Update piece: 3 June 2018

The last book I read: Crackpot by John Waters

I do a reading challenge every year and one of my 2018 categories is "a book written by someone you admire" so I chose to read the John Waters essay collection that I've had sitting on my shelf for a while, since I find his movies so entertaining.  It's definitely the book I've enjoyed most so far this year - Waters writes about niche obsessions like Baltimore TV shows of the 60s, tabloid journalism, Z-list actresses and criminals hilariously and even though I tried to limit myself to one essay per day I found it hard to put the book down.  His references are so obscure that for all I know he could have invented William Castle and Pia Zadora (I had to do a bit of Googling) but it wouldn't have mattered if the whole thing was a work of complete fiction.  Immediately after finishing I went online and ordered a copy of his first book, 'Shock Value', and headed to YouTube to watch some clips of him being interviewed on late-night talk shows; I admire him far more now than I did when I picked the book up.

Choice quote (from 'Hatchet Piece: 101 Things I Hate): "I've had it with being nice, understanding, fair and hopeful.  I feel like being negative all day.  The chip on my shoulder could sink the QE2.  I've got an attitude problem and nobody better get in my way."

The last movie I watched: West Side Story (1961)

This one has been a long time coming.  I saw parts of West Side Story in high school music classes, I've seen them pay homage to it on Glee and the soundtrack has been welcome on my turntable, but I'd never actually seen West Side Story until last month.  As I already knew the story and the songs, it didn't feel like I was sitting down to watch something new but it was interesting to finally see the visuals that go with the iconic musical numbers and the faces behind the voices (or at least, the faces miming those voices).  I was a little disappointed to see how white the Puerto Rican characters were, having gotten used to seeing Latinx actors on Jane The Virgin and Orange Is The New Black, but now I'm itching to see a remake that gives those actors a chance to inhabit the roles of Maria and Bernardo and the other Sharks.  I see that Spielberg has put out a casting call and I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic.

On my hi-fi: Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion

The album may be the same age as me but it's my favourite of 2018; there's not a single song on it that I don't adore.  I was listening to some of my favourite Depeche Mode singles last night and after putting 'I Feel You' onto the turntable I ended up getting this CD out and playing the full album.  So right now I have I Feel You on the turntable, Songs Of Faith And Devotion in the CD player, and an old mixtape of my dad's of his favourite songs from 1972-73 in the tape-deck - that's a bit early for Depeche Mode and is instead made up of a lot of glam rock and the like: Children Of The Revolution, Ballroom Blitz, Walk On The Wild Side... 

My current playlist:

1. Give Yourself A Try - The 1975

2. Route 66 - Depeche Mode

3. Young & Dumb - Cigarettes After Sex

4. The Dream Synopsis - The Last Shadow Puppets

5. Tammy Faye - Nicole Dollanganger

6. Cherry - Lana Del Rey

7. Black Celebration - Depeche Mode

8. Rose-Colored Boy - Paramore

9. Nothing - Depeche Mode

10. Space & Time - Wolf Alice

The TV shows I'm watching: Orange Is The New Black / My So-Called Life

I finally finished (or at least caught up with) Orange Is The New Black last night, after a couple of years of watching episodes whenever I can get an hour alone with Netflix.  I'm glad the next season is due out this month because I need to know what happens next, especially with Flaca and Maritza!

I've been making my way through My So-Called Life as well, even though it was on TV 20 years ago.  It's regarded as a classic that was cancelled too soon, and even though I'm enjoying it I don't think it lives up to the hype as much as, say, Freaks & Geeks.  I relate to Angela (played by Claire Danes) and I'm especially jealous of her 90s flannel outfits but I can't deal with her parents and how much of an ~after-school teen issues~ vibe it has sometimes.

My journal theme this week: pretty pastels

I'm using this adorable flower collage as my inspiration this coming week.  I've stuck it in my bullet journal, where it compliments the pastel highlighter pens I bought, and I've painted my nails in white, lilac and mint with pink and blue holographic sparkle.  The pale colours and the super-organised pattern feel so peaceful and I'm hoping I can draw on that if I have a difficult day at the office.

