Absolutely adore the work of English punk TV Smith. And he's a nice guy to boot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsDilQ9Tm0s The sights I've seen, the things I've heardWhile sliding down the learning curveTheir contract promised me the earthThrough toothy grins and weasel words With normal jobs and normal livesThey force us to this compromiseWhere labour lives and leisure... Continue Reading →
Midnight Oils “Shakers and Movers” – a profound beautiful gem of a song
Next week Midnight Oil get a Human Rights award. David Ritter has written perceptively and with power and passion (plus some easter egg references for the nerds) about their influence. I want here just to talk about one song, an album track from the 1990 effort Blue Sky Mine. The song is "Shakers and Movers"... Continue Reading →
After the Goldrush: 11 theses (and 15 songs) about Extinction Rebellion and “what next?” #oldfartclimateadvice
Preamble The numbers tell the story, or a story. The numbers attending the latest Extinction Rebellion rebellion were far lower than a) last years two efforts and b) their private hopes. The emissions reductions are far higher than we would have thought this time last year, but that’s a) not enough to hit this year’s target... Continue Reading →
Songs of loss and pre-emptive mourning
My new earworm is Joey by Concrete Blonde. It's a brilliant song, with astonishing vocals from Johnette Napolitano. It sits alongside other songs of mourning for lost friendships, lost loves (something Paul Kelly and Billy Bragg do well). That sense of hoping to reconnect with someone who has their own battles to fight is... Continue Reading →
Stuff it, shove it… where the sun don’t shine… lyrics for the #apocalypse
In 'The Future' (1992) Leonard Cohen sings "Take the only tree that's left And stuff it up the hole in your culture." In "I, Spy", (1995) Jarvis Cocker of Pulp sings "Take a year in Provence, and shove it up your ass." Do I have anything to add? No. Just I suppose that this thing... Continue Reading →
Vale Erik Petersen – “Old time mem’ry”
Just found out that Erik Petersen, of Mischief Brew died earlier this year. I never saw him perform, and have only today been listening to his (excellent) work. Al Baker had covered one of his songs (co-written with Robert Blake), which he kindly played at my wedding. It's a corker; beautiful to listen to, the... Continue Reading →
TV Smith – “Buried by the Machine”
I described TV Smith as "Chomsky with a Guitar" the other day. That was before I'd listened properly to the two albums I bought at his gig. Having now done so, my opinion.... has not shifted one little bit. Is there a way forward You’ve the will Technology and the skill They tell you to... Continue Reading →
The immovable object and the State
On Monday night Manchester was the scene of a crime. It was a crime committed, as the tabloids would always tell you most are, by a young(ish) Black Man, the son of one of those immigrants allowed to come to England decades ago. It was a serious crime, a crime against the state.... If, that... Continue Reading →
“The Girl in the Mirror” – 80s pop and #feminism
Today on Youtube, while doing grunt work on the PhD (goes quicker with a soundtrack), I stumbled on something I don't think I'd ever heard - a political (feminism) pop song from the 1980s. You can watch it here, followed by my attempt at lyrics and a John Berger quote that seems to fit.... "Following... Continue Reading →
Misognynist pop lyrics, no comment required
It ain't rappers who invented misogyny in popular music, is all I'm saying- Who wants yesterday's papers Who wants yesterday's girl Who wants yesterday's papers Nobody in the world Rolling Stones “Yesterdays News” and that "happy" In the Summertime - You got women, you got women on your mind Have a drink, have a drive... Continue Reading →
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