Moose, obviously. I know there are others that disappear periodically but Moose should have shown up by now. I’m genuinely concerned for his wellbeing. I hope he’s okay and if he is he needs to show up for the beating he deserves for worrying us all.
When well established posters disappear without trace shouldn’t we have a tracking system to put everyone’s mind at ease?
by 146 Comments
By any chance was The Story of Ping a formative influence on yu Mr B?
Don’t know it.
It’s a story about reporting for a beating. The cheery face on the boatman with the whip haunted me as a child, however benign the voiceover in this version tries to make it seem.
I loved the female narrator. I’m still none the wiser.
Where’s Matt Hancock when you need him, eh?
Moose has a history of intermittently furloughing although this appears to be his most extended so far. Looks like he has shutdown all his social media stuff and personal mails disappear into the ether. Either he’s now the proud owner of a brothel in Bangkok (with Mini as his Madame) or he doesn’t like us anymore.
1. “intermittently furloughing” – hur
2. “extended” – hurrrr
3. What do you mean, “anymore”?
Maybe he scoffed a few tins of CORSAIR TINNED CHICKEN, and he’s had his bowels reamed as a result.
Moose loved this place. He had an outlet. Wouldn’t y’all like to know what has happened to him?
Why do you think people posting on a website need an “outlet”? Maybe the guy just didn’t want to any more.
I was thinking of myself and applying that to everyone else.🤦♂️
“Outlet”. You knew I would come back.
He deleted his Facebook profile at the same time, so maybe he just wanted a holiday from outlets. They can become oppressive. That said I’d love to have Moose back here.
“Whatever happened to Bricameron?”
Well, someone had to say it.
Yes, I know…
You know who I miss? from the “old days”? Tubby Knucklehurst, better known by his Afterword “nick” TubMan54! Who can forget his threads about anything and everything to do with the popular singing group The Hollies! And his regular “Word Of The Day” feature where he invited commenters to share their “word of the day”! He was truly a “larger than life” presence on the blog and I often wonder what happened to him.
People have lives, yes I know- incredible. Some come, some go. If they come back as we have seen recently that’s great. But maybe they got bored or maybe they don’t want people to know what sort of shit has gone down in their life, let alone people they only know on the interweb. I dont mean this nastily.
LEAVE TUBBY ALOOOOOONE!!! LEAVEHIMALONE!!!!!
Where is ianness to redress the balance in these days of woke?
It’s been ages since anybody has reminded us that Sinatra sang flat.
Flat? No. Overrated, boring, schmaltzy, lacking any real soul and emotion? Yep. I think I’m having a flashback. Other opinions are available!
😉 😉
I think that’s what put him off, to be honest. As far as I’m aware I am the only contributor that is generally centre right, a bit centre left on some things, and definitely non ‘woke’. I’m non partisan as well. Never voted Tory, proudly so. They’re all a shower of shysters when you get down to it.
Well, continuous accusations of virtue-signalling were bound to attract a bit of pushback. Seemed to me he revelled in his solitary voice crying in the wilderness status, but then got tired of it.
That’s unusually perceptive of you, Mike, but “reveling” is hardly the word. I’ve hooked up with him a couple of times, here in Siam. He enjoyed winding you up, but it was too easy. One of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. His politics are totally opposite to mine, but that never bothered me. Great conversationalist, surprisingly good listener, fantastically well read, but I can’t imagine him ever relaxing.
If it was “too easy” I wonder why he spent such an inordinate amount amount of time on here doing it.
“Unusually perceptive of you…” That’s praising with faint damns if ever I heard it. If the rest of your fulsome character reference is meant to make me come round to him, I can only say that your legendary facility for words has deserted you for once.
Anyone else round here enjoy winding me up, being as it’s so easy? Fill your boots, I’m here all week.
I’m not quite naive enough to think I could persuade you of anything, Mike. In fact, I don’t think it’s possible to change anyone’s mind about anything in the context of a comments section of a blog. You have your opinion – obviously shared by others here – and of course you’re going to hold dearly to it. But having met him and found him a decent bloke and good company, I am pleased to put in a good word for him. Another voice crying in the wilderness.
