I've been digging through my CDs looking for The Greatest Hits of The Black Crowes for someone at work and I came across this:
It's Tough Guys Don't Dance by The Soulsavers which you can buy on Amazon here.
Why is this remarkable? Well, I forgot that I'm in it :) Look:
I built the website for these guys when they were up and coming - many years ago - for a pittance. I got a whole load of Soulsavers stuff and DJ Format too (a fave of mine) as they had next to no money. Also got this sleeve mention, which is nice :)
EDIT: Dear God, the site is still up! It's nearly older than the number of years I've been working :) www.thesoulsavers.com
There are a select band of people who categorically, under no circumstances, should be allowed to travel on the London Underground. I've been here for 10 years now and I spend about 1&1/2 hours on the tubes every day so this is an informed judgement. It's not their fault. They're just too fucking stupid to be allowed near other 3 dimensional human beings.
M'lud, I present to you the findings of this court:
People who get to the platform, walk 1 foot onto it, stop and stare at the train times. HEY! IDIOT! SHIFT! There are another 3 million people in London who would like to get on a train without having to wait while you figure out if you can make it home in time for Eastenders or whatever pointless task you use to waste your life with.
People who stand at the doors when a train arrives. It draws up, the doors open and I want to get off. But I'm faced with a bunch of gormless, suit-wearing morons all jostling, all 1 ball-hair from throwing a paddy and ripping out the jugular of the person next to them. I've recently taken to simply saying "Get out of the way" to these people. They're genuinely surprised that someone even spoke in the subterranean labyrinth that forms our underground and tend to move.
The next step from the above point: the "if I don't get on the train this very second then life on Earth might end" crowd. God. Damn. Every. Last. Living. One. Of. You. Doors open - flood of people crowd on as we try to get off. I've now taken to shouting "for fuck's sake!!!" at them as I barge off. Doesn't do much but feels great :) One day I'll get my teeth relocated to my stomach by someone for this but what the hell.
People who wait until the very, very, very last second to get off a train. Now, I don't mean the people who've almost missed their stop and dive off - that's not their fault. It's the ones who cleeeeearly know where they are but wait for the train to pull in, then think about collecting their damn Harvey Nichols bags or whatever soulless nonsense they dangle from their wrists, then - as the doors open and the monotonous fluid interchange of alighters and lighters (?) occurs, they just about struggle onto their brogues to head for the door. Making everyone who just got on spread like the waters under Moses' command or retreat off the train like a bunch of French soldiers. Where do these people live? Or rather, why?
People who swing on the bars like it's a playground thing. You're just stupid. Plain stupid. None of the women on the train is thinking "Wow, what an athletic hunk" so stop looking around as you do it. You look like a monkey and as the bars aren't high and your legs are bent, you look like you've shit yourself.
Anyone who eats fried food at 8 in the morning. There's been a weird influx of poor unfortunate souls who possess no tastebuds or understanding of nutrition and actually pay money for a McDonald's breakfast Egg McFuckinMuffin. Every else on the train wants to provide a free side order of their own breakfast and to top it all you leave the wrappers on the seat for someone else to move. I've killed people for less, through a week-long programme of papercuts and lemon juice. I'm going to make up a new way just for you people.
Chavs. Enough said.
Fat, smelly people. Not very tolerant, I know. Frankly, eat as much as you like, just - for the love of God's only son - wash. Please. All the bits. Yes, even those bits you don't think anyone will ever see because they're hidden by the vast undulating hills and valleys of your balloon-tight skin. Seriously - the ozone layer will thank you. I won't, but then I'm callous.
People who read Heat magazine like it's actually got a single important thing to say about the world. This one extends to the human race in general. I'm not a fan, in case there was any dispute there.
Broadsheet readers. Ooooo, how your reign of righteous, pompousness is nearly at an end. I'm a broadsheet reader. But I at least fold the bloody thing into 4 on the tube. Nowadays (I think I may be too young to say that but what the hell) broadsheets have gone down the tabloid-size route, of which I'm a supporter. But a select band of white-haired old farts with whiskey-engorged noses and skin like leather insist on the old style. And it's these people who will read the paper no matter how crowded the train is. Sorry - did you not realise that the arm rests on tube trains are reserved for suit wearers and those of us reading broadsheets? Ah - but you're working class - I expect you couldn't read the sign. What's that? I'm slicing your face into something resembling Pinhead from Hellraiser? Tough - you're poor and I'm not.
