Stuff I Like

My Lovely Band

Al Cherry Guitar	Steve Holness Piano	Sam Burgess Bass	Dave Price Percussion and Fiddle

A Few of My Favourite Things

Book of the moment 'The Stain' -  'A Stranger Still' - Anna Kavan 'War with the Newts' - Karel Capek 'Exercises in Style' - Raymond Queneau 'The Dice Man' - Luke Rhinehart  'Ella Minnow Pea' - Mark Dunn 'The Third Policeman’ - Flann O’Brien

Performance of the moment 'The Overcoat', inspired by Gogol's irreverent story, by The Gecko Theatre Group Macy Grey at Ronnie Scotts, London Mister Solo's single launch, The Enterprise, London Tim Berne's Paraphrase vs Big Satan, with visuals from Jonathon Rosen and the wonderful Steve Byram (Vortex, 27th March) Rufus Wainwright sings Judy Garland at the London Palladium.  Martin White and The Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra at Shortfuse (Camden Head, Angel, Thursday 8th February) 'The Bassline Circus' (Stoke Newington) ‘Outré’ – Darren Johnston, Jamie Liddell, Christian Vogel, Pablo Fiasco (Edinburgh Festival)

Album of the moment 'Paris 1919' - John Cale 'Ingily Spikin Werld' - Guy J Jackson and Isnaj Dui 'The Only Thing I Ever Wanted' - Psapp 'Folk is the New Black' - Janis Ian 'The Beatles Love Album' - mixed for Cirque de Soleil by George and Giles Martin 'Gorky 5' - Gorky's Zygotic Mynci 'Living Room Tour' - Carole King ‘Lost and Safe’ – The Books

Film of the moment 'Tillsammans' (Together) - dir Lucas Moodysson, 2000 'La Cité des Enfants Perdus' - dir Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1995 'Freaks' - dir Tod Browning, 1932 'American History X - dir Tony Kaye, 1998 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' - dir John Cameron Mitchell, 2001 'El Laberinto del Fauno' (Pan's Labyrinth) - dir. Guillermo del Toro, 2006 'Magic' - dir. Richard Attenborough, 1978 'Chinatown' - dir. Roman Polanski, 1974 ‘Harold and Maude’ – dir. Hal Ashby, 1971

Song of the moment 'Hermit Versus the World' - from 'Saint Sessions Volume 2', Brave Captain 'Little Boy Blue' - from forthcoming album 'Love Lies', Kami Thompson 'I'll Be Your Mirror' - from 'The Velvet Underground & Nico', The Velvet Underground 'Carry Me Home', from 'Gordon Raphael Sessions', Charly Flynn 'Anyone' - from 'Real Life', Joan As Police Woman 'Big Julie' - from 'The Jarvis Cocker Record', Jarvis Cocker 'La Vie en Rose' - from 'La Vie en Rose', Edith Piaf ‘Somedays’ – from ‘Soviet Kitsch’, Regina Spektor

Brown paper packages... Mashed potato; Eugene O’Neill; casual smiles in the street; baked potato; Monkey kneading my head in the morning; Poirot; puns; accidental encounters that blow you away; latkes*; big shaggy dogs; driving on my own in my mini in the sunshine with the windows down; Frida Kahlo; stepping off a plane in a new place; late-night den-building; kisses on my neck; rummaging through charity shops; watching, with my friends, as the sun runs full circle... *Polish potato cakes

Poetical

The very lovely John Hegley.
Nathan Penlington Magical poetry and poetical magic from my Narrow Man.
Cheryl B Toe-curlingly touching, face-slappingly frank and belly-achingly funny tale-teller.
The Delinquent Witty, boundary-blurring, unpretentious and brand spankingly new poetry magazine edited by Jeremy Quinn and Jason King.
 

Political

The exceptionally clever, frequently hilarious, always informative and sometimes depressing political wit of Robert Newman: robnewman.com 
Witness the brilliance and sheer balls of American satirist Stephen Colbert, as he gives Dubya a roasting: bush fire
 

Ethical

If you've got an unwanted upright piano or you're looking for an old wooden door, then give and find them for free through innovative, world-wide Freecycle groups.

All you fellow culinary high-horse smugly folks can munch your quiche from here: fairtrade 

Brilliant, innovative line of charity shops sprinkled around London and Brighton, selling hand-sorted, redesigned and reconstructed second hand clothing: traid

Comical

Artycle

Photos of London, Berlin, me(!) and other stories by the incredibly talented Mayuko Yoshida.
David Shrigley's scribbly ponderings.
Beautiful, colourful and extraordinary people by Keemo