Today, 7th July, is Ringo Starr’s birthday. Ringo makes a brief appearance in Dead Man Singing, when Dave is discussing his drumming with one of the other characters, who repeats the common misapprehension that John Lennon said Ringo wasn’t even the best drummer in the Beatles.

‘He...

I’ve loved football all my life, and Foul and Fair is a reflection of that love. My earliest memories of the professional game go back to the when I was around 9 or 10 years-old in the late 70s, but I can remember playing football on the playground at school and at friends’ birthday part...

In my day job, I go into local primary schools as a football coach. From time to time one of the children will ask me who I think is the GOAT, the greatest of all time: Messi or Ronaldo. Depending on my mood I have a short answer or a long one to that question. The short answer is Messi (sorry, CR7 ...

Z is for Zimmerman, Robert. As Dave says in chapter 1 of Dead Man Singing, back in the early 70s it was required by law that all singer-songwriters include at least one Bob Dylan cover in their repertoire. Dave’s choice, ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’, wasn’t in my first draft but ...

Y is for Yes, cited here as a representative of Progressive rock in general. Prog gets a few mentions in Dead Man Singing (manager Tony has a particular fondness for it, even if main character Dave isn’t so keen).

I was a teenage prog rock fan, and I still listen to bands like Yes, Genesis and...