March 2012
3 posts
Jerry Lordan, A 50th Anniversary Tribute
50 years ago today, an instrumental named Wonderful Land by The Shadows began 8 weeks at No.1 in the UK charts. It was the biggest hit in the career of songwriter Jerry Lordan, an Old Boy of Finchley Catholic Grammar School.
Finchley has always had a strong musical tradition, and many talented artists have passed through its gates. However, none have had more impact on the world of modern music...
At half-time in last night’s Arsenal game, I was talking to a pal about the Budget and – in the context of explaining where I thought George Osborne had gone wrong – I described how the Budget process works. He suggested I write a blog about it, so here goes.
Starters and Scorecards
Bear with me while I explain some basics.
Anyone can come up with an idea for the Budget: members of the public...
A St Patrick's Day Playlist
I may be denied one of the usual pleasures of St Patrick’s Day due to my Lent booze ban, but nothing can detract from the other pleasure, a day indulging in Irish music: the thigh-slapping choruses and tear-jerking ballads alike; songs written decades and even centuries ago which sound as fresh and visceral as anything in today’s charts.
From the house where I was born and my childhood summers in...
