steve cradock

howdy pop pickers

yes, indeed, an unusual case (or instance, look you see) of me using a title which directly relates to the subject. does feel a bit peculiar. whereas i don't think i have any particular sway or influence over much of anything, still, i thought it might be prudent (if not wise) to give this a title to help with "the google" thing, for it would be excellent if others found out about the chance to go to what was an extraordinary, phenomenal gig. 

for all that has gone so quite spectacularly wrong in my life, and much of that is of my own making, i must have got the odd bit right. if only here and there. that can be the only explanation as to why, on a reasonably frequent basis, i have been able to go and see something to do with Ocean Colour Scene more than i would have taken as a given as possible. up until now this has meant seeing Simon and Oscar out on an acoustic tour a couple of times, and of course the full tilt band. delighted to be able to add seeing Steve Cradock to this list of OCS related shows. 

some (many) of you will be wishing or willing me to get to the point. if you are so, then i am delighted to say that this Steve Cradock gig was easily one of the most amazing, mesmerising, enjoyable and engaging nights out i have ever had, probably on a par with that time i had the privilege of witnessing Nick Cave share his genius. two very different gigs, of course, but the "vibe" is comparable. as you have no doubt worked out from the above, indeed there will be the usual (yet unusually not that bad) poor pictures and a few videos. be warned, for an image of moi with him comes in at the end. 

ostensibly this tour, which appears to have no fixed end date, is a kind of book launch. Steve Cradock has a fine book out called Travellers Tune, which is (as i have never been shy of saying) the name of my absolute favourite song by the band. during the performance he does mention that book launches normally feature someone just sitting on a couch and chatting, but he didn't think that was the way to go. 

by "no fixed end date" i mean that i saw, with great interest, the tour carries on into next year, which as things stand is (indeed) 2027. delighted to see one of the dates is not all that far from my lodgings in my era of exile, and i shall certainly be making every effort to go once more. i am going to assume (or take as a given) that Steve Cradock will not mind me too much pirating the poster off of his official website for the dates so anyone keen can work out where and when to be.

as to what songs one can expect at the gig, well, not particularly the "obvious" hits. whilst chatting to some fellow fans after the gig (see, i can be social) i mentioned the set was predominantly buried treasure, and they really liked that description. so of course i have used it again here. kind of sticking with that metaphor, or what have you, this buried treasure features some really shiny, precious gems, be it from his solo albums or work with musicians like PP Arnold and Paul Weller. 

the draw for most will, understandably, be Ocean Colour Scene songs. fairly obvious, as that's how Steve Cradock became known and they remain a deeply loved band. in terms of "hits" you get, of course, Travellers Tune and The Riverboat Song. so no, no Day We Caught The Train, and understandably 100 Mile High City isn't one any of them try as an acoustic song. but you also get some songs truly endeared to the fans, in particular Huckleberry Grove and arguably one of their most dearly loved songs, The Circle. mostly, in his own words, this tour (or the set) is a chance to play some songs that otherwise he wouldn't get the chance to play to an audience. sure, there's a part of that which you could describe as "artist indulgence", but is such not true of any performance? i would suggest it is more a means of people getting to hear admired songs live and in person. 

perhaps one of the biggest reasons this evening was so special was the make up of the band. which just happens to be the Cradock family. my word, his son is a truly gifted multi-instrument musician, and the vocals added by Mrs Cradock (not that, i believe, she uses the name) were spellbinding. also the family dog, who(m) pottered about the stage. there's a very clear, palpable bond, a great sense of love and affection right across this beautiful family. don't believe i have ever felt so tacitly invited to feel quite as immersed in an experience at a gig as i was by the energy emanating from them. 

exactly why does the music of Ocean Colour Scene, and by extension Steve Cradock, mean all that much to me? quite the risk of going full tilt hippy here. the first phrase that comes to mind probably isn't right, yet it feels it - high tides and green grass, to borrow the name of a Stones compilation (or at least i think). many of their songs naturally invite one to daydream of an idyllic, wonderful life, many allow one time for some introspection, to pause and ponder. some, of course (100 Mile High City) serve simply as reminders as to just how awesome rock and roll is. 

video for you, then, above and below. i was too engaged, full on immersed in enjoying some rather fine artists share their craft, to worry all that much about videos. so, for Travellers Tune, i just sat with the camera held low(ish) down, ignoring it and hoping it captured the excellence of the song. 

why, of all of the songs available, do i champion Travellers Tune as the "greatest", or the one that means the most to me? hard to quantify something that touches you so deeply. for the sake of something to write here, giving it a go would be to say musically it gives a sense of freedom, of being in the moment, of very much getting your groove on. lyrically i have always been drawn to a phrase or expression that inexplicably captures my imagination. i just love lines like "like two Christophers in the snow" and "we'll sail through the suns and moons" without being able to nail down why, exactly. 

last picture coming up just now, and yes i (moi) am visible in it. for some reason there are some of you who(m) read this blog yet care not to see me, so for you this is your "last chance" warning to avoid seeing all that you do not want to see. 

going to be quite difficult to word this without sounding (somewhat) disrespectful, but shall give it a whirl. i assured friends that i was not going to do the inevitable "selfie" with Steve Cradock. my reason for this was that whereas he is pretty well known as a name (and great musician) he isn't "in your face" with being immediately recognisable. he can, for example, go to the shops in a way that you would argue a Noel Gallagher cannot. so i figured if i got a selfie with him, showing it to people would be less looking at the picture, more saying who he is, what band he was in and then (badly) singing The Day We Caught The Train to jog memories. yet here we are. 

he is indeed holding a (marker) pen and a copy of his book, which he kindly signed for me. some friends, to be fair, have said i am looking really well, which is lovely to hear after all of my well documented medial exploits of the last year or so. 

