OK, so I was disappointed to hear that Joan Armatrading and Valerie Singleton were never an item after all (see below), but, under the heading of “People I Admire Who I Would Like To Be In A Relationship Together”, I was delighted to learn today that Tom Waits used to be the boyfriend of Rickie Lee Jones, whose music I also love. And as if this wasn’t good enough news in its own right, it further transpires that Rickie herself features on the cover of “Blue Valentines”, Tom’s 1978 masterpiece. This is the album that contains “Kentucky Avenue”, one of my favourite Waits songs, and one the most moving pieces of music I know.

Thanks to BigRab for this information, which has made my day – his blog’s a very good read. All I need to be told now is that David Bowie is the lovechild of Frank Sinatra and Cilla Black, and I’ll die a happy man.

And talking of Valerie Singleton and good reads, I found a very entertaining piece on the Telegraph site, of all places, about Val, and her non-relationship with Joan. It’s an affectionate piece, and reckons that “Valerie’s star quality flowed from the mesmerising blend of foxiness and severity that continues, decades after her last Blue Peter appearance, to send baby-boomers into nostalgic rhapsodies of psycho-sexual longing.” Hmm, a bit strong, but, in a slightly uneasy way, I know what he means.