Mention “Rhythm Festival” within my earshot and I guarantee you I will cringe. Maybe even start to sob. But why did I do it? I constantly ask myself. Why? Oh why? Oh why? Starting a music festival from scratch was definitely one of my wilder projects. It’s up there with starting The Do-Not Press, even… Continue reading Rhythm Festival: “the inside story”
Seasick Steve and Key Lime Pie
I’ve just been watching Seasick Steve on a Sunday morning cookery programme on BBC Two television called Something For The Weekend. In it he sang a song, drank a cocktail and grated cheese into a bowl in order to make it look like he was making a key lime pie. The presenters oo-ed and aw-ed… Continue reading Seasick Steve and Key Lime Pie
Censorship: The Compelling Case
I hate censors. Especially the self-appointed rag-bag of philistine dim-wits who constantly picket the broadcasting authorities, complaining about stuff they’d be better off not watching. My message to them is “Switch off!” In a civilised society that would be the end of it, but these people are working on an agenda and they are backed… Continue reading Censorship: The Compelling Case
Totally Useless
Is it me, or has there been a sudden outbreak of incompetence in the world? An epidemic of uselessness, a plague of purposelessness. Has the world ceased to function correctly? Everywhere I look, people seem incapable of, or unwilling to do their jobs. From the tele-clerk who won’t believe you are who you say you… Continue reading Totally Useless
Settling The Bill
London cop drama, The Bill, has been on my TV longer than the fruit bowl. First appearing in 1983, in the guise of a one-off drama called Woodentop, it became a weekly series a year later and has passed through various formats up to and including its current one hour slot every Wednesday and Thursday,… Continue reading Settling The Bill
Amazing Book Bargains
I used to be a publisher. Not someone who worked for a big international corporation, mixing with bestselling authors, famous film, TV and sports personalities and their less glamorous ghostwriters, but an important part – or at least I liked to think so – of a one-man operation. Aside from an army of authors, artists,… Continue reading Amazing Book Bargains
Cooking Perfect Rice – Easily
Cooking perfect rice is a skill that can mark you out from the rest of the herd. Either you can. Or you can’t. There is no middle ground. Rice provides one-fifth of the calories consumed in the world today. Or slightly more if you eat at the Wong Kei restaurant in London’s Soho, where servings… Continue reading Cooking Perfect Rice – Easily
Mobile Telephony
Some people don’t like the term ‘Mobile Telephony’. Well, phooey to them, I say. It’s better than the article it is describing. One way to discern a person’s real age is to discover how they feel about mobile phones. If they regard them as an extension of themselves, as an add-on that continues everyday conversation,… Continue reading Mobile Telephony
John Wayne Syndrome: Big John or Big Jessie?
Unlikely as it may sound, psychiatrists recognise a condition called “John Wayne Syndrome”. The Duke’s ailment has since become synonymous with battle fatigue. But originally it described someone who could not come to terms with their own perceived lack of heroism. When he wasn’t campaigning in favour of guns or against Socialism, Wayne was tormented… Continue reading John Wayne Syndrome: Big John or Big Jessie?
East Europeans Cleaning Up
We have a Polish cleaner. There, I’ve admitted it. For a liberal, woolly-minded Old Labour person like me, that’s a big admission. Or, at least, it used to be. Now it’s perfectly normal to have ‘help around the house’, and to justify my actions I’d just say that if I didn’t employ her, she’d be… Continue reading East Europeans Cleaning Up
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
Interesting Facts About Europe (Can You Trust The Truth?)
The title ‘Interesting Facts About Europe’ is misleading, but that’s the problem with facts. One person’s truth is another’s lie. As it’s not in my nature to disappoint anyone, I kick off with 5 very Interesting Facts About Europe: 1. The World’s 14 Most Charitable Countries are in Europe. (Official Development Assistance by country as… Continue reading Interesting Facts About Europe (Can You Trust The Truth?)
Complaint: From Minor Moans to Principled Protests
Talking about complaining, can I just say that Profile Books has just published a book called Complaint by Julian Baggini. It is claimed that this 224-page paperback is the first to be devoted to the subject. All I can say is: It’s about bloody time! Call yourself a publishing industry, making us wait 568 years… Continue reading Complaint: From Minor Moans to Principled Protests
Total Cost of the Credit Crunch
Let’s not worry about the true cost of the credit crunch. I’m sure it’ll all come right in the end. Actually, you’ve got to feel sorry for the banks and credit card companies. They sustained us through the good times, barely taking enough profit to carpet their meagre offices and keep their executives and shareholders… Continue reading Total Cost of the Credit Crunch
Life As An Out-Of-The Loop Music Promoter (Part 1)
I’ve been a music promoter for most of my working life. It’s basically the same as being a theatrical impresario except, instead of plays, I organise rock ‘n’ roll shows. The wife likes to think of it as being something like a professional gambler, but that’s just her. A music promoter hires a venue, finds… Continue reading Life As An Out-Of-The Loop Music Promoter (Part 1)
Write A Novel The Easy Way
Never mind the old cliché that says ‘there’s a novel inside everyone’. It might well be true, but the tricky part is getting it out and on to paper. You might be surprised to hear that there’s never been a better time to write a novel. After 23 years trying, I think I’ve finally discovered… Continue reading Write A Novel The Easy Way
The Lies Start Here *(if you believe the facts)…
Although I’ve never kept a diary, as a facts-lover, the idea of a blog is strangely appealing. Thanks to the European Nuclear industry’s Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau, it is now possible for just about any living person to read what you have to say about the world. George Walker Bush. Fidel Castro. Gordon Brown.… Continue reading The Lies Start Here *(if you believe the facts)…