It’s A-Level results day today. This has become as much of an event for the media as it is for the students and their families.

It seems that every year the same old comments are wheeled out by the media: pass rates go up again, more A grades than ever before, fewer university places, are they getting easier etc...

Another regular feature in the UK news is the impression that only attractive girls do A-Levels! So for general amusement here you go...
http://sexyalevels.tumblr.com/

Stumbled across this article on the BBC this morning: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8507703.stm

I'm very lucky that my local record shop is Rough Trade East - it's alive & kicking. But I know many that have closed. The old approach to music retail is gone. That's life. But like many I miss the atmosphere & culture of the old days. I like the approach of Stuff Croydon. Bringing a bit more non-corporate life to retail in the high street.

So, Massive... my Monday lunch time questions is: What has happened to the old record shops you used to spend time in? Have they gone online, are they empty, have they become soemthing else?

The thread on if you know anyone famous has made me think of bizarre encounters that us mere mortals sometimes have with the famous.

Now I have had the odd bumping into moment - Graham Coxon in a gallery, Robert Wyatt at Royal Festival Hall etc... But what I mean is something very unexpected that makes a good yarn or pub story, and I have not had one of those. However, my parents once had a holiday of odd encounters...

My folks were in Portugal on holiday back in the 1970s. One afternoon they headed to the tennis courts to have a pre G&T game. Who should playing on the adjoining court? Think about it... it's Portugal and it involves tennis... yep, Sir Cliff himself. He asks my parents to join him and his partner in a game of doubles. After the game he invites my parents to join him in a local restaurant.

That very same holiday, my parents were relaxing on the beach. My dad started playing a game of footie with some other holiday makers. Who should join them for a kick about... Tom Jones.

How the other half live! Anyway, what about the Massive. Any bizarre encounters?

Afternoon all,

It's a wet one in old London town. I have just stumbled across this rather good blog about Georgian London. I know it's not music related, but thought some of you might be interested.

Put the kettle on and have a read:

http://www.georgianlondon.com/?c=1

Here is an interesting track and a really excellent video. Watch it on a large screen if possible for full maximum impact - http://www.vimeo.com/7710037

I was flicking through the Indie last night in the pub and noticed a snippet about Beck's revamped website - http://www.beck.com/. It's worth a visit to check out his Record Club.

The Record Club is project where he gathers together various musicians in a studio with the objective of covering a classic album a day. He then releases a track a week from that featured album. The latest record to have been covered is 'Oar' by Skip Spence, which featured Wilco. He has also covered The Songs Of Leonard Cohen.

Thought I'd share. Good weekends all.

Saw Edwyn Collins at the Bloomsbury Ballroom last night and a very fine evening it was. It was great to see him back on stage. As well as the old hits he also played a couple of newbies, including one co-written with Brian from The Cribs.

His band were fantastic and it was wonderful to see him singing, bantering with the crowd and making light of the difficulties related to his recovery.

Any others at the gig?

Hello Fraser - did you pick any of our suggestions for new T-shirt designs, or were they all so awful that it's best to forget the whole sorry episode?

Afternoon Massive,

I have an iPod query that I hope you may be able to help me with. Is it possible to shuffle a playlist? If so, how do you do it?

Help much appreciated. Ta.

Just home from seeing Magazine at Royal Festival Hall - they were fantastic. Ahead of their time in the day and still sounding fresh and really tight. Whole band on top form - Howard doing is usual inter song esoteric banter and Barry's bass playing!!

Night made even more special by seeing Robert Wyatt. Almost literally bumped into him after the gig as I headed for a post gig beer. Lovely evening - shame it's work tomorrow (or now today).

Anyway, the purpose of my ramblings... Mr Ellen and Mr Hepworth - can we please have a Magazine retrospective / interview please.

Ta
REdge

The other day a mate sent me the link to site called Book Seer. The concept is simple - you enter the title of a book you have enjoyed & the author and then it produces a list of recommendations. Lovely - nice & simple.

Given how rubbish many booksellers seem to be these days at recommending anything that does not have a 3 for 2 sticker on it...

http://bookseer.com/

On Friday evening I had 30 minutes to spare in Spitalfields while waiting to meet a mate for some ale & curried foodstuffs. So what did I do... well as per usual I passed the time very nicely in Rough Trade and the result was spending too much money. Hey ho!

As there was no new Word issue on the door mat this evening, I thought I would cheer myself up with a listen to one of my purchases... and it is lovely. If you like Animal Collective (I think My Girls is still my fav song of the year), then you will enjoy this.

Ok. The scene is set... the entire Word team has been struck down with swine flu (or it might have been Fraser's python curry - only joking - sure it would be very nice), so it's up to the Massive to edit & produce an edition of The Word.

What shall we do? Who will be on the cover? Who will we have articles on & who will we interview?

Make your pitch...

I'm having another enjoyable year of concert going. I have a box that keep under the bed which contains tickets for nearly all the gigs I have been to since I was a young lad keen for the live vibe... so that's the early 90's for me and it is pretty full.

Last night I was going through the box and memories of good & not so good gigs were coming bac to me. I decided that I needed to do something with the tickets... so I'm going to frame them in a montage (sounds v artistic). Not told Mrs REdge yet!

While going through the box I found other memories from the gigs: a scribbled set list, a free badge from a Blur gig (a train from Mod Life tour), a back stage pass. This splurge of memories made me look out various posters & other stuff I got from concert going.

But this made me think... what do the Massive do with thier old tickets? Also, what memorable or interesting items have the Massive brought home from a gig?

My personal favs are: Blur badge, limited edition Richard Hawley print from a Roundhouse gig & British Sea Power tea mug.

I have just noticed this bit of amusing commentary from the BBC:

"This Australian pace attack looking about as convincing as Boy George in the A-Team at the moment."

Apparently Boy George did actually appear in the A-Team under the delightful name of 'Cowboy George'! So, can anyone come up musicians, pop stars and the like who have appeared in TV drama / entertainment shows? The odder the better!