just about every band you tell was part of it generally angry deny it was anything to do with them, but, you know what, for those what lived through it and loved it, Britpop was very much a thing. not all bands were explicitly so, but to place Ocean Colour Scene in some context. if we say Suede brought the sex and hedonism, Pulp (and to an extent The Verve) brough suburban realism, Oasis the swagger, attitude and in your face, you can't ignore this anthems, Blur (for want of a better word) brought a degree of artistic touch and the Manics gave it intellectualism, then it's Ocean Colour Scene what provided the whole movement (or moment) with its spirit and soul. apologies to the great bands missed out, and "toughies" to any of the bands that get all @r$ey about the reference. 

right, not much more for me to add other than to (yet) again say thank you, this was a most incredible night, a wonderful life experience which shall be treasured for as long as i have left. on, then, to whatever the next gig shall be, but i have a feeling this will be the "best" of the year. 

should for some reason you wish to read my (poorly written) ramblings on all other Ocean Colour Scene related nights out, here you go. links to the first and indeed second Oscar and Simon shows i gone done seen, and then of course the full tilt band. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

live long and prosper

greetings

and so, if you are inclined to read the date the American (as in entirely incorrect, look you see) way, once more we have hit Star Wars day on the calendar. for those unaware of the reason, or generally do not care but are here now, it is so that "May 4th be with you" sounds a bit like "may the force be with you", a popular line of dialogue from the series of films which makes heroes out of fanatical religious zealots, fake orphans, people what wear buckets on their head, criminal smugglers and barley coherent space frogs. quite good films, as it happens. 

usually i would take this day as a time to reflect upon the magnificence of Lobot, who was by some distance one of the top three (3) characters to appear in any of the films, television shows or excessive merchandise. having done that last year (here) i figured it was time for something different. 

last year (2025) - July, for those with a sense for specifics - there was a "super hero fun day" thing up near my lodgings in my place of exile. as this was all going on near (indeed, around) the market i would usually frequent on a weekend, i went along. i suppose it was a bit like one of them "comic con" things, only it did not feature a largely forgotten actor or actress who(m) had an obscure part in a film or television show and was now able to charge £50 or so to pose for a picture. much of the stuff was, as you have likely worked out, of Star Wars. 

just worked out that yes, indeed, i "missed a trick" in the picture above. i for some reason did a bit of a nancy boy, effete sort of "hello" wave there. so, so close to doing that "vulcan" greeting thing what Spock does in Star Trek. oh well, if it is on again this year (and i make it that far) i shall try for another picture and see if i can remember to do it. likely people shall take it as "trolling", but really just a bit of fun. we are still allowed to have such. 

much of Star Wars, on paper (at least), really shouldn't work. it is absolute genius that the bloke what came up with it all managed to get someone to finance his vision of a shiny gold (latently gay) robot and also to give him (as a sidekick) what is effectively a bin with some rudimentary legs stuck on, with them subsequently attached to roller skates. 

oh yes, make no mistake, i would (surely) love to have a full tilt R2-D2 like this one. beyond the likely high expense of such a magnificent thing it's unlikely to be a practical addition to my modest lodgings. still, was really quite class to see one twatting about. 

for the picture above (and indeed the X Wing missed opportunity one) i did indeed pay some money. such is how things are kept viable as a going concern. actually, no, for the one above, with me holding a light sabre thing (and showing off my dapper NZ shirt), it was a donation. very happy to give a link here to the North East Legion (this is the link), who(m) happily attend these events in their amazing outfits in order to raise funds for charity. 

soon, i think, the latest Star Wars film, The Mandalorian & Grogu, gets released. rather likely that i will be making the effort to go see it at the cinema, since the tv show was ace. odd, i suppose, that they didn't opt to release it on what has been embraced (if not adopted) as Star Wars day, but i think the release date is to do with some American day of celebration for something or other. 

the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

in search of spearmint and lemon

hello there

just one of them likely mundane (as in dull, look you see) sort of posts for anyone all that really desperate for something to gander at. well, at the least, so far as i am aware (unless the powers that be sneak them in and i get no coins), this blog is ad free, so there should be no annoying pop ups or what have you to distract from the general boredom here. 

indeed i have been shopping for toiletries, haven't i just. you will have no doubt worked this out, or in some way ascertained it, from the title. my requirements, dans le shop, were for some new shampoo and toothpaste. not quite accurate that, for i now need shampoo and conditioner. 

my ambition, of course, was to find items of each which leaned towards being more modestly priced rather than being what i wanted. well, this was at first, at the least. i have come to accept that going cheap with certain things is, to be blunt, f*****g stupid. sure, the lesser ("fewer") priced items for hygiene do the job, yet often it is higher priced ones do things more better, so to speak. 

so i set off to purchase, or procure (buy, even), the types of each item i actually wanted. which, in the case of toothpaste, would be spearmint "flavoured", or what the right word is. and, of course, or shampoo (and conditioner), lemon "infused", like what Jason Donovan decreed as being class. risking giving some spoilers here, but alas, no, found neither. 

over the last few years, when the need has compelled me to seek so, i have said to myself (for who else would i tell) "you know what, i actually fancy some spearmint toothpaste", only never to find it. in this most recent shopping excursion (to call it an adventure is going too far) i once again came up blank. instead, then, i opted for something called "refreshing green". no, i don't for one moment believe this to be some sort of "rebranded" spearmint toothpaste, but all the same a change. quite odd for me to get a single colour toothpaste as, like most (i would imagine), i do have a fascination with them kinds what are all different coloured stripes. 

exactly why has spearmint flavoured toothpaste disappeared from our world? it seems, mostly, a mix of a lack of demand and "branding decisions". initially i suspected it might have been some sort of "EU" thing, with a village in Hungary (or whatever) objecting to the term "spearmint" and the French agreeing to outlaw it for the sake of a quiet life and hey, it's an easy score. no, it really does seem as simple as in order to appear "progressive" the toothpaste industry as a whole opted to rebrand flavours. 

regular readers shall, of course, be aware that toothpaste has been a peculiarly frequent topic here. alas nothing of late has matched the "great" (or classical) era of bringing news about toothpaste. by that i mean of course when i was a pivotal player in the murky (but not sleazy) world of the international smuggling of toothpaste what have love beads shoved in it. should for some reason you wish to read more of that, clicking here is a good starting point, and then follow the links in that post. 

