The A to Z of Half Man Half Biscuit

✉ Letters Sent (20)

1. Chris The Siteowner

   Thanks to folks who’ve helped pick out the items from new songs which need to be added to the A to Z. I’ll get these added soon. In the meantime, there are plenty of entries above which are lacking in commentary (well, with only 1 comment!) if you have anything interesting to say about them.

   27 June 2022

2. Spiltdown Man

   One of the joys of Half Man Half Biscuit is their shameless, some might say genius, appropriation of other bands songs, lyrics, riffs or melodies either in their entirety or in fleeting snippets . From Bob Dylan (See That My Bike’s Kept Clean) to Tiny Tim (It Makes The Room Look Bigger), Belle Stars (Secret Gig) to Black Sabbath (Left Lyrics), David Essex (Sealclubbing) to Joy Division (JD Oven Gloves). Then there’s the traditional/folk songs that are reworked like Bread of Heaven (Midnight Mass Murder), Hokey Cokey (Petty Sessions) and Coming Round the Mountains (Lock Up Your Mountain Bikes). These musical references/nods can be found in many of their songs. I just wondered if these ever been captured anywhere? Could be a fun thing to compile in the inter-album lull. How about a new section?

   9 May 2023

3. EXXO

   It’s somewhere in the lists thread, which maybe needs updating for the last album or two.

   Meanwhile if anyone with any web skills ever wants to collaborate on doing all the borrowings and references exhaustively in a ‘Peter Greenaway does the Arden Shakespeare for HMHB’ sort of way, please let me know.

   9 May 2023

4. EXXO

   Yeah, I should have checked first and should have given a massive nod to Jeff Dreadnought in the lists thread whose posts there are a pretty decent stab at doing all the musical borrowings, including Voltarol as I now do remember.

   9 May 2023

5. EXXO

   @Spiltdown: In fact now that I look at the list thread I reckon that comments 178 and 392, and a few others in between are a very decent basis for the project you suggest, but are not complete, and in a few cases Jeff just assumes that another song title with similar wording to HMHB is being referred or alluded to, even if it probably isn’t. The list needs different categories really. Tune borrowed, words partially altered, song title just referred to, possible reference but not sure, etc, etc.

   9 May 2023

6. Jeff dreadnought

   The original list (which was a fun thing to compile, but did contain a few wild guesses admittedly) could do with trimming, tidying up and perhaps breaking down into categories as suggested. Plenty of gaps to be filled as well, no doubt.

   I like the idea of having a new section, perhaps with a list for each album to make the whole thing more manageable, and with proper explanations for each entry.

   Happy Rogation Sunday, by the way.

   14 May 2023

7. Ninkasi

   Whilst digging out festive records for our local pub’s vinyl record night, I noticed on the cover of “all i want for christmas….” the poor disappointed lad is wearing a “Go Ahead Eagles” footy kit. This reference to the Dutch footy side seems to have been missed from the list of HMHB references

   10 December 2024

8. EXXO

   I don’t think we’ve ever done any cover art references on here.

   10 December 2024

9. dr DEsperate

   As it happens, we did have a bit of a go-around on the subject of GAEs in 2016, prompted by CtSO’s musing on the possibility of letting them have an A to Z entry (see the AIWFCIADPAK page, posts 78-84).

   10 December 2024

10. No chips allowed

    Formerly known as Go Ahead Deventer. Originally known as Be Quick Deventer. Marc Overmars once played for them, other than that, I got nothing.

    10 December 2024

11. DOCTOR WHO AFICIONADO

    I believe Newton is missing from the A to Z:

    Sir Isaac Newton: ‘No draughts ‘cos that’d be daft, a feather acknowledges Newton’, D’Ye Ken Ted Moult?

    13 July 2025

12. MATTL

    Just found out what a diadem is, but alas no page for it. Just the lyrics to A Country Practice.

    18 July 2025

13. No chips allowed

    Tiaras are diadems, but not all diadems can classified as tiaras. (attributed to Mo Nark).

    18 July 2025

14. Chris The Siteowner

    Thanks for the missing entries above. Just added, and we’ll begin on the 85–90 entries from Asimov, one a day, almost immediately!

    9 August 2025

15. This leaden paul

    So many new entries, oh, so many new entries beginning with ‘B’.

    Also appreciating the ‘Latest Additions’ comment counter updating automatically.

    11 August 2025

16. HVOSM

    Has something gone behind-over-bosom with the scheduling, Chris?

    19 August 2025

17. Chris The Siteowner

    Yes, a man with a database who doesn’t know what he’s doing can let some dangerous stuff out into the wild. I got out my butterfly net and I think they’re all back in their hutches. Now you’ll just have to wait to see the comment you sneaked in.

    19 August 2025

18. HVOSM

    Ah! In that case apologies for jumping the gun on one entry… I only realised something was amiss when more entries began appearing!

    19 August 2025

19. this leaden paul

    Should the entry for 4AD be visible under the numbers now? It’s not in the list under ‘F’ any more.

    27 August 2025

20. Chris The Siteowner

    Sorry, I moved it to be under ‘4’ but the link didn’t work. Thanks for spotting it so quickly.

    I’m doing a lot of behind the scenes maintenance on the site at the moment, so please do let me know if you see anything amiss. The site is very fast (it’s been scoring 95%+) but I want to make it almost instant – despite carrying over 15 years’ worth of crud in the database. There’ll be a minor look’n’feel design tweak coming quite soon.

    27 August 2025