Something like James Bond or Dr Who... well, there's music that fits the core format, and you're giving a "way in" to a different audience. But if you're just doing an orchestral version of a 70s tribute band for over-50s who are already generously catered for in local and regional venues?
Problem is, I can't decide where the line is. The definition of "classical music" is notoriously slippery, so if we can't reliably define, maybe we shouldn't exclude either? But I always think "could that be scheduled elsewhere?" and in the case of many of these pop tribute Proms, yes, very much so.
Ah, that ICONIC British annual event... me writing, deleting, rewriting, reconsidering the right way to say "look, I'm not a stick-in-the-mud, I love innovation and welcome ways to introduce a more diverse audience to something I love, but [*tiny voice*] it IS a classical music festival...?
A harvest mouse, perched on top of a teasel seed head
Blimey, are you okay? You look like you need a 2026 Edition Emotional Support Harvest Mouse.
This morning I’ve seen Olly Robbins’s appearance before the select committee described as ‘box office’, while a commentator flagged up another key political moment with the words ‘bring the popcorn’.
That’s one of our main problems right there.
A harvest mouse, perched on top of a teasel seed head
Blimey, are you okay? You look like you need a 2026 Edition Emotional Support Harvest Mouse.
An AI-free OS for an AI-free product line with a written guarantee from Apple not to insert AI into users’ devices at a later date.
Video: ‘Homophobic’ 6-Week-Old Baby Cries After Gay Dad Tells Him ‘There Is No Mama’
Maybe we'll keep some InfoWars content up.
An exchange on the neighborhood WhatsApp made me laugh, though:
"They're throwing eggs and beer cans at the police"
"How vulgar"
This is Surrey, after all. If there's another riot, I'm off to lob John Lewis scented candles and truffle pesto at the coppers, show them how we do things round here.
🇬🇧 London set for historic team time trial as 2027 🇫🇷 Tour de France Femmes starts in Britain
Race organisers have confirmed that London will host the first team time trial ever staged at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2027.
📰 domestiquecycling.com/en/news/lond...
📸 Cor Vos
Great debunking of some nasty ragebait. Not at all surprised to see Rupert Lowe's appalling Restore Britain involved - I'm sure they've played a part in whipping up the Epsom situation.
Orange fluffy cat inside my car.
I have to go to work and this is not my cat.
Related to another concept that makes me shudder: the "dream holiday". I'd never be able to relax amid the anxiety over anything being less than 100%
University students are, by their nature, the most open minded people going. They WANT to learn, they WANT to be exposed to new ideas.
The "issue" is (in this context) is that they will also CHALLENGE those new ideas that they learn about.
And certain sections of society don't like that.
Lisa Nandy: In a rare moment of agreement, I agree with the hon. Gentleman that the gambling industry brings joy to a lot of people. He and I have discussed the harms that affect a minority of people. They are significant and important, but the industry as a whole brings positive benefits to the United Kingdom. I think he is underplaying the significant pressures on high street businesses that have existed over the last couple of decades—something that, frankly, his Government did absolutely nothing about over the 14 years that they were in government. We are dealing with those.
Yougov polling on perceptions of the gambling industry - 43% very unfavorable
Really worth stressing what a minority position "the gambling industry is good" is.
And when I say "similar"... in both cases:
1. Alleged rape by a group of men
2. In or near a churchyard
3. Migrants blamed very soon after
4. Police criticised both for lack of action and hiding the purported migrant/Muslim "suspects"
5. Police report lack of any evidence of any crime
Someone on our neighbourhood WhatsApp group found this scarily similar story.
(Feels awful to doubt a rape accusation, with such low conviction rates and everything so horribly stacked against the victim. But if this is a far-right scam, they're doing their usual job of making things even worse)
Still not clear what happened, and I really shouldn't speculate, but I can't help thinking of a worst-case scenario (other than the obvious one of a young woman being raped, which now seems in serious doubt): that the far right have manufactured the whole story to create unrest.
Sorry, only just seen that! Normally, Guildford's dead easy for me, but I think I'm going to be tied up too long with some work I rashly promised to finish for Tuesday 😯 Many thanks for the offer, though - can anyone else make use of it?
I'm not joking when I say mRNA technology is more important than "AI" and it's a tragedy we're throwing billions into one while our government is aggressively defunding the other.
A large wooden plant trough, but the bottom has dropped out and there's soil everywhere
The winter killed both of our big trough planters. I'd emptied the first and redistributed the soil, and was hoping the other would hold on a bit longer, but the bottom dropped out overnight. Still, we've had 10-12 years out of them. RIP babes, u wiv the angles now.
(I realise that's an incredibly fortunate position to be in. This weird season!)
That weird limbo position: unlikely that Cardiff will make up the 9-point gap and the deficit in goal difference in the last three games, but we're mathematically not quite champions yet...
It's the most wonderful time of the year once again!
IT is really important because without it Isaac Newton would just have discovered gravy.
During the 2010 World Cup, Dorothy Masuka's "Ghana" suddenly earwormed me after 20 years, and it took some determined googling to trace it to that album. Must admit, I've not always been complimentary about Andy, but his Sunday evening R1 show was a staple of my student and early adult days. #RIP
There was a young man from Montego Bay
Who heard it was International Haiku Day
He picked up a pen
Shit, I've got them mixed up again, haven't I?
Exactly one year ago today:
Ah, I was there too! Second performance, if memory serves. I've also seen their Beethoven 9 and Firebird in the "immersive" format, and been thoroughly amazed every time.
