Author: Leigh Banks

What a strange thing to find near Shakespeare’s home. A bronzed, atrophied image of Bob Dylan playing guitar for his hero and sometime-mentor Woody Guthrie. The pair are frozen in time in a pasture of plenty in a mysterious outcrop called the Garden of Heroes & Villains. They are surrounded by paupers and peasants and… Continue reading Felix’s mystic garden where Bob sings to Woody forever

The pandemic, it is claimed, gave the Slovak government the opportunity to postpone legislation to protect journalists and their sources against the background of the scandalous murder of reporter Ján Kuciak and his fiancée. Plans to improve editorial and financial independence for radio and TV broadcaster RTVS were also shelved. During the Covid-19 pandemic, there… Continue reading EU demands more Press freedom as pandemic of death and corruption scares so many journalists

Wayne Coyne seems to have forgotten his vitriolic words of almost a decade ago – and has joined the ranks of stars set to wish his Royal Bob-ness a happy Eightieth. Back in 2013, in Wayne’s world, Bob was a ‘protected’ curmudgeon who had forgotten how to party. He and his band, the Flaming Lips,… Continue reading Wayne Coyne lays down a birthday homage to Dylan – really worth a listen inside!

Let’s all remember Anita Lane, the Australian singer-songwriter who joined an amazing line-up for Nick Cave’s version of Dylan’s Death is not the End. Sadly, she has died in her early Sixties. Anita was best known for her collaborations with Nick Cave on his work since the 1980s. A representative for her label confirmed Anita’s… Continue reading Death should not be the end for Anita as she says goodbye…

It’s a year since Coronavirus killed off Parental Alienation Day for many of us … and this year’s event a few days ago was low-key. But things still happened across the world, sadly with very little coverage. So lets try and put that right. If you have any pictures or thoughts on PA DAY, send… Continue reading One from the heart as world campaigners say ‘our children are for life’

Restaurant terraces and gyms are about to open again as Slovakia eases coronavirus restrictions. Measures are said to have slowed the spread of COVID-19 in recent weeks. The latest easing follows the re-opening of shops, hotels, hair salons, churches, libraries, pools and zoos. But customer numbers will be restricted and they will have to show… Continue reading Has Slovakia’s vaccine system dumped thousands of vulnerable people as restaurants and bars re-open?

Writing is a really difficult business and to get to the top is like climbing a rope ladder … you hang on for dear literary life as it twists and turns and tries to throw you ‘into the valley below’. I’ve been lucky – all my working life I have made my living as a… Continue reading Only true genius can sting like a butterfly! So go for integrity, not false praise

During the opening months of 2021 I have faced the social media insult and threat machine from conspiracy theorists and amateur propagandists alike over the fact that I question that Covid-19 is a world plot to take control of our minds, money and liberty. And the one question I can never get a straightforward, non-insulting,… Continue reading As a sick man closes Perth W.A. are we seeing the dystopian shape of things to come?

Oh, and they chat about why Leigh hasn’t had his hair cut for 30 years Click bottom RHS for sound