Igor Clark

It’s probably been about eighteen years, since I first heard John Martyn’s “Over the Hill”, that I wanted one of these. In all that time I’ve never quite been able to justify buying one, what with not knowing how to play it and everything. I carried on wanting one, but always telling myself that it was a bizarre, atavistic desire and that it should consequently be quashed. Today, I walked past the Duke of Uke on Hanbury Street at lunchtime, went in, feeling slightly annoyed by some shit or other, just to buy some plectrums, and came out, feeling a lot brighter, with a mahogany Tanglewood mandolin. Bugger to tune, these things, and I bet it’s going to need setting up, but still, wheee!

Kulu Kulu on Brewer Street - owned by the same people who run Ten Ten Tei a few doors down. Munched through a huge pile of plates with a pal and suddenly thought "oh shit, 16 plates, bill pain" - but, including 2 beers, it came to £53 between us. In your face, recession.