Author Archives: Paul

I’m the wrong generation. Too young for Woodstock, too old for Glastonbury but even if I weren’t, I’m not a fan of huge concerts in the open air. I was lucky enough to see some big names in small venues. The Who at the State in Kilburn and U2 at the Hammersmith Palais to name […]

Marked by a big party in Horse Guards Parade last night with Status Quo topping the bill. The band and this track seem appropriate on so many levels. Rossi and Parfitt are a great British institution. Also victory in the Second World War meant that this country could maintain its status quo. And with the […]

And I cannot understand why anyone was surprised. Labour supporters are always far more vociferous about their political views than Conservatives and the advent of social media has made them even more so. What’s more, when talking to pollsters, people are far less likely to admit to voting Tory, so we were led to believe […]

It started with Tony Blair, as so many bad things did, the politicians’ habit of saying, “Look..” during the course of an interview. They think they’re speaking the vernacular of the ordinary man. But the ordinary man finds it both irritating and patronising. Cameron, Clegg and Milliband are all serial offenders, particularly when making false […]

Saddened to hear of the death today of Errol Brown, lead singer of Hot Chocolate and, by all accounts, a lovely man. Hot Chocolate were huge but this, perhaps their greatest record, is seldom heard. It’s a bleak, brave song about an inter-racial relationship, something far rarer back then than it is now. It’s probably […]

But you have to admire his front. Songs In The Key of Life was Stevie Wonder’s biggest ever album and Isn’t She Lovely its most famous track. David Parton was a jobbing singer/songwriter from Wolverhampton who discovered that Motown were not going to release it as a single, presumably so more people would buy the […]

Better known as AFC Bournemouth. Unless they lose 19-0 to Charlton on Saturday and Middlesborough also win, the Cherries will be playing in the Premier League next season. It is a simply stunning achievement. In 2009, they were near the bottom of the football league and just hours away from going out of business. This […]

If you are, my old friend Ken New may be the reason why. Satellite TV, to put it mildly, was not an instant success. In fact, in the early days, Sky were on the brink of going under. Ken had booked some airtime for a campaign of TV commercials but was told that Sky may […]

Sometimes the gentrification of the East End of London can be a good thing. This week, it led to the downfall of a truly disgusting human being. Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, was removed from office after corruption charges were brought against him by four brave and principled residents. They risked everything to see […]

…tune in to Radio 4 and listen to Mrs Robinson, I Presume. Written by and starring the absurdly talented Tracy-Ann Oberman, it tells the story behind The Graduate, one of the most greatest films ever made. If you miss it, catch it on iPlayer. I can guarantee it will be brilliant, especially with Tracy as […]