Spurred on by the recent podcast thread I have added two significant to-do’s to my long cultural list: catching up the 175 episodes so far of Andrew Hickey’s A History of Rock and Roll in 500 songs, and playing along with Jocelyn Duchesne’s comprehensive (5,110 so far) Spotify playlist of every track Hickey refers to. That’s a couple of years at two podcasts a week.

So what are your substantial cultural challenges this year? We have 86.95% of the year left so plenty of time to get that seven-series box-set done.

Amongst mine are:

Finish the 1001 albums to hear before your die generator – up to 920 so 80 to go.

Reads: Two more of Patrick O’Briens Aubrey and Maturin series. I am rationing them to two a year, unlike a friend who read them all in 18 months once I introduced her to them! I should finish in 2032.

Continue my first to last read throughs of Ballard (up to Cocaine Nights), Coupland (All Families are Psychotic) and contemplate starting another go through all of Philip K Dick’s sci-fi novels. Hopefully nearer finishes than 2032 (not the Dick, about 32 novels there though most very » Continue Reading.