Very simply, what has been your favourite post this year.
Mine was, hands down, Bingo Little’s post on the hard rubbish thread. Specifically about Rhashak Malviv. Please read here: https://theafterword.co.uk/list-the-top-3-hard-rubbish-items-in-your-patch – the Afterword’s premiere skengman really delivered the goods here.
Do the thing —->
Close second place is Fatima X-berg’s Ivan the Engine.As the man says: Fucking Hell!
Use the box!
Lodestone’s “Jokerman” was a cracker – a wide ranging discussion with everything from Trump to Trumpton covered. Thirteen pithy and witty comments (only 9 of which were by the author). There’s still time for you to join in!
Not just the post of the year for me. I consider it humanity’s greatest achievement.
It will come of age when Moose randomly adds to it in three years time.
We’ll all be dead by then.
I’ll still do it though.
HOOOHOOOHOOOHAAAAHAAAAA! …oh I’ve hurt me clacker
‘…oh I’ve hurt me clacker’
Afterword t shirt.
Moon sausage – was that this year?
Lockdowns have merged days , weeks and years.
Right-angled fray Bentos drinks globe, that was a good one.
Thank you, that is very kind. Suffice to say, the local Stallones are now all bedecked in Santa hats and beards, making the area feel like a demented Santa’s workshops where the elves get steroids instead of gumdrops.
Without wanting to get too “no – YOU’RE ace” about it all, one of my favourite posts this year (or at least the post that stuck with me the most) was your own on the various medical issues you’ve had to battle through.
It was tough to read, so it must have been brutal to live, but I’m glad you shared it; it was a real eye opener and I thought it showed commendable honesty and openness. People hide these things away far too often, albeit for understandable reasons.
Anyway; I hope you’re doing better and more power to your arm.
I also really enjoyed Chiz’s post about plucking apples from the infinite orchard. I think it was an old one, but I hadn’t seen it before and it was pleasantly wistful and had the itch of uncomfortable truth about it.
You are too kind. I must say that writing that post took a weight off my shoulders somehow. I hope it helps people, too.
Which reminds me… It is Crohn’s And Colitis Awareness Week this week. I’m sure the CACA Week acronym was coincidental.
If you have trouble in your tummy, or pains in your botty, or claret in your doo-doos, go and get checked by a doctor.
Well said! Everyone should take their health seriously.
Had a colonoscopy on Monday. Lovely! Thankfully only “mild inflamation” observed …
What better festive treat?
My Ultrasound scan has been postponed to January.
I forgot to say that my recent regular check for Myeloma was negative. The precursor condition MGUS is still there but is not getting any worse. I’ll take that.
Hurrah!
Very good @Leffe-Gin and good luck @fentonsteve
I can live with the discomfort but I’m pretty much house-bound. Still, I can’t complain, plenty have it much worse.
It’s thrown my DIY plans up into disarray though – the builders start a week on Monday and I’ve had to find an electrician and decorator to do the bits I was going to but now can’t. Mrs F’s Christmas bonus is going to come in very handy.
With a bit of luck I’ll have a proper WFH office, rather than a dining table, and hopefully be recovered from a succesful op, by late Feb.
Don’t feel shy about letting us know when you’re going in for the op. I’m sure you’ll be glad of all the best wishes you can get then and we shan’t be reluctant to send them.
I think I agree. It was certainly the first post I thought of along with @JackTheBiscuit incredibly open and honest thread on his struggles and the heartfelt advice he recieved. Bingo’s piece on Kurt Cobain us up there. As always I now look for advice on politics, Covid and general news here among the many threads on the subjects. Musically there’s always something interesting but as it’s always been its as much about the comments as it is the posts themselves. Some of the finest contributors here never or rarely start threads just embellish them. Long may it all continue
Of course that’s the bit you remember, ya…
Haha – I thought that bit was a lot better than you gave it credit for. Anyway, you’d earned it by that stage.
I often find I enjoy the really unexpected ones, like “What’s In Your Trousers” much more than I think I will. Mainly I come here for music stuff, but there’s some real gold in some of the more “out of left field” threads.
I quite like this thread. This is probably my post of the year.
Why do music nerds always say “it’s probably my favourite”? It’s probably my favourite Steely Dan song/Beatles album/crime novel/porn channel/welding posture etc etc. Always “probably”.
From whence does it arise, this lack of conviction? Wherefore it? Enough of this namby-pamby “probably”, I say. Go away and do some proper research and get back to us when you have some definite information to share. Or, at the very least, a more precise estimation of the probability.
87%
The proximity of porn channel to welding posture tells us a lot about the way your mind works. Oh yes.
