Tuna & Waffles: An Ode to Ade

 Who was Ade Rixon has not been a question I knew I could ask; yet in the last day or so it is the only question I’ve been asking.  Freshly dusted off from The Courier shelf is a copy of ‘Tuna & Waffles’ in my curious hands.  The book is a print-on-demand small publishing job that has been a uniquely consoling read for a Courier writer.  Mainly, & mostly, because it is a series of articles about living in Aberstwyth & writing for the Courier, & bloody funny it is too.

The range of articles (all foundable in Courier back issues) can be exemplified by their titles regarding ‘Living with Psychotics’, ‘The Twelve Pains of Christmas’ & ‘The National Robbery & You’.  Charting the early nineties computer science student, & then staff, Rixon writes familiar stories of accomodations crisis, Union electioneering, the scam of the prom & those embittered drunken nights out (which is most of them).  Full of handy advice, useful information & character assignations all written with bubbly humour filled with posionous satire. 

It bites, it barks, alternatingly between sharpness & grumbling.  Such a good liar he is I often would have to remind myself that he’s lying (& then maybe more articles should).  Reading on how he killed Malcom & fended off Sharon raised a smile in appreciation to dislikable characters & how pursistent they are in pursisting to drain the emotional life from us.  Appreciated it is.         

“Watch out!  The fairies are back in force & they’re pissed off!” is a memorable opener to any article & they all maintain that level of serious tone throughout.   

I’m glad I’ve got it on standby in the office for whenever I need to throw it at someone, & if you demand hard enough you too can have it.