whereas spearmint toothpaste has vanished from our world (at least more or less) it is not quite so that the same is true of shampoo what has lemon shoved in it. it is, however, rather tricky to get hold of. kind of, at the least. i did find a 5l (five litre) bucket of the stuff for sale online for just south of £20, but that felt somewhat excessive. down the shops i found some shampoo (and conditioner) what had lime shove in it. so, with a (vague) sense of adventure i presumed "citrus is as citrus does" and decided to give it a go. yeah, that's the way i roll, baby. 

in respect of any "why lemon in shampoo" questions, no, for a change i am not going to go off on one about how, quite some time ago, Jason Donovan casually mentioned this. let me rather suggest you go and use google and search for "Jason Donovan lemon shampoo", or the other way around. when i did i took no small level of satisfaction in seeing roughly one half of the first page of results were for when i have written on the subject here. for some reason, then, "the internet" considers me quite the authority on this subject. nice one. 

using conditioner is something that i didn't think would be something one would ever speak of, but here we are. after my medical exploits (this link will take you to other links about it all) i made a quasi conscious decision to "grow my hair long", purely from my dreams of rock and roll. and to my surprise this lime infused shampoo (and conditioner) is really good. no, not lemon good, but still, i do like how it makes my hair feel. should i see lemon shampoo available i will (of course) get it, but for now this lime one seems to be doing what i ask of it. 

that's that for now, then. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nearly decent reading

hello reader

well, would you look at that. after dragging my feet with reading of late i have, somehow, managed to finish off reading a further two (2) novels in a short space of time, look you see. one would reasonably suspect (if not expect) that they must have been fairly engrossing stuff, but maybe not so much. risking giving away the crux of it before i waffle on, then, i would say they were both really good stories, but not flawlessly so. 

since there is no compelling reason to change from the standard way what i gone done this sort of thing, then, up comes a picture of the 2 (two) novels read, followed by a (mostly) spoiler free overview. you need to take note more than usual here, for after that there is every chance significant spoilers shall crop up. unavoidable sometimes. 

going from left to right, then, which handily is the order in what i read them, Murder On Line One by Jeremy Vine (yes that one) is a really excellent novel hiding within an average one. after that comes The Gathering off of CJ Tudor, which wasn't bad, yet not quite as good as i had hoped for. oddly again one could suggest (if not argue) a much (more) better novel lurks within the pages of this one. 

just to be clear, then, which is likely wise knowing the dwindling attention span of us humans, one should consider the rest of this to have spoilers within. so, if you are in a rush, or wish to remain absolutely spoiler free, then yes, for what my "view" is worth, both are worth reading. 

the provenance, for fans of such, of my copy of Murder On Line One off of Jeremy Vine was previously (rather than at some stage in the future) documented here. i would imagine i have little need to repeat it all. but yes, as the sticker on it shows, Tesco. 

plot? a provincial radio presenter (well, the golden rule for novelists at first is "write what you know") with a trouble past inadvertently ends up being part of a non-constabulary investigation into a possible murder. 

my use of italics there was quite deliberate (sometimes i do use them for fun alone) and is, mostly the crux of how this could be better. quite a lot of the enjoyment (if that is the right word) of reading the first 100 or so pages is anyone and everyone trying to work out if there has been a murder. i mean we, the readers, know there has, it's right there in the title. which is unfortunate, as it would be more better if it had a bit of a vaguer title. 

another thing holding this back is the writing. no, Mr Vine is not a "bad writer" (let me not throw stones from my glass house on that score, after all) as such. he has, however, embraced a style which at first feels somewhat clunky, a bit chunky and hovers over ham fisted. essentially, and this isn't necessarily a criticism for such is widely purchased and read, quite a "tabloid" style. one that, say, Tony Parsons does exceptionally well, and Mr Vine not quite as well. the problem with this comes at the start (you remember the spoiler warning) when a deep personal tragedy experienced by the (ostensible) protagonist is presented in a very "in your face", tabloid way. as in one isn't allowed the margin to become emotionally connected to the character and come to care naturally. 

overall the story, and structure of it, are really good. very much one that you want to keep reading. even if it is all "flawed". when it becomes clear that the "suspect pool" is extremely limited, well, one absolutely absurd red herring (although if it was them this novel would have been on the borderline of genius) exposes how obvious the other red herring is. meaning your "surely it is them what done it" thoughts are quite correct but it's another couple of hundred pages before the characters in the book work it out. 

for the most part (or mostly) there's more to enjoy in this novel than there is to pick apart. after the abrupt introductions you do grow interested (and indeed fond) of the characters. there's also some genuinely funny moments, and some rather touching ones too. yes, granted one or two "motivations" expressed by some of the character sound like they are off of one of Mr Vine's radio or tv phone in shows, but they, the content of them is all we, the people, phoning in, so it reflects the reality of someone somewhere, i guess. 

next up is The Gathering off of CJ Tudor. i will be honest and say that i had forgotten i had picked this up, and elected to read it when i was going through my pile of acquired paperbacks. so i am not 100% certain this is the case, but it is in all likelihood that the provenance is (once more) Tesco and their "book of the week" thing. 

what's the plot? it is a world where vampires (vampyrs in the novel) are kind of normalised, yet segregated. a detective is sent to a remote Alaskan town to investigate the possible murder of a human by a member of the nearby vampyr colony. should it be that a vampyr committed the crime then authorisation will, to the delight of the (human) inhabitants of the town, be given for a "cull" of all vampyrs in the colony. 

hmn. yes, mostly, i think (or believe) that hmn is my main review. i do find myself struggling a bit with my wish to champion CJ Tudor. as excellent and as brilliant as The Chalk Man and The Burning Girls were - really, really great novels - the others have more or less felt hmn. which, overall, this one does. 

bear with me here. the idea of, at this point in our history, setting out to write a "vampire" novel is rather like that the thing they do when they hire Coldplay to play Glastonbury. which is to say yeah, been there, done that, seen (or if you will heard) it all before, nothing new is going to be there. yet it is popular and successful, though, because it is the kind of thing a significant number of people happen to like, a lot. i did go into it fairly sure nothing "new" would be on the go, since the idea of a "normalisation" of vampires has been done in things like True Blood, and even the setting idea was used, if i remember right, for the superb film 30 Days Of Night. 

