I'm not scared, just not prepared.

This has been the music in my head, all day long. The very wonderful Prego, live in London, last year.

Skating again...

And I love it. I crept out of the house early this morning, around 6.45. Swished silently through the Queens Park Estate, hopped a passing 452 to Kensal Rise, then it was a languorous carving rush down Keslake Road, a slight squiggle through some back streets, then powering down the side of Queens Park itself. That early in the morning, you can dodge the traffic (what there is of it) fairly easily, and you can stretch out and enjoy the tarmac as it rushes beneath your wheels. Can't think of a better way to start the day.

New house, new tarmac.

So, I'm moving on. Brighton is no longer my home town, and all my possessions are beginning their trek back up the M23 (or at least the process has started, the mother lode should arrive back in London by the end of the month)
It makes me look back, ruefully, on the happy times I had on the South coast, and above all, the feeling of release I used to get from leaving the city behind and heading to the calm and quirky charm that only Brighton can give you. I packed up my vinyl yesterday, into the same boxes which it travelled down to Brighton in, all those years ago. A very odd sensation. So, I've rented out my flat in Shepherd's Bush, and have travelled a few miles up the road, to Queen's Park. It means I'm still near the bright lights of Westfield, still near the Jez for beers, still near to the Westway!
And it means there's new delights as far as skating goes. The streets around my new place are smooth and quiet, so I broke out the longboard this morning, for a quick skate. Wonderful. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but if I don't skate for a while, I start dreaming about it, so this should have stopped the dreams for a bit. The board is quicker than ever: put Bones Swiss into the wheels, and it's as fast as hell. However, still getting a bit of "bearing peel" with the wheels (Krypto classic 70's) Anyone else get this? Obviously, I'm using it for some pretty intense pumping carves, so the cores on the wheels aren't doing their job, but what other wheels could I use? Suggestions?

Summer's Here.....

Or at least, it was at the weekend. Seems to have abated somewhat, damn. Spent a lot of it cooking (as ever) with Xacuti curry being top of the pile. Finally got a chance to use the spices I brought back from Goa!
Also managed to squeeze in a trip to Islington to see Spear Of Destiny. Great to see Kirk again, he was on fine form, and the band were as tight as I've seen them, playing "One Eyed Jacks" in its entirety. However the icing on the cake for me had to be seeing Elizabeth from Westworld doing backing vocals! It's been years since I saw her on a stage (1988, I think) and her voice was as wonderful as ever. I'm going to have to dust off my copy of "Where The Action Is" later.
While I'm obsessing about Westworld, here's the video for the title track off the aforementioned album - filmed around the Westway! Ah, I love it when everything dovetails together.....

Morning time.....

And I'm sat in the kitchen. My breakfast today? A piece of toast, an apple and a yoghurt. I'm off to the gym in an hour. There's a feeling of normalcy about today which is close to perfect.
It's been a week of organisation for me, lots of boxes full of possessions, lots of re-assimilation, lots of memories. The divorce got finalised yesterday, which was odd, and sad too; but left me determined to be thinking about now, and all the now to come.
Am just finishing off the links for the Download of The Day, which I do on my show. If you're one of those people who gets it - you'll see it in your inbox in about eight hours. The Santigold tune is IMMENSE. Just sayin'.

More posts about buildings and food.

The building in question being my flat in Shepherds Bush. I've spent the last week tidying it, and having it painted. It now looks AWESOME. Nothing like a lick of white paint and some gleaming windows to raise the spirits. I looked out over West London today, and realised what a truly magical place it is. I'm happy to be up here permanently now; it's been a slightly tortuous few months, but there is happiness around the corner. Life's good.
And the food? Pork tenderloin, rolled in finely chopped fresh herbs and garlic, flash-fried then roasted in a hot oven, with purple sprouting broccoli and new potatoes. Simple, tasty, perfect.

This is how I feel today.....

