In my early teens there were still plenty of local record shops. There were the usual chains, and the shops that sold other stuff but had a record section, but there were independent stores too. Not independent in the sense of just selling indie music, but genuine small businesses making money out of selling all kinds of music. Remember those days? Read the rest of this entry »
The Missed Train Pint turns an inconvenience into an opportunity. Missing a train can be hugely frustrating. A delay is never welcome. And train stations are rarely good places to hang around in for any length of time. Read the rest of this entry »
I think you could make a pretty strong case for Never Too Much from Luther Vandross being the perfect pop song. The best pop music is rooted in soul, soul in the broadest sense of the word. Pop music should be catchy, make your day better, but it also needs to be underpinned by something more, something impossible to properly define, yet you know it when you hear it. There needs to be an otherness, a magic. Read the rest of this entry »
I remember as a kid we only had the four channels and I was incredibly envious when I saw those features on TV about how Americans have thousands of channels to choose from. Even if there was nothing on, as was inevitably said, just imagine that choice – surely better to have loads of channels to not watch than just a handful? Read the rest of this entry »
Wait until next year 