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online comedy

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Someone commented recently that Mitchell and Webb might have been the last decent sketch show. That and Armstrong & Miller possibly topped off the long stream of sketch shows from Python through NTNON to The Fast Show, Smack the Pony and Big Train.

But there are good sketch shows online. Foil Arms and Hog is good. The one that I can’t get enough of and which is really productive with new sketches and varieties is Viva La Dirt League.

Ostensibly for the gaming community, it really reaches beyond that bringing the culture and character development, in a similar way that Spaced did, albeit in Tick Tock length episodelets. A sample supercut will be posted in the first comment.

Let me know if you know/ like it or if you have any other favourites to recommend.

Laurie Anderson – Amelia

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What does it sound like?:

On 30 August Laurie Anderson released a new album – Amelia. It charts, over 35 minutes and 22 tracks, the 1937 round-the-world flight of Amelia Earhart. Each track takes you further on the journey, from Oakland, California, eastwards via Miami, San Juan, Brazil, Sénégal, Sudan, Pakistan, Burma etc.

Anderson uses multiple voices, many of which are her own as well as Earhart and Anomi, to quote from the travel logs and the reports to Earhart’s husband en route, as well as to describe the landscape and seascape below the low altitude flight.

The mainly spoken word, albeit sing-songy style that Anderson affects is accompanied by her ubiquitous viola tones and drones, string orchestra arrangements and live bass, drum and guitar overdubs. To create the roar of the aircraft engine which was the constant soundtrack to the flight, she sampled and mixed together tyres driving over gravel, Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music, and her own electronics. There are tracks with radio interference, tracks with almost no sound at all apart from spoken voice, even quotes from Altered Images, Buffalo Springfield and her own earlier work. To call it a soundscape may be a cliché, » Continue Reading.

If Oasis can reform, then so can…

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I listened to the first two Oasis albums over the last couple of days. The first was a godawful square wave noise – silence, then full noise from all instruments then silence, repeated until the end. The second album was better than I had remembered, but far from my favourite record of 1995, let alone the nineties.

The noise about their reformation leaves me a bit cold. I’d rather see Spacemen 3 mend fences and get creative together again, on stage or in the studio.

It’s unlikely to happen, but Sonic and Jason are both alive, so it could.

Who would you like to see make up and be friendly again, either (a) living or (b) dead?

* I gather Marr tweeted a picture of Farage in response to the suggestion that The Smiths follow in the Gallagher brothers footsteps.

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Jim Carrey – what do you think?

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Laid low by strep-related cellulitis, which had given me the joy of fever, chills, shakes and an inflamed left calf – delightful in what must be hottest, most humid August in 20 years, I have turned to iPlayer to pass the time as the penicillin does its tricks. . Many interesting and diverting films to watch – things I’ve never seen (All The President’s Men, Bridge of Spies), things I have a nostalgic fondness for (Point Break). . There were also two films starring Jim Carrey, which I started watching. . To save space here, I’ll put my own thoughts in the first comment, and to save time, here’s the question at the end: . Do other Afterworders have views, positive or negative of Jim Carrey’s films?

NY2RT

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Many years ago on this site I asked which members of the Beatles were the equivalent of which members of Monty Python. As you might expect, I got a full response, even unto the associated characters with each group.

Here’s a long overdue question of a similar nature. If it could be argued that Richard Thompson is the British Neil Young – great guitar sound, marmite voice, emerged from a famous band (Buffalo Springfield/Fairport Convention*), what do you think would be the equivalent songs in the Thompson canon to such Young classics as ‘Like A Hurricane’, After the Goldrush’, ‘F*!#in’ Up’, etc?

Any answers eagerly received. I might even start listening to the Vincent Black Lightning-riding, beret wearer.

* For those who didn’t know.

Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me

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What does it sound like?:

Maggie Rogers’ third official album, released on 12 April has been in my ears every day since then. I’ve been gradually getting familiar with her 10 new songs, letting them seep in, slowly noticing the differences between them, absorbing the words, noticing musical details. Like with each of the previous releases, there is a change in musical style. I would characterize them, sequentially, as folk, dance, rock and now MOR/country. This would normally put me off as being bland, and it seemed somewhat like that to me at first – a disappointing selection of songs after the catchy bangers that she strutted out. But this is Maggie Rogers, and I have found she really rewards repeat listening. It’s now my favourite of hers – a record where the singing isn’t afraid to take centre stage and not hide behind production. There are ‘tent post’ songs, that are more immediately catchy – Drunk, The Kill, Don’t Forget Me. The 5 songs between those last two to start with, slipped past without grabbing my attention at all, such is the contrasting pop appeal of them. Apparently all songs were written and recorded in 5 days total, » Continue Reading.

Artists tinker compilations

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Thrilled by the possibility of punning a previous thread, I wonder if there is any mileage in calling for examples of successful acts who stretched their talent beyond their familiar genre?

Could you list* songs by mainstream acts that aren’t bad, but just don’t fit the expected mould – like the track in the first comment below. ————— *Of course you could – you’re salivating at the chance.

Creative packaging

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Growing up, my Dad had the Bee Gees album ‘Life In A Tin Can’ (see pictured) with the Gibb brothers peeking out from the mouthhole of a can of fizzy pop. Not particularly creative, but it caught my imagination more than the music on the disc inside. My best friend’s older sister had Led Zep III with the volvelle of images visible through the front cover. She also had Physical Graffiti with the die cut windows, and probably also In Through the Out Door with all its shenanigans.

Music packaging that stands out from the average intrigued me from then on. Browsing the racks, a variant on the simple cardboard obviously gives it more prominence, whether it’s Blue Monday’s floppy disc mimicry, Small Faces, PIL or Status Quo’s use of metal boxes to transport their musical delights or even Vini Reilly’s ‘joy for the record collector’ of a sleeve made of sandpaper.

I’ll post my favourite in the first comment, but what’s your own favourite ‘alternative’ packaging? Have I missed out on some famous examples?

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Afterwords

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Maybe it’s because I’ve spent the week with my Parkinsonism-affected papa and I’m going slightly doolally with the ‘Flog It’ and ‘Heartbeat’s on extreme repeat, but are we preparing for the days when our more senior Afterworders are genuinely after words, aphasic, and fully into their seventh Shakespearian age?

What culture for those advancing in years, and condemned ever to repeat the same basic threads, over and over again in some kind of Becketian stupor?

UK voters abroad

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Six years after I lost the right, and became democratically disenfranchised, I can vote again in the country that issues my passport. Watch out, Priti Patel*!

Anyone else found themselves in a similar position? It’s a good thing, right?

* I bet she’s quaking in her stilettos

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/jan/16/britons-living-abroad-regain-right-to-vote-in-uk-elections-as-15-year-rule-ends

Maggie Rogers discography

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What does it sound like?:

Maggie Rogers is a successful performance artist with a major label record contract, who headlines tours and plays festivals. It may be that many Afterworders already know her if not her music, but apart from one clip from KFD on Bingo’s ‘Music Makes Life Better’ thread in 2022, and a few comments from me in Blogger Takes Over threads last year, she doesn’t have any presence on this site. That’s OK – there is a lot of music out there, she is possibly in the Dido camp of being popular with mainstream audiences with limited AW appeal.

That’s understandable – although from a folky background, she undeniably is pop. I hadn’t heard of her at all until I watched a recording of her Glastonbury ’23 performance. In a turquoise dress with strawberry blonde crop, she was clearly having the time of her life, connecting with the audience, getting lost in dancing to the band and singing so joyfully songs I had never heard before.

There was something in that vibrant zest for life that was completely captivating and infectious. So I started to dig into her discography:

Two albums released independently during her » Continue Reading.

Well, actually – catnip for pedants

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It’s a well-established fact* that you get more comments and attention for your posts online if you say something incorrect, spell a wrod wrong or getting your grammar not rightly.

