On April 15th, 1964, the accused, ‘Mr O’, was walking along the street when he saw a woman. He found her to be rather appealing. By objectifying her. Fantasising about her. He then set about stalking her on the street. Following her. Then, brazenly demanding that she fulfil his fantasy and stay with him overnight. He had ‘presumed’ firstly that she in fact identified as a ‘woman’, and then assumed that she was heterosexual. Two appalling facts which we must remember throughout the trial. Upon her rejection to his rather creepy advances, he then pursued her further as she walked away. And continued to stalk her as his fantasies deepened to levels of positive deprivation and pre-meditated sexual assault and possible rape! Which he related to the victim, oblivious to the long-term mental health issues this might induce.

Have you listened to everyone’s favourite old song? Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison? I remember when it came out and was a big hit. Then it was reincarnated when the eponymous movie came out and there was Julia Roberts in that fabulous little dress. We all loved that. Ok, I loved that. But the point is: those lyrics (by today’s somewhat exacting standards) are positively toxic. Evil. So much so that they could have been taken for the Harrods’ anthem. Yet even though I never forget song lyrics, and have sung along with Roy for 60 years, it was only the other night when the tune randomly came on the radio that I listened with a ‘2024 head’ and I thought: fuck me!!! That’s a stalkers manifesto, right there on 45rpm vinyl. Ok, its not quite as bad as ‘Young Girl’, by Gary Puckett, which is basically a paedophile’s personal battle between his conscience and his dick, but Roy would definitely be cancelled if he wrote such a song today.

Yet really, if you listen not just to the words but to the nuance, to the feeling, to the subtleties which create the atmosphere, its the song by a lonely man, desperate for someone to love. The fact that he just finds some superficially gorgeous babe without knowing diddly squat about her and chooses her for his life partner is a bit flimsy, but heh, he’s desperate. We’ve all been there.

And just a quick word of condolence to the family of Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader who was ‘eliminated’ by an Israeli missile yesterday. YOU’RE BETTER OFF WITHOUT THE MURDEROUS MUTHAFUCKA. THE WORLD IS BETTER OFF WITHOUT THE MURDEROUS MUTHAFUCKA. Another terror-monger is dead, and we’re all better off for it. I’ll save my sympathies for more worthy causes. This is definitely a celebration.

Happy Saturday

A xxxx