Friday, March 27, 2009

art in a time of laryngitis

hey everyone

well, not the best start to a weekend we have ever had! to start things off, those irrepressible retards at Johannesburg Water somehow managed to cut a major power cable whilst fixing (yet another) burst pipe, so we can look forward to a "random factor" being applied to electricity supplies this weekend. does anyone know the best place to get a few bucket loads of electricity to help tide us over?

on a far more serious note, James had developed a bit of a temperature over the last two days, which in turn served as a platform for a croaky voice and a bit of a cough. the doctor confirmed that the young Master has a bout of laryngitis. oh dear, that means a weekend at home with some treats and some Star Wars films.

James is becoming quite the committed artist, and he was not going to allow a bout of laryngitis stop him making an artistic statement whilst at the doctor today. behold, for James performed his art on the chalk board whilst waiting for the doctor.....





now, i appreciate that this is a little abstract, but James assures us that this is a picture of a Stormtrooper out of Star Wars. erm, when you look at it, yes, i suppose it is! i am not sure exactly what the heart on the helmet is for, but no great artistic masterpiece can ever be truly and fully understood i guess.

and, just so that you can see that being a little bit poorly isn't going to stop Master James being a happy young fellow, here's the artist stood proudly next to his work!





righty-ho, posts this weekend are dependent on me doing nursing duties (Michele is not too well either; no i do not wear a nurse outfit) and how Johannesburg Water get on with working out that water pipes invariably have water in them, and should thus leave any non-water carrying pipes alone.


be excellent to each other, unless you are stood next to a complete and utter doilham that is employed by a certain outfit mentioned above.

my mate Nassie and his interesting new look direction

hey everyone


well, i simply could not share this with you. my good friend Nassie, he of interesting conversation, exceptional stereo installation skills and "ambiguous" lifestyle choices, proudly unveiled his new hairstyle today. see what you think of it...





i am not certain that it will catch on, but who knows? Nassie sees himself a bit like "the Elton John of the Southern Hemisphere", so it may well become rather popular. at the moment we don't have a full name for the style, but calling it "the gay sumo" seems rather popular.





the important thing is that Nassie is very happy with this look indeed!





many thanks to Michelle for taking up valuable space on her phone camera thingie to help bring these pictures to an audience as wide as those who read this site!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Journal For Plague Lovers

hey everyone


well, after the somewhat disappointing Send Away The Tigers, let's hope that the upcoming Manics album is the kind of event it should be! the story behind it is certainly interesting enough!






Recorded in Rockfield studio in Wales with Steve Albini, all 13 songs on 'Journal For Plague Lovers' feature lyrics left to the band by Richey Edwards covering topics that include The Grande Odalisque by Ingres, Marlon Brando, Giant Haystacks, celebrity, consumerism and dysmorphia.

Tracklisting

1. Peeled Apples
2. Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
3. Me and Stephen Hawking
4. This Joke Sport Severed
5. Journal For Plague Lovers
6. She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach
7. Facing Page: Top Left
8. Marlon J.D.
9. Doors Closing Slowly
10. All Is Vanity
11. Pretension/Repulsion
12. Virginia State Epileptic Colony
13. William’s Last Words




be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Damned United

hey everyone

well, at last, something other than Terminator Salvation to get excited about at the cinema this year!

The Damned United will feature less intimidating cyborg robot things that Terminator Salvation presumably, but will feature someone considerably more scarier than any machine from the future - Brian Clough.





Brian Clough left behind a fantastic and large visual record - the amount of interviews and recordings of him could fill any library. it's brave of any film to try and capture the legend of the man, but i wish them luck. at least they are focusing on the most notorious 44 days of his career!

Dad, no i don't have it, it's only released on March 27. don't worry, i will be ordering it as soon as it's available!

for those of you unfamiliar with Cloughie, i suggest you google away, or seek out any book or documentary about the man!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

happy birthday Neeharika!

hey everyone

well, there have been quite a few birthday parties this month for James. not to put too fine a point on it, June is a rather cold month in our part of the world (do the math), and the season has just finished then!

anyway, moving along from your pondering of the above, on Saturday i took James along to Neeharkia's third birthday party. it was at the place we went to a party last year, i think it's called "Little Wonder" or something. whatever the name of the place, it really is great fun!

and didn't the birthday girl just look adorable? here's one of the few pics that i was able to take - sorry for the low quality, only had my phone to snap away with!





