| (no subject) |
[May. 21st, 2005|11:52 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  drunk | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Joe Maphis - Town Hall Rag | ] |
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| I hope you enjoyed the intermission............... |
[May. 21st, 2005|11:42 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | drunk | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Hair Pie: Bake 2 | ] |
Rock Star
You scored 98%! |
You damn rock star. You know all the basics, and if you got any wrong,
I bet it was that stupid "You're So Vain" question.
Your friends are probably intimidated by your knowledge of classic rock
and envy your impressive collection. When a classic rock song comes on
the radio, you can probably identify it before the vocals kick in most
of the time. You probably get good scores on the "maiden name of
Clapton's mom" tests, too. |  |
My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: | You scored higher than 50% on notes |
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In other words - I ROCK! |
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| I hope you enjoyed the intermission............... |
[Apr. 7th, 2005|10:04 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  indescribable | ] |
| [ | music |
| | TalkingHeads - Once In A Lifetime | ] |
Back, after a year or so, and what's happened?
Well, lots really, but as they all seemed to conspire to give me far less time to blog I won't bother with the details.
Here's hoping I can keep up with blogging this time. |
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| Cheese and petty annoyances |
[Mar. 12th, 2004|07:47 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  aggravated | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication | ] |
I don't know about you, but I love cheese!
Whenever I go abroad, which is normally to France, I just have to try the local cheeses and, quite honestly, I've not met one yet which hasn't got a redeeming feature.
Well, there was that Munster cheese which I nurtured in the back of the car as we drove up from Munster - a fascinating place where you can see storks nesting on cartwheels on the roofs - to home and probably did more to fumigate the car than any substance known to Man, but I digress...............
Anyway, Friday is shopping day, and I normally shop at Tesco.
Today was no exception.
I had planned out a rather mundane but enjoyable Saturday night with da missus - dinner chez nous, which would consist of a robust beef casserole cooked in beer and french wholegrain mustard (remind me to give you the recipe), a DVD, which will be "Underworld" which we missed at the cinema when it was around, a few glasses of something nice and some cheese.
Now, I know that SWMBO doesn't like "smelly" cheeses - you know, the ones that have the aroma of a tramp's socks - so I thought a nice wedge of ripe Brie would fit the bill perfectly. Myself, I prefer Brie de Meaux, but that falls under the heading of "smelly" here so...........
OK, I sidle over to the rather limited deli counter in Tesco and ask if they have any Brie.
The lady serving me has to ask one of the other counter staff what Brie is.
By now, I'm seeing my wedge of creamy ripe Brie disappearing from tomorrow's cheese board rather rapidly but I'm not giving up hope yet.
I ask if they have a wheel of Brie from which I can obtain a wedge of the aforementioned cheese.
I hear in the negative, but my hopes are raised by the mention of "pre-cut" cheese in some rather - dare I say it - cheesy-looking baskets containing pieces of cheese.
I turn down the proffered wedges of cheeses that are obviously not of 100% Brie content after describing what the counter person should be looking for.
I get wedges of Cheddar, Cambazola, Danish Blue and something that claims to be Cheddar but has Mexican chili peppers in presented for my delight and delectation, but absolutely no Brie.
I shuffle away saying, "Thanks for looking" and head for the regular cheese section.
Sure, I find Brie, but so unripe that it would be a waste of money buying it.
I settle for some Camembert which may get classed by my SO as "smelly" and rejected amidst the cinematic and culinary delights of tomorrow night.
At least the Camembert is ripe.
What gets me about all this is not that Tesco didn't have any fresh, ripe Brie, but that I was forced to spend several valuable minutes of my life being shown chunks of non-Brie cheese when, if the person trying to serve me had been trained in the job they were being paid to do, a simple "No we don't have any Brie" would have left me a rather happier consumer than I was after the experience.
I don't blame the counter staff.
I blame the whole retail industry.
If you sell something, you should know all about the product.
