"On the cover there's a Jackson Pollock painting. I thought that was perfect, because as Jackson Pollock was trying to reinvent painting, so Ornette was doing a similar thing with music" Quietus Best Of 2025: Ron Mael on Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation buff.ly/eXmDCZ2

Always get caught wondering if he's incredibly stupid or malevolent before remembering he can be both.

Footloose and fancy free

Down at the seafront #Southsea

I like #UniversityChallenge but please get rid of Amol Rajan #BBC2

I like Only Connect but please sack the comedy script writers #OnlyConnect #BBC2

We've always had these dead-eyed socipaths around. It's just a few years ago they were ignored and now they're "senior fellow" at places funded by evil millionaires + going on podcasts with a brain-rotted ex-PM.

Two stories have made appearances on my TL today. Trump behaving like a dick and the Cardiff couple who took in a vulnerable young man for 45 years. Proof that what matters isn't wealth and power but respect, love, belonging in a family and joy. Here endeth the lesson, back to the egg nog.

It would be nice if a British leader could say the same: and stand up for London, it’s Mayor and the BBC at the same time

From GDH Cole, The Simple Case for Socialism.

Remember 2015, when Russell Brand was so Down With The Kids that Ed Miliband had to make a pilgrimage to him during the General Election campaign?

we ask the question: why are Labour MPs and ministers still using X when its owner has vowed to destroy them? www.ft.com/content/5b0e...

This is a very simple coordination problem. No one Labour MP can solve it. But No. 10/the government could, tomorrow, with one letter from the Cabinet Secretary. Both in their own self-interest and for the sake of our democracy, they should.

BREAKING: George Osborne to take up new role as Head of Governmental Relations for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He’ll be lobbying for the creation of an expanded network of bridleways to ensure that the horsemen are unimpeded when they commence their deadly ride.

At some point maybe moderate Republicans have to say... something? Around the time the president is renaming buildings after himself, or when he accuses the New York Times of being THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE?

Of course if he masked his ambition, he would be accused of masking his ambition...

Liz Truss, Rupert Lowe and assorted others on the right hope the BBC has to pay $10 Billion to a man who tells 50 lies in 18 minutes www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

He’s a dangerous enabler and normaliser of far right politics these days.

He saw the light.

Of course. All part of far right tactics in the USA since the 1970s: religion one strand, changing the media eco-system another, think tanks another, all moving the right wing environment further to the right. Aspects have been exported since then with varying success.

For both parties to the right of Labour, attacks on women and girls no longer matter unless they are carried out by men with darker skin colour. This is the state of right wing politics in 2025. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

I was in awe of irreplaceable Humphrey Burton who, for decades, created most of the jewels of BBC arts broadcasting, producing unforgettable programmes with everyone from Ken Russell to Leonard Bernstein. Then a friend introduced us and he couldn't have been more generous and encouraging. RIP.

Just... I typed about three versions of posts despairing at this and none of the them conveyed just how bad it is.

I have checked and the actual Leader of the Opposition, paid for by you and me, has officially put this out. Totally disqualifying.

Trump might be doolally and pre-dead but that’s actually a benefit to those who are really running the show in his name. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/o...

Republican congressman 👇🏽

One often encounters within the Labour party a strange sort of learned helplessness which I think stems from having been opposition for so much of our history

WHY ARE YOU ANNOYED THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO HAPPEN

I have huge issues with portions of Carey's The Intellectuals & The Masses but that's not to the point. Great polemic is there to be argued with. People have forgotten how to do that in this namby pamby age of offence taken. RIP John Carey. Thank you for making this a vibrant world to argue in.

Sad that the main news had no room for Stanley Baxter, the face of Hogmanay for about two decades

Meanwhile Robin Ince genuinely has been cancelled for daring to voice his opinions and for defending trans people. Where's the outrage from the "cancel culture" lot? What are the Free Speech Union doing to help him?

Der Trump-Effekt.

A long walk home yesterday in a delightful snowstorm. I passed this person on their own walk going the opposite way. After they passed I turned and took this photograph . #ArtAdventCalendar Day 10 #Photography #Snowing #StoneArchBridge #Minneapolis

Delivered today (as it says on those websites): fantastic looking tome on one of my 'heroes' by @joebankswriter.bsky.social - looks great.

The 2025 National Security Strategy document makes it official: the Trump administration believes that European liberal democracy is a threat to U.S. national interest.

Although this Hammershoi from 1912 is also worth sharing:

Ok, this is quite good from 1912:

I can’t help thinking that when, in future, people ask what UK political leaders said as it became undeniable that US saw European liberal democracy as its no1 strategic foe, Starmer and others will regret that the answer is “not much, shuffled awkwardly, looked at their feet”.

And the other 4 in my top 5 this year were: Suede, Springsteen, Roy Harper and Van Morrison. But Haydn top - ‘in the days before rock’n’roll’ - as Van sang.

After this weekend's racist attacks on the EU, I've written a column about the moral obligation to stop posting on X. Oh no, wait, I wrote it *two years ago* when it was blatantly obvious what was going on and how it would get much much worse. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

Over 7,000 minutes of #Haydn this year putting me in the 0.01% of global Haydn fans. What a lark! Ridiculous really - and that's down to #A-Haydn-A-Day (which I still adhere to).

Manic week - apologies for multiple posts, but its all in plain sight now The Double Headed Eagle - Russia and America and Authoritarian Big tech The EU is the enemy of both pdjukes.substack.com/p/the-double...

My favourite Hawkwind line up

I am ratcheting down my social media, but let me just say that all European leaders except on the far Right should note that the U.S. now seeks regime change in their country; basically seeks to depose them. US strategy is to support the political forces that threaten liberal democracy in Europe.

Elon Musk is a global enemy to democracy.

This is pretty much exactly like a European saying the United States should be abolished, so that the governments of individual states can better represent their people. It’s a take, you’re entitled to it, but what’s it got to do with you, buddy?

Can’t wait for Putin to get the FIFA peace prize next year

Given that this squalid little kleptocrat and his underling with the alt-right haircut keep making pilgrimage to the Kremlin, I think we can safely dispense with “look like”.

Also went to Pallant House to the William Nicholson exhibition. Such a great gallery #Chichester

#Chichester looking very fine tonight