Neeharika is truly one of the most adorable children you could ever wish to meet. she has such an infectious smile and personality that you just can't but help smile yourself whenever you see her!

although she is a fragile, delicate little child in appearance, she's always keen to get into the rough and tumble of playing with James! for the most part she was kept away from playing too much, lest she make a mess of her elegant dress before pictures and what have you, but she was mostly having none of it and charged after James, Aryan and all the other play friends!

with a massive jungle gym, bouncy castle and lots of sand, James was of course in his element!





the above picture shows exactly how James manages to pick up little bumps and bruises on his way through life. he approaches most new toys and play areas with a sense of caution, but once he has done something once safely, he starts to work out how to inflict damage with them. trying to run down slides, or going down them backwards head first, is a perennial favourite!

the same would apply to climbing frames or jungle gyms too. he doesn't really fall off them as such, and thankfully he also doesn't get stuck in or on them like his Dad used to!




believe it or not, James didn't want to go across this next one at all, as his arms didn't reach to hold both sides. i showed him how to walk along it sideways and then there was no getting him off it!





well, we had a very busy and very fun afternoon! thank you very much indeed to Neeharika and her wonderful parents for the exceedingly generous hospitality and good time!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

memories can't wait

hey everyone

well, for those of you unsettled by seeing worrying images, you may wish to check out the fine album by Talking Heads that the title of this post is taken from instead of looking at these pictures!

for those of you brave enough to have a look, let me take you on a trip down memory lane! sorry, i suppose i should have put these in chronological order, but i am rather tired after a rather involved weekend and thus they appear here exactly how blogger decided to upload them!

first up, Christmas in Australia, i think 1982 but it could also have been 1981. not sure, i am sure someone in the family will correct me! i do remember it being rather strange having Christmas in summer!





aah, that was the life! Richard and i happily playing the greatest ever video game machine, the Atari 2600, whilst Dad gets busy making my ace Millennium Falcon for me! how James would have loved that one! note too the state of the art VHS machine on top of the big sized TV; having 3 (three!) videos back then was to be considered to be having a rather extensive library!


from the same Christmas is a picture Richard rather likes of him with an ace new bmx bike!





i rather like how all he felt he needed to go off riding was a pair of very 80's shorts and some gloves!

next up is Uncle Colin from his school days, heading home to the old School House!





he looks like a bit of a lad, as it were, in this picture, doesn't he? erm, Andrew and Christopher, if you are reading, Colin was always, always, always a very well behaved, modest and polite young man right throughout school, and of course you should follow suit! no doubt Colin has "Cliff Richard" written in big letters on that school bag!

back to Richard, and here we are at Scotta House farm celebrating his 3rd birthday!





on the left is the unmistakable baby Elizabeth sat on the knee of her Mummy, our dearly loved Aunt Susan. i suspect Susan was just coming to terms with her "liking" of Slade being a full blown addiction; a rather healthy one which prevails to today. to the right is my dear Mum making sure that baby Gillian doesn't fall over, and it looks like i am going to have a go at blowing the candles out for Richard whilst he is busy staring and smiling somewhere other than at the camera!

taking a leap forward, and here is a picture of me that i can say with certainty was taken on May 16 1990. it was our Dad's 40th birthday party. i was given the task of barman, which i did wearing my Alex out of A Clockwork Orange bowler hat from an earlier fancy dress party. whilst it was my job to serve drinks, as you can see Richard appeared to have taken on the task of drinking that which i served!





there's not a great deal of pics featuring me in the 90's for some reason. i do not recall, for a start, taking any for the three years i lived down in Cape Town. and we were far too busy studying / drinking to take any at college or University. ho hum!

back to the great 1980's, and here's me and Dad bombing down a waterslide somewhere in Portugal!





i think we were in Portugal in 1987, i must confess i do not recall the exact year. i do remember going to the cinema to see The Karate Kid Part II about four times whilst there, if that narrows the date down? i rather like the approach the water slide place took to safety - there's no way that parks these days would let two people go down at the same time, and i do fondly recall overtaking a lady on one of the slides!