Maybe they should join my torture gang (see a point above).
PEOPLE WHO HAVE DANCE MUSIC OR R&B UP REALLY LOUD ON THEIR HEADPHONES. Doesn't bother me so much these days as I have closed ear headphones that only need 1/2 the volume and nothing escapes to annoy others. But I'd still like to own a device that simultaneously glues the headphones to their ears and changes their music to Michael Bolton on a loop.
There'll be more I think of I'm sure. But for now I feel vented.
Just watched these two.
Layer Cake is your modern London gangster movie - a Guy Ritchie-esque, amusing, Cockney-powered romp. I enjoyed it, but didn't think it deserved the "Oh my God, Layer Cake's amazing" moniker that everyone I've spoken to gave it. It was fun, but pretty predictable. Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch have been there, done that.
Now, Garden State was muuuuuch more like it. I guess I must be a soppy git at heart in some way, but this is one of those films that made me feel damn good. Sideways did it by being a very accurate portrayal of male friendship - I genuinely related to it. Garden State did it by restoring in me some hope that there are those people out there that you just click with. I've missed that since separating from my ex of 7 years. Hell, it's the reason we were together 7 years. When all's said and done, I'm a pretty fucked up person - just like everyone else - and to find someone that not only gets that, but embraces it is what we're all looking for.
This film excelled by catching me off guard a couple of times and making me laugh out loud: a very rare thing. Zach Braff's deadpan, slightly bemused performance helped a lot. Since he didn't react, he left it to you to react to a guy in a full suit of armour walking through the kitchen and staring at him. But, even better, the ending caught me. I actually said "Oh no..." out loud. That happens when you live on your own. I'm sure that soon I'll be buying lots of cats soon, calling them "my babies" and wearing cardigans with dried egg on them. It sets you up to realise that the you're back at the beginning of the movie. The horrible bit. But then it changes it because he siezed the day. It made me want to get up right then and deal with all the pissy little things that prey on my mind - all the stuff we don't do because we're afraid: of consequences; of rejection; of embarrassment; of failure.
He also wrote it and directed and I think he's done a damn fine job. Good on you son.
And, to top it all, the closing track is "Let Go" by Frou Frou, a great track, by a great band; fronted by one of my favourites: Imogen Heap. I've put it below if you want to hear it. It's good stuff.
If you like this then support the artist by buying "Details" by Frou Frou here.
I really like this track. It's kinda funky, kinda hip-hop (which I usually can't stand) but without taking itself too seriously. I like the guy's voice and the lyrics make me smile as they're unashamedly brazen and don't pretend to be anything too clever.
I checked out some other tracks by Lyrics Born but wasn't really grabbed by them. Let me know what you think of this one.
If you like this then support the artist by Buying "Same Shit Different Day" by Lyrics Born here.
I want to post loads of music on my blog but I just don't have the server space. I can only put 4 up at a time.
But, I had a brainfart (as my ex used to call it) today and figured that www.youtube.com host video files for free - up to 100Mb per video! More than enough for music.
So I embedded "Snowflakes" by Just Jack below as a test and it worked.
I hope Jack and his record label's legion of lawyers don't get arsey about this. I'm not posting anything that anyone can stick on an iPod easily and it's up because I want people to listen to music I like and then go and buy it. I heard this track 'illegally' and consequently went out and bought the CD. It can work people.
Anyways - it's a great little album. Not brilliant (sorry Jack) but more than good enough for me to play at home and on my iPod.
It has elements of The Streets, Stereo MCs and Faithless and it's British, which makes me like it even more. The story goes that Jack just handed his tape to a label when he was working in the building one day and they liked it. Nice work lad.
Anyways, please leave comments on the track in the comments section of that post (duh) and I'll hopefully now be able to post more music.