much like the Jeremy Vine novel it really does feel a much, much better novel lurks in the pages here. incidental things and vague sub-plots featuring (you had the spoiler warnings) selling human blood on the black market, the trade in vampyr relics and the "Helsing" anti-vampyr gangs all feel rather more interesting that the essentially pedestrian (and sometimes confusing despite that) murder investigation. being fair, though, the "twist" on who did it was rather good. 

presumably the review of The Gathering is, then, you very much "get what you pay for". there would be little point in one reading a new vampire novel and being disappointed that there's not all that much new or inventive in it. yet, as i said above, there pretty much was potential for that. not too sure how bothered i am by the suggestion of a follow up novel, which with a quite heavy hand is implied with the payoff line in the "epilogue" bit. i don't think i would be all that bothered about any further tales of some of the characters here. 

righty-ho, that's just about that. for those interested in such (a small percentage, likely) mostly these were indeed read when i had to put all that stuff on my feet (mostly) each morning. that said i think some of the Jeremy Vine one was read on (or during) a laundry visit. 

yes, i have indeed (already) selected the next one to read. a recent purchase too, off of one of my favourite writers, so any new paperback off of them always jumps the queue on whatever books i have sat here waiting to be read. 

thanks as ever for reading!

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

voyage of the dawn trolley

greetings

for some of you this shall, i trust (or hope), be a welcome return to news of sightings of apparently randomly abandoned trolleys. or trollies, look you see, depending on which is the precise, if not exact, spelling for such. 

generally one does not see all that many abandoned trolleys (or what have you) around these days. momentarily, at the least. in the present economic environment, which is no fallacy to describe as poor if not bleak, one would imagine that trolleys are being removed from supermarkets (and similar) and directly sold to less ("fewer") questions asked scrap metal merchants. rather unlikely that the people of this nation have lost their enthusiasm for the removal of them from their intended locale. believe me, if i had a solid working relationship with a scrap metal dealer, this is precisely what i would be doing. 

and there, above, is an image of the trolley for you, presented in that not too bad "thermal" image mode thing what i have one of them apps for. no, you are not mistaken, it has indeed been positioned (or abandoned if we are honest) in an agreeable place, so as to seem like it is chilling by a tree. 

the trolley does have a specific shop (or store) branding on it, but i am not prepared to disclose it here. no, it is not a shop i use too often myself, and also no, i am not responsible for either its removal or for where it has ended up. using that google thing i am informed that the trolley travelled at least 0.7 miles to get where it is, which included a voyage across a body of water. presumably the latter bit via a bridge, for there is no discernible rust visible. 

why, other than the fairly lucrative sale value, do people take trolleys? it is (i believe) inappropriate to answer a question with a question, but to ask such is to be asking the wrong question. after all, why would you not take one? it is on wheels and perfectly mobile. sure, doing so provides something of a vague inconvenience to the proprietor who invested in it, and (possibly) prospective shoppers that may have wished to make use of it, but there we go. 

it would be amiss, if not an outright act of folly, for me to write of an abandoned trolley without stating that i really don't have much to write on such a subject beyond that which i have previously written. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

further obsolete

.... . .-.. .-.. --- / - .... . .-. .

some time ago - i believe five or so months, look you see - i, on a whim, and after a conversation with a good friend opted (or elected) to find out what sort of job one of these artificial intelligence (or "ai") things would do of writing something for here. the result of that can be found here, should you be interested at all. 

for those not inclined to look at that, well, it more or less confirmed what i suspected about what gets described as "ai" in the present day. which is that it is absolutely nothing of the sort. no, i am no expert, but from what i can tell (or ascertain) "all" that is happening is exceptionally fast processing and filtering of data with a result or "conclusion" being thrown out. by this i mean it really isn't ai, for it still does not think for itself, still does not ask questions. 

i am quite sure that them what have made all this stuff have better things to do that work on (more) better ways to produce posts for here, but all the same i was curious enough to see what happened when i tried again. results are, at the risk of a spoiler, a bit of a step backwards. 

to start with, some images. which do underline the point i made above somewhat. and that "point" is that these ai things are really only capable of producing a result from what you give them, rather than actually, genuinely or really creating something itself. first off i asked for it to produce an image to go o this blog, and got this. 

quite rubbish generic stuff, really, although to be fair some of you might (possibly)consider that quite an apt way to describe whatever it is i put here. looks like the cover of a bad mid-90s PC game to me. so, moving on, all it did was create what i asked, which is an image for this blog. it did not want nor seek clarification. again, just filtering and sorting based on what you give it. 

tried again, then, and asked it to produce an image to go with a post on this blog. results of that are below, and very much a case of oh dear. 

can sort of do business on the typewriter and the coffee, but do i really mention rockets, starfish or any form of rudimentary compass all that much? 

bit of a "spoiler" in the next image. finally, or for the third one, then, i asked it to create an image for a post here, but an image based on one line from the article it produced. and this is what it came up with. 

yes, i appreciate it is "free", but still. if one assumes (or takes as a given) that there will be in excess of one thousand selfies of me, is this really the best image of moi it can come up with? quite flattering, true, but inaccurate. and i think it has been almost a decade since i last willingly wore a shirt that had a collar. 

and now to the article (or post) that i requested chat gpt (or whatever it is) to write - 

There’s a particular kind of quiet that only arrives after something has already gone wrong.

Not the dramatic kind—the slammed doors, the raised voices, the cinematic rain. No, this is the quieter failure. The one that hums faintly in the background while you’re making tea, or answering emails, or pretending that everything is, broadly speaking, fine.

It usually starts small. A missed message. A conversation you meant to have but didn’t. A feeling you carefully stepped around because you didn’t have the energy to pick it up properly. And then, over time, those small avoidances stack up like unopened letters in a hallway you no longer walk down.

I’ve been thinking a lot about that hallway.

