August

[Sweder]

8 kms in 45:58
TdJ: Substitute - originally by The Who but covered on this occasion by The Ramones

Damp hills in a chill wind under partly cloudy, partly blue skies - pretty much ideal conditions for my constitutional. After yet another day of rest - again, legs just too knackered yesterday morning - I felt fresh and up for a quickie (ooh err missus )

Alongside the superb Ramones number Mr Cooper played Heroes by David Bowie. The song did well on release but I never cared much for it. In some perverse way I saw it as a rival to No More Heroes, which in some respects it was, but I also saw it retrospectively as the first step on a slippery slope for Bowie, a step which led to the slide into the monstrous debacle that was Tin Machine. I get very upset about Tin Machine. The Music world - at least the printed part of it - closed ranks in an Emperor's-New-Clothes kinda stylee and tried to tell everyone that this was good, we should embrace Bowie's latest cutting edge incarnation. What utter bollocks. Tin Machine was an abomination, a rudderless mishmash, a cacophony of nonsense. Those of us waiting for the return of the Thin White Duke were to be sorely disappointed. Throwing darts in lovers' eyes? Throwing bombs in listeners' ears more like. Pah.

Speaking of Tin, and metal in general, I see there's plans afoot to release the live-action movie version of the Stan Lee classic Iron Man, featuring the unlikely casting of Robert Downey Junior in the eponymous role. I wonder if they'll use the Black Sabbath number of the same name at any stage? Seems churlish not too . . .

Good to see Andy finally hit the trails again last night. There's a horrible twilight zone for runners where it's been a while since you've hit the streets and you start to wonder if you ever will again. It's a relief when you break the ice and find that first dip isn't quite as painful as you'd feared.