Trolls perform a service for pedants – they feed a need to share passionately-garnered knowledge, to enlighten the ignorant, to show off. So, as a good servant to the Afterword thrivemind, here are some misconceptions you may wish to correct, not infamous ‘Paul is dead’, ‘Elvis is alive’ ones. More things you are tired of hearing about your favourite music.

    Prog rock is over-complicated for the sake of it, it’s all about pixies and wizards and you can’t dance to it. Techno/house/acid/rave is all the same and it’s just a big thumping, repetitive noise made on machines by people with no musical ability. Folk music is tedious out-of-tune warbling about blacksmiths and sailors and maids in castle towers. Americana is basically slightly less sentimental country and western. All pop music since 2000 is auto tuned, has the same music and is mass produced by a factory in Sweden. Everything was better before 1973. Bob Dylan can’t sing. Neither can Joni Mitchell. Neil Young shouldn’t sing. All modern music is » Continue Reading.

2023 winter summary of springs and falls

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Hannah, when she was on here, around this very time of year, used to do an annual check up post, just asking ‘how are you?’

So that’s what this seasonal tribute act is – an invitation to say how the last 12 months have been for you – any peaks or troughs, any personal firsts or new revelations?

I will read attentatively, and though may not respond to all who care to post, will do my best to hold you in the light, as the Quaker expression goes.

1984 – the year of high energy pop singles

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1984. I was 15, and hadn’t yet gone goth. It was a great year for pop singles. Maybe a truism, but still worth celebrating.

There are the obvious hits – Born In The USA, Careless Whispers, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, I Want To Break Free, Purple Rain, Relax, Smalltown Boy, Smooth Operator, Take On Me – the list seems endless. And there are the syrup-coated songs it was hard to avoid – What’s Love Got to Do With It?, Joanna, Solid (As A Rock), Ghostbusters and of course I Just Called to Say I Love You.

But here are 20 songs from that year that made me move, and give me wobbly nostalgia when I hear them now* – 1. Shannon – Let the Music Play 2. Chaka Khan – I Feel for You 3. The Pointer Sisters – Jump (For My Love) 4. Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder – Together in Electric Dreams 5. Prince & The Revolution – Let’s Go Crazy 6. Rockwell – Somebody’s Watching Me 7. Dazz Band – Let It All Blow 8. James Ingram – Yah Mo B There 9. Cyndi Lauper – She Bop 10. Deniece Williams – Let’s Hear It » Continue Reading.

Connections rebooted

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Back in 1978 I was a happy 9 year old, eager to play in the fields, climb trees, build dens and construct dams across streams and ride my bike. Science lessons were best when they used Bunsen burners to ignite stuff like aluminium, sodium or magnesium. Evenings were spent watching things like the Good Life, the Two Ronnies and Secret Army with my mum. When James Burke started his new science series – Connections – I was instantly hooked. He told such stories, revealed where things came from, showed why two totally different inventions led to things we took for granted in the 70s like digital watches, pocket calculators and flymos – all with passion and infectious enthusiasm. He made the world seem like a wondrous place of multidisciplinary discovery, innovation and possibility.

And now he is back again with a new series. In a way, the world has caught up with his polymath systems way of thinking, but I do wonder how his unique take on things will address AI and other hot topics of the 2020s. He seems from the trailer in the linked article to think we will all become adept at making our own video-d » Continue Reading.

Owning your inner plonker

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Are you a happy plonker?

I am a plonker, and I’m sure a lot of my comments on this site reveal unknown depths of plonkerdom that I might have to own if revealed to me.

On the ‘Turns out I was wrong’ thread, I commented about learning not to be so shy and getting the confidence to be in public situations. The problem was my self image – not liking how other people saw me.

When in public, we are in the moment and cannot see ourselves as others see us (may be why seeing and hearing recordings of ourselves is at first weird and discomforting). I didn’t take criticism very well, and it can be jolting to have that public persona reflected back to you by the remarks of others.

My daughter had to analyse a text involving a girl commenting to others in a group about how her sister, also present, was a clutz. Both were quite young, and the targeted sister squirmed awkwardly. As we get older, that squirming should fade, as we get used to how others see us when we’re not conscious of ourselves – we learn to recognise our faults, own » Continue Reading.

