Heard

- loads and loads, but the standouts have been Don Cherry "Live at Cafe Montmartre 1966" (free jazz happening in front of my ears!), Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds "Abattoir Blues" (excellent songs, and an album that is well worth revisiting), and Tom Waits "Glitter & Doom (live)".

Read

"Stalingrad", by Antony Beevor is absolutely gripping. I have also really enjoyed "Molesworth", the Broons annual, and Peter Silverton's "Filthy English".

Seen

Old stuff - the complete Fred Quimby Tom & Jerry box set is a thing of beauty and a joy forever, really enjoyed an hour of that with my young nephews, and then an extra half hour when they had gone home.

one and half days?!

David fucking Tennant.

Jools Holland,I mean Boy George,I ask you,Bagpipes is their a more horrible sound in the world of music.Watched The Hurt Locker,District 9,lots of Laurel & Hardy and like you Tom & Jerry.Read The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters,entertaining.Wassail,all the best to you and yours.Pip Pip.

Read:

Austerity Britain by David Kynaston. By giving voice to the everyday eperiences of the public in the years following World War II as well as analysing the major socio-political events of the time, Kynaston brings the period to life in a way I hadn't experienced before. A magnificent achievement.

The Political Animal by Jeremy Paxman. This is no hatchet job; Paxman casts a rather sympathetic eye over the qualities that define the men and women who decide to pursue a life in politics. I came away feeling that my views of politicians had been too black and white before I read this book.

Seen:

The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski. A masterpiece; as I wrote about here.

Life On Mars. Watched it for the third time in a year. A modern classic.

Heard:

Nothing really... Austerity Britain is a long book.

....curtailed my pleasure time a bit....still -

Read

Ancient Rome by Simon Baker. Excellent, easy to read history of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Maily focuses on the main characters during the time of the Emperors.

Reading

This Is Not About Me by Janice Galloway. Not exactly a misery memoir but it's very close. Wee girl grows up in poverty in Saltcoats, Ayrshire as part of a dysfunctional family. Interesting for me as I grew up in Scotland in the '60s too.

Seen

Rome. The HBO series shown on the BBC a couple of years ago. I'm only halfway through the first series and really enjoying it. Explicit sex scenes and not so explicit battle scenes. Box Set from Santa. HBO is becoming my favourite.

Heard

I'm still playing the new Tom Waits regularly. Apart from that, it's the CDs in my car which are the last 10 I bought more or less. The latest ones from Springsteen, Young, Lovett, Jayhawks, Madness and Costello. Also older ones from Cash, Glen Campbell, John Martyn and JJ Cale/Eric Clapton. For me, 4 or 5 songs from the Glen Campbell would be enough but as for the rest, almost every song on each album is a keeper.

Looking forward to a new one from John Hiatt and a box set from Steve Forbert very soon. There's a Junior Wells CD in the post from before Christmas...it's gotta be here soon.

but,

Read: 'This Thing of Darkness' by Harry Thompson, as suggested by a list of the best books of the decade in the latest issue. Cliches litter the text but the source material of the voyages of the Beagle under the command of Robert Fitzroy is dramatised to great effect. Charles Darwin is at one point a gaucho riding the Patagonian plains. A remarkable book.

Seen: Terminator Salvation. Meh. A decent initial attempt to illustrate John Connor in action as the rebel leader fighting Skynet but like so much these days it descends into CGI and the characterisations just fall away amongst the bombast. A B movie if ever there was one.

Heard: A lot of Victoria Wood live stand-up. Please can she be interviewed in the mag at some point? Also some Gram Parsons, GP and Greivous Angel. I'm afraid I don't get him just yet.

not so much time for frivolities:

Read

Nick Harkaway's "The Gone Away World" - I can see this would be a bit of a "marmite" book, but I thought it was dazzlingly good.

Seen

Just finished Season 1 of "Six Feet Under", which came out, what 2002? Again, an excellent series, Michael C Hall portraying a rather different character to Dexter...

Heard

Nothing new - too much stuff I've already got, but not listened to. Catching up on Bowie bootlegs and The Decemberists' back catalogue

Seen:

The first series of Outnumbered - very funny and true to life.

Reading:

"It's Not What You Think" by Chris Evans. I'm halfway through and it is qite an enjoyable read for the holidays.

Heard:

Asia by Asia at the annual reunion of my University chums on New Years Eve. Sadly he only had 2112 by Rush vinyl!

Read: Ian Rankin's 'The Complaints'...I'm already a fan so can't give a totally impartial opinion. But given that I LOVED the Rebus novels, then thought 'Doors Open' was a bit of a frivolous caper in comparison, I reckon this one was right back on form. Very exciting, full of both twists and turns, as usual.

