Still Working Hang in there everyone ... still busy working on future content ... I actually went out a few times this week which translates to 'not much time to work on the blog'. But I am still here and I love that thirty or so people are paying a visit daily. In the mean time, why not amuse yourselves by using the comment tag to email some music ideas of what I should be listening to. I'm open to anything. I've got Britney over with so the only way is up surely?
Travels with my Matsui I was actually nervous. My hand wasn't shaking, but I wasn't sweating a little bit. What was I afraid of? I wasn't trying some drug or other. This was only music. But over and over in my head I kept thinking -- 'What led me to this?' But as I placed the silver disc in my portable Matsui CD player, waited for the little LCD display to register, and pressed play I knew this was something I had to do...
...I've known for some time that the moments my ears spent between home and work and back again are wasted. So although my eye glances across things called pages, the oral input is zero. So I've decided to start educating myself with different types of music, each day or for a few days, listening to a CD which I wouldn't otherwise have looked at or paid any mind to, looking for something new to move me.
There won't be a direct route through this -- I won't be starting at the dawn of music and working onwards, and I won't be concentrating on a type of music. It'll perfectly random, on a whim, influenced perhaps by the musings of 'Rolling Stone' magazine and regular readers of my weblog. I'll report back to the weblog with what I find....let's begin...
Britney Spears '...baby one more time'
First Impressions: The title track is madeningly catchy. '...Baby One More Time' is actually atypical of the rest of the album -- it's roots are more rock in origin, although hearing the original having spent a lot of time playing the Travis cover version is quite a shock.
Moved? I had to start somewhere and why not with the antithesis of everything I probably stand for musically? But this journey is to find how much a phrase like that actually means so why not answer a question which has been driving my up the wall for years. What does a Britney Spears album actually sound like? Patchy, with glimpses. This is the musical equivalent of a teen film, although more 'She's All That' than 'Ten Things I Hate About You' It isn't difficult to see why Spears is idolised as this may be the zenith of the genre, certainly better than J-Lo's initial offering and technically better than The Hit Factory's output. Much of the time I find myself reflecting backwards on my youth listening to Debbie Gibson, whose influence hangs over the disc like a mother hen. The highlights are the singles, of course. It's just a pity that some kind of cohesion couldn't have been stretched over the whole fifty minutes. 'Soda Pop' and 'I Will Be There' are pure cornball. Much of the time I switch off, this being noise in the background. I wasn't all that involved in the music. Nothing to strike me, or shock me.
Lasting impressions? The only glimpse of what might have been is the final track 'The Beat Goes On', a rhythmic dance piece, maddenly catchy. If anything I felt nostalgia. I know that if I was a teenager now I'd probably be a bit of a fan and getting the new album for Christmas. Despite outward appearance this is a piece about innocence and naivity -- of simpler teenage emotions. I do miss those.
Keep, sell or dump? Oh dump, except 'The Beat Goes On' -- but that wouldn't work would it?
...I've known for some time that the moments my ears spent between home and work and back again are wasted. So although my eye glances across things called pages, the oral input is zero. So I've decided to start educating myself with different types of music, each day or for a few days, listening to a CD which I wouldn't otherwise have looked at or paid any mind to, looking for something new to move me.
There won't be a direct route through this -- I won't be starting at the dawn of music and working onwards, and I won't be concentrating on a type of music. It'll perfectly random, on a whim, influenced perhaps by the musings of 'Rolling Stone' magazine and regular readers of my weblog. I'll report back to the weblog with what I find....let's begin...
Britney Spears '...baby one more time'
First Impressions: The title track is madeningly catchy. '...Baby One More Time' is actually atypical of the rest of the album -- it's roots are more rock in origin, although hearing the original having spent a lot of time playing the Travis cover version is quite a shock.
Moved? I had to start somewhere and why not with the antithesis of everything I probably stand for musically? But this journey is to find how much a phrase like that actually means so why not answer a question which has been driving my up the wall for years. What does a Britney Spears album actually sound like? Patchy, with glimpses. This is the musical equivalent of a teen film, although more 'She's All That' than 'Ten Things I Hate About You' It isn't difficult to see why Spears is idolised as this may be the zenith of the genre, certainly better than J-Lo's initial offering and technically better than The Hit Factory's output. Much of the time I find myself reflecting backwards on my youth listening to Debbie Gibson, whose influence hangs over the disc like a mother hen. The highlights are the singles, of course. It's just a pity that some kind of cohesion couldn't have been stretched over the whole fifty minutes. 'Soda Pop' and 'I Will Be There' are pure cornball. Much of the time I switch off, this being noise in the background. I wasn't all that involved in the music. Nothing to strike me, or shock me.
