Author Archives: Paul

Because they’re the sort of tributes paid to someone who, shall we say, wasn’t universally adored. It’s sad that she’s died and in every obituary, there is great mention of her working-class Liverpool background, her association with The Beatles, her huge fame as a singer in the 60s and TV personality in the 80s. There […]

The term “Blue Moon” refers to rare occurrence of a second full moon in one calendar month. I missed it. Of course I did. I seldom see the moon. Especially at this time of the year when it’s unlikely to appear before about 10pm. The older we get, the earlier our nights become. My great […]

Tell me I’ve imagined this. An “Ibiza Prom” introduced by Pete Tong. Apparently, the BBC Symphony Orchestra played a selection of bangin’ club tunes and it was broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall on Radio 1 and Radio 3. Oh God, what a buttock-clenchingly embarrassing example of the BBC thinking they’re “down with the […]

I’ve never been unduly concerned about animal rights but there was something truly horrible about the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe by a wealthy American game hunter. The hunter, a dentist named Walter Palmer, apparently slaughtered Cecil with a crossbow and rifle. And it’s not the first time. Mr Palmer is a repeat […]

Try 42 years. David Essex’s youngest child is one. His eldest is 43. So the eldest could easily be the youngest’s grandmother. I like David Essex. He was Britain’s answer to David Cassidy, a preposterously handsome actor-turned-singer whose picture adorned the bedroom walls of a million teenage girls. But blokes didn’t mind him either. To […]

Half-forgotten and seriously underrated, Shakatak were hugely popular in the 1980s when their sweet brand of jazz-funk could be heard blasting out of Cortinas – including mine – all over London. So I’m digging out the white socks and black Weejuns to go and see them at the Pizza Express in Soho. Trouble is, I […]

The literary event of the decade has been the publication last week of Go Set A Watchman, Harper Lee’s so-called sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. But of course, it wasn’t a sequel at all. It was written first and was rejected by several publishers. Then one suggested that, since its best bits were the […]

Hearing this reminded me of the only time I’ve ever met him. I’d taken a client for a drink at Shoreditch House in an attempt to impress him. Just before we left, he went to the loo then Noel Gallagher arrived at the next table. He was sitting on his own, so I introduced myself […]

Last night, I watched Olivia Lichtenstein’s acclaimed BBC documentary about His Lordship and came away admiring him more than ever. From genuinely humble beginnings, Melvyn Bragg has achieved astonishing success through intelligence, instinct and a phenomenal capacity for hard work. He seems a nice man, a force for good, who has done so much to […]

Steven Georgiou, Cat Stevens, Yusuf Islam and now, apparently, just plain Yusuf. He’s 67 today and I’m a big fan. Whatever he’s called himself, he was always a wonderfully talented singer/songwriter. With those two classic albums, Tea for The Tillerman and Teaser and The Firecat, he captured that early 70s Belsize Park, joss-sticked hippiedom. From […]