Enjoy the silence, because it won't last. There's a reason for this, of course. There's always a reason.I'm hammering the keys of my bruised and woe-begotten laptop at 3.15 am on Christmas morn. There's a reason for that, too, but it's not what you might think. I've just finished building my brother Rob's Christmas present. I hope he likes it. My brother Rob - AKA, Brother Younger - is somewhat more practical and pragmatic than me. He's a carpenter by trade, and a very good one at that. He enriches people's lives through the medium of wood and when he [...]
Rol tells it like it is:And finally, why is it that when you get one of the aforementioned crap-headlight types behind you, and slowing down to let them pass has no effect, they're always going to the exact same place as you? You keep thinking, they're bound to turn off here, they're bound to turn off there, but no, they're with you all the way. All the way to your office parking space, all the way home to your very driveway / garage / onstreet parking area. I'm surprised they don't follow you inside and ask for a cup of [...]
(Sustained drumroll. Collective gasp of anticipation. Vigorous wrestling with a glitzy-looking envelope.)...John Tighe, the Landlord of the mighty Spotted Dog pub in Digbeth.Congratulations to a well-deserving winner. This man has taken a stand against the gentrified hordes, and for that I salute him. You can read about John's valiant efforts at his campaign website. May his commitment to the authentic live music experience continue to upset the delicate sensibilities of irredeemable gobshites and their polite, James Blunt-soundtracked dinner parties.So say we all.Commiserations to the runners-up, particularly my good friend and erstwhile gigpimp Pete Ashton. Here's the full results, courtesy of [...]
As I mentioned in a previous post, my good friend and erstwhile gig pimp Pete Ashton is in the shortlist for Brummie of the Year. The deadline to vote is midnight tonight, and last time I checked, Pete was in second place.As I mentioned previously, Pete has tirelessly encouraged, urged and sometimes forcibly coerced the city's artistic community to use the Internet to their best advantage. Pete is a true renaissance man - a world-renowned neurosurgeon, a leading particle physicist, a record-breaking racing car driver and a chart-topping rock star - and many of us feel that his groundbreaking work [...]
As a 70's kid, Evel Knieval will always have a special place in my heart. I spent many a Saturday morning tearing up and down the living room carpet with my mean and menacing Ideal Toys wind-up Evel Knieval Hawk Cycle set. Not the Stunt Cycle that everyone else had, but the goddamn Hawk Cycle. I also had a rather groovy and massive Evel Knieval Stunt Van, a sort of plastic moulded, bachelor pad Wendy House on wheels. And, no, it wasn't girly. It was positively Gonzo.Like any self-respecting Age of Beige pre-pubescent with a wind-up Evel Knieval Hawk Cycle [...]