Tell me in the comments what things you're into at the moment!

R x

Shopping Trip, January 2018

Last year I became very fond of using the Parks & Recreation motto "Treat Yo'Self" any time I wanted to go shopping, and that's a motto I've decided to carry with me into 2018.  I went up to Glasgow last weekend to see Paramore for my 25th birthday and while I was up there I had plenty of time to hit up my favourite shops and buy some bits and pieces.

I bought a pair of ripped knee jeans a couple of years ago, conveniently around the time that I got into The 1975 which suited the aesthetic very well. I haven't worn them for a while because I feel like the time is coming when I sit down and the thigh splits open, which sadly happens to most of my jeans (the last time it happened they ripped open while I was trying to get tickets to an intimate Depeche Mode show. I didn't get the tickets). My nearest Primark hasn't had a replacement pair in my size at any point when I've visited over the last few months and other high street stores sell them for three times the price, so I've waited patiently to find them back in stock. They had them over the weekend but I also spotted these dark grey jeans with more holes and chose to buy them instead to make a change from my usual black. 

£12, Primark

As you might have noticed from previous blog posts, I love a lacy blouse to wear to the office, and I also love all things velvet. For those reasons, I was pleased to discover this purple lace blouse marked down to half price in my size in Primark. It has a cute little velvet necktie and it's a lovely colour - they had it in black too. 

£7 (sale price), Primark

As well as Primark, I also stopped in H&M which is probably my favourite place to pick up cute pieces. The new store on Buchanan Street is so huge that I barely even looked at the non-sale areas - there were so many sale rails that I ended up dragging half a dozen things into the changing room anyway. This black jumper is light and sparkly and I liked the cross-over in the front - it's something I can wear to work on dress-down and maybe even business dress days, and for the sale price it was hard to refuse.

£4 (sale price), H&M

I've been looking for a Nirvana shirt for a while; Primark never have my size left and H&M band shirts are usually more pricey than I'd like.  So, I was really pleased to find this In Utero vest reduced to only £3. Like the beloved Motley Crue vest I got for the same price in the store a few years ago, it's oversized and wrecked looking and I imagine I'll be wearing it all the time. 

£3 (sale price), H&M

Other things I picked up:

Leopard print tote bag, £1.49, H&M - the only bags I have at the moment are from bands that I don't listen to anymore or look dangerously close to falling apart so I've been looking for a new one for a while. Primark only have Harry Potter ones when I look (not for me, at all) so it was nice to find this - and it matches both of the camisoles I bought!

Camisoles, £1.80 (emerald)/£2.50 (striped), Primark - ideally I'd like a black and white striped t-shirt but I can't find one that doesn't have a weird design feature, so this will do. I wear one of these vests most days so I'm always happy to pick up more exciting colours.

Pink cardigan, £6, Primark - I like to throw on a cardigan for a cool day in the office. This one has a round neck so if I button it all the way up I can also wear it as a top in itself, which feels very 50s.

Sequin bumbag, £6, Primark - I got really jealous at festivals last summer of anyone who had a bumbag for their things instead of having to look after a shoulder bag, which is what I usually take to shows. It's not festival season for a while yet but now I'm prepared! This bag has pastel rainbow sequins which are silver on the underside for two looks in one and I feel like it's perfect for the 80s fest I want to go to this summer. 

Some non-clothes:

Cigarettes After Sex by Cigarettes After Sex - I've fallen in love with this group and Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby is my current favourite song, so I picked up their album. The advert I saw for it described them as 'dream noir', which is what I'm all about. They're soothing and hazy, like the vibe of Fade Into You by Mazzy Star, and despite their terrible band name I'll be telling anyone who wants to listen about them. 

Stripped: Depeche Mode by Jonathan Miller - I almost bought this book last summer before I became fully obsessed with all things Depeche and regretted leaving it in the store, so I've been praying to find it in HMV and luckily there was a copy left on the shelf waiting for me. It's a thick book covering the first three decades of Depeche Mode and I'm anxious to get started.

