Dragons

February 6, 2018Books, Death, Pop Music, Sci-fiAlbert Camus, David Bowie, Mark E Smith, T2: Trainspotting, The Fall, Ursula K. Le Guin, Val McDermidricky

They say, You’re never too old to learn. And I’m worried that I may have to cast aside one of the touchstones by which I live my live.

My 🙅‍♂️🐉 No #Dragon policy means that I don’t even imagine what #GameofThrones might look like. https://t.co/gVkJi6D8KJ

— Ricky Monahan Brown (@ricky_ballboy) January 2, 2018

Not that I’ve got anything against dragons, you understand. Just everything they stand for.

[Boycotting this post due to a love of dragons? Check out the Apoplexy Newsletter instead.] Continue reading Dragons →

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Immortality

January 30, 2018Death, Pop MusicMark E Smith, Nick Cave, Shane MacGowan, Stewart Lee, The Fallricky

It occurred to me this morning that, maybe, this blog is about death. A near death experience will do that to a person.

Or maybe, I just haven’t recovered from watching The Thing last week. Or maybe Mrs Stroke Bloke and I just went a little hard on our binge watching of The Good Place.

You're basic, byrraway — Off: Middle-aged Scotsman tries to figure out how to pull off his new jam

Except of course, The Good Place isn’t about death, really. It’s about life.

And the tsunami of famous deaths since Bowie kicked off the craze in early 2016 just keeps rolling with the death last week of Mark E Smith of The Fall…

[Have a wee apoplectic aperitif over at the Apoplexy Tiny Letter, or read on…] Continue reading Immortality →

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The Stroke Bloke Shake

January 23, 2018Healthcare, Movies, Poetry, Rehab, Sci-fiDaft Punk, Rabbie Burns, Seinfeld, The Conversation, The Simpsons, The Thingricky

In 2006, a psychologist at Cardiff University identified today as the most depressing day of the year. Cliff Arnall suggested that this was due to the confluence of a number of factors, including debts from Christmas overspending, the abandoning of New Year’s resolutions, and low levels of motivation.

So if you were already been super-depressed about having to go through Blue Monday on 15 January, now you must feel really bad.

Barney was mistaken, apparently — I’m quite sure that you’ll tell me / Just how I should feel today

[Cheer yourself up – check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter] Continue reading The Stroke Bloke Shake →

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Bullet In The Head

January 16, 2018Aneurysms, HealthcareBatman, Muppets, Toby Youngricky

Having brain aneurysms is weird.

Well, *two* bombs, actually. — “Now, Stroke Bloke. The bad news is, I’ve put a bomb inside your body.”

Yeah. It’s a bit like that. And an associated problem is, if an expert goes in there to defuse the bomb with a mesh implant or a tiny titanium clothes peg, they might just set the whole thing off.

[I know. Fun, right? Prefer whimsy and good tunes? Check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Bullet In The Head →

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Eight Tracks

January 9, 2018Lists, Mindfulness, Pop Music, ReviewsArcade Fire, Brandi Carlile, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Cigarettes After Sex, Kendrick Lamar, LCD Soundsystem, Loyle Carner, Partner, Toby Youngricky

We’re just over a week into 2018, and already it seems like

2018 : 2017 : : 2017 : 2016

Sloooooooooooow clap — 1 Jan 2018: Racist, misogynist fan of eugenics appointed eno new universities regulator

Maybe things look more upbeat in the United States, where instead of Weak And Wobbly Theresa, there’s a VERY STABLE GENIUS!!! in charge.

[Check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter for bonus Track Nine?!]

Continue reading Eight Tracks →

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Resolve

January 2, 2018Death, Dr. Who, Healthcare, Mindfulness, StrokeAntonio Gramsci, living wills, Theresa Mayricky

Phew! Between a dose of the Dreaded Lurgy, travel, and the end-of-year festivities, things got away from me a bit for a couple of weeks there.

Could say the same thing about the Twelfth Doctor, really — “Started well, that year.”

So it’s thank goodness for the New Year.

Or, is it? Alongside the usual end-of-year reviews and goals for 2018 that I’ve been seeing on my soshul meeds, there’s also been a bit of sniffiness about New Year and New Year’s resolutions. But perhaps nothing quite as scornful as this 1916 column from Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci:

“I hate these New Year’s that fall like fixed maturities, which turn life and human spirit into a commercial concern with its neat final balance, its outstanding amounts, its budget for the new management.” — Antonio Gramsci, January 1st, 1916 https://t.co/6HB8zJo4Le

— Viewpoint Magazine (@viewpointmag) January 1, 2018