Next up on the re-reading of old favourites. Richard Brautigan - Sombrero Fallout. This was my first Brautigan but remains my favourite.

Second viewing of One Battle After Another about to commence. This time in 70mm ✊✊✊ Big up Parkway Cinema. Nice when your local picture house makes the effort to show 70mm film 🖤

Fucking hell, MONO were fantastic at the Brudenell. Such a wonderful venue. Whoever did the sound tonight, absolute respect, it was brilliant.

Niche and alcohol enhanced observation : why would anyone grill bacon when it’s so good fried?

Shit that Lankum version of Ghost Town is brilliant. If you’re going to cover a legendary song then that’s the way to do it.

Slate + Ash currently have 50% off Choreographs. No exaggeration that they make the best plug-ins I’ve ever used. Wildly hungry on CPU but absolutely brilliant. slateandash.com/products/cho...

Actually a marvellous month of gigs coming up : MONO, Protomartyr and the one I’ve waited years for Dirty Three. ✊✊✊

UK leg of Mono’s European tour starts in Bristol tonight. Anyone going? We’re off to see them at the Brudenell on Tuesday. Last time I saw them was nearly 20 years ago. Looking forward to it. youtu.be/R8UenDEzsYw?...

Small palate cleanser before my next read. If the Yorkshire Traction bus ticket acting as a bookmark is anything to go by, I last read this 25 years ago. Hermann Hesse ‘Siddhartha’

#5debutalbums1014 First one is pretty nailed on as #1 A winged victory for the sullen S/T Goat - World music Savages - silence yourself Blanck Mass S/T John Grant - Queen of Denmark Kiasmos S/T Father John Misty - Fear Fun Gayngs - relayted Joy Formidable - The Big roar LDR - Born to Die

Decided I wasn’t mentally strong enough to embrace the madness of Gaspar Noe again. Went for a Wim Wenders double bill.

Last nights viewing was the unlikely pairing of French Connection and Drive My Car. Thinking of going for Enter the Void and Perfect Days tonight.

I thought dogs were supposed to be clever. He’s barking for his tea completely oblivious to the fact that the clocks have gone back.

More Seichō Matsumoto.

Really sad to hear of the death of Dave Ball. First saw Soft Cell when they played just before us at Futurama 2. Such a fantastic band. Loved his synth work, especially on Memorabilia. RIP youtu.be/hCIUUgw7VlQ?...

Can’t think of a song/video that cheers me up as much as this one. I find it strangely moving. No surprise it also features Jim White & Mick Turner. youtu.be/3KNsBCf34fQ?...

Well who’d have thunk it - reading Inspector Imanishi Investigates by Seichō Matsumoto (published in 1961) and there’s a detective called Hiroshi Yoshimura. #nicheobservation

Have History a miss for now. Got this instead. Seichō Matsumoto - Inspector Imanishi Investigates

I’ve never really read much ‘History’. The problem I have is that a lot of history seems to be documented by twats. I’m not interested in what Johnson or Hastings thinks about anything. So can anyone recommend a decent history of say Europe or Britain or whatever, NOT written by a twat. Cheers.

Courage Bob, courage.

One Battle After Another was a wild ride. Absolutely loved it. The soundtrack is outstanding.

Quite entertaining (not really) looking at the price of Kraftwerk tickets online. Favourite yet is £165 at Wolverhampton for a seat with restricted view. Nice.

Trying to think of a band, featuring only one original member, that I would pay £110 to see. Struggling.

#currentreading Yoko Ogawa ‘Revenge’.

If we’re going to cancel rip off degree subjects let’s start with PPE at Oxbridge.

I’m still not entirely sure this is a real product, but if it is then this might be the greatest gear ad ever made. youtu.be/hbO1z13WP8o?...

Wise words youtu.be/NvQF4YIvxwE?...

Really enjoying the Arsenal supporters complaining about Donnarumma’s time wasting. And Arteta whinging about someone feigning injury. The karma is beautiful.

Always a good day to listen to Jim

Ian Penman brilliant as ever on Brian Eno. Nicely articulates how (even to those of us who worshipped at the Church of Bri) he can be simultaneously fabulous and irritating. For 10 years he created some of the most exciting music on the planet but then there is also the tedious generative stuff.

Well as preparation for One Battle After Another I started to read Pynchon’s Vineland but I’m really bogged down in the hipster vernacular. Taking a break with the help of Yoko Ogawa after loving The Memory Police.

You might have seen this but if not there’s a great video of the making of the soundtrack. youtu.be/78x6NnvHQyY?...

Trying to ‘still care’ and not hide from the outside world .v. the endless fucking daily horror.

The Elektron Tonverk demo is very impressive but I have serious doubts I have the brainpower to master it. Looks insanely complicated.

Good video as usual from Venus Theory. Glad I fucked off Distro Kid and all the streamers last month. Fuck them all. I’m sure my ego will survive. youtu.be/plleJ0Zv0Ww?...

Tip off from The Quietus. Annie Gardiner - Excellent Birds Digital Leaves. crystalfuzzrecords.bandcamp.com/album/excell... This is really lovely, and I have an affinity with anyone using a DX7 to create tones like these. Much maligned for its 80’s cheese it is capable of so much more.

Really didn’t think my opinion of Starmer could get any lower but I’ve got to hand it to him. He just keeps getting worse.

Sunday mornings are not so bad.

Anyone fancy a bit of Underworld Boiler Room action. Uploaded earlier today 💙 youtu.be/rAOHJqJMYDA?...

Current obsession. One Battle After Another trailer. Specifically the one with Jonny G’s piano and drums as opposed to the one with Freedom.

‘One of the most unsettling questions of our times “ Do fuck off Guardian. Only an absolute fuckwit would think a car or a washing machine could suffer. AI is no different, whatever you might claim.

I can only manage about 3 minutes in HMV until the sensory bombardment of all the fucking tat makes me anxious.

Yeah lads, tearing about like 12 year olds on Skittles is definitely the way to play Liverpool.

I could definitely make a case for Marvin & Tammi’s Ain’t No Mountain being the greatest song ever. That bassline, Marvin’s vocal, Tammi’s vocal, even the key change is bearable. Wichita Lineman comes close though.

That bit where Tammi sings “My Love Is alive” in Ain’t No mountain is the greatest moment in recorded music.

I really could not give a flying fuck what Nick Clegg thinks about anything.

Watched Interstellar again on an imax screen. Looked incredible. Some of the plot and dialogue is extremely silly but man the soundtrack and sound design is amazing at crazy volume.

Blimey Arsenal are difficult to like. Again.

EFL refs - absolutely hopeless. No exceptions.

Call me a bitter old curmudgeon (I am) but I find it odd that non-Wrexham supporters buy into this ‘it’s a beautiful story’ bullshit. Cool for the club and city but for other clubs at that level and football in general? Not so much.