Doctor Feelgood fans and the idly curious alike should ring aunty for a copy of Oil City Confidential, Julien Temple's unbelievably great doco on these pub rock legends. Aside from an opening sequence that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as their supercharged r'n'b fires up the stage, the story of the Canvey Island rockers is a fantastic voyage and the bug-eyed interviews with Wilco Johnson worth the price of entry alone. Took me back to my days as a 15 year-old poster boy in Hamilton, sticking up for Doug's tours of both a post-Wilco DF line-up and then Wilco himself with his power trio. Had never heard the music at that time (they didn't play it on Radio Contact's strict diet of Monochrome Set and The Clean!) but both shows were brilliant fun.

Ah, the ever-helpful "Rob's Recommendations" of "cheap quaffers" from the Wine Vault. I know them well. Those worthy men are drinkers' friends.

funnily enough, the consensus from our little gang at Siren last night that while it was small and perfectly formed at 40 minutes (and how great was it watching those two guys stepping so deftly around the twirling sirens?) we coulda taken even more intensity and volume at some point. but then we may also be slightly deafer than the average punter through 25 years of exposure to excessive live rock volume he he...

i just watched that clip of russian rug and it takes me back to being a 15 year-old lying on my bedroom floor playing the bilder' schwimmen in der see 7" on the family radiogram (one speaker model). that song was the very first i ever heard to clue me into the freakpower nature of music and i've never looked back since. i wish i could join you at the masonic, russell, but the new boy has finally arrived this week. in 15 years' time i will be sure to lie him on the floor and see if it can provoke the same reaction in him.

Atanarjuat aka "The Fast Runner" is one of the most incredible films of all time. not so comfy slippers viewing for the dog show fans tho. i am just peeved that i got my public-address-update-reminder-complete-with-radiation... a day after it screened on mts. i will let you guys off cos it is birthday week tho.