Frankly Mr Shankly, you are a flatulant pain in the arse.
Im welcoming the new year in writing this, on my own because I only finished work 40 odd minutes ago, not with my friends or girlfriend or even my family, just me.
2011 has been... fuck, what was 2011, so much changed, happened, moved, crumbled, crimped and smelled of burnt paper
Saturday 31 December 2011
Happy New Year
Fuck.
Having just clocked off from work about 20 minutes before I started writing this, Im sat in on my own and the rest of my family are asleep; that said tonights been I guess, shame Im not spending tonight with the one person I wanted to, but unfortunately Ronald called my name
Having just clocked off from work about 20 minutes before I started writing this, Im sat in on my own and the rest of my family are asleep; that said tonights been I guess, shame Im not spending tonight with the one person I wanted to, but unfortunately Ronald called my name
Thursday 29 December 2011
Getting Away With It All Messed Up...
Sitting amidst the embers of desperation, Nightingale doffed his cap as so to hide his face, he looked mercifully over the whores and the lowlifes, eyes agaze and mouth agape, their quests for enlightenment, riches and orgasm perhaps, somehow coming to a most fitting end in the opium dens of vice and criminality that feed like parasites in the seedy underbelly of a lonely London Town.
"But Darling! Wait!" She cried, he averted his gaze, a pain so sharp it cut through the palpable sense of pity and empathy that many a poor fool once felt for such a girl. She too fell pray to the matriarchal charm of a one Miss Dwyers, who lest forget was re-known for sending many a honest daughter to her demise.
...Where are we? "Fuck!" he remarked. Wrong blog.
Anyway, such a diversion aside, Im going to talk to you tonight about a dear friend of mine who by name and nature is deserving of the title "The Majestic One"; By way of... Establishment, I came across this young soul in the common room of a Tuesday morn, and at once I saw a light in his eyes and his burning masculinity managed to impregnate all those in proximity. His name is Paddy, but to me he will always be Patrick, no mater how much he resents this, and Patrick plays guitar, he's one of those artists I feel will forever tour in the back of their mate's transit, from pub to pub, club to club singing away and making ends meet.
He's one of the few good men that I know that actually "love" music albeit with some strange but mutual tastes I have nothing but love and respect for him, so in honour of this... marvellous bastard, and as a personal favour to myself I call upon friends both near and far, and above all my cult Malaysian following to check him out!
Enjoy.
(As I could only find a facebook link to his latest song, there may be privacy issues and whatnot, as of writing this piece I am working on finding a YT link, bear with me)
Cheeky treat:
http://youtu.be/0DtrUqZ8zao - PeteBox - Kid's cover (MGMT)
(Also, that cheeky bit of story, I wrote that as so to exempt myself from crediting someone)
"But Darling! Wait!" She cried, he averted his gaze, a pain so sharp it cut through the palpable sense of pity and empathy that many a poor fool once felt for such a girl. She too fell pray to the matriarchal charm of a one Miss Dwyers, who lest forget was re-known for sending many a honest daughter to her demise.
...Where are we? "Fuck!" he remarked. Wrong blog.
Anyway, such a diversion aside, Im going to talk to you tonight about a dear friend of mine who by name and nature is deserving of the title "The Majestic One"; By way of... Establishment, I came across this young soul in the common room of a Tuesday morn, and at once I saw a light in his eyes and his burning masculinity managed to impregnate all those in proximity. His name is Paddy, but to me he will always be Patrick, no mater how much he resents this, and Patrick plays guitar, he's one of those artists I feel will forever tour in the back of their mate's transit, from pub to pub, club to club singing away and making ends meet.
He's one of the few good men that I know that actually "love" music albeit with some strange but mutual tastes I have nothing but love and respect for him, so in honour of this... marvellous bastard, and as a personal favour to myself I call upon friends both near and far, and above all my cult Malaysian following to check him out!
Enjoy.
(As I could only find a facebook link to his latest song, there may be privacy issues and whatnot, as of writing this piece I am working on finding a YT link, bear with me)
Cheeky treat:
http://youtu.be/0DtrUqZ8zao - PeteBox - Kid's cover (MGMT)
(Also, that cheeky bit of story, I wrote that as so to exempt myself from crediting someone)
Tuesday 27 December 2011
I Was Swimming In The Caribbean - Covers.
Right; We're going back to a music oriented post, the topic of conversation that is so nonchalantly teetering atop your' tongue is as the title would suggest: covers.
I think what is important when looking at music is its longevity, I don't think that the fact that a song is "still around" is a hallmark of a "Classic": take for example Nirvana's Teen Spirit, a song that by way of accident rip roared its way into the mainstream, Kurt himself admitting to taking massive inspiration from the Pixies:
"I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily that I should have been in that band- or at least a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard."
I think what is important when looking at music is its longevity, I don't think that the fact that a song is "still around" is a hallmark of a "Classic": take for example Nirvana's Teen Spirit, a song that by way of accident rip roared its way into the mainstream, Kurt himself admitting to taking massive inspiration from the Pixies:
"I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily that I should have been in that band- or at least a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard."
As the band and the music became more popular Kurt began to detest playing the song, he began to exclude it from concerts and the band as much resented playing it.
"The band felt tortured to play this song over and over again once it had become popular. Uncomfortable with how successful it had become, they often excluded from playing it at their concerts. By 1994, Kurt's thrust into popularity and his natural instincts to avoid it had collided. He killed himself in 1994 by shooting himself in the head."