I will always post a direct link to somewhere you can buy the album, again in an effort to promote legality.
Just like the excellent www.aurgasm.us does.
Having been informed that my new blog is more serious than my old blog, I am heralding in a revived era of me talking bollocks in cyberspace.
So - I'm a bit pissed. 3 pints at lunch in worktime and I neither have the inclination or caring to do any more work.
Costings? Shove them up your arse.
Timing plans? Yup - you guessed it.
Anything else? Ditto.
So blah. Expect more pointless shite from me as I randomly get enraged with the world and its irritating inhabitants.
And people who write "it's" when they shouldn't. They especially deserve to be flayed & burned.
You have been warned.
This fantastic giant Martian walking machine is in the town centre. Must remember to look it up if I ever go there (God forbid).
Incidentally, the river by my flat is mentioned in the original H G Wells novel as Horsell Common (the main setting in the novel) is not far from here!
Well, this could just about be one of the most important medical advances ever. Imagine alleviating the worldwide shortage of blood - good luck eggheads!
Man-made blood won't carry bacteria, viruses
Brilliant article outlining a specific type of wasp that attacks a cockroach's brain with a sting, making it a completely controllable zombie. It then 'drives' it to it's hive where it lays an egg underneath it, which later hatches and burrows into the live, zombie cockroach.
Jesus, that's creepy.
The Wisdom of Parasites. The Loom: A blog about life, past and future
I can only do a batch of MP3s at any one time as I don't have any hosting. If anyone knows where I can put MP3s online for free and link to them, please let me know.
Onto the music...
The biggest hobby of mine by a looooong stretch, I'm going to try and post about music more often.
I was brought up on Stevie Wonder, along with Harry Nilsson, Nina Simone, Sammy Davis Jr. and others, thanks to parents who have outstanding taste in music.
Stevie Wonder is one of the greatest artists ever to have lived. He's made a phenomenal amount of music and created some of the longest-lasting hits in history.
Born in 1950, he's been making popular music since the 60's (yes, in his teens). In this time, he started in Motown and has since covered soul, funk, and pop. There's never a moment that my heart doesn't fill when I hear a Stevie song - he's literally a musical genius.
His major hits are well known: Master Blaster (Jammin'), Superstition, Sir Duke, Pastime Paradise. I'd love to put "Ordinary Pain" online - less known, but a stunning song - yet it's too big. The key and tempo change half-way through this song is spine-tingling.
I prefer Stevie's Motown days - I feel that was when he was his most passionate and creative. This era's less known in general, so I've posted my picks of this era below.
Comments are welcome!
Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day - Stevie Wonder
Apart from having a great title, this is a great Motown track that exudes all the energy of the era.
I'm Wondering - Stevie Wonder
Stevie wrote great tracks about trying to pull someone (for want of a better phrase) - this is one of my favourites.
I Was Made To Love Her - Stevie Wonder
This is one of my all-time favourite Stevie tracks: great story told in the song, 100% performance of the song itself. Great stuff.
I don't know why - Stevie Wonder
Even in this era - and remember he was only in his teens/20s - he was making pensive heartfelt tracks like this that just make me stop dead and think...
...most amusing. Attempts to debunk the 9/11 conspiracy theory that Arab hijackers were to blame... and makes a damn good argument.
Looniest Of All 911 Conspiracy Theories
Personally, I think that this article is somewhat exaggerated; as if we are on the cusp of a huge, gay takeover bid. But I can't deny that there are also a number of points that I, and many other people I know, have discussed. It's interesting food-for-thought anyway and I am rather bored of the ass-kissing that this film is getting. Granted, I've not seen it and I'm certainly not denying it any credit, but when such hysteria is abound, people often forget to consider other angles.
Grammatical and spelling mistakes are the authors own :)
Brokeback - Understanding Propaganda
By Dr. R. Winfield
1-31-6
The most effective propaganda comes in under the radar, it's innocuous and appeals to our humanity and emotions. Having studied propaganda and its effects on societies for over 50 years, I can state unequivocally that the film Brokeback Mountain is one of the most blatant propaganda pieces of recent times.
