pager

ahlaan bik

yes i do, believe it or not, appreciate that this should perhaps not be the main thing to take away from recent news. equally it is true that i can stand accused of being "inappropriate" here, look you see. such allegations are not new and also not entirely denied. but all the same, i was rather fascinated to note in the news the return of the pager, if not (quite) for the intended use. 

when had i last considered, or thought of, a pager? not for a few decades, i would think. once the mobile phone became profligate the device so treasured by those wishing to appear important became as redundant as it did obsolete.  yes, it has been fun explaining the basic idea behind a pager to those of the generation of this century. 

for those of you baffled (or just curious) as to what a pager was (or "is"), well it was like a sort of radio or whatever thing, long before we had constant communication, where you could alert someone of presumed importance when they were required urgently. 80s and (very) early 90s films were littered with doctors, lawyers and such that had them, with a bleep on their device (often attached to their belt) saw them rushing off to a payphone to get the message someone had left. 

thank you for the picture

as far as i am aware the only people i knew what ever had a pager were Spiros and his brother. no, i am not sure what level of importance they felt they had to need one, but have one they did. from what i can remember i left the odd "f*** off" or similar message for Spiros to call and hear, whereas i treated his brother to aspects (or elements) of really, really bad songs that were on the radio. don't think i ever saw anyone actually get a pager "bleep" and need to rush off for an emergency or what have you, which speaks volumes of any limited social circle that i have held. 

how likely are we to see a revival of the pager? not at all. if anything it will be that the most recent news events will simply see all existing pager technology (or use) banned, because them in power just love to ban things as it's a way of showing they are "doing stuff" and an easy flex of control. quite a shame, really, as it's been a lovely reminder of a time when we did not feel obliged to be in touch and contactable at all times for anything, with sufficient means existing to reach someone in the instance of an unfortunate, extreme emergency. 

still, it would be nice if this heralded a return of other now obsolete forms of communication. 

thank you for the picture

realistically, if not essentially, we should be embracing the simplicity, the efficiency, the accuracy and the relative privacy of the fax machine. as i have commented on before, though, the world is trying to get rid of them all. no one has ever caused mayhem by pressing "reply to all" on a fax, and nor has anyone ever accidentally sent esoteric pictures to their mother via a fax machine. deliberately, perhaps, but this is not important right now. indeed it was quite class to phone someone from a fax machine and hear their distress as they just heard a whole load of electronic waffle.  

no, i never did have a pager myself. despite the obvious risks to them, yes it is (reasonably) tempting to maybe get one now. as far as i am aware you can't actually get them off of any provider here in the UK these days, and it might look suspicious if i started going around making enquiries. 

the only "legacy" form of communication we  appear to retain is the written, posted letter. even then it's very much the case that Royal Mail and/or the Post Office here in England are trying their absolute best to stop people using that too. perhaps not, but we may come to regret letting go of perfectly fine means of correspondence for "better" technology. 

תהיו מצויינים אחד לשני!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cinema again

greetings

well, how about that. i have made a 4th (fourth) visit to a cinema this year. yes, the very same cinema in each instance, look you see. i would not care to call such a number of visits "unprecedented" entire, but it does somewhat feel like it's the most i have been to one in one singular year so far this century. depending on where i am and what comes along who knows, a fifth is not out of the question. 

but, presumably, you are not interested in the above. quite (as in very) likely you have no interest in anything here, which would prompt the question why read. on the off chance it's to see what i watched and if it was any good, that would be Alien Romulus and yes, it was really good. 

for those who absolutely feel that such should always exist, please note there's a ***WARNING*** in place for the rest of this post. not just for "spoilers" but also a selfie. yes, of moi. 

plot? well, it's an Alien film, so yes, humans (once again) manage to (knowingly or otherwise) let an alien loose amongst them and all mayhem breaks loose. in this instance we find a group of people mining on a planet on behalf of the Weyland-Yutani group, technically "employed" but apparently unable to leave, except via death. unexpectedly a (seemingly) disused space station comes into the oribit of this planet. so, off they go to it to "borrow" cryo chambers which shall enable them to fly considerable distance to unemployment or, if you will, freedom. except the space station is perhaps not as disused or empty as it appeared..........

should some elements of that description sound "a bit" (or a lot) like the original Alien film, well, yes, i got that sense. especially when a "cameo" of sorts happened. to be honest a lot of the first 20 or so minutes of the film felt somewhat pedestrian, until it became clear it more or less existed just to set a premise that made the film not a totes remake. familiar enough to be comfortable and thus avoid any needlessly length set ups of what an alien is, yet more or less its own thing when it gets to the business end. 

once more it was off to the Ealing Project, then. lovely cinema. my hope was to have gone on a Tuesday, as they do a (quasi) half price thing. alas, a Thursday (i think) it was, and i discovered they were having a "September sale", with all tickets £6 (plus booking fee). perhaps i should have shared this somewhat earlier in the month. anyway, i believe a "regular" diet coke zero thing (they did not have regular, or "full fat" as it is now bewilderingly called) and modest (small) popcorn was just south of £9. i could get a specific number, but that would mean looking at my bank account and i have no wish to trouble myself with such things this side of payday. 

in respect (or regards) of how full the (early evening) screening i went to was, it was not. whilst i didn't sit and count i believe there was only another half dozen or so people in. doubtful that this could count as any sort of gauge for "box office", as it was a good three to four weeks after the film was released. so far as i am aware it has been a success, but then more and more are waiting for "streaming" services to show them the films they want to gone done see. 

and that, in this instance, is a great pity. just as Civil War really benefitted from the full tilt cinema sound system, Alien Romulus created one hell of a terrifying, claustrophobic experience on the big screen. at home i imagine this will simply seem "exciting", no matter how good the set up this is. over the course of this last year i have kindly been reminded of just how formidable the cinematic experience really is. well, when one sees "proper" films, and not all just these generic "expanded universe" comic book or superhero ones, all of which seem to be made with a sense of being for home viewing anyway. 

to give some sort of abstract "ranking", this one (Alien Romulus) sits right behind Alien and Aliens, and above Prometheus which to my surprise has aged rather well. indeed Alien 3 in any version shall always remain bottom (or worst); even below any Alien vs Predator complaints. should you be looking for a sort of recommendation, oh yes, see it if you can if you have not already. 

just the one disappointment - they had a trailer for Gladiator 2. it looks absolutely f*****g awful, and it would seem the trailer gives you any twists and all of the ending. should have gone with the Nick Cave idea for it. that said, The Substance with Demi Moore looks boss, hopefully i can see that at the cinema too. 

