I love tech, me. But I have never entertained the idea of having a smart speaker in the house, never mind one haunted by the avatar of my deceased mother.

I grew up in a new town, some archaeologists reckon it stretches back as far as 1955. 😉

Yeah, that made me laugh. 😆

Mmm… mint-flavoured, mouth-shreading splinters! Loved them! 😆

Another two birthdays and I can get jabbed up against shingles.

It was only a couple of years ago I read that Tony Wilson paid the members of Joy Division to glue the sandpaper to the sleeves like crafting time at school. I like to think Ian Curtis glued mine. 😆

Vini Reilly has been soundtracking my life since 1980. Still have my original sandpaper cover edition of "Return", encased in a thick plastic sleeve to thwart the Situationist-inspired intent of shredding adjacent sleeves.

Sitting here five minutes walk from Stirling Bridge, I concur! 😉

Yeah, exorcise it! 😆

The majority of his back catalogue is essential listening for me. He lost me with his multi-volume instrumental album Convocations, which inexplicably comes across like bored synth noodling and half-finished demos. But then I can always retreat to his soundtrack album "The BQE", which I love.

It was a mesmerising programme, must watch it again. I have a bunch of rough sketches and half-finished tracks on my DAW, I wonder if he could give me a quote for making a nice bowl from them?

It’s definitely worthwhile, gives an old lappy a new lease of life. It was grinding to a halt running Windows 10 on a hard drive.

This is when I get to roll out my annual hill to die on: "Wonderful Christmastime" is a minimalist synth masterpiece.

A rare phenomenon is car scenes that were filmed in locations that you’re familiar with. I recall one movie made in Glasgow where switching the camera angle back and forth between driver and passenger had the car teleporting wildly between recognisable streets.

I’ll see your Melly and raise you the toe-curling misogyny of Bacharach & David’s "Wives and Lovers". 🫣

😂

40+ years later and this is still the weirdest (and most disturbing?) piece of music I’ve ever heard. And I still own the 7" single, God help me.

youtu.be/SBg_ap57vMA