Musings on the byways of popular culture
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Multitasking this morning, doing a 5km park run before turning up at my local independent store dripping in sweat. Probably only about 3 things I was slightly interested in, got The Who A Quick One double LP, mono for original album then additional tracks on the 2nd disc. Nicely coloured vinyl and a decent package. Pressed in Germany which is normally a good sign.
May check another store later for Springsteen live album, but I can live without it
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See my CAVEAT EMPTOR thread for details – scroll to the bottom.
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Today I am at the World’s oldest association football ground to watch my local team Hallam FC play their last home match of the season against Dunstone FC. It is going well at the moment: an entertaining and competitive 0:0. A good crowd of a few hundred. Anyone else support their real Local team?
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In the comments I will post a brief video from Stephen Hendry, showing his technique for hitting a snooker ball so it goes into the pocket. It’s so simple, it’s brilliant – and I’m keen to give it a go when I next get an opportunity.
With football, keeping your knee over the ball when you shoot will mean the ball should go in the direction you intend it to go without it screaming over the bar.
With golf, the tips of your toes should align with the direction of where you want the ball to go – when you do manage to hit the ball, that is.
With cricket, a right handed batsman should grip the bat very tightly with the left hand to keep it straight – and you adjust the grip of your right hand in accordance with where you want to ball to go. Again, assuming you actually hit it.
I’m not at all proficient at any of these sports – but the football and golf ones have spared my blushes a bit because they do seem to work. The trouble with the cricket one is that I am generally a terrible batsman, but at least » Continue Reading.
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Mrs M and a friend are working on creating a podcast about children’s books. Mrs M has a Masters in Children’s Literature and a lifelong interest in children’s books, and her friend is a well known writer of and broadcaster about children’s books in New Zealand. They pick two or three books and discuss them at length and in detail, looking at every aspect from the story to the illustrations and everything else. It’s very engaging because it just sounds like them sitting round the kitchen table. A bit like our heroes David and Mark. They’ve done several trial episodes and are almost ready to unleash it on the world except they don’t have a title.
The current working title is “A Wrinkle In Time”. For those like me who don’t get it, it’s the title of a 1963 iconic children’s book. As someone has pointed out, if you’re looking for a podcast about children’s books then you’ll get it. Like the Beatles podcast called Things We Said Today.
Anyway if anyone has any brilliant ideas please share them here…
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Love them or loath them, adverts have always been a part of ours lives.
This YouTube ad from Yorkshire Tea popped up on my feed today and it’s superb. Yes, it’s not an ad on the telly or hosted by Pearl & Dean, but it’s still brilliant.
So, from your Ridley Scott early masterpieces to the Nescafe love story, what are the ads that you remember (surely a sign of a good ad) as brilliant…..
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5 cd set incoming with some unreleased alternate takes and live material – although most of the live songs have appeared before.
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News has just come through that Andy Kershaw has sadly passed away at the age of 66. I know many were critical of his marriage/post marriage issues but I always regarded this as a side issue that was really only for him to sort out. Only thing I would say is that his kids eventually chose to live with him which probably says more than either of the two protagonists said on the matter. I loved his autobiography No off switch which was hugely entertaining and illuminating. His love of World music knew no limits and he even put the Bound boys up at his house so that they could afford to tour in the UK. I saw him play a DJ set in Leamington a few years ago. I spoke with him about his love of Haiti and also asked him about an artist whose music he played. He emailed me with the artist name and label and where I could obtain it. Top bloke with an immense love for music.
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Obituary
Passed away aged 66 from cancer.
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I wanted to reply to the Earworm post but my phone couldn’t cope so I’m just going to post 3 separate songs here. All bangers (In an 80’s tastic stylee.)
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What does it sound like?:
To The 5 Boroughs is The Beastie Boys sixth studio album, released in 2004. Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D were all pushing forty years old. Two of them were responsible fathers, the other a peace-loving Buddhist. They were positively ancient in the world of Hip Hop, so, naturally, they go Old Skool in an attempt to get back to the party vibe of their debut. They go so far back, Triple Trouble doffs its cap to The Sugarhill Gang. However, financial constraints resulted in the closure of their record label, 9/11 had destroyed the Twin Towers and decimated their beloved New York City, and George Bush had begun the War On Terror. A gloom hangs over the album like the dust from the towers’ collapse. Nevertheless, it followed the previous two albums by debuting at number one in the Billboard chart and selling over a million copies in the States.
To The 5 Boroughs is self produced and the only credited additional musician is Mix Master Mike on turntables. The backing tracks are simplified, building strong, muscular beats, and eschewing frivolous samples. It is their most coherent album. With no real skits and » Continue Reading.
