Alan

I know I’ve said it before but it’s almost certainly because the behaviour of JK Rowling has rarely if ever been honestly reported by traditional media, so an offline octogenarian Tom Stoppard likely had no meaningful idea about Rowling’s behaviour or its context, as remains true for most people.

That’s two years in a row now that Pitchfork’s album of the year has only been available on Bandcamp. Do you think it’s intentional?

(I know Diamond Jubilee was also available as a YouTube video but I’m not counting it for Reasons)

Squirt

(Sorry I’m sorry I’m trying to delete it)

doctor: are you sure? he will get bigger

mrs. cratchit: we’re naming him tiny tim

There's magic in the air

Great culture can save lives. Literally.

Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

"Mariska Hargitay" is like if Popeye had a daughter he tried to name "Marisa Hardy"

OK so it's dark and rainy and I feel like this story should be shared. The movie Grace Of My Heart is a sort of 'film á clef' loosely based on Carole King's life, interpolating a fictional romance with a character based on Brian Wilson. Musical director J Mascis said they HAD TO use a theremin...

David Byrne singing “Swamp” in Stop Making Sense

“STRONG FLOOR… NO CEILING…”

(2/2)

Slamasaurus (1/2)

Oh cool! Are you enjoying it?

Reminder that Whamaggeddon is absolute loser behaviour. It's one of the best Christmas songs of all time; every penny ever made from it goes to Band Aid charities; it's George fucking Michael!

"Ugh, I got Whamaggeddoned in Boots!"
"Pipe down"

Finally watched the first episode of the Live Aid at 40 documentary last night, about the making of Do They Know It’s Christmas? It’s very good, and WHAT a moment this was.

Actually doing Whamageddon at Christmas is a moral failing, you should be listening to Last Christmas at least once a day if not ten

So refreshing to see the Disco Elysium principals talking about the game instead of everything that came afterwards. Highly recommend this

I suggest that we start using the phrase "Mr. Beast and the CEO of Salesforce will be there too." as shorthand to explain how little we want to be at any given terrible event.

If a person is working full-time and has to be on Universal Credit, then the "benefits scrounger" is their employer.

You’ve heard of elf on a shelf. You’ve probably heard of some other stuff too. I get it. You’re a man of the world.

"Years and years ago, there was a production of The Tempest, out of doors, at an Oxford college on a lawn, which was the stage, and the lawn went back towards the lake in the grounds of the college, and the play began in natural light. But as it developed, and as it became time for Ariel to say his farewell to the world of The Tempest, the evening had started to close in and there was some artificial lighting coming on. And as Ariel uttered his last speech, he turned and he ran across the grass, and he got to the edge of the lake and he just kept running across the top of the water — the producer having thoughtfully provided a kind of walkway an inch beneath the water. And you could see and you could hear the plish, plash as he ran away from you across the top of the lake, until the gloom enveloped him and he disappeared from your view. And as he did so, from the further shore, a firework rocket was ignited, and it went whoosh into the air, and high up there it burst into lots of sparks, and all the sparks went out, and he had gone. "When you look up the stage directions, it says, 'Exit Ariel.”

A story Stoppard told several times, in several places:

basically nothing dapples as well as sunlight. unquestionably the GOAT of dappling

The problem with that Whamageddon thing is that Last Christmas is a stone cold banger and trying to avoid it proves that you don't truly understand the meaning of the season, to celebrate our Lord and Savior, Saint George Michael.

At first you're like, why does this have a wiki page

Then you find out it might be the best wiki page ever

If you said you were drunk but thankfully you barely drove home without passing out it would be universally agreed you should go to jail. It’s maddening how apparently if you own a Tesla, though, you’re allowed to brag about getting behind the wheel while impaired to the point of unconsciousness.

Congratulations!

He’s suffered enough, let him have it

Every day I work at Big Tech I understand this guy more and more

I finally watched it last year. It’s bad. The piano man is great though

Actually, using inclusive language is good, supporting asylum seekers is good, being an empathetic person is good. I won’t be swayed on these truths because this degenerative capitalist society of ours thinks the wind is blowing the other way

The orc from Return of the King saying “The age of men is over. Now the Jingle Hop has begun.” He is wearing a Santa hat