Peace...

...though not necessarily quiet.

And chicken, spuds, parsnips roasting deep in Nessie the Esse's bowels.

"Rain, wind and fire! The secret, bestial peace!"

Philip Larkin, "The Card-Players"

Haunted, Harried, Harpied

Just abandoned Newsnight (will catch the World Service overnight) for VH1 Classic Rock. And damn, they've just played one of our all-time sticks-in the-mind-for-literally-months-on-a-continuous-loop tracks. So, take it as read that for the next little while, whatever we might ostensibly be listening to externally, internally the Spin Doctors' "Two Princes" is rolling merrily by. (We rather like the track, but we remember it haunting us through many a long working day when the single was released. We even have Pocket Full of Kryptonite somewhere.)

It was followed by Ultravox' "Dancing with Tears in my Eyes" too (did VH1 know we'd be switching on just then?), one of those personally evocative tracks that would (if such a thing were possible) bring tears to the eyes and a wave of nostalgia. It won't shift "Two Princes" from the permanent play slot, though.

Could have been a whole lot worse. The combination of The Connells' "74-75" place of "Two Princes" and The Stranglers' "Golden Brown" in place of the Ultravox and those men in the little white coats would be on their way round....

Kraaak!