Lots of unexpected twists and turns. I bought a compilation of Northern Soul on Saturday � in Tescos . One of the gems is a version of Hey Joe by Johnny Jones and the King Casuals. I think it was done for the Woolworth�s cover label Brunswick. Anyway it�s a driving on-beat mod-soul interpretation with all the lead licks played close to the original except that it sounds like Tele on Fender rather than Strat on Marshall. Valid and coherent nonetheless. Also Dobie Gray�s Out on the Floor, Curtis M�s Move On Up and Booker T and the MG�s Time is Tight.

In the same bundle of CDs I acquired Tori Amos� 1992 Little Earthquakes.. I had read about her in the female abjection section of the magnificent Sex Revolts gender analysis of rock by Reynolds and Press. The standard lineage is Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush and the album artwork is quietly mannered. Apparently this album is on several lists of the Top 50/100 of the 1990s. On a second time through Kate Bush came through very strongly. Apparently the �committed� question is whether she is too AOR � wonder what Angry Harry thinks about that?

Mike Smith who I bumped into last week mailed details of his new band � including some mp3s which sounded really good � like late Byrds country-style or early acoustic G-Dead. They are playing in Dudley on 6 Feb � I really want to get to that gig. Mike it transpires is a Nick devotee.

I gave Keith a copy of Cleveland�s CD as a beta test and a copy of shortstories/fifths to test the new production path � also mailed these two to Gilbert. I will burn the Cleveland CD for Peter Chatterton tonight . Keith realised he hadn�t got Plundafonix and appeared at my office door with tenor in hand. That�s the way to sell em.

I may have started a piece � its hard to tell whether a sketch will become a piece. There�s something about pieces that means sticking them through thick and thin. That�s very much how its is with the Shortstories � the more I hear them the more I see in them � this side of the creative life is probably best hidden from people who don�t share this disability � but its there. This stuff is your offspring. Indeed my offspring are aware of this and resent it. Its playing now and yes I think it�s a piece.

Is a piece a chunk of material that you elect to interrogate until it confesses � or appears to confess? And my methods I want to keep a secret even from myself.

Did I mention that the Economist�s view of torture is up on www.kwase-kwaza.org.

Yesterday I realised that Derek�s material on that site is a major draw � I put some more stuff up to capitalise on this � an appraisal of his work from a photography magazine and a link through to an exhibition surrounding his book �The endless night�. I hope I can use one of his shots of Cleveland can be used for the cover of the CD. I was thinking as I read Szwed how Derek dragged me to Ronnie Scott�s to see Betty Mabry � Miles� then wife. He was right as usual.

Meanwhile over in the Freudian corner � talking of artists � we find Adrian Stokes. If you look at an Adrian Stokes painting in the Tate you would think that he is a mild mannered bloke who likes a touch of subtle colour field ambiguity. And you�d be wrong. Here he is laying into clich�s:

�When we were at the breast it did for most of us �the world of good�. I wish I knew what we meant when we said someone we like is �gone for good�. We can see that the expression �organ of the press� beloved of smaller provincial newspapers equates nipple with penis�� there are homosexual sadistic references in �To put a spoke in someone�s wheel or �to spike someone�s guns� or �to be as cross as two sticks�

Sheesh who would have thought it!

New experience � self service check-out at the late night Tesco�s. I didn�t have a pudding so I walked over to get something. Impuse bought Mary J Blige. Ooooo that Supermarket Soul