A digression perhaps; but to explain: One could argue a song is much more about the moment, is it possible that anything can necessarily be enjoyed again and again and be consistently satisfying, it's hard to re-capture the moment you first listened to a song that really blows you away? As glorious as it is to sit back in nostalgia and retrospect and re-kindle your love for a particular verse, you'll never have it back, the moments, the emotions. I think it is most often the best idea to jump out whilst you can in a blaze of glory rather than slow-burning away whilst a panel show snigger at what became of the embers. To think, should Kurt still be with us would his legacy remain? Is it doing the song justice that it is still around, being thrown in front of new audiences like a stale finger buffet.
My question though, which I myself cannot begin to answer: Is the churning out of covers of "classic" songs a way to re-kindle peoples fondness for the original by way of preserving what we had, or is it more a quick cash in?
For example, I'll return to the Pixies - Where Is My Mind, quite possibly my favourite song, though I know that I don't feel the same sense of "ey up" when it happens to come on shuffle, but then I found a cover of it by The PeteBox, a beat-box-esq performer (who has recently released a live studio album that I highly recommend) and I fell in love with it again, it was... perfect.
So, I leave you with that, I don't have an answer, these are just my thoughts and feelings but at the end of the day music is an art, something that can by its very nature be enjoyed again and again, though I think it is something to be felt, as much as a work as a moment, be it one that you share with other people, or a cheeky treat you scoffed on your own of in the midst of a Saturday's eve.
Hmm.
Anyway; for reading this far, you can have a snack:
The Pixes: Where Is My Mind
The Pixes: Where Is My Mind
Friday 23 December 2011
"I'll Have Thigh, Mable"
It... It's been a while I know, its been an awkwardly long time, that zone between cheerfully popping back to let you know how I've been and storming in rudely over christmas dinner to start a fight with my estranged ex wife.
I figured I'd come back though, dust the cobwebs off the old blogger dashboard, sit down and write a nice piece for those that remain, I daren't look at the statistics for my page, though that cult following in Malaysia was unexpected.
So, as a result of my return I guess you'd like to know a bit about what I got up to, how I've been and all that? Its been fucking astounding really; I didn't think that after my last post my life would be changed by an entirely new group of friends, a new college, a job, money and driving lessons; its mental how much has changed in just over 3 months, bizarre times; Im happy, genuinely, life has changed and as far as I know its for the better.
I think the side of me, the ever-cynical, smart arse that seems to think he knows more than everyone, has toned himself down, I mean, he'll always be there, pointing out what's wrong and justifying his anger towards the man-woman on the bus who seems to be everywhere he goes: Oh darling, I detest you, yet I pine for you in your absence over this festive period, a bus is not a bus without a leaking Tesco bag and a luminous jacket.
I feel a great sadness, I suppose, to those I've forgotten about, but at the end of the day, its living for the moment that matters, and if I stopped to think about those who'd inspired me, spurned me on or sent me into the ebbs of frustration with their ridiculous idiosyncrasies: then I would be here for days, and I don't fancy that.
As far as I'm concerned I don't want those closest to me, nor those even aquatinted with me to know about this, I think that the pseudo-anonymity that lies behind these postings is what is important really.
I always get the idea that everything I write will at some point become a part of history, one day I should hope this proves incredibly true, until then I guess, I'm Jac, as far you know.
I don't want to conclude here, I miss writing these little blogs, its a nice release. But alas it is more than we're all worth to carry on reading, in the sense of the word we're all dying, do not consider this to be a triumphant return though, nor reunion, you could say that we're going back to those awkward glances across the hallway when neither of us knows what to say, then you stumble, stutter and its all a little embarrassing for both parties.
Though it is the mark of true friendship when one of us can shut the fuck up for a minute and we can enjoy the silence.
Food for thought, eh.
I figured I'd come back though, dust the cobwebs off the old blogger dashboard, sit down and write a nice piece for those that remain, I daren't look at the statistics for my page, though that cult following in Malaysia was unexpected.
So, as a result of my return I guess you'd like to know a bit about what I got up to, how I've been and all that? Its been fucking astounding really; I didn't think that after my last post my life would be changed by an entirely new group of friends, a new college, a job, money and driving lessons; its mental how much has changed in just over 3 months, bizarre times; Im happy, genuinely, life has changed and as far as I know its for the better.
I think the side of me, the ever-cynical, smart arse that seems to think he knows more than everyone, has toned himself down, I mean, he'll always be there, pointing out what's wrong and justifying his anger towards the man-woman on the bus who seems to be everywhere he goes: Oh darling, I detest you, yet I pine for you in your absence over this festive period, a bus is not a bus without a leaking Tesco bag and a luminous jacket.
I feel a great sadness, I suppose, to those I've forgotten about, but at the end of the day, its living for the moment that matters, and if I stopped to think about those who'd inspired me, spurned me on or sent me into the ebbs of frustration with their ridiculous idiosyncrasies: then I would be here for days, and I don't fancy that.
As far as I'm concerned I don't want those closest to me, nor those even aquatinted with me to know about this, I think that the pseudo-anonymity that lies behind these postings is what is important really.
I always get the idea that everything I write will at some point become a part of history, one day I should hope this proves incredibly true, until then I guess, I'm Jac, as far you know.
I don't want to conclude here, I miss writing these little blogs, its a nice release. But alas it is more than we're all worth to carry on reading, in the sense of the word we're all dying, do not consider this to be a triumphant return though, nor reunion, you could say that we're going back to those awkward glances across the hallway when neither of us knows what to say, then you stumble, stutter and its all a little embarrassing for both parties.
Though it is the mark of true friendship when one of us can shut the fuck up for a minute and we can enjoy the silence.
Food for thought, eh.
Tuesday 6 September 2011
Goodbye?
I've decided that, after a bit of contemplation, that I'm going to stop updating this blog, with the start of college and other commitments I don't think I'd be doing the blog any favours by doing half-arsed updates every now and again.
So, I guess this is goodbye, for now, consider this the end of a (short) era, but I will be back soon, with season 2 of the blog, better, bigger and with more features, music and other stuff.