I always enjoyed arguing with him on here and I enjoyed it when he was very rude. I too think most of his political views are Wrong but us wishy-washy liberals need to be made every now and then to think “Bugger, the swine has an actual point”. I for one miss him on here.
I persuaded Ianess to try Spiritualized. He hasn’t been heard of since.
That’s the difference. You’ve met him.
First impressions count, and he arrived on here all guns blazing, seemingly indifferent to blog norms or niceties. He was rude and patronising. He didn’t seem particularly interested in the musical side of the blog, and when he did engage, it often felt like an exercise in shameless name dropping.
I’ve no doubt that ianness is a man of many talents. It’s a shame that the character of the man you describe did not translate well to the blog.
From my recollections, that’s overly harsh. He stood his ground re. his opinions that were not/are not reflective of this site, which is overwhelmingly liberal/left, which is fair enough, freedom of thought and speech etc, but good on him for doing so, and giving as good as he got in the general cut and thrust/ebb and flow because it usually doesn’t cut both ways, and besides that was by no means all the time anyway. I must stress that I am in no way referring to Mike or indeed any other individual contributor personally, but deliberately generalising because that how I remember it. I liked Ian. He’d could be cutting, but also very witty and I found his anecdotes interesting and entertaining. I think his politics were a large part of the underlying issue with some, but I may be wrong. I haven’t hung out with him in Siam, but I did have a very pleasant private message chat with him, email addresses were exchanged, but sadly they got lost in the ether. I was hoping to visit his restaurant in Orkney/Lewis (?) when I make it up there someday on a Megalithic jaunt and have a good chinwag.
I ate at his Edinburgh restaurant once and quietly asked if he was in. The charming waitress whispered “Thank god he’s not”.
Classy.
Understandable too.
Is Ianess Gordon Ramsay?
The hairnet of rightness
Up there ^ .
Funnily enough, I saw ianess last week – regular contributor to the Edinburgh massive’s online quiz. Politics notwithstanding*, he remains, as ever, a stand-up guy.
* to be fair, it can’t be easy being a lifelong nationalist and living under a nationalist government that is, by any standards, irredeemably shite.
I liked his turn if phrase and enjoyed his goss on encounters with famous musicians.
He is/was not the only right of centre blogger. Mojo was too. Funnily enough both have gone.
I know we’re not supposed to speak ill of the departed, but on certain topics ‘right of centre’ would be a bit of an understatement.
@mikethep – yes, Mojo’s asides about the “religion of peace” were straight out of the Daily Mail’s comments section.
My American mate disappeared without a trace – he was quite amusing when not taking offence at anything about his homeland.
I don’t miss Sebastian Beech – dickhead.
Think MAM left about the time Trump was elected. Maybe even he gave up on the defending America thing.
I have this uneasy feeling that someone on the other side of the pond died. Wasn’t him, was it?
That was Curtis From Ohio, who was a very nice guy. I think his partner got in touch after he passed away.
Oh I remember him. I didn’t know that. That’s sad.
Yes, a lot of our tributes on here eventually made their way to his family. They were most appreciative.
Who on earth was Sebastian Beech? What was his AW handle, or was that it?
Sebastian Beach was the butler at Blanding’s Castle, but I don’t think that’s a help.
Even classier, Fortune.
Funny how a well meaning thread can soon become a bitching session about people who are no longer here to counteract the accusations. Not very cool at all.
Spare me the sanctimony. Nessie handed out some of the most unpleasant personal attacks ever made on the site. There’s no moral high ground for you to claim here.
No idea who he/she is. Start a thread, by all means!
Go on, hazard a wild guess. There’s a clue or two upthread.
I take it the first round is on you, Mr Clue?
Let’s call it a day on discussing other posters, here or not, in any negative way. We refer EVERYONE to the FAQ, if anyone is any doubt that it should be no-go area
Don’t make us angry, you wouldn’t….
So then – it’s verboten for me to say I have regretted that weekend with Gary in San Remo when he finally, and rather tragically, revealed his true sexuality? To this day I admire his stance, and who knew Kevin Rowland was his “lynchpin”?. And now we can’t talk about Moose? I contacted him early days in Lockdown and his terse reply says it all. ” Huurrr”
None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license; which never hath more scope or more indulgence than under tyrants.
