The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

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Being a University student in the 1980s…we never had it so good!

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I was at Bradford University 1883-87 on a four year sandwich course studying pharmacy.

Got an honourable 2:2 and had some the best hears of my life and a reasonable career to follow with a lot of further studying afterwards.

But being a student in the 1980s was cheap and affordable in Bradford- £9 a week rent in a shitty room in a crap hose with dodgy gas fittings and landlords where the curtains froze to the window in the winter. Happy days.

But the best bits where the music and the dodgy nightclubs…Pickwicks in my case.

After a year of lockdown and shit why not have a memory fest of the good old days.

Here is my go to song from that period

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxl-t4hBAZM

Men and Women

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Following the news today with the confirmation of the death of Sarah Everard and the subsequent tropes and memes and all the radio and social media coverage and the proposed vigil in Clapham…I had a thought. I was shocked but realised subconsciously in the 1980/90s this could have been me in attitude if not action.

I have never really considered a women’s viewpoint on this before in terms of how safe they feel on the street. I would always cross the road if walking behind a women going in the same directions as I has some awareness of this but that was about all.

I know my partner has experienced stuff like this since she was 14 and she is now 51.

Thoughts?

What are the best and worst cars you have ever owned…a list with a twist! You create it!

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I have owned the following.

A six year old mark 1 Ford Fiesta 1.1 after I graduated in 1987. It had a choke (remember them?) that was awful to use to get it started in the cold winter of 1987/88 when I lived in Leeds.

Nine months later I was given a company car – also a 1.1 Fiesta but a mark 2 with a rear screen wiper and two wing mirrors, a parcel shelf )not available on the base model) and a radio/cassette player.

All enclosed in a flat blue colour with 54bhp .

Happy days!

More to follow.

Any you?

Q magazine – The Best 100 Record Covers

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As a follow up to the Channel 4 ‘Music of the Millenium’ post here is a new guess list to take your mind away from other stuff.

As I am clearing out my loft I have come across a 2001 publication entitled “The 100 Best Recoed Covers’ published by Q magazine.

Unlike the previous post this one does not prioritise one choice over another but lets you just guess what is on the list.

On you go…and images will add to the fun!

Channel 4 magazine presents ‘Music of the Millenium’

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I have just come across a magazine a listed in the blog title that I purchased in 1999.

It has a series of top 10 or 20 lists included in it that where obviously voted for by Channel 4 viewers and readers at the time.

Let’s see if you can guess these:

1.The best 20 songs of all time

I’ll post a new list each day to keep up the fun!

XTC Podcasts

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I am sure many here are already are aware of this but if not here are some great XTC based podcasts.

Enjoy!

https://whatdoyoucallthatnoise.transistor.fm/episodes

Concert Films – some are really good!

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Having bought my cheap DVD player add on to my MacBook Air I have been exploring a large box of music DVDs in the attic that I haven’t watched in years.

I started with what on here have been seen as amongst the best and in the last two (work) days I have managed to watch the 25th anniversary of The Band Last Waltz and Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads.

Both excellent as I remembered them from 15+ years ago when I last watched them.

I have the long Tom Petty documentary set up next.

Any recommendations for cheap music DVDs not available in any other form greatly appreciated. Didn’t think I would be saying that in 2020!