As i creep towards slippers, chill out and thorazine i often ponder the extent of my music collection ( now comressed to the size of my palm). Recently i have actively sought to ascribe some sense of importance to some of the soundtrack to my life and in doing so have begun to realise that the majority of stuff that i return to time and time again was recorded yonks ago. I am 43 (some days 23 some 93) and there are very few things that i genuinely consider essential that i hadn't heard by the age of 25. i constantly listen to new music and indeed have found stuff that both excites and moves but they rarely last. In fact i can only think of one band that have emerged in the last 15 years who i am sure i will be listening to until i pop those blessed clogs. Am i alone?
Can anyone name any tracks from the last ten years that are as important to them as the stuff they listened to at the age of 20? Is music becoming lost in the multi media maelstrom or am i just becoming lazy and uninspired by the relentless dross.
The band? Wilco, of course.

Today in my new capacity of librarian for a secondary school i started a DVD library with an initial purchase of 125 DVD s. The self set criteria were simple .
No 18 certificates
Any film with artistic and/or educational merit
Documentaries welcome.

I welcome suggestions for my second 125 purchases in April.

I did a thing today which didn't shock me until about five minutes after i'd done it. Bear with me. A good friend called to cancel an evening out and offered me an alternative. He spun it out as i swore at his unreliability but eventually he spilled his hand with not some small degree of triumph.
" Look ," he spoke with relish " I know it won't be the same but why don't you come down to London and see me instead . We could go and see" he paused the imaginary drum roll playing in his head, " Zeppelin!!" It was out, he'd said it.
"What?!?"
"I got tickets!! Man!" I don't know why he added the 'man'- he's in sales for god's sake. " So what do you say. What time will i see you next Monday?"
And here it is dear reader. I have been a fan for at least 30 years, i went to Knebworth, i wore a black armband to school when Bonzo died, lawks i even slept with my wife for the first time to Led Zep 2. What made me say "Na, it's alright mate take Warren. He lives in London and will love it." There was a bit of confusion as he thought he'd got a crossed line and then it dawned on him that i was saying No.
There was a couple of moments of embarrassed pleasantaries and we hung up.
I have thought long and hard about this. I love live music, more now than ever.So why did i say no. Not the scale- Roger Waters was great last year.No, I think it's because i don't think this will be a gig in the real sense; more an occasion. I don't want to spend the whole time turning round to tell people to shut the f**k up and listen. Have i cut my nose off to spite my face? Am i being a nob? Will i regret it?
Any views welcome apart from insults and maybe anyone else who has turned down the chance of something and been considered mad by his peers would like to contribute as i could use the company here in the stocks.