Well, the itrip was phenomenally easy to install and use. Now, just got to try and sort out Broadband. I've spent about 3 hours on the phone to the technical dept. Who've tried everything, right down to pinging and changing the registry (?), you name it, they've tried it. Success rate so far: 0%. Emerged from Leicester Square tube this morning to the strains of "Heroes", which, under a glowering December sky felt absolutely perfect. The genius of the shuffle facility followed it up with "Brickfield Nights". Yowza. Made me want to bunk off work.
But I didn't.

Pah.

Crikey. All of this under Camden- most of Camden it would seem as well. Can you imagine the stench if it was completely full of horses?

So, How was it for you?
About 350 miles in 2 days, 7 hours of self-production, a couple of huge meals (one was huge enough to inspire a catastrophic bout of indigestion) and one very tired DJ. Actually ended up having the real Xmas shindig on the 27th with Pete, Michelle, Campbell and Sam. *Oooh look it's 4am!!!*
BTW, I now have an iTrip. Will let you all know if it enriches my life.

A tale of two taxis.
Two songs sharing the same subject: it's great being in the back of a Black Cab. First up , "In The Back Of a Taxi" by  The Penguin Cafe Orchestra. and straight after that: Shampoo's "Shiny Black Taxi Cab" It's rather odd, both songs manage to convey how great it is to lounge on the back seat and feel at one with the city.

The Human Clock - is Rocking. It's useless and yet strangely indispensable.

Humbug. Stuck in the Studio on Xmas Eve. I'll be back here for the next two days as well. *sighs*

Damn. We get to play with Finch. Sham 69 and the Stray Cats are playing the opposing sites on opposite days. Bah. Nothing against Finch; but the need to Rock this town and break out of borstal is somewhat stronger.

Every one a Maserati. How does he do it?

Okay, so this photo of Steve alba in the pipeline fullpipe. (It's the cover) The line where that pipe goes beyond vert is clearly visible...so where is Steve exactly? I'm guessing about 10.30 (pipe heights are measured in "clock" time) Bewilderingly brilliant; bear in mind this is at the end of the 70's, on a skinny little board. New-schoolers don't have it all their own

A Weekend of indulgence for me: started with a riotous Friday night out with the estate agents and lots of comfort food for the next couple of days.

I'm really into aimless searching. You just gawp at the screen until something strange comes along, grab the link and way you go. It's like fishing with a lobotomy. The other obvious time-waster of the moment has to be reading some random confessions. Are they real? Who cares?

So, the weekend beckons, with all it's last-minute xmas shopping hell. Can't wait. The christmas week for me is going to be an utter bastard....i'm working for the whole of it.

Wahey! Wim Mertens MP3 action, for those of you out there who don't know what I'm on about.
I know this is going to sound like shameless self-aggrandizement (sp?) but I was always proud to be an H-Boy. Im there somewhere (with two eyes!!)
Sworn to fun, Loyal to none, that's the H-Boyz way of living........

I'm about to go broadband, which means i'm going to be supplied with all sorts of space to start my own webpage, yadda yadda yadda...and yet i'm strangely loyal to this tawdry little page i've produced so far: if it works, should I really mess with the formula?

Snobs of the world: rise up against the Hoi Polloi.

Wim Mertens update: still can't find "A Teils Leis" so i've decided to wrap my ears around some Bitches for the forseeable future. The box set for "In a Silent Way" needs a bit of a rest.

Wondering whether some replacement software might make the little white marvel even easier to understand...I'm liking the simple interface a lot, the only trouble with Musicmatch is it's somewhat.....fiddly.

A cold crisp day in London Town....a perfect day for Wim Mertens, if only I hadn't left all the CD's back in Brighton. D'oh! A spot of DJing tonight, got to try and keep on that straight and narrow...

