Jan
6
Clive James — still the master
January 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I’ve always shied away from posting book recommendations or reviews on my blog. Along with ‘my wine of the moment’, ‘this is what my pets are doing now’ and ‘CD of the week’ I find such information more than a little twee and avoid it when I see it on other sites. Alas, if I […]
Dec
11
Deep Down Down Undah
December 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Somewhere off the coast of Stradbroke island, QLD, there is a leopard shark who was completely non-plussed by my appearance in his living room . . .
Oct
18
Madge to do a Prince or a Radiohead?
October 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Bloggers with an ‘I-told-you-so’ attitude are smug and annoying but I can’t help but link Madonna’s latest deal with Live Nation with my post of March 2007. Mrs Ritchie has done almost exactly what I predicted. She’s signed up for a monster touring, merchandise and album deal with the very people I had so much […]
Sep
19
Auntie’s Musical Tastes
September 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
It’s not often you see something interesting on Facebook, but this caught my eye:  I’m not sure how this list is calculated but what does it say about BBC tastes & demographics? That we’ve a penchant for US pomp-rock, sensitive indie for bed-wetters ((c) Liam Gallagher), preachy posh-rock, introspective drone-rock or past-their-best dad rock? Or […]
Sep
17
The Litigation Machine Has Landed
September 17, 2007 | 3 Comments
Many moons ago I described SCO as a free falling litigation machine. Well, the thump has now been heard around the world. As I said back in my 2004 piece, it’s the employees of SCO I feel sorry for. Taken on a hellish helter-skelter ride by a management determined to bank everything on […]
Jul
27
It was 20 years ago today . . . we’ve just had 40 years since Sgt. Pepper and just 6 days ago was the double-decade anniversary of Appetite for Destruction. Journalists tend to think of anniversaries as a kind artificial peg for stories and unless you work for Rolling Stone, they tend to be ignored. […]
Jul
16
The Johnston humour
July 16, 2007 | 1 Comment
Just returned to my desk from a rousing homecoming speech by BBC reporter and former kidnap victim Alan Johnston. Standing on the steps at the rear of Bush House’s car park AJ described himself as “walking on air” and offered up a few anecdotes about his 113 days inside a dingy flat in Gaza. The […]
Jul
8
Country Life
July 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
To south west London for a taste of Country . . . or is it Western? In any other scene someone with Rachael Warwick’s skills would have filled the Half Moon’s dingy back room, alas Country doesn’t have the same pull in Putney as in Nashville. Still, a half-empty venue doesn’t stop the iron-lunged Miss […]