Typecast

For those of you that are new here, I used to host an irregular series called " Soundtrack To My Life " where I invited friends to share five songs that transported them back to a specific moment in time. It didn't have to be a major life event; just a treasured memory that you associate with that particular song. I occasionally interjected with my own lists of music and now I think it's time to revive the series.  This time, I want to share songs that I discovered by accident.  Now, back in the day (haha, that makes me sound SO old!) the only time I heard anything outside of my comfort zone was by friend's recommendations or... well, you'll see.  Nowadays, it's more likely to be by following 'you might like this' recommendations on Spotify.  But it provides an eclectic playlist  This time, I’m sharing songs I stumbled across completely by accident. Back in the day (I know, that phrase instantly adds years on me, doesn’t it?) the only way I’d hear ...

I've just realised that it's been 35 years since I left high school and I can't help but feel a bit nostalgic. It was the 1988 and so much has changed since then. But there are certain things that will always stay with us, like the music, films, and news stories that shaped that year. So, take a trip down memory lane with me and revisit the top five number one singles, films, and news stories from 1988 in the UK. First, let's talk about music. 1988 was a great year for pop music, with some of the biggest names in the business releasing hit after hit. But the top five number one singles in the UK chart that year were: " I Should Be So Lucky " by Kylie Minogue " Especially for You " by Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan " The Only Way Is Up " by Yazz and the Plastic Population (definitely my anthem of the summer)  " He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother " by The Hollies (I'm sure this was because it was used in an advert) " ...

Imagine searching for something for twenty-odd years and never finding it. Imagine blogging about it twelve years ago and still no leads. Imagine randomly mentioning it on a Facebook group in 2021 and someone saying "I can help"... In the early 1990s I signed up to a book club. You would receive a selection of books each month and you could choose to keep them and pay for them, or send them back in a pre-paid envelope. One of the bundles I bought was three 'chick lit' style novels and the storylines gave me a bit of light relief when the kids were in bed. I always kept books. I love to dip in and out of old favourites and used some as starting points for my creative writing. Nowadays, my Kindle is always nearby and I never have to worry about storage or books getting lost or damaged. Which is where this story starts... One of the books disappeard in a house-move. It had become a bit battered and dog-eared but, to me, that is the sign of a much-loved tome. I d...

When I went for my initial interview / introductory meeting at Ribble FM, I met the Studio Manager, Lee Roe. As we got chatting, we discovered that we were both licenced amateur radio operators and he knew my husband! I'm still not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing... anyway...  Lee is the Station Manager at Ribble FM in Clitheroe and always been involved in music from working at Ames Records when he was 14 to DJ'ing, being in a band playing in pubs, and clubs and even a host/DJ in a cruise ship nightclub.  He tells me that music takes him everywhere, fixes many things and keeps him sane.   Lee is a very social person, loves being around people and having a giggle.  He has been a single dad for 21 years, is a self-confessed complete and utter lazy bastard foodie who cooks every day and loves making food for people to enjoy.  Music + Food = Life.  So now, it's over to Lee...  ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ Tiger Feet - Mud This was the first 45' single I e...

Earlier this year I was asked to be an official blogger for The Snowman Tour , especially as the tour is coming to my home town and being presented in Blackburn Cathedral on 11th December. Carrot Productions bring you the magic of the iconic film, The Snowman , with a full live orchestra and additional festive treats in a unique setting. It's a beautiful, fun introduction to the orchestra and a perfect pre-Christmas outing for all the family. The show is in two halves - both around 35 minutes long - and aimed at children aged three and above. The first half will feature a wonderful Christmas overture followed by an animated film of the award winning book, The Bear and the Piano  (written by David Litchfield and narrated by Joanna Lumley) which promises to enchant all ages. The second half of the show leads into the film itself with a surprise conductor during the Snowman Waltz. The musicians are drawn from orchestras around the country including the Hallé, BBC P...