now then, here's possibly the greatest picture ever take of me. it is, at the least, in the top ten!




no idea where or when this was. it looks like an airport going on the tell tale orange-yellow sign in the background, but whether it's too or from Malta or Portugal i couldn't say! i would hazard a guess at 85, and i was clearly dressed, set and ready to go if Michael Mann decided that Don Johnson wasn't doing the business in Miami Vice and felt that i could make the show better!

this one is easy enough to place - Oxford, 1986. we watched a certain event being held in Mexico on a black and white tv on the canal barrage (boat?), and i picked up Madonna's True Blue album - on fancy, la-dee-daah cassette - at one of the stops as we navigated the canals.





here you can see me and Richard opening up one of the many locks, lochs, waterways, keys, keyes or whatever the correct term may be for getting the boat from one part of the canal to another! i do recall this holiday being tremendous fun. i remember Mum kept a "captain's log" type journal on the holiday, i wonder whereabouts it is?

backwards in time, but forwards to Rhyl, Wales! erm, "between 78 - 80" would be the best answer i can give you as to when this pic is from. that estimate is based partly on Gillian being in the picture, but mostly on the ace Star Wars shirts we were wearing!





the majority of memories prior to us moving to Australia in 1981 are sketchy at best. i don't think it's Australia's fault, and i certainly don't have any bad memories of Rhyl! as it was by the coast, i shall wager there was an arcade there somewhere that Richard and your humble narrator wished to go and play at all the time!

now, here's an absolute gem of a picture of Richard, Gillian and me!





looking at Gillian, i would have to guess that this is mid-to-late 1977, possibly around the time that The King went into his rather extensive time of hiding. is it me, or does Richard have something of a cheeky Rod Stewart look in this picture?

now then, for years i have believed that the below picture was of me in Spain in 1974. i do remember my Dad telling me that it was not in Spain, but i do not recall exactly where he said it was taken! i do hope that i have remembered that it is indeed me, it doesn't really look like Richard!





no matter when or where the picture was taken, you have to admit i looked rather dapper in that gown and improvised hat!

now then, Dad does get rather quizzical when i do a picture update and he doesn't feature as much as he could in it. well, then, as the final picture, let me hand you over to a very class picture of my Dad at his stylish best!





it is little wonder that my Dad often gains more respect and admiration amongst my friends than i do if he can look as cool as this! my good friend John "Payney" Payne recently commented that he looks like he should have been managing the king of bands Cream in this picture. i disagree - he looks like he should have been in Cream!!

the pic is taken in the courtyard of Scotta House Farm, and that car probably took my Dad, my Mum and various chums to go and see the likes of the Stones, Hendrix, The Who, Cream and just about any other band from the 60's you can name. the only band my Dad said he never saw that he wished he had was The Beatles; that pretty much tells you he saw many of the great groups around in the days when music still mattered!


right then, i think that will do for now! i have a few more pics here that i might add at a later stage, and Mum & Dad have thousands more that i hope to get the chance to scan and preserve eventually!!!

hope you have had as much fun with these pics as i have!!!!



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Land's End

hey everyone

a couple of pictures from family holidays some 30 years ago!

now, i really wish i could conjure up some ace, Billy Connolly style stories about holidays in Cornwall, but alas i cannot. i really don't remember too much about the holidays these pictures are from. i do recall a not too far away holiday in Torquay in 1983, but that one has been spoken of often on this site, i think!

anyway, first off, an image from 1976, with the sign (in miles, for my more cosmopolitan and decimal readers) point off to where we lived on Longbeck Lane...





that's me and Richard with Mum and Dad. i do wonder what the gent with the binoculars was looking at? looking at the sign posts, it seems he's under the impression that he would be able to see the east coast of America in that direction!


and then here's a pic from the same place in 1978 when, as the more astute of you will note, there were then five of us.....





Gillian would be about one and a bit in this picture! the sign is interesting - apparently in two years New Marske had moved two miles closer to the end of England! Richard doesn't look all that happy in this pic, no idea what had caused him distress, but it was probably my fault!!!



