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Sometimes you simply cannot beat British TV. When I finally got round to eating tonight, I happened upon a special edition of Question Time, looking back over the last 25 years of the programme. Some of the discussions and arguments that take place have been fantastic.

After that, This Week came on, which is another programme I'm becoming quite a fan of. Tonight was particularly special, though, thanks to R.E.M. being on the show, discussing their involvement in the Vote for Change series of concerts in US 'swing states'.

As a longtime fan of the band, it was great to hear them talk intelligently. I've never done the whole hero-worship thing, but I would certainly love to meet Michael Stipe; he's been an inspiration for some time, and even with all the fame and money, he still seems very well grounded, yet having fun.

BBC Radio 2 had a special interview with the band today. More information over here, including the chance to listen to it again (you may need to be in the UK for that part).

All that segues very neatly into mentioning the new R.E.M. album, Around the Sun. They even managed to get Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest to guest. There is also a tour for the album, and I'm thinking I may actually finally go and see them... Last time I got tickets, I queued overnight for them, only for Bill Berry to be taken ill. On this tour, they're going to play the SECC in Glasgow, and I'm not going there, but they're also going to play Loch Lomond, which sounds pretty cool, so I'm aiming for that. Tickets go on sale Saturday, so let me know if you fancy it too.