I’ve been listening to Bruce Springsteen recently so I thought I’d share a clip that is probably my favourite live clip by anyone. I’m not sure that Springsteen’s somewhat serious, brooding image does justice to his live performances, which are always packed with energy and fun. It’s all here in this epic and exhuberant performanceContinue reading “Bruce Springsteen – ‘Rosalita’ live”
Childhood Obsessions #1: The Motorcycle
When I was a kid I was in love with motorbikes – along with dinosaurs and knights, they were one of the great obsessions of my childhood. I can’t remember how it started, but by the age of nine my bedroom walls were lined with posters of Kawasakis, Suzukis and Hondas; I amassed a sizeableContinue reading “Childhood Obsessions #1: The Motorcycle”
Do You Listen to Song Lyrics?
Recently I was reading a blog post about the debut album by one of my favourite bands, Dire Straits. As well as celebrating the spell-binding guitar and characteristic vocal style of Mark Knopfler, Another Grumpy Commuter paid attention to the excellent lyrics on the album. “Down to the Waterline” is a tale of teenage liasonsContinue reading “Do You Listen to Song Lyrics?”
How to Beat Facebook Addiction – The Jack Kerouac Method
I must get back that copy of Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums that I lent to my friend Tobias. I keep thinking about it – it’s one of the most significant books I’ve read recently, and here’s why: it cured me of my facebook habit. For the two or three weeks it took me toContinue reading “How to Beat Facebook Addiction – The Jack Kerouac Method”
It’s ok to be moody…
This is a new song I found in my sleep. I had been trying to understand the approach of less melodic artists like Nick Cave, with their dark and moody intensity, not a vibe that I normally create. One day I heard the chorus of this song, with lyrics, as I was waking up. ItContinue reading “It’s ok to be moody…”
Under the Skin: The Lure of Leather
I have fond memories of certain headshop in Sheffield that helped me through my adolescence. I often used to go in there, and after browsing the vinyl LPs and sniffing the packets of incence I would look through the second-hand leather jackets, trying one on occasionally as a kind of rebel fantasy. But one dayContinue reading “Under the Skin: The Lure of Leather”
Hipsters: The Phantom Menace
To many, they are the scapegoats of the age, the visible minority it’s ok to hate. Not gypsies, junkies or chavs but HIPSTERS. Here they come with their beards and bobble hats, on rusty racers and skateboards, to take over derelict buildings, open coffee shops and artists’ studios. Uniformly non-conformist, they are the 21st centuryContinue reading “Hipsters: The Phantom Menace”
Sharks by Tom George
This is a song that I wrote when a friend asked me to appear at his ‘dream-pop’ themed event. I hadn’t heard of the genre before, but started strumming at my guitar, and this is what came out – kind of dreamy, kind of melancholic. “The sharks are in the park, your heart is onContinue reading “Sharks by Tom George”
What makes a classic?
Me and Herman Melville are so over. After 298 pages of Moby Dick – that’s halfway through – I’ve finally called off the hunt for enjoyment. If I’d made it to page 300 that would have at least been some kind of landmark, a respectable point at which to give up. I didn’t want itContinue reading “What makes a classic?”
Beat This! My Ten Favourite Drummers…
As a kid, I had so much rhythm bursting out of my soul that I would play on anything, with anything. I would tap on school desks with pens, then click my teeth together as I walked home. In the lounge, I would line up cushions on the sofa and hit them with wooden spoonsContinue reading “Beat This! My Ten Favourite Drummers…”
Tom George 