Category: Blogs & Podcasts

Cooking Indian Vegetarian Curry Quickly and Easily

I was taught to cook Indian vegetarian curry by a religious cult back in the 1970s. Except it wasn’t really a religious cult, but that’s another story. I was young: maybe 23 and ‘housefather at an ashram in North Acton. We assumed we were going to India where the ‘cult’ was based, but it turned… Continue reading Cooking Indian Vegetarian Curry Quickly and Easily

How I Very Nearly Became Sir Bruce Forsyth CBE (Deceased)

Much-loved British entertainer Sir Bruce Forsyth died in August 2017. He passed away a few months after he’d undergone key-hole surgery to repair a couple of aneurysms. In case you’re hazy on aneurysms, they are bulges in an artery that could burst and kill you. I know because I had one that almost killed me. Sir Bruce… Continue reading How I Very Nearly Became Sir Bruce Forsyth CBE (Deceased)

Pub Rock Revisited: No Sleep Till Kennington Oval

I’ve recently spent time writing sleeve-notes for a Balham Alligators box set. That’s exactly the kind of thing washed-up old hacks like me have to do when they reach a certain age. I was researching “pub rock” when I stumbled on something surprising. It’s seemingly now accepted that the Pub Rock scene collapsed following the Punk Explosion of 1976-77. Legend has it… Continue reading Pub Rock Revisited: No Sleep Till Kennington Oval

Stewart Lee on “Not Writing”

Comedy is subjective. So is writing. I’ve just come across a 45-minute video I felt I had to share. It skirts around both subjects and comes up with some savoury little insights. The video will not please everybody. The comments below it are a testament to that. But anyone who shares my vague interest in… Continue reading Stewart Lee on “Not Writing”

Separated at birth?

Separated at birth? You tell me… So, what do HM the Queen and Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richards have in common? The obvious answer is money. They are both stinking rich, though one more than the other. I’ll let you work out which is which. As you’ll have gleaned from reading my About Me page,… Continue reading Separated at birth?

What Does UKIP Stand For?

UKIP, or the United Kingdom Independence Party as they’re known to their friends and carers, has become the hottest political topic in the United Kingdom. Well, probably just in England, but let’s not split hairs. But what does UKIP stand for? Nigel Farage is UKIP’s leader, a likeable, middle-aged, middle-class gent. Often pictured with a… Continue reading What Does UKIP Stand For?

Stop Racism With A Brain Pill

With the European Football championships diverting attention from racism at home to racism in eastern Europe, it’s time to look again at racism. It might not be as easy to stop racism as we thought. In January 2012, a little-reported but important Scientific study found distinct links between low intelligence and racial prejudice. The research… Continue reading Stop Racism With A Brain Pill

Royal Wedding Invite List: Prince William and Kate’s Glaring Omissions

So, Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton got hitched at Westminster Abbey. Their Royal Wedding Invite List is now a historic document, though not quite up there with Magna Carta or the Abdication Speech. The names excluded from it reveals more than who made it to the “Wedding of the Decade”. First of all, the… Continue reading Royal Wedding Invite List: Prince William and Kate’s Glaring Omissions

My Blog Shame

It’s all Richard Herring’s fault. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll start at the beginning… One major benefit of owning an iPhone is, instead of listening to other people speaking rubbish to each other via their own handsets, you can inflict podcasts on yourself. I subscribe to 63 at last count, ranging from… Continue reading My Blog Shame