You Cannot Legislate Against Wrongful Encouragement

Well, someone is in a bad mood aren't they darling?

Oh dear, I seem to have offended London. After counselling and lunch I decided to go for a walk round town before meeting a friend for a cup of tea at First Out. I'm standing in Grosvenor Square and getting the geographical cold-shoulder. The back streets of Mayfair are just squalid, full of rotting cardboard and smelling of spoilt milk. Today London was a bitter old whoremistress, looking at me through angry eyes that I'd gone cavorting with younger towns who had dazzled me with trinkets.

I'll win her over again. I always do. She'll open her arms to me again. She always does.

But on the other hand...

I popped into Gosh! (Sorry xxxlibris) but there was only occasionally engaging gendercrash comic Y The Last Man waiting for me. I briefly toyed with the Agents of HATE collection as I'd enjoyed an issue that invisible_al had waved at me, but a hardback was taking the piss. Cheers Marvel, but I'll take a paperback or just not bother thanks. So I picked up issue one of Phonogram, which I'd been vaguely aware of people taking about and asked the staff to put aside an issue two for me to come back and pick up some other time if I liked it.

Half an hour later I came back to buy issue two, and put the title on my holds list.

I feel like I'm eighteen again. Britpop was 'my' first big movement, I had Nirvana CDs but grunge passed me by really. This brings it all back, right down to the Maker/NME wars and the ink coming off on my fingers. The scene with the girl on the bridge in issue two crying over Richey Manic was just so right, even if it's cheeky to complain about DJs that play Seventies music when this comic is unashamedly playing nineties music. But how can you hate anyone who, in their glossary entry for the Manics advises: 'If you want it puritanical rage, start with The Holy Bible. If you want it successful and pop, start with Everything Must Go. If you want it idealistic and idea-rich, start with Generation Terrorists. If you want it shit, start with This is my Truth, Tell Me Yours.'

Of course, they are wrong about how good Kenickie were and too harsh on Echobelly, but no-one's perfect...