Monster

November 14, 2017EU Referendum, Holidays, Pop MusicChristmas, Morrissey, NME, Nouvelle Vague, The Now Showricky

I feel like I miss the Thanksgiving buffer that stops the Christmas bandwagon from building up speed too early. But then, Britain isn’t exactly short of pre-Christmas high days and holy days around this time of year.

Strictly's gone a bit dark — BBC’s Gunpowder: *This* is what happens to people who don’t have fun on Bonfire Night!

As well as Guy Fawkes Night, there’s Black Friday (without all the tedious mindfulness suggested by Thanksgiving), Saint Andrew’s Day, and PEN International’s Day of The Imprisoned Writer.

[Give yourself a festive treat and check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter]
Continue reading Monster →

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Apoplectic Me

November 7, 2017Brexit, Current Affairs, Edinburgh, Mental Health, Mindfulness, News, Poetry, Pop Music, StrokeCatholic Action, Donald Trump, Seamus Heaney, W.B. Yeats, Wilfred Owenricky

Here is the news…

Knock-knock. Who's there? Ivor Liddle — “Everything is fine. Return to your homes.”

Whimsical blog of #stroke survivor credited with 38,000% increase in lookups for ‘apoplectic’: https://t.co/jNgTaCxKx1 #Trump @VanityFair https://t.co/Tat9SOhy97

— Ricky Monahan Brown (@ricky_ballboy) November 2, 2017

[Is this more FAKE NEWS?!?! Read on to find out where Stroke Bloke’s going with this…] Continue reading Apoplectic Me →

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In Dreams

October 31, 2017Healthcare, Mental Health, Mindfulness, TelevisionDavid Lynch, Rick and Morty, Roy Orbison, Twin Peaks, Why We Sleepricky

So, we got through the first two seasons of Twin Peaks, twenty-five years later. Which is good, because now we can watch Twin Peaks: The Return. Which is… interesting…

GORDON! TURN UP YOUR HEARING AID!! — INTERESTING?! 25 YEARS, AND YOU GIVE ME “INTERESTING”?!?!

Which is to say, it probably deserves me getting through the whole thing before saying something half-baked about it. So let’s talk about something else. Kinda.

[Dreams. We’re gonna talk about dreams. Read on…] Continue reading In Dreams →

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Twin Peaks

October 24, 2017Current Affairs, Mindfulness, Movies, Parenting, Politics, Television, US ElectionsDavid Lynch, Donald Trump, Eraserhead, Twin Peaksricky

Mrs Stroke Bloke and I finished binge-watching the two original seasons of Twin Peaks last night. Don’t worry, I’m not going to get into the minutiae – you know, spoilers. you’ve either seen it or you haven’t. And if you have, the odds are you probably got as far as we did back in the Nineties. i.e., not very far.

What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a swimming pool? — “Not very FAR?!?!”

[Killer BOB politely suggests that you plough on through this blog post, though.] Continue reading Twin Peaks →

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Outros

October 17, 2017Lists, Pop MusicButthole Surfers, Depeche Mode, Orbital, Spiritualized, The Prodigyricky

Last week’s first five suggestions for a top ten list of musical introductions ended with a plea for help in picking out the balance. And Long-Suffering Readers Of The Blog Prof Paul and Atletico Marcelo didn’t disappoint in the comments.

Srzly, how difficult can it be? — Top Ten Times The Late Show Top Ten List Was Funny: a countdown from 0-0

[How to round out a Top Ten List: read on.] Continue reading Outros →

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Introduction

October 10, 2017Brexit, Lists, Pop MusicDavid Bowie, JAMC, Jesus and Mary Chain, Kraftwerk, Public Enemy, Rick and Morty, The Beatlesricky

It feels like the subject matter on the blog has been kinda heavy these past weeks, so how about a bit of fun?

OK, probably. But I support the Rickmobile riot. Ⓐ — “Don’t use this. Ricky & Morty fans are terrible people!”

Maybe you’ve seen the recent news article to the effect that the average intro time for a pop hit has dropped from more than 20 seconds to five seconds since the mid-1980s. I mean, I don’t know why the BBC are banging on about it now, when Mashable reported on the underlying research in April.

[Who cares? Read on for five of the best intros ever.] Continue reading Introduction →

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Now We Are Five

October 3, 2017Brexit, Current Affairs, Edinburgh, EU Referendum, Mindfulness, Poetry, Referendum, Rehab, Scottish Independence, StrokeBruno Mars, David Bowie, Justin Timberlake, Mark Ronson, T2: Trainspotting, Winnie-the-Poohricky

This past weekend, I celebrated my Fifth Strokiversary (1, 2, 3, 4). Which I guess means Stroke Bloke is five.

He's aff his heid on honey again — *FIVE*, you dozy ursine prat!

A fair amount of water has passed under the bridge in five years. Let’s reflect, shall we?

[For more personal reflections, join me at the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Now We Are Five →

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Clonidine For The Masses

September 26, 2017Art, Books, Economics, Healthcare, Mental Health, Podcasts, ScienceMatthew Taylor, Matthew Walker, National Gallery, Sasha Handley, Sleep in Early Modern England, Susan Foster, The Taylor Review, Why We Sleepricky

When you’re a new parent, you find yourself thinking about sleep a lot.

Thanks, narrator Samuel L Jackson! — “I’ve had it with these MFing tigers on this MFing plain!”

As well as banging on about being a new parent all the time. But, yes. Sleep.

[Hey, you! Wake up & check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter. And read on for more sleep stuff.]
Continue reading Clonidine For The Masses →

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Antepenultimatum III

September 19, 2017Art, Books, Design, Politics, Pop MusicABBA, The JAMs, The KLF, Witney Houstonricky

We pick up the story after our hero and key to the secrets of graphic design, logos, and intellectual property (Tristram Hunt, for it is he) has twice submitted his name unsuccessfully for selection as a Labour parliamentary candidate…

The Return of Man at C&A — “I got yer click-bait right here, Sexy”

After being parachuted out of New Labour’s Milbank Palace into a safe seat in Stoke, the biographer of Engels and picket line-crosser spent five years slashing Labour’s majority before letting it be known that he would be giving up the seat at a time when the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn were at their most embattled.

[Can’t get enough of that PHWOAR!!! factor? Get your Apoplexy Tiny Letter here.] Continue reading Antepenultimatum III →

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Penultimatum

September 12, 2017Design, Economics, Politics, Pop MusicDavid Bowie, Regina Spektor, The KLF, Vetementsricky

If you’re reading this after last week, I guess we’re still here. Or, at least, you are.

I think you're in the villa of Ormen, pal — Aw, Dave, mate. Don’t make me say it.

And yes, me too, still thinking about the dissemination of ideas through graphic designs and logos and t-shirts.

[Or you could just go a listen to a tune at the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Penultimatum →

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