It's been a pleasure writing for you lot, but this is the end for now!
Seeya!
So, I guess this is goodbye, for now, consider this the end of a (short) era, but I will be back soon, with season 2 of the blog, better, bigger and with more features, music and other stuff.
It's been a pleasure writing for you lot, but this is the end for now!
Seeya!
Sunday 21 August 2011
Sunday
I'm off now, so for an indefinite period of time you won't be hearing from me unfortunately (for some, at least) and I know its heartbreaking and that, but normal posting schedules will return soon.
Consider this the last day of term, where everyone goes a little bit mental and you watch Schindlers List in history because you know you can sit on the desks, text in the open and take that Dead-arm game a step to far and fling a chair across the room whilst Speilburg witters on to himself oblivious in the background.
See, I have to imagine what a normal school life is like, as mine was just, fucking bizarre, we had blokes dressed as women, canteen staff eating food from the floor, the Wombles of Wimbledon common come to critique us on our inability to pick up litter, barred windows, porta-cabins and that teacher that got just a bit too friendly with the pupils, and Edward, I shared a good portion of my school life with an Edward like no other, and this one wasn't some bent vampire chap, but I don't have time to go into that right now, you see.
Anyway, I better get going, for some reason I started writing this far too late and I'm up again soon, so enjoy these next few weeks, I'll leave you with a few songs to be getting on with and if you've not already I'd suggest having a read of the post before this one, I'll bring us all back some knocked-off spirits and cigarettes!
Cheers to everyone that's read my blog over the past few weeks, I'm honestly taken back at the number of people now, because it started as something I wrote to pass the time!
Here's:
For The Girl - The Fratellis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHP6NqQme3E)
Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtW1MAZ32M)
Dreaming Of You - The Coral (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRy8N1P1EUI)
Hate To Say I Told You So - The Hives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCQ7VLoY7bQ)
And as an extra, cheeky electro treat of the week:
Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5LW07FTJbI )
Enjoy.
- Jac.
Consider this the last day of term, where everyone goes a little bit mental and you watch Schindlers List in history because you know you can sit on the desks, text in the open and take that Dead-arm game a step to far and fling a chair across the room whilst Speilburg witters on to himself oblivious in the background.
See, I have to imagine what a normal school life is like, as mine was just, fucking bizarre, we had blokes dressed as women, canteen staff eating food from the floor, the Wombles of Wimbledon common come to critique us on our inability to pick up litter, barred windows, porta-cabins and that teacher that got just a bit too friendly with the pupils, and Edward, I shared a good portion of my school life with an Edward like no other, and this one wasn't some bent vampire chap, but I don't have time to go into that right now, you see.
Anyway, I better get going, for some reason I started writing this far too late and I'm up again soon, so enjoy these next few weeks, I'll leave you with a few songs to be getting on with and if you've not already I'd suggest having a read of the post before this one, I'll bring us all back some knocked-off spirits and cigarettes!
Cheers to everyone that's read my blog over the past few weeks, I'm honestly taken back at the number of people now, because it started as something I wrote to pass the time!
Here's:
For The Girl - The Fratellis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHP6NqQme3E)
Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtW1MAZ32M)
Dreaming Of You - The Coral (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRy8N1P1EUI)
Hate To Say I Told You So - The Hives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCQ7VLoY7bQ)
And as an extra, cheeky electro treat of the week:
Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5LW07FTJbI )
Enjoy.
- Jac.
Saturday 20 August 2011
Forever
Tonight, I had a long chat with a friend of mine (who, I wont name, as I haven't asked his permission) and he explained to me that he would be content in just "getting by" and having the money to sustain an average lifestyle, to keep himself to himself and as he put it "not leave a mark when [he's] gone" and now for that I do not criticise him, I have a lot of respect for him and I empathise with a lot of what he says, at a time where more people then ever are out of work and watching their dreams go down the proverbial shitter, it seems that I've met a person that thinks realistically, by aiming to work and create enough income to support himself and maybe a family in good time, it show's that he understands the importance of assimilating himself in to society and not becoming a burden.
Now, It's a shame, because he's a great friend and I guess it saddens me to see him have such low aspirations, but it made me realise that we're two completely different people and like I said before, as long as you are happy and living the life you want, then I am completely behind you, sincerely. I, as you probably know if you read my blog on a regular basis, have a passion for music and my goal in life is to have a platform in which I can share both my love for music and my thoughts, I'm aiming very high and I don't think that I will stop until I reach those ideals, because, why should I, it's who I am as a person and in my eyes, if I don't have a body of work that I'm not proud of then I'm probably ashamed of it. Now I jokingly created a hypothetical situation in which the two of us lived our lives exactly according to our plans, I then said that if I ever got my own show, I'd ring him live on air and ask him how content he is, just like the Likely Lads, and it would be interesting to see how that pans out, genuinely.
I recently saw a short animation (http://vimeo.com/27582815) which I highly recommend watching if you have the facility and time, it shows a chap watch his life flash before his eyes, it really struck me as a viewer; watching his life grow from being exiting and colourful to becoming so boring and monotonous as he reached his 40's and settled for a dead end desk job and it made me think: Fuck that.
I couldn't wake up in the morning knowing I'm squandering my life, going to a job I hate to come home to a home that's not good enough and living my life in such a sub-par way. It's not for me. I personally believe that no matter what dream you have, you've got the choice to either follow it or die trying, I'm not even specifically talking in the literal sense anymore, never settle for anything less than your absolute ideal because you'll regret it eventually, you're only given about 80 years here if you're lucky, and that's sad really, for me at least.
I've gone off on another tangent again, I think this makes for a bit more compulsive reading though, it gives a bit of insight into me as a person and if the figures for the last personal piece were correct then it seems like you lot actually like this style of post for some reason!
