbleman" trail for all those who may want to search out these mysterious and intriguing art works for themselves.

The trail will mostly take you along St Leonards and Hastings seafront and is around 2 miles long. New additions may, of course, make this a little longer. But, it is easily walkable.
All pieces are either on, or quite close to the seafront. But, some kind of street map would be useful.

I am purposely not giving exact locations in my descriptions of the sites, as half the fun is trying to find them for yourself.
None of the pieces are hidden and they are all in public places. All are easily spotted, as long as you keep your eyes peeled.

I'm not suggesting that this is in anyway the definitive trail, but it's the way that i would do it if you want to see all of the current pieces.

It can be done in either direction, but i would start at the St Leonards end of the trail.

1 - "Love More"

A fairly new addition and the most westerly so far.
This piece can be found on the back of a speed camera, in the middle of the main seafront road! It is also the first not to be on a wall. The fact that it is located on a speed camera suggests that it might not last for long, before it is removed.
A probable companion piece to the recent "Hate Less" discovery in the Old Town of Hastings.
This is the most westerly remaining piece and "Hate Less" is the most easterly. A coincidence?
This first piece is very close to the famous St Leonards "Banksy". The "Banksy" is below the seafront promenade, nearly opposite the speed camera. So, why not have a look at that before you continue onwards?

Here is a photo of the "Banksy" to whet your appetite:

2 - 'Metropolis Apocalypse'

Just when you think the whole 'scrabbleman' phenomenon has died, up pops an undiscovered piece. At first, all us local street art fans were hoping that this piece signalled the return of 'scrabbleman'. But, closer inspection of this newly discovered piece shows that it has probably been there along. You can see quite clearly, in the top right hand corner, where the ivy has grown under the artwork and damaged it.
Also notice the use of the upside down 'W' used instead of an 'M' and the Junior Scrabble 'A'.
This piece can be found part way up the steps leading from the left hand side of St Leonards Parish Church, up to West Hill Road.
It certainly makes you wonder how many more undiscovered 'scrabbleman' pieces there could be out there just waiting to be found.

 3 - "Buy Less"

Another of the two word pieces and another new one.
This can also be found near the 'Banksy', in the seafront car park. It is low down and not easy to spot. I even walked past it myself at first.

4 - "Grow More"

Yet another two word piece and a new addition.
You will indeed need to grow more to reach this one as it is up high on a wall on the lower seafront promenade. The first piece to be located on the lower prom. It is close to the next piece.

5 - "First They Came"

This can be found on the seafront opposite the Royal Victoria Hotel, in St Leonards.
It has been suggested that this might be the first piece, partly because of the message. But, nobody is sure about this.
Notice the little cat doodle next to the piece and also the plaque underneath. This suggests that the current piece may well be a second attempt?

6 - "They Got The Guns....."

A new piece and another one to be found on St Leonards seafront. But, this time it's just a little bit harder to spot.
This piece is actually down the slope of the entrance to an underground carpark. It is still easily visible, just as long as you keep your eyes open.
The words are actually lyrics from a song by The Doors, "Five To One". Lyrics seem to be becoming a common theme in recent "scrabbleman" pieces.
Notice the toy gun that has been used instead of spelling out the word "gun". This is the first time that something other than a letter has been used.

7 - "I'm Mad As Hell"

This piece is in an alleyway off of Norman Road, St Leonards.
This alleyway also contains a big white stencilled horse done by "Stewy" and one of several colourful boxes that are dotted around the town.
This piece is sadly no more (October 2016). The Stewy horse and other street art has also been removed, but by who?

8 - "Be The Change"

Just as we lose one piece of "scrabbleman" art from the Jerwood Gallery, this piece pops up in St Leonards. So, it's good to see that "scrabbleman" is still active. and has not been put off.
This is the furthest one from the seafront so far and is to be found in an alleyway between London Road and Kings Road, in St Leonards.
Once again, this contains an un-numbered scrabble tile.

9 - "Trident Or NHS"

Another recent discovery and potentially the first "scrabbleman" copycat piece?
This piece can be found on the side of a building on the bottom end of Norman Road, St Leonards, opposite Western Road.
Local "scrabbleman" enthusiasts are undecided as to whether this is a "scrabbleman" original, or not.
There are a number of reasons for the indecision. If you are following the trail, you may well be able to spot some of our reasons for yourself. Even if you are just an armchair follower, some reasons may well be evident. See if you can come up with any of your own.
In the meantime, the jury is still out on this one.

