It seems that everywhere I go this week I see Nigella Lawson. I'm out buying a newspaper and she's staring out at me from the magazine racks. I switch on the TV and there she is, doing that whole soft-focus suggestive thing in the kitchen that's part Delia Smilth, part Sylvia Kristel. It seems TV's pouty domestic goddess is plugging a brand-new series on the BBC, Nigella Express. Good on her, I say. Here's what bothers me about Nigella Lawson: her father is former Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson. Now, far be it for me to criticise anyone's parenting [...]
Last Tuesday night I went to see The Police by accident. Not that police – The Police. As in Sting, Andy Summers & Stewart Copeland. As in Roxanne, So Lonely and Every Breath You Take. That Police. It’s time for a confession. I bought the tickets so I could sell them on Ebay. That’s right, I became the scourge of true music lovers up and down the land. By one selfish act I violated Rock’s Heritage and almost put it’s Future into jeopardy. I believe the popular term for this activity is “bedroom touting” – which makes it sound a [...]
By way of a PS to my previous post...Spent last night at a housewarming where I caught up with some old and dear friends I haven't seen enough of lately. So it goes. Jude & Jonathan - the housewarmers - live in a picturesque wee village somewhere in Lincolnshire, or possibly South Yorkshire. I can't be any more specific as, um, I got lost on the way there. "Like a poor marksman you just keep missing the exit..."
Last night I went with my pal and gig-pimp Pete Ashton to see Damo Suzuki - former member of legendary krautrock band Can - perform at my erstwhile local muso boozer, the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath. Frankly, I'm still trying to process the evening's events through my caffeine- and stress-addled synapses. It was, to coin a phrase I'm more than partial to using, buggier than batshit.Which is a good thing, by the way.Essentially, the gig was of a series of improvisational jams with Damo providing the vocals and various local bands including The Modified Toy Orchestra and The [...]
I'll keep this brief for two reasons. Firstly, I think there comes a time when a man has to exercise some measure of self-discipline over certain aspects of his life. For instance, on occasion I've been prone to acts of wanton gibberish, blarney-fuelled blather and tangential excess. My friends claim I talk out of my hat, my family say I can talk the hind legs off a donkey, and donkeys say I'm a pioneer in pain-free amputation. I've never understood donkeys. In any case, I can accept this. However, by taking a deep breath, centering myself and aligning my various [...]
I wasn't planning to do this, I really wasn't. Having a Myspace page and Blogging all seemed a bit too 21st Century for my 20th Century tastes. It was like owning a SatNav or worrying about my carbs – I could grasp the concepts and appreciate the benefits but I just couldn't be arsed with the technicalities. It was the same with mobile phones. I held out for ages, almost making it into the 21st Century landline-locked and mobile-free. Once again, the concept was grasped and the benefits appreciated, but my reluctance to follow the herd coupled with a deep-rooted [...]
