Results tagged “Dan-Bourke”

Concrete Pencil: Sock it to me

By Simon Hayes on March 18, 2010 9:24 AM |

DanBourke142.jpgDan Bourke treads carefully when it comes to wearing the wrong socks on the wrong day.

There are two types of people in this world. There are those who, if they own socks with days of the week on them, are absolutely fine wearing the wrong day's socks: Saturday on a Tuesday, say, or Thursday on a Monday.

Concrete Pencil: Fire Alert Fun

By Simon Hayes on March 10, 2010 12:24 PM |

DanBourke142.jpgDan Bourke questions why he volunteered to be a fire marshall in Britain's tallest building.

I think there might be two drunk blokes, short of breath, still running up the stairs in One Canada Square. By now actually I should imagine that they're pretty hungover, and they've probably stopped seeing the funny side too.

Concrete Pencil: Save 6Music

By John Hill on March 3, 2010 10:53 AM |

Dan Bourke thinks killing 6Music is "cowardly, short-sighted and wrong-headed"

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OK, first things first, it is only a radio station. So there's no need to emigrate. And I won't, despite what I said at breakfast, vote Tory if they say they'll save 6Music.

(And I came to that decision before I read that Ed Vaizey, the shadowy culture bod, said he was a fan.)

Concrete Pencil: Lest We Forget

By John Hill on February 24, 2010 4:10 PM |

Dan Bourke can't remember that singer

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I can't remember that singer - what's he called?

The one who did King's Crossing. One of my favourite songs. Really can't. Who cares, you might think. A man I don't know can't recall a fact that's of no use to me.

Concrete Pencil: There is power in a union

By John Hill on February 17, 2010 10:20 AM |

Dan Bourke is in a velvet rut

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Do you remember your first day of school? Nothing has ever been the same since, has it?

It's been a straight line, pretty much, from there to here. Wear those clothes, sit in that chair, do this stuff that we tell you.

This week saw the first day for our daughter at nursery.

Concrete Pencil: Not licensed to ill

By John Hill on February 10, 2010 10:13 AM |

Dan Bourke can't wallow in sickness at home, so he's doing it here

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There's an ad at the moment for a blanket with sleeves - never in my life have I wanted anything more.

Just think: on the sofa, poorly, someone supportively kind has brought you a Lemsip.

Concrete Pencil: Light relief

By John Hill on February 3, 2010 11:50 AM |

Dan Bourke sees the sun squint over Shadwell once again

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God be praised: the DLR is back.

Not that it was ever away of course, not really, it's just that it wasn't going to Bank for, like, the whole month, so it was of limited use to me.

Concrete Pencil: Breakfast at Tiffinbites

By John Hill on January 27, 2010 1:37 PM |

Dan Bourke is in cinemas from Friday

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There is, in Hollywood, a pretty well defined structure for what makes a perfect screenplay. It delineates, minute-by-minute, what should happen when.

Obviously, it displays an appallingly cynical attitude to art, and movies that I like can't possibly obey something so hideous.

Concrete Pencil: The Devil's Own

By John Hill on January 20, 2010 1:38 PM |

Dan Bourke didn't lose his soul to that man in the long coat, so he's open to offers

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I sold my soul to the devil once, in Alice Holt Forest near Bentley in Hampshire.

Me and my mate Findlay wanted unimaginable success for our band Mad Jack (or ROSEBAUM, or Filthy Mouths & Dirty Minds, or whatever we were called at the time), and also unimaginable success with unimaginably beautiful (and filthy) women.

Concrete Pencil: Clearing your head

By John Hill on January 13, 2010 11:30 AM |

Dan Bourke can't wipe away that night on the Green Bridge

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I've got a new thing on my Mac called Time Machine. It takes me back.

I went to see the Clash in '77, the Stones in '66 and Elvis in '55. I got drunk in Soho with Dylan Thomas and in Bloomsbury with Virginia Woolf. I was there when John Wesley Powell sailed down the Colorado into the Grand Canyon and I drank fine wine as Rome fell.

