Happily Imperfect

What was the first album you ever bought? Pick your favorite song off that album. John Menzies was in the high street of my hometown. An L-shaped store on the corner of the street and the pedestrian part of the Artizan Centre. Make your way to the back of the store, turn a corner and head upstairs. Four racks of LPs, and a wall of singles, greet you. The latest albums, the top 10, are displayed near the counter at the back. From it I zero’d in and plucked Friend or Foe by Adam Ant from the…

Glorious. Not laughed out loud at a movie so often or so loud for a LONG time. Which was twice as fun as I watched most of it on the train home. Thanks for reading and keeping RSS alive. Visit my site for more.

Share a song that got you through a difficult time. Someone has a video of me miming along to this. Someone has been a rock through my darkest times recently. Someone is my best friend, my soulmate, my love. She knows who she is. My Girl “My Girl” by The Temptations Listen on Apple Music Your browser does not support the audio element. Listen to Gordon McLean's Apple Music playlist View original post on Crucial Tracks Thanks for reading and keeping RSS alive. Visit my site for more.

A weekly recap of the articles and posts I’ve read that I think are worth your time. A 450-year History of Blogging · brennan.day — Not sure how I missed this one —I follow Brennan’s wonderful blog— but an interesting take on ‘logging’ for sure. On the Difference Between Rest and Idleness | The Idle Gazette — “To be idle is to occupy time that has been removed from the economy of usefulness altogether, time that will never be redeemed, time spent as an end in itself rather than as a means to…

What song reminds you of your first love? It was our song. I bought her the single when it came out, went to John Menzies to buy it and then, I think, walked to meet her at her new (first?) job? Vague memory indeed. “Sweet Child O' Mine” by Guns N' Roses Listen on Apple Music Your browser does not support the audio element. Listen to Gordon McLean's Apple Music playlist View original post on Crucial Tracks Thanks for reading and keeping RSS alive. Visit my site for more.

What is your favorite song from last year? I listen to 6Music largely to get access to some new music. Many new tracks and bands but this is one I kept going back to, just kinda stuck in my brain. “Getting Killed” by Geese Listen on Apple Music Your browser does not support the audio element. Listen to Gordon McLean's Apple Music playlist View original post on Crucial Tracks Thanks for reading and keeping RSS alive. Visit my site for more.

Describe a concert that changed your perspective on music or life. Pick a song from that artist or band. I have a photo from the gig. The lights from the stage are pointing at the crowd, dazzling, the silhouette of hands raised in unison, in joy, form a sea before me. I’d been to many gigs but this one, this moment, sticks in my head. I’m not sure why but I think this was the first time I lost myself completely, gave in to the energy around me, raised my hands. I’ve always been a bit self…

I left the house at 13:30. Train to Edinburgh, tram to airport, flight to Madrid, metro to city centre hotel. Arrived at my hotel room at 00:43. My plans are to breakfast early and wander around for the next four mornings. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons/evenings are taken up with watching fast cars go fast, with beers and food in the mix too. This is the longest I’ve been away from Becca and Jack (and Dave). I already feel far away. I already can’t wait to get back home. But I have…

What artist or band changed your music taste forever? Pick your favorite song of theirs. From heavier rock and dance music as my ‘chosen’ genres, I stumbled into this band after catching them performing at Glastonbury in 2004 (on TV, it was a couple of years before I made it to that festival where I also saw them live). I had an appreciation of lyric and melody built up through my parents record collections, and on into my own but it was heavily skewed towards indie rock, heavy rock, metal, and…

What was your favorite song in high school? Why did it resonate? The radio crackles to life. It is full of heavily produced sounds. Bon Jovi, Madonna, Wham!, Phil Collins —artists I would spend my life with— dominated. Pet Shop Boys were ploughing a different path, New Order were living their Blue Monday ‘88 renaissance as dance music crossed the Atlantic. Remixes were starting to appear, sampling, and scratching were sounds hitting the mainstream. But alongside the radio —which I liked to…

