The "hypodermic" model of media is sooooooooooo 1970s. Nobody serious believes that monkey see, monkey do. The whole thing is dodgy, and rendered politically unpalatable by those who try to use it for nefarious (CENSORSHIP!!!) purposes. And of course, the historians and sociologists will point - with some plausibility - to previous moral panics around... Continue Reading →
Barbel or Babel – clever pun by Douglas Adams?
So, am reading and enjoying "Cast in Order of Disappearance," a 1975 book by Simon Brett. It's a comic murder mystery, the one that introduces semi-alcoholic actor Charles Parris (played by Bill Nighy in the radio adaptations). At one point Charles goes fishing with his son-in-law, and the word barbel leapt off the page. So, I added it... Continue Reading →
Niche humour – Macbeth’s invoice from his doctor
Latest purchase - "Tonight, Josephine: and other undiscovered letters" by Michael Green. (At some point in the mid-1980s I bought the sequel "Don't swing from the balcony, Romeo".). It's classic "middle-class humour" - relies on you deploying your cultural capital. And judging those who don't laugh... This below made me laugh a bit...
In the café at the end of the world
“They’ve gone overboard with jabbing everyone..... Covid, it’s just a cold, it always was.” So the woman in her late 50s or so tells her older companions, at about 1pm, on Thursday September 21, 2023. They seem to agree, or at least not argue the toss. There can be as many dead as you like.... Continue Reading →
Of jigsaws and boats without dry-docks – a new friend via Zoom
The "All Our Yesterdays" project is finally working (thanks to all the new followers, btw, and especially those retweeting). By "working" I don't mean fame, fortune, influence, a book contract, podcast interviews, adoring acolytes and groupies (though some of those listed things might be nice). I mean I am in touch with people who have... Continue Reading →
Of sadism, cats and enormous white male entitlement
Reader, I am ashamed to admit it, but I liked it when the vet stuck a thermometer up Humbug's backside. Humbug did not, and that's where my enjoyment came from - childishly punishing the little stripey fucker (as he is usually affectionately - known). Off his food (seriously not like him), having clearly lost weight,... Continue Reading →
Of former friends and financial metaphors
Two things on my mind: A former friend made a very good point as we parted ways, about my sometime hazy (cough cough) attention to finer detail. Blah blah extraversion blah blah ... but actually, this is something I need to work on a bit more. Hmmm (grim reality is that as an old dog... Continue Reading →
Books I definitely did not buy today
Down to Withington to get anti-worming stuff from the vet for the stripey monster (and tell captive audience a terrible joke) get someone to succeed in shutting my "talking shoe" up buy new (second-hand) jeans. As Mr. Loaf sings, two outa three ain't bad. And I absotively posilutely did not buy four books for the... Continue Reading →
More apocalyptic word salad
A species corsuscating on thin ice, Snap, crackle, pop. Faster faster (or else), kill (the) pussycat. How I wonder what you’re at. Kill them all Let the gods we kept creating in our own image sort them out. A fetish for fish, a fetish For bondage, human bondage. Ah, a sondage would show -has... Continue Reading →
“Depends on what I was taking” – of coherence, ambiguity, classic works of art
So, writing something I shouldn't (I will retrolink to it), I stumble on this, about one of my favourite songs, 'After the Gold Rush' by Neil Young. Dolly Parton once commented about the making of her version of the song: "When we were doing the Trio album, I asked Linda and Emmy what it meant,... Continue Reading →
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