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

ode to the next butterfly on a wheel

hello there

it is quite remarkable how our glorious, celebrated new leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has managed to upset so many people in such a short space of time. already, look you see, he has told pensioners they are likely to freeze over winter, drivers (and as a knock on anyone who uses public transport) that they shall pay a lot more for fuel and anyone stupid enough to be employed can expect significant tax increases. up to now they only people he appears to have pleased are those employed in some capacity or another in the railway industry, giving them all of their ludicrous demands knowing (presumably) that quite soon they shall just ask for even more. 

where next for Sir Keir to attack? cigarettes, or more specifically smokers, of course. we, for i am one of them (sorry) are always a rather easy, soft target. no one is saying that smoking is in any way "good" or should be encouraged, but the last couple of years has seen a demented onslaught against smokers, as if we are responsible for all ills in society. 

new legislation is, apparently, on its way to yet further limit where people may not smoke. being fair is to say some of this makes sense, but not all. fascinatingly for justification he has said that smoking causes "80,000 deaths a year". leaving aside the convenient round number, he doesn't clarify if smoking was the only thing which caused any of the deaths. or if this is a bit like the new plague (covid), where there was instances of people being run over and killed being classed as a "covid death" as they happened to be infected at the time. 

should the "leaked" information about the brave new smoking bans be accurate, it appears that it will be made illegal to smoke anywhere near hospitals (or let us say any clinic or medical facility), playgrounds and  outside sports stadiums. leaving aside that fervent anti-smokers will say all are good ideas for bans, it's not quite so clear cut. here, consider this for the three (3) listed. 

medical facilities - does seem to make sense, as no good health benefits come from smoking. one would not, for instance, be expected to be allowed to smoke inside one. but outside? what about those people who(m) have received bad, upsetting news (themselves or friends or relatives) and feel the need to have a cigarette as a coping mechanism? providing no smoking areas at all is a little harsh, and strikes me as being very much against the current trend for being supportive of mental health issues. you would wish to give someone bad news and not let them use a coping mechanism? 

playgrounds - actually agree 100% here. even without the health side (and "second hand smoke" is dubious but still a bad smell) there's the example it sets, normalising it for children. i am loathe to do any sort of "what about" comment, but i do hope that they also ban parents from just staring blankly at phones at playgrounds too, for that also sets a bad example. 

outside sports stadiums - now this is just plain f*****g stupid. inside, sure, you have that ban and it makes sense if for no reason other than limiting fire risks. but outside? well, how far away does one have to be to be considered outside the stadium but not outside it? just who will police anywhere between 20,000 and 80,000 people leaving a stadium, checking they are not smoking? also, what if it's not being used for sport? do they really think no one at the Oasis concerts in 2025 will smoke?

for the latter one it does feel like a move to a dangerous, dodgy area. most, if not all, sports stadiums are in public spaces, surrounded by public paths and roads. on which it is perfectly legal to smoke. here, then, starts a move in direction to trying to ban smoking in all public places. do be careful. 

generally i don't like it when someone says "the authorities" are "taking away liberties" as normally it will be something morally dubious that they are defending with liberties. as things stand, however, smoking remains legal, and moving to ban it in public "for health reasons" really does open the door for them to ban other things which they shall claim "causes X deaths a year" and is "putting a strain on the health services". 

just what shall they try and stop you doing in public next? so far as i am aware there are laws about consuming alcohol in public, or at least about being intoxicated. yet "obesity" is apparently another matter destroying the health service. will people protest when they ban drinking anything but water in public places? or how about eating takeaway food? if it feels preposterous reading that be assured it certainly does writing it too, but give people the ability to take away things "for your own good" does not and will not stop at only the things you don't like anyway. 

there can be little doubt (at all) that the imminent first budget of the brave new Labour government will smack even more taxes on cigarettes. i really am not at all sure what they hope this will achieve. my guess is that it will simply send more people in the direction of the less official, more affordable way of obtaining cigarettes. currently the price of cigarettes (here in the UK) is north of £15. most independent sellers trade for easily half of that, in many instances one third. for some reason it makes revenue sense to sell me zero cigarettes at £16 (or so a packet) than as many as i would like for £8. and believe me they are going without the revenue, i am not going without the cigarettes. 

yes, true, buying cigarettes on the (ahem) independent market probably means indirectly (or even directly, for all i care) some unsavoury, extremist organisations, such as Al Qaeda or Isis, people smuggling gangs, the SNP, the IRA (provisional or real), drug dealers and similar. well, so what. it is not like the government is going to reduce "legal" cigarette costs to sway people away from it, quite the opposite. put them at a sensibly punitive price and we can talk. if these gangs can somehow import the cigarettes and sell them for profit at between £5 and £7 a packet that's one heck of a statement about the legal pricing. i am sure some shall disagree. 

people also tend to disagree with another observation what i have. Brexit could probably (or at least reasonably possibly) have been avoided if two referendums had equal treatment. when the SNP got their way and had a referendum on breaking up the union (not "independence" which was just a much more trendy way to brand it) then PM Cameron bribed Scotland mercilessly to vote to remain. for Brexit he went considerably less carrot and more stick, threatening us with all sorts of misery if we did not comply with his wishes. had we also been bribed, say a cast iron guarantee that cigarette prices would have been brought in line with the cheaper prices in the EU, he may well have bought enough votes. we shall never know. 

oh, no, i did not forget that there's also plans to ban smoking in "beer gardens" and outside eating and drinking places. vaguely amusing, this, as we all got kicked out by the indoor ban in the first instance. quite odd how "ban smoking outside pubs" is only a thing in summer. never mind what weather us smokers comply with going outside in. 

again, i am not keen on "what about", but alcohol. the number of deaths caused by cigarette smoking drivers each year is, i bet, less (or "fewer") than drink drivers. is it that most hospitals and A&E centres get overwhelmed on weekends by people doing things whilst smoking cigarettes or whilst or after drinking alcohol? wonder which is putting more "strain" on the NHS? no, i am not saying it should be a cigarette free for all as it isn't as bad as drinking, more that drinking shall be next. 

let us be clear, the conservative government had to be removed, for they were an absolute disgrace by any measurement. it's just disappointing that we have stood by and watched similarly bad, or potentially worse, take its place. we are the damned. 