I am an open book. A novella, I fancy. With a somewhat lurid cover that belies the uninspiringly vanilla tale within but fools the occassional halfwit into purchase. Oh yes.
I had a vanilla novella once – then three months later I caught it back. Very unlucky. Oh yes.
Is that like a Solero?
You’re thinking of a sombrero. Which is Mexican, by nature.
Unless it’s from Sear’s.
….wait a minute
I agree. Probably. Or at least possibly.
Or in the words of your favourite Icelandic songstress: possibly maybe, probably not.
Declare independence
Don’t let them do that to you!
I’d like to nominate to the committee the 12 month Bowie project by @Dave-Amitri.
The exercise has really helped in my understanding of these albums and appreciate his genius little more. 12 Bowie albums in 12 months with the Christmas Bumper Special being Scary Monsters must surely be unmatched. Do I have a seconder?
Yep
Some of @Tiggerlion ‘s reviews have to be up there too
Actually yeah. That’s a great shout. I’ve read and re-read those posts.
Thats very kind chaps 🙏 As I said up there those Bowie threads are more about the comments than the piece itself. I’ve learned so much from the Bowie fans among you.
I hear Bowie with new ears thanks to those posts. Seriously.
@locust contributions to Blogger Takeover are special. Just such a lot of reading on her part and intriguing, diary-like entries.
I saw this as a good opportunity to review the year and find 4 posts from each month that got their hamper* and had something interesting to offer on a topic. I deliberately left out the Corona/politics/newsworthy threads**, as I wanted it to reflect the Word approach – about culture mainly. Some months, April, August – October, were really busy, and couldn’t be reduced to just 4.
January
theafterword.co.uk/one-vote-wonders-and-no-vote-blunders-lets-have-some-love-for-the-ones-that-almost-got-away/
theafterword.co.uk/tell-us-a-joke/
theafterword.co.uk/the-top-five-best-van-morrison-albums-you-must-hear-of-all-time-before-you-die-ever/
theafterword.co.uk/lets-talk-about-death-discs/
February
theafterword.co.uk/t-s-eliot-sticking-it-up-your-ass/
theafterword.co.uk/q-magazine-the-best-100-record-covers/
theafterword.co.uk/greatest-commentaries/
theafterword.co.uk/up-for-a-new-list-the-first-issue-of-kerrang-from-1981-published-the-best-100-heavy-metal-songs-ever-i-have-a-copy-somewhere-in-the-loft/
March
theafterword.co.uk/silly-questions-and-stupid-answers/
theafterword.co.uk/stand-up-comedy/
theafterword.co.uk/choice/
theafterword.co.uk/blogger-takeunder/
April
theafterword.co.uk/tattoos/
theafterword.co.uk/great-guitar-solos-of-these-times/
theafterword.co.uk/shows-youd-really-like-to-see-repeated-on-terrestrial-or-satellite-tv/
theafterword.co.uk/instrumental-stuff/
theafterword.co.uk/getting-off-the-bus/
theafterword.co.uk/jaffa-cakes/
theafterword.co.uk/what-do-you-love-about-where-you-live-or-a-love-note-to-mparntwe/
theafterword.co.uk/football-super-league/
theafterword.co.uk/roller-revisionism/
theafterword.co.uk/what-is-the-cd-equivalent-of-no-parlez/
theafterword.co.uk/the-day-before-you-came/
theafterword.co.uk/forty-years-of-nightclubbing/
May
theafterword.co.uk/a-best-of-will-be-quite-enough-of-him-her-them-for-me-thank-you-very-much/
theafterword.co.uk/towards-a-vague-chronology-of-cool-country-rock/
theafterword.co.uk/shopping/
theafterword.co.uk/eurovision-2021/
June
theafterword.co.uk/advice-the-good-the-bad-and-the-strange/
theafterword.co.uk/uefa-euro-2020-tournament-thread/
theafterword.co.uk/your-biggest-disappointment/
theafterword.co.uk/the-passing-of-time-2/
July
theafterword.co.uk/music-tips-from-civilians/
theafterword.co.uk/whats-in-your-fridge/
theafterword.co.uk/guilty-pleasures-from-non-civilians/
theafterword.co.uk/bingo-littles-great-afterword-songbook/
July sports special
theafterword.co.uk/football/
theafterword.co.uk/sportsmanship/
theafterword.co.uk/god-i-hate-football-thank-god-this-crap-is-over/
theafterword.co.uk/oh-well-tke-olympics/
August
theafterword.co.uk/george-harrison-all-things-must-pass-50th-anniversary/
theafterword.co.uk/the-cost-of-going-to-see-a-band-in-the-21st-century/
theafterword.co.uk/a-love-of-reading/
theafterword.co.uk/why-is-my-uncut-going-to-be-late-this-month/
theafterword.co.uk/so-the-new-footie-season-then/
theafterword.co.uk/duncan-chisholm-a-magnificent-talent-far-too-good-to-keep-to-myself/
theafterword.co.uk/beatles-let-it-be-news/
