As is the annual tradition, a look over the year’s number ones, from best to worst. After a couple of years where this was an exercise in barely managed apathy, there are songs here I actually love. Save a chart, ride a cowboy! Behind the scene[…]

 1 which Aberdonian became a general in the Tsar’s army?
 2 what is the traditional site of pilgrimage in the last Sunday in July?
 3 whose father practised inoculation until it was made criminal in eighteen-forty?
 4 which very dry concoction […]

REASON: Welcome one and welcome all, to the FreakyTrigger wing of a KWIZZ (quiz) sat for a hundred and blimey years by Isle of Man schoolkids. (“Please return your answers to the Principal’s Office by Monday 13th January.”)
RHYME: Theme[…]

“Hi I’m Alita – some say Battle Angel – and me and my big eyes would like to welcome you to the 2019 FreakyTrigger Movie Poll. When I was rebooted in Iron City in 2563 the first thing I did was try to work out who the creepy Dr. D[…]

Sooo…… Sorry.
Four years ago I started the FT Film poll (to ape Kat’s music poll – but also because they are pointless fun things to do – and might be better than just putting my own top ten up). Two years ago, in the fl[…]

Twenty Years Ago (1999) I decided to organise a pub crawl on the quietest pub day of the year, and thus the Freaky Trigger annual between Christmas And New Year Pub Crawl (henceforth #FTABCANYPC) was born. Since then we have crawled annually on the 2[…]

(Reached #2, June 1997)
One of the repeating themes in British indie music is bands hitting the rocks because the guitarist and singer can’t work together. The Smiths, The House Of Love, The Stone Roses, Suede, The Verve – for a decade some of th[…]

Hi all –
We know some of you have had serious issues with the FT comments, both in terms of logging in on existing IDs and creating new ones.
This is because of something being imposed by our hosts to stop continued spam comment attacks. We&#82[…]

(#2 in April 1994)
Fortune is the issue here: the blind bad luck of the song’s kid subjects, the random chance of us ever hearing about them. “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” is a fluke, but a fluke brought forth from a particular moment, the end of the alt-r[…]

[This post originally went up at my PATREON: subscribers get to read posts and hear podcasts early — and help offset costs and time and help me do more of this kind of thing. Please share widely and encourage participation in the comments!]
“It m[…]