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

what's the story moaning groaning

howdy pop pickers

mostly, or for the most part, this is all going to be taken as one big whine. with their being at least partial truth in such there's nothing i could say or do to alter that interpretation. yet also there's nothing i would do in a way to influence such, look you see. take all of this, as with anything here, as you will. 

so, at the time of writing, let's cast our memories, thoughts and what have you back to that wild day which was the last of August 2024. for some it will be the penultimate too. i speak, of course, of the day when ostensibly tickets went on sale for the much vaunted Oasis reunion. yes i tried, no i did not get. there you go, that's why some shall interpret this as being a whine, and that's precisely why i called this post what i did. had i wished for all poor, poor, pitiful me, i dare say i would have gone with, for an immediate example, something like stop crying your heart out. or even please don't put your life in the hands of a rock and roll band. but i didn't. 

actually, it feels oddly (weirdly) satisfactory to be one of the ones with a story of failure to get tickets to tell. disappointing, for sure, especially with the reason (that i shall not disclose) which i had to even try, but hey. considering the significantly huge number of people who(m) also did not get tickets, for a rare instance i actually feel like "part of the crowd", if not a functional member of society. and sincerely, truly, to those who bought tickets with an intention to actually attend (and not just sell them) may it be so that you get one of the best gigs / nights of your life. 

the story of my failure shall be limited to this one (1) paragraph, and the remainder of the images. no, hang on, it will be that for the story of my failure to get tickets. the broader tale of my general failure would take a lot more and no one will be interested. moving on, i didn't get a "ballot" success email thing for the "pre-sale" the night before and then i rather foolishly (if not optimistically) decided to login to the ticket websites about half an hour before sales went "live". so i (takes breath) found myself in a queue to be in the queue to get on the website to join the queue for the queue that was waiting for the queue to buy tickets. obviously i wandered around and did stuff (laundry, bought a Simon & Garfunkel tape, etc) whilst this all went on. by the time it was my turn to try and buy tickets, some 8 or so hours later, i got hit with some "suspension" on suspicion of being a robot. oh how i f****g wish i was a robot, for then i could be reprogrammed to be actually decent a life. so no, no tickets for me. 

what's the purpose of this post, then? perhaps not entirely catharsis, but that would be part of it. a means, if you will, for anyone who happens on this to consider how both missing out on Oasis tickets is not the end of the world, and how missing out on Oasis tickets may well be a good thing. just take the parts of the below you like. 

Oasis are an absolutely f*****g terrible live band

kind of. indeed the musical performances are note perfect, but that's the protblem. Noel spends the gig staring at his guitar, making sure it all sounds exactly like on the record. so why not just listen to the record, then. granted Liam is one of the purest, greatest rock and roll frontmen in history, but certainly not the greatest and all for everything about him except live. his presence, performance and occasional incidental swagger is all of note, but he simply lacks that special "charisma". essentially, seen one Oasis gig, seen every Oasis gig. and yes, even if just on video. what makes an Oasis gig "legendary" or "awful" has f*** all to do with them and everything to do with the vibe of the audience. which leads very nicely to.......

You don't have to endure the Oasis crowd

once more let me wheel out that "hell is other people" line. The Stone Roses were beautiful man, bringing one generation together under the same groove. Happy Mondays and Primal Scream brought together those stoned immaculate, all goofed and trollied and cabbaged and on the same trip, the arching anthems of Oasis were a massive giant magnet for what we used to call "lager louts". i suspect the crowds at each gig shall be far from pleasant. 

going, as far as i can, venue by venue, Heaton Park was the one to absolutely avoid. this shall be filled with people around my age who(m) think they can still party like they did in the mid to late 90s. some shall (to be fair) be able to do so, many will crash and burn. if you were fortunate enough to get tickets for Heaton Park, enjoy all the blokes urinating everywhere (including on you), spewing and puking (again on you), throwing punches around, passing out and slurring Wonderwall. 

i was quite excited by the idea of going to Wembley, as that's the one loads of Japanese tourists will be at and they are awesome. however, it will also be no picnic. possibly less throwing up, etc, because down there in London (innit) they all drink shandy. the drug of choice is (heavily stepped on) coke, as observed with the wonderful @r$e flare man at the football. probably a lack of the exciting urination and violence Heaton Park will have, but still, thousands of coked up chavs. 

not quite sure on the rest. the Irish proudly brand themselves as "always being up for the craic", which from what i gather they take as a licence for many hundreds of barbarian like thugs turning up, crashing the gig as they have "every right" to be there "because Ireland" and causing all sorts of mayhem. Scotland will do Scotland. in the late 90s i, at the insistence of some Welsh people, had a "proper Welsh drink". there is circumstantial yet compelling evidence that the life i knew ceased on having that, and everything since has been some weird metaphorical afterlife. 

this is not a one off, last chance to see Oasis

perhaps i am being overtly romantic, but one gets the sense of Oasis being the be all and end all for Liam, it is his passion, it is what he wants and he would do it all for free. not so with Noel. his immense enthusiasm for money is well known and he has not been shy to comment on how he likes to make sure he always gets the money. fair play, good luck to him. leaving aside his well documented immediate need for money, its not like he will straight away lose the taste for it. quite likely that this is it, Oasis are back on for the foreseeable, so long as they avoid Paris. if nothing else you can pretty much expect another tour in 2027 (!) for Be Here Now celebrations. 

for those that missed out on Oasis Live 25 (as it is branded), those weekends just get some mates around with a few cans, put the tapes on, singalong and know that you can likely go see them in 26, 27 or whenever. i wouldn't suggest it, but if you all crush together, charge yourselves £20 each for a drink, making sure you watered it down, and spend some time peeing, puking and punching each other then you will replicate the gigs, only with better sound. 

much of the audience is expected to be "younger", as in too young to have been to (or endure) an Oasis concert before. some rather laughable "gatekeeping" has been happening around this, with dull boring old f***s around my age suggesting they shouldn't be going. roam free, younglings, enjoy it all. i am so sorry that your generation has failed to produce any interesting or decent rock stars, you are very welcome to embrace ours. just try to not spend it all watching through your phone as you video it. 