theafterword.co.uk/guitar-repair-help/
September
theafterword.co.uk/abba-still-has-faith-in-you-but-is-it-any-good/
theafterword.co.uk/isolation-tips/
theafterword.co.uk/not-that-one-lesser-known-nominative-doppelganger-bangerz/
theafterword.co.uk/rolling-stone-top-500-songs-of-all-time/
theafterword.co.uk/whether-to-bail-not-bail/
theafterword.co.uk/the-thread-of-gibberish/
theafterword.co.uk/the-best-songs-of-the-90s/
theafterword.co.uk/today-is-1991-day/
October
theafterword.co.uk/chocolate/
theafterword.co.uk/on-your-bike/
theafterword.co.uk/why-the-80s-were-the-greatest-pop-decade/
theafterword.co.uk/afterword-nerd-facts/
theafterword.co.uk/talk-speak-to-something/
theafterword.co.uk/top-100-shows-of-the-21st-century-according-to-bbc-culture/
theafterword.co.uk/hows-your-carbon-footprint/
theafterword.co.uk/your-to-read-pile/
October, yes and no
theafterword.co.uk/celebrities-who-put-the-hell-into-hello/
theafterword.co.uk/celebrities-who-actually-come-across-well/
theafterword.co.uk/best-band-for-fighting/
theafterword.co.uk/worst-band-for-fighting/
November
theafterword.co.uk/when-its-time-to-pull-the-plug-on-performing-live/
theafterword.co.uk/the-afterwords-greatest-break-up-songs/
theafterword.co.uk/bow-down-ye-mortals/
theafterword.co.uk/get-back-anybody-watching/
AW looks at itself
theafterword.co.uk/this-website/
theafterword.co.uk/i-want-a-word-with-you/
theafterword.co.uk/2021-cd-swap-the-reviews/
It’s a snapshot, really – a selection of the big hitters. Going through the 58 pages, there were lots and lots of posts with fewer comments, but probably many gems hidden within. Poignantly, there were 3 threads on Charlie Watts (4 if you count the 2 Obit threads), but it was the first, 80th birthday thread, which had the most comments and contains possibly my favourite comment of the year. I’m not a big Stones fan, nor do I know one drum from another, but @slotbadger managed to describe Charlie, his style and his drumming in such a gentle absorbing way that i was fascinated. And he gave a listen-out guide to some of Charlie’s contributions to Stones’ songs. And he added a video interview. What more could you ask for from a comment?
theafterword.co.uk/happy-80th-birthday-charlie-watts/#comment-483692
This place has so many devoted contributors, writing from their own passions – you never know what you are going to discover or feel motivated to cravenly imitate next.
—————–
* One didn’t – but it was so close and the topic was intriguing and obscure (to me)
** I held back on my own threads (not hard as not many got hampers), but the TS Eliot one was such fun, because of the engagement I got from you good folk, that I couldn’t resist.
Sterling work. After looking at a couple of threads my vote goes to theafterword.co.uk/whats-in-your-fridge
I do enjoy a thread where we argue about how we each do things in a way which can make no possible difference to anyone else.
I particularly liked Kut and Paste: Kopious Kwirky Kuts of Korean K-Pop Kollected eKlectically by Klicking Kontinuously on YouTube Klips. It got 400 comments, 367 of them by one person, and 300 views.
How I miss those list threads.
Oi – those compendium threads only lasted for 12 months… (I try not to do them any more).
And how would a post with 400 comments have only 300 views?
Maybe there’s an algorithm that shows the number of commenters, rather than comments?
Not wishing to toot my own flute but I’ve made the point a couple of times that it’s the comments that make a post memorable more so than the post itself. My favourites were the respones to the thing I did on The Day Before You Came. It still gives me a warm glow thinking about it. To have something I’ve written lifted to another level by other contributors is what makes this place so special to me
That thread provoked discussion in real life for me, amongst friends who (as far as I know) don’t visit here. Once again, a new way of hearing something.
A slightly different perspective but may I ask how many posters have won hampers, how many times and what was your favourite item in said hamper?
I’ll start. None.
You can have one of mine. *dons sunglasses, puts on jacket in that cool, swishy way*
Why thank you kindly, Sir. I await with bated breath.
Favourite item: the Sacred Urn of Rhashak Malviv.
Thanks, but I’ve already got one from Age Concern. (Why is is called Age Concern? Are we really ‘concerned’?).
We should be concerned if they are handing these things out.