Sticker art

I liked these stickers someone applied to a comms cabinet in the High Street

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Did I enjoy today, yes or no?

I don’t really know Rob Beckett’s comedy work, but I was intrigued by this profile in the Observer, particularly the idea of going to bed each night and asking yourself the question “Did I enjoy today, yes or no?”

And at this point in my life I think I would answer yes pretty much every single day.

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Marked down mince pie season

Spotted in B and M last Friday, the first marked down mince pies of the season.

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Finnish wisdom

All my wisdom comes from football writing 😉

From this article by Jonathan Lieu in today’s Guardian:

There is an old Finnish proverb: onnellisuus on se paikka puuttuvaisuuden ja yltäkylläisyyden välillä, which means “happiness is a place between scarcity and abundance”.

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Subhumans at the Blue Blazer

I could hardly believe my ears when this Subhumans track started playing in the Blue Blazer the other day. The rest of the playlist had been Elton, Queen etc.

I

I was quite into anarcho as a teen and I own this album, but there is just something about the opening line that I don’t like. I’ve no idea if Dick Lucas’ mum really did die of cancer when he was five (he never mentions it in interviews), but I think it would be pretty low to sing that if not true.

See also the line “They say I wouldn’t have to live from bins” in So What by Crass.

#AnarchoPunk #EdinburghPubs #Subhumans

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Art Brut and Ghanaian art

Art Brut played an excellent set at the Voodoo Rooms a few weeks ago, 96 minutes including various long mid song monologues. One of those monologues was the story of getting escorted in to the basement of the Van Gogh Museum for licking a painting.

The next week we were at two Ghanaian art shows in Edinburgh: El Anatsui Scottish Mission Book Depot Keta at the Talbot Rice Gallery and Ibrahim Mahama Songs about Roses at the Fruitmarket.

Maybe Art Brut put the idea in my head, but I felt really connected to both shows and, yes, I wanted to lick them…

Anyway, Modern art makes me want to rock out! And I’m not being ironic!

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Parallel Histories

I was very interested in this obituary of Michael Davies, the founder of Parallel Histories, in the Guardian this weekend.

It must be very difficult trying to teach the history of any sectarian conflict, so an approach that recognises both sides have stories to tell looks like it could be very helpful.

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1984/2024

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Tune of the day — Steppin’  Out by Lionel Robinson

I’m steppin’ out, I’m looking good, I’m Mr Cool of the neighborhood

Steppin’ Out by Lionel Robinson from the excellent Soul Jazz compilation New Orleans Soul

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Keith Harris at Vinyl Listening Group

The vinyl listening group I go to had a special guest for its latest meeting — University of Dundee rector and Stevie Wonder’s manager Keith Harris.

Keith was a great guy with a whole world of stories, both first and second hand. The only record he brought with him from London was Breakaway by Gallagher and Lyle, and one of the stories he told was how Gallagher and Lyle were busy in the Apple building, didn’t know what was going down, and missed the Beatles playing on the roof.

Andrew added that Benny Gallagher had been to see Ian Green, but Andrew was busy, hadn’t known he was in the building, and missed him. Which kind of seemed like history repeating.

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