Andrew Doran

Looks like we picked the wrong week to fly to a popper-fuelled party at Everest Base Camp.

Grant-Lee Phillips at The Lower Third, London, 15 September 2025

Weeknotes #347 — Another detached retina: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/10/21/weeknotes-347-another-detached-retina/

Last night, thanks to a friend pointing out that there were three members of Britpop-era band Dodgy, the penny dropped and I finally got the triple meaning pun of Dodgy’s 1996 album title Free Peace Sweet. Superb work, guys from Dodgy. Is 29 years to ... https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/10/21/12613/

Weeknotes #346 — Hansen Sea-Cow: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/10/17/weeknotes-346-hansen-sea-cow/

It’s Album Club #176.

This song is a work of genius. Backing vocals as the lead and vice versa. Incredible.

Pre social media people used to make websites for Dougs to hang out with Dougs! Same for Shirlenes, Geoffreys, Susan Parkers... I dug up a bunch of them on the wayback machine (thread!!!)

“In July, just as it was disintegrating, the GLF pulled off a major coup with the first official Gay Pride march in the UK. The culmination of the group's ideal of an open and confident, indeed non-commercial, gay scene, it had been planned for a while. It began in London on Friday 23 June with a dance at Fulham Town Hall and culminated on International Gay Pride Day, Saturday 1 July, with a carnival parade from Trafalgar Square to Speakers' Corner, followed by a Gay Day in Hyde Park.” — from The Secret Public by Jon Savage

Weeknotes #345 — Bath full of bricks: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/10/09/weeknotes-345-bath-full-of-bricks/

Stopping to fix a puncture on Saturday morning’s ride. Sadly our rider suffered a slow flat on the other wheel shortly after and decided to head home.

Weeknotes #344 — Some jacket required: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/10/02/weeknotes-344-some-jacket-required/

Graffiti near the Moxy Hotel.

The cellar at Château Kirwan.

Various vintages in the cellar at Château Kirwan.

The cellar at Château Kirwan. Presumably some very intensive wine-based rituals take place here.

Weeknotes #343 — En Seine: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/09/27/weeknotes-343-en-seine/

Was musing yesterday on whether teams should go back to taking the knee before games during the World Cup this summer. I vote yes.

A bicycle pedal and crank, sitting abandoned on the pavement.

“During the week that followed, Andy Warhol had another breakthrough. On 23 November, he invited some friends over to dinner — including Muriel Latow, the owner of a small Manhattan art gallery — during the course of which he bemoaned the fact that his current work, in particular the cartoon paintings, was being trumped by his competitors Claes Oldenburg and Roy Lichtenstein. He begged his guests for ideas, offering $50 (around $430 in today's money) for the one that worked best. Latow wasn't terribly impressed with Warhol — she thought he was 'one of society's natural aliens' — but she came up with the goods once the cheque was offered. She told Warhol that he should paint 'something you see every day and something that everybody would recognize. Something like a can of Campbell's Soup? 'Oh that sounds fabulous,' Warhol replied, and rushed out the next day to the supermarket across the street to buy every single can of Campbell's in the store, an act that would launch him on his way to becoming the most famous artist in America.” — Jon Savage, The Secret Public

Weeknotes #342 — Out of breath: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/09/16/weeknotes-342-out-of-breath/

Society of Hopeful Technologists Sign-up to keep in touch with the discovery phase of the Society for Hopeful Technologists (working title).

Working on the next update of the Society of Hopeful Technologists newsletter today, which will be wending its way to inboxes soon. There are currently 564 subscribers ❤️. You can join them here buttondown.com/society-of-h...

Weeknotes #341 — Just the three of us: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/09/10/weeknotes-341-just-the-three-of-us/

Weeknotes #340 — Dusty songfield: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/09/03/weeknotes-340-dusty-songfield/

Javelina Stadium at Texas A&M University–Kingsville. Photo: Katie Doran

Inaccessible‽

The latest Javelina

Found myself up a ladder in our beech tree. It’s not often I look at it like this. I hadn’t spotted the bird’s nest before.

Weeknotes #339 — Lone Star: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/08/27/weeknotes-339-lone-star/

Hosting our online WB-40 Album Club. Snowpoet’s Thought You Knew was a big driver for me to invest in a turntable as I wanted to immerse myself in the music.

I was thrilled to discover that Deco Audio have moved from Aylesbury to Tring. Getting there from Berkhamsted is now half the journey it used to be. A friend and I popped in on Saturday for a chat about CD players and to scour their second hand music.... https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/08/25/12422/

Finished Reading Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company by Patrick McGee. I picked this up after hearing Ben Thompson’s interview with the author on Stratechery. It’s a fascinating insight of how Apple’s focus on helping t... https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/08/25/12411/

Weeknotes #338 — Unplug the jukebox: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/08/24/weeknotes-338-unplug-the-jukebox/

It’s Album Club #174.

A funky mural in a random side street in Lisbon, Portugal.

Weeknotes #337 — Macroscope: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/08/19/weeknotes-337-macroscope/

View from the rooftop bar at Hotel Chiado in Lisbon

Our orange and white Cooper Black-adorned chariot

Looking south down the busy, restaurant-filled Rua Augusta towards the Arch

The Rua Augusta Arch, the Praça do Comércio and the statue of King José I, by Machado de Castro

Lisbon: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/08/18/lisbon/

It’s Album Club #173.



Someone bought me a Look In Television Annual for Christmas 1982, around the time I turned six. I spent ages flipping through the pages over the next couple of years, staring at the pictures and reading about pop stars like ... https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/08/15/12344/

I’m not sure what ‘prebiotic’ means relative to ‘probiotic’, but this was pretty tasty.

It took a lot of willpower to resist these GIGANTIC scones at Truffles cafe. They smelt incredible, but probably contained an adult’s recommended calorific intake for a fortnight.

Weeknotes #336 — Sleepy bones: https://andrewdoran.uk/blog/2025/08/06/weeknotes-336-sleepy-bones/

#LEL25 is truncated due to weather: riders to start heading southbound from Tue morning #LEL2025

#LEL2025 cancelled.☹️

Just crossed the Humber Bridge to Hessle. There is some serious #TypeTwoFun being had here tonight.

#LEL2025

Best of luck. Hope you have a great ride.

Volunteer badges at one of the many controls for London Edinburgh London

Hundreds of volunteers supporting over two thousand two hundred cyclists attempting to ride from London to Edinburgh and back. About a thousand miles in five days. The clock doesn't stop. Audax. #LEL2025