Futtocks

Philip Roth - Portnoy's Complaint. Relentless and a bit samey throughout. A deluge of exclamation and question marks. And frenzied masturbation. Like a neurotic with a megaphone shouting at you while simultaneously prodding you in the chest with... let's not go into that. The kind of conceit-with-a-touch-of-self-loathing-and-edgy-misogyny that critics like, perhaps, rather than people who read for pleasure. I finished it, but I make a point of doing that, even Ishiguro's frustrating, numbing 'The Unconsoled'. Don't read that, by the way. I did it so you don't have to.

Dimly lit meals for one. Including this:

There are some very nice blended whiskies, but as it is sometimes difficult to find out which malts are in them, single malts are easier to decide on before buying.

I'm currently dipping into 'Footypedia' by Daniel Maier. It's a 'Meaning of Liff' for Football. Here's a few tasters: Beagrie (v.) - to feel one's anger dissipate in the time between phoning a Football phone-in and being put through. Solano (n.) - supporter who launches into song on the terraces, only for nobody to join in. Cantello (n.) - sympathetic supporter who belatedly accompanies the solano in order to temper his and everyone's embarrassment. Crangle (n.) - rsentment experienced by a club's second-oldest supporter, who never gets VIP treatment or press coverage. Buttle (v.) - to tell listeners that they can catch a game live on the radio when everyone knows full well it's live on TV, courtesy of another broadcaster. Bosbury (n.) - player regarded with suspicion by team-mates because he reads a broadsheet newspaper.

For anyone who listened to last week's or this week's Danny Baker show, here's some more info about Burt Todd and the crazy postage stamps of Bhutan. It includes links to MP3 recordings of the vinyl record stamps.

This isn't just a great record, but a great recording too.

There's a Spike Milligan documentary tonight on BBC4, followed by the first of two 30-minute 'Q' compilations.

Something for the air-drummers

They do polarise opinion a bit...

Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts. Repellently addictive, beautifully ugly, love it!

Steua Bucharest stripped of identity.

Just watched Elton John go base over apex (keeping it clean, eh?) in a touching tribute to John Kear when Hull FC won the Challenge Cup.

...or grab 'em permanently by other means.

Damn! How did I miss spotting this in the listings? Great book, and the BBC had a pretty decent shot at adapting it for the screen.

This is what the TT course looks like on a little bike...

King Carl is still in 'Sleb' - a proper star. I might actually watch the final, if it doesn't clash with the Track Cycling on the BBC.

Newcastle v Chelsea - Bob Dylan's hats (On Baker & Kelly's VSPO) predicted the result and the final score! Mourinho's lot never stood a chance...

You might want to try Benromach, then. It is a tiny Speyside distillery - I think only two people actually do the distilling. It is a very pale malt, so it looks extremely unprepossessing, but is very nice, light dram indeed. Here's some details: https://www.forwhiskeylovers.com/store/whiskey/benromach-traditional-single-malt-whisky-750ml

I love Caol Ila. Lagavulin, like Laphroaig, is a bit of an acquired taste.

There were a few bottles, but I don't know how much they had back in the stockroom. it was a big branch, which means they probably got a fair amount.

I just bought a bottle of the Armagnac, as well as a couple of Innis & Gunn specials I haven't seen before - Treacle Porter and Canadian Cherrywood.

Six puttonyos is unusual - most Tokajis usually go up to 5. Use it as a dessert wine, as it'll be too sweet to serve with savoury dishes. I must visit my nearest Aldi and check it out. We had friends in Hungary who used to send us all sorts of stuff, including Tokaji. They also sent us a Rubik's cube before it was launched in the West, along with some even more fiendish puzzles in the same vein. I have had Tokaji Essenzia once, quite recently. That was, despite being past is best due to not being stored properly for all the time since it was bought, something very special indeed.

Back from the butcher at Burnt Oak with a kilo of goat meat to marinade overnight, so it'll be Caribbean curry tomorrow.

I have the 4-disc compilation 'Citizen Steely Dan' playing on shuffle.