They say the country is going to the dogs with complete anarchy imminent. They also say that it rains a lot in Scotland. Both statements are most probably true but, at least in matters of the weather, we who live in the perpetual Scottish dampness have (until recently) always had virtual sunshine in the form of weather girl (you do mean weather lady, don’t you? – Ed) Heather Reid OBE CPhys FinstP. It seems only fitting that local band Randan Discotheque have recorded a song in tribute to our much missed clearer of clouds now that she is no longer on our television screens.
The song itself is a most respectful and endearing ode to the lady in question. It’s like an offbeat folk song too, throwing in a whole voyage of self discovery before the inevitable truth that – in metaphor at least – the lady Heather represents hope and all that is good about going home. I feel a tear of sentiment welling up in my eye as I write this. I really do.
This being a single, there has to be a flipside and the quirky dial gets turned up with the weirdly oblique “The Duke & The Orderly” that throws obscure historical references to cannibalism and military actions. You’ve got to work at this one to keep up (just as in all good things).
Despite the wonders of Heather, I have a confession to make – I’m a Jackie Bird man myself, especially since she turned the corner into Peroxide Street…