unlikely that the support acts will be decent

back in the 90s when Oasis did "events" they had a wealth of great bands to give support. from what i remember you had the likes of the Manics, Prodigy, think a Shaun Ryder band and maybe at some stage Primal Scream too. if the best possible support act being named is The Courteeners, well, oh dear. won't be at all surprised to learn Inhaler (who are actually really good) are a support band, as they have been for Noel before. purely on merit and not because Noel wants to keep in with Bono. i am going to hop i am wrong but i do think support acts will be quite cheap to book bands of little interest who(m) will very much be all "it's an honour to play on the same bill" in the hope of getting some exposure and praying they don't get too many p!ss bottles thrown at them. for the latter, well, would be wonderful if they booked that Ed Sheridan (or whatever). 

quite a few rumours floating around, with the suggestion (or idea) that Blossoms will play at the Manchester gigs. which could be quite good if they do that The Smiths thing with Rick Astley. apparently, going on Liam's inability to comprehend that a journalist who covers the Manic Street Preachers frequently isn't actually a member of the band, no Manics at any dates. 

oh but it will be televised

when it was all announced, this reunion and tour, the advert made a claim that it "will not be televised". that was presumed to rule out Glastonbury or all other televised festivals where they would have to sign off on not getting all them lovely royalties. skip forward a week (or so) and there's a billboard in America, apparently "asking them to come" and tour the States. with an official (ie not likely to be used without permission) image of them and the tell-tale "Amazon music" text at the bottom of it.

it's all a bit like that time the SNP funded that sign saying the EU "will" be leaving a light on for Scotland, really. no, not the part where the EU would absolutely not wish to have to bail out yet another economic basket case, the "misleading" part about who(m) did the advert. highly unlikely it was done without the band's say so. expect a nice tie-in with Amazon, then, be it a "live stream" of some of the gigs which they will fob off as "demand driven", or some documentary or concert film via their services at some point or other.

and yes it is all being filmed, in this era of disclosure (on everything except actual ticket prices) they have had to put on the tickets a clear message that some of the concerts are being recorded, presumably visual and audio. 

avoiding nightmare hidden costs and the adventure of getting to gigs

let it not be said that Noel is the only one seeing these gigs as £££££££££££££££££££. just a few days into his glorious leadership and Sir Keir has made it clear he will punish everyone except train drivers. so you can expect (next July and August) all the train drivers to go on strike again (assuming the current one doesn't just carry on) until they are paid as much as Oasis are. unlikely that Sir Keir will be able to give them the money, as by then all cigarette tax revenue will be gone as he will have forced everyone to buy illegally smuggled in ones, no one will drive cars due to the fuel duty increases and there shall be no income tax revenue, with most of the population quitting work as meagre benefits will be more money than heavily taxed salaries. so, if you have a ticket for Oasis anywhere next year, maybe consider thinking about starting to walk to it now. 

should you make it to the venue itself, bravo, but also find a park to sleep in. one where the council hasn't put spikes on the seats. as reported nearly all hotels near all the venues have been booked by those anticipating getting tickets. famously people who had booked hotels before the great Reformation era of Oasis was announced found that their bookings were cancelled, which has spoiled a wedding or two. we have to understand that people getting rich from Noel Gallagher getting richer is a priority in the world. 

everyone who(m) was fortunate enough to get a ticket at "face value" price, or was prepared to pay the special, exciting "surge" price out of fear of missing out, is going to be spending five to ten times that amount (and then some) to find out listening to a tape, disc, lp or "stream" of Don't Look Back In Anger is superior to hearing Noel being muffled out by thousands shouting along. 

right, that will do. pick out the parts you like in the above and ignore the rest. anyone upset by any of this then mostly that's a you problem, but really don't let anything i or anyone says stop you from being what you will. dig what you dig, man. 

be (mostly) excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you can't beat a bit of bully

now then

a quite unexpected return to the world of Bullseye, then. make no mistake, this is a subject which shall always remain close to my heart. it's just that apparently it's a bit problematic and controversial, look you see. just north of a year ago, or at least then from now, someone went to the time and trouble of reporting a number of my posts on the subject of Bullseye, having them flagged as "inappropriate". best i proceed with caution.

that could be somewhat (or even slightly) tricky, as i am to speak (well, write) of the subject in respect of a most decidedly if not adult then certainly over eighteen (18) theme. removing any needless sentiment of suspense or excitement for you is to tell you this in part pertains to a beer what has been branded with the beloved Bullseye expanded universe stuff. 

it is simply not so that i go around looking for Bullseye related items, no matter what you may think. nor would it be accurate to say i seek out beer (or other forms of alcohol), for i seldom drink. yes i do have the occasional pint or two, but only when i know i have at least a day clear to recover, and also when i can go and do so (drink) with chums like Eddie Baby and Butch. vessels for drinking from, like this tankard, true, i have a penchant for purchasing, and actually this was the only bit i really wished for. 

how did i find, or in a non-Lewinsky/Clinto way come, across this? just browsing for some rudimentary (and potentially dangerous) equipment for a project one of my (known) children is working on. quite exciting stuff really, but legally wise to not mention so much. anyway, with it being late August, or it may well have been (very) early September, the shops have Christmas gifts on display, and this was sat there amongst such. an instant purchase, of course. mostly for Bullseye but partially as i have always wished to own one of these types of glasses what's called on the label a tankard. 

provenance and cost? it was £6 off of B&M to give the answer to a question you didn't ask in reverse. no idea if that's a good or bad price, really. for me it was a price (well) worth paying just for it featuring Bully out of Bullseye on it. yes it would have been even better if it featured one of the wearing a shirt yet clearly braless ladies off of the animated version of the credits for the show, but you probably aren't allowed to do that sort of thing no more.

should you (for some reason) wish to read one of my (many) posts on the subject of Bullseye yet are a little bit afraid on the link above which links to the 'controversial' ones, well, here you go. as far as i am aware this one has yet to be complained about. it's had several "new" readers too, i suspect people just looking for something to complain about. 

can i provide you with a review, or some sort of reflective description, of the beer? not at this stage no, for i have yet to drink it. likely that i will, especially as the expiry date is only May (possibly June) of next year, which as of now is 2025. for type of beer it says it is a "premium lager", and is 3.4% strength, whatever that actually means. i know i was out once with Eddie Baby and Butch and drank a pub dry of some beer what was north of 5% in strength and i was completely f****d by it, so i dare say that yes i will proceed with some degree of caution. 

