I was distressed to hear on Twitter yesterday that Kevin Ayers had died. Marc Riley broke the news on Radio 6. As with any ‘celebrity’ death, it was interesting (in that detached way writers have) to see how and where the news spread across social media. When news of Richard Briers‘ death came, it was…
Category: music
Henry Rollins at the Egg
At 51, Henry Rollins remains awe inspiring. It’s not just the tautly muscled physique or the fearless spirit of adventure. It’s the hard-nosed insistence on a no-holds-barred optimism. Yeah, the angry voice of punk — decades on — speaks just as loudly, passionately and uncompromisingly as ever. He just does it to a bunch of…
TOA/V: Sita Sings the Blues
I’ve neglected TOA/V for far too long, but I have the excuse of being really really busy. And adjusting to the fact that I am really really busy. That year of idling went to my head. I’m not fit for regular work that includes talking to lots of people. I prefer the voices in my…
Re-Imagining the Olympics
The 2012 Olympics are over. If you weren’t in the UK you might not have been aware of just how transformative these two weeks were. That I’m even talking about it is evidence enough. Like many of my geek and writer friends I’ve often found myself in the position of fighting against the popular attention…
Madness (i.e. business as usual)
I’m off to Harrogate in the morning; not sure if I will have time to post while I’m there. But as I have a long train ride ahead of me, I do have time to read! Hurrah, the only difficulty will be choosing amongst the many things loaded onto the shiny toy. And not missing…
Dundee Law
It’s not legal 😉 but the plug of a volcano which provides a wonderful landmark from which to enjoy the city. Settling in and having fun: saw the Cundeez on Friday night! Lots of writing to do, too: the days are just packed. See more pictures here.
Six Sentence Sunday: Rook Chant
All right, it’s Sunday again — and Father’s Day! Happy Father’s Day all — so here’s my six. A little change of pace: not fiction, but non-fiction. A little taste from my latest publication, Rook Chant, which offers a compendium of essays, translations and reviews on one of my favourite topics: magic. I write about…
Six Sentence Sunday: Just Waiting
Happy birthday, QoE! 🙂 Another Sunday rolls around, another chance to sample new writers from a wee snippet of prose. Here’s my six and yes it is inspired by a Fall song, so just deal with that, all right. Not everything comes from the words of Mark E. Smith: this week I wrote a story…
Galway Sounds
Snufkin packs her bindle again: I am away with the lovely Maura for a jaunt north; with luck I will be able to share pictures along the way here and there, but for at least part of the weekend I will be — gasp! — without WiFi so I will necessarily have to curtail my…
Six Sentence Sunday: Kiss Like a Fist
The lovely Monica Vitti for no reason at all That time again: Six Sentence Sunday. I figured you might like a song-inspired story that isn’t inspired by The Fall. Yes, they do exist. The song is Florence + The Machine’s “Kiss With a Fist” which you’ll notice is not quite the same as the title…