things i learned this week (but actually already knew), part 103: Bath is a really fabulous, vibrant city. a last minute getaway on Sunday did not disappoint. in fact, i even got a decent photo of myself in the process, which must have been some fortunate mistake!

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 16. Sheila Take A Bow - The Smiths (1987) youtu.be/q-8kKH4COvg?...

#BowieWednesday youtu.be/vWTQ3vshLNY?...

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 15. Glad It’s All Over - Captain Sensible (1984) youtu.be/yPfB3eRX130?...

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 14. Really Stupid - The Primitives (1986) youtu.be/howKIqQ4y5Q?...

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 13. Eye Know - De La Soul (1989) youtu.be/q9jCsOCfUUg?...

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 12. Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) - Scritti Politti (1984) youtu.be/VdTjOqb_GCE?...

#NowPlaying Elliott Smith - XO (1998). i remember buying this on the strength of a single review without even hearing a note, then being amazed by the sheer brilliance of it all. and in my humble opinion - the run of songs from Waltz #2 to Bled White is as good as anything i have heard on any lp

earlier today i met an amazing lady whilst having a relaxing coffee. Valerie - we may never see each other again in this lifetime, but you were a wonderful drinking companion. 82 years young and so full of inspiration, energy, life and laughter. i wish the world was full of more people like you xxx

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 11. The Telephone Always Rings - Fun Boy Three (1982) youtu.be/JQ74BPCypgk?...

if any evidence was needed whether i am over this wretched cold / virus / whatever it is that has been pestering me for the last 7 days… i have just taken a 45 minute walk around town and didn’t smell any weed whatsoever. so clearly at least one of my senses is still not functioning properly

Trump believes he is entitled to the Nobel Peace Prize, whilst bombing Venezuelan boats. and this year’s Nobel Prize goes to…. a Venezuelan. congratulations María Corina Machado. God doesn’t work in mysterious ways, He just likes to sometimes take the piss out of assholes

#FallFriday youtu.be/yN5fv6w6E3A?...

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 10. You Trip Me Up - The Jesus And Mary Chain (1985) youtu.be/zK2nJWNgZBA?...

i had only been on BlueSky for a short while before #80sTop30 started up. such lucky timing for me not to feel like the “new kid at school” and get involved. and such fantastic, eclectic tastes everyone has (as well as providing useful memory stimulus for someone in his 6th decade). thank you all!

yeah man - sex and drugs and rock and roll! my last ever concert, around 2004 (ish). while my friends still held onto the ludicrous notion of being “rock stars”, i was too busy enjoying being a dad #ThrowbackThursday

Kraftwerk tickets at Royal Albert Hall June 2026 successfully bought. unfortunately looks like the seats are closer to the ceiling than the stage, but a) it’s Kraftwerk b) it’s the Royal Albert Hall

just realised i picked OMD today while wearing my Enola Gay t-shirt. a pure coincidence. i decided on the song last night, clothing was top of the pile in the drawer this morning. selfie is for evidence, not vanity. you might be able to tell it is not something i do often!

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 9. Messages - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (1980) youtu.be/WXvlzUCB74o?...

Saint Alban was executed around 300AD. immediately after delivering the fatal stroke the eyes of the executioner popped out of his head and dropped to the ground (along with Alban's head), so the executioner could not rejoice over Alban's death. today i climbed the Cathedral named after him

#BowieWednesday youtu.be/4QEs1sjlLYA?...

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order. have to confess, i really do not like Simple Minds at all. too pompous, too ambitious, too humourless, too boring. but this magnificent song simply soars… 8. Glittering Prize - Simple Minds (1982) youtu.be/ucw0twciNGk?...

useless Jo Whiley played Waves by Blancmange on the radio last night, which i assumed to be as a tribute to the sadly departed Stephen Luscombe. after the song ended she then said she had just looked them up on the internet, “and they are still going strong”. best stick to swooning over Oasis…

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 7. Suzanne Vega - Luka (1987) youtu.be/VZt7J0iaUD0?...

i think it’s fair to say the Art Wolfe print on my bedroom wall looks absolutely magnificent @artwolfe.bsky.social

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 6. That Petrol Emotion - Big Decision (1987) youtu.be/iXAfWKOgo2Q?...

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 5. Talk Talk - I Believe In You (1988) youtu.be/fKtp3SOQE6I?...

