Nevertheless, hats are in the air at the Gatz household as not only is my Thea Gilmore review printed, but The Light`s daughter is one of the young Bob Dylan reviewers. For that I will even overlook the dissing of Alexander MacCall Smith.

The only thing I agreed with was Frankie Boyle! As a fellow Paisley Buddie my hatred and shame he came from my town has no end. The shame only matched by Sir Fred the Shred, also from Paisley.
Actually the worst I can broadly agree with although a bit harsh on Del Amitri.
My main problem is the best. Whit! Help ma Boab, Jings and Crivvens.
Billy Connolly? He was mildly funny about 15 years ago. Mind you I'm bitter on behalf of one of my mates, a rabid Partick Thistle fan who in the early days of his continual torture stood behind Connolly who also shared the pain.
That was until Martin O'Neil turned up at Celtic and the bold Billy pissed off to be their famous "lifelong" supporter.
I can genuinely think of about 100 people better than 80% of that crowd!
Eric Liddell would be man in the orange box.

that's what I want to know!

Really?

Mr Currie and his Moribund Miserablists for me anyway. Pfffft.

You have a list of crap Scottish folks which doesn't include Hue and Cry? I challenge anyone to read Pat Kane's "The Play Ethic" without wanting to murder him.

Good ones which doesn't include The Family Ness? Not a single Fence Collective person or Beta Band alumni? Surely the mighty Eddie Mair had to be in there somewhere? Tom Weir?

And as for choosing Billy Connolly over Alasdair Gray, SHAME ON YOU DEMPSTER! 1982 Janine is the greatest novel which no one seems to have read apart from At Swim Two Birds. Lanark and Poor Things aren't to be sniffed at either...

However Bill Paterson is definately the daddy. Effortlessly cool, I completely love him.

You ******** **** **** **************

Agree with Ivor Cutler best list ommision but also, no Edwyn Collins - shameful.

And Belle & Sebastian *runs away*

It seems that honour is at stake here. Perhaps a duel is in order (at the very least duelling banjo's). From what I remember from an episode of James may's man lab you need to slap mark Ellen with a glove and need a second. I would offer my services but Hepworth (surely Mr Ellen's choice) looks like he could handle himself. If it comes to banjo's maybe Hannah could do it it can't be that different to a ukele!

TEENAGE FANCLUB!

regards to best...Chic Murray-surely he deserves a mention

Gerry Rafferty. Burnistoun. Chic Murray. Teenage Fanclub. The Blue Nile. Brian Cox (no, not that one). King Creosote. In the Best of, of course.

And no mention of any football related people? How queer.

You could fill a good chunk of the magazine with the Worst, mind.

...Kelly Marie?

I couldn't care less, it's a shame you take the opposite view but it won't mean I kiss this thing goodbye. I feel a little empty because it appears that when I want you, you're gone. If nothing ever happens I won't move away because I'm still satisfied with just a hatful of rain.

I won't take the blame because the first rule of love is to take it just like a man not behind the fool. This won't be my downfall because I've had enough bad news to last a life time and even though from when you were young the ones that you love lead you nowhere, sometimes I just have to say your name. And remember as soon as the tide comes in it might as well be the surface of the moon

... it might as well be you.

...despite the mysterious non-appearance of Kelly Marie, I have to say I laughed heartily at it.

More Sarah Dempster, I say. I love her pieces.

So this month's "best and worst" will be Scots people will it, then?

Decided by whom? And will they who decided be prepared to defend their argument outside?

I suspect not.

As you were, ladies and gentlemen.

has always been deliberately contentious and there to provoke a reader reaction. A better one than usual, therefore, because it's provoked more of a reaction than usual.

Of course it's still mostly wrong. As usual.
Billy Connolly and Alex Harvey seem to be in each other's rightful places, for instance. Simple Minds are on the wrong page and Oor Wullie & The Broons, Ivor Cutler and Fay Fife are inexplicably absent from the Best list.
OTOH, on the Worst list she's nailed Runrig absolutely.

Pat Nevin - the most under-utilised football pundit around?

