Author Archives: Paul

…..it was Norman Jay MBE which made me think of my old friend Julian Dyer. A great writer and true renegade, Julian was the first person I ever heard use the phrase “Rare Groove” to describe old soul tunes that were rare and….well…groovy. This led me to listen to Norman Jay’s Original Rare Groove Show […]

……the tourists who congregate daily, photographing each other on that famous zebra crossing on Abbey Road. It’s not far from where I live so I’m always narrowly avoiding oblivious people with cameras. They seem unaware that they’re on a busy road in St. John’s Wood, not at Madame Tussaud’s or the British Museum. Abbey Road […]

….whose Radio 1 rap show is to be axed after 20 years. Can you imagine how relieved he must be? Many regard Westwood as a preposterous human being. An ageing phoney from Suffolk dressing and talking like a gangsta from Compton but I love him. He is a true pioneer and his genuine passion for […]

…….Not very long ago, this man was a big star. Very talented actor, writer, singer and musician. He should be a national treasure or at the very least a “celeb”. The autobiography should have been written and its subject interviewed on countless TV sofas. But no, nothing. Not even a well-publicised “battle” with alcohol or […]

………and if you’re as graceless and clumsy as I am, it certainly wasn’t. Any attempts at skateboarding, windsurfing and waterskiing all ended in……well, you can imagine. So I could only ever pretend I was going to Surf City. I’ll be pretending today. And yes, I always thought this was The Beach Boys too.

…….that Prince George would one day “wear the crown”, this majestic 12″ single, seldom heard since the 80s, started going round and round in my head. A timely reminder that rap wasn’t always about bitches, guns and hoes. And a cameo from Stevie Wonder too. What’s not to love?

……so I thought we should salute Belgium’s contribution to the UK charts. Hmmm. I know what you’re thinking. Wonderful beers? Yes. Gorgeous chocolates? Certainly. Popular music? Possibly not.

……..I could try to ignore today’s big news story. I could try to be sneeringly republican about it. I could try being a bit arch and playing Shine On You Crazy Diamond for the other, departed, “Prince of Cambridge”. But why bother? It’s the birth of a child, a joyous occasion, a moment in history. […]

This track. It’s not about a beautiful day – quite the opposite. But the sneeringly ironic lyrics are forgotten because it has such a strong and memorable chorus that makes it the perfect backdrop for a beautiful day. God damn right, that’s ironic.

……places like Islington and Notting Hill were once rough, whereas suburbs like Harrow and Croydon were not. Now it’s the other way round. The first poor part of London to make the turn was Fulham, childhood home of my old friend Brian Jones. We try to out-working class each other with nostalgic tales about poverty, […]