From priceless to worthless.

A free copy of the NME was thrust into my hand today. This tacky little freesheet was once the greatest music paper in the land. Its writers included Tony Parsons, Julie Burchill and Danny Baker. I was a great fan of Baker’s singles reviews. Years later I became a fan of his radio show, got him in to voice a TV commercial, then married his agent and had two children. All because of the NME. It now feels more like Heat magazine. Under the heading “Things We Like” there was a selection of fragrances “to make sure dad smells awesome on Father’s Day”. I could have wept and can only imagine what Tony Parsons or Julie Burchill would make of it now. Looking back, I cannot count the number of bands that I discovered through the pages of the NME. Shall I just pick one at random?