Until earlier that year, I had been in a tiny indie band. After the Statistics paper in my ‘A’ level maths, a paper which I failed miserably and completely, I took the unhappy uphill walk back to the 6th Form Centre. It was already clear […]

John Peel (1939-2004)[…]

Pub Justice
Last night I went again to the pop quiz at the Rosemary Branch. It was a bit of a sentimental night because B, the one member one of our regular team who lives near there, is moving to Australia at the end of the week.
On his way to the[…]

Broadcasting legend John Peel dead
From the BBC Newsroom:
Radio 1 DJ John Peel has died at the age of 65. He was on holiday in Peru with his wife Sheila when he suffered a massive heart attack in a hotel. John had been on Radio 1 since it went on air[…]

Teenage Kicks (And Others)
– I sometimes used to worry that they’d sack him. I imagined him looking glumly through records he wouldn’t get the chance to play on the radio. It honestly never occurred to me he might die first.
–[…]

The lifespan of originality as a laudable quality is perilously short. We try to hold up firsts as being somehow significant, but beyond their actual place in linear history they rarely stand out. Maybe Hillary and Norgay were the first to climb Ever[…]

A Defence of Mike Riley
I feel the level of criticism is unwarranted.
He got most of the decisions right. The Ljundberg / Ferdinand coming together was probably the most controversial. It was a push, but Ljunberg’s reaction was to get on with i[…]

GOOGLING CAN SAVE YR LIFE:
this reverses the usual fear i guess but i still suspect mileage may vary (badman: “we have googled and found a thing called ilXoR: what exactly did you mean when you said… ” etc)[…]

INSECTS WHICH COME TO BITS
aged c.3-16 i did not have that much in common with moors murderer ian brady that i can think of, except this: a morbid terror of daddy-long-legses – and i got over mine, b4 you all rush off to the police… neve[…]

I reviewed it here. It was alright. It did not leap out at me, perhaps because it struck me as a slightly more serious children?s film foundation attempt. In Italian.
I got the book for my birthday. Problem is I have seen the film, so I know what hap[…]