If my Soundtrack To My Life series was building up to anything, it was probably going to be this blog post.  The album compilation series, Now That's What I Call Music, has reached it's 100th release - a concept that started back in 1983 and one that I can honestly say "I was there at the beginning" because the first album was one of my Christmas presents that year. It's interesting to hear how the Now! series was created (it was an idea from Virgin Records to showcase the best songs of the year. It turned into a collaboration with EMI - the first time two record labels had joined forces in this way ). The series took it's name from a 1920's poster that advertised Danish bacon and the pig in the same advertisement became the iconic image of the album series for the first five issues, although it's probably only us old heads that remember it properly! I loved receiving the latest Now! album for my birthday or Christmas, or even sa...

When I stand on the beach, with the wind nipping at my ears and whipping my hair, I can lose myself in the enormity of it all. I look one way and see nothing but sea, spilling off the edge of the horizon. I look another and see the wrought iron pier with the strange edifice just off the end; the wooden remnants of the fire thirty five years ago. I can turn three hundred and sixty degrees and not one inch of the landscape appears unchanged. This was my childhood playground and I have made it my children’s and grandchildren's playground too. We drive out here as often as we can and walk for miles. We count the colourful beach huts and run up and down the sand dunes. We dream of living in one of the houses opposite – in a 1950’s carefree style – shorts and sandals, picnics, adventures and endless holidays. We prefer this end of the beach because it feels like a local secret. The tourists stay near the shops and the hotels, paddling in the boating lake and digging into the...

I get into the most random of conversations when it comes to music but a good friend of mine - Rowena, aka  DJ Row  - is going to be volunteering at our local hospital radio station in the very near future.  It's something I've thought about investigating after  my time at Preston FM  but fitting it into my already hectic schedule would be a bit of a nightmare! So, for the sixth instalment of  Soundtrack To My Life  this year I thought it would be a great idea to help Rowena out and compile a list of songs that she should  absolutely not  play during her time as a DJ on hospital radio. ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ She should definitely not be piping  You're So Vain  into the cosmetic surgery clinic and I think  Push It  and  Torn  could be off the playlist on the maternity ward. Maybe  The First Cut Is The Deepest  should be shunned for the operating theatre however post-op recovery ward residents may...

I remember my first school books having the top two thirds of the page blank for a picture and the bottom third of the page printed with two or three lines for our handwritten story. I much preferred writing to drawing and went through about ten different styles of handwriting before settling into the one I naturally use now. (see in full on Instagram ) I had a pang of nostalgia recently when I became the proud owner of a couple of Sylvine red exercise books. Once upon a time they were my go-to notebook when writing short stories or drawing pictures or playing paper-and-pen games with my sister on long car journeys. The cover of their books has changed (it's no longer shiny) and the pages are perforated but that shade of red hasn't changed... *be still my beating heart* Anyway... this isn't about me and my memories.  It's National Handwriting Day and handwriting is something that always fascinates and amazes me, especially when a comparison of two differe...

Alrighty then... only two days late this month. There's been a great number of eyebrow raising discoveries in August so here they are all for you too because I'm good like that. My son didn't believe he was actually called Jake. For a full 17 years he has thought that he was called 'Jacob' and we were using a shortened form of that name when talking to him. He demanded to see his birth certificate to determine the truth. I've been pronoucing the brand name "Maped Helix" incorrectly since primary school. Because of a phone call I had to make for work purposes, I found out, from the source, that it is pronounced 'Map-Ed He-Licks' and not 'mapped hell icks'.  After a short survey with my Facebook friends, it transpires that I'm not the only one who thought the same. You can use emoji even when on a desktop or laptop computer.  Ok... so this isn't actually ground-breaking but it helps to add emotion to a tweet that c...

Hello Soundtrack To My Life ... it's been a while, hasn't it? Anyway... before you proceed, please bear in mind that this is (a) not a definitive list - every girl has a right to change her mind and (b) I started with a list of twelve tracks and had to whittle it down, so the second I hit the 'publish' button, I'll probably want to put point 'a' into action. But it all stems from  this article  I read the other day which made me realise that even the most loyal of fans have different 'favourite' tracks, and they aren't necessarily the most popular or the ones that made it to the top of the charts. I'm not going to give a potted history of Duran Duran because, if you are reading this you are probaby a bit of a fan yourself, however many of their songs are fairly timeless and it's interesting to see that, even though they have been together (in various formats) for almost 40 years, they are still performing live and releasing alb...