Archives for Jun 2006
15th June, 2006
Take Out The Monkeys
There's an undeniable sense of doom in the world at the moment, and to be honest it's getting on my nerves. I mean, whatever happened to the Age of Aquarius? All that starry-eyed optimism? Eh? Because so far it's a big fat washout, frankly.
8th June, 2006
It's Not Going to Ask You To Jump In
Where I fall down is where the rug corner is a bit lifted. No wait a minute, that's where everyone falls down. Where I fall down in particular is confidence.
5th June, 2006
Making WAHAAAY While the Sun Shines!
It's been pretty fantastic to have some sun around here (despite the onset of hayfever snivellings!). We went out for a bit of play over the weekend, and spent some time at Manningham Park.
4th June, 2006
Ubermilf's Sense of Doom Charity Ball
What every good cause needs is a ball, and I'm prepared to have one at least.
None of use has to look too deep to see that Ubermilf's Sense of Doom needs all the support it can get, and that's what we're after. The promotion of dark foreboding and creeping paranoia over a good thinking, spirited and healthy mother is one of the aims of modern society, so we should give it all we can, and really, let's raise the bar on this one.
2nd June, 2006
Water, Water, Everywhere
David Crosby and Graham Nash are singing Immigration Man on Later With Jools Holland right now even as I type. What's fantastic about that is everything. I'm not sure that the performance is great, but the fact that the performance is happening at all is pretty damn noteworthy, don't you think?
Hippy Chick
I'm reasonably happy to say that last year my media mogul eye was in tune when I spotted the upcoming talent of Jose Gonzalez. It took him about another 6 months or so from my post to make it in the UK, but now, he's global and growing.
Ok, he's not going to be a superstar, not without some reinvention that I suspect won't happen, or, more likely, some kind of John Williams/Deer Hunter marraige. He's hit that ad with the colourful bouncing balls, which is perhaps the most exquisite ad to hit screens pretty much ever, but the movie thing... well, that's immortality. Look at Adagio for Strings. Before Saving Private Ryan (or, I know, some other war films, but Ryan was out and out the biggest) did you ever hear of Barber? (Ibiza, really, doesn't count.)
Anyway, my latest shout out, based on about 3 seconds of an ad and some time on the website, is Sandi Thom. She's going to be big. Massive is always complicated, but she's going to be big. I can't back her 100%, but I like what I've heard.... however....
Right now, I can't decide if she's a bit thick and can't see the irony of what she's doing, or perhaps is very calculating and exploiting her voice for it's retro appeal, or is a willingly managed unit that is doing it's bidding for cash. Of course, she actually might be an artist of great integrity who is expressing her true feelings through her music. Whatever, the video for the single is fun, I really kind of like the kookiness of the song, and wishful thinking or no, I always love a hippy chick.
Fact is, with festivals being so huge right now it's not surprising that a retro feel will get a nod from record companies these days, and there's always going to be those that exploit that. Whether Sandi is a casualty or a manipulator remains to be seen, but I'd advise anyone to check the song out on her website. It's win win. If it turns out she's on the side of good, it's great exposure for her, and if she's on the dark side, it'll cost her a fortune in bandwidth.
Do You Rate Yours?
We name our babies, but not as they fall into our hands. Naming a child is the most profound poetry. We sift for the very few words that will be such a part of their being, and forever, more forever even than their life. We know this, so we pour everything we have into a handful of syllables.
Beyond that, as parents, we know we've feathers torn before we ever take flight, but still we leap, grimacing, and even quietly sure, because we wish for air, more air, and somehow we know that there is more air. There is always more air – well, for now, at least, and besides as we look around for reassurance we see one another, and we smile.
21st June, 2006
The Donkeys Will Take Us Out
This weekend was Father's Day, and what did I get? Well, I got a box of chocolates and... some weighing scales. What is this supposed to tell me?
Sadly, I had to contemplate this from my living room as I was denied from enjoying the outdoor world by dint of my terrible hayfever over the weekend. So, Sarah took the kids out with her parents to... a Donkey Derby. Yes, and even after all we've learned from IDGAMAA day, I'm not sure that we're ready for this....
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