[…]

Pandas still rubbish. Is messing this poor genetic dead-end about (come on poor old panda, let us move you somewhere where the bamboo isn’t in flower) less cruel than just letting the poor buggers die out?[…]

with apologies to, um, everyone really…
All pets are quite useless according to Terry Nutkins
Petra 1962 to 1977
Freda the Tortoise 1963 to 1979
Get Down Shep! 1971 to 1987 RIP
The Littlest Hobo 1958 to 1985
Jack and Jill, Maggie and Jim, Willo[…]

“a form of electricity we know nothing of”
i. the van my family lived in a tiny flat crammed inside a roomy educational institution far out in the country: until i wz five (1965), the only transport was the staff van (actually there were[…]

I have never really liked Howard Jacobson as a journalist or pundit, but I always quite like his books: in an undemanding comic way (which is very high praise). I have not read many, though one of my strongest geographical prejudices is straight of o[…]

Life Is A Miracle = Life Is Bloody Loud. There is nothing meaningful in this Bosnia/Serbian satire that is not also accompanied by a cacophonous Wurlitzer soundtrack, a bit of the ultra-violence and some farting. Initially this is rather refreshingly[…]

TV Diary: everything I watched on 27/3/05
Traffic: another one where I hadn’t realised there were subtitles (what is it with American films where not everyone speaks American?). I’m at the computer doing stuff, and can barely read them fr[…]

It is an insect. That looks like a stick. And the punchline of the sorely under-used joke “what’s insectile and sticky?” That would be enough for its greatness status. But the true story of the stick insect is even more unbelievable[…]

TV Diary: everything I watched on 26/3/05
Top of the Pops (taped yesterday): It’s only a couple of hours, but I have forgotten most of what was on. I think Basement Jaxx was the only thing I loved. The Snoop/Timberlake/Neptunes/someone else (Ch[…]

The collected edition of Mick Farren’s DNA Cowboys trilogy is a fascinating social document. You can tell a lot about a time from its bobbins gonzo fantasy novels. And here we have a trilogy, steam written fuelled by drugs, coffee and an urge t[…]