Both Shiny Happy People and Radio Song are out of place on Out Of Time IMHO. Like the OP, I don’t mind ’em, just not on this album. I have an alternative version of OOT with Fretless and Photograph (with Natalie […]

Don’t think we’ve had this yet. The late, great Karl W’s tribute, wrapped up in a Gulf War protest:

Not really a ‘guest vocalist’, but you’re darn tootin’ right how great he is. A solid, unfussy bassist and an amazing BV merchant. After all the horrible thing DLR and the Van Halen brothers did to him, he’s st […]

I have a playlist called ‘Tonight, Matthew’ which is all acts paying tribute/pastiching Brian Wilson and Co. Here’s The Raspberries:

And French Inhaler has two Eagles very prominently helping out, from about the 1 minute mark.

With you on that. Bloody hate the sport but always keep an eye out for the Ryder Cup, simply because the American golfers and their fans are always such a graceless bunch of cockends and it’s a genuine pleasure t […]

I’m in agreement with Andy Partridge that they (by and large) got better and better over the years. I have no time for the first two albums but wouldn’t be without the last five.

Add fancy custard, the colour of the background surrounding this comment, with flecks of vanilla. Lots of it. Lovely!

It’s worth mentioning, as I found out from the excellent Rule of Three podcast, that Fawlty Towers had about twice as much dialogue as other sitcoms because they purposely didn’t allow for laughs. In that sce […]

Doesn’t sound like my thing at all, but I can see the appeal in entertainment terms. I saw them bottom of the bill at the Bull and Gate in 1999 and thought ‘that lot should do well’. Had a chat with the very frien […]

It’s hit home in the last couple of weeks. Boris Johnson eulogising Charlie Kirk, saying he spoke a moderate ‘what we’re all thinking’ message. Running into the boorish marchers at Euston Station on my way back fr […]

Sorry to hear that – it’s horrible when they go. Our two lasted 18 years each, and died within a few months of each other a couple of years ago. We still can’t face replacing them yet.

I wish they’d patched up their differences and done another gig. Davies’ sardonic outlook balanced Hodgson’s more hullo-clouds-hullo-sky approach and they weren’t the same apart. When they were on (Crime of the […]

I’ll wait for the paperback but have discovered his Zoe Bohm novels to tide me over til then. I’ll always thank the article writer who described Herron’s writing as ‘John le Carre written by Douglas Adams’. […]

In the ‘con’ corner: His erratic onstage nonsense, endless patchy albums after he’d peaked (3, including a double, in one year), reprehensible (though not actionable) behaviour towards women that put him on the c […]

First: Black Earth, a goth band who played at my school hall. Very All About Eve-y. First big act was ABWH at Wembley Arena – good set, terrible sound. Last: Michael Shannon and pals play REM at the Garage in […]

My dad (who taught physical training in the Army) said he would disown me if I ever joined a gym, “discipline and your own body weight is all you need”, apparently. That aside, about eight years ago I got a lit […]

Bundesliga fashion does it for me every time.

I’m surprised and sad to hear that. I always thought that Jools Holland appearance, particularly the clip below, showed Bobby playing up a storm and Clapton doing his usual sleepwalking act. What do I know? A […]

Annoyingly, there are some hats I’d love to be able to wear, but having less hair these days (or ‘taking longer and longer to wash my face’ as Harry Hill put it), they would look weird on me. A short weste […]