In a society that is purposely and effectively dumbed down, the rarest and most valuable of commodities is discernment. Increasingly crucial, discernment is an attribute of astute acumen, and vital as your enemy uses crafty subtlety. As a people, we have lost discernment. Logic, rational and intellectual discourse, are shunned from the public square. Feelings, emotional sentiment and compassion are no longer tempered with intelligent reason. Now truth is sacrificed on the altar of "tolerance.
To even talk rationally about a film like this will endanger one of causing immediate knee-jerk reactions with slogans; "homophobe, bigot, narrow minded, etc. And God forbid you dare to insinuate that there is an agenda behind such obvious propaganda, or you will surely hear the two words designed to end all discussion or consideration of facts.; "Conspiracy Theory.
Agendas and purposes behind what we are seeing, shall be dealt with, but first, the film.
Yes, I saw Brokeback Mountain, and no I didn't spend any money to support it. An actress friend lent me her "academy consideration DVD (a crime that in many cases now carries a stiffer penalty than murder). First and foremost, I,ve yet to hear anyone mention how boring this film is. It's tediously long and in most parts just plain dull. But let's look at some of the propaganda aspects, shall we? Indeed nature is beautiful, and its grandeur is depicted with majesty and uplifting music, great sweeping vistas instill a sense of awe and splendor. It is of course in this setting that the "homosexual romance blossoms. But even more significant, this is where the men discuss the deeper things of life, theology, meaning, etc.
Contrast this with the scenes of marriage. Every time marriage is depicted in the film, it is shot in a tiny dark squalid hovel, with screaming children and absolute pandemonium. The house is a mess, the wife never communicates on any kind of meaningful level. Wives in fact, are portrayed as a constant annoyance, and more irritating than understanding. But children receive the worst treatment in this slanted rant against family. They are usually crying, often two at a time, or smashing things, the general feeling the film presents, is that these joyless hellions are an intrusion into life, an encumbrance
and a terrible burden.
Making sure it drums in its message in no uncertain terms, the film keeps switching back and forth between the two contrasts. The great outdoors, wild and free, close to nature, close to God, close to hot gay sex without any negative consequences. Back inside the dark little messy box of marriage, with horrible in-laws, demon spawn children, berating nagging wives, endless pressures and even the loveless, passionless sex has hanging over it the dread of producing more parasitic offspring.
Special note must be taken of music and lighting, how they are carefully manipulated to accentuate these contrasts in the manner outlined here, bringing a much deeper impact of the propaganda message. Marvelous tools, music and light illicit emotional responses, and penetrate the subject to effect his core values. The use of props in the juxtaposition of images adds power to the medium. There is a scene where the Heath Ledger character is saddled with his wife and children, struggling among the crowds to watch the fireworks. The opening shot depicts husband and wife, each with a child in one arm, and great square bags full of baby necessities in the other hand. The construction of this frame is identical to the earlier shots of the pack mules heavily laden with similar square heavy supplies. Marriage has turned him into a beast of burden, a theme reinforced throughout.
Another common theme these days, is of course portrayed in the film; that of "religious intolerance. Remember, the wilderness loving gay fellas are close to God, out in the high places, whereas the church folk are depicted as spouting "hellfire and brimstone. The film also shows two horrific murders, and the connection is not lost, it is precisely this type of religious thought that contributes to this sort of bloody violence. The implication is, and this is the very strength of propaganda, if you are in anyway opposed to two men "loving each other, then you must be for brutally murdering them. Do you see the way these things are subtly implied? Just like, if you are not for abortion, then ipso-facto you must be for the murdering of doctors who perform them. This is one the objects of propaganda, reduction of critical argument down into well drummed slogans, therefore removal of discourse, then total polarization of advocates and detractors into radical extremes. Of course this fits perfectly with the method of those purveying propaganda, as they have chosen Hegelian
dialecticalism to divide and conquer you and I.
Earlier I mentioned that the homosexual sex was portrayed as without negative consequences, some may take objection to this. You might say, what about the violent deaths, how can you say without consequences? Think about the film again, the violence is presented not as a result of the sex, but rather the result of a backwards people, mindless ignorant hicks, who's judgmental religious intolerance killed those beautiful martyrs. See how they work it?
