When someone loses in some sort of a contest, it is generally deemed appropriate for them to say something positive about the other team. It doesn’t even have to be particularly gushing: “We might not have got the rub of the green today, but that’s not to take anything away from team X who played [...]

Okay, I’m a curmudgeonly scrote who can’t be doing with these ‘reality’ TV shows. I can’t really be doing with the production line pop churned out by the X-factor, Britain’s Got Talent. Personally I think the question the nation should be asking is How Do We Solve A Problem Like Simon Cowell. In what may [...]

…as a favour, I said I’d mention that someone I know is offering guitar tuition in rock, blues, funk and, indeed, all that jazz. He’s called Jon Forster and if you’re in the North East and you’re after some guitar tuition, why not look him up? Obviously if you aren’t based in the North East, [...]

Okay, it’s a reference to The Adverts, and in particular their song about the spree killer, Gary Gilmore, who was executed by firing squad in 1977, and who requested that his corneas be used for transplants (which they were). The Adverts released a song called Gary Gilmore’s Eyes, which was decried as being somewhat in [...]

Back in “the day”, quite a long time ago now, I was a student. I used to do a lot of studenty things, which generally included staying up ridiculously late, then not actually getting out of bed until mid-afternoon. One of the other things I used to do was buy CDs. I still do buy [...]

As per usual, and as I probably should have mentioned before, these selections of bands are based very much on the mood I happen to be in at the time. Asking the same question at a different time might well get an entirely different response. But on we must go, from S through to Z. [...]

Wandering through the house the other day, I discovered this sitting on a shelf. It’s a Mini Disc player. More specifically, it’s my Mini Disc player. Even more specifically than that, it’s my Mini Disc player which I got some time ago, only for Mini Discs never to actually take off, and everyone to continue [...]

Right, now where was I. Oh yes, my favourite bands. J is For … Apparently, Johnny Hates Jazz. Meanwhile, Jack dislikes both Jazz and Johnny Hates Jazz. There’s a few in here which have some resonance for me: when you’re in the need of a Metal Meltdown, Judas Priest can supply that for you: Elton [...]

Thanks to Paul Canning for this one. This is my band Anchisaurus’s debut album “…by the corrupt few”. I think it looks very much like I’m a heavy metal/thrash outfit. But then again, Anchisaurus. Maybe prog metal. Here’s your route to Top Of The Pops: Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “random” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random. The first [...]

I noticed the other day that Chartroose had started doing a favourite bands meme. The idea is fairly simple: to go through the alphabet and pick out my favourite band beginning with that relevant letter. (Although The Langster has picked up on it now as well) A is for … It boiled down to a [...]