Happy Campers

When I was a kid, we used to pitch a tent in our playroom and occasionally insist we slept in there all night. Our Dad had to come camping too – because who else was going to scare off tigers, lions and cannibal tribesman? – and the first part of the evening was almost always spent planning routes of escape from charging elephants and the odd local warlord. The tent was tiny, and not nearly as glamorous or romantic as the ones below (for the very obvious reason  that going on imaginary safari with your Dad in a playroom is a serious and intrepid business and there’s no place for fairylights) but that only made it more magical.

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Doodle Bug

I’d like to think I’ve achieved a lot in twenty three years on this planet. I can’t drive or cartwheel, but I make a mean cup of tea, and once upon a time I left university with a degree and I’m always on time for dentist appointments and national train travel and I recycle a whole tonne of stuff (on this, Hackney Council you’re hampering my efforts. It’s been three weeks now. Pick it up)  but I can safely say, that despite sustained and frequent efforts in various lectures, bus rides and talks, I have never created anything with a biro as wacky and cool as these paintings by Shane McAdams, which use ball point pen ink. Indeed, I think the farthest I’ve ever got was the biggest game of squares ever seen. In fairness, I only have the Bic biro itself – Brooklyn-based McAdams heats the ink and uses solvents before working the ink and resin mix onto panels – but you get my drift: dude’s the doodle king.

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{More images here}

Friday Playlist

So: about the series of posts titled ‘Songs To Make You Smile’.

It’s being rebranded (see above).

But wait up: it’s not all that bad kids. It’s just because I really have a penchant for playing morose, sad, weepy songs of an afternoon, and the title, dear readers, did not fit the content. Plus, having a song for every single day sometimes felt a little forced. Lovely to pick but if say, I was on a Beatles marathon, which tracks do you choose? So yes. It’s going to get a little longer some weeks, a little shorter others, but it’s still going to be muzak that I like that I hope you do too.They just might make you bawl and remember the first girlfriend that wore real lipstick and dumped you in a diner and ran off with your best friend and the school’s quarterback. What am I saying? I’m British. We don’t have quarterbacks. There’s a small insight on my impression of American High School right there though. 

Without further ado, here’s this week’s selection.

Happy listening and happy Friday!

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