I thought May was going to be a rough month, but I didn’t realise it was going to rinse TLC and I out quite this hard. Tough demands on my head space in The Day Job, various issues with the house which seemed to pop up just after we’d paid off The Big Debt, that whole thing with The Critters In The Walls (honestly, that situation turned into a cross between a detective tale and a haunted house story).
But we have survived our plethora of First World Problems and now can look forward to a sunny Bank Holiday weekend and an actual proper break. This time next week we will be waking up after our first night in a converted chapel in Suffolk, ready for some sea air and relaxation. Only forward, Readership. Always look towards the sun. With shades on, of course, looks cooler.
Wherever you are, whenever you are, however you are, welcome to The Swipe.
Rob is reading…
The Old Dog And Duck by Albert Jack. A guide to the pub names of Britain is also a fascinating pocket history of this country’s key events and the people who helped to make them so. You will feel smarter after reading this. See, you can learn a lot in a pub.
Rob is watching…
X-Men ‘97 on Disney+. I was never a fan of the original cartoon, but this new version is great—nicely animated, propulsively told, taking a lot of the good stuff from the comics and getting it up on screen one cliff-hanger at a time. Do we need another big screen adaptation when this is so good?
Rob is listening…
To Redd Kross. A delirious mix of punk attitude and more than a nod to the Mersey Sound (even to the point of releasing a Beatles cover album) they are power pop par excellence and as such, always have a seat at my musical table. There’s a documentary out soon about their life and wild times. Check it out.
Rob is eating…
Asparagus, naturally. Tis the season. Don’t put the stuff anywhere near boiling water, please. Toss with oil and salt and pop in a hot oven for fifteen minutes, or even on the barbecue if you have fat spears which won’t drop through the grate. Use a vegetable peeler to drape some paper-thin slices of Parmesan or pecorino over the top. Yummers.
Rob’s Low-Key Obsession Of The Week…
The last Japanese factory making mirrorballs. So disco.
As a dedicated adherent to the art of solo writing in pubs, particularly a Wetherspoons (you’re left alone and can have food and drink brought to your table—perfect) I’m with Jeff Pearlman on the subject of taking your project out for a walk. I always feel I get more done if I take the iPad to The Back Of Beyond or The Hope Tap, especially if I can squeeze into one of those tiny two-seat booths. A couple of cheap pints, a bite to eat, and two thousand words come easy.
Michael Marshall Smith’s obsession with the Californian town of Santa Cruz takes, unsurprisingly for the guy, a dark turn. I think he might be making it up but hey, we all know life is stranger than fiction.
Here’s a really sweet cartoon from Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell on the long-distance relationship she has with her mom, and the care packages she receives. I love everything about this—the art, the storytelling, the tone, the warmth, the honesty. Top cartooning, no notes.
I’ve gone a bit music-heavy this month—sometimes that’s just how the links arrive. Enjoy this long read from Amanda Petruish in The New Yorker on Metallica, a band who have survived into their fifth decade, often despite themselves.
Alice Munro died. I’ve never read a word of her short stories. After some of the eulogies and tributes offered up this week, I feel I need to start.
How acceptable is it to film someone without their knowledge, especially if you then go on to include them in an Insta or TikTok which makes you money? My answer is strongly negative, tinged with revulsion. Other opinions are available, but I’m sticking to mine. I hate having my photo taken even when I’m ready for it.
Of course our pal Janelle Shane would have the best take on AI weirdness—she’s been writing about it for years! As more evidence starts to arrive about how difficult it is to get an acceptable image out of the dream machine, she has a try with a few random prompts. It does not go well.
Here’s a great interview with the two iconic Emcees of Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret—Joel Grey and Eddie Redmayne. A genuinely absorbing insight into how the character was developed and performed from two different perspectives. One of the great monsters of the stage. Clownish and creepy. I suspect Joachim Phoenix is going to lean heavily into that aspect in Joker-Folie A Deux later this year.
Oh, did I ever mention that time I was up on stage in the West End version of Cabaret?
Michael Head is one of the near-lost voices of British pop, a victim of his own appetites and a public who have little time for a beautifully crafted song, simply performed. We nearly lost him several times, but love and friendship brought him back from the edge of the cliff. If you love Arthur Lee and Love, you’ll freak out over this guy. Open your heart and let the sunshine in.
Let’s finish with a story which starts badly and escalates from there. I thought TLC and I had critter problems. This is something else.
More power pop as our Outro, courtesy of The Lemon Twigs. As the top comment on the YouTube link states:
‘I’m watching the Ramones dressed as Herman’s Hermits sounding like The Carpenters covering a Beach Boys song and I mean that all in a good way.’
Amen to that, brother.
See you in seven, fellow travellers.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 