That said, its frustratingly dark, but I like getting stuff like this off my chest, and if it helps people in any way then I know I've done good. It's not funny, not music oriented and a little bit selfish If I'm honest, but, not every post is a winner, ey!
That said, its frustratingly dark, but I like getting stuff like this off my chest, and if it helps people in any way then I know I've done good. It's not funny, not music oriented and a little bit selfish If I'm honest, but, not every post is a winner, ey!
Anyhow, lets cheer up, and end on a good note, we'll have a cheeky bit of the Libertines to send us off tonight, so here's (fittingly) What Became Of The Likely Lads!
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!
This post is out of schedual because tomorrow we're having the bonus bumper blog chaps come down and take the wheel for a week or two in my absence, so consider this to be my last "heavy" post for a while, but you better come back or I'll be sad, and you don't want that do you?
BUY NOW AND RECEIVE A SECOND FOOTNOTE ABSOLUTELY FREE!
I also changed the design of the site, I think it's better, let me know what you think by comment, direct message, twitter or however you choose.
Cheers for reading, GOODNIGHT.
BUY NOW AND RECEIVE A SECOND FOOTNOTE ABSOLUTELY FREE!
I also changed the design of the site, I think it's better, let me know what you think by comment, direct message, twitter or however you choose.
Cheers for reading, GOODNIGHT.
Wednesday 17 August 2011
See That Gut Lord Marching
Parklife. (Do, do, do, do doo doo)
All the people, so many people, all go hand in hand, hand in hand through there, s'parklife.
Now, don't get me wrong, as much as I love Damon Albarn and in the knowledge that I'm not of any real authority to criticise his talent, I can't help but notice that he's inconsistant as a musician, looking at his work with Blur, he's written some cracking songs (for example: Parklife, Song 2, Country House, Boys and Girls, Beetlebum to name but a few) then compare these classics with some of the better known Gorrillaz songs (Of which Albarn is now the vocalist and primary songwriter) such as Clint Eastwood, Revolving Doors, that leave me feeling empty inside; I'm not suggesting that Albarn has not put as much effort into writing these songs, but they don't feel as wholesome and crafted as his Blur work, as if they're too modern.
Now, I appreciate that the writing style and genre are completely different and I understand that the Gorrilaz are a "virtual band" where Albarn himself isn't "in the spotlight" as such, but it amazes me that these projects are both by the same chap, liccle Dicky Albarn; that said, Demon Days was multi award winning and sold ridiculously well, so I'm going to put it down to it being "not you, but me" and understand that artists move on, that said, the latest album was basically just an musical iPad promo...
Now I've written this, I realise that it's incredibly boring if you've never heard of Blur, sorry, I'll book my ideas up for this weekend, and I'll have a cracking bumper edition as I'm away for a few weeks, so you'll have plenty to be going on with.
An update from my personal life, tomorrow I'm starting my course in radio broadcasting with my intentions being to get my own slot and I'll keep you all abreast with how that goes, hopefully you'll be able to listen to my strange Boltonian accent, witicisms and music live at some point in the near future! (God help us all).
Anyway, thank's for reading tonight, I'll leave you with a treat:
One of my all time favourite songs:
Save It For The Bedroom by You Me At Six!
Ha, I'm sure we all have a lot better taste than that, here's Fuck Forever by Babyshambles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbSbcXTp5hU
All the people, so many people, all go hand in hand, hand in hand through there, s'parklife.
Now, don't get me wrong, as much as I love Damon Albarn and in the knowledge that I'm not of any real authority to criticise his talent, I can't help but notice that he's inconsistant as a musician, looking at his work with Blur, he's written some cracking songs (for example: Parklife, Song 2, Country House, Boys and Girls, Beetlebum to name but a few) then compare these classics with some of the better known Gorrillaz songs (Of which Albarn is now the vocalist and primary songwriter) such as Clint Eastwood, Revolving Doors, that leave me feeling empty inside; I'm not suggesting that Albarn has not put as much effort into writing these songs, but they don't feel as wholesome and crafted as his Blur work, as if they're too modern.
Now, I appreciate that the writing style and genre are completely different and I understand that the Gorrilaz are a "virtual band" where Albarn himself isn't "in the spotlight" as such, but it amazes me that these projects are both by the same chap, liccle Dicky Albarn; that said, Demon Days was multi award winning and sold ridiculously well, so I'm going to put it down to it being "not you, but me" and understand that artists move on, that said, the latest album was basically just an musical iPad promo...
Now I've written this, I realise that it's incredibly boring if you've never heard of Blur, sorry, I'll book my ideas up for this weekend, and I'll have a cracking bumper edition as I'm away for a few weeks, so you'll have plenty to be going on with.
An update from my personal life, tomorrow I'm starting my course in radio broadcasting with my intentions being to get my own slot and I'll keep you all abreast with how that goes, hopefully you'll be able to listen to my strange Boltonian accent, witicisms and music live at some point in the near future! (God help us all).
Anyway, thank's for reading tonight, I'll leave you with a treat:
One of my all time favourite songs:
Ha, I'm sure we all have a lot better taste than that, here's Fuck Forever by Babyshambles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbSbcXTp5hU
Monday 15 August 2011
Deus Ex Machina
That is Latin, for an over used plot device that winds me up almost as much as the over use of the colours yellow and blue found on nearly every film cover, ever.
Anyway, theatrical nuisances out of the way, I figured I better share a few things with you:
I have a strange attraction to "the way things used to be" and in a way, I'm a little nostalgic, whilst many people have fond memories of Space Hoppers, Duran Duran and Denim, It struck me the other day that as a chap of 16 my frames of reference (in a nostalgic sense, at least) are completely different to those of say a person of 30 or 40 years old, now I am stating the obvious, obviously, but bear with me.
