This, kiddies? Is a cautionary tale.

Shaun's life so far

Born 23 August 1962, in Salford, Greater Manchester, eldest son of a postman and a nursery nurse. One brother, Paul.

Early Life Left school at 15 and, until the age of 28, could not get past the letter H in the alphabet. Sacked for stealing credit cards from his first and only non-music job as a messenger for the Post Office. Heroin-user since 18; moved on to crack but is now clean.

Career 1981 Formed Happy Mondays, a band at the forefront of the Madchester scene notorious for their heavy drug use.

1992 Happy Mondays split after four albums.

1995 Formed Black Grape with Mondays sidekick Bez and rapper Kermit.

1998 Black Grape split.

1999 Happy Mondays re-formed for one year.

2005 Co-wrote, with Damon Albarn, and rapped on Gorillaz' single 'DARE'.

Family Three children by three different women.

Ice, ice, baby

Y'all, we are in the middle of an Ice. Storm. Trees are down all over the place, power lines have snapped and we still have power. For now. On my way into work this AM, I almost went into the opposite ditch twice. While driving 25 miles an hour.

This? Is not good.

I fumble for the clock

alarmed by the seduction.

The Jam - STRANGE TOWN

my fav Jam song

The Jam -Eton Rifles- Live Granada TV

Good Times

In 1977, disco bestrode the globe like an afro-haired, stack-heeled colossus. There had been disco records before, notably Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby and George McCrae's Rock Your Baby. But by 1977, disco - dance music's logical next step after the orchestrated, soul-based Philadelphia sound of the early 70s - came to seem less like a series of wonderful flukes and more like the soundtrack to a pop era. The Trammps and Tavares, Thelma Houston and T-Connection, the Brothers Johnson and the Fatback Band were all over the radio and the charts. The real indicator of its popularity was that other artists latched on and began to "go disco", with Marvin Gaye one of the first to succumb with Got to Give It Up, Abba following suit, and even behemoths of white rock - notably the Rolling Stones, Kiss and Rod Stewart - getting in on the act.

The year also saw the debut British chart entries from disco's prime movers, Chic and Earth, Wind & Fire. And, in March, the Bee Gees' manager, Robert Stigwood, made a phone call to his charges that cemented forever the popular perception of disco: he asked the Gibb brothers to provide new songs for the soundtrack to his latest project, a movie called Saturday Night Fever. Finally, there was a bolt of sequencer-driven electro-disco strangeness called I Feel Love by Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder, one of two trailblazing singles from summer 1977 that transformed the way people thought about popular music - the other being God Save the Queen.

Someone I aspire to resemble

in both form and function is Heather B. Armstrong from Dooce. She is, quite simply, a fantastic writer, and this piece regarding Britney is so compassionate and knowing, that I wish I was her (Heather's) friend.

You wouldn’t have ever found me out at night flashing my bare vagina, but so what? I did things that were far worse, a lot of yelling, a lot of walking away, a lot of wishing I had never had a child. But I forgive myself for all of that because I was sick. I am not that person anymore. I wasn’t that person before my breakdown, and I’m doing everything I can to not ever become her again.

And while I understand that Britney Spears is not everyone’s cup of tea, that to most people she’s just a spoiled celebrity who has more money than sense, I would hope that other women and other mothers are looking at her with a little bit of compassion right now, if only for the sake of those two baby boys who are innocent in all of this. She is their mother. I had too many people pulling for me when I went through it to not extend that sympathy to her or to any other woman who might feel out of control enough to start sabotaging her life.

Random Ten

1. Me and Mr. Jones- Amy Winehouse
2. Let's Make Love and Listen To Death From Above- CSS
3. Tempted- Squeeze
4. We Can Work It Out- Stevie Wonder
5. Detroit- Primal Scream
6. Mardy Bum- Arctic Monkeys
7. Shame For You- Lily Allen
8. She's Lost Control- Joy Division
9. Sally Cinnamon- The Stone Roses
10. I'll Stand By You- Girls Aloud

Bonus-
11. It's Not Unusual- Tom Jones
12. Pump It Up- Elvis Costello
13. Valerie- The Zutons
14. Age Of Consent- New Order

Awwweeesome

I just got a new ringtone. 'Rehab.' From The Winehouse's myspace page. Tewtelly awesome.

That is all.

I Heart Posh

Posh was by far my favorite Spice Girl, and I still adore Victoria Beckham. Yeah, I had a favorite Spice Girl. What's your point? Oh, alright, I loved Ginger. And Baby, too.

She was, by all accounts, not the most talented, yet she snagged a footie GOD, and has a profitable sideline in fashion design. And she should know fashion. MAJOR clotheshorse.

This interview with VB is totally adorable. She smiles and laughs, things that I didn't know she was capable of. And her interaction with the little boys is too cute. Again, she should know, as she has 3 little guys.

via Pop Sugar

Manchester v. Cancer*

I love that the versuscancer website looks like the classic Factory posters. Headliners so far- King Monkey, The Charlies and Echo and the Bunnymen.