About how easy it is to convince yourself that leaving things alone is the same as keeping the peace. That silence is neutral. That not deciding is, somehow, a decision in itself. (It is, but not the kind you think you’re making.)

The truth is, neglect has a direction. It leans. Quietly, persistently, it tilts things away from where they were supposed to be. Not violently—just enough that, one day, you look up and realise you’re no longer where you thought you were heading.

And by then, of course, the quiet has settled in.

There’s a temptation at that point to assign blame. To rewind everything and look for the precise moment it all slipped. As if there were a single hinge on which the entire thing turned. But most of the time, there isn’t. It’s not one decision—it’s the absence of many.

That’s the uncomfortable part.

Because it means the fix isn’t dramatic either. There’s no single grand gesture that restores everything to its former shape. No sweeping apology or late-night revelation that resets the trajectory. Instead, it’s smaller than that. Quieter.

It’s answering the message.

It’s having the slightly awkward conversation.

It’s naming the thing you were hoping would resolve itself if you just gave it enough time.

None of these feel significant in isolation. They’re easy to postpone precisely because they don’t feel urgent. But they are the difference between a hallway that fills up and one that stays clear.

I don’t think we’re very good at respecting small actions. We like scale. We like turning points. We like the idea that change arrives with a clear before and after. But most of life doesn’t work like that. It’s incremental. Directional. Shaped by things that barely register in the moment.

Which is both frustrating and, if you look at it properly, oddly reassuring.

Because if things can drift off course quietly, they can also be corrected the same way.

Not all at once. Not perfectly. But enough.

Enough to change the angle.

Enough to make the hallway walkable again.

 

rubbish, that is, as an article in the style of my blog. oh, make no mistake, i am not suggesting that what i have gone done write before is "better". but this just misses style and quirks, like my  lack of interest in use of capital letters, my penchant (or passion) for loads of stuff in brackets (like this) and so on. also i am always very mindful not to start consecutive paragraphs with words that start with the same letter, which this has clearly overlooked. 

no, i am not "anti" all this ai stuff, or fighting against it despite being stuck in the past with most things. far from it really, i am looking forward to naked Austrians of the future turning up and doing some boss retro assassinations. it just strikes me as being disingenuous to call this big data management artificial intelligence, because it is nothing of the sort.  

effectively, then, the only actual artificial intelligence we have in the present day is that which we have had for well north of 50 years - any computer chess program. true, they mostly (or for the most part) rely heavily on the data given, but they use that to "ask" a question of an opponent and "think" of what move to make next. 

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decimal video

heya

i am reasonably sure that the last time i gone done a post on some videos (discs) there was the speculative suggestion of me (moi) not doing quite so many all at once. and most probably the time before that, look you see. so there should be little, if any, surprise (or interest) that here's ten things of what i view as being ostensibly videos that i watched fairly recently. 

with regards to "format" video wars, not too much of a (mass) debate here. just the one (1) on the fancy video format (blu ray), the remainder (9) being regular video (DVD). the latter appears to be experiencing a partial "renaissance" of late, which is weird for a technology what doesn't feel all that old, and comes mostly from people clocking these discs offer a cheaper, higher quality experience than battling with the wonders of "streaming" services.

no particular order exists for the below videos (or what have you), with the potentially possible exception of the fancier video (blu ray) being first. i maybe should have at least presented them all in the order what they are pictured above, but didn't think to and i really can't be bothered messing with how i have got the images all added. just scroll mostly down (or up) to have a bit of a gander at any of the ones in the picture above which you are (for some reason) keen to see my brief thoughts on. 

whereas as much care as possible will be taken to avoid having them needlessly, all the same it is highly likely that one or two "spoilers" shall (and/or will) crop up in the remainder of this post. so you have, as the saying goes, been warned. 

every chance exists that my endurance of Take This Waltz will mark the end of me watching films purely because there is the promise of nudies in it. some things i saw on the internet made it clear that it would feature some most agreeable (and full tilt) nudies, which it did, but the price of that is one particularly nasty, vile film. 

the plot appears to be the endorsement of some really creepy, obnoxious stalker seducing his neighbour, disrupting her apparently "idyllic" lifestyle. she is, in the film, married to Seth Rogan, who i have a vague awareness of existing, who(m) plays some quasi-retarded, dim witted bloke labouring under the impression he has invented cooking chicken. no idea if any of that is standard for him, or if such pushed his acting abilities to the fore. it was really unpleasant to watch all of this being presented as some form of "romantic drama" with comedic moments thrown in. 

i would assume (or presume) that the intended demographic, or if you will market, for this film is the kind of person that really, really likes that tv show Friends. escapist entertainment, divorced from reality and works only if you flat refuse to (if not just avoid) scratch at the surface to look at the morally bankrupt premise. should you be tempted to watch this film, well, don't.

one of those "classics" that i had not (before now) actually gotten around to watching next, then, with the celebrated Marathon Man. as to why i had not seen it before, probably a mix of apprehension about just how brutal the widely known "torture" scene is, that it's not all the widely available a film and i probably just didn't think to seek it out. happy days, then, when i found the video (disc) down the market. 

let me go right ahead a state the obvious, or what is known, then - this film is indeed a masterpiece of cinema. brilliantly constructed, superbly acted and one of the most compelling, absorbing movies you will find to sit and watch. to address is, the (in)famous "is it safe" torture sequence is brutally difficult to sit through, disorientation because, like the tortured Hoffman, at that stage you have no idea what it is that is being asked if it is "safe". 

yes, trivia fans, the much celebrated "myth" of an exchange between two actors from this film. it famously brings together Laurence Olivier, arguably the greatest "classically trained" actor of them all, and Dustin Hoffman, who(m) is at least in the conversation for the top three "method" actors of his generation. the story is that Hoffman supposedly confided in Olivier that he had stayed up for three straight days and nights to prepare for a scene where he had been so for the same time. in response Olivier is supposed to have said "my dear boy, have you boy, have you ever considered just acting?".  whereas this exchange did happen, there is rather more to it. 