I don't care if it's cheese or CPUs.
It's called "customer care" and it's sadly lacking in the UK. |
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| File sharing - illegal and now dangerous! |
[Mar. 11th, 2004|08:46 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  amused | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Pantera - Cemetery Gates | ] |
OK, kids, we all know that file sharing is going to kill the music industry and force our idols into scavenging in dustbins for their next meal, but that's not the full picture.
Here's a story about how mp3s indirectly got one guy murdered and it happened - where else? - in the US.
As you can see, if you could be arsed to follow that handy link, the murder weapon was an iPod.
Personally, if I was going to embark on a killing spree, I'd use something a little more robust, although the coroner's guess that the victim was "stabbed" some 40 to 80 times with the iPod is really a great advertisement for this handy little gadget. Maybe it was the 40Gb version, which I suspect has a little more weight when used to kill someone. Also, it might help if the mp3s that were loaded were heavy metal tracks.
In their blurb for this little marvel, Apple says, "The super-slim iPod defines what a digital music player should be. It’s lighter than two CDs, can hold up to 10,000 songs, thousands of digital photos and works as a personal voice recorder." To which they could add, "and also doubles as a mediation device for domestic disputes."
(By the way, if Apple do decide to base the thrust of their next advertising campaign on the iPod's handy use as a weapon of individual destruction, you read it here first and I want a cut of their profits.)
Ah, it's "lighter than two CDs", in which case Arleen Mathers, 23, must have been one very pissed-off lady, and almost certainly had it stuffed with Slayer and Pantera tracks.
So, next time you see someone with an iPod plumbed into their ears, just remember Ms Mathers and her deceased partner and give the iPodder a very wide berth.
Being bludgeoned to death with a personal music carrier can really ruin your day.
By the way, don't mess with me, I have a personal minidisc player and a CD Walkman here, and I'm not afraid to use them. |
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| The Mole takes a bow |
[Mar. 10th, 2004|11:51 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  cheerful | ] |
| [ | music |
| | the mole | ] |
Here, for anyone who's interested, is a snippet of "The Mole" - the latest tune I've written for Monsieur Pantin.
It's encoded at a low bitrate to keep the size of the file down and contains some really bad fluffs.
At maximum broadband speed here - on a 512Kbs connection - it takes about 10 seconds to download.
It's only a rough version and only the second time I've managed to stop my brain hurting long enough to actually lay three tracks down at once using Cubase.
So, warts and all, I give you "The Mole".
Do moles *have* warts? |
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| Way to go, Dubyah! |
[Mar. 9th, 2004|01:00 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  disgusted | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Headboys - The Shape Of Things To Come | ] |
I see from the BBC News site that five of the UK citizens detained in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba will be returning home within the next 24 hours.
Congratulations to Bush for managing to hold them without a trial for two years in conditions that are, quite frankly, an affront to civilised humanity.
OK, no-one wants terrorists to stay at large, but where's the judicial process in all of this?
We need to prove their status as terrorists before we lock them up, not rely on the bellicose posturings of an ignorant puppet like Bush and the right-wingers yanking his strings. |
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| Surfing UK............... |
[Mar. 9th, 2004|12:35 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | content | ] |
| [ | music |
| | nootune - demo for Monsieur Pantin | ] |
I've just been indulging in a little pre-bedtime surfing and hit upon some great stuff!
Here's a page about London's abandoned tube stations which is way more fascinating than I thought the subject ever could be!
Anyway, in the links section I found one to this which is quite one of the most amusing things I've read in a long time.
Then - somehow but I forget - I found a blog about travelling on the Tube.
Sometimes the internet just depresses me with its shallowness and lack of charm, but these three items have the hallmark of uniqueness combined with wit, intelligence and a thirst to communicate.
Inspiring stuff - especially at gone midnight........................
I finally grasped the nettle today and tried some serious multi-tracking in Cubase. I came up with a short snippet of a tune that I wrote on Saturday and then sorted out a harmony for it yesterday.
