I was reading the “Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White) hit maker’s” interview with DH last night when Toni* mentioned that during the early recordings with T-Rex being short of funds they had to use a “Pixiephone” from Woolies.

Now I could have googled this but where’s the fun in that as I am sure someone round here has one in the loft!

Also it being Marc Bolan my mind was agog with what sort of marvelous machine it would be presumably played with the help of the little people of the Beltane. Sadly I fear the answer is more prosaic but one can dream.

Can anyone help?

*I am slightly disappointed Mr Visconti only produced Modern Romances 2nd lp imagine how much better even “Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey” would have been with TV at the faders!

as the much deride Owen Paul once sung!

Not that you need anymore distraction on the net but here's some fascinating amusing things I've been sent via Twitter or stumbled upon on Flickr etc.

Move over sleeve face excellent montage of lp sleeves

What you're having wonderful photo journal of welsh working men's club.

Evocative if strangely gruesome serving suggestion etc from 70's women's mags

Anyone got other sites of interest or diversion to share?

Jeremy Hunt the Tory shadow culture secretary wants amongst other things to see BBC 3 & 4 cut. This is a consequence of giving into pressure from BBC enemies and simplistic free marketeers(?)like Hunt, they won't stop at the cuts offered they will hack away randomly at the corporations for their own ideological ends. His list of favourite programmes doesn't feel me with much hope

"...Hunt had picked out ITV's Britain's Got Talent, along with the Channel 4 drama Britz and Sky News. When I ask the same question he nominates the reality shows Wife Swap and Tower Block of Commons (both Channel 4) and ITV's The X Factor, which he prefers to the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/tally-ho-why-hunt-has-t...

This perplexing gem is courtesy of @TheFagCasanova on twitter enjoy the nutiness.

Is it too soon to invite Kate to next Massive meet up, probably could do with cheering up I and reckon she likes a sweet sherry and a natter about intervals at the flicks and posh girls in pop.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/mar/15/kate-winslet-sam-mendes-separ...

Just got this via @PeterBradshaw1 it's wonderfully realised and nicely observed oh and funny!

Nice idea by By @EddieRobson (via @ianmartin on twitter) best watched on full screen. Youtube closes down for the night.

In some form fairtrade is the way forward for a more equal world. How we get their is still up in the air. But the people who grow our food (and sweets) getting a bigger share of the money we spend seems to me to be fair. * puts soap box away* anyway do you want some free afro-pop tunes well cadbury and fairtrade are giving some away (hurry offer ends monday!)

Includes covers of Elbow and E "forest boys make more noise" MF and some original tunes by The Big Ghana Boys and Zingolo.
So have a listen and next time you're in Lidl why not swap something in your trolley for something that's been fairly traded?

http://www.cadburymusic.com/?campaign_id=search

So it being British Pie week and these things being important apart from a mouth scalding late night Fray Bentos eaten in your pants while watching your "world at war" boxset dripping gravy on your laptop while you type a furious post about why "china Girl is so vastly underrated" what are the best pies and where can we buy them?

My nomination would go to Birkinshaws pork pies on Barnsley market: Had one yesterday wonderful mix of juicy pork flavoursome jelly and crisp tasty pastry and ridiculously good value at 80p.

This is only partly a facetious/rhetorical question?
Rupert and the boys want to see the BBC destroyed for commercial and ideological reasons but what has SKY ever done for tv?
On those endless list programmes (often voted for by the public) after 20 plus years of tv production SKY rarely features in the "best of lists". So am I being harsh when I say they are more likely to appear in the "worst of lists" than for any premium content?
I have access to some of their channels via freeview but rarely get told I must see "so and so" by those who have fuller subscriptions.
Most of the "must see boxset tv" seems to be made by HBO and gets shown on the BBC or similar in the end.

* caveat: the Simpson's has obviously for many years been genius but isn't this just SKY knowing they are on to a good thing and not messing with it, also didn't they cancel Futurama which many people say is better than later series of The Simpson's. If the BBC justified it's moral standing on the basis of Dr WHO solely it wouldn't have a leg to stand on so The Simpson counts for soemthing but not an entire legacy surely?

Some people may point to the money pouring into football from SKY but this increasingly looks like a poison chalice: is the price for silky skills in a handful of glossy stadia really the tawdry tales of John Terry's John Thomas and lower league clubs run into the ground. Thankfully Rugby Union has learned that free to air viewing is the best way to grow your sport a lesson test cricket and boxing have yet to learn.

So honestly what content has SKY produced themselves that means they can judge the BBC this isn't just rhetorical I genuinely am interested in what has Rupert done for me lately?

Just got this on twitter (via @hqphoto) Chris Lilley the master of the mockumentary Summer Heights High etc is well underway with his new series "Angry Boys" due to be shown in UK, Oz and the USA , happy days.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/tv--radio/lilley-caught-in-the-...

the Baftas took the biscuit for staid tedium. Which bit of "show Business" did they not understand?
Award ceremonies have two main functions:
1: to help promote and celebrate films, records, etc
2: to allow actors and pop stars etc a chance to get all dressed up and then behaviour in a manic/loopy/unhinged/gauche way for our amusement.
Sadly the Baftas failed on both accounts.

Well done Amy sheer brilliance led from the front all the way through.

I am general sports fan, I love seeing live football, watch the grand prix and test matches have been to the odd 20:20 and even place the odd bet from time to time oh and I really love the Olympics (both of them).

One odd thing about this winter games is amongst the gripes of the media and unfriendly time slots for watching live events I developed a new love for American sportsmen and woman and even started to enjoy snowboarding.

American sport gets a lot of abuse, flack and I can see why their sports stars can be annoying, over blown, airbrushed, emotive, vain, seemingly pampered, over paid etc. Shaun White the snowboarder being the epitome of this. But there does seem to be some essential joy in what they do. This clip of Shaun White is full of showboating and I’m sure will raise some people’s hackles but the assurance of his run and the needlessness of out doing himself when he’d already won is admirable and the whole thing put a smile on my face. Much better this than the successful but reserved Chinese or the glad to 13th plucky Brits. Professional sport for all the jumbled muddled Olympians ideals is entertainment after all.

Oh and snowboarding has won me over in general, the boardcross especially is way more exciting and watchable than the endless time trails of most other snowy sports. The men’s finals was won by the merest of margins and the gladiatorial jostling and place changing of the heats makes the outcome uncertain which surely is partly what sports fans want.

So once again god bless American !

Anyone giving up the gaspers for lent. You can at least blame Walt Disney for your vice. Watch this amusing if sanctimonious compilation of Uncle Walt's greatest demon weed scenes.