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Rock N Roll Years - Lyla

hey everyone


well, it seems that Richard and Erika have been out and about updating Lyla's wardrobe! i am sure that they also got some nice, practical winter clothes whilst they were out and about, but thus far they have only sent images of Lyla taking a shine to some very cool and very rock n roll outfits!

first up, who but the best? Lyla seems rather impressed with the works of Mick, Keith and the lads, and seems to have some of their attitude too!!





and you can't argue with a bit of AC / DC every now and then, can you?





and finally, a tribute to Nirvana, that fine band which first gave a home to the immensely talented Dave Grohl.





nice t-shirts, everyone!! i am sure that Lyla is very popular at school with those on!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

home

well, after being a home to three generations of us for many years, there's not much point in trying to describe Scotta House Farm as anything other than home for me. the actual farm house is the building at the bottom in the middle, although in my lifetime it featured white walls.





there are many tales that this old building could tell. the one of the New Year's Eve party i held there probably won't be referenced on this site other than this sentence, even if it was so good that people caught a taxi back to it after requiring some medical attention at the hospital......

moving on, to the bottom left are the trees where every Autumn Richard, Gillian and i went over to gather conkers. i believe the fine art of conkers is now banned or at the least frowned upon in schools in England, which is a great shame. just thinking about it, i can feel the crisp brown-yellow leaves crackling under my feet.

the field to the bottom right will forever hold a special place in my heart. one winter saw Gramps take serious objection with a rental matter, and so he marched through that field, despite it being knee deep in snow. Gran and i stood at the top of the stairs and watched him walk across, puffing away on one of his beloved King Edwards. why he walked up instead of phoning i don't know - knowing Gramps, i would imagine that it was because it was cheaper to walk up!

the way in and out, up in the top left, provided the moment of one of the funniest things i have ever seen. as we were leaving after one visit, Richard decided to open the car door. he didn't fall or jump out, but he opened as we went through a puddle, and turned around to face us with a nice splat of muddy water under his eyes, giving us all a big smile!

i have been busy with the scanner and some old pics, so more images on the way. you have been warned!!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what? let you do the dishes, son? well, ok........

hey everyone


well, every now and then, James gets a rather good idea, and will not relent until such time has he has fulfilled his self-imposed obligations to this good idea. today, for example, he was rather keen to paint the moment he woke up, and would do nothing else (except watch Star Wars The Clone Wars of course_ until he had done some painting.

earlier this week, a similar fancy did James take, and that fancy was an earnest and deep desire to do the dishes. we were just sat watching something when James announced that he wanted to do all the dishes, and off he went to climb up to the sink!





well, as much as i simply love washing up, who was i to stand in his way? he did a rather good job, mind, although i let the dishwasher (thank you Gillian and Grant) do its thing later when he had gone to bed!





his enthusiasm for dish washing refused to be limited to just the things that actually needed washing. that, apparently, wasn't enough for him, and thus he went on a mission to pull various things out of cupboards and drawers to wash!





i am sure that, over time, his enthusiasm and excitement for dishes will dissipate. in fact, it may well already have, since after the adventure of washing this week, he has not suggested that he would like to do it again!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Tree Featured In 'The Deer Hunter' Dies

BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS, NC—The tree best known for portraying an eastern hemlock in the 1978 film The Deer Hunter passed away Monday morning on the steep, north-facing slope it called home.

The tree was 286.

After shooting to stardom in the late 1970s with its scene-stealing turn as a stately old-growth conifer in The Deer Hunter, the tree soon cemented its reputation as one of Hollywood's most dependable character actors.

According to its publicist, the woody plant and beloved fixture of nearly 40 feature films died of complications relating to adelgid beetles and lightning.
"It will be missed," Deer Hunter costar Robert De Niro said. "We took a shine to to each other immediately. That tree taught me a lot about acting and about life."





The veteran entertainer worked continuously throughout its 43-year career, winning respect in the movie industry for its stoic, graceful presence, its unassuming branches, and its deep commitment to the craft of acting. Much of the tree's success stemmed from its remarkable range across genres and its ability to convincingly portray a wide variety of deciduous and broadleaf North American species.

