Dom's Rambles

I've always thought that one of the great strengths of 80s heavy metal was its good natured willingness to poke fun at itself. This effectivelly defused much of the sneering criticism the mainstream music media levelled at it. However, when heavy metal musicians insisted on taking themselves a little too seriously and imagined that they had something profound to say then it usually lapsed into self-parody. To illustrate the point, see if you can tell which of these videos is the spoof.

If you liked these two there are some absolute howlers at You Tube including this gem. How anybody failed to figure out that Rob Halford was a low-aiming leap frogger after the Hot Rockin' video is utterly beyond comprehension.
On a vaguelly related note (related to 80s heavy metal I mean, not low aiming leap frogging) I've had an extremely productive day working on the next two chapters of Down & Out in Sheffield & Lincoln. This was in part due to discovering a superb internet radio station which I've had pounding out all afternoon and which has stimulated the glands and got those creative juices flowing. If 80s metal is your thing you'll love Metal Shop Rocks.
I'm even going to put it on the links page.

Walking alongside the Brayford Pool the other day I was reminded (by the above) of some drunken student who had recently met an ignominious end when he fell in and drowned.
If I happen to die a similarly accidental and untimely death and someone even thinks about adorning the site in such a crass and hideously vulgar fashion then I'll be back from the grave to haunt them and their descendants for as long as their bloodline lasts.

When I saw this challenging and provocative piece of 'people's art' scrawled all over the wall of the Waterside Shopping Centre in Lincoln High Street it tickled my fancy so much that I decided to share it with the wider world.