yes, indeed (of course) i would love some sort of Bullseye related cigarette or smoking item. we are not allowed such things in this brave new world, though. quite right. just look at how many times people smoke three, maybe even four cigarettes and then drive a car, ploughing in to people and often killing them. every weekend our overstretched (not badly managed) NHS hospitals are inundated with people who(m) have spent an evening recklessly smoking cigarettes and started fights, or had a few cigarettes and then done some improvised DIY. just as well nothing like those things ever happen when people drink beer or other forms of alcohol. 

be super smashing great to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

like a portrait in flesh

howdy pop pickers

well, a bit tricky to know how to classify this one. indeed this will all feature things what i have a proclivity for, but then there's a different, modern day dimension to it all, look you see. certainly this is as confusing as my opening paragraphs tend to be, but if you read on then it might make some sense. also it might not make any sense. 

it would be a truth universally acknowledged to state that me going off and purchasing some new music tapes (discs) is neither a surprise nor a new thing. less ("fewer") so, perhaps for me to do this when i have never even heard of the bands (or artists) in question, and not knowingly heard any of their music. what would compel me to make such "blind" purchases? actually deaf, not blind, for seeing is the key here. so yes, then, all of the albums in question featured (on the cover) nudies of the female variety. in all instances the artists who had gone done made the records, so far as i can tell. 

my main challenge here was taking some images to add for this which (kind of) showed the album artwork and yet (somehow) made this all reasonably safe for all to look at. i gave some consideration to using an image of Larry Grayson to "censor" things with, which i have gone done on previous posts, but i could not be bothered. let me hope the wonders of thermal and psychedelic mode on my phone camera thing has worked some wonders. 

no, i am not going to sit here and pretend that these albums all "just happened" to feature nudies. i see little sense in pretending or denying that i really rather like observing female nudies, it has always been very pleasing. this is not to say that i go around constantly (or perpetually) seeking out such, but yes it is all lovely when such sights come along. here's where the possibly most relevant aspect of this post comes along. whatever you may think i didn't sit there typing in "nude album covers" on a search engine. rather it was these albums found me off of internet adverts. 

this sequence of tapes (discs) with a common trend across album covers being bought all commenced with an advert off of HMV. such adverts pop up on my "facebook feed", for i have a pretty decent track record of clicking links to vibes and buying them i guess. anyway, in this instance HMV were having a sale, and the cover for If I Can't Have Love I Want Power off of Halsey caught my eye, since there was clearly one breast of female nature exposed on the cover. for a price of (just) south of £4 it seemed interesting enough to buy. 

upon receiving the album (via the miracle of postal services) and admiring the cover for a bit i looked at the notes. it turned out that this album was produced by some of the chaps out of Nine Inch Nails. had i been aware of such that (genuinely) would have been a selling point anyway, since i rather like the way Trent Reznor makes things sound. but yes, the cover is very nice indeed, sorry that i cannot show it off in full here for you. also having guest artists such as Lindsey Buckingham, Mike Garson and, to a lesser extent, Dave Grohl appearing on it makes me wonder how i missed the album on its initial release. 

not sure if there is any (or much) value in me trying to do a "review", as i would imagine much more better written ones are out there for your perusal. but, if it is of the slightest interest, happy days, as i really, really like this album. as in i played it through three or four times on getting it, and it's had a few spins over the last couple of months or so. 

how very interesting that, not long after clicking on the social media (facebook) link for that album, an advert for another tape (disc) featuring (female) nudies should appear for my (ahem) consideration. just a co-incidence? like, what when you have been talking about something with friends and all of a sudden you get adverts on websites (and apps) related to the subject of speaks? yeah. indeed this is the aspect which is likely to be of more interest than my proclivity for eroticism. 

so, the second (2nd) tape (disc) i bought purely for the somewhat provocative cover was Origin Of The Alimonies off of someone called Liturgy. indeed, in my ignorance, i wasn't immediately aware which was the name of the artist and which was the name of the album. pretty sure i have them the right way around now, apologies if not. whereas Halsey was on sale (i believe south of £5) it was not so for Liturgy. this once cost me slightly south of £15, but i was curious enough to buy. 

quite an interesting album, it is. not necessarily something i would have pursued in itself, but all the same a curious obsession with the female form in a natural state has opened a door to a different type of vibes experience. despite their being follow along lyrics in the book it is, to my ears, a fascinating instrumental work. a google search suggest Liturgy is something called "death metal" or "black metal". that may well be, i found it more of an esoteric jazz odyssey. of course i am far too thick to understand all of the overriding concept of the piece, but the atmospherics of the sound make it a most intriguing listen. rather good to have on as i read or write things, like for instance this. 

did i all of a sudden get any more adverts on facebook featuring (female) nudies on the cover. yes, indeed, of course i did. the next one to come along (so to speak) was End Of Everything by the rather curiously named Mega Bog. a slightly different sort of nudies, i suppose, as this was full tilt full on naked, presented in the form of a painting of the artist sans clothing or such garments. no, i did not really bother to look up or find out what sort of music it was, i just went why not and ordered. 

wise move, as wow. this is likely (probably) my favourite find of the four tapes (discs) in this sequence. and that's not to say any of them are bad. i am loathe to make comparisons to other artists, but for a feel, or if you will vibe, of End Of Everything, what struck me was a kind of quintessential sound of The Cure, or perhaps the more daring, artistic driven works of Depeche Mode that are found on the albums to the side of their more (devastatingly brilliant) accessible singles which draw people in. of all the releases bought for nudies on the cover this is the one i would say "go and buy" to anyone without the slightest hesitation. 

fourth, and so far final, one to get advertised to me (facebook again) was (is) Death By Rock and Roll off of The Pretty Reckless. as a clear indication that "they", them what do the advertising and that, have clocked my likelihood of purchasing nudies, they presented an advert which showed the cover, the disc and the fold out booklet, with the latter being the business end one (nude picture on it).

by no means it it a bad album, it's just a bit (or somewhat) curated for popular sensibilities. there's absolutely nothing wrong with artists trying to make a living, but at times it feels rather, well, contrived to be successful rather than being what the artist had in their heart. shout out, however, to one particular song on the tape (disc), 25. it starts with a quasi hint of the classic James Bond theme and very much comes across as one of the best Bond themes we (sadly) never got. 

and that seems to be it. for now. yes, indeed, facebook does keep showing me adverts for music, because that's clearly a "click rate conversion" or what have you box i tick. up to now, though, whilst some of the records (or tapes) advertised feature "raunchy" or "suggestive" covers, no others have had nudies (female) on them, so my bank account has not been troubled. quite likely this shall change. 