A little bit of FAIL, and a sore head. Mind you, the Sun has been helping, as has the DS. I'm playing the new version of Broken Sword, and it's aces.
Need to start thinking about food for tonight - what shall I eat? I'm toying with making Macaroni Cheese; that's serious comfort food, isn't it? With nice chunks of Pancetta in there, OM NOM NOM.

A beautiful day....

Sees me sitting in the sunshine, nursing a minor hangover, thinking about the day ahead. This week has been packed full of stuff: Jez has been sorting out the flat, getting it painted (which it definitely needed) and there's been lots to do at work. I've been adding posts to the In The Studio blog, and I'm filling in for Neil Cole this weekend too. There's also the small matter of preparing and recording the show we do for Virgin Atlantic. Tomorrow brings another voiceover for the Travel Channel, and more organisation for weekend shows. Phew.

Well, the weekend is upon us....

And I'll be spending Saturday night in Burnham, for my God-daughter's birthday, then off to visit my parents on Sunday.
It's been a gratifying week, getting back to the business of blogging again, watching the number of followers for my humble little blog start to rise a little - and feeling happy to start to communicate again. It's been a fairly intermittent process, over the past year, but I'm hoping I've turned a corner. Thanks for your patience.

Slightly jaded today.....

Due to an unexpected RAGING FULL-ON night of bad behaviour in Ladbroke Grove. How did that happen? I've no idea, but it was great fun. I'm paying for it today, mind you.
Today has also been notable for it's lack of Twitter activity. Could this be linked to the hangover? It's possible.
Need some comforting food tonight, that's for sure. Steak and Salad, I think. That should do it.

And here's what the studio looks like.....

That's me, Peter Robinson from Popjustice, and Andy Capper from Vice magazine....

More blogging from the studio.....

And this time I'm blogging in two places. I'm trying to get a couple of blog posts a week on the "In The Studio" blog on the NME site, so wish me luck. Comments, etc, always welcome.

Hey - my first blog post from the studio!

So I'd better be quick hadn't I ? Just to let you know about this site - Archived Music Press, it's scans from the NME and Melody Maker, covering the years 1987-1996. It's nostalgia, sure, but it's still putting a smile on my face on what is otherwise a fairly drab day.

Just a wonderful day....

Really sunny, crisp, fresh and beautiful.
The blossom is out on the trees, the daffodils and crocuses are in bloom, the air smells sweet and clean. I walked through the streets to the north of Golborne Road, dropped down along the Portobello Road, then cut through Pembridge Crescent to Notting Hill Gate, to meet Jeff for a Sunday Lunch, then a leisurely exploration of the bargain basements of the Record & Tape branches, seeking out weird and wonderful vinyl. We had a pint in the Castle, flicked through the racks of sevens in Rough Trade, and checked out Intoxica. I came back with a Stupids album,and a repress of the first ever Studio One album.
As soon as I got back home, this was on the stereo:

It's been a weekend of cooking too - vegetable soup, meatballs in tomato sauce, home-made bread - I've been slaving over a hot stove, and I've loved every second.

Sitting in the studios...

Getting ready for the show. Listening to Tom Brosseau, looking at links for downloads, I reckon that this site may well be in there: HipHop Mashups over the Soundtrack to Zelda on the N64! Geektastic!
Voiceovers went well, was for a brand new series "Travel Notebook" I'll post links to the trailers once they're online. Also, today has been notable for yet another giveaway at Shepherds Bush station (they're ALWAYS doing this) today's swag: Aero bars. OM NOM NOM.

Still dazzled by the sunshine....

