Dear readers — it’s that time of the month where one of The Bell team seizes control and writes about whatever’s on their mind — or conscience — for an entire edition.
We’ve spun the wheel, and for February, Robbie is in the driver’s seat. Read on for top podcast picks, Nicky Modlin's viral meltdown and a request regarding Glasgow's best — and most overhyped — bakeries.
What I’ve been reading
I recently picked up Brian Limond’s utterly deranged autobiography after putting it down a year ago. I don’t know why I stopped reading it; this time round it’s unputdownable. I’ve found myself staying up past my bedtime on several occasions, unable to stop myself devouring all its bewildering detail. Brushes with the law; acid trips; schizophrenic internal monologues; ‘fanny fright’; sexual escapades and masturbation — there is literally nothing off topic for Limmy.
I first picked up the book when I was trying to work out if Limmy was behind one of the most notorious websites of the 00s, Glasgow Survival. TLDR: Limmy certainly had the right skillset to have built the controversial ned-bashing website, but there’s no evidence to back up the subreddit rumours.
When we published the article last year, it did elicit a response from the comedian himself, after someone on Twitch asked him about our article. Limmy conceded that he thought “some of my stuff got put onto that website”, but added, “No I wisnae. If I was behind it I’d fucking say.” Point taken. Still, there are striking similarities between the animations from the Limmy Show and the Flash videos on Glasgow Survival (see above), not to mention the uncanniness for Limmy’s own voice in some of the characters on Glasgow Survival. Perhaps these videos were the “stuff” Limmy was referring to. Who knows.
Anyway, go read his book. It’s a belter. And totally bonkers. Talking of Limmy-like characters …
‘I owned the city way before you clowns did’: unpacking the Crabshakk voicenote drama
Like many, I’ve grown increasingly obsessed by — and concerned for the welfare of — the hardcore DJ, turned property developer, turned actor, turned biohacker: the one and only Nicky Modlin. For the uninitiated, last year a trove of Modlin’s voicenotes were leaked online, seemingly sent to the owner of Crabshakk, John Macleod, after Modlin was barred from his restaurant. Modlin only found out about the leak recently and has since had them removed by filing a copyright privacy claim (cue calls to ‘Release the Modlin Files’). He’s gone on something of a rampage since, calling out the people who leaked the voicenotes as “a bunch of fucking losers”, “scumbags”, “sad bastards” and “definitely not cool”. “You don’t own the city, I owned the city way before you two clowns did,” he told them via his Instagram stories earlier this week. He also took aim at Art School girls, the Sub Club and some key figures in the city’s hospitality scene (“not cool”).
The voicenotes all concern, to one degree or another, Crabshakk-gate. According to the man himself, he was refused a drink at Crabshakk Botanics, and subsequently called the waitress a “psycho”, then referred to the staff as “witches” on Instagram afterwards, which led to him being barred. At this point, Modlin claimed to have been dropping £400 a week at the Finnieston restaurant while he was renovating properties in the West End. Anyway, Modlin took it all “like water off a duck’s back…”
The meltdown has inspired several different comedy satires and memes. There is a rumour a Nicky Modlin voicenote remix has been played at Subby. Crabshakk is even in on the joke. I’ve had a phone call with Modlin, exchanged tens of messages and even received a (since retracted) lengthy voicenote. Alas, no exclusive interview yet.
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