I started reading them after the first series turned up on the TV, and it intrigued me. Then again, I really like the novel of the Casual Vacancy (far more than the adaptation).

I really enjoyed this one. It’s […]

Thing is, if you go back to the beginning of the show, back with Hartnell, that’s exactly what it was. Every others tory was educational, or certainly had elements of factual stuff that your average schoolkids […]

Excellent. Got a ticket to see him in Newcastle at the end of this month. Will be my third time watching him, and he’s not disappointed yet. Also, chatting to him post-gig, he’s a really lovely bloke, which is always nice.

It’a strange, but I recognise quite a lot of those early years experiences and influences. My parents had shared, but also different musical likes, so while my dad liked Marty Robbins and Shirley Bassey, and mam […]

I’m not struck on the One Slip remix. it just sounds a bit…flat to me, which is sad becasue UI really liked the orignal, which was par tof the sound track to may student years – AMLOR and DSOT were pretty much […]

It’s weird , looking at this stuff, that I’m reminded of stuff that Jean Michel Jarre has said repeatedly in the past about performing electronica/dance music.

Electronic music is a European art form, unlike […]

Suppose so, but they weren’t exactly mainstream king pins.

I remember listening to TMWE pretty religiously at university, so its pretty contemporaneous for me.

Almost as much as the Chinese. Hong Kong, tea and The Opium Wars.

It’s a really good job we’re not going to have negotiate comprehensive international trade deals with them or anything in the near fut…oh, BUGGER.

First thing that leapt into my head too.

Thing is, lots of the progressive and modern nations (mostly Scandi, admittedly, and the Dutch) manage perfectly fine with a monarchy. The main issue with ours is how it fits with the rest of the mess that is our […]

It was a product before its time really. Later, it may have succeeded, especially if they hadn’t been stretched financially so much on launch.

I distinctly remember Heat before it went, well…shit. I bought it until the relaunch, which came about because no one was buying it, and when it was still a decent read.

Actually, it reminded me of a mag that […]

Thing is, I really liked it, but then I’ve read some of the manga as well. High art it’s not, but I don’t think that’s really the point.

And of course it sets up for a sequel that may never happen

St Mary’s College, Durham. Summer Ball, June 1991, where I went with my then girlfriend. There was a comedy package on. Compere, one Bob Mills, with two other slots: Jack Dee and Jo Brand.

And in 1992, same […]

Wasn’t one of the things he basically said, “I’ll listen to most things at least once”

Hardly snobbery. How do you know what you like or dislike otherwise?

tbf, I’d like to think I’m fairly well-read, and apart from a bit of The Book of Dave, I’ve barely read any Self, even though I know plenty about him. Lists of things don’t always give the full picture, but we are […]

I find 6music falls into two camps, one of which I like, the other I don’t.

One is the earnest chin-stroking SU type of wonk, who takes it all way too seriously, and raises stuff onto unrealistic pedestals. (for […]

Musically I find him mostly inoffensive. The amount of play *that song* got wasn’t even really his fault. And generally speaking I think he’s one of the good guys, so I tend to leave well enough alone.

The Ghibli stuff always fits perfectly.

But I present this. I don’t think music and visuals ever were so entwined in the mind as with this movie (and this isn’t even the piece of music most people first think of […]

This is the true legacy of the Individualist cult of Thatcherism: the most important thing is yourself, and better yet if it can be monetised. Everything else stems from the increasingly toxic potency of the […]