Sunday, December 22, 2024

Things I have enjoyed recently

 Spending time with my son

Teaching medical students.

Political history books by Tim Shipman

Star Wars Skeleton Crew

Scooby Doo (with my son)

A good curry last night

Audible audiobooks

Here comes the guillotine podcast

True Detective series 4

Void Rivals comic book


Saturday, December 21, 2024

Kids parties, Christmas and a week off work

 Life is short.  It slips by in flashes of months and years.  I can't pause it, I can't slow it down, no matter what I do.  It progresses, relentlessly.  The base way to deal with it is being here and enjoying it.  Enjoying the little bits of it and the big bits will hopefully take care of themselves.


Life goes in a direction and I think it is the right one.  


Sometimes it's nice to write just to write.  I never have the time..  

Wednesday, May 08, 2024

Fairwell and rest in peace Steve Albini

 I  was fairly shocked and very much saddened when I read about the untimely death of Steve Albini this afternoon.  He has been a hero of mine since I heard 'bad penny' by Big Black on a mix tape when I was about 13.  That tape also contained my first fugazi, minor threat, black flag, butthole surfers, sonic youth and many other life changing bits of music.  I was a fan of the dead kennedys but I didn't know all this other music was out there.

Albini was among the best.  I was a bit surprised when a couple of years later he produced a Nirvana album.  It's not my favourite Nirvana album and it's not my favourite Albini record but I suspect he will mainly be remembered for 'in utero'.  It was nowhere near his best work.  The Jesus Lizard 'pure' and 'goat' spring to mind.  People will point to 'surfer rosa' or the Breeders or 'songs about fucking' or something else  and they will all be decent choices.

When I was 16 I travelled down tot he phoenix festival in stratford upon avon to see shellac with a couple of friends from school.  it was great.  it was well over a decade before I had a chance to see them again and I can't be sure how many times I saw them after that - maybe another 4 or 5 times - but they were always good.

He was a great thinker and a great speaker.  He talked sense about music and other things in a calm and logical way.  He was 61 when he died which is far too young for this world.


RIP


'I'M A PLANE.  I'M A PLANE'


'...and the plane becomes a metaphor for my life...'