Hugely enjoyed this show. Really well done on all fronts, and made me appreciate the dizzying smorgasbord of music available to us right now.

I confess to being unable to suspend disbelief until the ‘conclusion’.*

That magical truth-o-meter was a macguffin too far.

Pity, as there was much to enjoy.

*if Frances’s final words on joining Danny in his car – ‘let’s burn them down for real’ – don’t signal a sequel then…

Willie McIlvanney.

One of many tributes to him here

There was a good profile of him on the beeb a few months ago, which no doubt will be re-shown soon.

I’m aware of his reputation as one of Scotland’s literary heavyweights but have never read anything of his. As is the way of things of course when someone passes, there is a renewed interest in them and I am keen to investigate.

I was mainly aware of him through the legendary Scottish football documentary Only a Game, which he narrated in unforgettable style. Great stuff.

RIP big man

I wish him well in his new role (at least until the end of the season) as Valencia manager (sorry, ‘Head Coach’).

I find him a hugely engaging character, and by far the sharpest, most insightful football pundit around today.

Will be fascinating to see how his long playing experience and clearly deep knowledge of the game impacts his new club.

TMFTL etc.

Depressing though, isn’t it, this rising tide of merde?

Can be found even on ‘quality’ websites.

Sample – Ten Cute Child Stars Who Grew Up Ugly! Please click this painfully slow loading gallery to find out who they are! One per page – we like to delay (your) gratification!

As The Hep put it a while back:

If only there was a form of media where the advertising was valued as much as the editorial…

http://whatsheonaboutnow.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/if-only-there-was-form-of-media-where.html

My 11 yr-old is having guitar lessons at school, and has been asked if there is a song she’d like to be able to play. The GLW and I thought of a few- Joni’s Big Yellow Taxi, Sam Cooke’s What a Wonderful World and Marley’s Three Little Birds.

I have unhappy memories of guitar lessons from my teenage years – Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley and Michael Row the Boat Ashore seemed to loom large. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t inspired to persevere.

So I approve of the ‘play something you like’ philosophy.

Suggestions welcome.

Here’s Luther and Mariah givin’ it laldy*

Wonderful stuff, even though it’s not really my cup of tea.

Shame it spawned the X-Factor, but so it goes…

*look it up

…other than its sheer wonderfulness, I give you Lindsey Buckingham’s Trouble.

The dude could pen a tune…

https://youtu.be/wFgIIou40Ys

Sinatra was the Chairman of the Board, of course, and this is not some silly ‘Monkees were better than Beatles’ contrariness.

It’s simply that while I admire Francis Albert immensely, I think I may have had more pure pleasure from listening to Andy. What a voice. Radiates happiness.

England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland.

Just out of shot: Scotland.

*cough* sincere congratulations to all of course.

Hate to say it, but I can’t help thinking wee Gordon was devising a get-out clause with his recent comments about focusing on the bigger picture, world cup qualification not being the be all and end all etc.

Serial qualifier for international tournaments Craig Brown, in his unfailingly polite way, offers a reality check:

It’s all about qualification.

Quite.

see comments…

.

Been half-watching the Euro 2016 play-off between the Republic of Ireland and Bosnia and half expecting Sherlock Holmes to appear through the murk in a hansom cab.

It’s a pea-souper and no mistake. Surprised the game’s been allowed to continue to be honest.

I’m well aware that my depressive mindset is not necessarily accurate.

But why should optimism be any more so?

encapsulated in this Neymar goal for Barça v Villareal…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34749801

Adventure of a Lifetime by Coldplay. That hibernian-esque sample that runs through it is fantastic.

I view Coldplay much like The Police – not Great Art, Suicidal Angst or Big Statements – just hugely enjoyable music with mass popular appeal.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3159776/Claudio-Ranieri-branded-uninspiring-choice-Leicester-City-legend-Gary-Lineker.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/tables

Thinking of equipping my man cave with a turntable to play my, er, extensive vinyl collection which consists of, wait for it, a 12″ of The Jam – Beat Surrender, a 7″ of David Bowie – Absolute Beginners and the gatefold majesty of Boney M’s magnum opus Night Flight to Venus. One of those may have been bought ironically.

But having been at friend’s houses recently who still owned a respectable vinyl collection, I was surprised by how much I missed it.

So, tentatively looking into rekindling my love affair with the black stuff. I have a 25yr old Technics midi system which would suffice for my requirements so it is purely a turntable I’m looking for. Suggestions welcome.

…put virtue signalling on hold and just flat outpitch for a mega-corp like Nestlé.

As long as it’s done with style and wit, like in this latest instalment with gorgeous George and ‘Giacomo Blacomo’. Brilliantly done.

…with these belters. An antidote to the tiresome ‘stop Phil Collins from un-retiring’ memes doing the rounds from people who reckon they’re above such trifles as listening to superbly well-crafted pop songs.

The wonderful I Missed Again. My favourite drumming on any pop record.

…because if you’re not in one you’re in the other”.

Recommendations welcome for both categories, but particularly interested in suggestions for the latter, due to my, ahem, enforced attic-based living arrangements.

Space dictates a minimalist solution, so feeling the gravitational pull of the futon…

Any sensible AW advice welcome about this phenomenon.

Streaming video, such as SkySports on Now TV.

Mega-Epic-Awesome broadband through Branson’s mob. ‘XL’ I think it is – but whatever – it should be more than adequate to handle such a mainstream requirement. We’re not talking Grand Theft Fifa in Ultra HD here.

Yet. Buggering-buffering at regular intervals.

Sky black with hippy hats!

I confess to never having owned a physical George Harrison record, so any recommendations welcome.

I’ll take the wonderful creative splurge of All Things Must Pass as a given.

Here’s mine. The Maisonettes – Heartache Avenue. Fantastic stuff.

What’s your Werther’s Original?

Why?!?

I have nowhere near reached capacity of my laptop’s storage but I keep getting messages saying I have.

No issues reported by my anti-virus (Avast free) and I also have CCleaner installed. This periodically prompts me to clean, which I do, but not enough it seems.

Ideas?