Day 243. See my friends. (31/8/13)

Okay then, the blokes.

And I'm going for the blokes' side of things because I've just heard Kate Bush's 'Babooshka' in work (I'm starting this on my lunch, typing with my right thumb on my phone whilst crossing Speke Retail Park's relatively busy car park. This could be a truly stupid way to die)

Babooshka is Billy (now just Bill) Doyle. Billy had a thing for Kate, I mean, everybody had a thing for Kate but Billy really had a thing for her on this video in her scantily clad chain mail bikini, waving her sword around in a manner that could only be described as utterly filthy. So, just like Miley Cyrus and her twerking  you could argue. You could argue it but you'd be wrong.

Any AC/DC is Chris Silker, a conversation in a cheap Parisian hotel room on a sixth firm trip where I think we had to 'top to tail' in the one double bed that they'd provided for two 17 year old lads but I've tried to wipe that from my memory.

Another Brick in The Wall by Pink Floyd is Chris (again) and Stuart Derby, walking to Stu's house at lunchtime in 5th year as 'Another Brick..' had become the first number one of the 80s. We were 16, O levels were ahead of us.

Stu on his own is any Hall & Oates. He was into the duo before the rest of the world discovered them, Abandoned Luncheonette was his recommendation, I've still never listened to it. A bit of a soul boy, an Average White Band fan, ran completely against fashion. Stu didn't do 6th form, we lost touch, I bumped into him in the mid 80s. If only there were some way of making contact with your old friends, a social network of some kind....

Constructive Summer by The Hold Steady is Gary Brown and a night when I drove over to Leeds in a monsoon for a gig at the Irish Centre. Again, we lost touch a couple of years ago. So many gigs, such a good friend and we just got out of the habit of keeping in touch. Stupid thing to do.

(And I'm continuing 5 hours later, back at home)

Genesis. Mid period Genesis. Dance on a Volcano. A song I wouldn't recognise if you held me at gunpoint but the fact that it exists at all reminds me of Philip Knisz. Tried to convert us all to Genesis in third year. Didn't work. Went into photography, I think.

Brass neck by The Wedding Present. Stretch. Mark Stejskal. A night at the Heineken festival in Leeds before it grew and became the Leeds Festival that we know now. The Weddoes in a tent, I've never had so many bruises in a gig, either before or after. It was smart.

Ste Beb is 'It's a Mystery' by Toyah for that week and a half in 1981 when Toyah was actually credible. Again, it's Paris, Feb 91, the week that the first Space Shuttle took off, slightly delayed. The week that we really learned to drink, the week we really discovered hangovers. I don't even know if Ste Went on that trip.

Geoff is Bee Gees 'Spirits Having Flown' and Rick James' 'Superfreak' from the regular parties at his house. Those and Headquarters by The Monkees, specifically 'Early Morning Blues and Greens' because he was the only person that had that song.

Neil Diamond's 'I Am, I Said' is Mark Doran. It was him that really pushed me toward how great Mr Diamond was/is. He also argued for Abba's 'I Have A Dream' but I'm not having that.

And Mally - Mally is Town Called Malice. The baseline intro. A pub in Newquay. The Queens Arms I think. All of us on holiday and ridiculously young.

And that's your lot. A love letter to my mates across the years and through the songs.

Keep in touch with your friends.

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