Who wants to be...

... on a million Lire note? Surely everyone had one of these made, or had their face stuck on a tea-towel, t-shirt or mug back in the day? They were compulsory during the '70s.

Somewhere in my box of stuff I've also got two different photos of me, on Spanish holidays separated by a decade, being made to drink rough Rioja out of one of those long watering-can wine bottle things. How many of those are there in the world? And why does everyone get one done on holiday? I never drink wine like that normally.

I cropped myself out of this photo 'cos I look like I've had my face inflated with a bicycle pump. Start the diet tomorrow.

Valentine's card

My Valentine's card from Tanya Donelly, of the band Belly. I was very pleased to get this in '96. Ten years on and she still hasn't followed it up. Perhaps I should've made more of an effort.

Don't let that question mark fool you. I know it was from her. I recognise the handwriting. She autographed my white denim jacket (!) back in '93. In Manchester. (Something of a recurring theme in my 20s, Manchester, I'm beginning to realise.)

I went on to have rather a surprisingly consistent communication (via postcards, letters, etc.) with the band's bassist, Gail Greenwood. I was so shocked that someone in a band I loved was writing to me that I stopped writing back. Clever, eh? More on Gail, and that correspondence, later...

Satan's Hollow flyer

Another sort-of ticket stub. This is the flyer for Satan's Hollow, a nightclub in Manchester owned by some friends of mine.

I love this for a few reasons. First off, I saw the club being built from practically start to finish. It is an incredible venue, entirely suited to the Hammer Horror bit-part clientele that frequent it. (You may recognise it as the studio venue for Turn On Terry, Terry Christian's poorly received late-night ITV discussion programme. Chances are, though, you won't.)

Secondly, it is where I spent my 30th birthday. I took great delight in inviting a bunch of friends up to Manchester and was rewarded by the sight of my mum bopping with a load of goths on Satan's Studio 54-esque volcano dancefloor. (Although it's NOT a goth nightclub, I should stress, for fear of reprimand by the owners. There's Rockworld up the road for that.)

Thirdly, it's got a photo of Pippa, my ex (and the girlfriend I shared with Jon from The Slightlys, as mentioned earlier), on it. And also a photo of Fun Ema, my partner-in-mischief in the North. You will have to work out for yourself which is which, but I bet you get it wrong. (Clue: neither of 'em is the bald fella.)

Fourthly, and which you can't see from this pic, is that on the back there's a photo of Neil Morrissey wearing a "Westlife" t-shirt (written in ironic, Popbitch "Chazbaps" font), and he looks like a right auld twat on it.

I've never forgiven him for going out with Rachel Weisz.

Ticket stub

More stuff about Paula from Slightlydelic. (She got in touch through this blog, so I'm writing loads about her now - she's got a daughter called Eliza!)

This is a ticket stub from the Cornerhouse cinema in Manchester. I took Paula to see From Here To Eternity (you can probably tell by looking at the picture, eh?). I am the kind of person who keeps ticket stubs.

I remember being told off by a bloke behind us for talking during the film. There were about four of us in the cinema!

This was all a long time before I lived in Manchester. In fact, I revisited the Cornerhouse cinema when I first moved up North (and had no friends). I saw Mansfield Park, starring Victoria Hamilton. You see? It all links!

I have also realised that I have no actual photos of Paula. Well, not ones with me or, indeed, any where you can see her face. How can I have been so close to her for at least five years and not have a single photo to prove it? Is this a record?