I'm blinking my eyes and looking out over West London, even loving the smell of Diesel from the buses nine floors beneath me - today is just one of those days when everything seems OK. Well, there's plenty of time for that to unravel, I guess, but for now - all's good.
I'm just about to head off to do more voiceovers for the Travel Channel, which is always fun. If you want to hear what I sound like, check this out. Then it's off to Southwark for the final radio show of the week, then some leisurely cooking to round off the day. I love how the promise of a day can put a smile on your face.
The weekend should be good too, Jeff's over from Cleveland, so there will be pints in the Portobello road, and some leisurely shopping for bargains in the basement of Record & Tape. Life doesn't get much better than ale and vinyl. Musically, today is soundtracked by the wonderful First Aid Kit.

A track from one of my all-time favourite albums...

And a band which no-one else seems to know about (what a typical scenario for me!)
More on the band here.
The Stars Of Heaven - "What Else Could You Do?"

Twitter stuff....

We finally got a decent Twitter client sorted out in the studio today, which means that the presenters can finally interact with the followers of our Twitter stream. Spent most of the afternoon sneaking furtive glances over the stream, getting a feel for the makeup of the Tweeps we've got following us, occasionally firing off some Tweets to test out whether people would reply (They did, phew!)
Apart from that, it's another evening filled with food - specifically, Sausage & Mash, with cabbage. Comfort food at its very best. I'm off to have a quick decco at the mp3 blogs. More tomorrow.

Monday's coming like a train on wheels...

Well, a pretty sunny train, actually. Today sees London once again bathed in Sunlight - the view from the balcony this morning is truly spectacular, and makes me think Summer is nearly here (even if it isn't, really)
It makes me want to skate, that's for sure - I'm going to try and contact some fellow old farts from the MAS Forum to see if there's a Meanwhile expedition next weekend. I've tried my best to adapt to new Popsicle boards, but my trusty Santa Cruz Everslick (from 1990!) has the most functional shape I've ever ridden, and the wheelbase is absolutely perfect for me, so I'll just update the wheels, and away we go.
Time to think about getting ready for work, need to source some downloads for the "download of the day" feature I do on-air, and listen to this tune again, whilst marvelling at all that glorious sun.....

Quick round-up of the weekend...

Started off with a trip down to Brighton to see Kirk DJ (for the first time!) which was very odd indeed. Since my divorce, I've only been down to Brighton a handful of times, and it feels very strange indeed going back to somewhere which once was home. But is home no longer.
Anyway, was great to see Kirk again, and hilarious to see him embracing the art of the DJ. He played loads of FANTASTIC rockabilly, which (nothing to do with the beer, honest) blew my mind, and had me thinking about buying a pair of brothel creepers for the first time in 20 years.

Saturday saw me DJ-ing again at the Indigo, after the Snow Patrol gig. It's always fun to play out, and it's always interesting to see how the crowds differ from gig to gig. Last night they wanted the obvious tunes: all killer no filler. Nothing wrong with that - but it keeps you on your toes. Caught a cab back to West London at 2am, marvelling at how beautiful the city is at night.

And today? Well, a trip to the supermarket, then off to the footy (Chelsea Vs. Man City, we won 1-0) and a quick pint afterwards with The Jez. Life is good today, and I raise a glass to you all :)

Gig time...

Just back from The Luminaire, where I was watching VV Brown (amazing) and Esser(amazing haircut). I love the Luminaire, such a great venue, small enough to feel intimate, with a big enough bar to get served most of the time!
Today was one of those days where I felt tired for most of it - perhaps down to the fact that the Police were running around outside the house in the middle of the night last night - consequently I ended up with a seriously broken nights sleep. Here's hoping that tonight is better.
Tomorrow brings a voiceover in the morning, some pre-recording for Sunday's show, and a trip back to Brighton to see my friend Kirk DJ. I bet I end up helping, we'll see!
I'll leave you with some VV :)

Need to blog more....

Because I've been spending my time on Twitter, and Friendfeed, and Blogging for the NME and I feel like I've been neglecting this little blog.
So....should I continue? Are there enough people out there who care? This has been a special blog for me, covering my years at X, my time in London, the divorce, everything. I'd hate for it to just....fade away.
Let me know what you think.