Practical Criticism III
Yesterday’s back-and-forth focussed on the prospects for paid, printed music writing. I like the magazine format because it gives me something to read on the tube, and because a good editor can make already talented writ[…]

“If you wish to see your son thoroughly depraved, send him to a Judge and Jury Club”: forgotten menace of bygone London! The Victorian London site as ever illustrates but does not interpret: as far as I can tell the notion was a drinking […]

A History Of Beer Commercials:
Enjoyable article, wish there was a UK equivalent. I particularly liked this story:
Among the earliest, and certainly one of the most successful, ID characters put to work on television for a brewery was “Mabel,&#[…]

A LONDON SONGBOOK
SHAM 69 – “Red London (Live)”: Did you know that in their first ever review Julie Burchill wrote “Sham 69 play rock’n’roll in the manner that American negroes fight, not for fun but for existence&[…]

X-Seed 4000: Some great browsing at this buildings site – this is the tallest building in their ‘vision’ section for structures which are never likely to be built. It seems somewhat arbitrary to say that the X-Seed is the tallest bu[…]

Elders Of The Universe: It gives me great pleasure to pronounce K-Punk bang on the money in this post about the fabulous language of Marvel:
“Part of the reason why I love Marvel so much is that it inculcated a feeling for language in me at a y[…]

Virginia Woolf’s ‘Lost London Essay’: linked more out of duty to the readership than admiration.[…]

Practical Criticism II: There were two serious questions/points lurking behind yesterday’s (somewhat sarcastic) proposals.
1/ Assuming that the tiny-review model for published music criticism is likely to dominate for at least a while, how best[…]

GIRLS ALOUD – “Love Machine”
SKIFFLE IS BACK!!
Yrs, Easily Pleased, Tooting.[…]

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[…]