Murray Chalmers

Happy birthday dearest Yoko!

Someone at school got Bowie’s address and all we teenage wildlife from the Latin class wrote to him. And he replied to ME! Signed in green ink, on Bowie headed brown paper, in a MainMan envelope - here was my lifeline to a world I wanted, far away from our council house in Dundee. Happy Birthday DB!

Love is where it falls, as is beauty.

Food on a Friday: Bistro Gregg at Fenwick/Greggs Champagne Bar Murray Chalmers goes for champagne and Greggs pasties in Fenwick - what could possibly go wrong?

It’s Food on a Friday and I go to Greggs Champagne Bar at Fenwick in Newcastle. What could go wrong?https://open.substack.com/pub/scotsink/p/food-on-a-friday-bistro-gregg-at?r=38gwz7

I’m so new to Bluesky I didn’t know if you could DM or not so have messaged you on insta. But now I looked and think DM here is possible…

I might have one. You mean for March next year, right? I’ll message you.

Thank you Lidl! I accept this award TOTALLY! (With apologies to Claudia Bing)

Shock, loss and other moments There was That Election. And we lost some powerful figures in Scottish life. But as winter sets in and the long darkness falls, there's still good news if you know where to look.

There's been the shock of That Election. There's been the loss of great figures in Scottish life. We look back at events big and small in Scotland over the past wee while. Just click the link below (it's free)

open.substack.com/pub/scotsink...

Beauty is not caused. It is.

Reflections on my 65th birthday Murray Chalmers looks back on his 65 years so far - and what a life he's had. To quote Pet Shop Boys' classic song, ""we were never being boring, we were never being bored".

I wrote this on my 65th birthday, unaware what fresh hell awaited us. Am posting it here because we have a substack and we’re always open to new subscribers. Its free! I’ve got very few photos of me with popstars. A few are here somehttps://scotsink.substack.com/p/reflections-on-my-65th-birthday-its

It’s Monday, slither down the greasy pipe, hobble over any freeway, you will be like your dreams tonight….

I paid that for a ciabatta in Edinburgh recently and didn’t know whether to frame it or eat it.

I was recently in a restaurant and asked what the house red was and was told by the waitress it was good “because some of the other wines on that list make me boak”.

I’m still navigating my way round here and wanted to repost my latest Scots Ink food piece with the headline More Songs About Bitterns and Food but perhaps my ineptitude served me well here

Food on a Friday: The Newport Inn, The Yellow Bittern and other stories Murray Chalmers on the London chef who caused a stir with his comments on sharing plates, and a wonderful meal at a local restaurant in Fife.

Scots Ink has made the move! We're celebrating with @murraychalmers.bsky.social latest Food on Fridays.
Just click the link below, sit back, and Murray will do the rest.

open.substack.com/pub/scotsink...

I was at this opening in 1986 but couldn’t get this signed as it was such a riot around Warhol. So Nick Rhodes got it signed for me at the dinner. I playfully quote Andy’s advice to Nick - “don’t read your press cuttings, weigh them” when writing about the Yellow Bittern on our Scots Ink substack.

Food on a Friday: The Newport Inn, The Yellow Bittern and other stories Murray Chalmers on the London chef who caused a stir with his comments on sharing plates, and a wonderful meal at a local restaurant in Fife.

It’s Food on a Friday on our Scots Ink substack. Here i write about the Yellow Bittern, because not enough people are yalking about it, and the Newport’s perfect pie open.substack.com/pub/scotsink...

Just found this which i had put “in a safe place” while moving. It’s by John Maybury and is the companion piece to another work of John’s that Derek Jarman had in Prospect Cottage, which still hangs there. I bought this in an auction in the Lake District - have no idea how it got there!

Dundee through the eye of a needle Rhoda Miller tells the uplifting story of The Dundee Tapestry, a work of public art by the people, for the people, and of the people.

open.substack.com/pub/scotsink...

Born this day 46 years ago and still my favourite album of all time. As a gay, androgynous teenager from Dundee I embraced early Banshees with complete adoration, even from the first photo. The power of this music was and remains absolute, the sound of a group forging a new path. Immaculate.