While I am in the office I often have 6 music on and find this a rather bitter-sweet experience. With the exception of Laverne and Lamb the presenters are ok but the music is all too redolent of my lost youth. I am in my late thirties, so went through H.E. in the 90's, a large portion of the tunes played seem to either come from the 80/90's indie scene (or sound like they do). I find myself enjoying the songs until I find myself thinking, f*ck that was 18 years ago! Recently I was in the reception area of a company ahead of a meeting, they had MTV or something similar on and I don't think I recognised a single song for about 10 minutes! Shit, it's starting, I am no longer down with the kids!

I Have been aware of Judee Sill since I read the book Hotel California a couple of years ago (sorry but the authors name escapes me!) and I very much enjoyed the BBC 4 documentary of the same name. For various reasons, I never seemed to get round to buying any of her releases but recently I saw a double CD anthology of her time at Asylum and took the plunge. I have listened to this CD several times and have been completely agog at the quality of the music. The compilation I have is basically the 2 albums recorded for the label with various outtakes and live tracks. Normally, I tend to skip through the extras but in this instance I was compelled to listen right through. The live recordings are particularly good, her warmth, humour and intellegence really shine through seemingly so at odds with her ultimately untimely, very tragic end. If you have not discovered this truly great artist then I urge you to do so, those already in the know will surely concur with eulogy.

Fellow Wire fans will be counting the days until the fifth and final series is shown in the UK, where do you put this great show in the grand scheme of things? I think it is the best piece of Television ever (regardless of genre) surely most sane people agree? For me it is the minor characters that really add to the quality of the show, just how great is 'Bubbles'? The acting is of a standard unseen before, who would have thought that the actor behind McNulty is a posh bloke from Sheffield? No other programe has sustained such total brilliance over 60 + episodes, I dare you to disagree with me!

I bought the Bon Iver record recently, encouraged by the wall to wall critical fanfare I could not wait to have a listen. Well, it has moments of invention and beauty but rather more of plodding 'so what' and 'is that it'. Have we fallen victim to a rather clever piece of stealth marketing? Was it really created in a log cabin between spots of deer hunting and general communing with nature? More importantly, would it have had such positive notices without the back story? He basically sounds like a less good version of Elliot Smith.

The latest issue of the Word triggered the above question because, depsite buying pretty much everything they have released, I cannot remember the last time I actually enjoyed one of their albums. The Bends was great as was OK Computer, Kid A was ok but after that..... On a related matter the Thom York solo record (Eraser?) is, in my opinion, probably the worst LP ever! Truly terrible, sub 6th form angsty lyrics that use the word 'fuck' a lot!

If you happen to be in the car on a Saturday, struggling with the limited choice tha analogue radio brings in the dead hour before Johnathan Ross comes on at 10am, you may have stumbled across the Eamon Holmes show. This is a terrible programe, lots of forced jokey banter about being a Manchester United fan, made worse by the inclusion of the truly loathesome, self obsessed former referee dispensing his own brand of comment and wisdom. His complete lack of self awareness is painfully laid bare each week as he waffles on about referee decisions like some kind of oracle. Nobody cares about you Mr Poll, nobody cares about referees they are merely a necessary evil. The only reason some idiots listen to your after dinner ramblings is on the off chance of hearing a tibit of gossip about players and managers; i.e it is not about you and never will be! He is also probably substancially cheaper than the actual subjects he witters on about, are the bean counters in part responsible for his rise? To make matters worse, as he is on the BBC, we are paying him!

There are a number of acts out there which seem to appeal largely to one gender over another. Ultimately this is a far from scientific generalisation but is ripe for discussion. My number one nomination would be Steely Dan, come on, only men really like them; I think they appeal to our inner nerd. My wife will tolerate most of my musical foibles but Steely Dan have yet to sway her. Any other nominations?