matt penny

My Crucial Track for 18 March 2026 - “All Along the Wild Atlantic Way” by Aoife Scott

What’s your favorite song to listen to while cooking?

“All Along the Wild Atlantic Way” by Aoife Scott

This is top of my ‘Kitchen Irish’ playlist. A couple of reasons. It’s a great song. It’s upbeat and cheerful, and it reminds me of a couple of trips to the west of Ireland…to Lahinch, and the Cliffs of Moher, and the Burren, and the sea.

Much as I like the house and the kitchen it’s nice to have these things in my minds eye while I’m sorting out my tea

“All Along the Wild Atlantic Way” by Aoife Scott on Apple Music

This is from Crucial Tracks. My profile is here.

My Crucial Track for 12 March 2026 - “Rocket Man” by Kate Bush

What is a song by an artist you don’t usually like?

“Rocket Man” by Kate Bush

He seems like a good bloke, and a talented musician, but I’ve never really got on with Elton John’s voice, or his stage persona.

“Rocket Man” by Kate Bush on Apple Music

This is from Crucial Tracks. My profile is here.

These were my Crucial Tracks for the last few days.

What song makes you feel like your in another country?

"Iuta Upopo (Pestle Song) [feat. Umeko Ando]" by Oki

If you did a family tree of the musics I listen to, maybe this one would be on the furthest limb.

Not sure if that’s a great way to put it….but I can’t think of a better one atm

Love the song, anyway

"Iuta Upopo (Pestle Song) [feat. Umeko Ando]" by Oki on Apple music

Share a song that captures the feeling of being brave.

"Come Out Ye Black & Tans" by The Wolfe Tones

The 'bravery' in this song is a bit undercut by these lines in the first verse

“And each and every night when me father’d come home tight

He’d invite the neighbors outside with this chorus”

‘Tight’ in this context meaning ‘drunk’

"Come Out Ye Black & Tans" by The Wolfe Tones on Apple music

What song makes you want to write poetry?

"Reasons to Be Cheerful, Pt.3" by Ian Dury & The Blockheads

Coincidentally, I put this on my micro.blog on Saturday

Retirement projects #1

Rewrite the words of Ian Dury’s Reasons to be Cheerful Part Three with my own favourite sources of cheer

<p style="margin-top: 5px;"><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/reasons-to-be-cheerful-pt-3/1795096238?i=1795097622">"Reasons to Be Cheerful, Pt.3" by Ian Dury & The Blockheads on Apple music</a></p>
</div>

What's a song you associate with your biggest mistake?

"Too Tough to Die" by Ramones

Nowhere near being my biggest mistake, but I do wish I'd seen the Ramones when I had the chance

"Too Tough to Die" by Ramones on Apple music

Share a song that perfectly captures longing.

"River Deep - Mountain High" by Ike & Tina Turner

This would maybe be one of my favourite ever records.

"River Deep - Mountain High" by Ike & Tina Turner on Apple music

What's your favorite song about hope?

"Hope of Deliverance" by Paul McCartney

For many years I was weirdly ambivalent about the Beatles. I had John Lennon's Christmas single, but that was all. I don't know what was wrong with me.

Consequently, I think this was the second Beatles record I ever bought

"Hope of Deliverance" by Paul McCartney on Apple music

Songs about songs #2, or possibly #3

"Nightshift" by The Commodores

Going off piste again. Dave Marsh called this "rock's greatest tribute to dead heroes".

"Nightshift" by The Commodores on Apple music

What's your favorite song about letting go?

"Let Her Dance" by The Bobby Fuller Four

I'm not sure whether this is a song about letting go, or about not letting go.

It sometimes feels a bit stalker-y and sinister tbh….but it’s a great track

"Let Her Dance" by The Bobby Fuller Four on Apple music

What song makes you want to dance alone in your room?

"Reggae Got Soul" by Toots & The Maytals

"Reggae Got Soul" by Toots & The Maytals on Apple music

Songs about songs #1

"It Will Stand (2002 Remaster)" by The Showmen

Going off-piste today. 'It will stand' has been in my head for the last couple of days, and it's from one of my favourite micro-genres - songs about music and musicians.

I was reminded of the song because I saw a reference to David ‘Kid’ Jensen’s interview with the Cramps in 1984 on Facebook.

I recorded the interview off the radio at the time, and listened to it fairly often.

In a discussion of the word ‘psychobilly’, Lux says "don’t nickname it, you might as well claim it" - he’d rather the Cramps' music just be called "rock and roll"

A few years later I bought ‘It will stand’ on vinyl…and I was really chuffed to hear The Showmen sing those same words

"It Will Stand (2002 Remaster)" by The Showmen on Apple music

Songs about songs #2.... and my favorite photograph

"Lisdoonvarna (Live)" by Christy Moore

I couldn't really think of a song that I associate with my favorite photograph. I'm continuing with my favourite songs about music and musicians...and posting my favourite photo anyway.