PARRRP!
Amen to that. Not cool.
Having slept the sleep of the easily wound up I return to discover that I might have kicked off a bit of a spat, for which I apologise.
I accept that people’s online personas can be different from their real-life one. I for one am an absolute BASTARD in real life.
That’s not what I heard. “Bit of a cunt sometimes but will always send you a Christmas card”.
Did I get the full stop in the right order, Mike?
No.
Arghh! I knew it! I’m always second guessing when it comes to quotation.
Master first guessing before concerning yourself with the second, Mrbellows.
Are you the giant Owl I was expecting?
Knowing rather than guessing works best for me.
I refer the honourable gentlemen to the very dishonourable Oscar Wilde: “There is one thing worse than being talked about…”
You’re like a big jam doughnut with cream on the top.
Those curtains go or I do.
I miss everyone who has stopped posting*, for whatever reason. Imagine if they were all still here…
* especially the ladies, I wish there was more of the feminine viewpoint
Serious question. Has there ever been any more than three regular female contributors to this site in its entire history?
Ruby, Drakey, Mini, Locust, Fatima and, most famously of all, Gary.
Not forgetting Hannah, of course.
Carolina, Chimney Singing Cheryl Cole?
Poppy Succeeds, Sarah.
Sadly for the female numbers count, I was merely a male practising gender fluidity before it was even a thing – that’s how much of a forward thinking motherfucker I was (and – of course – remain).
Blimey Chimmers! What a sight for sore eyes! Have a virus-free virtual 💋 from another poster of indeterminate sex.
I do wish the likes of your fine self and Bob and Bingo would pop your heads round the door just the once for the Christmas round up, as you were all people whose music tips (as well as brain dribblings) gave me a great deal of joy…
Ahh that’s very kind of you. I occasionally flick through the site for a read now and then, but haven’t had anything to add really. My children have ensured that Radio 1 is the dominant force in my home so I barely listen to anything other than pop or dance these days. Since I stopped buying music magazines I appear better equipped to be able to resist reissues of albums I already own…
Children insisting upon Radio 1.
Finally there’s a justification for infanticide. And with the benefit of the profound power of Massive hindsight, it’s a solid Pope-busting thumbs-up for the importance of contraception.
Does anyone one want to tell him that they listen to it because they like it?
Ah yes. I should have been more clear. I really like the pop and dance stuff we are listening to…
No, I got it. I was moaning about the fact that someone was moaning about how shit Radio 1 is, when that is probably the radio station they themselves listened to as a teenager. Seems a bit pointless but it happens all the time on the Afterword.
There was a woman called Todayoutof10, I think, as well.
There certainly was . And she is still going strong on Instagram.
That I have apparently been mistaken for a female contributor I take as a great compliment, attributing the misconception to my renowndly delicate cheekbones and naturally graceful gait.
… and the moobs…
Alas.
Katy, Jo and Helena Handcart. Yes, there was more diversity at one time
And others, as the mystery mixtape games reveal, when packages arrive And are sent with meat world names and addresses. Not for me to break such confidentialities.
Talking of, is it not time for another?
There are few finer meat world names that Corsair tinned chicken.
Meaty. Tinny also.
Yes, there definitely was, at one time.
For me, it just became too Dadrock. And Twitter, Instagram etc got in the way.
Dadrock! How rude! I almost dropped my pipe into my glass of port.
Now, where’s me slippers?
I will not ID her but a few years ago one of the female posters very kindly sent me a Depeche Mode album several weeks before the official release. I will be forever grateful for that. By the time it came out, I was all “oh…THAT old thing…yup…a contact sent me the album weeks ago…”. For a moment there I felt like someone cool and “with it’”.
This is by some way the saddest thing I’ve ever read.
You have no idea how I guffawed guiltily to that remark.
I wasn’t being entirely serious.
I am actually one of those people who is effortlessly cool and “with it” at all times.
I changed my mind. This is now the saddest thing I ever read.
Please stop.
I’ve met BC. I’m with you Saucecraft 😉
I miss Moose. And I miss all the female contributors named above. Hannah’s leaving after being understandably pissed off by a particularly unpleasant thread was a real shame
You make it sound like I took them all with me.
