Musings on the byways of popular culture
Saw an advert on TV for a new compilation “Music For Runners” or something along those lines, is there no end of these daft compilations. Whatever will be next?
“Music For On The Toilet” “Music To Hoover By” “Music For Flatulence”
Like all of us, I was shocked yesterday to learn of the death of David Bowie. Rather ungainly, for such a legend of music and fashion, I read a Facebook post at 7.02am as I sat on the toilet and assumed it was a cruel hoax. Minutes later as I drove to work, it had already been confirmed on the Today programme on Radio 4. So quick, I presume they aired one of those pre -recorded death reports. Driving slowly in the darkness, on a cold Monday morning, the news still seemed surreal and unfair. Like Dylan,you just assumed he would last forever. I flicked over to Radio Two as the usual jovial Sarah Cox broke the news. She played Space Oddity and I burst into tears. I wasn’t expecting this, I’d bought Blackstar on Saturday, but haven’t had chance to listen to it all yet. The title track has been my soundtrack since I downloaded it before Christmas and it was quite simply the best piece of music I heard it 2015; innovative with an air of doom to it with a breathtaking video which I’m still analysing, even more so now, The Next Day, after his death.
Blackstar » Continue Reading.
Venue:
York Fibbers
Date: 22/09/2015
“I’M DEAD, Yorkshire you’ve been alive” enthuses a sweaty John Lydon. I’m all for hot and sweaty gigs, but It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, in here tonight. “Where do you think you are, on a cruise liner!” chuckles John after the punky stabs of Double Trouble and Know Now. The former, the first new punk anthem about a broken toilet seat, but whilst John can’t flush, this song works so well. P.I.L’s performance is testament to the crowd, who keep taking the tablets and don’t jump off board the H.M.S Fibbers. The cooler, dubby, Deeper Waters is some relief and one of many great moments. Bells clang above Scotty’s deep bass groove , the always brilliant Lu Edmonds creates an apocalyptic layer of guitar textures, whilst we’re held steady in the swelling expanse of sound by no nonsense drummer Bruce Smith. Although their are little bits of keyboard backing, instrumentally P.I.L. are a brilliant sounding trio, with deep walls of sound. It’s a shame the lighting (or lack of) does little to help keep our mind off the heat which reaches boiling point during the hypnotic Corporate. It’s an angry, murderous moment from new » Continue Reading.
Following on from the greatest intros thread, it seems appropriate to start a greatest endings thread. I guess a lot of these maybe live recordings. Here is my suggestion, from what is still an underrated live album. Some might say it’s just arranged and drawn out, but I do think it creates some tension at the beginning of the set.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO7Tacda2WU
I watched a bit of the red button on the BBC last week, and it was quite interesting to watch the Simon Mayo radio show on the TV from Edinburgh. It’s always interesting putting faces to voices and watching as the show progressed. Always had the upmost respect for Mayo as a broadcaster, enjoy his film show on five with Kermode and remember on 9/11 when he held together his afternoon show so admirably as the terrible news unfolded. Always seems calm and unflustered and a total professional. I think radio on the TV for a week is okay, but there seems little point in doing this all the time, do you agree? I’ve never watched the live streaming of their film show, maybe I should.
I’ve recently been re-watching Neil Brand’s Sound Of Song series, on the first episode he mentions the Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again, as being one of his favourite songs and intros. Other contenders for great intros:
1)Gimme Shelter-The Rolling Stones 2)Money For Nothing- Dire Straits 3)Layla-Eric Clapton 4)Shine On You Crazy Diamond-Pink Floyd 5)One Vision-Queen
The above are predictable I know, what would you go for?
I’ve always preferred plain, how about you? The milk chocolate variety don’t quite have the edge of plain. As a child I used to sometimes mistake jaffa cakes for plain chocolate digestives. The horror of biting into the soft sponge and tangy orange is something that still haunts me.
Although I don’t think it will quite become the You Tube Moment that Chris Evans predicted, it was quite interesting to see Gallagher and Daltrey on T.F.I. Friday last week . Although he is quite an odd man anyway, there seemed to be something strange looking about Liam Gallagher and he didn’t seem to have his usual swagger or aggression. Dare I say it, almost a modest appearance from Gallagher junior who seems to have put on a little weight. Anyone else notice this? Daltrey was also in reasonable voice and with old Bonehead back on stage and former Oasis drummer Zak Starkey , I guess this was some kind of strange of Oasis Hybrid Band. Bring back Beady Eye, their last album had some pretty reasonable songs eg. Soon Come Tomorrow. I for one, hope an Oasis reunion never happens.
Currently suffering from a pulled muscle which I gained whilst training for a half marathon which I had to pull out of two weeks ago. Not wishing for sympathy, but it’s still quite hard walking for long stretches with pain in lower back, how long can I expect the road to recovery to be? Been to the Doctor and he advised that my back is okay but some sciatica as well as the pulled muscle. Any other fantasy ailment bands welcome, or real bands with a medical theme to them.
The last half hour at work on a Friday, when a second seems like a minute, a minute seems like 5 mins and 5 mins seems like an hour. I’m on test match special, how about you?
Nice to have the site back, it does feel like slipping back into an old pair of slippers. But before we become too comfortable, has anyone else heard these strange sounds in the sky? The sound is strangely familiar yet deeply disturbing, at times like Bob Dylan’s voice these days.
http://youtu.be/npiGI91fTKM