not all that long ago (here) i suggested that there were some films what naturally suggested they should be watched at certain times of the year. so yes, indeed, i did watch The Long Good Friday on the good friday of this year (2026, somehow). been quite some time since i saw it, and figured why not, especially as it is one of my brother's all time favourites. 

usually this one gets described as "the best British gangster film ever made" or of all time (or similar) and it's difficult, mindful of questions about just how useful such an accolade is, to disagree. one could suggest Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels challenges for the title, yet that one was intended more as a very funny comedy. a difference, i suppose, is that if in some preposterous circumstances i was forced to make a choice, well, in comparison i would fancy my chances more against anyone in Lock, Stock, whereas i would be very much accepting fate (and hoping for a quick death) if faced with the Bob Hoskins character from The Long Good Friday. 

once more i am not sure there's all that much i can say on this one that has not been said many, many times before. the intricate, clever plot (which they nearly ruined the twists of with the original title) hold up to this day, as do the devastating performances. quite fascinating, too, to see images of that there London (innit) from close to 50 (!) years ago, with particular emphasis on how back then sure they had traffic, but you could still actually drive about and park. 

bit of a change of pace, then, with A Very Buttery Collection, being a two video (or 2 disc) compilation of some of the finer episodes of South Park to feature Butters prominently. yes, the likes of Cartman, Randy Marsh and many others get lots of love, but Butters has always been a favourite. hard to call this set a "best of", since it does not feature the brilliant Lord Of The Rings one, or the double episode, best watched as a film Imaginationland, but all the same a most agreeable set of Butters related episodes. i am led to believe this set is relatively rare, although my recollection is getting it quite cheap years ago. 

highlights? there are only so many titles i can list here and keep it (kind of) family friendly, but of course the Paris Hilton one is here. i think that is the episode what turned me into a Butters disciple. also there's the one where Butters seeks (ahem) professional guidance on how to be a pimp, and the one where he displays his deft (and surprisingly deadly) tapdancing skills. 

i should, in all likelihood, spend more time than i do watching and re-watching South Park, for it is ludicrously funny. perhaps i shall seek out the video of the Lord Of The Rings episode. 

another instance of me getting around to watching a film what i had been aware of for north of 30 years but didn't bother with until i found it down the market, then, in the form (or shape) of The Presidio. well i am reasonably sure i hadn't seen it before, but the scene where (and there was a spoiler warning) Sean Connery batters the big bald guy with just his thumb felt familiar. 

just how the world, or perceptions, changes is right there in the cast. for audiences this century (which i am obliged to state is a century i do not understand) the idea of Mark Harmon as a police officer is perfectly natural. this is thanks to him, for some 20 or so years, brilliantly playing agent Gibbs in the excellent NCIS series. back in the 80s it was considered absolutely ridiculous casting, for he was known mostly as being the hunky love interest in some medical soap opera (St Elsewhere, i think) and as the party time teacher in the really funny Summer School. 

this film is textbook forgettable, to be honest. at 90 minutes it feels too long, with some of those minutes overtly (and obviously) padded out with two needless love scenes, both of which feature considerably more nudies of Mr Harmon than of Ms Ryan. enjoyment of the film in the DVD variation of video is all but impossible due to it being one of them "forced widescreen" presentations, where your tele is a lot more black bars at the top and bottom than it is picture. kudos, though, to Sean Connery for playing the role of an American military police officer with a highly convincing Scottish accent. 

it wasn't quite a straightforward a case of the recent passing of Chuck Norris inspiring me to have a watch of The Delta Force again. were i to pick a film for such a specific tribute then it would likely be the one i consider his finest, Code Of Silence, which i watched fairly recently. this is a close second, and i happened to spot the disc in a pile i had bought off of the market not so long ago. 

rather fond memories of the first time i saw this, which was at the cinema. the legend that is Boyley and i optimistically tried to buy tickets at the cinema, but the lady at the ticket office wanted proof that we were 18, which we could not provide because we certainly were not. with some disappointment we figured that we would have to go and see some PG rated alternate (i think, maybe, Jewel Of The Nile), but at the last moment the lady had a change of heart and let us get tickets for it. 

quite class, this film is. it is an "actual" proper film, too, with some respected and renowned actors delivering fine performances, a really good script and generally well made. sure, there's some amazing action sequences, but the film is not built solely around them. yes (or if you like "also sure") there is some bravado to it, with it being a little heavy handed in its "ignore the realities of all military action by America, we are really quite good at it, honest" stance, but, well, it is celebrating heroes. very much worth a watch, this one is, and yes the motorbikes that fire missiles are boss. 

yet another instance of me eventually watching a film that i had seen a trailer for hundreds of times over the years, then, with King Of New York. rather like Deadly Pursuit, i got to be so familiar with the pretty lengthy trailer that the idea of watching the actual film felt somewhat redundant. and once again it proved that i had missed out on a really decent film for all these years. 

no one, i think, is running around claiming this to be the "greatest gangster film" of all time, but it is very much above average for the genre. Christopher Walken is superb as the ruthless crime lord intent making lots of money but ensuring the community is enriched whilst doing so. there is much of interest here, be it the contradictory nature of the Walken character or the dubious approach the constabulary show in trying to bring his reign to an end. 

one frequent review i had seen over the years was that it was "very violent" and (goodness me) it certainly is. even by today's standards, where levels of violence are perpetually pushed to new limits in some films, this is graphic and intense and is most decidedly not for the easily disturbed or upset. that, in most instances, you feel pangs of sorrow for some of the ones what have harm befall them just serves to show how well made a film this one is. 

it would be entirely wrong to say that we, as kids, were "banned" or otherwise "not allowed" to watch The Black Hole by Mum and Dad back in, what 1982 or 1983. rather more likely they were just not that interested in it, or had seen some reviews indicating that it might not be suitable for (as we were then) a younger audience. can't even remember when, exactly, i finally saw it. don't recall renting it, so possibly saw it on the tele at some stage, maybe late 80s or early 90s. 