A sting in the tail. That was the weekend for me; the cold had one last hurrah before it let me out of its embrace......a weekend of lying on the sofa unable to move. I've never felt quite so rotten before. On a personal fitness tip; I got to get down the gym with unstinting alacrity this week, I'm feeling out of shape and out of sorts. This week also brings with it the urgent need to try and sort out everyone's Christmas presents. *Sigh*
Tonight is meant for one thing only: lying around on the bed and messing with the Xbox.

Still the most fun you can have on the interwebnet. (Inna rub-a-dub style,natch.) 

(EDIT 2023 - still here!)

Back to Brighton tonight for the Blur gig. Oddly, they play there 21 years to the day that The Jam played the Last gig of their career and officially split. All those crazy US pharmaceuticals of mine seem to actually have kicked the cold into touch: I'm just left with a hollow, painful cough and a head that feels like it's been slammed into a wall.

One of the strange side effects of being ill is that I feel, sort of.....porous. Walking over to the Launderette this evening, through thick waves of fog, I could almost feel it seeping into me. Looks like my attendance at the Feeder gig will have to fall by the wayside: Blur looks like much more of a viable prospect. By the time we reach The Bluetones, i'm going to be pulling cartwheels every 10 paces.

Grrrrreat. Another headcold. Probably brought on by rather too much fun, but hey ho. On the plus side, it will mean a night of DVD's and chicken soup, so it's not all bad news.

Just got a little sneak peek of the new 80's Matchbox magnum opus: it's amazing. The gigs I saw 'em play recently showed true flashes of brilliance, the single is a logical extension of that. Poppy? Yeah sure, but they've just taken what it is they do and moved it up a level.
And what was my weekend like, I hear you call? Due to Fridays *ahem* messiness- Most of Saturday saw me on a Sofa, shivering and sweating alternately. Sunday? lotsa cooking. I do a mean dauphinoise. People, Let's hear it for Gruyere.

It's that beehive thing, it's left me rather emotional. But, i'm liking it. It's nice to care about music so much that it fires off real emotions. Plus, VOTB were always inolved with the whole Food Records thing, they feel like a part of my career that somehow moved to the states and lost contact. Got to stop going on about my love for the gig, but it's rather difficult: I live for this sort of connection with pop music: when it comes along, I wallow.

That is it. The end of a long Week. Will try and sleep very soon. Queens of Noize ruled tonight...ended up playing loads of Drum'n'Bass and Dancehall...........want to take a guess as to whether I was happy? Clue: I was. Gotta Sleep.

It's been a long time since I cried at a gig. But, last night, it happened again. Midway through the Voice of the Beehive set, when they played a song I suddenly realised I hadn't heard for over 10 years. So many memories. And the last time? The Pursuit of Happiness, Ghent, 1989. "Beautiful White". In other news: it's the last day of a long week, DJ set @ the Queens of Noize tonight, then I can finally change gear.

Need to kill time? This is a strange site that's always interested me, though I could never quite grasp it's true identity: was it real? a spoof? Some of the emotions within are visceral, to say the very least. Alternatively, if you've got a while, then this story is the best way to kill half an hour that I can think of. By turns, it's interesting, funny, sad, uplifting, confusing, ridiculous and yet deadly serious. Aw, just read it, you'll see what I mean.

OK, so I got blootered. Top quality party action last night .This was an undoubted highlight for me: just being at the side of the stage when the last chorus kicked in was absolutely wonderful.

Busy exploring the shuffle facility on the ipod. As I type this, let's just quickly give the button a few presses and See where it takes us. The Kills, Larry Saunders, The Dickies, Lata Mangeshkar, Richard Hell, Beastie Boys, Sasha, Cecile, Syd Barrett, Culture, Beenie Man, Simon and Garfunkel (after Beenie Man? Genius!) The Saints, The Clash, The Sleepy Jackson, Big Black, Aphex Twin, Santana, Primal Scream, Lucinda Williams, Captain Beefheart.
So there you go. 21 random tunes. Only another 3000 to go.
Last night was the first of this weeks DJing appearances, helped greatly by the decision not to get absolutely blootered. Xfm party tonight. Will I be the same model of restraint? Let's see shall we?

