I was an intermittent reader of The Word rather than a subscriber, but always enjoyed it and was sorry when it went – I still have the final copy somewhere. I remember I signed up to the the blog at some point but […]

Sad news about Shirley Williams. I can think of very few politicians in this country who showed her decency, intelligence, and thoughtfulness. It may not have made her a success in achieving and exercising power, […]

Perfectly put – agree with every word

Very sorry to hear this MrB – he looks a handsome fellow.

This is correct. So as long as he tests negative on Friday he’ll have met all the regs

@Jaygee – am fascinated to know what it was like on the night? How did the audience respond to the rant – embarassment; hostility, indifference? And what was the atmosphere like for the rest of the concert?

@Jaygee Ah, no, I wasnt at that horrible Birmingham concert, but at Torquay three days earlier – a concert thankfully free of racist rants, but full of some great music.

Yes, I was at the concert. It was a great day and Chapman appeared as relatively unknown (I think her big album had been released earlier that year) and ended the day as a star – she was superb.

Me too (I think we’ve had this conversation before). Now I realise he was probably off his head, and I was a young and fairly
impressionable gig-goer at the time, but nonetheless
I’d place EC at that venue of […]

Nah, the Layla album is that rare thing, a double album which justifies its length. Pound for pound, probably Clapton’s finest hour for me, including his Cream period.

Oh dear God Lodes, that’s heartbreaking. What a beautiful piece, and how good to know, I guess, what he meant to, and the positive impact he had on this friend, and, I’m sure many others. Thanks for sharing this.

agreed – and there is a similar feel on the lovely coda on Opposites, the final track of the next album where I think it is both Clapton and George Terry his other guitarist at the time, who, as you say, I believe […]

well, this is becoming an education, I must say. Plenty here I know, but a great deal I don’t and which I look forward to exploring. You just know that the Afterword is going to come up with a very eclectic mix […]

ah, see, I had a hunch you might give us a choice bit fo Rory. Thank you – that’s a great one

Have as many as you like @twang – fill your boots. Am especially interested in the suggestions of someone who can actually produce a guitar solo himself as you can and who knows what he is talking about.

I’m all for people loving the country they were born in, or live in; and all for supporting it at sporting events; and I don’t think there is anything wrong in a vicarious pride in good stuff and great people tha […]

The problem is that I often find when I do go back to a much loved show form the past it turns out not to have aged well. I found Tutti Frutti on I-player a while back and despite having loved it when it was out […]

All very disappointing – BBC4 has been responsible for some great commissions over the years and in an era when people can access archive stuff via iplayer it’s hard to see the point of an ‘archive’ channel. They […]