Classic Pop & NME - I always pick up NME in the city and this issue is the 100 artists to watch for 2018 which I'm going to do my best to check out. Classic Pop focuses mostly on 80s bands and this issue mentioned both Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Depeche Mode on the cover so it sounded promising - and something to read on the train home. 

In case you were wondering, Paramore were outstanding. They played so many of the songs I was hoping for, including Hard Times, Told You So, Idle Worship, Grow Up, Still Into You, Rose Coloured Boy and Ain't It Fun - when Told You So dropped I danced harder than ever before. I waited over 10 years to see them for the first time and now I've been twice in 12 months and I'm ready for them to come back anytime. 

Finally, here's one of those cliché Instagrammable shots of Glasgow, taken on my walk home from the Paramore show:

- R

2017

My annual end-of-year list blog post...

My favourite songs that came out this year:
1. Don't Delete The Kisses - Wolf Alice
2. Hard Times - Paramore
3. On Hold - The xx
4. Love - Lana Del Rey
5. Rose-Coloured Boy - Paramore
6. Green Light - Lorde
7. Told You So - Paramore
8. Passionfruit - Drake
9. Idle Worship - Paramore
10. Beautifully Unconventional - Wolf Alice
11. Lust For Life - Lana Del Rey & The Weeknd
12. Sign Of The Times - Harry Styles
13. Coachella - Woodstock In My Mind - Lana Del Rey
14. After The Zero Hour - Wolf Alice
15. Fake Happy - Paramore
16. Revolution - Rat Boy
17. Kill For Candy - Dreamcar
18. Sadboy - Wolf Alice
19. Right Now - HAIM
20. Going Backwards - Depeche Mode

My favourite albums of the year:

1. After Laughter - Paramore

2. Visions Of A Life - Wolf Alice

3. Lust For Life - Lana Del Rey

4. Material Control - Glassjaw

5. AFI (The Blood Album) - AFI

6. Dreamcar - Dreamcar

7. More Life - Drake

8. I See You - The xx

Concerts I went to this year:

1. TRNSMT Festival: Radiohead, Belle & Sebastian, Kasabian, Catfish & The Bottlemen,  The Kooks,  George Ezra, Stormzy, Biffy Clyro, The 1975, Two Door Cinema Club

2. Depeche Mode

3. Paramore/Bleached

4. AFI/Deftones

5. Lana Del Rey

6. The Smyths (The Smiths tribute)

7. Room 29 (Jarvis Cocker & Chilly Gonzales)

8. Cloudbusting (Kate Bush tribute)

9. Taking Back Sunday

New films I saw this year:
1. Baby Driver
2. T2: Trainspotting
3. The Killing of the Sacred Deer
4. La La Land
5. Wonder Woman
6. Loving Vincent

Favourite old films I saw for the first time this year:

1. Trainspotting

2. The Doom Generation

3. Ladies & Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains

4. Kill Bill: Vol 1

5. Kill Your Friends

6. Sing Street

7. The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert

8. Depeche Mode: 101

9. Purple Rain

10. Chéri

Books I read this year:

1. Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh

2. Porno - Irvine Welsh

3. Skagboys - Irvine Welsh

4.Kill Your Friends - John Niven

5. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

6. Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson

7. Talk To The Snail - Stephen Clarke

8. The Pact - Jodi Picoult

9. The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka

10. The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy, & Other Stories - Tim Burton

11. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

12. Top Gear Skin - Richard Allen

13. Geek Girl - Holly Smale

14. Weekend In Paris - Robyn Sisman

15. The Gift - Vladimir Nabokov

Top 5 most listened songs of the year according to last.fm...
1. Hotline Bling - Drake
2. Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin - The Runaways
3. Moaning Lisa Smile - Wolf Alice
4. True Trans Soul Rebel - Against Me!
5. Disco 2000 - Pulp

...and Spotify:

1. Born Slippy (Nuxx) - Underworld

2. Dads Best Friend - Rubberbandits

3. Silk - Wolf Alice

4. Lust For Life - Iggy Pop

5. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais - The Clash

Music Monday: my 80s mixtape

Making mixtapes is one of the first skills that I remember being taught by my dad, as a child of about 5 or 6 who borrowed compilation CDs from the library and recorded my favourite songs onto cassette to keep. We had a hi-fi in the corner of the living room with a turntable, CD player and tape-deck - which now sits in the corner of my bedroom - where I recall sitting and performing the ritual of hitting the 'play' and 'record' buttons simultaneously just in time for my chosen song to start, watching the tape wind its way from one spool to the other, then slamming the 'pause' button on the tape before the CD moved on to the next song.

