Am I missing something? According to that there internet, Fiona Bruce attended the International School of Milan. Hardly St. Joe’s Comp, is it?

Nothing against private education, by the way.

Fair play to the BBC on shaking things up in the diversity stakes: they’ve replaced a white, privately-educated, middle-class Oxford graduate with a white, privately-educated, middle-class Oxford graduate.

Didn’t Gary Puckett feel a little uncomfortable, in later years, singing Young Girl? That one is a bit dodgy, but at least the protagonist seems to be having some form of moral quandary, rather than leaping into b […]

George, Bungle, Zippy and Geoffrey. Rod, Jane and Freddy were only there for the reflected glory and easy sex.

There was definitely a period where ‘love’, ‘mate’ and ‘darling’ were seen as a bit odd, but they seem to have sprung back into fashion. In quite a few Manchester bars, where the staff tend to be 18-24, I’ve been […]

The auction is in Newton-le-Willows, which is where I live (hey, original home of Rick Astley and schoolplace of Andy Burnham). For such a bastion of the Manchester music scene, this seems a little odd. Maybe […]

In fairness to you all (and to defend my own stupidity/ignorance), the Internet has splintered popular culture. I work in Manchester, and I’ll walk past the arena (concert capacity: 18,000) and see who’s on. Inv […]

Certainly didn’t hear her on R4, so I can only take this as a sign that she should marry me at dawn, and we’ll master the panpipes together!

There have been quite a few studies that suggest face-to-face communication relies heavily on tone of voice and body language to convey meaning; the words – if people are speaking the same language – can play a […]

Exactly how my other half describes my erotic tomfoolery technique.

Lovely review.

I love Cohen’s written work; he wrote with sensitivity and a touch of grace that most poets – let alone songwriters – have.

WHAT’S NEW, PUSSYCAT?

On paper, this should really work: a script by Woody Allen (who is also in it); Peter O’Toole and Peter Sellers in their pomp; plus a cameo from Richard Burton…and it’s truly dread […]

It was always going to end badly with such a seismic event predicated on such a slim margin. Wouldn’t it have made sense to say, before the referendum, that we had to see a clear majority of at least 55% either w […]

Love the Housemartins, but apart from Old Red Eyes is Back and Song for Whoever, I just don’t like the Beautiful South. I think Paul Heaton is a top fella, so why don’t I like them? I find a lot of male/female due […]

The GuitarTuna app is free and easy to use, and it’s served this three-chord wonder well over the years.

Some phone companies are happy to profit from the proceeds of crime, and simply shrug if you attempt to hold them to account.
If you cannot find a logical explanation as to what has happened and you believe […]

Ah, all the indie music I listened to in the late 90s! What I thought were cool, cutting edge bands now just appear to have been bloated posers. Living near Manchester doesn’t help, as it’s not a city shy of […]

What was the oft-repeated one about the alcoholic drink where, the following day, you’d drink water and it would get you drunk again? Was it Pernod? I could never understand how – when your body has already […]

Is Bond relevant? Probably not, but it’s a comfy pre-internet link to the past, and it’s the only series of films I’d go and see with a group of mates. I do this every time they make a new one, and then I insist […]

Thanks, Dave.