Last night I watched both series of Phoenix Nights, a show by Peter Kay that I'm sure many people from up north are familiar with and in a moment of clarity I realised how much I adore that period of time, anything from 1998 to around 2002, be it the music, the clothes or that strange overcast weather that never seemed to go away.
Sunny but bitter winter mornings, walking to primary school with my granddad, Grand Tourismo and Vice City on the Playstation 2, the last dregs of Oasis on the radio and the slope in the junior yard that meant we always played football on an angle (which I now blame for my lack of talent). Its moments of my childhood like those that I actually cherish and have such fond memories of, that I've never quite realised before now. I think this move into college, the idea that I'm starting an entire new chapter of my life that leaves me awestruck. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy secondary school, because the people I met, the people I no longer keep in touch with, I will never forget and I do have fond memories of my time at St James's to say the least, but it wasn't the same, school lost its innocence, its warmth.
I began to live my own life, and in doing so (making my own decisions, paying for my dinner, not walking out of school and into my Grandad's company) I think it (as an institution) didn't allow me to relish my time there, I just wanted to go, to get through the weeks and move on as quickly as possible, In hindsight I consider it a waste, I wouldn't go so far to say that "I'd love to go back" but I wish I hadn't flown through those years in such a hurry.
So if you take one thing from me tonight, maybe you yourself are moving up a year, moving on, going to college, university or just waking up tomorrow with no goal or sense of direction. It would be to slow down and appreciate everything and everyone in your life, its taken me about 5 years to realise that, and to the people I'm no longer in touch with, the people I've left behind: I'm sorry.
This sorta ends on a sombre tone, but I'm happy, I never intended this blog to get so self indulgent but I think you can learn a lot about me from this post, I'd like to hear feedback weather or not you enjoyed me opening up like this though, s'not often I do!
Anyway, lets cheer up, ey, we've all got a good few years left in us yet, and I think I'll leave you lot tonight with one of my favourite songs ever, and in a way I'm ashamed to admit it because of how much Oasis is overplayed now, but here's Supersonic by the brothers Gallagher:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p29MG7wn4F8
Anyway, theatrical nuisances out of the way, I figured I better share a few things with you:
I have a strange attraction to "the way things used to be" and in a way, I'm a little nostalgic, whilst many people have fond memories of Space Hoppers, Duran Duran and Denim, It struck me the other day that as a chap of 16 my frames of reference (in a nostalgic sense, at least) are completely different to those of say a person of 30 or 40 years old, now I am stating the obvious, obviously, but bear with me.
Last night I watched both series of Phoenix Nights, a show by Peter Kay that I'm sure many people from up north are familiar with and in a moment of clarity I realised how much I adore that period of time, anything from 1998 to around 2002, be it the music, the clothes or that strange overcast weather that never seemed to go away.
Sunny but bitter winter mornings, walking to primary school with my granddad, Grand Tourismo and Vice City on the Playstation 2, the last dregs of Oasis on the radio and the slope in the junior yard that meant we always played football on an angle (which I now blame for my lack of talent). Its moments of my childhood like those that I actually cherish and have such fond memories of, that I've never quite realised before now. I think this move into college, the idea that I'm starting an entire new chapter of my life that leaves me awestruck. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy secondary school, because the people I met, the people I no longer keep in touch with, I will never forget and I do have fond memories of my time at St James's to say the least, but it wasn't the same, school lost its innocence, its warmth.
I began to live my own life, and in doing so (making my own decisions, paying for my dinner, not walking out of school and into my Grandad's company) I think it (as an institution) didn't allow me to relish my time there, I just wanted to go, to get through the weeks and move on as quickly as possible, In hindsight I consider it a waste, I wouldn't go so far to say that "I'd love to go back" but I wish I hadn't flown through those years in such a hurry.
So if you take one thing from me tonight, maybe you yourself are moving up a year, moving on, going to college, university or just waking up tomorrow with no goal or sense of direction. It would be to slow down and appreciate everything and everyone in your life, its taken me about 5 years to realise that, and to the people I'm no longer in touch with, the people I've left behind: I'm sorry.
This sorta ends on a sombre tone, but I'm happy, I never intended this blog to get so self indulgent but I think you can learn a lot about me from this post, I'd like to hear feedback weather or not you enjoyed me opening up like this though, s'not often I do!
Anyway, lets cheer up, ey, we've all got a good few years left in us yet, and I think I'll leave you lot tonight with one of my favourite songs ever, and in a way I'm ashamed to admit it because of how much Oasis is overplayed now, but here's Supersonic by the brothers Gallagher:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p29MG7wn4F8
Sunday 14 August 2011
Sorry for any inconvenience...
Sunday comes around so fast now, and I'm aware that I normally blog on Sunday nights, but I'm far too tired to tonight and I have a decent anecdote and entry today, so I wouldn't want to disappoint by telling it in a lacklustre and half-arsed way;
So I propose to have it up tomorrow and it will exceed all expectations, I promise!
In order to distract you from the fact that I have no decent material this evening, you can have a bloody cracking song to listen to, so here's Ever Fallen In Love by The Buzzcocks.
Never mind the bollocks lads!
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPG6Ak5FASk)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPG6Ak5FASk)
Wednesday 10 August 2011
She was into the stones, when I was into the roses.
So; since my last entry, shit has apparently gone down, I wont give my opinion because its roughly the same as the 60 million other briton's that are sat tut'ing at the debacle.
So what did we all get? I snatched myself a lovely size 6 Reebok Classic, its such a shame they only leave the one shoe out...
This is obviously in jest, I'm far too Indie to get involved, I mean, it was cool back in Tottenham but by the time it reached Clapham it was obviously ironic, what next, big rimmed glasses, espadrilles and a Bowie t-shirt? Jesus.
