Bad timing: a bullish obsession

I love bein' in London, and mind you, I'm not complaining that we arrived this morning. But looking at last week's Time Out London makes me go oooooh, I wish we coulda got here Tuesday morning. Why? Because my two favorite bands were playing earlier this week, and I missed 'em by just that much:

Madness! The Pogues! Gosh, how I love 'em. There's no two more quintessential London bands for this little stuffed bull, and you can betcha their music is always in heavy rotation on my iPod. There's nothing, however, to compare with seein' 'em live (after all, Shane MacGowan won't last that much longer—then again, I've been sayin' that for years). I'm not complaining, oh no no. I'm over-the-hill chuffed to be in London at Christmastime just on its own, and I've got a ticket to see something else I've been really looking forward to (Spamalot on Boxing Day, starring Tim Curry!), so no sour grapes from Bully here. After I, I've been lucky enough to see 'em both live over here in the UK: Madness twice (once in 1983 and at the Madstock concert in 1987, The Pogues in 1992). And there's s'posed to be the new Madness single "Sorry" out this month, so I'll definitely be looking for it at HMV on Oxford Street during my sure-to-be-thrilling pilgrimage there later this week. And I have been busily pencilling in so many things to do in London on my holiday calendar that I'm sure I will have more than enough to do this week. But in spirit, at least, if you were at Wembley on Wednesday you heard me singin' along with "It Must Be Love" or at Brixton on Tuesday, swaying back and forth and bellowing out "London You're a Lady." I will drink a pint of ginger beer this week to Messrs. Suggs and MacGowan and company, and hoist a special toast to the memory of Tom McManamon, and I will stumble home from the pub to my warm hotel bed, warbling

So I pray now child that you sleep tonight
When you hear this lullaby
May the wind that blows from haunted graves
Never bring you misery
May the angels bright
Watch you tonight
And keep you while you sleep

(In addition, my kid sister Marshall is sorry we missed this):