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 4. Strawberry Switchblade - Since Yesterday (1984) youtu.be/x7QPBzAJ_io?...

honestly, all this “poor me” bullshit spewing out of Michelle Mone… can’t help feeling she will turn up as a long lost relative of Liz Truss sooner or later on that wretched television programme. next stop: blame the woke / radical left / deep state / blah blah

how lovely! was just going through my CD collection and found this inside my copy of Reject All American. i knew i had it somewhere… @theebikinikill.bsky.social

Keeping Up Appearances drove me round the bend and i assume we are now in for a bonanza of repeats. would be nice if the BBC dug a tiny bit deeper and treated us to an amazing Alan Bennett monologue or three #RIPPatriciaRoutledge

#FallFriday youtu.be/E2JVFLZDTbU?...

no alcohol since 31st August, simply because i didn’t want to have any. was planning to have a nice glass of red wine tonight with my sit-down fish and chips at my favourite chippie. now i’ve woken up with something that may warrant a Covid test later in the day. best laid plans etc etc

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 3. The Pogues - A Pair Of Brown Eyes (1985) youtu.be/zNtQ5AnRlz8?...

Nov 2025 Issue 384 @mojomagazine.bsky.social - “the closest Talking Heads came to the impossible dream was their 2002 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They all showed up, they did not perform” Me - “er….” (scratches head) youtu.be/NAQI3XRoHic?...

#80sTop30 my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order, although as dad passed away last year this one has taken on greater significance 2. Kate Bush - Cloudbusting (1985) youtube.com/watch?v=pllR...

my city is awash with UberEats / Deliveroo drivers on motorcycles; and every single one has learner plates. i have been looking for a while and genuinely have yet to see a single vehicle without the obligatory red “L” plastered on the bike. the Lesser Spotted Full Licence has so far evaded my gaze

hey @glenmatlock.bsky.social - have you got any reading recommendations? i thought I’d give this one a go. i’ve heard it’s pretty decent…

i joined BlueSky as i heard it was a much nicer place than Tw*tter, and i must admit, so far so good! however, my feed is my playground, and i don’t need negativity. it’s not about me being “woke”, it’s about you being respectful. so be kind or be blocked #ThemsTheRules

#80sTop30 thought i would join in with this one. my (not so) guilty pleasures in no particular order 1. ABC - All Of My Heart (1982) youtu.be/Lfph3043yZU?...

hoping my shoe / sock combination passes muster for the Dame #BowieV&A

morning people. i’m off to the Bowie exhibition today at the V&A - who’s coming along?

so much going on in my mind at the moment, and oh boy, my sleep is really suffering as a result. but the joy of finding a playlist on Spotify containing the entire works of Mozart (182 hours!) means a peaceful transition back to slumber shortly after the inevitable 3am wake up

#NowPlaying Weezer - Pinkerton (1996). nowhere near as bad as the critical battering it received on release, but also nowhere near as good as the more contemporary revisionist reviews hailing this as some lost masterpiece. it’s sometimes excellent, sometimes underwhelming, and always worth a listen

i visited my local church today for the first time, and came away thinking the organ inside is a like a prototype Mellotron. organ, flute, choir, trumpet, etc… wish i brave enough to ask someone if i could sit down and play the thing!

#NowPlaying Neil Finn - Try Whistling This (1998). post Crowded House (getting to know the feeling of liberation and release?), even though it does tail off a little towards the end, this must rank as one of the finest lps he’s been involved in. melody and experimentation = a winning combination

today has been shockingly shit. i started the day in a real funk, and although i don’t rely on people to lift my spirits (it’s not a fair or reasonable expectation), it would be nice if once in a while people noticed when something is “off kilter” with my internal wiring. but - onwards and upwards

#NowPlaying - More Specials (1980). fantastic potpourri of musical genres ensuring the band wouldn’t be pigeonholed, while also proving the brilliant debut was no fluke. another “what if” situation, but at least we got Fun Boy Three as a result. there is so much inventiveness here it’s ridiculous

would you buy a loaf of bread off this man? i seem to have developed an intolerance to gluten in my sixth decade, and this is my first attempt at making a loaf with oat flour. will find out how it tastes in a couple of hours (horrible?). but i give it a C grade for appearance and a B minus for smell

#NowPlaying The Human League - Reproduction (1979). not played this for a long time, and it’s surprisingly dark in content and spare in production. i do find it amazing how the apparent “primitive” synthesizers used in late 70s recordings sound more futuristic than the ones used today!