But… but is there *ANY* way this could be a woman’s fault…?

It’s Bandcamp Friday if anyone fancies chowing down on some tunes. New music this year I promise! robinallender.bandcamp.com

Kier Starmer to perform a live 'apology rap' in a move his closest allies are calling 'misguided' and 'a mistake'

BREAKING: New SNL UK line up revealed

Brenton Salo, Walk Through the Light, Havanna, Cuba, 2015 brentonsalo.com

Awake at 3am my brain decided to treat me to a montage of the worsts gigs I’ve ever done, good stuff 👍

Started reading Sam Tallent’s novel about stand-up Running the Light. Why are Americans obsessed with the idea of stand-up being this subversive, decadent art form? It’s people talking in rooms above pubs.

I wrote about Chris Rea, the importance of the music you heard on the car stereo growing up, and ‘cool’ and ‘uncool’ music open.substack.com/pub/robinall...

Watching Severance S2 at last. In the episode where they have their away weekend, wouldn’t the innies be confused/intrigued by the prospect of sleep? Aside from Irving’s naps, they’ve never experienced it before.

What’s going on

16th Century Oblique Strategies.

Heading in the opposite direction... John Martyn died on this day in 2009. The subject of my 2020 book, Small Hours: The Long Night of John Martyn.

This Roy Keane film does include the line ‘you can shove this World Cup up your bollocks’ doesn’t it? Would really be missing a trick if that wasn’t in it. I mean they should have called the film that to be fair.

Little repost of my podcast with @benpester.bsky.social. Loved The Expansion Project. One for @backlisted.bsky.social fans I reckon!

Severance

Calling transphobia a 'gateway drug' to the far right undersells it. It's pure accelerant. Grimly fascinating to guess what crankery becomes any famous transphobe's secondary obsession, cos they all have one: 15 minute cities are fascism! Grok noncing is cool! ICE are good! We should kill all dogs!

Every picture of Neil Young with a pono makes him look like a ‘sovereign citizen’ from Yeovil measuring 5G near birds and cats.

Please enjoy this opening to a chapter of Nabokov’s Pnin

The errant apostrophe in Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart is actually a badge of autodidacticism

Book cover trends

‘Betrayal is really hard’, you’re playing a game called Traitors

Who could forget the classic track from The Band’s eponymous album, Pispering Whines

Cackle my gladis

Love filling up the Carex soap dispensers from the big plastic pouch. Feels like I live on a ranch and have been out in the fields topping up the feed for my cattle before returning home to my wife Cecelia Ann.

Staggered to see that there are people presumably making a living on Instagram and TikTok for pointing out that Americans say ‘oregano’ differently to British people. 244k followers. Sidewalk! Pavement! Incredible stuff.

Limmy’s substack is absolutely brilliant. Writing is maybe his best medium. He’s so observant. Like it must be exhausting to be that observant?

Anyone else distracted by the guy on Only Connect last night who appeared to have a head wound

11th January 2026 Vs 18th January 2026

Tremendously excited about this unionchapel.org.uk/whats-on/eik...

This month on The Allender Calendar I talk to @benpester.bsky.social about his brilliant debut novel The Expansion Project. Some chat about The Unconsoled and Gormenghast too! pod.fo/e/379ced

This month on The Allender Calendar I talk to @benpester.bsky.social about his brilliant debut novel The Expansion Project. Some chat about The Unconsoled and Gormenghast too! pod.fo/e/379ced

Ravel’s piano concerto in G on Radio 3 now if you want to listen to one of the best pieces of music ever

I wonder who we are www.reddit.com/r/elisandjoh...

I’m listening to Eno’s Thursday Afternoon on a Wednesday afternoon, just don’t care any more

New post about the latest series of one of my favourite pods. I go in and out of podcasts but this is one I regularly come back to. I’d like to write more posts like this - been listening to some good stuff recently! @personalbeatles.bsky.social kieranstorieswriter.wordpress.com/2026/01/13/o...

I concede this probably says more about me than her but why doesn’t Tara in On the Calculation of Volume just go to the pub

between genocide & the other horrors i guess we’re not talking about how…bossy??… van morrison is?? “turn up yr radio” “take off yr shoes” “get on the train” — bro don’t tell me how to live my fckn life

Really enjoying Amadeus. Feels like Will Sharpe is basing his performance on Jacob Collier, the whole talented but annoying thing.

Does anyone play Pips? One of the best Pips ever today. I love Pips. Pips is great.

what’s whitney houston’s favourite type of coordination? HAAAAND EYEEEE

I had a dream that there was a new Irish pub in Sydenham called ‘The Marion Willow’

Does anyone else remember Gay Dad describing themselves as ‘avatars of aheadness’ #TOTP

Hearing rumours that the 7.30 #TOTP is the one with Sebadoh and Terrorvision

I went to a toddler class today and there was a toddler called Keith

Amanda being a great advert for the police here

Does Radio 3 really need to play Beethoven’s 5th with such frequency? It’s quite famous!!

Just realised Cameron Winter/Geese are the Panda Bear/Animal Collective of the 2020s, or maybe the Phil Collins/Genesis?

Found the coolest website that takes random found cassette tapes people submit and digitizes them. I’m listening to an NYC hip hop station from 1994: intertapes.net

pound for pound this might be the funniest thing ever written

I love sparkling water because sometimes what I really want is to be perfectly hydrated but also in a small amount of pain