Or how about Neil Oliver?

It's maybe a generational thing Rikki Fulton not making it in, but how does Rab C Nesbitt make the cut, but not Jack and Victor?

And chez honestman someone else might also champion the cause of David Tennant.

I have met him. All I can say is WORD PEOPLE! HE IS A SERIOUS CANDIDATE FOR YOUR FINE MAGAZINE.

post 2010 should be on the 'Worst Side'. Constantly moaning to the Music Press about how much he hates music (why not stop talking to the music press then, you dick?), slagging off most of the bands that made him a very decent living for the past 30 years, and applauding the PIAS Warehouse fire which threatened to put some of the present day Alan McGee's out of business. He also said "people who don't have kids are freaks". What a miserable, mean spirited, rotten old fuckwit. Bugger off, Retire and shut the f**k up.

Billy Connolly did was the theme to Supergran.

Did Supergran or The Scunner Campbell make the list?

Not actually the worst but in there...

Best

Jim Clark
Jackie Stewart
Graeme Obree

Or failing that, Maureen.

the ultimate Scottish nationalist:

See also, McGlashan writes the play Travel in Time "when a man invents a time machine, goes back to 1965 and shoots Geoff Hurst".

Best

Iain Banks
Iain M Banks
James Kelman
Ali Smith
Dick Gaughan
Bruce Morton
Janice Forsyth
Michael Marra
Christopher Brookmyre
Saint Andrew

Worst

Simple Minds
Alex Salmond

but it's great to hear The Sweet's lead singer is finally getting the respect he deserves.

this gent?

No, not Sean Connery, but the mighty Frankie Miller

(Frankie Miller, He'll have to go).
Many thanks to the great El Hombre Malo!

Worst: Bob Wilson

We Scots can't half laugh at ourselves. That's a good thing.

More best - Norman Blake, Colin MacIntyre, Emma Pollock, Hipsway, John Niven, Peter Mullan, Arthur Montford, Ian Bell, Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill, Peter Capaldi...

More worst - Steve McKenna (proper dransadlantic too), Gerard Butler, Jim Traynor (fitba journo bawbag), etc. I need to stop now, just typing these names is dissolving what's left of my brain.

Middenface McNulty

As mentioned above Peter Capaldi is bloody brilliant. Saw him in The Ladykillers recently, just powered the damn show with his energy

what more can a man do than make a right tit of himself on TOTP for his country in front of a clearly drunk national footie team?

Quick mention of Edinburgh Mingle on Sunday, Feb 5th at Passorn.
Any more takers?
BTW, were the Krankies listed?

Come on! Rikki Fulton has had just one mention. Him and Jack Milroy were just the best. Milroy is the closest we had in Scotland to an Eric Morecambe. He just was funny. Everything he said, everything he did was just funny.

I had the honour of working with him on two successive nights. His set was going great. At point he turned round to the drummer, doing one of his doubled over laughing moves and said 'oh son, is this not just a load of shite'. Said with such a grin that the drummer near fell of his stool.

I'd love to hear how this clip plays to the non-Scots. I love it to death.

or Richard Jobson? Apols if I missed them. As fellow subjects of the Kingdom of Fife, thought they would have gathered a mention - and Rankin in his own right - Rebus or no....

And Angus from Balamory. Top guy.

And surely, surely....Kerr should have a mention in worst as well as best. Anyone who peddles the soft rock filth that polluted "Once Upon A Time" clearly signed a pact with Satan himself at some point in 1985. And Travis (worst) and Boaby G (Best)...

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, what have you done....?!

Wot, no . . . .?

Kenny Anderson aka King Creosote - musical genius and all-round lovely bloke!

James Yorkston - ditto

Ivor Cutler - how could you not?

Alex Salmond - one of the most astute politicians around (admittedly that's not saying much)

Dick Gaughan - folk legend

Don't know what I'm more offended by - the fact that they did a Scottish Best and Worst at all (when's the English one, eh? Yeah, thought not. So why does being Scottish make someone a novelty then?) or the fact they left The Phantom Band off the best of list.