Splinters

An interesting and promising new site discovered today:- Cult Cargo. Based in north-west England (the Scouse/Wirral end it would appear), it is tagged as an alternative music site, but clearly casts its net wider into literary and political spheres. It's been going less than two months but has already examined The Fall's wonderful second album Dragnet, Celine's marvellous Journey To The End Of The Night, and the work of satirical Anarchist Czech author Jaroslav Hasek who I've been meaning to read for a long while. Good interview with Kevin Sampson, who's Awaydays I enjoyed a few years back too.

Best of all though, it has a new interview with the great Nigel Blackwell of Half Man Half Biscuit immortality. Nige is always described as "rarely interviewed" although this rarity seems to be slightly subsiding these days. Not that I'm complaining at all, he's an understated delight in quote as always. Its particularly endearing and somehow wonderfully in keeping to hear him express mild regret at the laddish swipes at Marilyn Monroe and Hattie Jacques on the first two albums. These digs were pretty mild and whimsical by current standards in fact, but its good to see that Nige seems a very decent man who regrets even these slight youthful transgressions. His bile is severe, but is usually directed in all the right places, and his exceptional wit has nothing in common with the Zoo/Nuts/Loaded axis of misogyo-morono-lite. Said morons often slot Half Man Half Bisuit and the Macc Lads in together, a bit like confusing Lenny Bruce with Chubby Brown.

Anyway, I digress. For myself at least this is a fab selection of subjects. Cult Cargo has a great future ahead, Godless randomness willing.