It's a weird one. Approximately four hours sleep should have left me feeling like a zombie by now. Yet, I feel strangely energetic. Looking forward to sleep, though. This week is a busy one (again). DJ-ing tomorrow, Wednesday and Friday, with a Wonderstuff gig sandwiched in the middle. Speaking of the Stuffies gig, I'm going to have to come clean and say that prospect of being in the presence of these two ladies is the real reason I'm going to the gig. The last time? An Orgy under the Underworld, for those of you who remember.

Tired, very very tired. Every now and again, insomnia pops up and wreaks its havoc on my life. Today is one of those days. Mind you, on a positive note, it means i'm functioning on 100% pure adrenalin.

OK, this is a little weird. Just above Nik Kershaw and Busta Rhymes. Now THAT'S where I want to be.

Right, this CD is utterly fantastic. Electronica has been through a torrid time of late...And don't even get me started on remixes. What was once such a fine and noble addition to the sonic roster has now become a creative cul-de-sac, populated with the lowest breed of chancers.
So nice to have so much faith restored , all at once. Wonky, skewed brilliance. Investigate, if you can.

Quick update then......All is looking good in West London tonight. Me, I'm sitting down to sort out my laptop, take care of business and check out some of the tunes which will make it into the box for this weeks DJ engagements. More later.

So, a quick recap on my activities over he past few days. Pop quiz Thursday was a near-triumph (2nd) possibly only stymied by an over-indulgence of those bloody vodka shooters at the end. Friday? A hangover. Saturday, the most foul day imaginable in Brighton, rounded off by the reappearance of my signature recipe,Banging Cabbage soup. Yes, it does taste better than it sounds. So, as my useless spam emails gently clog my inbox, I'm typing this and getting ready for some of this.

Oh, go on, give it a try.

This could quite possibly be the most useful letter ever.

Another night of DJ-ing passes into history: it all went rather well, always a pleasure to play with this man. Another high point for me was playing a serious game on this little beauty, while some Dandy Warhols pumped out of the sound system courtesy of this chap. Still feel like my life is being played out at fast-forward pace, maybe this weekend I can actually sit back and enjoy it a little.

Wednesday starts with the sound of some Janes Addiction. Not really sure why, but it's working. Rain is lashing down outside, the flat feels cosier than ever. Be nice to write this day off and go back to bed. But, work beckons. DJ gig tonight, over at the Islington Academy, pop quiz tomorrow. It feels like a headlong dash into 2004.

Tonight, more than any other night, is time for Nick Drake. It's 29 years to the day. RIP Nick.
It's not really a quiet night for me either. Hey Ho. Got myself a new phone today..When a phone has this much memory and the longest standby time of any mobile phone EVER; why would I want pictures and colour and Java games? Before I sign off tonight, I wanted to go on record and give some sort of ceremonial doffing of my cap to Meg. Hers was one of the first blogs I ever read, and her erudite and poetic genius always inspired me to do it myself.
Tonights stream of random doggerel has been brought to you by the letter G and the sounds of This Man. G'night.

Geez. My email addy is now officially spammed out. 1161 in 2 days. To push a WW1 metaphor a little too far, my old address is going to have to stick its neck above the parapet and endure constant shelling, while my ultra-secret new address sits safely in its foxhole, with a glass of fine sherry and some very ripe stilton.
Hah! Bally spammers, let 'em do their worst!
Pop quiz update. First. That's FIRST, people. In both halves of the quiz. Won all the cash for the highest score.....And a bottle of Tuac-ca-ca-ca-ca for highest score in the gossip round. Specialist round this week? Well, we walked in off the street to find out it was Spinal Tap. Never mess with someone who's actually lived it for the best part of a decade. So, in summary, I rule: other people don't- that's our news for tonight, goodnight.

Over at Pete and Michelles place at the moment, just waiting to eat some fajitas!