Which of course is true.
Here lies Moose. Who?
This commemorative plaque was placed here by himself on behalf of his friends in his community.
Donations welcome.
Here’s a pound!
….what?
Hope Manda and Jase still have a job.
*nostalgia rush*
It used to be the rule (and probably still is) that anyone who announced they were leaving – usually with a big Veruca Salt foot-stamping tantrum – never had any intention of leaving. If people actually wanted to go, they just went.
Very true that! You are a wise chap. Chiz.
The days when the F word was used a lot here are long gone-
Because we’re caring types we DID check that Moose was OK a while ago. We hope he won’t mind us saying that he was absolutely fine, just not here at the moment.
We hope he comes back when he’s ready, we miss him too, but people come and go all the time.
Your Caring Mod Team
I’m very pleased to hear that.
Well done Modders!!
That was very thoughtful of you.
Hurrah for that.
Thanks Mods. And thanks to Moose for all the Huurrrs
Thank you Mods; another service you quietly undertake without any of us realising.
That’s good to hear.
That’s a huge relief.
That is such a relief.
Hurr.
In the right spirit I hope, is Moose not feeling himself right now?
Sounds as though he *is* feeling himself. Hurrrr….
Thanks Mods. Good news.
I assumed he was embroiled in a particularly long Friday morning work sh*t..
You remember that? Christ!!
I know Moose had his knockers, and some called him nuts. But I always thought he was a proud upstanding member of our community. I miss his regular posts.
If he is feeling deflated right now, I hope the old fella can get it up again soon and toss off some pearls.
Hurrr….
Wasn’t Moose from Hull? If he was, he probably thinks pearls are people from Warsaw.
Oi! Yer derrn’t knerr what yer terrking about.`
Nice to see you’ve been hard at it while I was away.
I assumed that you would announce this immediately in 48-point letters on the AW home page. All this suffering could have been averted.
“People come and go all the time”, hurrr
I just had a look – apparently there are 844 ‘active’ Afterword members – that’s probably 800 more than I would recognize if I saw their name in a post or comment. Astonishing!
I’m not active. I’m sitting down.
Years I’ve been posting this shit. Years.
Good thing too – there are deep layers of rich soil below us, thanks to all our dedicated evacuations.
Active members? at our age? Miraculous.
Am I still active? Asking for a friend.
Of course you are! And by commenting, doubly so!
Now, I’m a little confused, as I could have sworn that Moose’s last post was on New Year’s Eve 2019, yet this here Bellows chap didn’t appear on the Afterword until a few months into 2020, and yet he misses him…..? How can that be? Unless of course……. No, now I’m just being silly……
But what do you mean….? Wait… you don’t mean……? …. No….!
Don’t know about you, but I’m tired of seeing this bloke’s stupid face at the end of the comments.
Yup. Retropath 2 needs to be put on the rack for that abomination. Unnecessary!
You’re now known as Two Hamper Bellows
Ha!
You have touched me (steady!) with your concern. I was trying to drastically cut down my screen-time as part of a (don’t laugh) mental health strategy. Well that got well and truly fucked by working from home, which increased my screen-time from four hours a day to about fourteen, including most weekends.
This has reminded me though that I need to attach my AW account to an email account I actually look at more than twice a year so that people don’t think I’m dead.
I’m thrilled that my absence has inspired a hamper thread with a proper fight in it. This has made it all worthwhile.
I love you all.*
(*apart from you, shit-head)
So he’s ok and he is back, so Mods, can we start slagging him now?
I don’t come here to be insulted.
Well since you ask, I normally go to….(etc)
Moose comes back, RobC disappears. Coincidence?
Rob C is currently rehearsing socially-distanced panto at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth. He loves to hear from you all so keep those postcards coming!
Entirely coincidental. I’ve popped in to check my messages. I’ve decided to have an indefinite break from social media, apart from occasional low key twitter a/c for news, music etc with a few friends. Nothing personal. It’s not really my thing anymore. All the very best, folks.
EWWWWW! Get you!
(We can say what we like – he’s gone!)
ROB C. IS A POO-POO PANTS.
He was excellent in Twin Peaks.
Which end of the llama was he?