Friday, 7 August 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Nineteen

 More Doctor Who adventures...

 I loved going to Burnham Beeches as a kid, there was always something new to see and explore. We used to go on long walks to a big lake there through the idylic woodland. Some of the trees are so old they resemble bones which I later went back to in the early 90s and sketched.


 
 
NEXT- PART TWENTY


Friday, 31 July 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Eighteen

 Don't remember much about this except playing with a Colt 45 replica. It was great as it had fake bullets you could take in and out of the chamber, unlike the children's cap guns we played with at the time. Researching online I have found an artist called Terence Gilbert who could fit the profile of the 'Terry Gilbat' mentioned here. Born in 1946, which fits with my parents generation, he did commercial illustration before moving on to commisioned paintings in the mid 70s. Is it the same chap? I have no idea but if you fancy a look at some of his work his website is here: 

https://www.terencegilbert.com/index.html

NEXT- PART NINETEEN
 

Friday, 24 July 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Seventeen

 

I loved the Planet of the Apes franchise as a kid (still do) but only ever had the one action figure. Despite my amazingly artistic interpretation of General Ursus, here's what he really looked like in 1976-

 
NEXT-PART EIGHTEEN

 

Friday, 10 July 2026

The Listening Post #6

I've mentioned this guy way back in the first Listening Post in 2020. I give you three masterpiece tunes from Mr Steven Wilson...

Love the animation in Beautiful Scarecrow...
NEXT WEEK- FIFTY YEARS AGO
You know it.

Friday, 26 June 2026

Friday, 19 June 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Fourteen

That tent was in service until at least 1991 when an old girlfriend and I took it to the Reading Festival for the weekend where Iggy Pop, The Sisters of Mercy and James were headlining the main stage. We also saw Carter USM, Pop Will Eat Itself and a pre superstardom Blur. T'was a fun weekend fuelled by lots of beer!

 


NEXT WEEK- PART FIFTEEN
 

Friday, 12 June 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Thirteen

 Unlucky for some.

I have heard of but have no memory of watching Star Maidens... Neil was one of my best friends back then. We played Starsky and Hutch and Hulk, built camps in the garden in the summer holidays and later played our Adam And The Ants singles to death. I snapped my copy of Antmusic at his house by sitting on it, what a muppet. I replaced it in the early 90s. He had the coolest room in our street with loads of giant film and TV posters and the centre spreads from Look-in wallpapered onto the walls. I'd love to get back in touch with him but there's no sign of him on any social media. He had an older brother and younger sister, Katy and Iain, but no sign of them either. This isn't a dox as they are long gone from the road where we grew up, but if anyone knows where Neil Blackman who lived in Tockley Road, Burnham in the 70s and 80s, or his brother or sister I'd love to catch up, if only to see that he's having a good life.   

NEXT WEEK- PART FOURTEEN

Friday, 5 June 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Twelve

 I loved that 'Frankingstine' model. All the versions I have found online have glow in the dark hands and face, but from what I remember it was all black plastic, no glow in the dark bits. Perhaps the UK had a cheaper version? I didn't paint my one either. To be fair, if I did it would have been a mess so that was for the best.


 NEXT- PART THIRTEEN
 

Friday, 29 May 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Eleven

Missed a couple of weeks over the Christmas holidays, so it's Happy New Years from 1977. A great year that saw the Queen's silver jubilee and, more importantly, the start of 2000AD (although I didn't start reading it regularly until 1980) and Star Wars!


 NEXT- PART TWELVE!

Friday, 22 May 2026

Woolley Jumper #14

 


Back to Mr Woolley's Massacre Comix this week with Part 2 of the secret origin of Massacre Man, originally published in Mondo#24 in July 1994. The issue featured two (!) editorial pages by Lee Davis, a Darkness text story, the first part of Superman In Britain, an interview with long term Mondo artist Tim Rees, Tim's own strip Mirror-Man, an article on the Sharpe TV show, Survivor by Lee Davis and Darren Bardsley, British Bulldog 2 by Davis and Paul Knight, and the final part of the Negative Man story The Heroic Trinity by Lee and Chris Doughty. All stuffed into 52 fun packed pages, not bad for £1.35 (plus postage).

Mondo #24 over art by Paul Knight
 NEXT TIME- MORE NONSENSE

Friday, 15 May 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Ten

'AAHHH, Jim lad, we're off to Never-Never Land fifty years ago!'

NEXT- SOME SHIT OR OTHER

Friday, 24 April 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Seven

 

 Got a star for this one... In the book it's silver, the scanner turned it black for some reason.

NEXT WEEK- PART EIGHT
 

Friday, 17 April 2026

Friday, 10 April 2026

Friday, 3 April 2026

Woolley Jumper #13

We're taking a break from the fifty year old school diary this week to leave you in the very capable hands of Mister John Woolley and his Massacre Comix, originally presented in Mondo #23 from June 1994.

 


NEXT TIME- SOMETHING ELSE

Coming Soon- Fred Fortune: City of Tomorrow

Friday, 27 March 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Five

 Here's an in depth account of one of many times I went to my friend Chris's house for tea.

 
 NEXT WEEK- THE RETURN OF WOOLLEY JUMPER!

Friday, 13 March 2026

Fifty Years Ago Part Three

 This week it was a trip to London. Those pigeons in the sky look like dragons to me now with those claws!

NEXT WEEK- PART FOUR!