A track: Under Pressure Queen & David Bowie
The last time I heard this song, it was being sung by two German strangers in a karaoke bar, in a cheap, all-inclusive holiday resort in Tenerife. I've always liked the song, but as I heard their very fair effort and read the words on the screen it reminded me of a) how bloody hard this record is to do well; b) how you think you know all the right words but you don't; and c) how we, who are in the business of commercial creativity, can only stand back in awe at this pair's genius and legacy.
But you need something to aspire to, right?
A book: Spoon's Carpets: An appreciation
For me, this book, which is an ode to the unique carpet designs at Wetherspoon pubs, could be the ultimate inspiration. Or kick in the b*llocks. Depending on how you look at it.
It is, unequivocally, to this day, the idea I wish I'd had more than any other. I love everything about it.
The real deal. A love-letter across 176 perfect pages. It's laugh-out-loud funny and completely unrepeatable by anyone else.
Stand up and take a bow, author Kit Caless:
A place: Sa Calobra
Or Coll del Reis, to give its official title. This little lump of rock leads to a small village in the Escorca municipality on the north-west coast of the Spanish Balearic island of Majorca.
One road up, down, back up and back down again. You can't go round it.
The pictures don't do it justice. Riding up from the port, it's 10km of shoelace hairpin beds at an average gradient of seven per cent. A European cycling legend.
My current PB, on a hired bicycle, far better than my own, is 51.13. Lifegoals is #project40 (under 40 mins). I've got a lot of work to do.
The good news is bike time is a guaranteed catalyst for ideas. (Not up this b*stard. It’s hell.) But I have often thought I should bill my daily commute!
A brand: Morley's
If 'South of the River' is something of a mystery, you won't know Morley's. But if you know, you know. And let me tell you. Mmm… It Tastes Better.
A lifetime before the Chicken Connoisseur tasted his first combo meal, bossman was serving the finest wings on the planet to hungry hordes of South Londoners.
It's an institution and represents just about everything I love about where I grew up. Every shop is a melting pot of the area. And if you keep an eye on its socials you'll see what an engaged 'community' really looks like.
Proper brand love; something you'll only ever achieve if you are completely in step with your customers. And truly authentic.
This is no poor man's KFC. It even 'borrowed' its imitation campaign from Morley's lovers!
Even the merch is fire.
Now if only they had a black card!
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