@23daves.bsky.social
"I don't mean half the things I say/ So just ignore the half that you don't like" All views expressed are personal, not those of my employer. Writer of "Everybody's Number 1 to Someone", about NME Indie Chart toppers: https://indienumber1s.blogspot.com
Anyway, I've reported it and I'll let you know whether it's taken down following Mr Zuckerberg's notoriously vigilant processes (sarcasm).
I've just seen a social media advert for an AI app featuring a woman and a young girl (in a school uniform) kissing, encouraging potential users to "create whatever they want".
Typical Twitter, I hear you say?
Nope. Instagram.
Edwyn Collins parodied those kinds of NME hype bands brilliantly with the spoof band Expo 70 (and here they are with "HOLIDAY AT WHITE TRASH ROCK").
youtu.be/7-bdgiklvMQ?...
Fair play this is an extremely funny stitch-up. If you want to understand British indie music when I was a teenager just know that people like this turned up on a six monthly basis
Midway Still were constantly being pushed our way and I could never work out why. I think a big factor was them being a British band who sounded very American, who happened to be around at a time when nothing British was selling. Sadly though, nobody bought any Midway Still records either.
I mean, if I genuinely were a round-the-world yacht racer who was a bit lost on the ocean waves, my first thought would be "the radio signal is back! Quick, let's try to establish my position!" rather than "Hang on, what's this record? This band are amazing!"
And that's me!
I remember hearing a news story that one of Fabulous's biggest fans was a round-the-world yacht racer who lost radio signal for a worrying amount of time while lost, then when the signal came back, heard them on the air. He then became their biggest fan. It sounded a bit contrived.
idk if he counts as a celebrity but Douglas Carswell blocked me for repeatedly retweeting his invite to play Hello Kitty World with him
You would honestly have thought he'd be grateful for the extra players.
![MAN STOLE TERRY THOMAS'S £2,000 HOLDER – POLICE
THE £2,000 cigarette holder belonging to Terry-Thomas, the comedian, was mentioned at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today when two men were remanded on bail until March 21. James J. Tarbuck (20), comedian, of Queen’s Drive, Liverpool, was accused of stealing a diamond studded cigarette holder, worth £2,000, belonging to Thomas Terry Hoare Stephens (Terry Thomas), on February 27, and Alan Williams (28), unemployed salesman, of Stockville Road, Liverpool, was accused of receiving two diamonds, total value £40, on March 11. Mr. J. W. Bonner, prosecuting, said Terry-Thomas was appearing in midnight variety performance at the Odeon Cinema, London Road, Liverpool. [subheading] Left in room. At 1.15 a.m. he went on the stage, leaving his cigarette holder in his dressing room. When he returned at 3.20 a.m. it was missing. Williams was seen yesterday by detectives Exley and Hammond in Whitechapel, Liverpool. Told that it was vas believed he had some diamonds, he was said to have replied: "I've only got two." It was alleged that he brought out from his pocket a jewel box containing two diamonds and said: "A man asked me to sell them for him." [subheading] ‘It was me’ Later the same day, Tarbuck was questioned by the detectives about stolen diamonds. He was alleged to have replied: "You seem to know all about it. It was me who took Terry-Thomas's cigarette holder." The detectives went with Tarbuck to his home, and there, the court was told, found hidden in a rolled-up carpet in the hall, were 40 diamonds and pieces of gold setting.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vckf3haopb3yncclmf7o2m3f/bafkreiddbmakqqoxwb7aafviorua3htkagpiqhrmqdfz3feeuym7hq7i24)
In showbiz news today, it’s the 66th anniversary of gap-toothed comedian Jimmy Tarbuck robbing gap-toothed comedian Terry-Thomas backstage at a theatre in Liverpool. He nicked a “custom-made cigarette holder ... decorated with 42 diamonds and a gold spiral band. It was insured for £2000” 🧵
I've been blocked by influencer gobshites and political grifters in my time for being weary of their racket.
But I don't think I've ever (knowingly) been blocked by a celeb. Michael Winner told me off once for even slightly giving Anthony Worrall-Thompson any benefit of doubt, which is fair enough.
Almost certainly Galloway as well! I've heard him say things like this before. He's right in this instance, of course (as anyone can occasionally be).
A local Blue Labour councillor made a snide comment about the fact that some protestors involved with occupying a library had bottles of wine with them. I said it was very revealing that he thought that supermarket wine wasn't fit for the proles and what did he think w/c people should have instead?
Blog update: And it's farewell to 1986 NME Indie Chart, so we unveil our new playlist of all the chart entries for 1987 (that were available at the time of writing) and a final reminder of all that's gone before.
Kick out the Jams.
indienumber1s.blogspot.com/2026/03/fare...
It's a constant source of shame to me that Galloway retweeted me on Twitter once. My wife sighed and gave me a funny look when she found out.
Here's a playlist of the NME's best singles of 1991. It's mixed bag of bangers and clangers, but that's why they invented the ⏩ button
🎧▶️ open.spotify.com/playlist/0Yh...
Blog update: And it's farewell to 1986 NME Indie Chart, so we unveil our new playlist of all the chart entries for 1987 (that were available at the time of writing) and a final reminder of all that's gone before.
Kick out the Jams.
indienumber1s.blogspot.com/2026/03/fare...
So glad this one popped up on random play last week. I'd forgotten how great it was - possibly the most furious and demented song to ever quote Lenny Henry's chef character.
youtu.be/LFNPOHWDzUk?...
Oddly enough, my dog woke me up howling in her sleep last night, but in my dream it was a siren.
It's, alas, telling how often the flip from "relatively normie political operator" to "guy spouting lines out of Mein Kampf" runs through "accusations of sex crimes"
It's always the way. Impossible situations dominate at the moment.
The Chart Show Rewired should be getting a lot more views than it is
youtube.com/@thechartsho...
An absolute ton of effort is going into that channel, and its barely hitting three figures for viewings.
Fascinating in that whoever is running it doesn't always make obvious choices, either - some of the 1984 shows dig deep to find records I'd almost entirely forgotten about.
Final episode of #SmallProphets. Blimey, I know you all warned me about his neighbour's kitchen, but I wasn't prepared for something so grey, sparkling yet spartan. Clearly a keen observer of the Big Dog "no shit on the counters" rule (Curb Your Enthusiasm reference).
Said this before, but Arthur Askey's first TV appearance was on Baird's experimental transmissions and his last was on Channel Four
One for us lot from Viz.
An absolute pearl.
A reminder that Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch and the entire Conservative-supporting press have spent the past week lambasting Keir Starmer for not joining the Iran war.
Here's what has happened since then to public opinion
(I'm always tempted to imagine how respected REM would have been if they'd just stopped after "Monster", but again... they probably would have been eclipsed by Nirvana anyway. They just don't "define an era" in quite the same way).
There's always the idea that if the band had stopped after album four, they'd be as highly regarded as The Beatles/ Velvet Underground/ whoever, but it's totally impossible to quantify. Their continued presence may actually be the only thing that's keeping the flame alive.