I'd make tapes to play in my room and in the car: first pop songs, then the punk and alternative that I grew to love as a teenager. As a 90s baby who was inherently distrustful of the record player, I hired my dad to record the Grease soundtrack from my mum's vinyl for me when I went through my Grease phase (every girl has a Grease phase, right?). 

Once I had a computer I graduated to burning CDs of the songs I'd downloaded and meticulously creating playlists on iTunes, Spotify, 8tracks and so on, but they lack the skill of knowing when to press the buttons and the panic of not knowing whether the tape was going to run out midway through a song. Despite the availability of every song ever recorded on the internet, I still like to put together a mixtape every now and again. 

I put this mix together about nine months ago, after a viewing of the two Trainspotting movies ignited my passion for the two 'Temptations' below and tied together lots of my 80s pop favourites. (Side note: I didn't blog for most of 2017 and if you're wondering what I was doing during that time, I was mostly watching Trainspotting.) Since I've now conquered the turntable, I put the whole thing together from the boxes of 7" singles that my parents have passed down to me (and a couple that I've picked up myself) for that authentic crackling vinyl sound, which is unfortunately missing from the Spotify re-creation at the bottom of this entry. Still, I recommend this playlist - it's lasted nine months in my tape-deck without me getting tired of it which I think proves how great the music of this era is - and how strong my mixtape game is!

Side 1

1. Temptation - Heaven 17

AKA the song that's playing in Trainspotting when the gang are in the nightclub. Tommy and Spud are chatting about their girl troubles, Begbie and Sick Boy are pairing off with that night's partners, and Renton is scouring the room for someone to satisfy his "post-junk libido". It's one of my most-played songs of the year because it goes so hard.

2. Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood

'Welcome To The Pleasuredome' is probably my favourite 80s album - I blogged about how much I loved it when I first discovered it way back at the start of 2016 and my adoration has not waned. 'Relax' is one of the biggest British songs of all time and pops up in all sorts of places; I often say that my favourite movie is every movie that has a scene set to this song so hearing it fade in when Begbie and Renton face off in T2 was very exciting for me. 

3. Temptation - New Order
Not to be confused with Heaven 17, the New Order song of the same name is the one that Diane sings in the morning when Renton wakes up to her family, and again when he's having come-down hallucinations. I'd actually discovered it just before seeing the movie and it's become one of my favourite New Order songs, seconded only by 'Age Of Consent'. There are a load of different versions, like every New Order song, but the single version is my favourite. 

4. Too Shy - Kajagoogoo
Not linked to Trainspotting, just a fun 80s pop song. I can't remember whether or not my parents had a copy of this but I picked one up at the charity shop where I used to work. 

5. Tainted Love - Soft Cell

There's not much that I need to say about 'Tainted Love'. It's a synthpop classic and no playlist of 80s synthy tunes should be without it. 

6. Sheila Take A Bow - The Smiths
Being The Smiths, this obviously isn't a synth tune, but they're one of the best things to come out of the 80s regardless. I chose 'Sheila Take A Bow' since it's an uncharacteristically cheerful Smiths song, so it can keep up with the Hi-NRG of the Frankies and the synth hits that appear elsewhere on the mix.

7. Gold - Spandau Ballet
This song is so uplifting. It reminds me of my friends from work who have picked it out as their go-to karaoke song, and the way that a little snippet was played on the BBC every time someone British won a gold medal at the London Olympics. 

8. Geno - Dexys Midnight Runners
The popular choice from Dexys is obviously 'Come On Eileen' but my best friend referenced this song so often that I listened to it and realised it was an underrated classic. They use brass instead of synths but the feeling is there.

