rib-tickling and puntastic trawl through Maconie's intimate love affair with the glories & horrors of pop music - perhaps a little too gag-heavy but for Men Of A Certain Age, a very familiar journey....

Fun read, written in Maconie's inimitable style.

Passing to TheGreenMan.

thanks. I have read and enjoyed Maconie's 'Pies & Prejudice' - so am looking forward to reading more by him...

[DIFFERENT COVER]

Well, I read this a little while ago now - but have only now got around to journalling it.

It's certainly every bit as good as (possibly even better than?) the other things of Maconie's that I've read (which now also includes 'The People's Songs' - as well as the aforementioned 'Pies and Prejudice'). I enjoyed how it charted his changing musical enthusiasms over the years - and the various adventures and opportunities that they opened up. I can't say I was a NME fan at all in the 80s and 90s (more of a Melody Maker man myself) - and I particularly loathed the kind of throwaway jokey nonsense that he (and others) churned out back then - but it was still very enjoyable to be revisit so many almost-forgotten musical memories from that glorious period in time [everyone's favourite year in music tends to usually be the year they turned 17 - it certainly is for me!], as well as all his reminiscences from earlier musical periods... and all the personal and socio-cultural history that he covers too, of course.

He is certainly a far better (and wittier) writer than his fellow Radio 6 DJ Mark Radcliffe - and I will definitely look out for a another copy of this for my personal shelves (with better cover art though!).

Highly recommended for any UK music fan of a certain vintage!

I'm planning to release it at this Tuesday evening's ('Music'-themed) BC Meetup here in York...

releasing, as promised...

This is one of two books I brought home from the BookCrossing bookshelves while enjoying a tasty lunch in this welcoming pub today! I chose it from the many on offer because I aim to read two or three nonfictions a month so am always on the look-out for suitable candidates and because I knew I'd previously enjoyed Pies and Prejudice and Adventures on the High Teas by this author. Unfortunately, what I didn't remember was that I'd also read Cider with Roadies back in November 2009! Hey ho! You can't win 'em all!

Left on the shelves in the porch with the other fundraising books. Please be prepared to donate 50 pence or more to their current charity: HELP, Harrogate Easier Living Project which provides support for older or vulnerable people and those with a disability to remain independent in their own homes.

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