Recently I’ve become hyper-aware of not being able to concentrate on readings by writers who stand or sit really badly. Is this a problem for anyone else? It seems to be particularly bad amongst poets although I also notice it with some fiction writers. I just can’t take in what someone reading their work is saying when they place way too much weight on one side of their body throughout their performance, or if they’re slumped really badly. Instead of paying attention to their work, I’m just fixated on the aesthetically unpleasing way in which they hold themselves! Too many of the poets (in particular) who I see performing look like they spend all their time reading and writing – or else combining those activities with a university job (or some similar time wasting white collar employment).

When my show Again, A Time Machine opened on 5 April I broke all records for attendance at a Space Studios event in London. I had another great turn out for the close of the exhibition last night. But then that’s hardly surprising. First off there were readings by Katrina Palmer, Bridget Penney and me. I kicked off with a couple of pieces from old books (Memphis Underground & 69 Things To Do With A Dead Princess), and concluded this section of the evening with my usual headstand reading from Blood Rites of the Bourgeoisie. Katrina read a couple of new stories and a passage from The Dark Object – part of the Semina series I edited for Book Works.

Nick Lezard is a journalist with a reputation for championing the overlooked when it comes to books (as well as for being able to drink any writer you care to name under the table). I wouldn’t normally make the effort of going to west London for a birthday bash but last night I made an exception as I’ve known Nick for some time now. OK so Marylebone is virtually in central London – but these days it is rare for me to take a tube as far as Edgeware Road unless I’m going to Paddington Station or Heathrow Airport. And as far as I’m concerned anything the other side of Regent Street is west London anyway….

Tonight I witnessed a great way to get a free beer. I was in a small town pub with my friend Leon who ordered a pint of Fosters. The barmaid had slightly more than half-filled the glass when the barrel ran out. She said she’d have to go and get another keg and came back sometime later to tell us there wasn’t one – so she offered Leon the half-pint she’d pulled for free. Now that’s what I call a good price for a lager! And of course a stout drinker like me wouldn’t give an XXX for a more expensive lager!

Arriving in Barcelona early on Thursday evening (3 May 2012) I was whisked from the airport to Hotel Jazz in the city centre by Ana Pareja and Claudia Cucchiarato from my Spanish publisher Alpha Decay. Having dropped my bag, I was taken on a quick walking tour of the city before we arrived at Bar Ramón where we watered for the rest of the evening. The first thing Ana did was order drinks and tapas, after which we were able to relax and enjoy the groovy sounds…it was blues to start with but switched to sixties soul. The food was incredibly good and I ate more of it than anyone else!