Jesus wept

Asked Aretha Franklin which wildlife charities she supports. She said RSPB ETC.

Have a good weekend folks

An entire nation screaming at Elis to ask something, ANYTHING, about his parents. 🤦🏻‍♂️ Classy little dude you’ve got there though, congrats!

I have heard this too, possibly from the same source as you

ITV has announced 70 Up, the documentary following contributors every seven years, is to come to an end.

The director Michael Apted died in 2021. The Up film series has aired since 1964. Final episodes this year.

Riverman Records frontage at 153 Walton Street

Walton Street’s much-loved second-hand vinyl store, Riverman Records, could be at risk. A planning application seeks to convert the shop into a one-bedroom flat, claiming ”removal of the discordant commercial frontage… [would] restore a traditional architectural rhythm to Walton Street”.

you shouldn’t learn about bands from shady TikTok manipulation, you should learn about bands by hanging out with a girl you like but are also extremely afraid of

Get more from Pete Paphides on Patreon A place to talk about what we love about the music we love

THREAD: I’ve been posting pretty much daily on my Patreon site. All of my posts this year have been free to access, so all you need to spend is your precious time. Here are some recent things you might have missed. (thread) patreon.com/NeedleMythol...

If only the Asterix or Tintin translators had done Foucault as well

The Cure’s Robert Smith and My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields at Teenage Cancer Trust 2026

friday I’m in loveless 🐐🐐

[📷: Charlotte Courbe]

Wait how did I not know about this and how can I sign up?

It’s. So. Good.

group of young people sitting on stone steps, focused on their smartphones. Below the image, text reads: "March 2026. Understanding young news audiences at a time of rapid change. A new report by Craig T. Robertson, Amy Ross Arguedas, Mitali Mukherjee and Richard Fletcher."

Today we published a report on younger news audiences. Authored by Craig T. Robertson, @amyrossarguedas.bsky.social @mitalilive.bsky.social and @richardfletcher.bsky.social, it's based on DNR and other surveys

Full report
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/understandin...
Seven findings in thread

I would also recommend The Lost City of Z by David Grann or (for historical fiction) Golden Hill by Francis Spufford.

Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc | Waterstones Buy Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.

Random Family is a masterpiece of narrative non-fiction about the 80s/90s crack epidemic in America, but maybe that’s not quite what you’re talking about? It feels like you’re reading a Great American Novel, but is all based on incredibly in-depth interviews.
www.waterstones.com/book/random-...

100% this! Don't tell what I like based on what I already like. Not even *I* know what I like!

lol at the alt text

If you’ve got any left over, do pop over to South Oxfordshire, please and thank you (excellent VT by the way!)

In the words of Alexandra Burke, you don’t really care for music, do you?

Let's talk about the Aylesbury tunnels.

Luvh that guy

Is this like Spotify Wrapped? What’s your FT Age?

Paul is dead

"Years and years ago, there was a production of The Tempest, out of doors, at an Oxford college on a lawn, which was the stage, and the lawn went back towards the lake in the grounds of the college, and the play began in natural light. But as it developed, and as it became time for Ariel to say his farewell to the world of The Tempest, the evening had started to close in and there was some artificial lighting coming on. And as Ariel uttered his last speech, he turned and he ran across the grass, and he got to the edge of the lake and he just kept running across the top of the water — the producer having thoughtfully provided a kind of walkway an inch beneath the water. And you could see and you could hear the plish, plash as he ran away from you across the top of the lake, until the gloom enveloped him and he disappeared from your view. And as he did so, from the further shore, a firework rocket was ignited, and it went whoosh into the air, and high up there it burst into lots of sparks, and all the sparks went out, and he had gone. "When you look up the stage directions, it says, 'Exit Ariel.”

Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.

Comic. Panels up to the 10-year point are grayed out. New panels since the Ten Years comic, which chronicles the first ten years of PERSON 1's journey with cancer: (1) [two people in bed] PERSON 1 (woman): One more chapter? PERSON 2 (man): Don’t we both have to get up early? PERSON 1: Nnnnnggggh PERSON 2: Sure, good point. (2) [many people wearing masks, walking while looking at graphs on their phones] (3) [birds landing on people] PERSON 2 in beanie and scarf: Hah! They like *my* seeds best. PERSON 1 in scarf holding phone with a bird sitting on it: Wait, how do I take a picture of this one? (4) [two people rowing boats with tree landscape] (5) [Person 1 carries overflowing stack of things to Person 2 in bed] PERSON 1: I brought you honey lemon tea, more pillows, a cinnamon roll, Tylenol, another blanket, a– PERSON 2: It was just Appendicitis, I’m really– PERSON 1: *It is my turn to take care of you and I am going to do it right!* (6) [Two people in car] (7) [still in car) PERSON 1: Oh my god. PERSON 2: Oh my god. (8) [car driving] PERSON 1: Pull over! PERSON 2: I am! (9) [both people get out of car] (10) [Large colored panel of aurora borealis over water with both people looking on] (11) [Person 1 sits against tree while Person 2 lies on the ground] PERSON 1: Fifteen years. No sign of the cancer. (12) I *am* having some weird symptoms. Joint pain. Fatigue. I think I’m losing my close-up vision. PERSON 2: Yeah. Me too. (13) PERSON 2: I think we’re getting old. (14) PERSON 1: I guess that’s okay. PERSON 2: It’s all I wanted.

Fifteen Years

xkcd.com/3172/

Mani of The Stone Roses

R.I.P. Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, bassist of #TheStoneRoses and #PrimalScream

buff.ly/qN3AvUA

“That barometer stopped at his exact time of death, so it can’t have been the Rear Admiral” etc

Sorry but I have now copyrighted the cosiest IP of them all: a weatherman solving crimes, using shipping forecast names for the book titles. Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll cut you in.

#bbcglobaleye really is a fantastic advert for BBC News worldwide, every Monday at 7pm.