So I don't post on this blog nearly as much as I've ever planned to, but it's coming up to the end of the year and (I know I've said this before) I'm really going to make an effort for next year. I've started doing up my lists of 2009 and I've got some interesting stuff to say that will be sneaking out over the next week or so, and then ever onwards. I'm going to keep it updated this time. I promise.
But what does it matter? There's nobody reading anyway...
;P
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Saturday, 8 August 2009
(He)art exhibition...
There's a certain obsession I have with bad apples. Criminals: murderers, thieves, gangsters. There's something oddly charming about the bad things they do. I hate violence, but it fascinates me. Not your everyday thug. Not every robber, killer, rapist. Nothing like that. But some of these charismatic criminals seem to have such charm that you begin to side with them, despite knowing what they do is inherently wrong. I find it alluring and attractive, in a sinister way. It's not something I could find myself becoming involved in. It most definitely is not part of my world. Fact remains, however, that there is something attractive about it. I have no idea why, and I choose not to explore it; rather just be fascinated by it. I could fall easily in love with the criminal, maybe not so much the crime.
My top 25 comedians...
Don't need to explain really, just look them up.
25. Lee Mack
24. Ross Noble
23. Linda Smith
22. Jasper Carrot
21. Gilbert Gottfried
20. Steve Martin
19. Stewart Lee
18. Robin Williams
17. Sam Kinison
16. Jackie Mason
15. Emo Phillips
14. George Carlin
13. Tony Hawks
12. Dave Allen
11. Dylan Moran
10. Sean Hughes
9. Tim Vine
8. Mitch Hedberg
7. Sarah Silverman
6. Alexei Sayle
5. Arther Smith
4. Doug Stanhope
3. Richard Herring
2. Rob Newman
1. Richard Pryor
Just to point out a few notable exceptions:
Reeves & Mortimer - I love them to bits, but didn't want to include double acts.
Bill Hicks & Lenny Bruce - whilst I'm a big fan of both, they don't get in my top comedians list. I saw them more as pioneers than as necessarily amazingly funny.
Brendon Burns - I ramble on about him all the time lately, but I only got into him from a friend's suggestion this year, so I'm likely to have a current thing. He's just not quite up there with these guys.
Demetri Martin - I love Demetri, but again, not quite there, probably somewhere from 25-30.
Lee Evans - if you think he's funny, you're probably as much of a cunt as he is.
Current comedians - does exactly what it says on the tin.
25. Lee Mack
24. Ross Noble
23. Linda Smith
22. Jasper Carrot
21. Gilbert Gottfried
20. Steve Martin
19. Stewart Lee
18. Robin Williams
17. Sam Kinison
16. Jackie Mason
15. Emo Phillips
14. George Carlin
13. Tony Hawks
12. Dave Allen
11. Dylan Moran
10. Sean Hughes
9. Tim Vine
8. Mitch Hedberg
7. Sarah Silverman
6. Alexei Sayle
5. Arther Smith
4. Doug Stanhope
3. Richard Herring
2. Rob Newman
1. Richard Pryor
Just to point out a few notable exceptions:
Reeves & Mortimer - I love them to bits, but didn't want to include double acts.
Bill Hicks & Lenny Bruce - whilst I'm a big fan of both, they don't get in my top comedians list. I saw them more as pioneers than as necessarily amazingly funny.
Brendon Burns - I ramble on about him all the time lately, but I only got into him from a friend's suggestion this year, so I'm likely to have a current thing. He's just not quite up there with these guys.
Demetri Martin - I love Demetri, but again, not quite there, probably somewhere from 25-30.
Lee Evans - if you think he's funny, you're probably as much of a cunt as he is.
Current comedians - does exactly what it says on the tin.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Falling for falling asteroids...
