I got a cheap CD of The Hounds of Love. Which I’d only been trying to find the tape for a couple of days earlier. I’d forgotten how good she was/is. She can sing she has feelings that she’s not afraid to express. People used to mock her for this, but I love it. Talentless journalists, who cares what they think?

After hearing Kate again I realise why I find Beyonce and Anastacia (however the hell you spell it) hard to listen to. They have no softness in their voices at all. Anastacia , to me, just brays loudly and angrily like some kind of demented alto donkey with a deviated septum. Beyonce has a lovely voice but just shows off with it. There’s no depth there. Kate’s voice has range and softness, she can even scream in tune. Can you imagine the other two singing songs about serial killers (Mother stand for comfort)? About William Reich’s cloud bursting machine seen from the viewpoint of his young son (Cloudbusting)? Hey baby, thanks for the shag – erm, what was your name again, and, look at me, I’m beautiful are’t I? That’s about all they know, poor dears.

Just listen to Big Sky – the range, the sheer bravery. Wow.

I have a strange fondness for Running Up that Hill. I used to wish I could make the deal with God and change places with my poor father, so this song always makes me sad. Cloudbusting touches me in a similar way, too, just saying to could even make it happen – life is magical. I had’t heard all of the bonus tracks, the solo version of My Langan Love is superb.

I found a great quote form Dustin Hoffman the other day:

There’s a rebirth that goes on with us continuously as human beings. I don’t understand, personally, how you can be bored. I can understand how you can be depressed, but I just don’t understand boredom.

It’s interesting, be obviously never worked in my last job! The boredom, I think, comes from a lack of control. It’s really a kind of anger born of frustration. Most people don’t realise this and because they can’t express their anger directly it becomes a kind of cynical disassociation. Because it’s really anger – flight or fight – it makes you tired.

Pause for the jet …