Spike Milligan was undoubtedly a troubled, conflicted soul and it’s clear that some of his humour hasn’t worn well. But the deceptively simple and silly jokes and pictures he filled up books are a childhood joy that I’ve never lost. I can’t believe I’d have understood the Judith Hart poem above but would have laughed … More Spike Milligan pictures and poems
The Welsh rock photographer, Chalkie Davies had about as close a front row seat as you could wish for of some of the most extraordinary episodes in music history as this exhibition shows. My personal favourite is this of Ian Dury which made me laugh out loud. I also liked this unexpected pairing: Nick Lowe and … More Chalkie Davies exhibition, Cardiff
This was the long-delayed fulfilment of a promise to myself to read Marquez who always seemed so off-putting. How wrong I was. Not that this long, strange novel isn’t without it’s challenges. There’s no plot as such, just a long stream of strange and wonderful things happening to the Buendía family over more than a … More ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel García Marquez
‘Back soon’ now seems a little optimistic. In my defence, the most interesting and exciting election of my career was bound to have an impact on my other interests let alone my social life! New music is what’s really gone by the board. I’ve listened to some but much less than usual and getting to listen to … More Hello summer!
The 20 songs I’ve been listening to and loving most this year. 20. Doe ‘Unrested’ 19. EMA ‘So Blonde’ 18. I Break Horses ‘Medicine Brush’ 17. Little Arrow ‘Spider’ 16. Little Big League ‘Boyish’ 15. The History of Apple Pie ‘Keep Wondering’ I can’t find a video or sound cloud file for this one. It’s worth … More Songs of 2014
My 10 favourite albums of 2010 in no particular order: Sharon Van Etten - Are We There St. Vincent - St Vincent Moodoïd - Le Monde Möö French for Rabbits - Spirits Dum Dum Girls - Too True Honeyblood - Honeyblood Mark Lanegan Band - Phantom Radio Gulp - Season Sun The Midnight Pine - … More Top 10 albums 2014
When I was in Birmingham this week I managed to grab twenty minutes to take a quick look around the city’s Art Gallery. Not a great deal of time, but just enough to see this Gwen John painting. Like so many of her portraits of women, this one is withdrawn and lost in thought. But … More Friday Picture: Gwen John
Here’s a confession: I have Americanaphobia. I fear that if I allow into my life too much of it then, before I know it, one day I’ll find myself enjoying, say, Lady Antebellum. And that would be a terrible fate. The trouble is, I keep coming across artists who can clearly be labelled ‘Americana’ whom I … More Song for Saturday: ‘Old Black Hen’ by Songs:Ohia
Another one from Edinburgh’s National Gallery of Modern Art but this time a very recent image. It’s of electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram, who co-founded the BBC Radiophonic Orchestra. The artist is Glasgow-based Victoria Morton. I think the mish-mash of bright colours probably match the strange new sounds she was producing in that studio.
Adrian Masters 