- Jan 28
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: A CONSCIOUS DECISION
“They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.” With his admirable record of political activism, it was probably no surprise that Neil Young took a principled stance in asking Spotify to remove his music from the platform. This was in protest against the site’s bankrolling of The Joe Rogan Experience, a show that has pointedly spread Covid and vaccine misinformation. Weirdly I could still find a bunch of Young’s tracks and two live albums on Spotify this morning. Perhaps that is no
- Jan 24
GLASTONBURY 2022 EMERGING TALENT COMPETITION ANNOUNCED
Glastonbury Festival has revealed that its 2022 Emerging Talent Competition, once more with the generous backing of PRS for Music and PRS Foundation will be open from Monday 31 January. The free to enter competition offers new UK and Ireland-based acts of any musical genre the opportunity to compete for a spot on one of the main stages at this summer’s Festival. The eventual winner will also collect a £5,000 Talent Development prize from PRS Foundation to aid development of t
- Jan 21
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: EN ROUTE TO PARADISE
“And if life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car” is a line from Meat Loaf’s grandiloquently titled “Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are”; a favourite of mine from his theatrically charged repertoire. The sudden, sad departure from the rock 'n roll life of the iconic singer and actor, aged 74, was announced overnight by his family who were by his side at the end. Let us hope the great man is en route on the freeway to paradise, no longer
- Jan 14
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: 2022 AND ALL THAT
So, 2022 two weeks in. Will anything ever change? People seem as divided as ever and opinions become entrenched arguably before they even have the right to become opinions. Whether it’s outrage about Downing Street parties, scarcely credible claims of justification for them or the ridiculous charade being played out down under around ‘Novax’ Djokovic, it is so easy to come to an instant social media-fuelled judgement on just about anything. A sense of proportion disappears ou
- Jan 7
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
So, the decorations came down on Wednesday and it’s all over for another year. Time will tell whether we all caught Omicron and whether Boots will ever get another delivery of lateral flow tests. Or quite how much all this disposable pandemic-related stuff is adding to global warming. Despite all this paper and card we seem to be recycling, we are currently struggling to purchase a box of facial tissues. What could be next I wonder? Panic foraging? Back to the script [There’s
- Jan 1
FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: BYE, BYE 2021
Merlin is of course less troubled by the passing of another year than we humans. He doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene. He's got a daytime job*; he's doing alright - two points if you got the lyric reference there. However, for many of us I guess it won’t be too difficult to say goodbye to 2021, a number that once seemed to have a nice futuristic ring to it which turned out to be a rather hollow, dystopian one. * aka sleeping But let’s not go there and instead focus on