Strangely Perfect

WIRE. The 15th (from the album 154) I’ve always liked this tune with it’s rotating chords, sequenced strangely.  It’s The 15th by Wire.  The videos are a historical record, in reality, from the first release, the first(ish) performance and then recent performances…

This is the end Beautiful friend This is the end My only friend, the end Of our elaborate plans, the end Of everything that stands, the end No safety or surprise, the end I’ll never look into your eyes…again Can you picture what will be So limitless and free Desperately in need…of some…stranger’s hand In [...]

No doubt hoards of guitar players were avidly checking James Williamson’s fingers in this clip, just to make sure they had it right! For me, I’m just glad I’ve got to see it in case I die before May or something else happens. The guy is still great – so many fills, so many runs, [...]

From The Dream Quest of the Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft Randolph Carter leaped shoutingly awake within his Boston room. Birds sang in hidden gardens and the perfume of trellised vines came wistful from arbours his grandfather had reared. Beauty and light glowed from classic mantel and carven cornice and walls grotesquely figured, while a [...]

Actor Edward Woodward Dies I’m quite sad about today’s news, because the show Callan formed a key part of my life, in a way, when I was growing up. The dystopian genre owes a lot to the show.  Right from it’s haunting opening title sequence that had instant echoes of Orson Welles’ Third Man, to [...]

I’ve just uploaded this video using different software and process so I don’t know how it’ll appear yet.  However, see if you can spot the kingfisher? It’s a remarkable bird that I’ve been trying to catch on camera for ages. When they’re stationary in trees they’re almost impossible to see. When they fly, they are [...]

Golden Syrup Years ago, when I was a lad, my mum used to make us all porridge for breakfast in winter.  On the top, I’d spiral a big dollop of Lyle’s Golden Syrup and then, while eating the porridge, I’d read the tin. Yes!  There was a different flapjack recipe every time! But also, as [...]

Neil Young Older Neil Young

Something I never thought could happen, given everything that James Williamson has said, is the news that 2010 sees the return of Williamson to play ‘proper’ guitar with The Stooges. ( ‘Proper’ comes from Iggy’s historical description of the band a few years back while speaking to Melvyn Bragg.) This is the interview (for a [...]

All photos taken on a Panasonic Lumix TZ7 – (I dropped the TZ5 on a tiled floor and it broke – note to self, be more careful)

Twitter Today’s news that actor Stephen Fry, famous for his uptake of all new gadgets and one-man publicist for Twitter, is “thinking about giving up on Twitter” got me thinking.  (see Fry ponders leaving Twitter site ) Apparently he thinks there’s too much aggression and unkindness around….. well, dah? Not that I’m disagreeing with the [...]

Copyright Theft Introduction There are a heap of websites which try and get round international copyright legislation by acting as “pointers” to copyright material, while not actually holding any on their servers.  Pirate  Bay, …and the rest.  Over the last year or two, a heap of copycat sites have sprung up that act as pointers [...]

More insects expected this autumn – reports the BBC.  It’s going to be a good year for spiders!  Buglife are having another spider hunt (see link).  My contribution is this web that I saw this morning, fresh and undisturbed, illuminated like diamond wires by a shaft of sunlight through the trees. The photo is cropped, [...]