The film preaches quite a lot about sex, man's "need for it is apparently only surpassed by his need to breath oxygen. The lies they told about fishing demonstrate that gay sex was even more important than food. Of course the Jake Gyllenhaal character when deprived of this vital necessity has no other choice than to leave his wife and child and search out Mexican male prostitutes. When even this leaves him unable to find enough "manlove he is forced to lower his standard and carry on an adulterous relationship with some woman he has no feelings for, all perfectly justifiable because the evil society is
hindering the two gays total access.
So what about the "love, is this really a film about love? Having spoken to a lot of women about this film, I can tell you, they think it is. "Oh, it's a true love story. they pine. A married woman told me, "Because it's about two men it's much more interesting, a man and a woman would be banal. What's going on? When a woman tells me it's about "true love, I ask her how she knows that? They don't have much to say beyond what the film presents. When informed of the statistics that the majority of male homosexuals are the single most promiscuous segment of the world's population, having more anonymous sexual
partners per year than any other group, these women shut down. "Oh I'm not interested in the real gay sex, I just like the love story, one told me. Oh, so you,re Truthophobic, I said. You see, the facts, statistics, recorded data on a subject are not important, in fact they are rather a stark reminder of something we,d prefer to ignore. Truth is something we want to completely tune out with our escapism, hence fantasy is more to be desired than the mundane existence of reality.
The promotion of gay men to women has seen a real upswing in the past 10 years or so. Every sitcom has a funny gay character, and of course he's the funniest, least inhibited and most able to communicate with women. Queer Eye For The Straight Guy tells women that gay men are superior to the knuckle dragging neanderthal you have at home. When the Queer Eye fab five went on Oprah, "normal housewives screamed and swooned like schoolgirls cheering rockstars. But the agenda goes deeper, the plan is to get women interested in gay porn as an addictive and isolating tool of division. Sex In The City, shows women sitting together giggling while watching gay porn. The biggest thrust in this wave is coming out of Japan and targeting your preteen daughters. It's called Yaoi.
Yaoi is a massive multi-million dollar subculture providing young girls with comic books and animated films depicting gay romantic love between handsome boys, culminating in explicit hard core homosexual pornography. The tide of this material represents a generation of girls whose misdirected sexuality is being warped in an unnatural direction. Traveling extensively, I warn you this epidemic is rampant throughout Europe, Russia, Asia, and now making heavy inroads into the Americas. Parents have no idea what their young girls have tucked under their mattresses, or hidden in closets and computers. Scores of
websites are devoted to young girls fiction describing their fantasies of young men in popular music, tv, film, etc, all engaged in romantic "love and gay sex.
Teen girls rapidly become obsessed with Yaoi and find it an entry drug to other shows like Queer As Folk, and gay hardcore. Many discuss openly their confusion about sex, not wanting a husband or baby, or angst ridden with their own experimentation towards bisexuality and lesbianism. Of course, they,re all buzzing about Brokeback.
None are buzzing more than the critics who are falling over themselves in trying to outdo one another in kissing this film's ass. Sad but so predictable, as homoeroticism has been chosen as this year's politically correct cause for film awards. Just like the year it was blacks and everything black won everything great. Never mind that Oscar winner Halley Barry is said to have a black and white parent, meaning she's as much white as she is black. You see, in the brave new world of propaganda soaked society, truth is no longer black and white. It's all gray now, everything is blurred. Or as the popular group Blur sings ...
"Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love
Confused yet?
Good, that's what they want.
Dr. R. Winfield
It's Tough Guys Don't Dance by The Soulsavers which you can buy on Amazon here.
Why is this remarkable? Well, I forgot that I'm in it :) Look:
I built the website for these guys when they were up and coming - many years ago - for a pittance. I got a whole load of Soulsavers stuff and DJ Format too (a fave of mine) as they had next to no money. Also got this sleeve mention, which is nice :)
EDIT: Dear God, the site is still up! It's nearly older than the number of years I've been working :) www.thesoulsavers.com
