Author Archives: Paul

For obvious reasons. It also sounds better in German. Then you don’t hear those weird lyrics about infants being “tender and mild” and a so-called “saviour” being born. You can feel the unalloyed magic of Christmas Eve. Of kindness and goodwill to all, and of presents being opened in the morning. Love peace and happiness […]

Oh God, no, I’m not talking about Brexit. I’m talking about remaining in London over Christmas. I adore our capital city, I’ve never lived anywhere else and will be quite happy if I never do. Trouble is, since London’s astonishing transformation into the most exciting and cosmopolitan place in the world, other people now share […]

Because at Christmas, we’re all the same. Dickens put it very well: “I have always thought of Christmas time…..,as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time…..when men and women seem by one consent to open their hearts freely and think of people below them as fellow passengers to the grave […]

This track, released in 1997, has been practically wiped from history. And rightly so. No one ever mentions it. Because when you think of the glorious original – its warmth and humanity – this dreadful cover really is a crime against humanity. It’s been almost completely forgotten because most people – and I guarantee you’ll […]

I’m assuming John meant Chinese people and Native Americans. But despite the loving and inclusive sentiments of this song, those terms would be unacceptable now. John Lennon died before the advent of “political correctness” and I do wonder what he’d have made of it. Not so much the inevitable reaction to “yellow and red ones” […]

Not the Pope, not the Queen, not Hitler, Stalin or Chairman Mao. The human being who’s been seen in real life by the greatest number of other human beings is almost certainly Mick Jagger. He and the Stones have been touring relentlessly for more than fifty years, and the vast majority of their appearances have […]

I always get a bit nostalgic at Christmas, so yesterday I decided to buy a pair of Dr.Marten’s boots. I went to the Dr.Marten’s shop on Carnaby Street, so I was expecting a proper, pukka pair. However, when I tried them on they felt a bit cheap and flimsy – nothing like the solid, indestructible […]

Chris Rea is driving home for Christmas. He does this every year. He usually sets off around 1st December. That’s when we first hear him on just about every radio station in the country, informing us of his journey. I assume that he arrives on Christmas Eve and, judging by his accent, that “home” is […]

When I made radio commercials for a big ad agency, I was always given the work experience kids. I remember one in particular – very nice but painfully shy. But over the course of the day, as we rushed round Soho, he relaxed. He told me his mum was an MP and his dad was […]

Happy Birthday to Kirk Douglas – genuine legend of stage and screen – who celebrated his hundredth birthday yesterday. I saw him once at Los Angeles airport and was struck by how small he was. Yes, he was about 80 at the time but even so. Movie stars are often much smaller than you imagine […]