"[The tree] was a consummate professional that truly lived for its work," said filmmaker and friend Michael Mann, who cast the 98-foot-tall plant in its acclaimed role as an Adirondack black spruce in the background of 1992's The Last Of The Mohicans. "On Mohicans we would sometimes do 30 or 40 takes, and each time it gave us something totally different and interesting. This is a sad day for cinema."

Planted in 1722, the tree got its first taste of show business after a chance meeting with high-powered agent Sue Mengers during her camping trip in the summer of 1972. According to Hollywood insiders, Mengers was instrumental in helping the tree land its breakout role as a piece of riverside foliage in John Boorman's classic Deliverance.

"Even then, you could see this special sort of magnetism that it had," said Deliverance costar Jon Voight, who later reteamed with the Tsuga canadensis for a 48-frame tracking shot in the 1985 thriller Runaway Train. "I remember it seeming very nervous its first day on set. But after a few takes, it was just a total natural and a pleasure to work with."

A number of film and television projects followed, including a memorable guest appearance as a treacherous-mountain-pass fir in a 1974 episode of Gunsmoke.

But its most famous role was undoubtedly its portrayal of a melancholy but proud Western Pennsylvania hemlock in Michael Cimino's Oscar-winning epic The Deer Hunter.

"I actually didn't want to cast it at first, because the role was originally written for a hardwood sapling," said Cimino, who featured the tree prominently in two long exterior shots in the film's famous "last hunt" sequence. "But its screen test was just so fearless and so moving. It had that rare quality in a coniferous performer where you just believed everything it did."

Failing to capitalize on the success of The Deer Hunter, the tree endured some lean years in the 1980s, including a much-derided appearance in a 1987 Honeycomb Hideout commercial and a series of public service announcements for the Smokey the Bear campaign. It also attracted unwanted attention in 1989 following rumors of a love affair with actress Margot Kidder.

But the 1990s saw a series of high-profile comeback roles, and the tree won widespread critical praise in 1993 when it was leaned against by Harrison Ford during a wilderness escape scene in The Fugitive.

More recently it was cast as one of the trees glimpsed through the living room window in Monster's Ball, and in the HBO miniseries John Adams, for which it was briefly considered for the title role until disagreements emerged over the project's creative direction.

Attorneys announced Monday that, in accordance with its will, the tree will be carved into canoes for underprivileged youths

John Squire: 'I will never play with The Stone Roses again'

John Squire has told BBC Newsnight that he will never reform The Stone Roses.

Squire appeared live on the programme last night (March 19), insisting to host Gavin Esler that despite recent newspaper reports suggesting otherwise, the band will never play together again.

When Esler asked if there was "any chance" Squire would reunite with The Stone Roses, the guitarist answered: "None whatsoever."

The presenter then questioned whether never meant "absolutely" never.

"Yeah. I'd rather live my life than attempt to rehash it," Squire replied.

"It would be pointless. I find art far more challenging and rewarding."





Esler then asked Squire a final time if he was completely sure about his remarks. The guitarist paused briefly before giving his answer.

"Yeah. That's the whole point of the visit to your studio - I'm trying to stop the phones ringing."

Squire went on to reveal that he hasn't spoken to frontman Ian Brown since leaving The Stone Roses in 1996.

"Even if Ian and I were 'double-dating', as we did in our teens, then the prospect of a reunion wouldn't interest me at all," Squire said.

Referring to the sculpture Squire posted on his website today that featured a painted dismissal of the reunion rumours, he said: "I decided to post an image on my website to lay it to rest, and hopefully it will work."






Asked for his reasons for not wanting to reform the band, the guitarist said he is simply happy focusing on his artwork, adding that he is too old to play music these days.

"I think music is a young person's game and I don't think us old fogey's should get in the way of that."



well, then, that's that you would think! at no point did it ever look likely, and in all honesty i am not sure who exactly wanted to see it happen. for a brief moment in time, as the 80's merged into the 90's, The Stone Roses dominated the known world. if you've done that, how could you do it again and why would you wish to try?

best of luck to the former members of the band with their respective solo ventures, and cheers for the great music and memories!



