Pop Factor: 400
At Glastonbury, Goldie Lookin’ Chain were enormous; the dance tent was flooded with people trying to cram themselves in and catch a glimpse of the comedy Welsh rap troupe. You wouldn’t have got that sort of crowd for MC M[…]

A dark tower, or two or three or more — I heard about them, tower blocks, I forget where at first. Didn’t actually see any until I came to London, though, and now that I think about it, probably not actually until my second time there in[…]

Autocrat of all the Russian histories — If I had my way (eight mansions worldwide, moving whenever the weather gets unpleasant, well stocked libraries for each one, etc.), there’d have to be a huge history section in said library and ther[…]

Let yourself be loved down — ILX greatheart Velveteen Bingo (the latest of his many incarnations) recently offered up a two-disc CDR mix of a collage of songs from the height of New Jack Swing — not just that, though! — called Velve[…]

Mmm tomato sauce I love you — the next step in my continuing adventures with regard to tomato prep involved making my first sauce. The recipe itself (thank ya to Lalitree!) is wonderfully simple:
* Three fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes — d[…]

How Dr Who Made Me A Liberal
“Inside the party, more than a few people know I’m a fan, so when a set of Doctor Who-related questions came in to party HQ from a fan group during the 2001 British General Election campaign, I was given the r[…]

Christianity + Marketing = DOOMSDAY
(I’m assuming they’re Christians.)[…]

Once upon a time New Left Review was in the vanguard of UK film culture, and once in a while it’s still capable of engaging. This piece on cultural tensions in Taiwan includes an interview with Hou Hsiao-Hsien which helps illuminate the backgro[…]

Swallows and Amazons Talking Books
The people who own the rights to make audio versions of the Arthur Ransome books can’t be bothered, despite the lucrative enough trade that exists selling to car-driving tourists in the Lake District. All the […]

To continue my theme of songs on a theme, two particular tunes have been haunting me this week. The first is by the dearly departed ironist Mr Johnny Cash and is called ‘Strawberry Cake’. The second is by a similarly dearly departed heart[…]