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For the second day in a row, its a post of a new track that caught my eye – this time a new Bond theme from none other then Lana Del Ray (with help from David Arnold).
Its for an upcoming video game not a movie, but its still a Bond theme and its rather fabulous.
Video in comments.
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I will embed the video in the comments but Elly Schlein, Italy’s Leader of the Opposition, has just caused me to have goosebumps.
Basically, she gives Trump a severe ticking off and unites the whole house by doing so. She did this by expressing solidarity with her opponent – PM Meloni – on backing the Pope against ol’diarrhoea pants.
It doesn’t matter that I don’t quite understand what she’s saying. You can *feel* it. It has been years since I have seen such a moment and it gives me hope. Anyway, carry on.
13 years of pretty much total silence and now this absolute BEAUTY of tune is with us. I dearly love this band and will be immersed for a while… Given the absolute shitty situation the world is in, having new music from these guys feels like an enormous gift.
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Photographs chronicled my younger life. It was just given that there would be a record of high days and holidays – especially holidays. They were definitely photographs and not ‘snaps’. Where others couldn’t quite treat photography as the equivalent of other arts, I always could, surrounded as I was by family who could compose a picture, judge the light, wait for the moment. This was hardly surprising given that my grandfathers, despite both being born in modest circumstances in the nineteenth century, were early adopters of the camera. In turn, my third brother has made a living in film and certainly knows how to take a still.
So, in turn, when I went off round the world in my twenties, long before the days of digital freedom, I took nigh on two thousand shots. I chose slides, as I imagined settling down to evenings illustrating my trip to eager friends. I always had an SLR and a polarising filter – vital for the low latitudes of the southern hemisphere. So it continued with every European cycling trip and visit to expatriate brothers, though in latter years, the record was digital.
But I went to visit said third brother in Kenya » Continue Reading.
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You Tube clip in comments.
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Masterpiece or unlistenable drivel?
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Nice interview for the Bob Mould / Sugar fans here…
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/apr/16/sugar-reunion-bob-mould-interview
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New track from Massive Attack featuring Tom Waits.
Looks like its new material – sign of more to come ?
I like it.
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I had a CT scan on Saturday and was told this morning that it showed no new issues. The physical exam confirmed that I have no new lumps ‘in all the relevant places.’
The chemotherapy is working.
That’s all I need to know.
That ends this short announcement. As you were.
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Gosh, this seems to have largely passed by the media in the UK. Just seen it browsing the LA Times site.
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I watched Crime 101 the other day. Pretty good. I enjoyed it. Best of all was Sault performing Glory over the end credits. The bass line brought the film to a firm conclusion and the song’s soulfulness kept me engaged enough to watch the thousand names scroll by and gently brought me back to the real world.
It struck me that choosing the music to play over end credits is a tricky art. Radiohead have paid tribute in Exit Music (For A Film). The best example I can think of is David Bowie’s Heart’s Filthy Lesson underlining the shock revelation at the end of Se7en. Stunning.
Any other ideas?
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9 years since her last album of original material Tift Merritt has a new album, Sugar, out on 26th June. First single ‘Finest Feelings’ is in the comments below. Any love for Tift and her brand of country soul on here? Never the most prolific of artists she gives the impression of never quite realising her full potential. Sugar follows a self-imposed musical sabbatical to enable her to focus on other things including being a mother. Last year she released Time and Patience (handy attributes for being a Tift fan) which brought together acoustic demos from the Tambourine album. ‘Finest Feelings’ takes a few listens.
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Obituary
Most widely known among civilians as the subject of Cornershop’s Brimful of Asha (the slower version of which was superior to the faster hit dance mix version, say I). I must admit I don’t know much of her work myself, except that she made a good song great when she collaborated with Boy George.
Very sad to read that Clannad’s Moya Brennan has left us at the age of 73.
They produced beautiful music over the years, and every one of their albums has some treasures on it.
As a child of the 80s, the sound of Moya and her comrades singing “Robin… the hooded man” will instantly take me back to happy Saturday afternoons watching TV.
I was only lucky enough to see them live once, but it was terrific. I recall them being spotlit on a darkened stage and singing the theme from Harry’s Game to a completely spellbound audience. It sent shivers down my spine.
What a voice she had – never overdone, never any unnecessary notes, and plenty of space for her bandmates to harmonise. They deserved to be much bigger than they were.
They did better songs, but here, in memory of a wonderful concert and a great singer, is Theme from Harry’s Game.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crm112y4jyzo
