There are two ways to get to Villain Towers from Glasgow city centre. The best and quickest way is to take a train from Central Station, with it being just one stop and five minutes to Dumbreck, itself a couple of hundred yards away from the tower’s turrets.
The alternative is to take a 59 bus, which nowadays is a pale imitation of its glory days some twenty-five years ago when it used to meander from the south side through the centre, over to the west end via Glasgow University every twenty minutes or so. Now, it’s merely an hourly service, from the city centre to the south side only.
The bus makes it way through Pollokshields, an area of the city celebrated in song by the 1990s on the debut album Cookies, released on Rough Trade in 2007:-
mp3: 1990s – Pollokshields
Two years later, the follow-up album, Kicks, also contained a track harking back to the part of the city where the members of the band grew up:-
mp3: 1990s – 59
Yup….a tune in which taking a journey on the bus (presumably into the city centre) is made all the better by the appearance of an attractive member of the opposite sex.
1990s called it a day in 2012, probably not too long after I caught them as an excellent opening act for Cornershop at a gig in one of the outlying housing schemed of Glasgow as part of the annual Celtic Connections festival that takes place every January.
However, the band got back together again not too long ago and their third album, Nude Restaurant, will be coming out later this year on Last Night From Glasgow, the wonderfully inventive label that I’ve mentioned a few times before. Click here for more details.
Oh, and the reason for all this today instead of the usual Saturday feature?
Your humble scribe is 59 today. I might celebrate it with a bus journey.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Happy birthday, JC! Wishing you a wonderful day, whether on or off a bus and thanks for your continued excellence with The Vinyl Villain, an inspiration to us all.
Happy birthday! Avoid the 64 for it will surely elude you. Most undependable.
I used to like the 41 but I believe it’s route has been truncated too.
Trains are my new best friend.
Happy birthday. Have bras day, whatever your mode of transport be!
Happy birthday. You could also have posted 1963 by Luke Haines, if my maths is correct.
Our local buses are irregular and inexpensive, mainly because they are run by a company we all know and hate. I feel partly responsible as I used to get their £7 overnight service from Edinburgh to London back in the day, allowing the company to get itself established.
Oops, ‘braw’, not bras!!
One year until your free bus pass JC!
Happy birthday
Happy Birthday JC. Gave a great day.
Slmust an excuse to play The 59 Sound .
Oops Have A Great Day.. ..not Gave
Must stop texting whilst I Drive.. .
Happy Birthday https://media.tenor.com/images/fc34a5ad1b9f26e0fd6a698839018f1f/tenor.gif
Happy birthday, JC. As I’m sure you know, Sir Thumbs Aloft is 80 today, so you’re clearly still a spring chicken…
Many happy returns, JC.
Happy birthday Jim. We’re kicking around Glasgow on Wednesday if you’re free for a coffee during the day. Got some books to get back to you.
Happy birthday Jim, long may you run, may your guitars be always fuzzy and slightly out of tune. My favourite bus is the 42 (or the 45), the bus I got as a kid from Withington into town, up Wilmslow Road past Fallowfield and the Toast Rack, Rusholme and the curry mile, the university and into Piccadilly. Busiest bus route in Europe legend has it.
Many happy returns of the day JC!
As we are talking about buses I recommend the number 7 from Dockyard to Paget Parish in Bermuda. More locally the 12 bus from Teignmouth to Torquay is a great old ride.
Swc.
Happy birthday JC – have a lovely day. You share a birthday with my other half today (not that I’m married to Sir Paul…)
Another one you’re supposed to be here for. The third? Oh, well. Happy birthday, my friend. It’ll happen soon.
The happiest of birthdays to you JC – hope it’s been a good one filled with the finest food, plenty of presents and of course, marvellous music!
Happy Birthday JC!
Happy Brthday.
Happy belated birthday; great blog.
PS my sincere apologies to you and others halfway across the world re: Tim Horton’s. They are everywhere you look here in Canuckland.