... but I stopped. Now I'm a dad, and may blog again...

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

215: Recommended blogs (I was going to call it 'Tip-top shit-hot dogs bollocks blogs', but thought better of it)

The inspiration for my own blog.  Comedian Richard Herring began his daily blog on 30th November 2002, and he continues with an entry for each date even as we speak.  It’s sort of a diary and sort of an exercise in writing, exactly like mine (except Warming Up is a much better name than Block Chop).  Before I started my own blog I didn’t think I would be able to do a post a day; I thought maybe I could manage two or three a week, but sensibly realised I would end up doing all of them at the same time on Sunday evening each week.  The whole project would have crumbled within a couple of weeks.  Sensibly I went for the daily option, and haven’t looked back since!

Surprisingly good fashion blog written by a 13-year old girl.  It’s full of striking images, bright colours and weird hats.  It seems like a fashion student’s research folder, and is well written and sarcastic.  Plus it gets millions of hits and has got her jobs writing for big fashion magazines and invites to loads of top fashion shows.  There was a profile about Style Rookie on BBC 2’s The Culture Show last week, so I’m joining them in jumping on a bandwagon.

A geeky freelance writer uploads his extremely geeky diary from 1976.  He talks about buying comics and his favourite TV programmes, expresses guilty feelings about ‘it’, stresses about girls and school, and entertains us with some fabulously geeky photos of himself.  Each post is accompanied by a modern commentary trying to explain what his teenage self is going on about.

A confused lad stresses about sex and church in one long rambling post, and then vanishes from the face of the Earth.  Why has he not posted again, and has he grown up a bit?

Three excellent blogs that read the tabloid press so you don’t have to.  Ever wondered exactly how much regurgitated press releases, vague unresearched bullshit, and straight up lies are printed daily and repeatedly in the Daily Mail, The Sun, and the rest of them?  Now you can see the hypocrisy and the untruth picked over piece by piece in excruciating, disheartening detail.  Chief enemies to keep an eye out for are Richard Littlejohn (Daily Mail columnist who makes his millions spreading lies about immigrants and local council health and safety) and Richard Desmond (owner of the Express and the Star who has withdrawn from the Press Complaints Commission).  These blogs make depressing but addictive reading.

Recommendations (and downloads) of obscure, eccentric and amazing music.  Its non-genre specific so has everything from noise to prog, pop to dub, classical to muzak... you get the picture; it’s varied!  An incredibly great place to find things you would probably never hear otherwise, gifted to you by various contributors.

Very-occasionally updated but very funny ramblings of a regularly unemployed fellow like the rest of us.  Hasn’t posted since just before xmas so I guess he’s busy.  I hope he breaks a leg and is bedbound with just his laptop and his imagination to keep him occupied.  Then once he’s used up all the tissues he might write another post.

Wonderful illustrator and hot chick (in whichever order you prefer).  Draws and paints beautiful women, pigs in hats and octopuses.  Founder of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, a franchised burlesque life-drawing class that has spread around the world.

Great posts about all walks of illustration art; classic advertising, comics, political illustration, kids books, graffiti.... Varied and interesting.


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