mockney piers

well, they were at the time :) See you there

Ooh, jinx *Bob*

Name and shame them Muffintop; I can't believe someone would send an irate personal message regarding what seemed to have been (I'll never know, it's all just dots now) some pretty sound advice.

Why are you censoring your own advice Muffintop? Have Russian Energy Oligarchs sent their thugs round to persuade you to change your mind?

You jest of course, haven't you seen John Barnes, a natural I tell you.....err...or not.

Seems Spurs have given up with this one and David Villa joins the huge pantheon of Spurs' pre-season stratospheric 'almost-signings'. Seriously though, Berbatov looking likely to go, you've got to get SOMEONE up front.

Alan: That?s alright, that?s OK. ?Inner-City Sumo?. Tony: What?s that? Alan: We take fat people from the inner cities, put them in big nappies, and then get them to throw each other out of a circle that we draw with chalk on the ground. Tony: No, no it?s a bad idea. Alan: Very cheap to make. Tony: No. Alan: Do it in a pub car park. Tony: No. Alan: If you don?t do it, Sky will. Tony: Well I?ll live with that. Is that it? Alan: Well, no, no. Cooking in prison. Tony: Oh, no. Alan: ?A Partridge Amongst The Pigeons?. Tony: What?s that? Alan: Well, it?s just a title, I mean? erm, well, opening sequence, me, in Trafalgar Square, feeding the pigeons, going "Oh God!" Tony: No, I?m sorry, no! Stop! Alan: Whoa, whoa, whoa, erm, ?Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank?. Tony: No! .... Alan: ?Monkey tennis??

Doesn't mean there isn't plenty of good stuff being produced. Although admittedly not much of it is coming out of the uk at them moment. Well, in terms of rock/indie at any rate.

There's a certain breed of football fan who is, unquestionably, arrogant and deeply unpleasant, but to call the English Arrogant from that is a ridiculous sweeping statement. English fans won the best fans in both Portugal and ironically in switzerland/austria as real fans of football went out rather than the thugs that follow the national team. Cricket fans will give a standing ovation to other teams and players when they've performed well. Of course there are arrogant people in England, I've met their alter egos in Ireland and Spain enough times too, but the English" "arrogant", I don't think so. The 'Celts' ABE thing is rather pathetic thoughisn't it and smacks entirely of a chip on the shoulder. I read some excellent editorials in Ireland at the time of that Croke Park ruby game which bemoaned this trend and said "isn't about time we got over it" hear hear I say. Although I'm with you on the bizarre expectation heaped upon the England team when really it's obvious to all and sundry that wEngland's a pretty average team that doesn't deserve silverware. I couldn't believe Tim & Simon On Something for the weekend at the end of Euro 2008 saying that England could have won the tournament. Err you couldn't beat Croatia, what makes you think you could have beaten Spain or Germany or errr Croatia!?!?! Idiots. *edited* - great, spend 10 minutes writing this only for Declan to say "of course I don't think all English are arrogant" typical ;-)

I'll be there, there might be quite a few of us going as it goes. I reckon you're right and Chris Dickson will probably be there. Anyone going to the first game of the season, home encounter on the 16th?

I've been saying this for ages, this guy said it better http://www.juancole.com/2008/07/social-history-of-surge.html

"Meanwhile Channel Four insiders revealed the star was told to calculate her pay cut using six random numbers, before being shown an anagram of 'First Plus'." http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1127&Itemid=59

Gunnery Sargeant Hartman has more good swearing moments than dozens of other films combined, but a couple of favourites "You climb obstacles like old people f@ck." "Are you quitting on me? Well, are you? Then quit you slimy fucking walrus-looking piece of shit. Get the f@ck off my obstacle. Get the f@ck down off of my obstacle. Now! Move it! I'm gonna rip your balls off so you cannot contaminate the rest of the world. I will motivate you, Private Pyle, if it short-dicks every cannibal on the Congo!" And Withnail appreciation society moment, it's not sweary, but one of my all time favourite quotes: "Look at him, his mechanism's gone"

Ooh, and a big happy birthday to Huguenot on Saturday, meant to text you but got sidetracked, hope you had a good one!!

Got my money back AND payday all at the same time, so a Fopp trip was almost inevitable. I got the lovely Picaresque by the underrated Decemberists (yes, it's all a bit prog, but prog having fun!!) Elegies to Lessons Learnt by iLiKETRAiNS, giving it a listen now. It's basically Explosions in the Sky with Andrew Eldritch singing, and I'm not saying that like it's a bad thing. Takes itself a bit seriously, but really rather good. Well, blimey, Micah P Hinson and the Red Empire Orchestra, is (are?) very good indeed. Yes it's Americana, but go on, give it a go, you never know. It sits somewhere between Johnny Cash's country lyricism and Bill Callahan's pared down yet thoroughly modern music. Amazing rich gravelly tones, and then you see a photo of this youthful, slightly gawky kid and, well, I can't quiet reconcile the two frankly (I had similar problems with Mr Callahan frankly). Anyhoo, gets the thumbs up from me. I somehow managed to buy The Only Thing I Ever Wanted by Psapp, which I own already, so that can go back. Other than that I shall report back on Yellow Magic Orchestra who I've been reading about for ages, and an AiRecords sampler that I'm very excited about.

Damn that Gordon and his invoking Typhoons over south East Asia, lending money to poor Americans, spurring oil demand in India and China and prowling around London with his shiv. I may have no time for Labour....at....alll.....but even I feel a little sympathy for Brown, 90% of what people are pissed off about really can't be laid at his door; it's just he doesn't come on TV all the time with a ridiculous grin patronising everyone and assuring them that everything s brilliant, honest. The latter may win elections, but I for one am glad that for the time being it's over. Although he did basically bankrupt the government on loads of ridiculously poorly thought out PFI type stuff which we'll be paying off for decades to come. Plus he'll finally come through with his promises to pull troops out of Iraq, just as soon as the new president lets him (hopefully), Go Gordy.

Works for me, how much more romantic the age of steam, when men were men with moustaches and galoshes, and ladies were not afraid of whalebone. Still, I'm afraid that someone may steal my Hansom; perhaps I could procure myself an urchin from East London and have him installed to screech loudly should any undesirable approach too closely, or if the skies thundered as they do when there is too much ether in the air.

The speakers are just following orders, if they were told to sing an aria by Mozart you wouldn't be complaining would you. I blame the batteries myself, nasty acidic/alkaline characters they are too.

"Why would you change a sentnece aso that it meant something i didn't mean?" Was this meant ironically or is it, somewhat ironically, sh!t Graudian subbing?

talked about the album a while back, chance for a quick double bill Elbow: Starlings The Fix (feat' Richard Hawley)

From Keef on the pasta thread: "Isn't pasta very popular with young Australians? Or is it Kiwis, I just can't tell them apart."

Italian Man not fighting -> Italian Man eats Pasta -> Pasta stops Man from fighting. Genius!!! If, perhaps, he'd considered Italian Man not fighting -> Italian Man getting sent to whole bunch of wars (Abyssinia, Spain, Greece, N Africa, Russia) that Italian Man has no interesting in getting killed over -> err that's it

Those Fresh Pasta ravioli type things, tossed in some olive oil and garlic a dash of fresh chilli (maybe some bacon too) in a pan is a jolly nice lazy meal for when I really can't be arsed to cook. Actually pretty much anything tossed in olive oil, garlic and chilli is damned good.

While Hugenot has a very good point indeed (and I smell like gin, regardless of what I've drunk), Keef pretty much sums it up perfectly. Read the little bit of paper inside the box.

not to mention the hitherto unknown dangers of wheat and potato based products.