Me. Today

Torchwood to Follow Single Story Arc

Says the BBC, and they would know.

Won't make it any less shit, though.

Boy Friends

Most of my friends are boys. My best friend is a boy. These are some things I don't like about spending as much time as I do with boys:

• Being laughed at for being scared of anything, ever.
• Conversations about Star Trek.
• Being corrected, constantly.
• Advice that bears no relation to the problem in hand.
• Seeing lots of cool t-shirts which I could never wear.
• The constant assertion that there are "no funny female stand-up comics".
• Being told I can't cook.
• Being expected to cook.
• Getting told I am going to a gig "like, now" and not being allowed to get changed, have dinner, brush my teeth etc.
• The look of pride that most boys sport when they've been particularly obnoxious about women in general in front of one another.
• The refusal to admit that might just be better than them at...well, anything, really.
• Realising that real people actually want to have sex with Paris Hilton.

Gig-Rollin Autumn 2008

This list will probably be added to but for now the forecast is - giggy with some showers:

• Friday 29th August - David Cronenberg's Wife - The Deaf Institute, Manchester
• Friday 5th September - Camera Obskura - Club Academy (The Hope and Grope to you and me), Manchester
• Thursday 25th September - Fujiya Miyagi - The Deaf Institute, Manchester
• Saturday 27th September- Crazy P - The Deaf Institute, Manchester
• Saturday 11th October - Spiritualized - Academy, Manchester (1, probably)
• Sunday 12th October - British Sea Power - The Ritz, Manchester
• Friday 31st October - The Black Seeds - Academy, Manchester (either 3 or The Cellar, I expect)
• Thursday 6th November - Steve Coogan - Apollo, Manchester
• Sunday 9th Nctober - Fleet Foxes - Academy, Manchester (3 but it's sold out so it may move)
• Saturday 15th November (and the day after my birthday...possible afterparty at mine) - Fat Feddy's Drop - Academy, Manchester (1 - woot!)
• Tuesday 18th November - The Notwist - Manchester Academy
• Satuday 22nd November (and a few days after the return of a certain Katie Fitz, possible Levenshulme afterparty) - Ape (DJ Yoda, Beardyman, Scratch Perverts) - The Warehouse Project, Manchester
• Monday 24th November - Ladytron- (2, maybe 3)
• Saturday 29th November - Delphic - Night and Day, Manchester
• Tuesday 2nd December - Nouvelle Vague - Academy, Manchester (2 I should expect)
• Wednesday 17th December - Stereolab - Academy, Manchester (2, maybe 1)

...and relax...phew.

A Season of Song

Bandmoreagain has done sterling work and created a compilation of some of the highlights of the up-coming gig season.

Find it here.

It's a testament to the fact that there are now some really good live music venues in Manchester pulling in some excellent acts that this mix is an unprecedented two hours long. Feel free to skip a few tracks:

1. Spiritualized - Take Your Time
2. The Black Seeds - The Answer
3. Jeru The Damaja - Whatever
4. Tricky - Christiansands
5. The Notwist - Pilot
6. David Cronenberg's Wife - I Couldn't Get Off
7. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
8. Ladytryon - Destroy Everything You Touch
9. The Roots - I Don't Care
10. Ferrer & Sydenham - Timbuktu (Âme Beatless Mix)
11. Hercules & Love Affair - Blind (Frankie Knuckles Dub)
12. Reverend & The Makers - 18:30 (Elektrons Data Transfer)
13. Busy P - Rainbow Man
14. TTC featuring Modeselektor - Une Bande de Mec Sympa
15. The Whip - Muzzle #1
16. High Contrast - Nobody Gets Out Alive
17. Aeroplane - Aeroplane
18. Crazy Penis - I Think I Like You
19. Wu Tang Clan - Shame On A Nigga
20. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Mustt Mustt (Massive Attack Remix)
21. Leonard Cohen - Who By Fire

I'll post my autumn listings presently.

The North IS Dreadfull

But at least it's not full of Southeners.

The Daily Mash has this to say.

Days With My Father

I found this account of the ravages of Alzheimer's extremely moving.