The Thursday Rock Show: 90's Rock Anthems VII

It's time for another edition of The Thursday Rock Show as we bring you the final songs from Spotify's 90's Rock Anthems list.

Saltwater Grudge Epilogue

            Six months had passed since the fire on the pier, and the world had continued its relentless march forward. Julian sat on a wooden bench overlooking a different sea, this one calmer, bluer, and far less haunted. He was in a small coastal village in Cornwall, a place where the air tasted of salt and wild thyme. He had a small office here, a single room above a bakery that smelled of fresh bread and cinnamon. His name wasn't on the door yet, but the locals already knew him as the man who could find things that didn't want to be found.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Fifteen: Morning Light on Broken Glass

            The sun rose over the North Sea, casting a long, golden path across the water. Julian stood on the promenade, his suitcase at his feet. The town was beginning to wake up. He saw the first of the fishing boats heading out, their engines a familiar, comforting thrum. He saw the shopkeepers sweeping the sand from their doorsteps, their movements slow and rhythmic.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Fourteen: Sinking Secrets and Iron Wills

            The fire at the pier burned for three hours, a brilliant, terrible orange against the black of the North Sea. By the time the fire crews could get to the end of the structure, the Pavilion was a skeleton of charred timber and twisted iron. Julian stood on the beach, watching the smoke curl into the morning air. He was covered in soot, his clothes ruined, and his heart heavy with a grief he couldn't quite name.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Thirteen: The Final Reckoning at the Pavilion

            The Cromer Pier Pavilion was a hollow shell of its former self. The storm had ripped away part of the roof, and the stage was covered in a layer of fine, white sand. Julian walked through the darkened theater, his footsteps echoing on the warped floorboards. He had received a message, a single hand-written note left on his windshield: The Pavilion. Midnight. One last secret.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Twelve: Storm Surge Over the Sea Wall

            The morning after the storm brought a strange, bruised light to Cromer. The town was a mess of debris—driftwood, shattered glass, and the remains of beach huts scattered across the promenade like broken toys. Julian sat in the back of an ambulance, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a cup of hot, sugary tea in his hands. He watched as the National Crime Agency officers moved through the Vane estate, their yellow jackets a stark contrast to the gray stone.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Eleven: The Price of Silence is Death

            The water was a chaotic, freezing weight that tried to pull Julian down into the dark. He and Arthur were locked in a grim embrace, their limbs tangling as they were tossed about by the surf. Every time Julian tried to draw a breath, a wave slammed into his face, filling his lungs with salt and grit. But he didn't let go of the bag. And he didn't let go of Arthur.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Ten: Cracks in the Family Chest

            The Vane estate sat on the cliff like a fortress, its windows dark and forbidding. Julian had circled back, knowing that the boat Marcus mentioned would be launching from the private jetty at the base of the cliffs. He had the ledger tucked into a waterproof bag, and Marcus’s rifle slung over his shoulder. He felt like a ghost haunting his own life, a man who had already died once and had nothing left to fear.

Social Media Discoveries 61: Bobaflex, Less Autre, Shiv, Super Power Club & More!

Normal service has resumed with episode 61 of Social Media Discoveries, and this week we might have something for everyone's taste here, hard rock, folk, country, 8-bit chiptune, and there's even a bit of classical music for you.

One Million Visitors!

Earlier today the number of visitors to my blog went past the one million mark.

I have no idea how long my blog has been around in it's current form, but this figure is a bit staggering for me. Okay, I don't get the numbers I used to back in the day when my wrestling column was syndicated to over twenty sites and newsletters, and it's nothing compared to other blogs on the internet, but the fact that there's still people out there who read and watch whatever I put up there means a lot to me, especially as I left the wrestling and MMA worlds behind many years ago.

So to those who still support me after having been online for nearly twenty-six years, a big thank you to each and every one of you.

Here's to the next one million website hits.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Nine: Fragments of a Shattered Mirror

            The amusement arcade was a surreal landscape of flashing lights and electronic beeps, even in the middle of a storm. The power was still on, though the machines were empty of players. Julian moved through the rows of claw cranes and racing simulators, his shadow dancing across the walls in distorted shapes. He could hear Marcus behind him, the heavy thud of the rifle butt against the door frames.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Eight: Cold Through the Pier Girders

            The storm was no longer a threat; it was a reality. The wind howled across the promenade, tearing at the signs of the closed-up shops and sending clouds of stinging sand into the air. Julian, soaked to the bone and shivering violently, made his way toward the pier. He had called Elena from a payphone, telling her to meet him there. It was the only place left that felt like neutral ground, though he knew better than to trust the shadows.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Seven: The Depth of the Lie

            The basement smelled of old stone and stagnant water. Julian was chained to a heavy wooden pillar, the iron cuffs biting into his wrists. The floor was covered in a few inches of freezing seawater that ebbed and flowed with the tide outside. He was in the cellars of the Vane manor, a sprawling Victorian pile that sat on a private stretch of the coast, hidden from the world by high stone walls and ancient trees.

A Stage Musical About Wrestling? How About a Concept Album Instead?

So, a stage musical based on professional wrestling you say?

 

Well, I can't do that, but how about a concept album based on a series of blogs, a story about a writer deep diving into his local wrestling scene back in 2001?

 

How about fifteen tracks, plus two bonus tracks, lovingly curated with a bit of AI help?

 

How does that sound to you? Interesting? Watch this space.

The Thursday Rock Show: 90's Rock Anthems VI

We're back with another edition of The Thursday Rock Show as we take a sixth trip back into the 90's for some more rock anthems.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Six: Blood on the Promenade

            The lighthouse at Happisburgh stood like a red-and-white striped sentinel against the encroaching dark. It was a lonely place, miles from the nearest house, and exactly where Julian had told Siobhan to hide. He drove the Land Rover—now with new tires and a fresh dent in the bumper—up the narrow track, the headlights cutting through the swirling sea fret.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Five: Echoes from the Victorian Ballroom

            The Grand Hotel stood on the cliff edge like a crumbling cake, its white plaster peeling and its windows staring out at the sea with a glazed, indifferent expression. Inside, however, it was a different world. The charity gala was in full swing, a sea of black ties and silk gowns that seemed determined to ignore the decay outside. Julian adjusted his borrowed tuxedo, the fabric tight across his bandaged ribs. He felt like an intruder, a wolf in a rented sheepskin.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Four: The Weight Of Silver Chains

           Julian woke to the sound of Siobhan’s voice, sharp and rhythmic, like the clack of a typewriter. He was lying on the sofa in his office, his head throbbing with every heartbeat. The smell of antiseptic and burnt coffee filled the room. He groaned, trying to sit up, but a firm hand pressed him back down.

Saltwater Grudge Chapter Three: Whispers In The Crab Shack

           The Crab Shack was a low-slung building near the slipway, its walls covered in decades of salt spray and peeling blue paint. Inside, the air was thick with the smell of boiled shellfish and the low hum of men who had spent their lives at the mercy of the North Sea. Julian walked in, his presence immediately causing a dip in the conversation. He was a local, but he wasn't one of them. He didn't have the calloused hands of a fisherman or the thousand-yard stare of someone who had seen a rogue wave swallow a friend.

Social Media Discoveries 60: Frog Leap Live in Europe

We're up to episode sixty of our Social Media Discoveries series, and as the episode number has a zero on the end we're going to do things a little differently again with a show dedicated to one of the original discoveries I made on social media many years ago, Leo Moracchioli and his Frog Leap band for their 2019 compilation Live in Europe.