I haven't thought of a title for it, but I think it will have to be something to do with the subject matter of this entry.
Possibly "The Mole". I dunno................
What else has happened?
Some little turd thought it was amusing to lob an egg at the front of our house tonight.
I hope he gets salmonella.
No, I really do.
Really. |
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| Another personality test |
[Feb. 24th, 2004|09:48 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  lethargic | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart | ] |
Multiple Intelligences
The Seven Intelligence Areas
Linguistic: 9
Logical-Mathematical: 8
Spatial: 7
Bodily-Kinesthetic: 4
Musical: 11
Interpersonal: 8
Intrapersonal: 11 |
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| A small triumph! |
[Feb. 24th, 2004|01:05 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  creative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Charlie Byrd Trio - Blues For Night People | ] |
After a very frustrating couple of days trying to get my new mixer hooked up to my system properly, I've finally managed it after my mate Brad helped me out with a little "Y" lead wotsit.
I had it running earlier, but found that I couldn't monitor with headphones - not a good thing if you want to record acoustic guitar!
Anyway, everything now seems fine and I've got my MD recorder, TV card and powered speaker system running through it OK - oh yes, and I can also record to Cubase!
I intend to record mainly demos of new material, but I have this nagging itch to try and make a solo album. Even if nothing comes of it other than a few "vanity" CDs for friends I really fancy a go.
Maybe I'll just try and make it as varied as possible - blues, rock, metal, country, folk............
Hmmmm............... |
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| Smile |
[Feb. 22nd, 2004|07:19 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  ecstatic | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Beach Boys - Surf's Up (Live in Holland) | ] |
I had the privilege of seeing Brian Wilson at the Royal Festival Hall last Friday (20/2/04) performing what was the world premiere of the complete legendary [ Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<a [...] ">') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.] I had the privilege of seeing <a href="http://www.brianwilson.com/" title="BW" target="_blank">Brian Wilson</a> at the <a href="http://www.royalfestivalhall.org.uk/main/series/123.html?section=contemporary&file=index&month=0&week=0" title="RFH" target="_blank">Royal Festival Hall</a> last Friday (20/2/04) performing what was the world premiere of the complete legendary <a href="http://www.brianwilson.com/tour/" title=""Smile" " target="_blank">"Smile"</a> album. Although I've long been a fan of the Beach Boys, BW and <a href="http://www.rockument.com/SmileSessions.html" title="smilesongs" target="_blank">the "Smile" songs</a>, nothing could have prepared me for what may have been the most inspiring musical experience I think I've ever had in my life. The band that Brian had assembled was almost identical to the one he had with him on the Pet Sounds Tour with various <a href="http://members.home.nl/patriczik/wondermints.htm" title="wmints" target="_blank">Wondermints</a> and <a href="http://www.new-surf.com/foskett/bio.html" title="JF" target="_blank">Jeff Foskett</a> - not to mention a string quintet and brass section. With everyone in the core band - apart from the excellent bassist - singing, it also meant that vocally, as well as instrumentally, this aggregation was up to the task in hand. How can I describe "Smile"? To me, it has more depth than <a href="http://www.beachboysfanclub.com/ps-liner.html" title="PS" target="_blank">Pet Sounds</a>, although less cohesion. That's not surprising given that no-one knew until last Friday exactly what the running order was and what would exactly be included. Now, I see the whole work in a new light. People who'd made it their business to stitch together a good stab at the finished article from the many source recordings that are extant had done pretty well, with "side one" being particularly successful. However, it was with "side two" that the real revelations came. "Mrs O'Leary's Cow/Fire", Windchimes" and "Good Vibrations" suddenly assumed a significance that they never had for me before. Hoary old Good Vibrations actually closed the whole Smile "album" that night after decades of speculation as to its placing in the running order and - for some people - its actual presence on "Smile" in the first place. "Windchimes" has never been a favourite of mine, but its rightful place on the album has ensured it will be in future. Here's the set list - without someone's clumsy attempts to shoehorn it into three sections: Prayer Heroes & Villains Do You Like Worms? Old Master Painter/Sunshine Cabinessence Wonderful Look Child Is Father Of The Man Surf's Up I'm In Great Shape/I Wanna Be Around Vegetables Holidays Whispering Winds/Wind Chimes Heroes & Villains Intro Fire Water I Love To Say Dada Good Vibrations I'm just totally blown away and haven't stopped playing various versions of "Smile" since I saw the gig. I just wish Carl was around to at least hear what his brother achieved on Friday - and maybe sing "Surf's Up" with him. Sorry, Brian, but that song is Carl's....... :) As for the vexing question of why we in the UK got to see this before the US, maybe it's because with our acceptance of "Pet Sounds" we've somehow got a special place in Brian's heart. I know he has in mine. Wonderful music. Wonderful. |
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| Life is funny stuff.............. |
[Feb. 16th, 2004|05:43 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  pensive | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Associates - Sulk - Party Fears Two | ] |
I've spent the day in a semi-dreamlike state almost.