My baby moves at midnight,Goes right on ’til the dawn,My woman, take me higher,My woman, keep me warm Ahhhh you cannae beat a bit of Bee Gees eh! What a tune! Recently my wife and I attended a friend’s wedding, it was at a local hotel and the entertainment was one guy with a guitar and a nifty backing track system. Whilst I, personally, think he busted out some of the bigger reliable hits —Proud Mary— a little early, it was good enough to get us on the dance floor a couple of times. I love…

Dear Apple, I can remove apps from my iPad, except the Photos app (there may be others but my issue is with the Photos app). I don’t sync my iCloud Photos to my iPad. I don’t use it for that, it’s purely as a consumption device. I watch movies and TV shows on it. I occasionally use it to write with. Ultimately I only need four apps on it. Apple TV, Disney+, Ulysses, and Journal. Right now, the Photos app is annoying me. There are NO photos or videos on my iPad. Yet the ‘Documents & Data’ are…

Pick a song from an artist or band that’s had the biggest impact on your life. Queen were my first love. Finding their albums in my parents record collection was like finding a rare jewel. Mostly because they spanned the time of my awakening to pop/rock music so I had a contemporary view of them (Radio GaGa) to play against the album I found (Jazz). Billy Joel was in there too, as were the Carpenters, Neil Sedaka, and a myriad of folk artists (traditional Scottish and contemporary). My music…

What is a song that instantly energizes you? Thumping bass, catchy melody, quintessential dance music always gives me energy. It’s why club nights were such a highlight of my youth. These days, energising tracks are for things like exercising which brings a similar endorphin high to those club nights —without the come down— and there are few bands better than The Chemical Brothers. Seeing them live is always fun, and coupled with this track I can already feel my energy levels rising, ready to…

A weekly recap of the articles and posts I’ve read that I think are worth your time. Pentax ME – Down the Road — Some lovely photos, but the camera itself is one my Dad had (I’m 98% sure). I can FEEL it, I can HEAR it. Ohhh aren’t memories odd things. Apple CEO Tim Cook’s Legacy Is Dull Products And Spineless Capitulation — Hard to disagree with any of this. Home | A Concrete Garden — A very low-tech website that may not be there when you visit, if it’s not been sunny enough… SlashFriends |…

Did you sing along to anything today? Describe the moment. My son, 4, has discovered the movie Madagascar. Which is fine because the endless repeats of Bluey (which I dearly love) are starting to grate a little. My memories of this song take me back to my early 20s, the local nightclub, the “everyone back to ours” culture (our flat was closest to the club), of waking up to discover who had fallen asleep on the living room floor. And hangovers. But mostly dancing, of buying into the repetition,…

What song do you wish you had written? Happy Birthday? Bohemian Rhapsody? Lyrics is where my brain focuses, which takes me to Cohen, Garvey, McCartney, Swift, Bush… But meaning matters and this song is such a gentle exploration of how beautiful life is if we pause and look around, literally stop and smell the flowers. There is so much negativity and badness pushed at us through mainstream and social media, it’s nice to be reminded of how lucky we are and how such simple pleasures are right…

I got an intriguing email last night, some of you may have received one too. It was from Oleh Providnyk who said he’d added my site to his new blog map Pixel Area. OK, but what is Pixel Area? Pixel Area is a 100×100 coordinate grid with room for 10,000 websites. Each pixel belongs to a real person and links to whatever they have online: a blog, a project, or just a small site they made. You pick an empty spot, choose a color, add a short description, and visitors find you by wandering around…

Share a song that changed your perspective on music. First question I have to ask myself is, what is my perspective on music, and has it ever changed? I grew up with music, music playing in the kitchen, the radio or cassettes in the car, the LPs in the living room, the piano, my Dad’s guitar and harmonica. I remember my first CD, I remember my introduction to MiniDisc, and my fascination with Napster and then Spotify (the choice!) although I’m now happily in the Apple Music world. But I don’t…

As I have mentioned, I rarely see things completely one way or another. Whether we like it or not we are multitudes and nuance is always required. I can’t think of a single topic where this doesn’t hold true (I’m sure there is, I just can’t think of one right now). And then I read this post which is very clear and, in my opinion, very closed to nuance, and as an owner of a doorbell cam (Eufy (Anker) not Ring) I feel compelled to respond. I do not expect to change Ava’s thought process on this…