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

koala collection

g'day

yes, indeed it did fair dinkum occur to me to call this post koala kink or even koala kick for the alliteration, look you see, but ultimately neither felt right. nor, for that matter, any other "k" word. briefly i did consider calling it koala koala koala koala koala koala, so as to reflect the number of koala related items on display, but that just seemed silly. particularly when, if i was going to go that way, then i may well have been more better off calling it koalas. 

quite often it does rather feel that paragraphs such as the one above are (very much) conversations i am having with myself, for i have no one else to have such speaks with. perhaps that's why i still carry on writing here, who knows. habit, therapeutic, cathartic or plain on the off chance someone finds it all interesting, if even only in passing. 

moving on, then, or towards the (proposed) subject, and yes. koala related stuff, or if you will things of koalas. i appear, over the last twelve or so months, moved away from randomly collecting items of a hedgehog nature and towards items of a koala nature. as you can kind of see in the below picture, presented as it is in VHS mode. because why not. 

i suppose i have always had a soft spot for, if not outright fascination with, the wonders of the koala bear. this is not a subject which has always been at the forefront of my mind, and over the course of the last few decades i suspect i have gone an entire year, or two in a row, without even thinking about them. well, maybe, i can't remember so as fact, but there we are. and here we are. you should be able to make out a variety of koala related items, even if it is so that the majority are of the stuffed toy (or similar) variation of the theme. 

provenance is something i have assumed (likely incorrectly) a matter some are concerned with, so from the left and in a circumnavigatory "circular" or horseshoe way around, the impractical koala mug was off of Morrisons (£3 i think), the spherical one (billed as a stress ball but i am not squeezing it) was £6 and found on my travels for verk, the little blue one was a surprise find at a Japanese shop i was surprised to find in Portsmouth, the small but regular looking one was off of Edinburgh zoo, the large one was off of the market where i go to buy videos (discs) and tapes (discs) and the bedding was a recent online purchase, cost being less ("fewer") than a 'legal' packet of cigarettes in the UK. nope, no idea what anyone would do with this information, but do as you will. 

certainly it has occurred to me that my recent spate (of sorts) is some sort of filling the void exercise, perhaps even a deconstruction of the past (and who i am) whilst i remain in solitude in my place of exile. it could well be that i draw some level of comfort having them around, but no i am not (as of yet) at the stage where i sit them all around the tele with me. or have tea parties. that latter one sounds like fun, though. mostly i just think it's that they are cute, or lovely, looking, and it's pleasing to have them scattered around my home for the instances i am there. should some clever person have a better idea, or even understanding, of this well, good for them. 

now that i look at them, well, with the exception of the blue one (presumably blue to be symbolic of the general natural state of a koala to be stoned out of its bracket on the blue fumes emanating from eucalyptus trees), maybe it's the grey shade which all of a sudden appeals. whereas all is transient, and time as we know it is entirely a fabricated design just so we can clutch to something, i am now pretty much all grey and white too. hang on, no, this is all getting rather too close to suggesting i in some way do that "gender identify as a koala" business. probably not, then. 

for the two non stuffed (or cuddly) toy things, as mentioned the mug is woefully impractical. not sure why they make things like this. the top, as is the open bit of the chalice from where you are supposed to quaff, drink or sip, is all small and leaning inwards. usually i would spill drinks on myself anyway, but with this i might as well just pour it all over rather than even pretend to try and drink off it proper. likely i shall eventually just put it on display. although display for who(m) is a matter i would have no real notion of, since i get few ("less") visitors. the bedding is one i shall make use of later in the year, as opposed to doing so earlier in the year when i did not have it. 

well, that's that. some items to consider or even speculate about, or just a few pictures to have a bit of a fair dinkum gander at. should you have strayed here seeking affirmation for your own interest the the magical, whimsical ways of the koala bear, i really hope to have delivered. 

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

greek tragedy

γεια σας

recently it has been so that i have watched a fair number of videos. well, not actual videos, but discs what have videos on them. or films, look you see. normally i would take to here, being my blog, to write of all such incidents. time is what it is, though. so no i haven't. but go on then, i shall write of some, or the ones i can remember. 

usually, when given the chance to watch a film or two, i shall generally favour complete trash over anything with more overt merit. having (kind of) been there, done that with all of the classics, my inclination when selecting something to watch is the entertainment value. more often than not this would be what is deemed as trash, especially as normally there's a good deal of nudies in such. and i make precisely zero apologies (or excuses) for such preferences. suck it down. 

it turns (or turned) out that two of the films what i gone done watched were both "directed" by the same bloke off of Greece. which would be someone called Nico Mastorakis. by chance (certainly not design) they happened to be the first two (ever) films what he gone done made. admittedly i watched them in reverse order of that, but here they are in the correct way. 

no, i am absolutely not doing screenshots of either. you can all make do with psychedelic and thermal pictures of the new artwork both came with, and then some quality VHS mode of the reverse sleeves, which are (i believe) the original posters or artwork. 

for his first film, then, which (to needlessly clarify) was the second i watched, Death Has Blue Eyes. some of you for some reason care for provenance. if that's you, i think i paid about £9 for this at a branch or chapter of HMV. i had gone along for the new Eminem album, but was told i was rather early for the tape (and/or disc) of it as it's a "streaming only" thing until mid-September (2024). oh. 

plot? you kind of have to go with the flow of it. essentially two criminal types - mostly con artists but other stuff less savoury - somehow end up in (or rather on) a Greek island and mixed up in some sort of hunt or chase for a lady who can do all that psychic / telekinetic stuff. which involves being able to kill people with "thought" or what have you. as this is all Cold War Era (look it up, kids) yes, the Soviets and the Americans would like to "obtain" her for fairly obvious reasons. not telling who(m), if anyone, does, as why would i present spoilers on the off chance you wanted to watch. 

badly made, poorly written, woeful acting, vague plot. these would not be massive issues as such if only there was considerably more nudies in it, so as to distract one. what you do get in that regard is some scattered topless moments, and full frontal kind of via very see thru underwear. also a good deal more male nudies than i might have perhaps wished for, thanks to the quasi homoerotic, sort of bi moments the two gents i mentioned seem to have now and then. quite rubbish, then, and really not worth the effort of watching. don't let me stop you if you insist. 

