Spend a lot of my time trying to convince myself that we live in a Godless universe. I read and watch all things to do with natural history, especially love David Attenborough's work.
I find all types of history absolutely fascinating. I've bought books (I say "bought" because I haven't actually got round to reading all of them) on varies subjects: the history of diseases, plants, inventions (paper-clips, forks, pins and so on) and I've an interest in almost anything (except real life and reality, that bores me).
As I grow older I find myself writing to my local council more and more complaining about my young neighbours enjoying themselves. In truth it's not much of a consolation but if I can prevent these people from enjoying themselves quite so much I don't feel I'm missing out on things. I really do dread the thought of waking up one morning to find I've turned into Philip Larkin. If this happens I shall do the decent thing and throw myself under an oncoming bus.
I'd like to meet:
Amazing and beautiful people (or, failing that, amiable simpletons of any shape or size).
I'm not here for dating but should some attractive young woman hungry for a passport wish to contact me I'm sure we could come to some suitable arrangement (My fourth wife, Chang, agreed to work through The Dictionary of Sex with me. I became very fond of her in the end and regret selling her now). NOTE: That's a joke!
Music:
Moby Duck - Pulling faces to The Only Ones
Billy Bragg - Island of No Return
Billy Bragg: Milkman of Human Kindness
Billy Bragg: New England
Billy Bragg - Greetings to the New Brunette
Billy Bragg - Levi Stubbs' Tears
(One for my favourite songs by any artist)
..
Movies:
Prick Up Your Ears - clip from the film of the life and death of Joe Orton
Entertaining Mr Sloane
Talking about Joe Orton
Television:
Steptoe & Son, Hancock's Half Hour, I'm Alan Partridge, Porridge, Doctor Who (the old series), Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Tales of the Unexpected, Ideal, Life On Earth, The Living Planet.
I'm Alan Partridge
Hancock's Half Hour: The Oak Tree
Hancock: The Bowmans
Hancock's Half Hour: 12 Angry Men
Hancock's Half Hour: The Economy Drive
Books:
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Richard Dawkins: River Out of Eden, The God Delusion, The Blind Watchmaker, The Ancestor's Tale.
Gunter Grass: Dog Years, Tin Drum, The Rat, The Call of the Toad.
Julian Barnes: Metroland, Before She Met Me, Flaubert's Parrot, Talking It Over, A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters.
Keith Waterhouse: Billy Liar (read it!)
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: The Idiot, The House of the Dead, Crime and Punishmentand loads more bleeding books.
Heroes:
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Emile Zola, Mark Twain, Jack London, Dorothy Parker, Diana Rigg, Douglas Adams, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Bill Hicks, Voltaire, Joe Orton, Dylan Thomas, Tom Paine, D H Lawrence, George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, George Orwell, Morrissey, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, Tony Hancock, William Tyndale, Franklin D Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln.
Joe Orton
Bill Hicks
Galton and Simpson
The best British sitcom writers ever. Bollocks to any of those daft polls. The Vicar of Dildo 'I wouldn't give it house room.'
