Lyric Video: Leaving of Ballymun

Yes, it’s going viral, like the pandemic. Like the narrator’s emigration, there’s no going back now.

Charity links for Ukraine

Little girl singing "Let it go" in a shelter#UkraineRussianWar #Ukraine #UkraineUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/6gfcUoiwJJ

— Ankita Jain (@Ankita20200) March 6, 2022

Little girl singing in a bomb shelter in Ukraine

➽ Links to Donate
– Disasters Emergency Committee (UK)
– List of organisations providing support Ukraine

Giving up?

Update: since writing this, I have resumed work on the novel.

Stephen

I am not a novelist. I’ve wasted good ideas for short stories by trying to think of them as novels. However, if I revisit them, and I have about four I think I started on, maybe I can rewrite them as long short stories. I’m very down and depressed. Hardly an hour goes by that I don’t spend partially in contemplation of throwing my hat at it all. I wish this coronavirus would go away, it’s so worrying and depressing. So much anxiety, fear… We’re shielding each other here. A ticklish throat, random cough at night: is this it? Are we goners?

Then sometimes interludes of welcome respite in the garden. I wish goldfinches would slow down so I could have time to get my binoculars and have a good look at them. They flit to the bird bath and are gone in an instant. I’m going to go for a long walk today, my 3 mile walk. I’ve been taking the 1 mile route most days or staying in all day. Meanwhile here’s Donny…

Giving Up by Donny Hathaway (Spotify)

My all-time Spotify yearly "top songs" in one playlist

I copied the songs presented to me by Spotify as “Your Top Songs [year]” for the past number of years. They started with 2016 and I created this in 2020 with the songs from 2016 to 2019. The same songs recur from year to year but only one copy goes into this playlist. If they do another one for 2020 I’ll add the tracks from that too. Here is a link to the complete playlist.

My most-played Spotify tracks of 2019

According to Spotify, these were my top songs of 2019. It looks fairly accurate, re numbers of plays. It might not work, as the link might show your list instead of mine perhaps, I don't know and won't know. "Your Top Songs 2019" https://t.co/21Nw1Q1by8 #NowPlaying

— Stephen Moran (@stephen_j_moran) December 26, 2019

Small Faces favourites

It’s ages since I shared any YouTube videos. So here are some Small Faces videos that always perk me up.

All or Nothing

Itchycoo Park

Sha La La La Lee (A pity the screen is stretched wide, distorting the picture. No?

If you want some more, here’s a bit of a riot of a TV show, where they start before the suave host finishes talking and generally muck about. It’s a lot of fun. “Colour Me Pop” entire show, with lots of Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake and links by the hilarious Stanley Unwin. Very London.

Update: New discovery, July 2020

I’m Only Dreaming

Good morning, Autumn

Antony & the Johnsons playlist on YouTube, starting with Fistful of Love, River of Sorrow and You are my Sister. It’s a blue grey morning and post-summer tristesse is upon me.

Oasis – DVD commentary highlights

This is hilarious.

Dylan favourites

Sweetheart Like You

Series of Dreams

Jokerman

Things Have Changed

All My Trials

A painfully good video. i thought Pauly was a bit o.t.t. at first but fair do’s – having listened a few times – he’s bang on.