He dances with the children beneath the pear trees
Making wishes for rain and casting spells on nature
Setting traps to catch his dinner to feed his waiting cages
Connecting gazes with their amphetamine eyes
"Run free, run free, run free to his world of irony"
Reach inside for another Kerouac dessert of ice cream and apple pie
We've got clouds and rain and sunshine and fame
A deep set memory of a lonely Cornish holiday
Me, I'm just falling for falling asteroids
I can't wait until the moon explodes
Making wishes for rain and casting spells on nature
Setting traps to catch his dinner to feed his waiting cages
Connecting gazes with their amphetamine eyes
"Run free, run free, run free to his world of irony"
Reach inside for another Kerouac dessert of ice cream and apple pie
We've got clouds and rain and sunshine and fame
A deep set memory of a lonely Cornish holiday
Me, I'm just falling for falling asteroids
I can't wait until the moon explodes
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
I was wrong...
I've been busy and beset with a bit of a tragedy.
So the lists will be up by the end of January.
A message to nobody.
So the lists will be up by the end of January.
A message to nobody.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Pedro the Lion - Indian Summer...
Ultra-violet rays are washing over all the boys and girls
As their moms lay tanning by the pool
Oh, look, their dad's arriving home
And all the children hug his neck unaware of their inheritence
All of the experts say you ought to start them young
That way they'll naturally love the taste of corporate cum
God bless the Indian summer
God bless the Indian summer
God bless the Indian summerDon't you just love the sun?
Doesn't it make you feel good, all over?
It's my pleasure to announce
In conjunction with the fed
And my recent popularity
Thanks in part to Mother Nature
It will never rain again
It should do wonders for the GNP
If you're just joining us now
You missed a brilliant speech
We go now live to the streets
To find out what the voters think
He's worked a miracle
I just now bought a brand new car
God bless the Indian summer
God bless the Indian summer
God bless the Indian summer
Not my words, but great words all the same.
As their moms lay tanning by the pool
Oh, look, their dad's arriving home
And all the children hug his neck unaware of their inheritence
All of the experts say you ought to start them young
That way they'll naturally love the taste of corporate cum
God bless the Indian summer
God bless the Indian summer
God bless the Indian summerDon't you just love the sun?
Doesn't it make you feel good, all over?
It's my pleasure to announce
In conjunction with the fed
And my recent popularity
Thanks in part to Mother Nature
It will never rain again
It should do wonders for the GNP
If you're just joining us now
You missed a brilliant speech
We go now live to the streets
To find out what the voters think
He's worked a miracle
I just now bought a brand new car
God bless the Indian summer
God bless the Indian summer
God bless the Indian summer
Not my words, but great words all the same.
Friday, 9 January 2009
2008...
So, just to let all of the absolutely zero people that read this blog know... Over the next week I will be posting up my top 10 tunes of the 2008, top 40 albums of 2008 and top 10 miscellaneous releases of 2008, plus a couple of bits on the best gigs I've seen (of which there have been a lot of incredible shows... so it's going to be hard to pick the best).
But right for now, here's a list of the BEST MOMENTS of 2008. And most of them involve bands.
5. My Bloody Valentine reforming... although my chance to go and see them was messed up by financial errors on my own part, it's good to know that such an important band are back with us. God bless you, Kevin Shields, and all who sail in you.
4. Another reformation was that of Rival Schools... I was lucky enough to catch them at the Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms, and I have to say, it was easily one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. Those songs sound just as fresh as they did when I heard them 5 or 6 years ago, and the new material sounded absolutely stunning. If they record a tune called "Sophia Loren" then we're all in for a treat.
3. The trailer for the new Star Trek movie... I have been seriously worried about this movie. As a life long Trek fan, to hear that the original crew were being resurrected using new actors struck fear into me. I couldn't quite comprehend how it could possibly work, and I was worried that one of my favourite sci-fi franchises of all time was about to be turned to shit. But when I saw the trailers for the new film (due out May this year) I got really excited. Not only do the new crew look great, but it looks like the movie could be a blinder! Yeah, fair enough, bringing a Romulan in kind of messes up any kind of canonicity, but hey, it's 43 years on and we might as well just accept it and watch it for the piece of art that it is.