10 - "Them Belly Full, But We Hungry"

A newish find and the second to quote from a reggae song/poem. This time the lyrics are from Bob Marley.
Notice that both letter "Y's" are not scrabble tiles and look like printing blocks. Well, there aren't as many of those in the game are there? "scrabbleman" is obviously running  low on supplies.
This piece can be found back on the seafront promenade at the St Leonards end of Bottle Alley and right opposite the next one on the trail.
(This piece has recently disappeared)

11 - ?

This ex-piece is located on the St Leonards end of Bottle Alley.
I have no idea if it was vandalised, or rejected by "scrabbleman". The letter grouping doesn't correspond with any other known piece. It looks as though it may be an earlier effort, as it is on a black slate, rather than the moulded design of later pieces.
But, what could it have said?
This piece has now gone.

12 - "Sex, Drugs, Dole"

This piece is in a shelter on the seafront promenade, between Warrior Square, in St Leonards and Hastings Pier.
This is one of a few more recent pieces that contain letters without numbers on. It has been suggested by members of the local Twitter community, that these un-numbered pieces may contain a clue as to the idendity of "scrabbleman". An anagram perhaps?
We have since discovered that they are in fact just pieces from the Junior version of the Scrabble game. So, maybe "scrabbleman" has started to run out of original scrabble pieces?

13 - "Smile"

This is one of the newer pieces to be discovered. Which is good news because it shows that "scrabbleman" is still active after all of the recent publicity and attention.
It can be found further along the seafront promenade, towards Hastings Pier.
Once again this piece includes an un-numbered scrabble tile, plus a tile with green edging. The first one like that.
This piece has now been joined by some others, making a total of four pieces on this seafront shelter. See below for more details.
Unfortuately, this piece has now been removed. By whom, nobody knows.

14 -  "Usmev"

As mentioned above, this piece is located on the same seafront shelter as "Smile". It apparently translates as "Smile", but in Czech.
This is the only piece, of this set of four, that is currently still in place.

15 - "Bisir"

Once again located on the same shelter as the last two pieces. This is also believed to translate into "Smile", but i'm not sure into which language. Any help would be appreciated. It has been suggested that it could be in Russian?
This piece has now been removed.

16 - "Cuoi"

Yes, you guessed it. This is also on the same shelter. This apparently translates into "Smile" in Vietnamese.
So, "scrabbleman" is both multi-lingual and knows his musical lyrics.
This piece has also been removed.

17 - "'Stings"

Sadly, this piece was removed, or vandalised within a day of it having been recently discovered. So, it is no longer visible. A close look at the photo will show a toy axe and sword within the piece. References to aspects of Hastings perhaps? The Battle Of Hastings and Pirate Day maybe?
This was located in a skate park, off of Falaise Road, near the seafront. It has been suggested that this may have been another copycat piece, hence its removal?
Thanks to Paul, @oldtownpaul on Twitter for this photo.

18 - "Big Society, Big C*nt"

Another very political piece and the first to contain swearing. This has led some people to believe that this could also be a copycat piece.
This was the first piece that i actually discovered myself. But as you can see, it had already been damaged. Somebody has tried to prise it off of the wall. Maybe it is a copycat piece and "scrabbleman", or an associate wanted it removed for that reason? Many theories have been discussed amongst local "scrabbleman" enthusiasts. But, with no definitive answers forthcoming.
It is located on some steps, leading from Falaise Hall/Clambers, down towards the seafront, opposite Hastings Pier.
This is another piece that has been removed. Maybe this is not too surprising, due to the nature and content of the wording?

19 - "We Want To Live"

This piece could have been found on the seafront. This time between Hastings Pier and Robertson Street.
This wass the second piece that was actually located below eye level. So, it was easier to miss than most of the others.
There is another un-numbered tile in this piece and also a red edged tile too. It does make you wonder where "scrabbleman" is getting all of these tiles from?
The piece has now been removed, possibly because it was so easy to get to?

20 - "Read, Read"

This can be found up some steps, near the public library in Claremont, Hastings. This is just off of the seafront, past Hastings Pier.
Is "Read, Read" a reference to the nearby library perhaps?

21 - " Je Taime Visage De Singe"

The only piece, so far, that is in French. Nobody seems to know why either.
The message apparently translates as "I Love You Monkey Face". What could that mean?
This can be found at the Hastings end of an underpass between Hastings town centre and the seafront.