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The Joker?

hi everyone

well, this afternoon whilst having an obligatory screening of Star Wars, James fancied some strawberry cola. as he asked nicely, he got some! as he was drinking it, however, it left a red trace all around his mouth!





the photographs don't quite capture it, but with some luck you can see it led to him having more than a passing resemblance to The Joker out of The Dark Knight!!





not too much of a resemblance, mind. i would suggest that James is more polite, civil and lovable, less prone to blowing things up and only has a pencil trick that goes as far as drawing nice pictures!!





be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alien v Predator

hey everyone

well, in this world, there are some lame adverts, some OK adverts, some great adverts and some exceptional adverts. and then you get these!!





these are what you would have to call uber cool exceptional adverts! i believe they are for a screening of one of the Alien v Predator films on TV in, of all places, New Zealand. these are so great, i can't believe they didn't use them for the cinema releases!





i am, as far as the interwebnetthingie is concerned, in a bit of a minority really, as i really enjoyed the two Alien vs Predator film. an awful lot of sad cases who won't let themselves enjoy a thing seem to get very over excited when they complain about these two, but that's their loss!





look, neither of them are in the league of the first two Alien films or the first Predator, but then again very few films in this world are! no matter, whether you enjoyed the films or hated them, i hope you at the least dig these adverts for them!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The World Still Awaits What The World Is Waiting For

hey everyone

well, there was never really much chance of yesterday's attention grabbing story being true. if, and it remains an unlikely if, two things would be certain - it wouldn't be for money, and it wouldn't be announced in The Daily Mirror of all places.





i think someone has generated the story in an effort to get the band back in the press in advance of the 20th Anniversary "Legacy Edition" of The Stone Roses being issued this year. a publicity stunt, in other words. one thing is for sure - the band wouldn't have had much to do with the story. it is, though, quite a testament to the stature of a band that twenty years after the fact the world cannot forget the majesty and breathtaking ways of their astonishing, "proper" debut.





anyway, here's the obligatory denial story :


The Stone Roses WON'T reform for summer tour 13 years after their split

Reports that Ian Brown is to rejoin his former group The Stone Roses for a summer tour have been denied by the singer's publicist today.

It was claimed that the band would be reuniting after convincing lead singer Brown to return.

However a spokesperson for the 46-year-old said today, 'We know nothing about a reunion. Ian is working on his new studio album which is due out later this year.'




A national newspaper had reported that the band were lined up to play 21 UK gigs and there was even talk of a US date, with the Coachella Festival in California a possibility.


The Mirror said the tour would coincide with the release of a remastered 20th anniversary edition of the band's debut album The Stone Roses in June.

Brown, who went on to have a successful solo career after the group split in 1996, was said to have been originally unsure about reuniting with his former bandmates but the paper reported he had been persuaded by drummer Alan 'Reni' Wren, bassist Gary 'Mani' Mounfield and guitarist John Squire.

‘It's taken a lot of time and effort to get Ian to agree, but he's finally signed on the dotted line.

'The rest of the band were really up for it, especially when they realised the amount of money on the table,' a source is quoted as telling The Mirror.





However, it seems that Brown is as certain now as ever that the band won't reform. Last summer Brown told journalists that there was 'no chance ... not in the next three lifetimes' of his former band reuniting, leaving many sceptical of the alleged reunion.


The Stone Roses first album, which was released in 1989, has been voted one of the best of all time.

However the group split just seven years later after Squire, who designed the album's iconic cover, quit amid rows with Brown.


The pair are rumoured never to have spoken since.

Reni left the year before and Mani now plays bass for Primal Scream.

The Stone Roses were at the centre of the ‘Madchester’ phenomenon in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Manchester was the focus for a lot of the new musical talent hitting the UK indie music scene




never mind, use this as an excuse to play the album again. and again and again!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Newspaper claims The Stone Roses are reuniting

i would suggest that this is highly unlikely, but you never know!

for certain, though, is an excellent sounding Legacy edition of their debut album coming out this year to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of The Stone Roses.





Reports are claiming this morning (March 17) that the The Stone Roses are planning to reform later this year.

The Mirror is claiming that the original members of the Manchester band will reunite for 21 UK gigs this summer.

