In my youth, I used to carry a torch for Selina Scott. Tall, lean, bright - probably went like the clappers - just the kind of girl I was looking for.
I happened to chance upon a TV programme on Channel 5 tonight - where Selina spent three quarters of an hour pouring scorn on modern TV, pop culture - almost everything created after around 1963. She's still a bit of a looker - but there's no doubt in my mind, she's bonkers. Nothing wrong with that, of course.

Review from Play Louder.

The Disco Students - 'I Beg To Differ'
yeah!yeah!yeah! Records

The Disco Students come from that era when you could get away with calling your band something like The Disco Students without the pseudo proletarian hordes of the music press getting sniffy. Yet the Aylesbury chaps were a band aptly named, combining arch, fizzing guitars with pummelling, anxious post-punk straitjacket-soul beats, elegant, intelligent lyricism and song titles like 'Kafkaesque' and 'A Boy With A Penchant For Open Neck Shirts'. That's me, that is! This retrospective of the band's twenty-eight year career sees the tense 'Pink Triangles', the light pop of 'Sugarside', the subtle synths of 'But' that give it a slightly goth edge and the dark romance of 'Red Flowers' that make up Disco Students early - and best -material. For anyone who's never got down for a book and a boogie with these chaps, this compilation comes highly recommended.
Review by Luke Turner. 26.8.06.

What Rough Trade say:
I Beg To Differ.
a double cd retrospective from the aylesbury based art rockers - featuring all the material from the singles since they reformed and also the tracks from the late 70's and early 80's - also features the classic "do you remember longwick'" by the haircuts - simon cheetham's first band - a standout track from the legendary "aylesbury goes flaccid" compilation album from 1978.

Review from REPEAT.

The Disco Students : I Beg to Differ (www.myspace.com/2006discostudents) Here’s some more nostalgia, but this time with a happy and still partly unwritten ending. The Disco Students were formed in 1978, and gloried in being freed from the shackles of prog rock and all that appalling nonsense. They traveled the country to plug into the national grid to rattle out short, sharp sets of angular, riffy, liberated punky stuff which this retrospectve shows to be still exciting and uplifting today. No wonder then that the band have reformed and have added some new tracks onto this 2 CD set which looks both forwards and backwards.

I had quite a surprise last night. I'd been out into the town of Bridport - sampling strong drink etc - and returned to find a Moog synthesiser in the house. One of the three Sues ( I've yet to discover which one )- has obviously got it from somewhere. Makes me think that some new recording is being planned.

I missed the BBC2 John Betjeman show the other night - I was out and about celebrating a wedding anniversary. Yeah, mine. Well - not just mine.
So, pleased to see it was repeated tonight. Watched it with glass of wine and loved it.
So many things I like. The rugged sea - JB loved Cornwall, I'm a Dorset man myself. Loved his unpretensiousness ( i haven't got my dictionary to hand so that may be spelt wrongly : but hey, we're all artists) - his nice streak of melancholy, eccentricity, englishness. All very good. I recall I had the opportunity to study him whilst at school - but, because I was who I was then , declined - and spent the time , generally wasting time. Well, that's what you do when you're a spotty self obsessed punk rocker. Also, the show was presented by Rick Stein - who I like, and with him Chalky, the Jack Russell.
I realise I'm drifting off into middle England dinner party territory here - but I too, am the "master" of a Jack Russell - so there were a number of common threads.
I will watch the remaining programmes with interest.

Been busy this week with the release of "IBTD" - making sure review copies are going out etc.
I am planning a couple of live dates around Christmas - it will be a new look DS - playing four or five songs from the new CD, plus a few brand new songs which are currently in production.
I'm excited about it - the previous run of live dates didn't really do it for me.
There's also a possibility of an interesting collaboration with another artist - but nothing certain yet.
One of the new songs includes a reference to Garry Bushell.

"I Beg To Differ" has been released into the community. A life's work (?)
And on we go - that was then - we move on to the next 26 years .....