The Engine Room Pop Quiz: my small walk-on part at the outset of Britpop
It was just over thirty years ago that I first picked up a microphone with a view to entertaining an audience. We’re not talking stand-up comedy at this stage however. […]
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The Former Religious Studies Teacher’s Love Of Film
Given that teaching Religious Studies can be a tough gig at the best of times, I found that one of the better ways to engage children meaningfully and get past […]
In Praise of Manufactured Pop: A 1970s Hull Fair Soundtrack
Despite having cooler musical affiliations – the sort that will get you admitted into a group of like-minded similarly self-conscious individuals – I’ve always had a bit of a thing […]
In Praise of the ‘Skeptics in the Pub’
The last – and only – time I took a show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was in 2015. Irrespective of title, content etc., I kept it under the radar. […]
The Extrovert Bass Player
Back when pop music was more or less in its infancy, there was a cliché attached to the business of playing the bass guitar: it was the default option of […]
Wither the UK travelling pop song?
I’m currently engaging in the business of putting together an Edinburgh show. While I don’t want to go into too much detail, mainly because at this stage, it is – […]
Nocturnal Mission: The Punky Reggae Party
In his much celebrated pop-psych manual Outliers, journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell suggests that ‘genius’ and the outstanding achievement that goes with it, is for the most part, governed by explainable […]
I See Tea Time
Anybody who has ever taught ICT in a secondary school context will tell you that there are but a small number of ways to arrange a computer suite, in order […]
Supply Teaching? It’s a bit like Stand-Up Comedy apparently.
A little while ago, I was asked to contribute an article to a renowned Teacher blog and website: along the lines of how stand-up comedy might be compared to supply […]
Parking on the School Run and Other Misdemeanours
While there many things teachers and parents might disagree upon, one thing that unites everybody is the business of negligent parking – some of it wilfully so – on the […]
