Neil Gits Smart … Again !

I had a terrific day out last Saturday, hitting the roads again in search of fabulous football action and luckily enough it wasn’t ruined by the inevitable traffic trouble somewhere along the route that you come to expect these days on any decent length journey. My planned destination was a little further away than usual, so I sensibly allowed a ridiculous amount of extra time for any delays which turned out to be a wise move as the M4 REALLY clobbered me !

After the usual stodge on the West side of the M25, the speed limit on the M4 was restricted to 50 or 60 MPH nearly all the way to the junction 12 – and I’d already found out that it was inconveniently closed completely for weekend roadworks between 13 & 14, meaning what looked like a slow but simple diversion via the edge of Hungerford. Slow is an understatement !! The whole drive should have taken me about 3 hours, but the recommended alternative route took 90 minutes alone, just to get from one junction to another … and it was raining heavily ! Eventually, I turned up at Mangotsfield United (the “other” Man Utd !!) just in time to bag the last space in the club car park, the sun came out, the rain had disappeared and by half-time I was relaxing with a piping hot cheeseburger and enjoying a highly entertaining game just north of Bristol.

Any high-mileage drivers will tell you of the downside of the new “smart” motorways gradually being created across the country, but I do find that the information they constantly provide does result in more steady lower speed driving and much less stop-start travel with those painful “standstills” usually only a result of an unfortunate smash up ahead. I do wish though that they had been “smart” enough to tell me how long I would be delayed by taking their advice on the way out – coming back the warnings were of a 1 hour delay, by which time I had long decided to come home via the M40 and was off the M4 at the first signs mentioning Swindon & Oxford ! A smart move indeed …

Those good old soul tunes always keep me sane on my trips and whether you are in your car listening to the radio around Basildon and East Thurrock or anywhere at home tuned in online, you can ease your stresses to by catching the repeat play of my show this Saturday from 5-7pm. Here’s what to expect :

The Tunes – Monday 23rd August

Shalamar – Take That To The Bank

Clarence Carter – Messing With My Mind

Steve Nichol feat Ellene Masri – Dangerous Romance

Supremes – Automatically Sunshine

Mirage – Summer Grooves

Billy Griffin – Serious

Lalah Hathaway – Something

Nils – Still Searchin’ / No Love In Sight

Chic – My Forbidden Lover (Full LP Version)

Shakatak – Invitations

Cheryl Lynn – Sleep Walkin’

Firefly – Love Is Gonna Be On Your Side

Paradise – Stop & Think

Steve “Doc” Willoughby – All My Life

Lionel Richie – Penny Lover

Kool & The Gang – Joanna

Kid Creole & Coconuts-Annie I’m Not Your Daddy

Brooklyn Groove Machine – Deja Vu (Baby Powder Mix)

Dimitris Dimopoulos/Debby Bracknell – Worthy Of Your Love

Gladys Knight & The Pips – So Sad The Song

Audrey Hall – Smile

Stevie Wonder – Signed Sealed Delivered

Incognito – Sunburn

Feel free to get in touch with your soulful request or just for a mention on the show – post on “The Old Gits Soul Show” page on Facebook or message me personally …

E-mail: [email protected] or send a text message to (01268)833978.

The Old Gits Soul Show is on Gateway 97.8 in Basildon & East Thurrock and also around the world via www.gateway978.com from 7pm–9pm every Monday, also repeated on Saturday evening from 5pm–7pm, plus you can hear it again anytime you like via the “Listen Again” button on the Gateway website – search “Cool Soul” !