Writing The Century: The Experience Of Love

In 1993, Christopher Green was a scared young man, sitting alone in a hospital room with a dying man he barely knew. Chris had volunteered to be a Terrence Higgins Trust buddy, and had been introduced to the man in the bed: Kenneth Barrow, an actor and writer who had set up a mass observation diary project involving 700 gay men and lesbians. Asked to write anonymously about their everyday lives and loves, the contributors documented their lives during the years when HIV and AIDS first came to public attention, and Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1986, forbidding the 'promotion of homosexuality', was fought over and passed into law. They continued well after Kenneth's death and for over twenty years, when they were finally collected and archived as the National Lesbian and Gay Survey, alongside the Mass Observation archive at the University of Sussex...

BBC iPlayer.

The most beautiful, powerful and moving thing I've heard on the wireless all year.

ABBA: Thank You For The Demo Medley

Fagburn has to confess to being rather pleased that 'Abba to release first new song in almost 20 years' was considered newsworthy by several papers today.
One slight reservation, though - I don't think it's true.
The announcement on ABBA's official website does not call 'From A Twinkling Star To A Passing Angel' a new song - it says it's a "demo medley".
Presumably incorporating the various demo versions of Like An Angel Passing Through My Room, which in one early version was called Twinkle Twinkle.
Hence the name, presumably.
If you want a new-ish "ABBA song", here's one - and it's totes amazeballs.
Benny & Björn's Story Of A Heart.
Avnjuta!

PS And since you're wondering, yes, I think this is incredibly important.

PPS By a spooky coincidence Christopher Green's wondrous Radio 4 play about growing up a gayboy ABBA fan, Like An Angel Passing Through My Room, is now available on iTunes.

PPS Although this may seem one of my more trivial posts, I think it's instructive about much that's wrong with the media. All they were doing was copying from a press release - and yet they all turned it into something that it doesn't say. Amazing!

ABBA: No, Thank You!

"Now, I have to say something while I am standing here - looking like this.
"In the 80s ABBA were distinctly 'uncool', totally out of fashion.
"And I thought 'Well, that's it! It was fun while it lasted, but now it's over.'
"But for some strange reason we still remained popular on the gay scene.
"And - maybe it sounds like I'm sucking up, but I don't care - when we got a revival in the late 80s, early 90s, I'm sure it's because we had stayed popular on the gay scene - that was the most important factor.
"I will never get a better opportunity to show my gratitude - our gratitude; mine, Benny's, Frida's and Agnetha's.
"Thank you, you kind people."

The wondrous Björn Ulvaeus at last night's QX Gay Gala 2011 Awards in Stockholm, Sweden.
Translation Fagburn's own - tack så mycket.
Björn was presenting the main award - Årets Homo [Best Homo/Gay Person Of The Year] - to photographer Elisabeth Ohlson-Wallin. She did those photos with Jesus in the nip.
Anni-Frid Lyngstad appears in today's BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play, Like An Angel Passing Through My Room, alongside its author, Christopher Green (AKA Tina C), about growing up as a gay boy obsessed with ABBA... [Edit: Listening now, it's lovely].
And finally, I think I invented this: Man walks into a bar. He says; "I'm sorry Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid, I didn't see you there..."