So, if you HAVE read the book..

You might have skimmed the biographical note at the beginning and thought 'yes, you say you made some tolerable but not remotely successful records but what were they like?'

Well, they were like this. Here is my band 5TA on Channel 4's pioneering 'The Tube' show in 1986 or so.

I'm the skinny lad with the hair on the right hand side. Or I was. Skinniness and hair are both but fond memories now.

The other members of that tolerable, but not remotely successful lineup are, reading from left to right; The very lovely and very Swiss Colette Meury at the electronic keyboard, the splendid but sadly no longer with us Melanie Lewis supplying the left-hand backing vocal while the established in her own right Julia Fordham pins down the vital right hand backing singer rôle.

The lead singer was the mighty, the inimitable Lance Jowers. My fondest memories of those days are the bits when he wigged out and started singing something that I could never have written or even thought of. There's some of that here. Nick Rhodes sat at the drum throne and occasionally managed to persuade me not to be a complete tit. Not often though. Mark Pinto played the bass guitar for us, more admirably than we deserved.

We recorded a whole album with Cure producer David Allen. It's here, if you're interested. Remember though, don't judge us too harshly, It was the Eighties. Everyone thought that kind of thing was OK.

Anyway, there it is. Or was. Enjoy. If you can.

From BBC Radio Kent

HOME OR AWAY

With the credit crunch, recession and the whole green anti-flying campaign looming over the summer holiday season, how about focussing on holidays closer to home? Or, cheaper still, AT HOME? In "Sod Abroad" Michael Moran explains why'd you'd be made to leave the comfort of your own home. It's a silly, joyous collection about the impossibility of having any kind of fun on holidays either in the UK or abroad and has assorted lists of great things you can only do at home, if you ever had any time there, plus detailed critiques of assorted holiday destinations and even one fairly scientific equation. "Sod Abroad" by Michael Moran - John Murray paperback original - £7.99

Ready to buy some Michael Moran books yet?

The fine people at Love Reading sorted out my author profile, which was showing a whole other Michael Moran who writes brainy books about politics and such. I'm not suggesting I'm all that better looking but the photo that they  had of him, wearing some sort of sun-hat and obviously on his hols, made me chuckle a little.

It's changed now and there's a nice picture of me and a shed. Far better.

The list of other books by me still makes for pretty droll reading though. Australia? Erotic Tickling? hard to estimate which is the less likely.

The other books I have worked on, if you are at all interested, are:

Shopping While Drunk - with Amanda Astill, Tom Bromley, and Simon Trewin.

Intended as a followup to our Guilty Pleasures book it's rather a better read in my view. It's a catalogue of useless tat that everyone likes. There are jokes. A few of them still stand up. Best of all it's a hardback, so you can use it to prop the window open on hot days.

The Encyclopaedia of Guilty Pleasures - with Tom Bromley, Simon Trewin, and some damn Yankees.

Exactly what it sounds like. A retooling of the US title of the same name that we probably lavished rather more love on that was necessary. Which was a shame, because it really didn't sell at all well. And whose fault is that? Well, unless you bought it, yours.

Rock and Pop Elevens - with Tom Bromley and Simon Trewin

I can't pretend this is a terrific book. It has its moments but the comedy is rather weighed down by a little too much fact. And who likes fact?

Check 'em out. You can find them in libraries, bookshops, and wherever unwanted books are dumped.