 

my main motivation for procuring Island Of Death (provenance fans take note) was that it was on offer for all of £5 on the Arrow Video website. it was a film i vaguely recall seeing the cover (well, the version of it above) before and i knew it was a "video nasty". this film was just banned outright here in the UK for some time. with morals now being "different" it got released "uncut", so i figured why not. actually i am assuming uncut, but if there was anything in this that was removed, well, on the basis of what was left in i have absolutely no wish to see that, thanks. 

compared to Death Has Blue Eyes it is so that Island Of Death has a vaguely coherent plot. kind of. it all starts with a couple (male and female) arriving on a Greek island. they appear to be being hunted down by someone, and the likely reason for this is soon clear, as they go on a spate of rather violent and very unpleasant crimes. mostly it seems they are "punishing" those they believe what have gone done wrong, or live what they deem an immoral life, but in a few instances it would seem the couple themselves have instigated this behaviour. when similar acts of violence are taken out on them there's no sense of "revenge" or "justice", it's just all unpleasant. 

the big surprise here is that the BBFC gave it a certificate in this version, be it uncut or in some way edited. i get that anyone can more or less get any depraved film they wish off of the internet, but the value of the BBFC is go give guidance and informed choice. let's put it this way - when the blurb or description on the back of the tape (disc) box offers up "opportunistic bestiality" and similar you know you are not dealing with arthouse stuff. it was always my understanding that certain things were a really big no-no for the BBFC, and top of that list was creating any sort of impression that a lady might enjoy an assault. well, that's very present here, unfortunately. 

yes, sure. there was a fairly decent amount of full tilt nudies on the go in Island Of Death, but not in a particularly enjoyable or interesting way. perhaps i am being too fussy, but frankly it's really one rather repulsive film with absolutely no artistic merit and limited enjoyment. i am sort of "glad" to have watched it as i can now understand why this was one of the "video nasties" all and sundry went on a crusade about around 1984. fans of cinema here in the UK would not have missed out on too much if it remained banned. 

sorry if you hit upon this because you are passionate about Greek trash cinema and were hoping for a celebration of it. i am fairly sure that someone in Greece has made a decent film somewhere along the line of cinematic history, but it's not one of these two.

were it so that you wished to read more of European based filth (or "art") then you may well wish to click here to look at some Tinto Brass (and related) stuff i gone watched.

να είστε άριστοι μεταξύ σας!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

full tilt cockney

now then

it was so that i did indeed have some conflicting ideas for the title of this post. at various times i wrestled with a vaguely connected musical inspired one, such as the first cut is the deepest or even the final cut, look you see. further, although not as much as you might think, i did deliberate using the "silk" aspect of what i write. my imagination, however (or alas) could only stretch as far as "silk road", and by all accounts that carries somewhat different connotations on the internet. 

oh, yes, to sort of get to some sort of point. recently, with thanks to the kindness of a good friend, i have been smoking some of them silk cut fags. well, silk cut cigarettes to use a term which is likely to be more appropriate and of an increased level of sense to our friends in America. no, it is not that i would have chosen these for myself. so far as i am aware this is the first time i have (knowingly) smoked them, although maybe at some point Spiros got me some as the idea of me smoking them, knowing how, who or even what they are associated with, may well have entertained him some. 

for clarification on the title, well, no cigarette is more closely associated with the lifestyle of that there London (innit) than silk cut. not, at the least, now that JPS (in particular the sleek black boxed ones with the royal seal on them) are no more, quasi replaced as they are with the salty sea dog rough ways of the "players". undoubtedly i shall waffle on about this aspect a little later. rather than earlier. 

how are they? as in, some sort of actual review? well, they are not so bad as i was expecting. for an item intended for the gentrified, sensitive elite of the south i was surprised to find that they were not all that light. my expectation, knowing what i do of the ways of the London (innit), was that they were likely to have no kick at all, and be equivalent to inhaling water or one of them "vape" things. 

but, that said, the name "silk cut" remains a mystery. at least, dear reader, as in to how or why they are called so. it's not that the smoking experience is particularly "silky", and nor do they have any sort of harsh "cut" effect, as would be the case with the previously mentioned intended for salty sea dog types players. no, they are nowhere near as good as Marlboro, for nothing (for me) would ever be, but they are not as hopeless as i may have suspected. which could indeed, in light of how much time i spend there, well be symptomatic of me going full tilt cockney. hopefully not, but for the most part my journey in life has been with eyes open so i cannot complain. 

quite late into the post, i appreciate, but there above is the usual advice, warning, disclaimer or what have you. yes, smoking is a very "bad" (or silly) thing to do. no good from a health perspective can come from it, so either don't start smoking or if you do presently smoke take some sort of measure, if you can, to quit or at least cut down considerably. indeed i do like that "over 70 substances" on the warning. did they get bored of counting? 

my coming to try these silk cut (purple, apparently) was, as mentioned, down to the generosity of a very dear friend. she wished to get me some as a gift, which is always welcome if unnecessary. normally she would purchase Benson & Hedges, for personal reasons, but the tobacconist of choice (a bloke working in a corner shop or supermarket kiosk, at a guess) urged her to purchase these. so far in this journey i have yet to meet the cigarette i had any significant quarrel with, as it happens. 

to the association these cigarettes (or the silk cut brand) have (or has) with the London lifestyle. much like the Apple iPhone is today, so too were silk cut cigarettes in the 70s and 80s. which is to say whilst functional, not really the best one could get, but priced and (in particular) marketed in such a way as to tap into the aspirational desires of many. the image and the price made one feel as though they were in some way part of an elite class of society they wished to be if not part of then accepted by. 

probably, and most famously, it's the kind of social circle what (or that), say, Princess Margaret had. to be part of her gang it was not enough to be simply wealthy, or hold a position in society of any combination of wealth, influence or adulation. one had to live the part too, beyond merely describing things as je ne sais quoi and what have you. they tended to drink wines which were horrid, being mostly of a taste resembling vinegar with harsh tonic water and sugar added, but were of such price and provenance that they got celebrated. this is the lifestyle for which silk cut cigarettes were a thing. 

such days are gone, of course, with successive governments here in the UK bewilderingly managing to convince the huddled masses that cigarettes are the root cause of all that is wrong in our world, every fault or flaw or thing what is not perfect. not being able to smoke inside no more means that people can no longer present themselves as a member of the elite by wearing the right tuxedo and producing a packet of silk cut from one of the pockets of it. 

just how likely is it that i, moi, myself would buy more silk cut fags? not very. i mean if one of the more financially agreeable, independent cigarette distributors of the country offered to sell me some then yes, of course. but these are more the sort of thing what they have on offer. you never know, though. actually, you do. if it were so that i was off somewhere and felt some sense of needing to buy a pack of silk cut so as to impress people (or be accepted by them) then no, i would just get Marlboro. 

