Isn't the most incredible thing about the stabbing of the conductor in East Tilbury last night the idea that the lads who did it have about 1000/1 chance of not going to jail?

I mean, CCTC cameras, and the number of people who are even out at 9 p.m. on Friday nights in East Tilbury might, just a tad, work against their freedom!

That's what freaks me out, the idea that you know you'll get caught.
I mean, didn't robbers, muggers, cowards, etc. used to go elsewhere to do their deeds?

Still, in fairness, they are rebels:
One wore a black hooded top (copyright America 2011) and the other was 'dressed in a grey flat cap and a grey top' (copyright America 2011).

So....quite grey then.

Yep, I'm a bit gob-smacked too, but there's a radio station on my DAB radio called 'Absolute 60s' (presumably something to do with Branson?), which does exactly what it does on the tin, and it is worth listening to.....that hasn't happened since Radio London!!!

Only caught about four hours (two bouts of painting the hall wall) but so far.....Beatles, Stones, Hendrix (all LP tracks), loads of Motown, and even 'Whole Lotta Love' (bizarrely a 45!) sounded good in its natural habitat.

I just hope that they throw in, every six songs of so, a curve-ball by an obscure act (Kiki, Sharon Tandy, The Action, The Seeds etc.) to keep it fresh. There's no excuse not to.

Mention has been made of documentaries at the week-end on 'Smile' and 'The Velvet Underground' which sounded like old Radio 1 docs. but, hey, I suspect I haven't heard either for at least ten years.

Most pleasing of all they even had a jingle that slagged off the 1980s.
Result!

Not over till the fat lady sings.
Don't count your chickens etc. etc. but, from day one, I like the 'cut of this England team's gib'.

Mightn't be a bad idea for the FA to get the football players to do a diary as to why they think the rugby players appear to be playing tournament sport in such an assured way.....(crosses fingers, so far).

What's the body language like?
The decision making on the pitch, good/bad?
What does the training look like?
Have they used their down-time effectively?
How did the team engineer an important victory when not playing well?

HMHB did a song called '24 Hour Garage People'.
Don't know too much about it other than Peel played it and it had the line, after the singer had listed all the things he'd bought in the garage,.....'and a blue CD on the Hallmark label, that's sure to be good'.

Sarcastic, of course, 'cos yer Hallmark label was never a hallmark of quality but, no, just spotted Chuck Berry's only 50s UK LP is now out on Hallmark.

So time, and the 50-year licensing of material has caught up with the lyric, and now one of the greatest LPs ever released is actually out on Hallmark!

Not sure where that takes us, just thought I'd mention it.

Things that were a given that are no longer so, maybe?
Arsenal having a good defence?
England being hopeless at cricket?

Or just unlikely labels for certain artists?
Hey, I'm bored, it's the transfer deadline day.

A Turkish businessman in Dalston?
The Asian shopkeeper whose shop was completely gutted live on rolling news?
Owner of a mobile phone shop on Mare Street?

Well, The Hackney Gazette has really nailed the feelings of the silent majority with their headline today.

Whereas the Waltham Forest Gazette run with the straight-forward, pithy, "RIOT HELL", you local paper has the following headline:

"YOBS ARE 'VICTIMS OF CONSUMERIST SOCIETY'".

So you don't warrant the title of victim or victims on the front page, no, but the guys who smashed your premises and looted your shop and probably even injured you in the process (or one of your family or staff) do.

History repeating itself.
The apologists are apologising instead of condemning just like 1981 and 1985.

On a lighter note, another publication with their finger most definitely on the cusp is the good old NME.

Check out the ridiculous barnet on the lead singer of the latest upcoming band on the block.......it's hilarious!!!!

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and I apologize for that, but this is hilarious.
In the latest FIFA rankings, England are fourth!!!!!

One semi-final (i.e. last 'four') appearance post '66, and zip, zero and/or zilch semi-finals in Beckham's hapless era......and England are ranked fourth.

Erm, OK.

Apparently there's a 'deluxe' CD version of Arthur out in June.

It was originally due to be the soundtrack to a Granada TV play co-written by Julian Mitchell and Ray and, from what I gather, was very close to going into production until the plug was pulled over finance.

My question?
Was the screenplay ever finished and/or published?

OK, I know that the thrice-a-year 'should Lampard and Gerrard play in the same midfield' debate is on hold because Gerrard is injured, but is that really good enough reason to start, again, the thrice-a-year 'who should be England captain' debate?

Shouldn't the media conduct, once and for all, the 'WHEN ON EARTH ARE THESE HABITUAL LOSERS ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE (WHICH 'WILL' HAPPEN AGAIN) GOING TO BE PUT OUT OF THEIR, AND THEREFORE OUR, COLLECTIVE MISERY' debate?

At least the recent trials and tribulations in France and Italy came at the end of a successful period for both countries.
You know, World Cup wins/European Championship wins, silly little things like that.