this came out when we were living in g'day, mate, fair dinkum Australia and i can remember it being very heavily advertised and/or marketed to us, the kids, at least by early 80s standards. every kids tv show appeared to have snippets of it, and there was the obligatory (which i think i had) sticker album on the go too. my brother and i were quite keen to see it, probably mostly for the two boss looking flying robots. we also made (as best we could), out of Lego, some of the smart double barrel gun things what the non-flying robots had. 

as for the film itself, pretty decent. sure the special effects are early 80s, but are (all the same) enjoyable in the way things "done for real" seem more pleasing on the eye than all this CGI stuff. there is no escaping, though, that at heart it really is a horror story, or if you will more sci-fright than sci-fi. how this one gets away with a "PG" certificate off of the BBFC is baffling, even with their slightly more lax views on things of stuff these days. 

when i noticed Frenzy on one of the stalls down the market i felt (oddly) compelled to give it another look. think it will be over 35 yet somewhere (slightly) south of 40 years since i saw it. all i could remember was it wasn't too bad, and could not quantify why i would have wished to watch it again.

so far as i am aware this was one of, if not the, last films to be made by Alfred Hitchcock, but no, it is not one of his more celebrated works. whilst it's not a bad film as such (if we are honest, well, with respect to the reputation of the director, it is textbook average) the main value in the present day is probably the extraordinary footage of early 70s London (innit). that and a rare chance for Bernard Cribbins to play a more serious, dramatic part than one would usually associate him with. does it rather well, too. 

the plot is the tale of a generally dislikeable (and unpleasant) chap who gets mistaken for a serial sex criminal stalking that there London (innit). which i suppose is a kind of interesting twist, as it asks the audience how much do you care for a miscarriage of justice when you really really don't like the person that is innocent. for the notoriously dark humour of Hitchcock, well, there's one prolonged really macabre scene in which (and you had a spoiler warning) the real killer attempts to retrieve evidence from a body he has elaborately disposed of. it actually felt, watching it again, that the film was probably built around how to get this scene in. as i said, not bad, but there's at (the very) least a dozen or so much more better films what he made. 

finally, for now (or this post), Kentucky Fried Movie. once more i had not seen this for years, and purchased on a whim (for a change) down the market. mostly, to be as truthful as ever, i seemed to recall the film at the least had some most agreeable nudies in it, particularly in a mock film trailer bit called something like Hot Catholic Schoolgirls In Trouble. 

oh, yes, that scene was (very much) in it and just as glorious as ever. the remainder of the film, which comprises of sketches and parodies, is "a bit hit and miss", which is to say 50 or so years later mostly it is all miss. quite sure some of the products being parodied were relevant back then, but don't make a lot of sense now. brief cameos by Bill Bixby and Donald Sutherland are not, one would argue, as much of a big deal as they likely seemed back then. 

mostly the issue here is that all of the parody stuff is overtly American-centric. yes, sure, it was made for that market, with an international release an afterthought, or done on the assumption that all American products were available around the world, because yee-haw, etc. so this is one of those films that would get called "dated" in a correct way. from memory the quasi-semi sequel (of sorts) from the 80s, Amazon Women On The Moon, went broader and more universal. i recall that one was really funny, perhaps i shall dig out the video (disc) and watch again to see if it is. 

phew, that's that lot, then. oddly (or as it happens) the next two (2) videos i will watch are known quantities, to me at the least. one of them is something that looks absolutely sh!t and strangely features that Seth Rogen again, with it being (i believe) considered one of the worst films ever made. i shall give it a go purely because Spiros said some bits were good. on top of that a relatively obscure film from the 80s cropped up in a sale, so i ordered it straight away. 

can't think that much (of any) of this will have been of all that much interest to anyone, but all the same hope so, and many thanks as ever for reading!

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i only love my watch and my snakeskin shoes

hello there

perhaps i should have called this post ever decreasing circles. or circular(ish) shapes, look you see. it would be reasonably, by my standards, more ("less fewer") accurate. however, to do so would simply serve to attract he rather fanatical Richard Briers fan base to this blog. i have no quarrel with them and very much wish to retain that status. quite demented and brutal, they can get. the title chosen just kind of popped in there, and stuck. 

maintaining my apparent determination to place here the mundane and bland, then, is the news that i have purchased a couple of new belts. two, to be precise. so not just one, and not as many as three (3). appreciating that my current plight is an issue or problem is one many would wish to have i do seem to have a need for new belts more frequently than i ever dared dream possible. this comes from my reasonably well documented (across this blog) heath issues; a consequence of which has been rather rapid and certainly dramatic weight loss. 

despite such being an aspect of the English way of doing things i am bereft of any desire to wander around this world with a significant amount of my posterior, or backside (basically my @r$e) exposed to all and sundry. for some reason exposing such a (relatively) private part of the body is the done thing, with trousers being tailored with a precise "dip" at the back to enable such. maybe due to the somewhat international nature of my existence i really don't like doing this, so prefer a sturdy belt so as to avoid such displays. 

up to now, with a sense of economy and a proclivity to avoid waste, i have been getting a good friend who(m) is good at such things to drill holes (so to speak) in my existing belt collection. also William, one of my (known) children, added some to one. this tends to weaken the integrity of them, though, so every now and then i will purchase new, ever smaller ("fewer") size ones, so as to maintain a fairly consistent level of not revealing aspects of my anatomy which most would (surely) agree are best kept private. 

that said, no, on the instance of procuring (buying) these two (2) new belts it wasn't that i specifically set out to make such an acquisition. i was wandering around, mindful of how frequently i needed to pull up my trousers with the incumbent belt being a little loose, when i saw these on sale in the one shop. the pattern on one of them looked kind of cool, and so i went and gone done a transaction. 

what, exactly, can i write about belts? assuming (of course) that the primary purpose of this post is to do so, and not merely (or consequentially) brag about of flash and vogue i am buying things? not a lot, really. for the benefit of anyone who(m) has not heard it there is, of course, the "classic" belt joke. i am not sure it shall work in a written form, for it is best done verbally, but here goes - what did the 0 (zero, or nought) say to the 8 (eight)? nice belt. 