The photo is Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness - I won’t go into detail here but they were on opposing sides of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

I think Christy sometimes mentions Paisley in the song, actually

A 747 for Jackson Browne,

They had to build a special runway just to get him down.

Before the Chieftains could start to play,

Seven creamy pints came out on a tray.

Shergar was ridden by Lord Lucan,

Seán Cannon did the backstage cookin'.

Clannad were playin' "Harry’s Game",

Christy was singin' "Nancy Spain".

Mary O’Hara and Brush Shields,

Together singin' "The Four Green Fields".

Van the Man and Emmy Lou,

Moving Hearts and Planxty too!

"Lisdoonvarna (Live)" by Christy Moore on Apple music

These are the Crucial Tracks for the last few days.

My Crucial Track for 30 July 2025 - “It Will Stand (2002 Remaster)” by The Showmen

Songs about songs #1

“It Will Stand (2002 Remaster)” by The Showmen

Going off-piste today. ‘It will stand’ has been in my head for the last couple of days, and it’s from one of my favourite micro-genres - songs about music and musicians.

I was reminded of the song because I saw a reference to David ‘Kid’ Jensen’s interview with the Cramps in 1984 on Facebook.

I recorded the interview off the radio at the time, and listened to it fairly often.

In a discussion of the word ‘psychobilly’, Lux

says “don’t nickname it, you might as well claim it” - he’d rather the Cramps' music just be called “rock and roll”

A few years later I bought ‘It will stand’ on vinyl…and I was really chuffed to hear The Showmen sing those same words

on Apple Music

Last night I dreamt I helped Elvis Presley fix his motor car, which had broken down.

There probably more chance of me meeting Elvis than there is of me being able to fix a car

Share a song that feels like coming home after a long trip.

Toots and the Maytals - Take Me Home Country Roads

I am currently a bit obsessed with this song

Liam Clancy singing the @poguesofficial

open.spotify.com/track/7lH…

#TodayILearned that Boris Johnson is about 5 foot 8, and Gerry Adams picks up hitch hikers

Possibly

Via @jessphillips and @mattforde

play.acast.com/s/the-pol…

RT @ChelseaFrance: Il y a 10 ans jour pour jour … 🏆 t.co/wtTI73Y3n…

This is quite handy…in particular the first bit, which shows the last time you wrote the file in the title bar in Vim

:set title titlestring=%{strftime('%c',getftime(expand('%')))}\ %F

#Vim t.co/yzf5Hhsg6…

I didn’t know this was on the @BBCiPlayer. The narration is in Gaelic, with English subtitles

Ceòl Dùthchasach/Ken Burns’s Country Music , Series 1: Episode 8: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/e… via @bbciplayer

Command I used was:

Get-DbaDbRestoreHistory -SqlInstance $SqlInstance -database $Database | select restoretype, date, backupfinishdate, database, from | sort-object -property date | ft -a

“It also highlights the cringe David Brent, middle-aged boys network… which is built on bravado, misplaced self-confidence and buzzwords like “FINTECH” and “AI”, which are like catnip to other middle-aged men.”

@ayeshahazarika nails it. inews.co.uk/opinion/d…

“Fast forward a few decades and the Guardian carried an article from Finland’s Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, giving a byline to Jatkuu Seuraavalla Sivulla, which a reader advised was not the author’s name but the Finnish for “continued on the next page”.”

www.theguardian.com/media/202…

RT @KailashChandOBE: ‘Fire and rehire’ should be banned! RT if agree !

#TodayILearned that if you try to replace a single backslah in Powershell it throws an error

You can do:

$String -replace “\”, ‘-’ t.co/CN9apmfu4…

I physically bumped into Mike McShane in Cheapo Cheapo Records. We apologised to each other, then went on browsing. twitter.com/MavenofHo…

RT @dukkhaboy: Someone with a ‘tick account’ standing up for teachers. Hope Lord Adonis follows Mr Moore twitter.com/brianmoor…

A variation on the theme. Famouses I have seen on the train between London and Salisbury, and one I didn’t

Vikram Seth Andrew Lloyd Webber Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall (?) All four of the Damned Terry Pratchett

#TodayILearned also that Stan Laurel was an understudy for Charlie Chaplin on a British tour t.co/Qk6lIwMpV…

#TodayILearned that one of Steve Coogan’s brothers was in the Mock Turtles twitter.com/WTFpod/st…

I love the fact that I’m in the same constituency as Gibraltar

I can see Africa on a clear day t.co/h4T0oYUIT…