Had a great pint of T.E.A. the other night. It is one of the best ales in my opinion. For those who don’t know, T.E.A. stands for Traditional English Ale.
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Finding the listening Room
I heard about this site from Evolver.fm. It is just the sort of thing I was looking for when I wrote this post.
The listening room seems like a really good start
Listening Day 5: Cantonese Boy
Cantonese Boy by Japan is just a great pop song. The right length, the right content, everything works perfectly and yet it is also an excellent little song. I love this song and I love the Tin Drum Album.
Listening, Day 4: Buoy
I took a bit of a break from this project for a variety of reasons, not least of which is that I was ill, but also because what I really wanted to listen to was some Mick Karn.
Anyway, I’ve got back to it now, and listened to ‘Buoy’ from Mick Karn’s album ‘Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters’. Two tracks from this album featured David Sylvian on vocals and I’ve chosen this one to include in my month of listening to David Sylvian.
I already really liked this song, but listening to it again made me remember what an amazing album it is. When I first listened to it I was completely blown away by it, and I still am. ‘Buoy’ was a single from the album and I bought the 12″ when it came out.
The song is a great mix between two talents. It has an earthy quality that’s emphasised by David’s voice, and it carries you on a musical journey that lilts along somewhere between contentment and melancholia. It is a beautiful song, and I really loved listening to it again.
Why I love Bond films and hated the last two
Over the last couple of nights I’ve been watching old Bond films. When I say old I mean Bond films with Pierce Brosnan rather than Daniel Craig. I have watched the 2 Daniel Craig films and I didn’t like them. I have to admit that I wasn’t a bit shocked when the latest Bond film got cancelled indefinitely.
I think that the latest iteration of James Bond was a huge mistake. Trying to make 007 gritty and real simply goes against the whole spirit of the films and doesn’t work at all. A 007 film has to have a set of core elements without which it can’t be called a Bond film. Here’s what you need.
- A bad guy. Preferably with a scar and stroking a white cat. They also need to be attempting to take over the world in some despicable manner
- A base. This can be in a hollowed out volcano or a space station. Ideally with a monorail system inside and the ability to launch either a space craft or something of similar scale
- Henchmen. This is really important. Henchmen must be in uniform otherwise they don’t count at all.
- Some form of incredible weapon such as a laser in orbit or something that can cause global disruption
Without these things you can’t really call it a bond film at all. The last couple of films had none of these features at all. In fact in Casino Royale the bad guy was an asthmatic accountant! That’s not right! And if that wasn’t enough there’s a brief shot of 007’s email inbox where you can see he’s sent an email request for stationary! That is so wrong.
Anyway, my point is that the direction for the last 2 films was awful and I’m glad there won’t a 3rd. I hope that in the not too distant future we might see another Brosnan or Connery style 007 return with lots of gadgets and John Cleese back as Q as well.
Not a great start
Well this year hasn’t been great so far. I’ve been ill for days and not really able to do much at all accept feel sorry for myself.
I’m hoping that I can recover by the end of the weekend and get 2011 actually started!
Knocked for 6
I’ve been ill for 3 days now and it is getting boring. I hate being ill and this time around it is totally nasty. I think it is the worst cold or flu or whatever I’ve had in a long time and I am sick of it.
Everything is on hold, I am sick of being sick!
Remembering Mick Karn
As you may have heard Mick Karn passed away this afternoon. His music has been an inspiration to me for many years. His talent and creativity will live on after him and he will be remembered as an incredible musician.
WordPress Post A Day 2011
I read about this initiative this morning and thought that it was something I’d probably be able to do without too much trouble.
I usually post every day anyway, so being a part of this shouldn’t be a big problem. Having said that I think that postaday2011 and postaweek2011 are good initiatives in their own right. I think that people should be encouraged to write me and to express themselves on a more regular basis, and if blogging is a part of that then so much the better.
Listening Day 3: Weathered Wall
Day 3 and this is the last track from Sylvian’s first solo album ‘Brilliant Trees’. Weathered Wall is almost 6 minutes long and is sort of divided into 2 distinct sections. Personally I like the 2nd part of the track much more, it is more musically interesting and is a richer listening experience.
Even though this is in some ways a more difficult track to listen to I found it easier to concentrate on this track whilst I listened to it for some reason. It could be that it is day 3, or it could be the music itself, or it could be a combination of the both. Who knows.
I am Ashley Elsdon 