Benjamin Judge

Ella Fitzgerald sings Gershwin. Paul Simon, Still crazy after all these years. Mari Trini, Amores. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Going Places.

Today’s plan: Have a think about how the summer is going to work and,weather permitting, clear some more brambles out the garden.

Today’s listening:

D’Angelo and the Vanguard, Black Messiah. Carl Gibson, Chapter Two. Van Morrison, Saint Dominic’s Preview. Sarah Vaughn, Sassy Swings the Tivoli.

Today’s plan: try to be reasonably productive but no pressure because it’s already too hot for that sort of thing.

Today’s listening…

A photo of me next to the statue Ansiktsløse Mann by Evald Møller Johansen. The statue is a faceless figure holding a hand puppet of a bird.

Look how much fun I had in Oslo last month.

I wondered about that. Sort of an insurance plan for if the box office isn’t what they’d hoped for.

Went to see the new Jurassic World. Again, the plot revolves the fact that the world got bored of dinosaurs. We never tire of fireworks, Andy Williams had a seventy four year career and we relaunch Tamagotchi twice a decade, but sure, lizards the size of buses, limited shelf life right there.

The Tymes, Tymes Up. Best of the Beach Boys. Keely Smith, Swingin’ Pretty. ΚΩΣΤΑΣ ΧΑΤΖΗΣ, Kostas Hatzis sings Kostas Hatzis.

Today’s plans: Try again at finishing a short story, plan a walk for next week, book some cinema tickets, tackle the monster brambles that have taken over half the garden.

Today’s listening:

Connie Francis, More Italian Favourites. Roy Orbison, Greatest Hits. Marlowe, Marlowe 2. Gracie Fields, ‘Gracie’.

Today’s plans: next draft of a new story, work out what to cook next week, start thinking about the six weeks holiday, watch an episode of Elsbeth.

Today’s listening:

Photo is of the front of an amusement arcade in Blackpool, but I have cropped the photo so only the semen bit of amusement is visible. Sorry. I bet you wish you hadn’t bothered reading this now. Again, sorry.

I went to Blackpool today and took this very grown up and mature photo.

And I just got a free coffee too.

Living it up in first class, on a twelve minute train journey, because it was 10p cheaper than a standard ticket. Comfy seats though, and everyone gets a table. Pretty fancy.

Just found this painting in a charity shop. Possibly the best three pounds I’ll ever spend.

That is the house we aren’t going to. Sorry.

About to watch a scary film double bill at the cinema so I decided to settle my nerves with this incredibly soothing artwork. I am currently very calm. Time to see some ghosts/werewolves.

I had some cavolo nero with my tea. I have singing cavolo nero to the tune of Could It Be Magic for about two hours now.

Unfortunately, that’s from the historical part of the display. Building Manchester Piccadilly changed what was the main route to Manchester. That was the end for breakfast saloons. The only thing you’ll find on the train now is middle-aged train nerds.

The real question is why isn’t everyone going to Denton?

Cat on the line.

Just about to treat myself to a six minute journey on Greater Manchester’s quietest rail service. Reddish South to Denton. One train each way a week. Only 54 passengers recorded on the line in 2023/24.

I made a reproduction of the ‘milkshake’ scene from There Will Be Blood out of LEGO.

Quite pleased with my new LEGO set.

Flecks of ice on the window of the shelter on the train station resemble a flock of insects in flight.

Nice pattern.

Billy Swan – I Can Help He’s called Billy Swan and there is a swan on the front cover. It says choo-choo choose you. How could I not buy this album for thirty pence or however much it cost me? A lot of you will be f…

In which I decide whether Billy Swan can, actually, help.

The Mussel Feast by Birgit Vanderbeke

My resolution to try to find more time to read going pretty well so far. Book five of 2025 finished.

I bought this last year in a charity shop that had some stunningly overpriced vinyl. I pretended the book was really rare as I bought it to wind up the manager. I’m not a good person.

My favourite bit of Nosferatu was when he travelled from Romania to Germany by boat.

The best crisps (and crisp adjacent products) I ate in 2024 I’m not saying crisps are better than Shakespeare but make two lists, one of Shakespeare plays and one of crisps, and tell me which is the longest. Sure, some of you will tell me that your Sh…

Forget every best-of-2024 list you have seen so far. This is the only one you need. This is the one that will make you reassess what you experienced last year and what you want to achieve in 2025. Presenting... my best crisps of 2024.

A book from 2024 that I thought was great Covid really did a number on my TBR pile. Faced with the prospect of loads of time stuck in the house, and the thought that lockdown would inevitably lead to several small publishers going under, I…

Here's the least useful books-of-2024-round-up you'll see today. One book, already out of print. You do need to track down a copy though, because it is all sorts of incredible.

Volume 11 of Saga by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

Book four of 2025. It will come as no surprise that I loved it.

Five TV shows from 2024 that probably didn’t get enough love Like everyone else in the world, I spent 2024 watching Shogun, Slow Horses, The Penguin, Agatha All Along, Doctor Who and the Olympics. They were all great, but I’m not sure I have anything t…

The only 2024 list you'll read that features Alan Carr's Picture Slam. Finally, you are getting the fearless independent journalism the invention of the internet promised you.

benjaminjudge.com/2025/01/02/f...

Malcolm X Talks to Young People, Five Preludes and a Fugue by Cheon Heerahn (translated by Emily Yae Won) and Cache-Cache by Sarah-Clare Conlon.

Too rainy to go out yesterday so I kicked off my 2025 reading with a bang. Three books* in one day! One about burning the system down, one about the consequences of tamping down emotions, and one about lockdown. All very good.

*two of the books were quite small and I'd already started the other one

Five great albums from 2024 that didn’t get enough love from, like, the media or whatever Here are five albums that I think you might like based on the fact that I like them. None of them found a place on the Guardian or Pitchfork top 50 albums of the year, or Rolling Stone’s top …

Hello. I've done a list of five albums I loved in 2024 that didn't feature on the big end-of-year round ups. A mix of styles and genres. Something for everyone. All absolute corkers. Maybe you'll find a new favourite?

You're very welcome. Happy New Year.

benjaminjudge.com/2025/01/01/f...

Five-ish charity shops I went to in 2024 that I very much recommend Oxfam Superstore Manchester ‘The Fort’ isn’t a massive walk out of Manchester town centre but it’s far enough that you wouldn’t get there by accident. It’s one o…

I've started my end-of-year lists. Here's my top five or so charity shops of 2024.

benjaminjudge.com/2024/12/31/f...