One year, when I was 11 or 12, the Easter Bunny brought me some plastic model kits. Chocolate's his main gig, obviously, but I think he's got all sorts of stuff on the van.

Good Friday just got gooder.

Yeah, I thought it was pretty cool. Their postboxes have been blue since 1980, apparently.

Scarred For Life Home of the Scarred For Life podcast, a weekly deep dive into the dark, dystopian pop culture hosted by Andy Bush and Dave Lawrence.

Oh my; I've just discovered that the Scarred For Life podcast is now available in video flavour, via YouTube.

Careful now - that could have your eye out.

A blue postbox on Alderney, with a stone wall behind it and a litter bin to the right.

Many years ago I visited Alderney and discovered that their postboxes are blue. I didn't clock it at the time but the one I photographed is Victorian - and is apparently the only VR box on the island. They also have yellow phone boxes. (Unexciting bins, though, you'll note.)

Advert for a live tour: 'Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein performing the music of Stranger Things, with light design by MFO'. The dates run: April 25 Prague, CZ – Prague Composers Summit June 10 Brussels, BE – Ancienne Belgique 15 Berlin, DE – Theater des Westens 17 Belfast, UK – Waterfront Hall 19 Birmingham, UK – Symphony Hall 21 London, UK – Roundhouse 26 Fiastra (MC), IT – Fiastrapalooza

Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein at the Roundhouse? Don't mind if I do.

An introduction to Vox Populi, the new album by Deadlight Dance YouTube video by Deadlight Dance

This Friday @deadlight-dance.bsky.social release their third, and rather splendid, album Vox Populi. I created the record's artwork, from a photo session we did in January, plus this six-minute EPK. Take a look: there's darkness, hope, humour, and snippets of 10 cracking songs. #goth #darkwave

Bizarrely, I got this on my first guess - the second time it’s happened. The first time it was ‘polyp’ (a reckless first guess, given that it repeats a letter - not sure why I did that). I love the way that coincidence makes magic feel real.

Thank you - a fine start to the week! I've nabbed fnqa-6dnq.

Ah, excellent! It's certainly hitting the spot for me, and reviews generally have been very positive (it came out a couple of weeks ago in Europe, and word of mouth had built my anticipation). I was actually at this Barbican show, which is always a bonus with live albums. The perfect souvenir!

50 Years Of Phaedra - At The Barbican by Tangerine Dream, on CD, standing on top of a CD player. A high-contrast, red/yellow glow from a lamp creeps over the top of the sleeve, casting a shadow on the surface below.

Here's my attempt to give the new Tangerine Dream album a celebratory entrance. Disc one has since crawled in what remains of my tinnitus-ravaged ears and worked its way into my cerebral region (aka 'the noggin'). Feels good.

Ah, excellent - glad you're sorted. Happy listening!

('Scuse the typo: an extra 5 snuck in)

A lightning-to-3.5mm adapter cable for earphones, plus some cabled earphones sneaking up on it across a wooden table.

Does it still have a charging port? If so, you should be able to get an adapter for not too much money. Here's my lightning-to-3.55mm one.

Cabled earphones make me feel 100 years old when I'm out and about, but I kinda like that. I'm sure I'd lose wireless ones quite quickly to a passing drain.

Yep! A quiet sense of dread throughout. And I love the fact that it always makes me feel like I too have seen something inexplicable, as its effects remain, to me at least, unnerving.

Wooden sculptures of two horses made to look like they're partially submerged in the ground, with only their heads and hind quarters visible. In the background are some swings. In the far distance is a tall office building.

Stumbled across this scene in a Westminster park. Had a flashback to that bit in The NeverEnding Story.

Done - good luck. You have a 7% lead at the moment, with 31% of the vote.

Two men dressed in black standing by a stone wall, with a guitar case between them. Text running the length of the case reads: 'Wiltshire Gothic'. In the field in front of the men is a pair of legs belonging to me. I'm wearing black jeans that have some mud on the rear-left pocket.

Here's my soggy bottom (I'd just clambered over a stone wall) photographing gothic duo @deadlight-dance.bsky.social in Bowden Hill yesterday. I railed it over to Wiltshire to snap the chaps in various locations, and indeed poses. Look/listen out for their new album, Vox Populi - coming soon.

The mouth is perfect. Looks like he's 'catching flies', as my mum would say.

Ah, man - you have my sympathies. I've had this happen a couple of times when using eardrops/oil. The wax moves, causing chaos. Best of luck with it.

In my younger days, I had a similar pic (probably a few frames away from this one) on a T-shirt. The image was, I thought, incredibly rock 'n' roll. It spoke to me.

Thirty years on, it still speaks to me, because I see a knackered fellow having an afternoon nap.

I think I'm going to have to take a look at this. It keeps popping up in my Amazon recommendations.

I was among the 300+ people who completed a questionnaire for this project, in late 2020. Great to see Pete's research coming to fruition.

I love the blurb on the clickthrough that describes '80s kids as "the first children of the video generation". Man, we were pioneers! #ScarredForLife

Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 | Official Announcement | Netflix YouTube video by Netflix

Just in case you missed the announcement: an animated series, set between seasons two and three, is coming later this year...

Pretty sure I saw this as a kid. I recall a family holiday that, at one point, had us venturing into a shockingly gory chamber of horrors, which we couldn't quite believe was allowed to exist. "Bit much" wasn't the half of it.

Nice video. Anxiety is a subject close to my heart. It's always good to see people opening up about it, and I'm glad that you've found ways through it. All the best to you.

Yeah, I too noticed this. A shame, as he seemed like a nice guy. I recall him saying, when the age-verification stuff came in, that he might use it as a catalyst to coming off here. I was glad that he stuck around but, who knows, perhaps the new year got him thinking about it again. I wish him well.

Of all the things I dislike about A.I., it's the distrustfulness I now have, about so much, that really gets under my skin.

Yeah, TV screenings were a big part of my childhood - I never knowingly missed a monster movie. There’s something magical about this era of fantasy films.

I saw this on what must have been its original cinema release. Gotta be one of the first films I ever saw at the pictures.