Also read Haruki Murakami's 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running' - lovely little book. Quite inspiring, given the necessity at Specs Towers for some strenous post-Christmas exercise.

Seen: Nothing at the cinema, just TV! (Loved 'Doctor Who' and 'Day of the Triffids' - card-carrying easy-to-please SF fan.) But friends and family have identified my fondness for a bit of crime, and I got the 'Wallander' and PD James DVDs for Christmas!

Heard: Kraftwerk box set. Not much else. Oh yes - the Smoke Fairies single 'Gastown' - very highly recommended. 7" single only, I think, but also on iTunes.

Read - Filthy English, Word podcast guest Peter Silverton's scholarly but accessible history of 'bad' language.

Heard - Bat for Lashes' Fur and Gold. I'm listening to it right now, on its third spin since I picked it up from a record fair this morning. It was gorgeous on first play but makes more sense with the curtains drawn against a cold night and a glass of Shiraz in front of me.

Watched - Series 7 of Buffy. I bought the whole lot about 18 months ago, and now I'm reaching the end. THE FIRST EVIL IS COMING!

Read - only magazines this past month. Have the Nick Cave novel to read after the holiday period and will be buying the latest William Boyd and Neil Cross novels to take on my business trip to USA in February.

Seen - Chris Difford (wonderful) and a Birmingham Bluegrass band called the Toy Hearts who are taking the US by storm. Lead by 2 sisters they are absolutely amazing and seem to be getting a good following both here and in USA/Europe.
Also saw Alvin and the Chipmunks the squeekal with my daughter - I thought it was quite amusing and perfect fare for the Christmas holidays.
Also been enjoying the latest Spooks series.

Heard - Cowboy Junkies Caution horses and Trinity sessions, Matraca Berg (thanks to Carl Parker), Gaslight Anthem, Nugggets cd (brilliant) and just today (and I will say it quietly) the Mojo free cd compiled by Amorphous Androgynous which is wonderful physchedlia. Just checked them out on Amazon and there are several compilations I will be investigating).

Heard:
Finally got round to properly listening to Graham Parker, Toy Dolls & Traffic (amongst others)
In The Studio (Special AKA) is not actually as bad as I remember Awaiting Amazon delivery of a 3 disc Prog Rock compilation

Read:
Hail! Hail! Rock'n'Roll (John Harris) - identifies the genre Landfill-Indie, and credits its provenance to The Word

Seen:
Black Books (again - superbly (and absurdly) amusing)
The Boat That Rocked (not as bad as the reviews, but not fantastic)
Top Gear South America Special (potentially contrived, but still enjoyable)

SEEN: no films, but enjoyed the Christmas Cranford, despite its not being anywhere near as good as the first series, which is possibly my favourite costume drama ever. Last night watched the Queen gig from 1975. The first 20 minutes or so was quite brilliant, epitomising all that was great about them [sorry Sheev, your hatred of Queen is a stain on your otherwise impeccable character...).

HEARD: The Unthanks, a Christmas present, which I like a lot, though I notice that, while I love Rachel's voice, I really don't care much for Becky's. I've been rediscovering Ryan Adams's Heartbreaker, which is superb. And Jill Sobule's Underdog Victorious, which I listen to every few months, and never fails to deliver. And, as mentioned in a previous thread, Jenny Lewis with Rabbit Fur Coat.

READ: Just finished Kit's Wilderness by David Almond, recommended to me by a colleague; it's good, though not what I'd have chosen myself. Now about 50 pages into Joseph O'Neill's Netherland, which is fantastically well-written. Waiting in the wings is a biography of Patrick O'Brian, another Xmas gift, which I'm very much looking forward to.

Seen - not an awful lot. Finally got around to watching Walk the Line and enjoyed it. Also Network which was a bit of a letdown. I loved the 'i'm as mad as hell' bit, but after that...um...

Read - working thru Filthy English.

Heard. I'd noticed a Tom Waits sized hole on my iPod and decided to, um, acquire a few of his tunes on t'internet. My conscience then got the better of me so i went to Amazon and bought Closing Time and I have to say I'm disappointed it took me so long to find it. It's ruddy brilliant. Oh, and upon the recommendation of the Massive, I took a punt on Station to Station by the Dame and, well, thanks to y'all for the pointer! In short, I've heard nothing 'recent' but still stuff that's new to me and that I've thoroughly enjoyed.

If anybody wanted to suggest a second Waits album to take a chance on, I'd love to hear. I'm not sure i'm completely gone on the out and out insane barking and growling that i've heard on later songs, but the title Track from Heartattack and Vine sounds good. Is the rest of the album any good?

Read: Singapore Burning the story of Singapore in the 2nd WW what a monumental cock up that was.

Watched: Darts, lots of darts, really too much darts

Heard: Dizzee Rascal and will investigate further.