9. It's A Sin - Pet Shop Boys
Synthpop? More like sinthpop. This song is so loud and desperate, I love it.

10. Only You - Yazoo
This song is a masterpiece and I didn't realise until recently that Yazoo's is the original and The Flying Pickets' version is a cover. It's on an advert this Christmas and I'm eternally grateful that they used Yazoo and not some twee acoustic folk cover. 

11. Mad World - Tears For Fears
Another song that has a famous cover and a supreme original synthy 80s version. 

12. Come Back And Stay - Paul Young
This song doesn't really relate so closely to the others but there's something about it that I'm obsessed with. I think it's the melody of the chorus. It's been kind of forgotten in the 21st century and deserves to be known.

13. True Faith - New Order

A second New Order song, since they're so good. This also has a rad chorus and a good 90s version. 

Side 2

1. Two Tribes - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
It's impossible for me to choose between 'Relax' and 'Two Tribes'. Both were huge hits and both are absolute classics of the genre. Definitely one that makes me want to dance.

2. A Little Respect - Erasure
This is one of my favourite songs of all time - everything about it is perfect. I don't love Erasure enough to go and see them play live, but I'd love to get down to A Little Respect in a crowded concert hall.

3. 21st Century Boy - Sigue Sigue Sputnik
My dad played this for my brother and I when we were first allowed to go through his records as kids and I immediately loved it. Sigue Sigue Sputnik's whole aesthetic was that they were from the future, which is hilarious now considering how dated they sound and look. Still, I think they're so cool and I'd have been a total fangirl for them if I was a teen in the 80s.

4. New Life - Depeche Mode
I picked this record up in a charity shop because my dad unfortunately did not collect many Depeche Mode singles in his time. I think this was their first hit and it's an adorable amateur synthpop song - it's incredible how far they've come since. 

5. You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) - Dead Or Alive
This is another of those songs that needs no introduction, since it was and still is such a massive hit record. When I listen to it now there's always a tinge of sadness since Pete Burns is no longer with us but that doesn't stop me from dancing.

6. Love & Pride - King
I think I heard this song in the movie 'Pride' and immediately needed to know what it was. I love yelling along with the chorus. 

7. Are "Friends" Electric? - Tubeway Army 
Technically this isn't an 80s song but it's such an important piece of electronica and also a mainstay of my playlist for the last 18 months or so. The repetitive synth riff and the sad vocals are an irresistible combination.

8. Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant 
Adam Ant hopped onto my playlist at the same time as the last song and it was hard to choose just one of his songs for my mix. I went with 'Goody Two Shoes' because it makes me want to move more than any of his other songs and is ridiculously catchy.

9. Atomic - Blondie 
I guess this is another song that I carried over from Trainspotting, although it's a cover that plays in the movie. However, 'Atomic' was one of the songs on a mixtape of punk and new wave that my dad put together for me when I started listening to Green Day back in my pre-teen days, so it's been with me for a long time. I definitely have the Trainspotting movies to thank for the amount of Blondie I've listened to in 2017. 

10. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes - Ultravox
Not 'Vienna', which I also love, but a different song which I took a chance on. I actually wasn't overly familiar with 'Dancing With Tears In My Eyes' before I committed it to tape, but it was a good choice to make. 

11. True - Spandau Ballet

Every mixtape needs a ballad, right? And this New Romantic classic is really the 80s ballad, definitely appearing in a Molly Ringwald prom scene at some point.

12. Never Let Me Down Again - Depeche Mode
A second song by one of my favourite bands to round the playlist off. I actually went to see them last weekend and am now in that honeymoon phase of obsession where I'm consuming all things Depeche Mode, so I applaud my past self for having the foresight to choose one of my favourite songs of theirs for me to blog about now. 