According to the paper a "source" claimed that: "it's taken a lot of time to get [frontman] Ian [Brown] to agree but he's finally signed on the dotted line. The rest of the band were really up for it, especially when they realised the amount of money on the table."

It also suggests that the band may play the Coachella Festival, although the group are not listed in the line-up for this year's event, which kicks off in 31 days time (April 17-19).

2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the release of band's debut album 'The Stone Roses', which was released in May 1989.

Although rumours of a reunion have circulated for a while, it was believed Ian Brown would complete and release the solo album he is currently working on before any alternative project could be considered.

The timing of a summer tour would also prove problematic, with guitarist John Squire staging a major art exhibition this summer.

The show, Squire's biggest to date, kicks off in July 5 at the Gallery Oldham and in January the guitarist told NME.COM he would be concentrating on his art career this year.

"I've got a big show in Oldham and one in Austria and one at the end of the year in Tokyo," he said. "The Oldham show is in a major public gallery so it's a lot of work. It's the biggest show I've done."

Squire added that he didn't play guitar much these days as he was concentrating on art more.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Star Wars Storm Troopers ‘suffering mental health issues’

A recent poll of Imperial Storm troopers has revealed that as many as 20% are suffering from psychological issues due to the fact that they have had to switch from fighting for the good of the Universe to joining the Dark Side.



‘Every day is a living nightmare’ said clone Storm trooper A4815162342 who has been diagnosed as suffering from ‘Star Wars Syndrome’. ‘When we were first created we were best mates with the Jedi, followed them into battle, went to the Cantina after work with them for a few jars, and looked after their Padawan. Then all of a sudden the Emperor sends out this order 66 and we kill the Jedi. After that Darth Vader and the Emperor took control and we were suddenly the baddies.’ The storm trooper went on to explain how he was wracked with guilt, was unable to sleep, started drinking, and finally ended up being kicked out of the corps and living on the streets.


Jenny Spinner from the charity ‘Storm troopers need friends’ says that this story is an all too common one. ‘Every day, we have Storm troopers coming to us with the same stories, of feeling a terrible sense of betrayal. If they feel like this, then imagine the psychological issues that Darth Vader has to confront; one minute he is the unconventional Jedi Anakin Skywalker, then in the space of a couple of minutes he gives in to the Dark Side, kills all the younglings and becomes the second most evil man in the Galaxy after the Emperor himself. That’s going to take a lot of counselling.’

Jenny’s charity tries to help ex-Storm troopers by giving their lives meaning and structure again. ‘We provide them with work in a local donkey sanctuary to get them back on the road to recovery’. Asked if it worked, Jenny said ‘Not really, no. They usually shoot the donkeys and burn down the stables.’

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Star Wars : The Clone Wars

hey everyone

well, with some reluctance i picked up the DVD of this Star Wars : The Clone Wars film last Friday. i say with reluctance as it seems to have had some fairly mediocre and bad reviews.

i should have known better. once again, the mediocre to bad reviews would appear to be the work of those rather sad cases that hate any and all "new" Star Wars films simply because they are not the original ones, whilst even then moaning and groaning about all things to do with the original trilogy. to them i would say get over it, get on with enjoying the films for what they are!





i picked it up mostly to entertain James, but partially because i was rather curious myself. it's billed as "Episode II.5", and rightly so, really. it takes but a few moments to adjust to this being animation rather than "real people", but once you do, off you go with a rather wild adventure / crusade of a film. as James has had us play it about six times this weekend he clearly loves it, and we are quite taken with it too!





the big plus for this film was the one and only major plot fault with the "prequel trilogy" - Anakin and Obi-Wan are actually seen to be the best of friends in this one. the trilogy seemed to show them doing nothing but disagree and quibble when they were supposed to be good friends. until the obvious, dramatic end to their friendship. not showing them even getting along most of the time robbed the gravity of the tragedy of Anakin in Episode III, as stunning as it was.

Star Wars is at heart a simple, magical telling of good vs evil, ideal for children and adults alike. this continues with that trend. if you are an actual proper fan, and not a misguided "fan boy" that has no life beyond attacking things like this instead of just allowing yourself to be swept away and entertained, see it as soon as you can if you haven't already!!!



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!