Do you sing in the shower? – ice breaker questions

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This may fall apart as a simple yes/no response about shower singing, (and that’s OK) but the OP is an attention-grabbing example of icebreakers I found to start interviews with colleagues in a Parky-style get-to-know-you exercise.

Here are some others (I have 48 in total). Do you like them? How would you answer them? Any better suggestions? * How long would you last in a zombie apocalypse? * Who is your celebrity crush? * Cat or dog? * You can instantly learn a skill/language. Which one?

Baritone boom or falsetto trill?

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Just the sight of the Supertramp post set my teeth on edge a bit, and left me wondering why that was. ‘Logical’ and ‘Breakfast in America’ are good pop songs*, but particularly the former is something I can only take in small doses.

And then it occurred to me. It’s the Alvin & The Chipmunks/Pinky & Perky/ Father Abraham & The Smurfs factor – falsetto.

Like the Bee Gees & Yes, falsetto (or high tenor) voices are not my thing. I mean, not completely not my thing – I love The Communards, Prince singing ‘Kiss’, though they might be because of the presence of Sarah-Jane Morris, and that Prince can sing in pretty much any register.

But generally speaking, those are the exceptions to the rule – baritone is what I love to listen to – The Sisters of Mercy, of course; Ian Curtis; Nick Drake, Bowie, Springsteen, Elvis even. And that goes for female singers even more. I adore the dark notes of June Tabor, Nina Simone, the warm tones of Norah Jones, Karen Carpenter.

I’d dip down happily to the bass register for Leonard Cohen or Michael Gira. But the higher up the vocal range I listen, » Continue Reading.

Paul Rubens RIP

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Obituary

Pee-Wee Herman, Mr Bean’s gentler American cousin and Randy Rainbow’s spiritual father.

I still remember skipping an afternoon off work when I was 17 to go and see his Big Adventure film – slightly odd, rather surreal, but also quite harmless.

AW you guys – an 11 year AW love in

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OK this is pure indulgence, and I’m quite happy if this ‘happy in the haze of a drunken hour’ post drops like a stone through the front page of the blog, shunned by all and sun-dried.

It may be Maudlin College, Oxbridge, but sauntering in on this site of an evening and seeing name tags familiar from more than a DECADE, I feel a real sense of warmth and connection.

11 years, guys! (and locust (obligatory, meta, sub-bracketed sexist self-put-down)).

It nay be no more than thousands of other, parallel, blog communities have achieved since 2012 or earlier, all fed by daily, weekly taps on keyboards/swipes on screens, but that’s (It’s) Immaterial!

We, we, let me say again we (because it sounds good) have made a space of endurance, a cloud of old-gittery, a spectacle of rock’n’roll’n”in-joketastic spewing of joyful, fretful commentaries that amount to a stupendous hill’o’beans. Or just another drupal viral rout. Take your pick.

It don’t matter. We rose again. Those splendiferous lost threads – Roxy vs Talking Heads, Jimi vs Cream, Steeleye vs Fairport vs Pentangle, and so many more – are arcane folk memory, treasured by the febrile and the feeble, and » Continue Reading.

Albums of the 90s: 1999

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In homage to Hawkfall’s Q 1990-1998 albums threads, here is a follow-up for 1999.

A quick search suggests the following as Q’s top 10 for that year: 1. Slipknot – Slipknot 2. Shack – H.M.S. Fable 3. Mike + The Mechanics – Mike & The Mechanics 4. Gomez – Liquid Skin 5. Handsome Boy Modeling School – So… How’s Your Girl? 6. Death In Vegas – The Contino Sessions 7. The Charlatans – Us and Us Only 8. Missy Elliott – Da Real World 9. Groove Armada – Vertigo 10. Sugar Ray – 14:59

This may be completely wrong, but it’s a start. More polls, links to Hawkfall’s threads, in the comments. I may add my own top 10.

Does this reflect your listening for that year, or records from that year you subsequently bought?