@Thane15

As @Whisht says, I was Thea Gilmore.

You may not appreciate – because, distance – that the coda at the end is Jo Cox MP, who was assassinated by a right-wing terrorist in the run up to the Brexit vote, and the song was written in response to that.

@mersey, @whisht
There was a point in The Five(ish) Doctors Rebooted, where Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy are trying to break into the BBC Cardiff Studios, and Colin Baker, in exasperation, asks, “Why are we doing this?” Peter Davison thinks about it for a minute, and replies, “We’re doing it for the fans!” Colin Baker smiles and…[Read more]

@Whisht

Heh – Frankie brings back nothing but fun post-grad at LSE memories.

Now, if you want the definitive Springsteen-not-by-Springsteen, this is it:

@Thane15 @Whisht

On the vein of people taken too young: Minnie Ripperton and the rather lovely Les Fleurs:

@Whisht

You have just reminded me that I have a copy of The City and the City which I bought ages ago and put aside to read later.  It got buried under a pile of other books, but I have just checked and relocated it, so I have put it back on top of the pile.  I must have read most of Ray Bradbury’s output back in the day and it is, as you say, h…[Read more]

@mudlark

It would be great if Gardeners’world last one hour with half an hour of Monty Don wandering in his garden and half an hour about interesting gardens. The current format seems a bit cramped. The next episode is one hour long so I can’t wait. The interview with Beth Chatto was very inspiring. My favourite moment was when Beth touched…[Read more]

@whisht

Curses! no Nick Cave then 😉

OK, let’s go pensive. Thea Gilmore has a new album out in a couple of months. She put this on Youtube. If the coda at the end doesn’t make you slightly lose your composure, nothing will.

@Whisht

OK, I am going to have to bring the big guns out (as if Joy Division aren’t). I give you the ultimate in suicide music, with no hope, no route out:

“Did you forget how to love
Girl, did you forget how to fight”

The Boss is the boss:

@whisht  “I Can’t Wait”  — best “waiting song EVER, because I am terrible at waiting, much as Dirty Old Bastard seems to be — now I am hyper-jazzed for next weekend.

@Whisht

Indeed, Blue Veils is perhaps her masterpiece, (other than..well…you know…that one… ;)) – there are a couple. Radio 4 has Sculptress of Sound (Ep 22) (also this, which I did not know about until searching just now) and a play with Sophie Thomson called called Blue Veils and Golden Sands that deals with her return from disillusion (…[Read more]

@whisht  Wow — I was going to grab a quick nap, but now — nope.  Is okay, I’ve got more damn tax papers to shuffle, and miles to go before I sleep anyway.

What happened? I posted something here a few minutes ago and now it has disappeared.  Ah well, try again.

@Whisht

I saw the first four episodes of Taboo before deciding that watching Tom Hardy grunting his way round a fantastical version of Regency London was not all that enthralling, and that any interest I had in finding out what it was all a…[Read more]

@Whisht

I watched the first four episodes of Taboo before realising that watching Tom Hardy grunting his way round a fantastical version of early 19th century London was beginning to get tedious, that my interest in finding out what on earth was going on and how it would all end was not sufficient to overcome my impatience with a plot that…[Read more]

@whisht. On reading descriptions of Tattoo I doubt very much that it is “my kind of series” and it not only stars Tom Hardy, he wrote it; a double negative for me.

I am sticking to repeats at the moment, Time Team in the mornings while I do the exercise bike thing and Dr Who at night. Currently watching Inferno.  Not so enthused about this first…[Read more]

@Whisht @Thane15    I was actually listening to Giant Steps just the other day. I have to be in the right mood for it as I find it a bit chaotic at times. Coltrane is actually playing on Kind of Blue, and I love him there. Isn’t that the best pickup band ever? Cannonball Adderley on the alto. I love this track (Miles Davis and Art Blakey are on i…[Read more]

@whisht (and @Thane15 )

Strictly speak, Upminster is Essex! 🙂

Now this, written by Sandy Denny but not recorded by her because she died, then picked up by Thea Gilmore, is simply magnificent. Used  by the BBC for its closing montage for the 2012 Olympics. Remember how optimistic we were then?

@whisht

Second time to tell this story this week: When The Kinks reformed in c1977 me and some mates went to see them in St Albans (about £3 each iirc). A good gig in the days when bands felt no obligation to either start or finish on time. After about 40 mins, during which there had been a constant stream of calls for Waterloo Sunset, Ray D…[Read more]

@mudlark:

The human race seems set on wiping itself out doesn’t it. I hope you enjoy the special as much as the rest of us. Oooooh! Champers and smoked salmon, what a spoil, may I join you? As for french TV, and at the risk of being jumped on from a great height, OZ TV is nothing to write home about either. Three quarters of the programmes are…[Read more]

Thanks @Whisht for the Christmas-y boost!!

FINALLY It’s Christmas Time – The Doctor Returns tonight,

@whisht  Sorry for your losses — some chez moi as well, what with oldness advancing in my age cohort and all.  So sympathies, of course.  You too, janetteb.

@pedant  HoRS stays as wonderful as it was the first time round; I have hopes for “Mysterio”, but after this long in the desert, I’m not feeling all that picky.

Couldn’t log on for a whi…[Read more]