Manic Street Preachers – Postcards From A Young Man

Details went up on the Manics’ website yesterday (manicstreetpreachers.com) for their new album and tour.

I think I preferred the title “Its Not War – Just The End Of Love”, but I guess the new one will grow on me. And as much as I love Tim Roth, I’m not really grabbed by the cover. But there you go. Still hugely excited and looking forward to dragging my creaky ageing carcass to a few gigs. I’m a little concerned by the line “one last shot at mass communication” in the press release (and they’re dropping it into interviews too) but it seems to be referring to the album as a ‘last shot’ at commercial success rather than an intent to split up afterwards. I hope so anyway, as I really don’t know how I’d cope without Nicky Wire popping into my life every few years.

Slightly less than four months to go, then…

Regards,

Marwood.

30/05/2010

Look, a fucking update! Happy now?!?!?!

Regards,

Marwood.

29/11/2009

The good thing about having sold such a massive number of books over the Summer is that it makes the number of unread DW books in my collection just that little bit more palatable. I think I’ll try and clear some of the backlog over the next 12 months, maybe read a DW book every fortnight. And then start collecting all the others back again.

Nothing to report this evening. Nice quiet day really.

Bit of housework, a little chicken and rice for lunch (I’m really getting in to these light, simple meals lately, it really seems to suit me). Played some Lego Indiana Jones 2 on the Wii, which I have to say was really enjoyable, some nice new features in the game and as always its all quite light-hearted and fun. Then this evening I ran to the chip shop and got myself a large cod and chips with mushy peas (because the light meals are nice, but I’m still a pig). All quite relaxed.

Ho hum.

Regards,

Marwood.

28/11/2009

Today I can’t even remember for certain whether that coat was Ted Baker or Ralph Lauren. Ah, my affections are so fickle. Still, I have all of the store-exclusive Alien Armies cards and you don’t, so who is best? Yes thats right, it is me.

Today’s shopping:

• Dunlop Green Flash trainers (Navy)
• Lego Indiana Jones 2 (Wii)
• Alien Armies cards (got my Rose exclusive card, and the packs also included a Foil 9th Doctor, amongst others. Nice!)
• Radio Times (Doctor Who Christmas special preview)
• Indiana Jones “with Horse” and “Temple Trap” deluxe action figures
• Doctor Who SV7 and D84 figures (one for customs and one for army building)

Nice day, all round. This evening will mostly involve pasta and meatballs, Terminator 2 – Judgement Day on DVD, and hopefully lots of chatting to Michelle online. An all-round good Saturday, I think.

 

Regards,

Marwood.

27/11/2009

Today I am in lust with a Ted Baker Jacket which I saw in town. £240. I was after something a bit longer but its just so… Damn, it almost gets me horny. I don’t see how I can resist.

Anyway.

I’m sat here watching Survival, which is as bloody brilliant as always, and I find myself wondering what the neighbours make of me. They moved in to the flat below me back in the Summer while my four-episode-minimum-per-day marathon was in full swing, and consequently they must have heard the Doctor Who theme tune at least eight times a day, every day, for about four months straight. For the love of Dawkins, they think I’m a complete lunatic, don’t they?!

Anyway.

I successfully scraped my way through Birthright yesterday, and have made a start on a re-read of Iceberg. I actually began my “all the New Adventures in order, from the start” marathon about nine years ago, but in all that time I have somehow only managed to get to book 18. Still, I’ve read dozens upon dozens of EDAs, PDAs, MAs, Telos Novellas and New Series novels in that time too, not to mention the dozens of “real” novels that I read every year, and the near-endless amount of time I devote to tv, cinema, comics, toys and the internet. So maybe I’m not doing too badly.

Bought my chocolate advent calendar today! In the (bewildering) absence of a Doctor Who one this year, I went with Clone Wars. It now sits next to my Lego Pirates advent calendar in eager anticipation of Tuesday. Roll on the Christmas spirit, hurrah!

Regards,

Marwood.

26/11/2009

I can’t believe I haven’t touched this blog in six months. What a twat.

Life is…not what I’d like it to be. I’m working on it.

The Waters of Mars was… crap, sorry. Really badly misjudged, bizarrely paced, and that robot was an absolute embarrassment.

Birthright is… the first DW book I’ve read since April, and one that very nearly killed my interest in reading dead last year. I’m struggling through it today so that I can move on to other things. The prose is ghastly.

Rush are… AWESOME!

Wuthering Heights is… just wonderful. Thanks Michelle (and Kate Bush) for inspiring me to read it.

Facebook is… taking over my life. And I don’t even have any friends. I just play games on it all day. I’ve opened three separate facebook accounts just to help myself out in Mafia Wars. What a fucking embarrassment.

My Marathon was… an absolute delight. Genuinely wonderful stuff with a lot of (mostly very pleasant) suprises along the way. I now appreciate so many of the regulars’ performances so much more. I love Hartnell, Troughton and Pertwee more than I ever did in the past (though I never disliked them to begin with). I have so much admiration for Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant, who just shine so much and do great work with some very poor material. Revisiting Sylvester McCoy’s stories in order for the first time since my childhood was magical and melancholy. Donna Noble broke my heart all over again. Some stories have shot right up my personal appreciation chart, while others have plummeted. The biggest shock overall was how long it took me to warm to Pertwee (pretty much around The Three Doctors), and how much I completely and utterly loved him by the time he left (I genuinely cried my eyes out during the final episode of Planet of the Spiders…again, what a twat I am).

Anyway, onwards…

 

Regards,

Marwood.

18th May 2009

I’ve put most of my Big Finish CDs and Target novelisations up for sale today. Partly because I want to make some big changes in my life as quickly as possible, partly because I’m not getting much use out of them at the moment, and partly because I’m in one of my occasional “material possessions rot the soul” grooves. I only wrote the ad at 8.10am and I’ve already had offers for the full set of CDs, essentially putting about £250 in my pocket in the space of two and a half hours. Not bad really. Its almost a whore’s wage.

My last day of Hartnell. Awww. I’ve really grown to love his Doctor. Midway through The Smugglers now, and then I’ll do The Tenth Planet this afternoon, probably. I think I might cry.

Nine days until the London trip. Eek.

 

Regards,

Marwood.

16th May 2009

Oops, got a bit lax with the blog again. I’ll try and do a few updates over the weekend.

Heading down to London in a week and a half. Really excited, for obvious reasons.

Journal For Plague Lovers is just amazing. A brilliant, brilliant rock record.

Marathon is going fine, nearly at the end of Hartnell’s run. It has become a little more difficult to maintain the pace since I hit the big stretch of mostly-missing episodes. I’ll be very happy when the last CD ejects from the stereo. I also wish I’d been able to do it over a greater length of time, because compressing it in to six months means some companions come and go in the blink of an eye. Ah well.

 

Regards,

Marwood.

27th April 2009

Today was like a break in a storm really.

Got paid for a job, walked a dog, spoke a little with someone wonderful, went into town and straight away I found Return of the King in the same jacket as I own the first two volumes in, and for all of £2. Been searching for that for years! Then picked up a Doctor Who novel for 49p, and a few nice little bits and bobs. Came home, listened to the Manics.

Blissfull day really.

 

Regards,

Marwood.

26th April 2009

At home – miserable, awkward, painful.

In my heart – Joyous. I’m almost happy. Or at least, there is promise of 48 hours of happiness. And more beyond, I’d hope.

In my body - Best weights and walking of the week. This is good. Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream. This is bad. Probably all evens out.

Sundays are weird.

 

Regards,

Marwood.