Blue Moon MonologuesI would have liked to be a singer... singing an Italian aria to my lovely lady!
I belong to two clubs here to meet the ladies, but nothing has happened, I'd like some lady to see my vacant stare!
I've got a lovely lady upstairs, art nouveau
I've had her twenty years, got her for £65
I learnt 25 arias in Italian
I didn't get married till I was forty. I had a sweet shop in Southborough, this woman kept coming in, she had an eye on me! One Christmas her uncle came, and pushed me into the back of the shop and said ' can't you give her a kiss or something!' When we went on honeymoon to Broadstairs there was a muddle with the room and we were given separate beds. I pulled the beds together. We were married 14/15 years but she wouldn't have children and we divorced. That was 30 years ago never found anyone else. Got to have a woman looking over your shoulder, now I have to look over my own shoulder!
I loved Italian opera. Spent 6 years at school learning about opera. I saw Pagliacci in lots of different places. Everyone should see Pagliacci.
Had to go from Kathmandu to darjeeling by train – wounded in the war, piece of shrapnel in my forehead. There were such curves on the tracks that sometimes you could touch the back of the train. Going to India to fight I really saw how the other half lives, one learns such a lot. Never had a girl in the army till Audrey a Wren 'Lets get engaged - come home with me to meet my family in Nottingham.' I did. Her father said ' What have you got to offer my daughter?, you are just a soldie.', after 3 days Audrey said 'Dad wants us to beak up' –
It broke my heart.
My mother used to play Richard Tauber so I tried to mimic him, then went on to Caruso and Mario Lanza. I used to want to be a tenor.
I would have liked to a singer but the war came and spoilt all the young men.
My first job was at Rochester Airport building Spitfires, Sunderland flying boats and Stirling bombers. Airport got flattened by a bomb. I had to do something else. So I went to Bentley colliery in Doncaster to be a Bevin boy for a year. I left 3 young ladies in Maidstone. I didn't kiss them as no reason to get too engrossed, it was the war. When I got back I went to each in turn and they were all married.
You can't go back to pick the ends up, you can't find them, very rarely.
I learnt 25 arias in Italian
[ Mark sings “Vesti la Giubba” ]