Er, Gosford Park?

Nigel Balchin for A Way Through the Wood.

Is that because they're still hungover?

I had been wondering recently whether Len Deighton was still alive and now I have my answer. RIP. Having enjoyed Bomber and, especially, SS-GB in recent times, what should I read next. Funeral in Berlin perhaps?

If a British film of the 1940s or 1950s doesn't feature either Sam Kydd or Victor Maddern (and preferably both) then it's not a proper British film!

And script written by top thriller writer Eric Ambler. Wish I could watch it again but don't have tptv.

Reading SS-GB at the moment and it's highly enjoyable.

In my experience, it is always people with the worst taste in music who play it in public at the loudest volume. Don't think I've ever heard anyone blasting out music in public that I would care to listen to myself.

A great pity the bill didn't include both Wolfhounds and McCarthy, given the strength of the two albums they would have been promoting at that time.

Not at all. Thanks for telling me.

We got on very well while I was editing his book and afterwards he gave me a lovely testimonial for my editing services. What a shame.

Oh, no, is he no more? I edited a book of his about Bromley. Very good it was too.

I've heard of it but never read it. Conquest was a distinguished academic and close friend of Amis. They shared a taste in rather dodgy verse; examples can be found in Amis's autobiography.

I do however own a very low quality bootleg VHS of the band playing a gig in Paris in I think 1987 in which they played mostly I Am a Wallet material plus Frans Hals, etc. Malcolm Eden had a nice line in sardonic audience banter. Sample: "Something technical's happened: Gary's shoe's fallen apart."

And this.

Scant reward for all the help he gave you with the McCarthy chapter of your C86 book!

One of the great regrets of my life is that I never saw either McCarthy or Wolfhounds live between 1986 and 1990. Don't think they ever played in 'my manor'.

Ach - as an editor, of course I should have written 're-formed' not 'reformed' but I have been ill and that's my excuse.

Please not Malcolm! Weirdly, I have several dreams a year in which McCarthy have reformed and are playing live. I'm in the audience but everyone else is totally indifferent to them. Sad.

Just as I expected: absolutely no reaction whatsoever. Doesn't anyone on Bluesky like films?

Here's another of my periodic film reviews that no one ever sees! This time it's Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, which I saw yesterday at Curzon Oxford. Although it uses a sledgehammer to crack a series of similarly shaped nuts, it's hugely entertaining and I couldn't help liking it. Bit too long.

Middle-class competitor to cheesy peas?

And mine!

As covered by REM on Life's Rich Pageant?

It is indeed. We go as much as we can.

Good luck with it. We saw you in Chipping Norton last year and it was a very enjoyable evening.

"If I Were a Bullet Then For Sure I'd Find a Way to Your Heart" by 1000 Violins

Thanks for this. A very interesting piece and you've reminded me that as I've read Hooky's books I ought to balance up the ledger and read Barney's as well!

I agree. It's a great film and a huge improvement on Glass Onion.

David: to help people find your article, note that WH Smith is now known as TG Jones, with the exception of branches at airports, hospitals and railway stations.