2. Another band reformation... this time in the shape of Far. Now, this band is one of the bands that got me interested in a little genre called emo (along with The Get Up Kids, The Promise Ring and Braid), a genre that I still adore, despite it's increasing unpopularity. Jonah Matranga has long been my hero when it comes to music, so to hear that they were reuniting for a short tour was exciting news; this means that I've now seen pretty much everything he's done live. I caught them on two dates: Newport (TJ's), a really intimate affair with about 150-200 people, and then in London (ULU), where there were more people (probably around 1500 or more). It was incredible to see how the band worked in both environments, and it was a great chance to recapture that feeling I got at the age of 13 when I first heard Water & Solutions.
1. And the best news of the year for me was yet another band reforming... but this one was something else. No other band than THE GET UP KIDS! I don't know if there are many bands that I could listen to every day for the rest of my life and not get bored of, if any... but The Get Up Kids tick a little box marked "forever" for me. I discovered they were reforming through a friend of mine in the States... rumours abounded, some people said it was horseshit, some said it was true. Ultimately it turned out that it was indeed true. And from that point on, I have been excited. They only played one show in 2008, a tiny 200 only show where they played Something to Write Home About in its entirety. I was not there. But who cares? They're touring over 2009, and I should be in the US in May to catch them at Bamboozle. I saw them years back two nights in a row in London, but it would still be amazing to catch them again. This band changed my life, seriously. And they're back. And I'm still giddy and weak at the knees from the news of it.
So, coming soon, the other lists. All should be up by the end of next week, so watch this space. Whoever you are (or aren't).
But right for now, here's a list of the BEST MOMENTS of 2008. And most of them involve bands.
5. My Bloody Valentine reforming... although my chance to go and see them was messed up by financial errors on my own part, it's good to know that such an important band are back with us. God bless you, Kevin Shields, and all who sail in you.
4. Another reformation was that of Rival Schools... I was lucky enough to catch them at the Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms, and I have to say, it was easily one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. Those songs sound just as fresh as they did when I heard them 5 or 6 years ago, and the new material sounded absolutely stunning. If they record a tune called "Sophia Loren" then we're all in for a treat.
3. The trailer for the new Star Trek movie... I have been seriously worried about this movie. As a life long Trek fan, to hear that the original crew were being resurrected using new actors struck fear into me. I couldn't quite comprehend how it could possibly work, and I was worried that one of my favourite sci-fi franchises of all time was about to be turned to shit. But when I saw the trailers for the new film (due out May this year) I got really excited. Not only do the new crew look great, but it looks like the movie could be a blinder! Yeah, fair enough, bringing a Romulan in kind of messes up any kind of canonicity, but hey, it's 43 years on and we might as well just accept it and watch it for the piece of art that it is.
2. Another band reformation... this time in the shape of Far. Now, this band is one of the bands that got me interested in a little genre called emo (along with The Get Up Kids, The Promise Ring and Braid), a genre that I still adore, despite it's increasing unpopularity. Jonah Matranga has long been my hero when it comes to music, so to hear that they were reuniting for a short tour was exciting news; this means that I've now seen pretty much everything he's done live. I caught them on two dates: Newport (TJ's), a really intimate affair with about 150-200 people, and then in London (ULU), where there were more people (probably around 1500 or more). It was incredible to see how the band worked in both environments, and it was a great chance to recapture that feeling I got at the age of 13 when I first heard Water & Solutions.
1. And the best news of the year for me was yet another band reforming... but this one was something else. No other band than THE GET UP KIDS! I don't know if there are many bands that I could listen to every day for the rest of my life and not get bored of, if any... but The Get Up Kids tick a little box marked "forever" for me. I discovered they were reforming through a friend of mine in the States... rumours abounded, some people said it was horseshit, some said it was true. Ultimately it turned out that it was indeed true. And from that point on, I have been excited. They only played one show in 2008, a tiny 200 only show where they played Something to Write Home About in its entirety. I was not there. But who cares? They're touring over 2009, and I should be in the US in May to catch them at Bamboozle. I saw them years back two nights in a row in London, but it would still be amazing to catch them again. This band changed my life, seriously. And they're back. And I'm still giddy and weak at the knees from the news of it.
So, coming soon, the other lists. All should be up by the end of next week, so watch this space. Whoever you are (or aren't).
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