So trying to avoid the topic of the recent riots I feel I should give a little nod to the somewhat unreported world outside Clapham Junction and have a look at some of the headlines that have sailed under the radar this past week. Consider this the Hunt For Read October, or something equally as witty (...go on, you do better).
So lets take a trip to Sweden where one cheeky little chap tried to split the atom in his kitchen, but not without checking the legality of his actions first! As it turns out, yes, homebrew nuclear fission reactors are, apparently, illegal, and the young chap was left feeling a little silly. The police confiscated his nuclear materials and his computer and admitted he was better off sticking to books from now on.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14406766)
To be honest, no wonder we're just covering the riots, there's nothing else on, except the DFS sale, but that goes without saying really; my hour long investigation has proved fruitless, never the less, the swede's never fail to dissapoint and we can all have a hearty chuckle at a bemused füül. It is a shame half my city has been smashed to pieces but it gives us something to have a good moan about, and in the end we'll have a new Foot Asylum to show for it...
Great, anyway, thanks for reading again, you know the format by now, here's your song, listen to it with your ears, and your hands, if that is how you like to go about your business.
(I now know how to link to it, for your convenience)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHP6NqQme3E
So what did we all get? I snatched myself a lovely size 6 Reebok Classic, its such a shame they only leave the one shoe out...
This is obviously in jest, I'm far too Indie to get involved, I mean, it was cool back in Tottenham but by the time it reached Clapham it was obviously ironic, what next, big rimmed glasses, espadrilles and a Bowie t-shirt? Jesus.
So trying to avoid the topic of the recent riots I feel I should give a little nod to the somewhat unreported world outside Clapham Junction and have a look at some of the headlines that have sailed under the radar this past week. Consider this the Hunt For Read October, or something equally as witty (...go on, you do better).
So lets take a trip to Sweden where one cheeky little chap tried to split the atom in his kitchen, but not without checking the legality of his actions first! As it turns out, yes, homebrew nuclear fission reactors are, apparently, illegal, and the young chap was left feeling a little silly. The police confiscated his nuclear materials and his computer and admitted he was better off sticking to books from now on.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14406766)
To be honest, no wonder we're just covering the riots, there's nothing else on, except the DFS sale, but that goes without saying really; my hour long investigation has proved fruitless, never the less, the swede's never fail to dissapoint and we can all have a hearty chuckle at a bemused füül. It is a shame half my city has been smashed to pieces but it gives us something to have a good moan about, and in the end we'll have a new Foot Asylum to show for it...
Great, anyway, thanks for reading again, you know the format by now, here's your song, listen to it with your ears, and your hands, if that is how you like to go about your business.
(I now know how to link to it, for your convenience)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHP6NqQme3E
Sunday 7 August 2011
A few things on my mind.
Bizarrely, I've written the opening paragraph to this blog entry about six times now and I'm becoming increasingly annoyed with my own incompetence and lack of imagination, this seems to me like the most creative way to open, so we'll crack on.
Firstly, I was shocked and if I'm completely honest, outraged to learn that apparently my blog has come under criticism for its distinct lack of full stops, yes, I am looking directly at you, you know who you are and given time you will learn to appreciate the plethora of other, and dare I say, greater methods of punctuating your work and in order to allow you to appreciate said devices I thought I should maybe list a few in order to tease your pallet.
Obviously my first port of call would naturally be, the Comma, because I don't like to be tied down when writing, learning to transform your writing from Simple, to compound, to complex sentences allows the writer to be more experimental and paint a greater picture. Abrupt ends box in free thinking individuals and forces the otherwise illustrative writer corporately into the button down, oxford cloth, suit and tie of the punctuation... species.
Then we have the semicolon, once again an overlooked and underemployed piece of punctuation that does its job perfectly well; maybe the sentence is too short to require a full stop but works on its own, yet additional information may be available, that is where the semicolon can come into play, and for that matter I adopted it as part of my name (by deedpoll, no less).
Now, I don't wish to continue that list, as it's already become tedious, but I hope it does provide insight into my views on your (yes, you.) harsh and unforgiving critique of my non-conformist writing style, I believe The Guardian labelled me "A maverick!" and my latest stage show "Absolutely spellbinding!" so I know I'm pushing the right buttons.
So, Obviously, this entry is in jest and a private joke between myself and the eager man-about-town to whom we shall now refer to as "Penciltonne"; I'm obviously not THAT much of a pompous prick and this entry was written entirely behind the guise of ignorance and self-satire and is not reflective of my other work.
As with all Blog entries, should you fail to meet the monthly repayments your home could be at risk of being repossessed. Typical 0.56% APR Finance is available and "the company" [Jac; Conglomerates inc.] holds no responsibility for personal loss and/or damage.
Thanks for reading this far; because if you did, it shows you genuinely enjoy... me?
Anyhow, tonights track is Fell in Love With A Girl by the White Stripes.
"I said it all before but it bears repeating OH."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIz4bG9ySBw
Firstly, I was shocked and if I'm completely honest, outraged to learn that apparently my blog has come under criticism for its distinct lack of full stops, yes, I am looking directly at you, you know who you are and given time you will learn to appreciate the plethora of other, and dare I say, greater methods of punctuating your work and in order to allow you to appreciate said devices I thought I should maybe list a few in order to tease your pallet.
Obviously my first port of call would naturally be, the Comma, because I don't like to be tied down when writing, learning to transform your writing from Simple, to compound, to complex sentences allows the writer to be more experimental and paint a greater picture. Abrupt ends box in free thinking individuals and forces the otherwise illustrative writer corporately into the button down, oxford cloth, suit and tie of the punctuation... species.
