Engine Punk

I had a pleasant surprise on Friday when I return from work. The proof for The Wormton Lamb had arrived. Here is, resplendent in its new cover design. I've been checking it through over the weekend and on Sunday night was delighted to be able to send Lightning Source a message accepting this proof. I had a couple of e-mails from Lightning Source today confirming the dispatch of two separate orders of copies of The Wormton Lamb. A carton of 20 will soon be arriving at my door as well as a solitary copy but I must ordered for some reason months ago. It serves to remind me how long this process has taken and what a milestone I have reached. All I have to do is publicise it so -- tell your friends!

Ray Morrisey hit the news yesterday for, at the age of 49, he has just achieved the milestone of attending 5000 separate gigs over the course of the last 35 years. On his website, he lists all the bands that he's seen. It looks as if he would go and see anyone but his great favourites are the punk bands. Nowadays, he is something of a gig-going celebrity and he can blag his way into most venues. I was talking to my punk rock buddy Gary about Ray Morrisey. It could be said that we are contemporaries of Ray and may have rubbed shoulders or moshed with him. Gary reckoned that Ray wasn't terribly discerning in which bands he saw but was willing to forgive him this in view of his consuming passion for punk rock. Gary is another of those people who keeps a close record of all the gigs that he's seen. He's well into his hundreds and points out that as Ray lives in London he has far greater opportunity of seeing a wider variety and greater quantity of bands that we do sto...