I'm not working this week so I should be really "up" as I'm on holiday.
But I'm not.
I heard some bad news over the weekend about people I like and whilst it serves to bring home the salutory message that there's always people worse off than yourself, it doesn't stop the pain for those who are suffering one little bit.
I wish them both the very best indeed. |
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| All what jazz? |
[Feb. 16th, 2004|12:17 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  annoyed | ] |
| [ | music |
| | John Coltrane - Blue Train | ] |
I've just collected this month's edition of Mojo from my newsagent and amongst other things there's an article on the current popularity of what some people term "jazz".
I "like" this quote in particular, "If the success of Norah Jones makes us ask, 'What is jazz?', so what?" and then goes on to say that at least what NJ does is better than Pop Idol.
To me, that remark devalues jazz. In my opinion, Norah Jones' music isn't jazz, it's pop music. Reasonably well crafted and easy to listen to, but not jazz. This could equally apply to musical maggots like Kenny G, and we all know what a jazz pinnacle he represents...........
Whilst I dislike labels intensely, I'm concerned that in a world in which they are used, people will be fooled into thinking that Jamie Callum is as good as it gets and, at a stroke, ignore the past 100 years of jazz heritage.
Of course, in a cultural environment that's dragged along by the media grabbing its testicles it's all hype and I'm positive that in a few years people will be asking "Jamie who?" and who knows, maybe listening to our new "jazz" luminaries will get people started on a path that leads to the real thing?
What I do know is that the public is being sold goods that contravene the musical descriptions act - if there was such a thing.
I look forward to the demise of this musical trend with keen anticipation. |
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| We have............... |
[Feb. 11th, 2004|02:48 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | pensive | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Raitt, Bonnie and Little Feat - Cold, Cold, Cold | ] |
...........the builders in.
People are climbing up ladders, swinging from scaffolding and drinking tea.
After tomorrow everything should be finished and we will have a sound roof, new soffit boards and new guttering.
And we will be poorer by an amount that would buy a nice guitar.
What else?
Ah, I've managed to finish arranging [ Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<a [...] i'm>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.] ...........the builders in. People are climbing up ladders, swinging from scaffolding and drinking tea. After tomorrow everything should be finished and we will have a sound roof, new soffit boards and new guttering. And we will be poorer by an amount that would buy a nice guitar. What else? Ah, I've managed to finish arranging <a href="http://www.lyricsxp.com/lyrics/w/when_i_m_cleaning_windows_george_formby.html" title=""When I'm Cleaning Windows"" target="_blank">"When I'm Cleaning Windows"</a> by <a href="http://www.georgeformby.co.uk/" title="George Formby" target="_blank">George Formby</a> ragtime style for resonator guitar. Getting work stuff together for Friday's session at Sir Frank's. Made several mugs of cappucino. |
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| So - where have you been? |
[Feb. 10th, 2004|05:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | indifferent | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Blowzabella - Beanfield - Monster Cafe | ] |
Didn't realise I'd visited almost every English county.