22 - "You Are Loved"

This can be found above the entrance of another pedestrian underpass, this time in Hastings town centre itself.
Due to the design, it is thought that this is one of the earliest pieces.
It's amazing how many people walk past this everyday and fail to spot it.

23 - "Fite Dem Back"

A new addition and one only discovered during the recent May Day bank holiday weekend.
It can be found part way up some steps between George Street, in the Old Town of Hastings and Hastings Castle.
The expression "Fite Dem Back" is the title of a song/poem by the reggae poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. I wonder if this is significant?

24 - "Hate Less"

The least visible piece yet and one of the latest discoveries.
Could this be a reference to the new Ben Eine artwork "Breath Less", which can be found a short distance away? (See below for photo)
This can be found in a small passage way in West Street, in the Old Town of Hastings. West Street runs parallel to George Street, so it is not far from the last piece.
Maybe "scrabbleman" is becoming a bit more secretive and making us search a bit harder to find his work?

25 - "Love You Like I Love You"

After a period of nearly two months, a new piece by "scrabbleman" has recently been discovered.
It can be found in Oak Passage, which is off of the High Street in the Old Town of Hastings. It can also be seen, from a distance, from Butlers Gap in George Street.
It is felt that this is probably an old piece that had just not been spotted by anyone. Although, the local "scrabbleman" fans are hoping that this isn't the case and that more pieces will appear.
The wording could well be quoting lyrics once again. There are a few options including songs by Justin Timberlake and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's.


26 - "Make Up Your Own Mind"

Another piece with non numbered scrabble tiles.
This was to have been found on the side of the new Jerwood Gallery in the Old Town of Hastings.
Could the message be suggesting that you should think about either the controversial gallery itself, or the artworks contained within?
There were rumours that this piece was to be taken down due to the potential damage that may be being caused to the brand new tiles on the Jerwood Gallery.
Sadly, this proved to be the case and this piece has now been removed by the Jerwood Gallery.
An explanation as to why can be found here.
It is being kept by the Jerwood Gallery, for safe keeping, until "scrabbleman" comes to collect it. Hopefully, another place could then be found to display it? I wonder if "scrabbleman" will go and collect it though?

That brings you to the end of the "scrabbleman" trail proper. At least for the moment anyway.
But, i'm going to show you a "bonus" piece which may, or may not, show the potential orgins of "scrabbleman".

27 - "The Black Winkle"

This can be found on a wooden building just a bit further up Rock A Nore road from the Jerwood Gallery. It is not easy to spot. I walked past it myself at first.
It is made up of scrabble tiles and has been nailed into the wood, instead of being mounted. This has obviously been there some time, judging by the rust. Notice the real black winkle next to it.
Could this be the origin of "scrabbleman"? Nobody knows.
(Since originally writing this blog post, i have now met and spoken to the artist who did this "The Black Winkle" piece. It is actually located on the entrance to his art studio. He insists that he is not "scrabbleman" and that this piece of his is purely a coincidence. I believe him)

Depending on which route you took when walking this trail, you should have noticed other pieces of local street art on your way. I certainly hope that you did.
These include the famous Ben Eine mosaic of Prince Charles, several more stencils by "Stewy", some coloured boxes, huge moths and much more. So, keep you eyes open on the way.

A short detour at the end of the trail, into the High Street in the Old Town of Hastings, will bring you to the brand new piece by Ben Eine, "Breath Less".

Good isn't it?

I'm hoping that new pieces of Scrabble Art will appear, be talked about and shared by the local Twitter community in Hastings. If they do, i will update this trail as needed.
As you may have noticed, some pieces have now been removed by persons unknown.
Street art, by its very nature, is ephemeral. So, we can't expect it to last forever. But, it is still a great pity when street art as original as this is damaged, stolen, or simply removed.

Why not follow the hashtag #scrabbleman on Twitter to see if there are any further developments in either the search for more pieces, or the mystery of who scrabbleman, or is it scrabblewoman, really is?

All the photo's in this trail were taken by myself, unless otherwise credited.
To see more, including extra photo's of the scrabble art, visit my Flickr album of street art at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28547473@N07/sets/72157626002412823/

Happy hunting.

If you do follow this trail yourself, please let me know how you get on. Also, please let me know of any new pieces that you may find yourself, or of any changes to the pieces listed above.
Thank you.

Updated on 4th October 2016.