Think back to your childhood: What is your earliest music memory? Share that song and your story! Atarah’s Band is my earliest wholly music focussed memory. A flautist who took an orchestra on tour with a show aimed at kids. I can’t remember much more than a flamed hair woman, and being invited up to pick a percussion instrument to play. All very vague, it was the late 70s and whilst music was a constant in our house —my piano lessons were about to start— this visit to Kelvinhall, this…

/pôrt-măn′tō, pôrt″măn-tō′/ nounA word formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two different words, as _chortle,_from chuckle and snort. I love a good portmanteau —brunch is my favourite (spork a close second). Some are clever —Portmanteau is a portmanteau! Some we forget started out as individual words —Pokémon, sitcom, velcro. Some don’t really work —reflexpletive (feels a bit forced, no?) And some of them give me the ick, the dry heaves, every time I see them. I know it’s just words,…

What song makes you feel like anything is possible? Apparently they play this at my son’s school. He’s in his 3rd week, loving it, and even got an award already (the cynic in me is rolling his eyes as so did 20 other kids for various things, the father in me is proud). My son is, like me, not a fan of being centre stage, so I laughed when I saw the photo of all the award winners , all smiles for the camera, holding their certificates proudly with my beautiful son standing centre middle looking…

One thing I’ve learned in finishing my 100 days challenge was the power of small changes. On the whole I didn’t do all that much different. Sure I pushed myself to exercise more but most times that was just a walk in the evening —brisker than a stroll— with my favourite music playing. I’ve always enjoyed walking around listening to music, letting my thoughts roam. It’s almost meditative, something I didn’t even realise when it started to become an occasional habit back in my late teens. I’ve…

Product: Gordon McLeanModel: GM-01Manufacturer: Lynda & Ian McLeanCountry of origin: ScotlandYear of manufacture: 1973Recommended operating environment: Somewhere with coffee, books, music and access to the outdoors. Before use Please ensure Gordon has had sufficient sleep. This is not a suggestion. It is a requirement. Coffee should be provided shortly afterwards. Snacks are optional but strongly recommended. Failure to follow these instructions may result in reduced performance, mild…

What’s your favorite song about moving forward? What’s Next? The refrain commonly heard in The West Wing has always sat well with me, always seemed like a good way to focus on what’s ahead. Of course that’s not always the best thing, ignoring your past means you don’t learn from mistakes, don’t find ways to grow, and likely lose out on more opportunities for a better future version of yourself. But that focus on what’s next, on moving, has helped me through some dark times, some difficult…

The Dolly Parton song that means the most to you. When I was 16 I joined the local Hospital Radio team (Hospital Radio Lennox). We broadcast every evening, and at the weekends. It was an eye opener in terms of exposure to the hospital environment —I will not hear a bad word about nurses from anyone!— and in my growing enthusiasm for music. We had a variety of shows and whilst the bulk of my first year or so was spent on the request shows —where we’d wander the wards and gather requests and…

A weekly recap of the articles and posts I’ve read that I think are worth your time. Re-fueling while cycling made all the difference — After-hours engineering — A good lesson if you are getting into cycling as a hobby-ist. However I do have questions. What’s so bad about gels etc? And why does someone write a post asking for a response and then not have any way to to respond to them? Comments? Reply by email? Nope. So, into the ether this goes… Leisure as a Dream Job – by Madison Huizinga — I…

Today marks Day 100. Overall I’m happy with how it went. I moved enough everyday to mark is as “complete”, and I’ve lost about 7.5kg (plateau’d a bit as I’ve mentioned). The benefits are the adjustment of routine, building better habits, being more conscious of why I think I feel hungry (usually boredom or procrastination) and acting more appropriately. I have still had a couple of days without an exercise activity (yesterday I cut the grass and trimmed the hedges), we’ve still had pizza,…

What song makes you feel like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be? I am, right now, sitting on the sofa. My best friend, the person who sees me, who gets me, is on the chair. Our son is playing on the floor. When I’m away from them, as I was on Thursday night, I miss them terribly. I am supposed to be here. “Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service Listen on Apple Music Your browser does not support the audio element. Listen to Gordon McLean's Apple Music playlist View original post on…