But Cashley, Beckham, Ferdinand, Terry (about 400 caps between them!!!!) et al.
Not even reached a semi-final.....despite always getting the easiest draw.

As an, Englishman and Londoner, born and bred, can I just add:
COME ON WALES.

What a great opportunity Capello has to drop one of the 'not World Class' celebs.
Ashley Cole.....air rifle.....bye Ashley.....90 caps.....bugger all.....thanks for the great memories.
While Capello's at it, time to get rid of loose-cannon (and shite) Rooney who, forget the over-rated over-head kick, showed exactly what he'll do if England get to Euro 2012.
There's still time, Fabio, don't bottle it.

Anyone catch Nicky Campbell making a bit of a tool of himself in a conversation about The Monkees on FiveLive this morning?

I really thought that the 'they didn't write their own songs/they didn't play on the records/they're not The Beatles' debate had been settled years ago but Campbell went straight on in there with both feet.

Strange because the one subject were I usually concur with a 60s dodger (like Campbell) is that The Monkees (the TV series, the music and 'Head') are wonderful, and it's the one area, and the only one, that the 60s veteran can get wrong.

As a footnote:
The (superb) Velvet Underground got mentioned as an example of an 'important' group in comparison to the 'less important' Monkees but had Lou Reed been working in the Brill Building just two years after he actually did, he presumably, as a working musician without a group, would have been one of the favourites to land a role in the TV series!

STOP PRESS:
Andy Gray and Richard Keys have got their own show on TalkSport.
I LOVE this country!
You've got a choice.....laugh or cry.
You've got to laugh!

Nat Lofthouse, one club man, England international, has died aged 85.

In order to put the achievement of winning 33 caps in the 50s into some sort of perspective might it not be a good idea to retrospectively award 6 or 7 caps per appearance?
In 1953 or 1956, you weren't given a cap (and,remember only 11 would get one) for applying your foundation evenly or eating your Rice Krispies without spilling any down your front!

Nat, you may not have earned million pounds for sitting on a bench, but you played and lived in the best era by far.
RIP

So let me get this quite clear:
David Beckham is in his off season and needs to keep fit and so Tottenham say he can don a hideous light blue tracksuit and a hideous light blue woolly hat (both of which Beckham no doubt adores) and train with them in Chigwell.
OK so far.
I'd prefer to go for a pint in Theydon Bois rather than train with Tottenham in Chigwell but.....OK.

However, and this is the tricky bit, the media adopt the kind of coverage normally reserved for a disaster (human, as opposed to fashion), Tottenham don't actually want Beckham to 'play' for Tottenham and Tottenham PAY Beckham for Beckham using Tottenham's facilities.
Erm, that is the case, isn't it?

Now I used to go to the old Tottenham training ground, the wonderful Cheshunt (this, you understand, was when Tottenham was a football club and not a plc) and I just wonder what Arthur Rowe, Bill Nicholson or Danny Blanchflower would make of this three-ring circus?

And, anyway, after the failures (all Beckham-led) in 1998 (petulance), 2000 (group stage elimination), 2002 (injured), 2004 (petulance), 2006 (Gerry Cottle), 2008 (didn't qualify) and 2010 (injured and petulance), I thought that the media and the general public had all agreed that it was going to be different this time and that we'd endure no more of this tosh.

Where did it all go wrong?

There's going to be a great record released in 2011.
No, straight up, I can't believe it myself!

On Cherry Red/rpm, and released on Monday 24th January, 'I'm Kiki Dee - The Fontana Years, '63-68'.
Game, most definitely, on.
I've been after these recordings for years and it got me thinking if there's anything else that is conspicuous by its absence?

Here are a few:
1. The first two Stones' British LPs (scandalous that they are not currently available).
2. The Stones at the Beeb.
3. 'Beatles '67', with the incidental music from 'Magical Mystery Tour' and the Roundhouse 'Carnival of Light'.
4. The Beatles' Christmas Album (i.e. the seven flexis).
5. The Beatles at the Beeb Volume. 2.
and, of course, 6. Bob Dylan's 'The Basement Tapes'.

Blackpool, the only reason to even glance at the Premiership table, have announced the lowest figure to be spent by the Premiership teams on the cancer of football.....namely: agents' fees.

They spent £45,000.
£45,000 too much, I grant you, but a full £9,000,000 less than Chelsea (hold on, I thought Chelsea were.....oh, never mind) and the hapless Liverpool.

If I was anything to do with marketing at Blackpool, I'd quickly get advertisements around the pitch alerting people of this and printing up some T-shirts to the same effect.

As an aside, an agent on Sky Sports said that to get the best players you need an agent's involvement and then, genuinely, quoted three.....erm.....'world class' players as his example.

I give you Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham.

Didn't look 'world class' in 2006 or 2010.