Ipod update: sorted. Seemed to need some sort of reset, then lots of lovely health-giving electricity. Strange, it almost felt like nursing it back to health. Am I developing an unhealthy Jacko-style relationship here? Also, will I ever be able to do this in london? It all seems a little contrary to that British sense of reserve. Don't we use ipods (or whatever) at least partially, as a way of avoiding contact?

Now THAT is how to have a good weekend. Can't really say much more, due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter, but it was a blast. Involving most of my workmates, a lot of booze and some seriously depraved behaviour. Monday brings with it, as ever, fresh challenges. Like, how did that happen? And here's me thinking my glorious little white amigo is a bombproof marvel Oh well. Pop quiz at the Eagle tonight, with the added frisson of not knowing what the specialist round is. Expect a disappointed team to be drowning their sorrows in Tuaca.

Just a quick note about the current colour scheme of the blog...it was a snap decision (as so many things in my life are), but seeing as it fits in with the colour of the Central Line, i'm cool with it.
Mind you, that's only for the weekdays...
Back down to Brighton in a few hour's time..

Another day dawns in West London, this time with added rain. Looks like being a rather hectic start to the weekend, what with a rather flashy party tonight *lips sealed* and probably more DIY for Saturday and Sunday. I better plough.

Listening to this as I type, hairs bristling on my forearms. Tonight, and I mean it this time, will be a quiet one. A brief look back at the day that's passed, some Buckley, Drake and Cash, hot chocolate and the land of nod. It's been an odd experience, staring up a blog. I thought i'd do it so other people could see what i'd been up to. Instead, it turns out that I feel calmed somewhat by seeing what i've done transferred to the page. Selfish it may be, but it feels right.

*ahem* so last night wasn't actually all that quiet at all...this says it all , really.

Todays QOTD on popbitch was: what do you do when you're REALLY pissed off? Well, for me, (so long as i'm online) this tends to do the trick. Every once in a while, a little "Yesss, you can do anything" puts me back on an even keel. Another quiet night for me tonight, to see off the cold: friday sees the return of the Iain you all know and love. Well, if it's a quiet night, you just know i'll end up watching this. Wonderfull stuff, the fact that it has had no real release, not even been issued on DVD......it troubles me a little.

Still loving the Burninator......in fact all of the Homestar stuff is just wonderful. Just as well there isn't a soundcard here in the studio....

So here's another suprise for you: this is on the stereo. It's been the one CD that has kept me sane in a year which has seen so much upheaval and change. It's also a silent ghost which stands at my side as I traverse this great city. It's there as I skip down the stairs at Chalk Farm Station; it's in the rain as it slides down the Taxi window. Above all it's in my mind as I sit here alone in my little flat, looking out at the world.
My headcold is diminishing in it's ferocity which is rather nice; it's been a miserable few days.

Well, that's the end of another working day. What with the cold and everything,it's been like wading through treacle. Todays purchases include more Greensleeves Rhythm goodness, as well as some Creamy smooth country biznizz, and lots more besides. Just got back from the Fish with the man like Jez DeBorg. Time to relax.

Always been a bit of a freak for early Ultravox! (note that all-important "!") so it's fairly incredible to find a japanese fansite has managed to turn up an unreleased tune i've never even heard of.(TV ORPHAN) Now, if I could just get my computer to actually play it.....
Bah.

Why Westway? I guess I should have made that clear earlier.
Until a few years ago, I ownded a little white Peugeot 205, when it was about to roll over it's mileage from 99,999 to 100,000 miles, I loaded the first Clash CD onto the stereo and drove up and down the westway until the moment arrived. I guess that tell you all you need to know. It's West London, i'm West London. It's also where Nick Drake stood for the back cover of "Bryter Layter".

Right, my first real post. Got a horrendous headcold which is slowing my pace to a crawl, but it's really time to get up. V/O this morning, then off to work.

So, it's about that time. Time to get it on and do the blog thing. I've been meaning to for ages, but never got round to it. I'm fairly sure that I believed that for someone to speak, they have to feel it's their turn. Perhaps it's mine right now. Whatever, it's here that it all begins.