Looking Ahead

A longish summer of rest and relaxation awaits. To be honest, I’ve mainly got my listening pleasures sorted out. S had promised and has produced for me a veritable smorgasbord of melodic delights including a couple of recentish David Sylvian albums, some Devendra Banhart and several other long players that have passed me by. He really wants to get me into early Jethro Tull; there’s a challenge! I am on the look out for reading material though. I must confess I’ll devour the forthcoming Harry Potter novel as I have done with the previous six. Leaving aside any criticisms of this series from a literary perspective, I have simply enjoyed them because the school-based japes remind me of all the Jennings and Billy Bunter books I read as a nine or ten year old. I find the Potter books rather quaint and endearing. I shall be getting a copy of David Peace’s The Damned United, the football-based novel that deals with Brian Clough’s short reign as Leeds manager. D recommended that one to me. I do like Andrew Collins and I felt the previous volumes of his memoirs (Where Did It All Go Right? and Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now) were splendidly evocative and summed up the 1970s and 1980s superbly. His latest instalment, That’s Me in the Corner, deals with the affable broadcaster’s foray into the world of work, and, specifically, music journalism. I’ll purchase that, for sure. I think I ought to read – or, reread - a ‘classic’ so I’ll give that some thought too. As ever, any recommendations are gratefully received.

I came across this lovely ‘obituary’ of Fopp written for a Scottish newspaper and felt I had to share it.