WILD GEESE THAT FLY WITH THE MOON ON THEIR WINGS

These are a few of my favourite things. This week.

1. The first chapter of Joseph Mitchell's unfinished memoir that appears in this week's New Yorker. Ian Preece wrote a lovely piece for Caught By The River on Mitchell back in November and anyone who has a soft spot for the Big Apple and its literary tradition will love Mitchell's writing. And I am thinking of starting a campaign to get the film of Joe Gould's Secret, starring Ian Holm, released here on DVD.
2. The cover art for the obscure magazine Brooklynite also featured in this week's New Yorker. I wish there were magazines around today that looked like this.
3. Kingsbridge Books' catalogue – specialists in Polar Exploration books. I collect books about the Antarctic and after buying a second-hand book about Herbert Ponting's photographs from a stall in Wells market I found a Kingsbridge Book compliment slip tucked in the back. On contacting them they sent me their catalogue which now threatens to bankrupt me.
4. The forthcoming documentary A Death in the Life of Joe Meek. I don't know when and where we'll be able to see this but it's sure to be better than Telstar : The Joe Meek Story. More details at http://joemeekdoc.com/
5. My old Troggs LPs – played in memorium for Reg Presley who sadly died this week. To me The Troggs represented everything that was likeable about rock'n'roll. I have fond memories of The Troggs playing at Biba's!
6. Kevin Avery's book on the life and writings of Paul Nelson : Everything Is An Afterthought which I am currently reading for review in my Music Book Reader Bulletin at Caught By The River. Nelson was an idiosyncratic writer and a tragic figure. His story is a salutory one for all rock writers!
7. Django Unchained. A hugely enjoyable film that left me feeling ever so slightly guilty that I found it so.
8. Richard Mabey's essays on the weather. Heard on Radio 3 at 10.45pm every day this week.
9. Matthew E White's Big Inner album just released on Domino Records. Sublime, seductive modern take on Southern soul. http://www.caughtbytheriver.net/2013/01/matthew-e-white-big-inner/.
10. Richard Williams' new music blog thebluemoment.com. Williams has just left The Guardian where he was chief sports writer. I hope that means he'll be devoting even more time to writing about music.