Then we have the semicolon, once again an overlooked and underemployed piece of punctuation that does its job perfectly well; maybe the sentence is too short to require a full stop but works on its own, yet additional information may be available, that is where the semicolon can come into play, and for that matter I adopted it as part of my name (by deedpoll, no less).
Now, I don't wish to continue that list, as it's already become tedious, but I hope it does provide insight into my views on your (yes, you.) harsh and unforgiving critique of my non-conformist writing style, I believe The Guardian labelled me "A maverick!" and my latest stage show "Absolutely spellbinding!" so I know I'm pushing the right buttons.
So, Obviously, this entry is in jest and a private joke between myself and the eager man-about-town to whom we shall now refer to as "Penciltonne"; I'm obviously not THAT much of a pompous prick and this entry was written entirely behind the guise of ignorance and self-satire and is not reflective of my other work.
As with all Blog entries, should you fail to meet the monthly repayments your home could be at risk of being repossessed. Typical 0.56% APR Finance is available and "the company" [Jac; Conglomerates inc.] holds no responsibility for personal loss and/or damage.
Thanks for reading this far; because if you did, it shows you genuinely enjoy... me?
Anyhow, tonights track is Fell in Love With A Girl by the White Stripes.
"I said it all before but it bears repeating OH."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIz4bG9ySBw
Wednesday 3 August 2011
Wednesday; why?
I'm suddenly coming to the realisation that Wednesday is one of the worst days of the week, second to Sunday. But wait, jac; Don't critique the midweek without first stating a valid argument, fine, I will.
It seems to me as if Wednesday is the point of no return, a melancholy and dreary reminder of deadlines and a harsh truth jammed together in a hard to swallow pill (Far too much imagery there, but once again, I digress, I tend to sometimes). See, when one wakes up on a Monday, pry's open the eyelids (because, face it, no one gets enough sleep Sunday night) and jumps out of bed, you're safe in the knowledge that the week has just begun, you know that no matter what you have a week ahead of you, you have shit to do and being a responsible and productive member of society, you're going to do it weather you like it or not, you swallow.
Onto Tuesday, you've now established the tasks at hand and starting to tick them off, you've had that doctors appointment and outlined the forthcoming events, once again, Tuesday is another compulsory day and you've done it.
But then we stumble across Wednesday, the... problem child of the Gregorian Family, that little shit that has his cake, eats his cake and screams the place down for more cake. As I hinted before, Wednesday is just a reminder that you're only half way there, Thursday is comforting as you know the next day is Friday, and we all bloody love Fridays, I know a certain Rebecca especially does...
Maybe it's just me, but when I wake up, of a Wednesday morn, my bed seems a whole lot comfier and I'm a hell of a lot more liberal that snooze button of mine...
Just a thought, anyway, I think I've written enough for tonight, come back Sunday, I'll make some little scones, or even a malt loaf if you're that way inclined.
Tonight's song: Last Nite by The Strokes.
"On top of this, you ain't never gonna understand"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXaHy814cEA
It seems to me as if Wednesday is the point of no return, a melancholy and dreary reminder of deadlines and a harsh truth jammed together in a hard to swallow pill (Far too much imagery there, but once again, I digress, I tend to sometimes). See, when one wakes up on a Monday, pry's open the eyelids (because, face it, no one gets enough sleep Sunday night) and jumps out of bed, you're safe in the knowledge that the week has just begun, you know that no matter what you have a week ahead of you, you have shit to do and being a responsible and productive member of society, you're going to do it weather you like it or not, you swallow.
Onto Tuesday, you've now established the tasks at hand and starting to tick them off, you've had that doctors appointment and outlined the forthcoming events, once again, Tuesday is another compulsory day and you've done it.
But then we stumble across Wednesday, the... problem child of the Gregorian Family, that little shit that has his cake, eats his cake and screams the place down for more cake. As I hinted before, Wednesday is just a reminder that you're only half way there, Thursday is comforting as you know the next day is Friday, and we all bloody love Fridays, I know a certain Rebecca especially does...
Maybe it's just me, but when I wake up, of a Wednesday morn, my bed seems a whole lot comfier and I'm a hell of a lot more liberal that snooze button of mine...
Just a thought, anyway, I think I've written enough for tonight, come back Sunday, I'll make some little scones, or even a malt loaf if you're that way inclined.
Tonight's song: Last Nite by The Strokes.
"On top of this, you ain't never gonna understand"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXaHy814cEA
Sunday 31 July 2011
Diamond Hoo Ha Man
Starting today's blog entry with a song title, not overly sure what that suggests about tonight; but that song has one of tangiest introductions of any song, ever, period.
I think I'll kick off tonight's rant with a nod to Wednesday, buses, public transport once again, now as anyone unlucky enough to catch a bus after about 10 'o clock should understand, the experience is painful, clip to the bottom of your manhood painful, that type of pain that strikes late at night, or in a drunken stupor, can only be expressed with a yelp of "f***ing hell! t**t! c**t! s**t!" and a dirty look thrown at the skirting board in question. I digress.
The bus ride in question though, made me wonder, what exactly, is it about the bus drivers taking the night shift that makes them exponentially happier than the chap's taking the sunshine shift, I think its the notion of fraternity that the bus shares at that time of night, much like when the bus breaks down, or it starts to snow, everyone looks out for each-other, suddenly the angry pseudo-foreigner reading the Metro becomes the frantic texter, the grubby children become the panicked and hushed; and the average joe, seasoned (but mentally sound) bus riders (such as you and me) are all subconcisiously united in the knowledge that our plans have all gone tits up and this breaks down those awkward social faux-pas' that we put up in order to go about or journeys unhindered.
Still with me?
No?
Don't think that all my posts are public-transport-related rants, they will change eventually, this just seems to be a recurring theme recently, I believe they're called motif's.
