The Glass Walking-Stick
Over at the wonderful Diversions Of The Groovy Kind, Ol' Groove is currently showcasing some of John Romita's iconic 1970's Marvel covers. Inspired by that pulsatin' post I decided to raid Marvel.com for a more recent example of the Jazzy One's artwork. He's still got it!
Last night Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band rocked London's Hyde Park at Hard Rock Calling 2009. They opened with London Calling ( what else? ), Bruce's tribute to the late Joe Strummer and The Clash. What a way to start a gig! From then on it was a great mixture of classics, recent songs and the now-familiar "sign collection" where Bruce picks out homemade signs from the audience, requesting songs. ( Unfortunately he decided against playing Incident On 57th Street, one of my faves I've never seen performed live. Can't win 'em all. ) The band were on fine form, playing up a storm, especially Roy Bittan and Nils Lofgren. Bruce was clearly there to party, obviously buoyed-up by the brilliant Glastonbury show the night before. He clowned around with Stevie, handed the mic to a young kid in the crowd to sing a chorus of Waitin' On A Sunny Day, and generally ran up and down the stage like a man half his age. At one point, after jogging along the camera-pit, he fell up the steps back to the stage and joked "I need a frikkin' elevator! I'm pushin' 60!"
Lady GaGa at Glastonbury yesterday giving a performance that managed to be sexy, hilarious, fun and ridiculous at the same time. Makes a change from the usual senstitive indie boys whining about their girlfriends. Neil Young headlined the Pyramid Stage last night: hopefully not on a revolving pedestal and showing off his arse...
Just as I was putting the PC to bed Sarah came and told me that yet another pop-culture icon had died. Michael Jackson passed away from a heart-attack, aged 50. Bloody Hell, what a day! ( As well as Farrah Fawcett, the relatively obscure but - for me - influential music journalist and poet Steven Wells died yesterday from Lymphoma. )
The actress and 1970's sex-symbol Farrah Fawcett died today, aged 62. She had been battling with cancer for a few years and sadly passed away with her long-term companion, Ryan O'Neal, by her side. 
...signifying nothing.
Sarah and Sophie completed the 5km Race For Life today at Hartpury College, Glos., in aid of Cancer Research. Congratulations and here's to 10km next time!
Watched the first episode of Psychoville last night. As you'd expect from League Of Gentlemen members Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton it's dark, unsettling and funny in a did-I-just-laugh-at-that? kind of way. No idea where it's going or how all the characters' stories tie up, but I'll stick around the 'Ville to find out how it develops. Can't say the same for Krod Mandoon And The Flaming Sword Of Fire...
No, honestly, I did see a mouse. It was right over there...See, you've missed it again.
It's a familiar theme from many science fiction novels and movies: a race of primitives living amongst the misunderstood technology of a previous, more advanced society. But what if it was true? What if great advances in science had been made but then thrown away, leaving us in ignorance? Glancing through the small ads in some 1970's SF mags I came to realise that a Golden Age of knowledge had been forgotten: 
Very sad to hear about the death of David Carradine, star of Kung Fu, Death Race 2000 and Kill Bill. Even more sad to hear the lurid speculation in the media about the manner of his death. I'm sure his family and friends don't need that at this time. Anyway, here's a pic of Carradine from Kill Bill, when Quentin Tarantino had temporarily rescued him from DTV Hell and given him one of the meatiest roles of his career as the ice-cold killer Bill.
