This record is truly rocking my world. European 70s-inflexed psychedelia at its most melodic. Catch them live at Camden Barfly on May 13th and be the coolest kid on the block.

Daniel Miller at work

By some kind of odd transatlantic telepathic communication, my truly great friend Keith Boadwee started his own blog site on almost exactly the same day as me. How odd is that? Keith lives in the San Francisco area which is way too far away for a truly great friend to live but somehow we cope. His site has been added to the links at the side and I recommend it without reservation. Keith's site style rather mirrors his love of things charming and upbeat much in the way that this one mirrors my love of things more dark and traumatic. (We're talking music here principally, rather than life in general.)
Actually, I've just come back from visiting Keith and his adorable boyfriend Kenny. I went to the East Bay to do some filming at an art centre called Creative Growth, which is one of the world's largest day centres that allows people with disabilities to express themselves through art. In the past I would have had a rather ambivalent response to such things, me being such a kranky old cynic, but the art made at Creative Growth is often quite extraordinary and the place buzzes with an odd kind of energy. And I like the fact that a lot of the work looks sophisticated in a contemporary art fashion and yet is so far removed from that world's insane analysis and theorising. You can see more work by the artists on their website by following the link. And the picture is of Danny Miller doing one of his obsessively dense word drawings - posted here partly as a test to see if I can master the picture adding process, and partly to brighten up the general gloom of the page so far.

So, no sooner do I start this blog thing than my computer gives out. This means that postings have to be done when I get the chance elsewhere and are fewer than I'd like. Technology and I seem to have a fairly rocky relationship.
By the way, Bad Timing is also the title of the last great film directed by Nic Roeg. It's a psychological spy story with an extraordinary performance by Art Garfunkel that makes it hard to listen to Bridge Over Troubled Water in quite the same way again. When I was a student and video rentals had to be made the most of I once watched it three times in the space of one weekend. I think it might have had a damaging effect on me... Can't quite grasp if it's on DVD at all but it is truly worth checking out if you like your movies dark and psychologically screwed up.

PATHETIC ENCOUNTERS WITH FAMOUS PEOPLE #1
In the mid 1990s, during one of my periods of employment at the BBC, I happened to find myself backstage at a recording of Later... With Jools Holland. An assortment of band members and hangers-on milled around the hospitality area, and I was standing near a trestle table laid out with food. Suddenly, from right across the other side of the room, David Byrne began walking towards me, smiling. Really smiling. He really had caught my eye. David Byrne, I thought, phew! Founder of Talking Heads and creator of one of my all time favourite albums, Fear Of Music. What would we have to talk about - but no, there was so much to talk about. David got closer. Soon he was standing right next to me. "Hi there," he said. A promising start. But before I could get a chance to discuss with him the nagging riff that opens Memories Can't Wait, or his famous big white suit, or his (frankly disappointing) new Brazilian direction, he gestured towards a large platter of satay sticks.
"Are these chicken or pork?" he asked.
I said, "Uh - pork."
"Too bad," he answered, and walked off.
Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't eaten the last of the chicken ones?

Well, now that it seems everyone and their pet dog has a blog, it felt like time to join the 21st century myself so here it is. Not being too au fait with internet tecchnology this will probably be in constant flux so please be patient. The main purpose of this page is to keep readers updated on my latest fixations on the music, reading and art fronts and to generally have a good old moan about things that annoy me. And if you're wondering about the pretentious title, it's my favourite Joy Division song and I'm sticking with it. Coming soon: the latest news in the Wal-Mart versus The New York Review Of Books feud, notes from an intelligent heavy metal show (and no, that's not a contradiction in terms), some photographs of a ludicrously pampered dog and my ongoing series of Pathetic Encounters With Famous People. Now all I have to do is get my PowerBook fixed and get going properly. Do come back soon ...

Welcome to my random blog. Stay around for more postings soon...