I’m back from my fourth trip to the Glastonbury Festival, where I celebrated its 40th anniversary in sweltering heat with 180,000 other lunatics.
I had decided not to write about the Watchmen movie, partly because I’m the kind of Watchmen fan that many of you will dislike, in that I only read the original comics a few months ago.
I have to blog about this competition, seeing as it involves a mix CD created by a musician I once booked and purchased tomato soup and mash for; it has artwork by my friend and office pal; its on a website built by someone who taught me all I know, and it is facilitated by a company run by a friend I’ve known for 30 years; some cash goes to a charity researching a disease which hit my family hard this year. No arguments.
I haven’t written one of my typical ill-researched and untidy off-the-cuff gig reviews for some time, perhaps because I haven’t really been to many gigs this year. I think my ill-judged attendance at a Verve comeback gig earlier this year put me off. Anyway, the balance has been amply restored thanks to a stunning evening with good friends and Fleet Foxes at Nottingham Trent University (bloody students) last night.
Yesterday I found myself sat once again in one of my favourite Reykjavik bars. I sipped a cup of cold Thule, served by an Icelandic lady, half-conversing in my rusty Íslenska. “Kemur þú oft hingað?” I asked. She laughed, politely. I suppose this would all make some kind of sense, were it not for the fact that I was about 30 minutes walk from King’s Cross.
Yes, its time for more pimping of our friend and office amigo Mr. Burgerman. Last week I wrote about the Heroes of Burgertown toys, and this week I am sitting thumbing through my own preview copy of his new 300 page monograph, published by IdN.
Ok, lets put personal crisis (read “cry-seas”) to one side and get back to some blogging, beginning with hot news of Heroes of Burgertown from the funny doodly chap who lives in the corner of our office - the man they call Jon Burgerman, because it is his name.
This is at least twenty long posts all rolled into one handy list, so be grateful for small mercies. Its basically an excuse to list the books, TV, bands, experiences and stuff that I have in some way absorbed over the last two months or so.
Partly because some friends and I were discussing classic cover versions in the pub, but mostly because (as regular readers will be aware) I love making music lists, I decided to finish a list I started ages ago.
The fourth album from Elbow is another intensely personal journey through main man Guy Garvey’s experiences, dripping with introspective worry and wonder. Twice divorced, world-weary and used to life in England’s rainy cities, the music of Elbow always reflects the intricacies of life and loves in Northern towns, and its a narrative I buy into with every release.
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