That's gigging for you!
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| Sick stuff again |
[Feb. 10th, 2004|03:54 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  chipper | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Monsieur Pantin - J'ai Fait une Maitresse | ] |
It seems hardly a day goes by without someone conjuring up another flash game we can all waste our time playing.
However, this one is really good and mighty sick too!
Just surf on over to http://www.richsalter.btinternet.co.uk/cks2/index2.html
Happy shooting! |
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| BBC bashing in the US |
[Feb. 10th, 2004|02:08 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  scared | ] |
| [ | music |
| | 28 Days Later Soundtrack - In The House - In A Heartbeat | ] |
Just in case anyone thought that the American public are receiving anything remotely approaching balanced and informed opinion with regard to the Hutton/BBC situation, I offer this:
http://blugg.com/stuff/foxs_view_of_the_bbc_player.htm
If this is a typical example of what the US public is receiving from its news media then no wonder they have an idiot for a president and are disliked quite so much as they are at the present time.
You have to wonder about a country that seems to get enraged about a flash of some pop star's nipple but manages to tolerate shootings of its citizens on a daily basis.
I know exactly what would make the world a safer place after 9/11.
A good long hard look at itself by the US.
With Fox News just shutting up whilst it does so. |
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| Shopping for stuff |
[Feb. 9th, 2004|12:26 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | productive | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Black Label Society - Black Label Society - No More Tears | ] |
Went out shopping this morning.
Took the bus over to the next town - Stony Stratford - and had an amble around.
I bought a new jacket for the hot water tank, a light fitting for the front bedroom and a huge bag of compost - which has just been delivered.
Not very exciting.
However, I am now about to GAS and buy a little mixer. It'll probably be a little Behringer. I need something just to rough out ideas for tunes and produce demos in Cubase.
I'm also acutely aware that today is a Monday starting a "normal" week - which feels a tad anticlimactic after last week's recording session. Still, only a week until half term which I shall be taking off as usual.
Strangely enough, even though some decorating in that time is unavoidable I'm not bothered. |
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| Better than astrology? |
[Feb. 8th, 2004|12:05 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | sleepy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | David Lindley - Pay the Man | ] |
Personality test?
I think I have one somewhere.................
Cattell's 16 Factor Test Results | Warmth | |||||||||||||||||||||||| | 78% | | Intellect | ||||||||||||||||||||| | 66% | | Emotional Stability | |||||||||||||||||| | 58% | | Aggressiveness | |||||||||||||||||||||||| | 74% | | Liveliness | ||||||||||||||||||||| | 62% | | Dutifulness | ||||||||||||||| | 42% | | Social Assertiveness | ||||||||||||||||||||| | 70% | | Artistic Interests | |||||||||||||||||||||||| | 74% | | Paranoia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| | 86% | | Abstractness | ||||||||||||||||||||| | 70% | | Introversion | ||||||||||||||| | 42% | | Anxiety | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| | 86% | | Openmindedness | ||||||||||||||||||||| | 66% | | Independence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| | 90% | | Perfectionism | |||||||||||||||||| | 58% | | Tension | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| | 86% | | Take Free 16pf based Personality Test
Paranoid?
Me?
WHO SAID THAT?
I KNOW YOU'RE LISTENING!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| Nazis, dogs and bad taste |
[Feb. 7th, 2004|10:03 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | drunk | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Can't be arsed | ] |
I've long been a fan of Mel Brooks, and "The Producers" is a fave of mine when it comes to out and out belly laughs.
This story about a German guy who taught his dog to salute in a very non-PC way just had me in stitches.
What is it about bad taste?
I come from Jewish stock and I still find this sort of stuff very funny.
So sue me already........... |
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