Royal Oak

I agree. In 1988 I cycled from Manchester to Blackpool (about 65 miles). I was 19, I had trained for several weeks beforehand, but it was a real eye-opener. For a few miles I found myself at the head of a big pack, feeling good about myself. All of a sudden, the Raleigh Banana Team silently ghosted past me as if I were standing still. I remember getting on my bike again about 2 weeks later and my legs were like jelly. I don't think I've cycled more than a mile ever since - certainly not at all for over 15 years. I don't give a shit what others do. I ride because I enjoy it. I've never road trying to compete with others. That would just ruin the experience for me. It wasn't about competing Tom. I simply didn't want to get back on the bike for a few weeks after, then I found I'd got a pilonidal sinus. I had surgery and it was over 3 years before the wound healed for good. After that I finished with cycling, other than the occasional short ride for purely practical purposes.

Just watched Spinal Tap for the millionth time. Still made me laugh.

I agree. In 1988 I cycled from Manchester to Blackpool (about 65 miles). I was 19, I had trained for several weeks beforehand, but it was a real eye-opener. For a few miles I found myself at the head of a big pack, feeling good about myself. All of a sudden, the Raleigh Banana Team silently ghosted past me as if I were standing still. I remember getting on my bike again about 2 weeks later and my legs were like jelly. I don't think I've cycled more than a mile ever since - certainly not at all for over 15 years.

When I occasionally watched the show as a boy, I always thought he was called "One Epstein".

Bill - you're obviously a big fan. I am currently reading "Tinker Tailor" on the recommendation of my wife. I am bored with it - none of it makes sense to me. What am I doing wrong?

I saw the episode of Sherlock, and I agree. Why must they make everything too smartarsed, too sci-fi and unbelieveable?

Nothing on TV, so I checked out the "On Demand" selection, and found the entire series of "Boys From The Blackstuff". Watched this as a teenager, and found it stood up well 30 years later. The Yosser Hughes episode was particularly good. I did read somewhere that Bernard Hill was profoundly affected by playing Yosser.

Finally finished (after about a year) "Sophie's Choice". The film was on TV a couple of nights ago - try as I may, I could never see Meryl Streep playing the role.

Just finished "Trick Baby" by Iceberg Slim, a 25p find in a charity shop.

Me too - one of my two patio roses is still in bloom. A mild Winter here in the NW so far too.

There are a couple of videos on Youtube which I find mesmerising and so watch fairly often. One is Jimmy Smith doing "Walk On The Wild Side" from a jazz TV show, the other is a Horace Silver quintet playing "Senor Blues". I've heard these tunes dozens of times, obviously, but SEEING them definitely added something.

Watched a documentary called "The Fight Of Their Lives" last night, about the Nigel Benn / Gerald McLellan fight of 1995 which left McLellan disabled. McLellan's plight was grim to watch. Benn came across a troubled man too.

Dobie Gray was played regularly in my house when I was growing up, dad was a big fan. Shame.

Charity shops and car boot sales!

"I'll tell you what Sonny, Wynton swings like a mother on 'Newk's Time'"

Wot, no Lady Gaga?

More classical / jazz comparisons. I've just listened to Mikhail Pletneyev playing a piano transcription of the the prologue and fugue from Shchedrin's "Anna Karenina". I swear I hear the first phrase of "I'm A Fool To Want You" a couple of times. If so, it would be interesting because the song predates "Anna Karenina", so it could follow that either composer or pianist put it in on purpose.

Thanks everyone - my suspicions of Lebrecht are duly confirmed. Thanks to Moms for all the recommendations for further reading - I'll check some of those out.

I just finished reading this book (subtitled "The Secret Life and Shameful Death of the Classical Record Industry"). I am a neophyte in these matters, so wanted to know if anyone has read this and has any opinion. From reading the Amazon reviews, and a bit on these boards, I see that Lebrecht isn't everyone's cup of tea. For what it's worth, I found the book very interesting. I imagine (because I have no point of reference) that it's rather sensationalist; some of the stories seem a little too good to be true, and Lebrecht's opinions are certainly strongly-held. If nothing else, it's explained why the Grieg and Schumann piano concertos are always together on record (similar length, same key, and each wrote only one.) Anyway, any opinions welcome, as are any recommendations for further reading.

You got to get paid...

I've seen this list before, much like Harry Pearson's "The Absolute Sound" List. Who knows how they come up with these lists, much less why.

:g :g I'm telling you - a squirrel here and there is cute. But you get too many of them together, and they start thinking that everything is theirs. They'll gnaw their way into your attic, chew you wires, clim up in your trees and stare you down when you com out your door, they're just EVIL little fuckers. No me gusto las ardillas!!!!! They DO stare you down! My wife and children are suckers for them when they see one skipping across the top of our fence, a sprig of holly in it's jaws.

You got what it takes? Well do ya, punk? My old man hated squirrels, as they ate his prize bulbs. He had a squirrel trap - a wire mesh cage, placed on a shelf round the back of the shed. One afternoon I came home from college and was mooching in the garden when I heard a scrabbling noise from behind the shed. There was a squirrel in the trap, and believe me, close up, that thing was seriously wild. It had managed to bite off one of the bars of the trap and was going mental, running around in circles in this cage, hissing and foaming at the mouth. I did the decent thing and let it out, not before donning a pair of thick leather gauntlets in case it went for me. The old man wasn't pleased at my mercy mission - called me "St Francis of Afuckinssisi" for a day or two....

I had an alto saxophone twice in my life - at school and then again in my early twenties. Packed it in at school because I didn't really want to play it in the first place. Took it up again years later - taught myself up to grade 5 (theory and practice). I think I finally got to know what "the changes" were, could even hear them, but could not play them. In 1995 I sat behind the saxophones section of a local big band at one of their rehearsals ("Shades of Kenton" I think the band was called - BillF - do you know of them?). Realised I couldn't read for toffee and packed it in on the spot. I haven't regretted it for a second - there are enough things in life I'm no good at - why pick another?

All my gear is 20+ years old and sounds pretty nice to me.