People like you make me proud to be British.

You are truly the best of us.

Even more hilarious (and eternal) is Morrissey not understanding that the statement "a death for no reason is murder" simply isn't true: it's just an unexplained death.

Does it have a musky smell?

Pavements like Wowee Zowee: endearing, if sprawling with so/too many ideas. "Range Life" worked better than "Slanted! Enchanted!" (though the stage version of 'Spit On A Stranger' had me in floods); loved the vocal coach (and the photo of SM's mouth!); and the exhibition MUST come to the UK!

I'm glad it's not a straight retelling of the Pavement story, and I'm very glad that it's purposefully inventive and multidimensional. Just hope it does them justice.

I'm SO looking forward to Friday when it drops on Mubi. The Guardian review was very sniffy and I'm dreading that they might be right.

I have a feeling I might dream tonight of Matthew Corbett taking Sooty, Sweep and Sue to the hardware store.

Matthew: Sooty, what would you like to buy?

(Sooty whispers in his ear)

Matthew: (pause, looks at camera with bewildered expression) Forty million daggers?

Sooty might have something to say about this.

If he could speak, that is.

Happy 59th to the great man: may all your birthday wishes be both slanted AND enchanted!

Please keep podcasting on tech in some form: you're very good at it!

One of those albums where every single track is a banger.

A truly perfect album.

And two cracking b-sides (Barbecutie & Lost And Found) for the 2 singles.

Madness were listening very intently to track 3, weren't they?

Once dreamt I interviewed Stephen Malkmus whilst on bucking broncos at a rodeo in Middlesbrough (!). Going great til he said Wowee Zowee's working title was "Fuck Off Smoggies": locals booed and lobbed barrage of parmos that sent me bleeding and concussed to A&E. No cheese consumed, though.

#5albums80sfinal

1: REM, Murmur
2: MY BLOODY VALENTINE, Isn't Anything
3: THE SMITHS, The Queen Is Dead
4: COCTEAU TWINS, Treasure
5: MINUTEMEN, Double Nickels On The Dime

Pavement.

That is all.

Sheela-na-gig by PJ Harvey

"Ten Little Girls", the lead track from the Frozen EP by Curve.

"Blues For Ceausescu" by The Fatima Mansions.