I think I'm going to end tonight's post with a song, and I think this should be a feature that I regularly adopt, it only seems fitting today that we end with Can You Dig It by the Mock Turtles.
...Because I certainly can.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RyS1DJvFpI
I think I'll kick off tonight's rant with a nod to Wednesday, buses, public transport once again, now as anyone unlucky enough to catch a bus after about 10 'o clock should understand, the experience is painful, clip to the bottom of your manhood painful, that type of pain that strikes late at night, or in a drunken stupor, can only be expressed with a yelp of "f***ing hell! t**t! c**t! s**t!" and a dirty look thrown at the skirting board in question. I digress.
The bus ride in question though, made me wonder, what exactly, is it about the bus drivers taking the night shift that makes them exponentially happier than the chap's taking the sunshine shift, I think its the notion of fraternity that the bus shares at that time of night, much like when the bus breaks down, or it starts to snow, everyone looks out for each-other, suddenly the angry pseudo-foreigner reading the Metro becomes the frantic texter, the grubby children become the panicked and hushed; and the average joe, seasoned (but mentally sound) bus riders (such as you and me) are all subconcisiously united in the knowledge that our plans have all gone tits up and this breaks down those awkward social faux-pas' that we put up in order to go about or journeys unhindered.
Still with me?
No?
Don't think that all my posts are public-transport-related rants, they will change eventually, this just seems to be a recurring theme recently, I believe they're called motif's.
I think I'm going to end tonight's post with a song, and I think this should be a feature that I regularly adopt, it only seems fitting today that we end with Can You Dig It by the Mock Turtles.
...Because I certainly can.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RyS1DJvFpI
Wednesday 27 July 2011
Don't Get Me Wrong, But...
Why bother with an introduction, you don't need to know who I am, nor vice versa, what matters is that you're here, so we've connected mutually on a level which can be explored further as you decide to read on, or close this window and get back to being as uninteresting as the rest of us.
Christ, I sound like a miserable bastard, but don't worry, everything is up from here, and as you've made it this far, consider yourself a friend of mine, not a good friend mind, not the type of friend that storms in uninvited and drinks you out of cheap, diet, supermarket "cola" - no - consider me the type of friend that feigns interest as you explain to me, in great detail, your sexual exploits and washout of a weekend.
Anyhow, as you're here, make yourself comfortable, I'll offer you a drink, you'll ask "what have you got?" and after explaining the small range of beverages on offer, you'll make an arbitrary decision based on whatever name you managed to understand through my mumbled, yet well spoken allure!
This is becoming awkward, so I'll break into an anecdote in order to break the tension:
I've noticed that, recently in a stroke of amazing short-sightedness, many of the Double Decker buses that run the main bus route between my town and Manchester have been replaced with single decks, why? Shit will go down, you've managed to skimp on seating in order to (I assume) save money (as I'm fairly certain these buses are cheaper to run) on the same day that the holding pen for the Jeremy Kyle show decided to take a day trip...
It should be noted, I detest public transport in these situations, normally I have no problem, I embark on my vehicular adventure unhindered and usually take to the top deck, shove my earbuds in and enjoy the company of The Strokes as I make my way towards town, sharing my adventure with one or two other people, the generic foreign bloke that reading the Metro and the disturbingly delirious old man, with his special brew equipped (Which coincidentally, gives a 2+ Charisma Bonus)
But today, I find myself wound up, sat with half a cheek on the seat as the rotund bird next to me enjoys her own and the majority of mine, whilst children crawl up and down a moving bus, turning to me in awe at the bright colours of my album art and covering both my possessions and my person in that grubbyness that a certain brand of children seem to possess....
...See I said it only got better, anyway, thankyou for reading this far, we might just see another entry later in the week; now pour yourself another drink of your choice, and make yourself scarce, but be sure to come back, old buddy, old pal!
Christ, I sound like a miserable bastard, but don't worry, everything is up from here, and as you've made it this far, consider yourself a friend of mine, not a good friend mind, not the type of friend that storms in uninvited and drinks you out of cheap, diet, supermarket "cola" - no - consider me the type of friend that feigns interest as you explain to me, in great detail, your sexual exploits and washout of a weekend.
Anyhow, as you're here, make yourself comfortable, I'll offer you a drink, you'll ask "what have you got?" and after explaining the small range of beverages on offer, you'll make an arbitrary decision based on whatever name you managed to understand through my mumbled, yet well spoken allure!
This is becoming awkward, so I'll break into an anecdote in order to break the tension:
I've noticed that, recently in a stroke of amazing short-sightedness, many of the Double Decker buses that run the main bus route between my town and Manchester have been replaced with single decks, why? Shit will go down, you've managed to skimp on seating in order to (I assume) save money (as I'm fairly certain these buses are cheaper to run) on the same day that the holding pen for the Jeremy Kyle show decided to take a day trip...
It should be noted, I detest public transport in these situations, normally I have no problem, I embark on my vehicular adventure unhindered and usually take to the top deck, shove my earbuds in and enjoy the company of The Strokes as I make my way towards town, sharing my adventure with one or two other people, the generic foreign bloke that reading the Metro and the disturbingly delirious old man, with his special brew equipped (Which coincidentally, gives a 2+ Charisma Bonus)
But today, I find myself wound up, sat with half a cheek on the seat as the rotund bird next to me enjoys her own and the majority of mine, whilst children crawl up and down a moving bus, turning to me in awe at the bright colours of my album art and covering both my possessions and my person in that grubbyness that a certain brand of children seem to possess....
...See I said it only got better, anyway, thankyou for reading this far, we might just see another entry later in the week; now pour yourself another drink of your choice, and make yourself scarce, but be sure to come back, old buddy, old pal!
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