The project: compile a playlist of top London-centric tunes.
The rules: 20 songs had to be about the capital city or mention it in some way, they had to be on my iPod*, and each artist could only appear once.
The result:
- Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
- I Love London (In Flagrante Vintage Mix) - Crystal Fighters
- London's Burning - The Clash**
- Do the Strand - Roxy Music
- Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
- London Loves - Blur
- Signs - Snoop Dogg feat. Charlie Wilson and Justin Timberlake
- Lola - The Kinks
- London Town - Light of the World
- Itchycoo Park - Small Faces
- Man Out of Time - Elvis Costello and the Attractions
- London Town (Foamo Remix) - Man Like Me
- Cool for Cats - Squeeze
- Old Smokey - Linda Lewis
- Chelsea Girl - Ride
- Strange Town - The Jam
- My Old Man - Ian Dury
- Sticks 'n' Stones - Jamie T
- Charlotte Street - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
- You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones
* Underworld's Born Slippy and London by The Smiths would've made the list were they not, inexplicably, missing from my MP3 player.
**This should be White Man (in Hammersmith Palais), but that track is another bewildering omission, iPod-wise.
I couldn't sleep last night, so I tried counting shoes.
I mentally totted up the footwear I own. (Hey! It was late, and I was willing to try any silly bollocks to get some kip.)
For a fat, ugly bastard with no fashion sense, I sure gotta lotta sole:
- Trainers - 10 pairs
- Flip-flops - 4 pairs
- Smart shoes - 3 pairs
- Chelsea boots - 2 pairs
- Sandals - 2 pairs
- Worker boots - 1 pair
- Running shoes - 1 pair
- Wellies - 1 pair
Total - 24 pairs. (No, I don't feel like a girl.)
I was still buying 'em after Christmas, so I wasn't able to compile this nerdy list earlier. Even now, it's kinda vague.
Brilliant
Dark Touches – Har Mar Superstar
La Roux – La Roux
Post-Nothing – Japandroids
Very Good
Ciao! – Tiga
Cossus Snufsigalonica – Fear of Tigers
Duke Pandemonium – Marmaduke Duke
Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Heart On – Eagles of Death Metal
It's Blitz! – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Good
Born Like This – Doom
The Invisible – The Invisible
Kingdom of Rust – Doves
Kings and Queens - Jamie TSainthood – Tegan & SaraTruelove's Gutter – Richard Hawley
Two Suns – Bat for Lashes
The xx - The xx
Not bad
Horehound – The Dead Weather
Journal for Plague Lovers – Manic Street Preachers
Manners – Passion Pit
Tongue N' Cheek – Dizzee Rascal
Poor
Further Complications – Jarvis Cocker
On a late bus home last night some knobhead at the back was playing reggae at considerable volume.
I didn't risk a glance round at the culprit for fear of catching the eye of a nutter or surly piss-head - but I took a good look through the window after I'd alighted.
The music-blaring ignoramus turned out to be a tiny girl of about 13, who nervously returned my stare and then, as the bus pulled away, stuck out the tip of a timid, little tongue in my direction.
Disposable Raygun, the hypothetical pop band of no-hopers of which I'm the leader, are going to need a new drummer.
The original sticks-man, cousin Thomas, aged ten, is planning to form his own combo, The Betters, having received a guitar for Christmas.
Contact me somehow if you'd be interested in pretending to be the tub-thumper for a crappy, non-existent group.
People with talent need not apply.