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

indulgence

howdy pop pickers

ostensibly this post concerns the most recent box set of tapes (discs) to be released at the time of writing. for clarification that's Rock N Roll Star!, look you see. not sure i would call this a review as such, primarily because i don't think i am as skilled or as clever as to be able to write such. mostly i just hope this isn't all too much of a whine. 

full well i recall when news of this box set - two books, 5 CDs (not tapes) and 1 blu ray - was announced. indeed i was filled with much merriment and excitement, pledging to all who were near, whether they were interested or not (they were not), to purchase it. obviously this i did. but oddly not upon its release. quite nearly placed the order, but found myself inexplicably hesitating. instead i made some sort of quasi, internal pledge to wait a few weeks (or a month entire) and if i still wished for it then to proceed. which i did.  

any particular reason for the hesitation, or if you will sense of doubt? well, the set was/is an awful lot of money. risking sounding like "hey look at me", thanks to some quite hard verk i did have enough to get it as a treat, or some great reward. my question was if i was getting value for it. 

rather than run up the cost of this set any further it was so that, when i resolved to buy, i went into an actual proper music shop to do so. something of a ritual happened. i pointed to the set behind the counter and asked the member of staff if i could please have it, but would she be so kind as to not say the price of it out loud. to this she consented. when it came time to pay i sort of put my hand over the screen part of the card machine so as not to see the price. but, for the sake of clarification (or context, maybe), i paid a flat, straight, on the nose £150 for it. no that's not missing a decimal place. 

did i get £150 value, in the form of David Bowie stuff, from this purchase? at this stage i am still not certain that i have. i mean, it's a beautifully put together set, with the books being of a very high quality for a start. my interest, though, would be the music. and bewilderingly this is where it all falls somewhat short. 

perhaps some of this shall be a whine. it is not intended as such. however, to start with, if i am spending that kind of money on compact discs related to the album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars then i wouldn't have thought it too much to ask for, you know, the actual album itself. indeed i have at least three (3) copies on CD, the vinyl and what have you, but still. also it was somewhat confusing that this "new" version of the album, Waiting In The Sky, wasn't included as a CD in the set. yes, both are there on the blu ray, but more on that in a bit.

to instead concentrate on what you do get on CD, well, that amplifies the problem. whereas i do not have a complete Bowie collection, for many box sets i have gone "no" to, it is a fairly extensive one. with forever thanks to my Dad i am lucky enough to have the original Ryko Sound+Vision USA only box set which features nearly all of the live in Boston tracks you find here. also i have the 89 or 90 reissue of Ziggy Stardust which features the best of the rare / unreleased songs to feature in this set, and the Bowie At The Beeb set. the latter has nearly all of the songs you find on discs two and three here. 

it is so that discs (or tapes) two and three on Rock N Roll Star! make you feel as though you have somewhat been taken advantage of, that this set isn't well thought out at all. these two discs feature a whole load of performances recorded for and broadcast by the BBC during what you would call the Ziggy era. barely a handful of them were previously unreleased, and you soon work out why that was so as the sound quality is really, really bad. 

were you to go up to someone and say (or ask) "what was the best thing about Ziggy Stardust" i would suggest that few, if any, would at any point in any conversation that followed say "oh, easily all those BBC radio shows he did". it's not that they are bad, they are just standard. there's no realistic reason i can think of as to why anyone would think two discs covering the BBC broadcasts was a worthwhile venture with this set. 

breaking briefly from the music and there's a look, or insight, into the books. whereas the images in the main book are lovely, one feels a little let down (if not depressed) that the first thing you see on opening it is an advert for another book of pictures of Bowie, taken by Mick Rock. it's like "thank you for all that money but we would like some more, thanks". also exactly how "definitive" is this Ziggy Stardust box set if not all the best or most significant pictures are in it? as for the recreation of Bowie's journal from the time, well, it's got a certain curiosity value, but mostly it's lyrics and some vague ideas for the tracklisting. 

going back to the music, and what would i have liked to have had instead? well, i do appreciate that not everyone has the already released recordings i do, but i wouldn't think someone would buy this just to get the BBC sessions. if you are going to sell me something twice (or, admittedly, four or five times) then come on, make it worthwhile. far more better (and relevant) would have been to include the legendary Santa Monica 71 live album. also, as mentioned, Waiting In The Sky as a standalone CD in the set would have been appreciated. i think you can kind of make a tape of it with some of the tracks included here, but then one buys a CD set with the not unreasonable expectation of it being ready made and all set to go. 

yes, some of what i suggested should be there is in the set, on the "blu ray audio" disc. you get the original version of Ziggy Stardust, a reasonably recent "remastered" version and indeed the Waiting In The Sky variation. plus, from what i could tell, all the tracks off of the CDs that are not live. unfortunately, or regrettably, i don't have a massive, expensive sound system with a blu ray player as part of it. whereas i have a decent tele it's certainly not high end. playing this disc through the player and tele was all right, but not particularly practical. 

no, oddly, i don't feel ripped off, cheated or in any way f****d over. i am not so stupid as to not know i was buying a set that was a bit "hmn". there is no doubt that the money is there, this is a beautiful, well produced set. it's just a "why bother" kind of thing, really, when the books are not going to get looked at too often and it's unlikely the discs shall be played much. right now i can pretty much guarantee that the BBC discs, two and three, are unlikely ever to go near the stereo again. 

ultimately i suppose i felt i simply had to buy this set. not to underline any sort of "proper fan" credentials, or just because it was affordable. were it not for Ziggy Stardust then there would be no Bowie as we know of him today. that in itself made it feel necessary to purchase this set. if anything, it has vindicated my decision not to buy the Divine Symmetry box set, which seems to just feature more and more BBC sessions recordings. 

right, well i think that about covers most of what i could say on this set. no regrets and i am happy to have it sat there looking pretty, even if it is only moi in my place of exile likely to ever cast eyes over it. mostly it feels like this set exists to emphasise that all you really need to know (or more importantly hear) about Ziggy Stardust is all right there in the album as it was released. 

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