If you dig deep underground you should take care or you may plunge into the hellish land of the fallen angels. If you dig deep into the past you may find yourself in an altogether more pleasant place. If you go back before the the Devil spawned hip hop and grime, before the urban pop…Read more Nine Feet Underground
Some Things Must Last
The Crotchety A.I. Engine™ is not quite sure what to make of the phrase "some things must last". Clearly, some things do last longer than others. Even in this modern age of fleeting sound bites and disposable goods the mother-in-law's visit drags on much longer than any son-in-law can be expected to endure. Diamonds, of…Read more Some Things Must Last
Worlds of Yesterday
Some History The following information is taken (mostly verbatim) from the sleeve notes of Worlds of Yesterday, a compilation of Moonshot songs curated by Tim Bowness. 1967: Moonshot emerged from the ashes of the Warrington skiffle band, Scouse Mouse. Led by Jeff Harrison on keyboards and vocals they recorded a couple of non-charting psychedelic singles. 1968 - 70:…Read more Worlds of Yesterday
Supersister
This post was prompted by the following product announcement by Burning Shed: All five of Supersister's glorious 1970's releases (Present From Nancy, To The Highest Bidder, Pudding En Gisteren, Iskander and Spiral Staircase) on limited edition coloured vinyls. It's a mystery why old Crotchety Man should have taken any interest in this. The band was unknown…Read more Supersister
Étude No. 16
This bison was painted on the wall of a cave in southern France around 17,000 years ago. It is one of the earliest examples of painting as an art form, although exactly where it fits in the chronology of the stone age is difficult to determine. To suggest it is the 16th in a series…Read more Étude No. 16
Into the Myst
The end of a year is a time to look back. It's a time to celebrate our achievements and try to learn from our past mistakes. But as one year ends another begins and that's a time to look forward. We set ourselves new goals and try to imagine what the future will be like.…Read more Into the Myst
Wood You Believe It?
It's hard to believe but the Crotchety Man blog is now 5 years old. This particular anniversary is usually celebrated with gifts made of wood. Something like this statue of Ian Anderson might be appropriate; it would certainly be a welcome addition to the Crotchety Art Display Shelves. But, first, let's take a quick look back…Read more Wood You Believe It?
Midnight’s Mirror
We are very nearly at the end of another year and, indeed, another decade. What better time, then, to look back and take stock. With a big space telescope, like the Hubble, we can see billions of years into the past ... but I don't have that kind of chronological mirror so let's just return…Read more Midnight’s Mirror
Sunwheel
The winter solstice occurred this morning at 04:19 am, UK time. For those of us in the northern hemisphere this is the time when the sun stops sinking lower in the sky each day and begins its upward journey in the yearly cycle of the seasons. It marks the end of shorter days and the…Read more Sunwheel
Duel of the Jester & the Tyrant
It was tempting to put photos of Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn at the top of this post but I couldn't decide which of them was the jester and which the tyrant. So, after the disaster of last Thursday's General Election in the UK, Crotchety Man is withdrawing from politics until such time as the…Read more Duel of the Jester & the Tyrant
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