Posted in Music, Politics, Downloads at Tue 15 Aug 2006 by Stavros
It seems as if we are living in a time of collective pessimism at the moment. This happens sometimes. The late-sixties are endlessly eulogised for being a time of creative energy and political and cultural change, with technological advances and the politicisation of youth changing the landscape irrevocably. How true this really is, is not that clear to twenty-somethings. But what is clearer to us was that pre-millennium optimism (bug notwithstanding) that built up right from the day the Berlin wall fell through to when the twitching corpse of Thatcher’s shadowy Tories was finally put to the sword by a fresh-faced Blair (ha, how young and naïve we once were!). These events now either seem an eternity ago or soiled by subsequent greed and spilt blood. We’re being fucking cheated. What is going to be our generation’s legacy? What a bunch of cunts we are sharing our time with.
Still, there’s always foreign indie-pop to bring a smile to our weary faces. First from Stockholm is Peter, Bjorn and John. This is “Young Folk“, inbetween the whistling intro and bongo outro is great Saint Etienne-style pop with female singer in sexy broken English (apparently Victoria Bergsman from fellow Swedish band The Concretes… no, me neither!). Summer bliss.
Next is a strange band from São Paulo. This is CSS, which doesn’t stand for cascading style sheet you geeky bastards, it stands for Cansei de Ser Sexy, which according to google translates as “I tired of being sexy”. I’m not sure if they’ll be any good in album format, but this single “Let’s Make Love and Listen Death From Above” is a catchy self-aware little number with a great glam-rock hook.
If all that summery pop makes you a bit too twee and cheery, here’s the great Modest Mouse with probably their signature song “Float On” from the 2004 Good News for People Who Like Bad News album. Apperently their new album will be out this “Fall”… whatever that means.
I hope that has in some small way made the World a slightly less shite place to be right now. I know it has for me. Chin up, after all the chances are that Bush, Blair, Olmert, Nasrallah and the likes will most probably die before us.
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Posted in Beer, Old Man Rich, Fulla, Austin, Cricket at Sun 13 Aug 2006 by Stavros
I’ve had a very quiet weekend. I thought I’d take it easy after the previous weekend’s shenanigans. It started with the inaugral Minor Counties Twenty20 cricket tournament at Shifnal. Twas ace. Pictures here. Much beer, much bat and ball, much sunburn, much enjoyment. And Shropshire won. That was the Friday.
The next day (which as ever was a Saturday), was spent in Rich’s palatial gardens with barbeque and beer and wine and swingball. That was great, and it spilled over into The Crown, for one of the strangest, drunkenest, and rowdy nights I’ve ever had. The singing went on into the night. Loudly. Walt took some great photos with his fancy camera. What a top night. I love the barbeque season, I had a great drunken night at Austin and Emma’s a couple of weeks ago too. That man’s a credit to barbeque cooking.
The following Monday I had an optician’s appointment. For the first time ever since wearing contact lenses I was told my eyes were in top nick. Which was ever so nice. Maybe after 13 years I’ve finally learned how to wear them without fucking up me peepers (to coin a medical phrase). I hope so. I couldn’t live without them, I hate wearing glasses and I’m too chicken to have them laser treated to a crisp.
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Posted in Music, Food & Drink, Gardening, Ponchos at Tue 1 Aug 2006 by Stavros
As we know from reading Old Man Rich and latterly the Merkster, gardening is the “new Rock ‘n Roll”. Which is funny in a way, since everything has gone full circle from when Rock ‘n Roll emerged as the “new gardening” sometime in the early 1950’s. It happened when Bill Hailey swapped his prize marrows for backing band The Comets, and Little Richard fashioned a rudimentary piano out of turnip and rhubarb.
With this in mind, I’ve bought some Cayenne pepper seeds. And I’m going to grow chillis and wear a poncho. ¡Ariba! Unless, of course, I don’t, and boredom stops me watering it and it dies a slow and pointless death. Which might happen. See list…
Things I’ve started but eventually given up:
1. London Fields by Martin Amis
2. Final Fantasy VII
3. Learning Welsh
4. Learning Italian
5. Relationships (although admittedly some ended themselves)
6. Paradise Lost by Milton (yawn!)
7. Watching Neighbours (not necessarily a bad thing)
8. One jumbo sudoko and every crossword ever since the one in the Match annual 1988
9. This list - it was going to be ten, but I can’t be arsed.
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