Lasting impressions? The only glimpse of what might have been is the final track 'The Beat Goes On', a rhythmic dance piece, maddenly catchy. If anything I felt nostalgia. I know that if I was a teenager now I'd probably be a bit of a fan and getting the new album for Christmas. Despite outward appearance this is a piece about innocence and naivity -- of simpler teenage emotions. I do miss those.
Keep, sell or dump? Oh dump, except 'The Beat Goes On' -- but that wouldn't work would it?
Archaeology The above was inspired, or course, by Google's Usenet archive, a history of the world and the Internet. I'm reminded somewhat of the shot at the beginning of the film 'Contact' in which the camera pulls backwards from the Earth to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, the sounds of history shimmering backwards in the process.
Christmas Well got the dekkies from the loft, hung my preent box up. Posted my calender. I decorated it with a bit of glitter, football trophy and some cuddly toys. Started to practice my Christmas Spectacular. I tell jokes, puppeteer the nativity, sing carols, have a quiz and have competitions. Bye my first present the calender. I got a walking stick with a minuture of rum it for my Dad from Germany. Mum's made the cake. Alcoholic! It's got Rum, wine and wiskey in. I want:- One Transformer, Two Computer games, Three Puzzle Books, Four Annuals, Rupert, Secret Wars, Transformers, Spiderman, Five Light up Govs, Six motor cars, Seven Joysticks. Eight Star Wars figures, Nine hairy face masks, 10 Action men, Eleven felt tip pens, 12 fruit jellys.
[Or that's what I wanted when I was eleven. Interesting to notice my tastes haven't changed too much -- not sure what a Gov is but they must have been quite good because I wanted five of them. As for the Christmas Spectacular -- drawing a blank. I wasn't that much of an entertainer when I was that age. And considering this was a journal I wrote in junior school, what my teacher must have thought of all the drink references I'm not sure. I'll keep you posted in the coming weeks on how the mid-Eighties version of me is coping with life. But as a future entry is titled 'Nothing Happens', don't get too excited.]
[Or that's what I wanted when I was eleven. Interesting to notice my tastes haven't changed too much -- not sure what a Gov is but they must have been quite good because I wanted five of them. As for the Christmas Spectacular -- drawing a blank. I wasn't that much of an entertainer when I was that age. And considering this was a journal I wrote in junior school, what my teacher must have thought of all the drink references I'm not sure. I'll keep you posted in the coming weeks on how the mid-Eighties version of me is coping with life. But as a future entry is titled 'Nothing Happens', don't get too excited.]
Rings The first reviews are in and the general opinion at Fleet Street is extremely positive, expecially with the kids: "The Lord of the Rings was awesome, four times better than Harry Potter. Now the Rings is my top film ever. The special effects were incredible and the sound effects really scary. My favourite character was Legolas, the elf soldier who helps to protect the film's hero. The other thing I liked was the hobbits' feet because they were long and hairy - just like my dad's."
Rant I have a familiar rant, which I bore more people with than I should. It occured to me again tonight during a shopping trip to Costco, the big 'we sell everything' store just outside town. A man was talking to his son on his mobile phone. He was looking through the DVD collection and had in his hand The Godfather Trilogy box-set. There were many pauses. Then I heard it. The key phrase which makes the hair on back stand on end (I'm a bit like the painter in The Fast Show "Black! Black!"). He puts the boxset down and says: "They've only got it in widescreen".
RANT MODE ON: What! Do you even like films? You have a DVD player -- all of your films are going to be in widescreen anyway -- or do you only buy film which arn't in widescreen? It's The Godfather. The Godfather for christ's sake -- do you think Gordon Willis composed all those shots in letterbox for his own good you dullard? I suppose you go to the cinema and complain because you can't see all the screen. What do you do when they're showing a film in 16:9 on TV -- switch it off? You're worse than this guy! Get away from me fowl fiend... RANT MODE OFF
For more information...visit our website ...
RANT MODE ON: What! Do you even like films? You have a DVD player -- all of your films are going to be in widescreen anyway -- or do you only buy film which arn't in widescreen? It's The Godfather. The Godfather for christ's sake -- do you think Gordon Willis composed all those shots in letterbox for his own good you dullard? I suppose you go to the cinema and complain because you can't see all the screen. What do you do when they're showing a film in 16:9 on TV -- switch it off? You're worse than this guy! Get away from me fowl fiend... RANT MODE OFF
For more information...visit our website ...
Still constructing Sorry I'm down to one big post per week, but I'm still working on bits and bobs behind the scenes -- and the lovely thing is you won't be able to tell immediately what I'm doing -- for once I'm being a bit subtle about it. I will try and post something now and then ... in the meantime, there are links galore at my other labour of love first name domains, where all human life resides ... and for some reason lots of real estate agents ... just click those letters on the bar at the side ...