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The state of Pete
Monday, Mar 24, 2025
I’ve been unwell, and will continue to be unwell for a while. This is an account of where that unwellness is at.
Pete's zine timeline
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024
The full-ish history of how I was involved in zines throughout the 1990s.
Pete's newsletter for the start of July
Saturday, Jul 6, 2024
Got covid again, wrote some blog posts, watched some films, rabbit got ill, hedgehogs appeared in the garden, other stuff.
Reflections on the election
Friday, Jul 5, 2024
There was a general election in the UK. It was complicated.
Scanning the BugPowder zine archive
Tuesday, Jun 25, 2024
I have boxes containing thousands of zines. I’ve started scanning them. It’s going to take a while. I have time.
Pete Ashton's new newsletter of news
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
The never ending task of figuring out how best to get my ideas onto the internet and send them to you continues, and this here is the first stab at the latest attempt. In short, it’s a roundup of what I’ve put online in the last couple of weeks and whatever other bits and bobs I feel the need to communicate. Hope you enjoy it!
Thoughts on Furiosa
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
There’s something nihilistic about George Miller’s fifth Mad Max movie and it’s got me thinking…
Peely, twenty years on
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
This autumn it’ll be the twentieth anniversary of John Peel’s death.
Defining the weird
Sunday, Apr 28, 2024
In which I revisit my obsession with the concept of Weird having found a useful working definition.
Blog posts I have not written
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
Given my burnout means I’m unable finish any writing I thought it might be useful to record the starts, if only to get them out of my head.
Grief and autistic burnout - 2023 was a lot
Wednesday, Feb 14, 2024
This is a 2,000 word post about the last 18 months and what happened to me during them. It contains a lot, and I thank you for your indulgence.
A Ralphie in Brighton
Monday, Feb 12, 2024
In January we went to Brighton for a week’s holiday. Usually we go to the Welsh coast for a winter break but this year we had my niece, Isobel, to stay and thought Brighton might be a bit more interesting.
Revising the 1972 Project - Mrs America and Chernobyl
Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020
Post summary TK
History is constantly being "erased", and that's OK.
Friday, Jun 12, 2020
Post summary TK
We need social media literacy or the fascists will win
Wednesday, Jun 3, 2020
Post summary TK
Walking Weird Britain
Thursday, May 28, 2020
In reviewing the first issue of Weird Walk, I survey the British "New Weird".
Understanding Gilliam, and other men of a certain age
Saturday, Jan 4, 2020
Post summary TK
Pretty Trauma
Monday, Sep 3, 2018
With some trepidation I watched the first episode of season two of The Handmaids Tale the other night. The first season had been very good but I’d heard the next was a bit all-out brutal horrorshow and, oddly enough, I didn’t find myself needing that of an evening.
Chamberlain Clock
Saturday, Sep 1, 2018
On a number of Birmingham’s traffic islands you’ll find these iron clocks painted green. They’re total heritage but because they often have no pedestrian access it’s tricky to see them up close. While doing a reccy for my Jewellery Quarter walks this month I crossed over to read the inscription on the clock there and took a photo because it’s quite specific.