Hear the whole playlist here:

Shopping treats, November 2017

About 18 months ago I made a blog post sharing some of the new clothes I'd bought for work. Since then I've found it kind of hard to find things to add to my office wardrobe, which isn't ideal when some of my favourite pieces are getting worn out. The Peter Pan collared blouses I adore have disappeared from the shelves and been replaced with ruffles and wide sleeves and off-shoulder tops and other things that are impractical and unflattering, so I've been pretty uninspired while shopping for the last while. Luckily, on my trip to Carlisle last weekend I finally found some cute things again:

These two blouses are both from Primark. I love embroidered things and I've tried a bunch of different things on over the last few months but this blouse is the first thing I've liked in the fitting room. It's made of a soft material and looks really informal but I plan to wear it to the office anyway. It comes in navy or khaki and costs £8.
I bought a sheer polka dot blouse from a charity shop a while ago and it's one of my favourites but unfortunately it has torn in a few places, leaving it unsuitable for work (but probably still suitable for punk shows). I've spent a long time searching for a replacement and Primark has finally answered my prayers with this, and for only £7. This blouse is less transparent than my old one but it still makes me feel like Harry Styles or Matty Healy (below) which is what I'm after in a patterned blouse - weird fashion icon choices for a girl to have, maybe, but choices I've made all the same.

Next up, two items that I picked up inspired by Stacey Duguid's article in The Pool last Monday - or more specifically, about the line "why save things for those ever-elusive “posh nights out”?". 

The top is from Primark (£8) and you probably can't tell from the photo but it has a black-on-black lace pattern. The t-shirt shape makes it just right for me to wear to work but it's also nice enough for me to wear to dinner. 

I picked up the velvet skirt in H&M (£12.99). I have a couple of skirts like this that I wear to work already but I've been looking for an excuse to wear velvet to work and I think this is it. Velvet is one of my favourite fabrics and it's been hard not to buy up everything I see so black velvet is starting to take over my wardrobe and I have no problem with it. 

 I've got a couple of H&M dresses in this shape that I wear to work and they make me feel like I mean business, so when I saw this navy and white striped one on the sale rail for £7 it felt right. I'm still searching for a black and white striped t-shirt but this will keep me going in the meantime.
Finally, I've been low-key wishing for a fuzzy black sweater for a couple of years now so I was happy to find one in H&M for £10. It looks really 90s and it's fluffy but not thick which is ideal for me because I am almost always too warm. Definitely one for Casual Friday.

Lastly, some new music and books, because I can never resist:

My dad signed the family up for a PureHMV card when they first came out and we've never gotten that much use out of it. Recently though, HMV have started an offer where they always have one record priced at £8.99 for their cardholders. In the past they've had albums by The Killers, Bob Marley and Guns N' Roses, and now they're phasing out their deal on Blondie's 'Parallel Lines' (which I already have, since my mum was a Blondie fan in the 70s) and offering Back To Black by Amy Winehouse at the discount price. 'Back To Black' is now 10 years old and I know a lot of the songs from it but had never listened to the album until I put it on my turntable yesterday. It was a worthwhile purchase, for sure. 

I also bought 'God's Favorite Band', the new greatest hits compilation from Green Day. Like God himself, I also consider Green Day to be my all-time favourite band so I already have all of their albums but it's been my tradition for the last few years to always go out and buy their latest release whenever they put something out. This compilation features lots of favourite songs, like She, Hitchin' A Ride, Holiday, Oh Love and Bang Bang, as well as a new one that I'm excited to hear. 

Lastly, I stopped by the Oxfam book shop to browse the shelves. It's one of my favourite charity places - in the past I've picked up A Clockwork Orange, the Edie Sedgwick biography and the 12" single of 21st Century Boy by Sigue Sigue Sputnik there, and once there was a cat in the shop - so I always visit when I'm in the city. This time I bought 'The Penguin Book Of The Beats' (£2.49) which has excerpts from all of the most famous works and authors of the Beat Generation, and 'The Last Party' by John Harris, which documents the Britpop era of the mid-nineties. At £3.49 it was a little more than I like to pay for a second hand book but as I've been so into Trainspotting and Jarvis Cocker and Elastica and Britpop this year and also because I love pop music non-fiction, I figured I'd treat myself. 

Shopping aside, I was in Carlisle to see The Smyths, who you might've been able to guess are a tribute act recreating the sound of The Smiths. I saw them last year and was so impressed that I've been desperate for them to come back for 12 months. Unlike the real Morrissey who has been giving his terrible opinions again, The Smyths did not disappoint. 12 months to go until they come back...