Happy birthday, purple fella

He's been a symbol, a slave, Victor, a basketball whizz, purple trouseured funk god, actor, musician and Mail-on-Sunday fan. But for today, at least, Prince Rodgers Nelson is an astonishing 50. Looking good on it, as well, Princey-baby. Better than he did in '79, arguably.

Mood: Raspberry Beret

Funk: Housequake

Film: A toss-up between Under The Cherry Moon and Batman

Juke Box Ju-Ju

Below are three videos, feel free to rate your favourites while I wait for the rain to stop.

Oh, Jeremy ...

Anyone spot a squelcy northern nautical theme (back to proper words and sentences next...)?

Laura Marling - Cross Your Fingers/ Crawled Out Of The Sea

Part two of my Saturday music trilogy, waiting at the computer by my window waiting for the rain to end

Mystery Jets - Two Doors Down

Wonderful extra marks for the eightiestasticness. Beats the Freshley Squeezed presenters into an insipid cocked hat.

Wedding wind-up/blues

So far, the wedding plans have gone splendidly, only for two rather major hurdles to crop up over the weekend. For a start, our jeweller/rock n' roller Thai Paul announces that his volatile 50s wok n' wollas have split up, at the exact same venue where the Cyclones played their last gig almost two years previously. Spooky, huh? Lessons for all weddingy couples: don't trust yer jeweller with yer rock n' roll. Secondly, there's the small matter of our wedding reception being taken to the High Court by the Inland Revenue! Suggestions/ideas on a blogcard, please!

Strim when you're winning

As far as I know there isn't a verse in T-Rex's "Whatever Happened To The Teenage Dream" that says 'bought a strimmer from B and Q, so I could sort out my suicidal verges'. There should be. It feels awfully grown up to be spending cash on such things, with the only rock n' roll element being my schoolboy like refusal to read the instructions. Took the new toy down the allotment on Sunday, where, by the time we'd figured out how to use it, it ran out of battery. Undeterred, we charged the mutha-sucka and returned yesterday, only for the spool to run out just seconds after making some paltry headway. Spools out for summer. I may put a picture of Thatcher's head on the base to motivate future grassy encounters.

In positive plot news, the crowd of people who normally stand at the end of our plot pointing and laughing has diminished.

Listening: Laura Marling, Hawkwind, Marlena Shaw

Watching: The Wire (recording it off the telly means one episode a week, which means the pleasure ain't gonna stop til at least October! Hurrah!)

Barton Radar: Barton Beer Festival has just been and gone, but Barton Bike Night is only three weeks away!