But I did get recognised as a former 'subscriber-of-the-month' when the mag did that thing back in the day. Bloke in a pub in Watford approached and said 'you're the Word subscriber of the month and I claim my £5.00'. Actually I made up the bit about the £5.00, but it was still quite unsettling.

That aside, I've met a few of the writers (Quantick, Collins, Mark Ellen) but didn't let on I'm a blogger. I don't want them to think I'm some kind of stalker.

I've met fellow blogger Dave C.

not on your nelly!

so I can avoid them.
(-:

Though a friend of mine I'd lost touch with recently got back in touch and freaked me out slightly when he mentioned he's been reading all my posts on this blog for some months.

He googled my name and swathes of inanity I've posted here popped up.

at latitude last year with fellow word fan. I've met online types in meatworld from elsewhere on the web before now.

But if I told you who I'd have to kill you.

as you can see from the photo of "Janice" and me on our visit to the water treatment plant in Leeds (see a previous "meet up" post).

Did wonder whether we should have badges for wearing to gigs - maybe then we could all cluster together and watch in a "no conversation allowed during the songs" enclave?

Anyway, can recommend meeting up with other members of the Massive, if only to pass a pleasant hour or so with someone who won't look at you with incomprehension and pity when you use words like "Monochrome Set".

we'll be the ones not taking pictures on our phones not talking about something vacuous in the quiet bits and occasionally shouting "do some old" or if it's a Van Morrison gig "gives us a harmonica solo Ivan!" oh and whingeing about the beer!

being described by you as a Word blog celeb has quite made my day.

Not that I've let it go to my head - but I'm only shaking hands tonight ok?

But when I saw Larrikin Love just before the release of their only album, I met a load of people off that forum. That was quite cool. It gave me someone to stand with.

So on that note I'll be watching Bloc Party in Bournemouth. But I'm not 40, I am not balding (much), and I don't have a beard. I'm really not an average Word blogger. Sorry.

There was a rumour of a Word pint in Islington at the end of October - is it on?

I went on a date with a woman I met through a dating site. We went through the usual preliminaries - chatty emails, shared Spotify list and so on - then she asked if I read Word. Not only did I read it, I wrote, but here's my blog link. We met for a drink and then dinner, but sadly she was more impressed by the mag than me. Haven't seen her since. Ho hum.

and a couple of times Ellen and/or Hepworth has passed me on the hill as I strode in the opposite direction. Wouldn't dream of moving a facial muscle, of course.

Apart from that, I don't go to RT or Dylan gigs so I would never meet any of yous :)

Me and my friend chloe once beat a team including Andrew Harrison at a a popquiz in Stoke Newington. He seemed bamboozled that his team had lost and started talking to another couple at the bar who he presumed were the winning team (we obviously looked too un-nerdy enough to be the winners). It was a great quiz run by foxy Mel does anyone know where she is now.

stopped doing the quiz? Damn, there goes this years Xmas bonus. Least the world will be saved another karaoke 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. *shudders at the memory*

She moved it to the Birdcage opposite the big supermarket (Morrisons?) up the hill.

Don't know if I've ever beaten Harrison's hide in her quiz but know we took Sarah Cawood's screaming harpies to the cleaners. But often ended up runners up to the Hot Chip posse.

Its hard to find a decent music quiz these days . 'The Three Kings' in Clerkenwell is a challenging one of a Monday night.

http://www.backstreet-merch.com/bands/word/default.asp?

Come and see 'I'm Nearly A Fifty Year Old Bloke And This Is What I Know About Music' at the Cumberland Arms in Byker, Newcastle on Oct 15th 8pm? Only £8.
Or my festive show - on 11th Dec, 'I'm Now A Fifty Year Old Bloke and This Is What I Know About Christmas Music' At Newcastle premier night spot - The Live Theatre.

www.mrdrayton.co.uk

Honestman - well, in as much as one can ever 'know' etc etc.

This is dangerous territory, we all probably think we are cooler than we are (in fact using the word cool denotes otherwise) meeting other forum bloggers would simply shatter our illusions. We would be shown up for the slightly overweight, geeky, older, spoddy selves that we are. I did meet some people on another forum once, it was not pretty!

is my cousin although I had no idea about this until recently. Small world and all that.

Certainly having seen the list of record shops that James Blast went to as a boy, our paths must have crossed at some point. And I'm sure that there have been gigs that some of us have been at without necessarily knowing each other.

Maybe if we organise a Glasgow meet-up we'll all find out - "IT'S YOU!""