one fond (and on topic) memory i hope to forever retain comes from a family shopping trip. we were all at one of them department store things. i think i was looking at jeans or similar, when i was vaguely made aware of a shop assistant approaching someone behind me, speaking the words "can i help you sir". not long after this i heard Dad, in his distinctive voice, responding with the words "what can you tell me that i don't know about a belt". the shop assistant departed. 

for clarification, no, i am (certainly) not on them yuppie "weight loss" jabs. the weight is going away via a mixture of a (radically) changed diet and the medication i am on. at times this does get scary, especially when i look at pictures (selfies) from just a couple of years ago. really does feel like i am in danger of fading away, which (i appreciate) some out in the world would not consider bad. 

i am going to skip the usual linking to tales of my medical plight, for i would assume (or take as a given) that you are capable of searching this blog for such if interested. that said, for the more sartorial elements of this, here you go with a link to my sensational cowboy look, and an incident with another belt that did not go well. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

killerstar - the afterglow

howdy pop pickers

just what, exactly, does one (or specifically moi, look you see) do when they have a new tape (disc) which they really crave to love but just do not? no, to clarify, don't "hate", for there are places between extremes we as a world have forgotten, but all the same don't feel what you hoped. i suppose the answer as to what to do is to ramble on about the regrettable disappointment. 

here, then, is where i find myself with The Afterglow, being the second album off of KillerStar. quite an interestingly constructed band, but to save repetition (and to steal away things i could write here) more on that via these links to my posts on their debut album, live at 100 Club, and a 10" ep. whilst being aware of a second album was in the offing, for they previewed a couple of the songs (at least i think it was two) at the gig i went to, there was no huge weight or even wave of expectation surrounding it. 

initially my plan was to get this tape (disc) at another gig at the 100 Club by them, where they were going to be selling it a few weeks prior to the official release date. whereas i had a ticket i, alas, had to cancel going via a combination of my (reasonably well documented here) health plight, the astronomical cost of the trains to that there London (innit) and (of course) the extreme likelihood that the train i would have paid a fortune to be on getting cancelled. no matter, then, i just ordered it from or if you will via their internet stuff. delighted when it landed with a smart sticker (image below), but did note that they had managed to spell my name incorrectly. turns out this is not the only thing they got wrong, but more on that later. rather than earlier.

didn't go into this one "blind" (or deaf, i suppose) as i did with the first. for the first, well, if you follow the links, yes, there was enough good faith in the musicians involved to give it a try, which i shall forever be glad i did. knowing more or less what to expect from a second venture by the band didn't stand me in all that good stead when it turned out to be kind of more of the same, yet feeling somewhat flat (or in a way deflated) compared to the first. 

there are, i hasten to add, really good songs on here. from the 8 (eight) which comprise the album the standout (or simply outstanding) moments are Invincible, The Afterglow, bits of Proud and most of Rubicon. every now and then you can get away with one half of your album being really good. the greatest example is probably All That You Can't Leave Behind off of U2, with the first five songs being so mind-blowingly brilliant you more or less forget the remainder of it is filler. more often than not, though, you get Second Coming off of The Stone Roses. 

lyrically is where, disappointingly, The Afterglow is weakest. nearly all of it is contrived, fairly obvious rhyming couplets. worryingly what came to mind when listening was Blur's debut album, which always seemed to be an attempt to make the definitive collection of rhyming words ending "ay". unfortunately not a single song on here feels like it was written from some burning desire to express something. there is rather more of a sense that it was "this will work" or, worryingly, "this will do". possible, of course, that they just used lyrics as dressing for showcasing the vast musical talents on offer, yet this is a big step backwards from the debut. 

quite interesting to see a comment on the inner cover, that i have tried to get a picture of for you, declaring that no AI was used in making the album. at first this reminded me of Queen, who(m) famously had "no synthesisers were used in making this record" on all of their albums right up to the point where they did use them; i think Flash Gordon or the less ("fewer") celebrated Hot Space. it turns out, however, that they might have wished to use some AI at one point, since the songs appear on the disc in a totally different order from how they are listed on the cover and disc face. 

whilst not normally (or usually) engaging in "social media" things beyond good wishes to people at times that it is appropriate i did indeed ask the band about this on their facebook thing. mostly i was curious if i had a "one off" bad pressing or if it was a wider problem. no, as in yes, they were "aware" of the issue, and mentioned that replacement copies would be made available for free when they have fixed it, by which i take it as made more. baffling, taking as a given that someone must have noticed, even off just a test pressing, that this was allowed to come out like this, as surely it would have made more sense to delay the release and get fixed up. should it have been that the order of songs didn't really feel important then rather go full tilt Prince Black Album an don't list it. otherwise, releasing it like this kind of suggests the band "simply didn't care" about the issue, and if they don't care then why would they expect an audience to? 

musically is where the great strength, and indeed draw, of KillerStar is. whereas all of the musicians assembled are clearly a perfect mix of gifted and talented, it's the presence of Earl Slick and Mike Garson that alerted a few of us to the band. here, and once again i freely admit a lack of musical knowledge, is where it is all a bit of a let down. sure, if i made an album with them two on it i would absolutely highlight them, but it all feels so forced on this album. far too often you get either Mr Slick or Mr Garson "mixed up" way too loud and overt on songs, rather than allowing a natural point in songs for them to shine. it really comes across as eccentric showboating. 

how frequently am i going to play The Afterglow by KillerStar? well, at least once more if the replacement copy with the songs in the order intended comes along. otherwise, to reference two (2) of the other records mentioned, probably as much as all the songs after the first 5 (five) on All That You Can't Leave Behind, or slightly less ("fewer") frequently than Second Coming. right now my feelings about the band are not that far off of Inhaler - i appreciate the music, kind of like it, but really don't seem to get or grasp what the "point" is. 

so, two new released albums bought and played this year (2026) and it turns out the Morrissey one is the best thus far. not entirely sure what, if anything, is going to come along as the weeks and months go by. let me express the hope (or wish) that, if in some future rather than previous year KillerStar release a third album that it is one they do mean, and it all comes out as intended. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!