*annual concert put on by Andy Rourke (Smiths) to benefit the Christie Hospital in Manchester. Last year's performers included Doves and New Order- who did an entire Joy Division set.

T headliners

Killer lineup, with more to be announced later. Bands heading to Kinross, Scotland July 6-8 include:

Friday (July 6)

Main Stage
Arctic Monkeys
Bloc Party
The Coral
Lily Allen

Saturday (July 7)

Main Stage
The Killers
Razorlight
Arcade Fire
James
James Morrison

Radio 1/NME Stage
The Kooks
My Chemical Romance
Babyshambles
CSS

King Tuts Tent
The View
Klaxons
Jamie T

Sunday (July 8)

Main Stage
Snow Patrol
Scissor Sisters
Kings of Leon
The Fratellis
Paolo Nutini
Goo Goo Dolls

Radio1/NME Stage
Kasabian
Interpol
Maximo Park
Mika

King Tuts Tent
Editors

Pet Sounds Arena
Damien Rice
Amy Winehouse
Tori Amos

Slam Tent
Dave Clarke
Slam

How appropriate is it that Diamond Lil is on Friday night?

20th Century Boy

The reason I do not care for Radiohead

is because of associated memories of an assclown ex-boyfriend who listened to them. Constantly. I mean, ALL THE TIME. And he was a total jerkface/stupidhead. (Yes, I'm 10)

So, when I make fun of Thom Yorke, this is the reasoning behind it. That, and I truly don't give a fuck about Radiohead. The only whiners* I like? The Smiths and Moz.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, I like big, dumb rock and roll.

Trolls, BEGONE.

*all perspective, mind

Good Lord

The dress Emmy Rossum is wearing? A dead ringer for one my grandmother wore. To my mom and dad's wedding. In 1973. When she was 53 years old.

Again, in 1973. When she was well into her middle age. And the mother of the bride.

Dancing With The "Stars"

I know the term 'star' is used VERY loosely here, but let me get this straight.

The contestants for this season of "Dancing With the Stars" include the fat dancer from N*Sync, Clyde the Glide, Leeza Gibbons, Achy Breaky Cyrus, Steve Sanders, Mrs. Ric Ocasek, Big Pussy and Heather Mills? HEATHER MILLS? HEATHER MILLS?

Holy crap. This I gotta see.

I'm forseeing lots of ballgowns and trainers

And big jewelry!

Lily Allen is set to design a "capsule wardrobe" for high street clothes chain New Look, to be titled 'Lily Loves'.

Known for her quirky dress sense and penchant for gold jewellery and vintage pieces, the range will feature six dresses, two pairs of shoes and assorted brightly coloured accessories.

Speaking about Lily Allen's individual style, New Look's head of fashion communications Sarah Walter explained: "She's an absolute dressaholic."

The collection is due to hit UK stores in May.

Aspens

Aspens. Fall Colors, Colorado, originally uploaded by bridgepix.

In honor of the Scooter and Judy show

Happy birthday, Ian!

King Monkey is 44 today. Doll, talk to John already, please?

Exactly

As a female who likes a drink or two, it really twists me when I see headlines cautioning women about the risks of drinking, because you might be "taken advantage of." However, you never see similar headlines cautioning men to not drink to excess because they might "take advantage of someone."

So I loved this-

Which clearly means the onus is on women to protect themselves. Sigh.

Some alternate headline suggestions:

Men warned to stop raping drunk women

Men warned of rape drink risk

Stop getting drunk and raping women, asshole

via Feministing

New Order - Blue Monday

I Don't Feel Like Dancing at the Brit Awards

LFW

that La Moss was doing a collection for TopShop.

Indeed, the whole thing might have been something of a loss if Topshop hadn't chosen Thursday afternoon to unveil the first samples of their Kate Moss collection, which will launch on 1 May. Everyone was required to sign an agreement forbidding them from publishing a word about it until late April. 'But it will be a massive hit,' a loose-lipped editor assured me. 'Kate's stuff is gorgeous.' It seems that this season's London Fashion Week will be remembered mostly for the collaboration between a high-street giant and a supermodel with a magnificent and dubious reputation

More Amy

She sang "Rehab" with a sweet uncertainty, hitching up her red frock to mid-thigh level, but delicately, carefully, as though primly fastidious about revealing her knickers. Her acceptance speech, far from being a rant about the awfulness of Dido or the rapacity of A&R men, was a little-girl stutter of "ers" and "ums" before she declared "I'm just glad my mum and dad are here" and exited, probably for a lovely family night out. It was hopeless. "They tried to make me go to rehab?" More like, "They tried to persuade me to have a small sherry and enjoy myself, but I said no, no, no...". At this rate, we'll soon have to stop waiting for her to self-destruct, and start listening to her singing.

I love riders

you know, the list of items that bands require backstage to prepare them for their performance? Oasis's from the Brits included:

six bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne, 100 bottles of Becks lager, 12 bottles of wine and a THOUSAND Marlboro Lights.

Oh and eye masks from Estee Lauder (to prevent puffiness). I don't judge.

via Queen Bee