No. He was driven by the belief that a) Iraq really did have WoMD (a belief shared by all major intelligence services, lest we forget) and b) that it wasn’t in anyone’s interests for the USA to go solo (the USA […]

Fun fact: Tony Blair introduced the word ‘socialism’ into the Labour Party constitution for the first time.

I have a better view of him, in general.

Whoa! I think those M:AND songs are pretty good. And just to underline my iconoclast credentials, I’ll add that not everything The Jam did was great. Batman theme anyone?

My only lasting memory of that gig is the crowd singing “Get ’em off” re Stipe’s cycling shorts. He looked a bit mortified.

Not biography but autobiography – Julian Cope’s Head-on and Repossessed are both fantastic reads. He is rigorously frank and open, not least about himself.

Don’t know about the ones listed in the OP though I’m […]

Hooray! Mr Anderson sounds slightly nervous in that clip though. Perhaps already anticipating what some ex-members might say.

You’re like a Farage in this society.

Belgium? But yes, agreed.

This book is sitting in my ‘to read’ pile and has been for some time now. This has made me want to move it up to the top.

And I’m glad I did, though not exactly cheery listening!

Missed that you had also read it! Lesh really does get pelters, doesn’t he? Not entirely fairly, I think.

I think I’ve said this before in another context but it bears repeating. That Hemispheres tour is the only time I’ve encountered the support band getting an encore. As it was my first gig, it took a while for the […]

Watched
Ken Burns’ Vietnam documentary on Netflix. Absolutely fascinating. Love his style of taking families and following the story through them – very moving. What a horrific and easily avoidable fuck-up the […]

See also Lynyrd Skynyrd.

My first indoor gig – Edinburgh Odeon. Front row. Fantastic.

Didn’t expect to see this here! Yes, one of the good guys. His Young Scotland programme is pretty impressive. Taking talented young people and giving them an intensive creative/confidence building experience. […]

You’ve got to do the voice though.

I’ll be going for Aerial vinyl, I think. Not sure about the merits of going for other albums that are generally a snip second hand.

Yes. Have listened to them maybe 3 times in the last 30-odd years. Weird eh?

I *adored* Genesis. As Billy Bragg might have put it: Then one day it happened. They released Abacab and I stopped loving ’em. It was like being woken up from a trance.