Read - "The Walking Dead" graphic novel compendium - Romero writ large and exceptionally bleak. Also Garth Ennis' "Punisher" and "The Boys" series - wonderfully violent / amoral. Am tackling "Filthy English" also and building up the strength to have a go at "The Kindly Ones".
Seen - Avatar and Sherlock Holmes at the flicks, revisiting "Seinfeld" from the snazzy box set, enjoying "Games Britannia" but loathing "Dr Who" and "Day of the Triffids"(didn't make it through either). Also got to see PiL in Manchester and thought they were great.
Listened - the two Winchester Hospital compilations "Watch with Teacher" and "Girl in a Suitcase" - great collections of incidental / programme theme tunes.
I may try to get some sleep now.

Been laid up with gastroentiritic flu ( not pretty ).
Seen: Rewatching the magnificent "Deadwood" in all its revolting Shakesperean beauty. Couldn´t decide who is my favourite character; the foul-mouthed drunken Calamity Jane, the noble Doc Cochran or the whore with a heart of gold Trixie. But, for me it´s Mr. Wu and his terribly efficient use of the English language.

Read and reading: Currently reading Jmes Ellroy´s "Bloods a Rover " and he´s in fine form with this one. Read ( re-read) "The Cold Six Thousand" in preperation and have just fininished Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point".

Heard: Tom Waits ( must be in the air ), Nighthawks at the Diner

Heard: the Death of Bunny Munro - audio book, read by Nick Cave, bought for me by a colleague. Made me feel very, very dirty. Makes Grinderman seem like the Jonas Brothers. Or something.
Read: Pim and Francie, by Al Columbia. Is it graphic novel or art book? Pre-teen incest, slice and dice serial killers, digging up corpses, dismembered cats - all in a Max Fleischer/Betty Boop style.
Seen: First episode of Dexter - got series 1 and 2 for Christmas: Internet rape, severed head, dismembered torsos.
I love Christmas, don't you?

READ: The Given Day by Dennis Lehane - great, great book, plot concerns two main characters, one black, one white, in Boston in the period after the first world war, takes in the Police strike, the influenza outbreak and Babe Ruth. Go and buy it, it's very good indeed. Also Appetite For Self-Destruction, Steve Knopper's book about the fall of the record industry. You don't finish the book feeling sympathy for most of the execs.

SEEN: no telly at all as my NTL cable went on the fritz on the 22nd of December and I didn't get it fixed till the 31st. I rang them straight away explaining that with 2 small children, this was not a good time to be going without, we don't care and we'll fix it when we fix it was the general tone of their response, sky may well be getting a call from me. Received the Black Crowes Cabin Fever dvd for christmas which is a great companion to their recent double album triumph, saw Avaatr and Sherlock Holmes in the cinema and enjoyed both of them although I didn't thing Avatar was huge on plot and what plot there was stank of brown rice and lentils.

HEARD: Also received the Tom Petty 4cd live box for the season and it is as good as one would expect, i.e. very, when, oh when will they tour Europe? Also a Freddie King compilation of his early sixties stuff and The Stones' Ya-Yas box set which is great but a bit of a rip off, as usual.
Read somewhere that it was voted country album of the decade so bought Home by the Dixie Chicks which I'd never heard before and it's a fine record.

SEEN: The end of season 4 of Dexter - I'm saying it's the best yet (John Lithgow is just brilliant in it), but where do they go from that ending? Also binged on all 13 episodes to date of Glee, which E4 will be pimping for all their worth during January. Big, happy, smiley entertainment with a bit of an edge, worth a look if you check your cynicism at the door.

HEARD: Because of Spotify, for the first time I'd already heard all of my Christmas present CDs in advance, but can I say for the record I'm surprised Noah & The Whale's The First Days Of Spring didn't seem to make it into any end-of-year lists? It's a lovely, sweeping-yet-intimate record, and everyone I play it to seems to love it...

READ: The Marx Brothers Scrapbook, by Groucho and Richard J. Anobile, a strange, out-of-print oddity from the early 70's. Apparently originally intended as a standard ghost-written autobiography, Groucho tried to sue for defamation when he read the finished book galleys, and the only way for the publishers to avoid litigation was to print all of the interviews Groucho gave the ghostwriter in their entirity with no editing whatsoever, including toilet breaks! He comes across as an angry and bitter misogynist, a big shame, but it's interesting to be reminded that they took a live version of "A Night At The Opera" on the road for 3 weeks to tighten up the script before filming it - isn't that a brilliant idea? I'm also working my way through Gore Vidal's books of essays, and am up to Armageddon? (1983-87), notable to me for his valid assertion that anyone who believes in an afterlife should be absolutely prohibited from becoming a head-of-state...