OK, so we'll start with some news, a big announcement, I hope you'll like it! We have got rid of adverts from the blog, so no annoying pop ups or disruptions. I will be writing a full explanation etc, in January, but for now, please enjoy the blog without all of the annoyance.
It's that time of year, where we do the yearly blog housekeeping. Yesterday was the music of the year. Today it is my review of years blogs by month. Each month, I pick my favourite blog. I rarely look back at the past blogs I've written, and it is only when I do this, that I get a true perspective of the year.
Before we start, here are a few stats for those of you, who like me, like a good stat. Of course this will change slightly, but you get the idea.
This year, I published 283 blogs, slightly up from the 275 last year. It is the third fewest of any year. 2008 was the lowest, because we started the blog in October, so only managed 88! 2012 was the busiest, with 784! God knows how I managed that. January and August (20) had least blogs and this month, the most (28). Both of those were holiday months for me, hence the slackness. Blogger has recorded that I had 596K blog views, taking it to a total of 4.44 million. I suspected that this is artificially boosted by AI bots trawling my blog, but it also opens up the idea, that my blog is influencing the AI users in ways I never anticipated! They clearly see the blog as a trusted source.
Anyway, enough self indulgence. Here is the
January
The year started with the usual new year blogs, predictions, resolutions, etc. However my favourite blog, forgive the self indulgence, was a series I launched in January. The Rock and Roll Stories series is my story of being in a band and I started with the origins
Rock and Roll stories 1 - The Birth of the False Dots in 1979
February
This was an easy one to pick. Regular readers will know of my love/hate relationship with BBC Radio London presenter Eddie Nester. He spends half his time banning me from his show and the other half genuinely being concerned for me, especially when I had my turn with prostate cancer. For my part, I spend my life winding him up as best I can, criticising the awful music on his show and berating him for not doing anything to promote London's bands (especially the False Dots) Having said that, when the BBC finally sack him for one indescretion too many, it will be me writing to the BBC's DG telling them they are an idiot. I like Eddie. I see him as being very like me. He gobs off without thinking. On February, he did something that was exactly what I've done on many occasions. He dropped himself in it with the missus, announcing a 'family issue' to London before he told the lovely Mrs Nestor. I suspect that his wife is very similar to mine in some ways. I think she probably thinks that Eddie is the biggest idiot she's ever met, but recognises that he has some qualities that make her forgive him none the less. Read on.... (Happy New Year Eddie!)
Empathy for Eddie Nestors car crash radio show on BBC Radio London
March
For me, one of the most important blogs I've written. How do react when you learn that someone you respect and care about absolutely hates your guts? I had about four attempts writing this, before I got it right. Just re-reading it is quite stark, but it got something very serious off my chest. What was interesting is a couple of friends read it and thought it was about someone completely different. Ho hum!
What do you do when you find out someone you like, respect and admire hates your guts?
April
When I looked through the list for April, my jaw dropped when I saw the title of the first blog of the month? Had I lost my marbles. It was only when I saw the date, I realised it was my April fool blog. I can't possibly pick that one, but hell man, I fooled myself!
The blog Ive picked was a bit of a mea culpa. Years ago, I'd set up a share portfolio. One of the best shares was a water company. Turns out, they are pumping sewage into our rivers and streams and that is why I was getting fat dividend cheques. I really should have known years ago. Anyway, I sold the shares and wrote this blog
The Barnet Eye: Why everyone should sell their United Utilities shares today
May
Much of May's blogs were about politics, with the Mayoral election. I hindsight, now they look rather dull. This was the first month that a blog didn't really instantly stand out. However with a bit of delving I chose this one, detailing how music probably saved my life. It certainly put meaning into it.
This statement is almost certainly true
"I've often wondered what I would do if I hadn't started playing in a band. I cannot envisage a different life to the one I've got. I suspect there would have been a lot more drinking, a lot more drugs and a lot more self destructive risk taking. I suspect I'd have passed away long ago, of boredom, if nothing else."
Music may just save your life!
June
With the general election looming, again it was a bit of a sparse month for interesting blogs to reprise, but this Saturday list is a good one. It gave me a smile looking back at it
The Saturday List #446 - My ten mantra's that get me through life
July
In July, there were a few blogs. I've chosen one of my London Symphonies series, From Handel to Hendrix, as it is certainly the most interesting. I sadly realised that I have failed to meet my ambition to post at least six episodes. This is the sole contribution. I've managed eight in two years, but then again, for this series, quality is the key and I think they are all excellent stories.
London Symphonies - From Handel to Hendrix
August
My entry for August is one that I simply had to write, I had no joy in writing it. In light of the anti asylum seeker riots, I felt I had to say my piece about patriotism. Re-reading the blog, I am pleased with what I said and stand by it. I started writing blogs to try and make people think and to look beyond the fences that their mind has erected. I am a believer in the intrinsic good in people and I think that most people who might succumb to fascisim are decent people who just fall for a bunch of hor$e$h1t that dodgy people peddle for their own enrichment. Whatever you may or may not think about Hitler and the Nazi's, one thing you cannot deny is they used their conquest of Europe to line their pockets, loot the art calleries etc of countries they invaded and to rape and pillage everywhere. Whatever you may think of democracies, after WW2, we didn't do that to Germany and Japan.
What is patriotism?
September
Perhaps the blog that got the biggest email response was about Danny Coughlan, former Headmaster of Challoner school in Finchley and FCHS lower school. The man was a monster. Sadly, my mailbox revealed that I wasn't the only person who felt this way.
Holding to account Danny Coughlan, former Head of the Lower School at Finchley Catholic High School
October
In October, I wrote a piece about tinnitus, something that has plagued me for 40 odd years. Not a very exciting blog, but another that got an interesting email response. I wish more people would share their insights in comments, but hey ho, at least they are reading the blogs
Tinnitus and how we all need a quiet place sometimes
I must add that the tinnitus is all my own fault. I love punk rock and at the start of the month, I detailed this. Ironic really that by the middle of the month, the tinnitus was driving me mad. At this time of the year, this is at the forefront of my mind. When I cook Xmas dinner, I do so to a Punk rock soundtrack. The same every year. This is what I played as I got the Turkey ready, the full album (actually this year I swapped the Clash 1st album for Combat Rock)
The Vibrators - Puremania
The Heartbreakers - LAMF
MC5 -Kick Out The Jams
The Clash - Combat Rock
The Buzzcocks - Another music in a different kitchen
The Ramones - Leave Home
The New York Dolls Too much too soon
The Specials - Too much too young
If Punk Rock is dead, how come we are all still making a racket?
I suppose all love has a price! These two blogs are the two sides of the coin, sadly.
November
In November, I discussed how important it is to get your head in the right place. I passionately believe that if we all got our heads straight, most of the problems on the planet would simply disappear. I see the likes of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin etc and I wonder what they think about in their quiet moments. Do they ever simply slap the Ramones on the turntable and bop around the table for the sake of it, celebrating life. My image of them, and I am probably wrong, is that they are so wrapped up in wanting control, that they simply couldn't. I once spoke to a a female psychologist, who had done a lot of work with rapists. She told me that most men who rape women do not do it for sexual gratification, they do it as they enjoy control. Most find it difficult to relax as their need for domination and control prevents them from switching off. It got me thinking, maybe being powerful is not all it's cracked up to be.
You can't sort your work life balance out until you get your head in the right place
December
And here we are. I thought I'd finish on a positive, personal note. The latest installment in my cancer journey. 2023 was a year when cancer cast a shadow over my life. This year it hasn't and any blogs have, thankfully, been on my terms.
I think you will see a different feel to this years list, from
last years.
