Old Rope began as a blog in 2009 – they were all the rage back then. As was the case for many examples of this new medium, it was a bit all over the place. For years it was a mishmash of cultural nonsense about music, politics, art and my cat Yoko, mixed with semi-humorous tales from my clumsy misadventures.
In 2016 I rebooted the blog (reboots were all the rage back then) and now I write about things that have piqued my interest. The posts are all categorised loosely based on various media, listed below for reference.
On the turntable – Music
On the bog – Books (bog is UK slang for toilet)
On the silver screen – Films
On the box – Television
On stage – Live events, gigs, theatre
On the radio – More likely to be podcasts than actual radio
On display – Art in real life, probably in a gallery or alternative space
There is some overlap between the above and new categories may appear.
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What’s in a name?
Old Rope takes its name from George Harrison’s description of LSD. The original ‘About’ page of this blog gave the below quote and explanation of sorts.
“You know, I went to Haight-Ashbury, expecting it to be this brilliant place, and it was just full of horrible, spotty, dropout kids on drugs. It certainly showed me what was really happening in the drug culture. It wasn’t what I thought, of all these groovy people having spiritual awakenings and being artistic. It was like the Bowery, it was like alcoholism, it was like any addiction. So, at that point, I stopped taking it, actually, the dreaded Lysergic. I had some in a little bottle, it was liquid, and I put it under a microscope, and I looked at it, and it looked like rope, just like old rope, and I thought ‘I’m not going to put that in my brain any more.’ “
“Harrison’s decision to spurn acid serves as an amusing epitaph to an era of musical and philosophical experimentation, a period that reshaped the cultural landscape of Britain and America. It also provides a fitting name for a blog that clumsily attempts to misappropriate these subjects for its own nefarious ends.” – Old Rope, 2009
These days I wouldn’t over-think the name so much, though you can still hear snippets of George’s immortal words at the beginning of most of my Hefty Tomatoes podcasts.
If you enjoy the writing here, then why not get in touch or leave a comment. If not, then sorry for wasting your time.
Don’t forget to check out my various podcasts and, if you like that sort of thing and are nearby, my ‘in real life’ DJing.
Your oldest of Ropes
Old Rope 