Concrete Pencil: It's like that...

By John Hill on January 6, 2010 1:36 PM |

For Dan Bourke, being back from work is a jagged little pill to swallow

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Being off work was, like... Like, after the end of civilization, resurgent trees growing up through old motorways.

Being back in work is, like...Like going to see a film and, on leaving the cinema, finding out you still live in Canada Water.

Concrete Pencil: If I ruled the Wharf

By Rob Virtue on December 23, 2009 10:40 AM |

Dan Bourke is making a few changes around here

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This year my New Year Resolution is to save up enough money, by putting a bit away each month on payday, via internet banking, maybe even by direct debit, so that I can buy Canary Wharf.

And, listen up Wharfers, there are going to be some changes. Nothing too drastic, but changes nonetheless.

Concrete Pencil: 2009 in stats

By John Hill on December 16, 2009 1:04 PM |

Dan Bourke's online viewing figures are up 500 per cent on last year

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These are the headline figures for the 2009 report of me:

Books read is way up, camping and outdoor swimming are both way down, cigarettes smoked is at a record low and children fathered has never been higher.

Concrete Pencil: Country-phile

By John Hill on December 9, 2009 11:04 AM |

Dan Bourke longs for green pastures - but doesn't want to share them with Tory Dave

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Who doesn't want to give it all up and live in the country?

It's a pretty universal dream, I've always thought. And it's certainly been an often and over-stated theme of this column: work-based city life is to be got away from. The rustic is where it's at.

Concrete Pencil: Reunion

By John Hill on December 3, 2009 11:04 AM |

Dan Bourke will never get to shoot Dan Aykroyd

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I have been experiencing strong jealousy, hatred, shame and regret. It's reunion time.

I can't think of this kind of thing without hearing Blister In The Sun by the Violent Femmes, from that reunion classic Grosse Point Blank. In fact, thanks to Grosse Point Blank, any 10-year-on get together is doomed to be disappointing.

Concrete Pencil: Fine lines

By John Hill on November 25, 2009 12:16 PM |

When it comes to the best tube lines, Dan Bourke always bets on black

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What's your favourite Tube line?

What line, when you find out you have to go on them, makes you think: oh good. Or rather, if you had to make a five-stop journey this afternoon, which line would you choose?

Concrete Pencil: Bigmouth Strikes Again

By John Hill on November 18, 2009 1:04 PM |

Dan Bourke's musical heroes are coming back from the dead

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The passing of time, and all of its sickening crimes, is making me sad again. That, plagiarism fans, is a line by Morrissey, who I saw last week.

These days, Morrissey fans, the man himself is playing a Smiths song about every three numbers in his set. Up from the none, ever, which had been the avowed policy for most of his solo career.

Concrete Pencil: Escape to Victory

By John Hill on November 11, 2009 2:37 PM |

Dan Bourke can't recognise the Englishmen on the tube to "Twickers"

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What is it with England rugby fans?

I am English: a 50 per cent stake genetically but a working majority once you bring in schooling, accent, where I've always lived, who I support in the football etc.

Concrete Pencil: Looking back

By John Hill on November 4, 2009 11:48 AM |

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I crawled the wrong way out of bed and started the day with a wine and then another. I spat it bit by bit into the glass and poured it into the bottle, then back that went to the fridge.

For food I wheeled some spaghetti out of my mouth then washed the sauce off in some boiling water and snapped it back together into its pack.

Concrete Pencil: Macnostics unite

By John Hill on October 28, 2009 2:27 PM |

Dan Bourke is becoming one with the machines

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This morning at breakfast I wanted an extra Weetabix in my bowl and rather than reach for the packet, my hand made a shape to apply the keyboard shortcut for Edit>Duplicate.

I think I have been spending too much time with my laptop.

A different perspective