Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises - "mystery" character revealed!!!!!

hi there

well, i did mention last month that it's been oddly quiet on the new front for The Dark Knight Rises. fantastic, then, that some massive spoiler news has been revealed on the first of this month!




a little while i go i gave an update on some toys you can buy from the film. one of them had no picture, and was simply listed as "mystery character" or something like that.

want to know who it is? are you sure? ok.....




what can i say but wow, didn't see that one coming! there's a well rumoured cameo from someone from the previous films, with the actor even sort of confirming it recently, but no one expected this!

i had an inkling or rather hope that he would return, glad to see that is the case!

for more information on this revelation, click here to read the specifics of the where and when the character seems to slot in!


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

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Sex Mix

well, 2012 is looking good for music all of a sudden!

on top of the Jack White album and the return of The Stone Roses, there's a brand spanking new Frankie Goes To Hollywood compilation on the way!

here's the front cover!




blimey, and we thought back in the 80s that the covers for the Relax single and the Welcome To The Pleasuredome album were risk taking! not sure if they are going to get away stocking something so graphic on shelves or even displaying on the internet, but we shall see!

oh, want to know what's on this 3 (three!) disc set? of course you do!




i know there's going to be a lot of debate about what's on here and what should be on, but there we have it. the tracklisting looks pretty comprehensive to me, really - can't complain!

there's no fixed release date for this yet, hopefully before August is the latest i've heard!

many thanks again for the unscrambling work of Afro Polli for this update!


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


UPDATE : the real artwork can be found by clicking here!

Stone Roses - new material artwork!

hi there

wow, talk about a most excellent way to start off the first day of the fourth month of this or any year!

as has been mentioned before The Stone Roses had commented that they've been working on some new material, and indeed they have agreed to record deals around the world.

in the countdown to the comeback concerts we've all been waiting to see what they came up with. i can't give you any info on what it sounds like, but here's what it will look like!




nice one - looks not entirely unlike the classic style, with a hint of the new direction their art is going?

more when i have it!

many thanks to Afro Polli for unscrambling the above!


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

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

dancing drunk tramp in Drunken Bakers

hi there

including this here will not make all that much sense to many of you, but it does to some. basically, it relates to images of how James Dean Bradfield dances in the 1996 Everything Live VHS tape.




if this image impressed you, do purchase both Viz magazine and any DVD of the Manic Street Preachers you can find.


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

Stone Roses new songs - a hint from Bez?

hi there


buried in the NME website news report of the support acts for The Stone Roses is an interesting little snippet from the man of the people, Bez :

Meanwhile, Happy Mondays' Bez said he had spoken to The Stone Roses' Mani who told him he was " really buzzing" for the shows. He added: "I haven't heard any of their new stuff but I'm sure we will very soon. I wouldn't miss those Heaton Park gigs for the world."




other than the most excellent notion of Bez being in the crowd for at least one of the gigs, the comment about new material is interesting. is Bez just making idle speculation like the rest of us, or has Mani told him something but advised him not to say too much?

the band signed two record deals in late 2011 and mentioned they had been working on some new songs - a release prior to the Heaton Park weekend would surely make sense?

absolutely bangin' if we get some new tunes soon!


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

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Stone Roses Heaton Park support acts confirmed

no surprise that Noel Gallagher is not on any night, a bit of a surprise that the Happy Mondays don't feature but not much of one!





FRIDAY 29TH JUNE
Primal Scream
The Wailers
The Vaccines
Kid British

SATURDAY 30TH JUNE
Beady Eye
The Wailers
Professor Green
Hollie Cook

SUNDAY 1ST JULY
Plan B
The Wailers
The Justice Tonight Band (feat. Mick Jones, Pete Wylie & The Farm)
Dirty North




if i had the choice i would have loved to be at the Friday night, then as seeing Primal Scream at last would have been almost as ace as seeing The Stone Roses. second choice would have been Saturday as Beady Eye are smart, but i cannot fault what we have on Sunday. The Justice Tonight Band is an outstanding act for an outstanding cause, i am thrilled that we will be able to see them.


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

a victory of sorts!

hi there

i was browsing the News24 site and noticed that their daily poll related to how you feel about cigarette smoke.

i am assuming that there was absolutely nothing else to ask the world at large, but i voted anyway. i was pleasantly surprised to see that my response was also 100% of all responses!




well, so what if i was the only person to have voted? 100% is 100% after all!


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

The Dark Knight Rises (in toys)

hi there

it has been oddly quiet in regard of news on The Dark Knight Rises of late, which is odd as the release date is about 100 or so days away. the older members of the internet community will no doubt recall the "viral" campaign which flooded the net for The Dark Knight rather fondly. it seems, alas, that no one is doing that this time, or it is just a bit too clever and no one has found the links yet.

ho hum, at least something has cropped up, even if it is simply toys and collectible figures from the film.

here's some rather impressive statues of Bane, the Batman and Catwoman, or Selina Kyle as i believe she is called in the film.




they look nice, but on a practical level if you have young children in the house here's a look at the action figures they have released images of thus far.




some interesting points from these. John Blake is the police officer you can see, and rumours persist that he shall turn out to be none other than Robin. i am not sure why these rumours carry on - Christian Bale said that "you will know that Robin is in the film as i shall not be in it" and he strikes me as a man of his word. otherwise, the packaging for Batman suggests he comes with a "Bat Light" or "Bat Sign" thing. odd, as we last saw that being smashed up with an axe at the end of The Dark Knight.

the idea of an Alfred action figure is an interesting one, and i shall certainly be getting it. other than the coolness of having an action figure of Sir Michael Caine, and i intend to have him blow the doors off toy cars and teach poetry drunk, i am looking forward to seeing what James does with him. for some reason he will not elaborate upon, James goes ballistic when Alfred comes up onscreen in the Lego Batman game, just destroying him again and again until he manages to run away. i cannot wait to see what he does with the toy!

the sites officially selling the Batman toys and statue things have one interesting item listed. you can order it, but you cannot see it, for there is no picture and it is just listed as "Dark Knight Rises Mystery Figure". just who have Mr Nolan and the crew behind the film hidden away?

hope this has been of interest to some of you!



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

morning tea. sans tea.

hi there

last weekend, when not investing heavily in class Darth Maul lightsabres, we had a wonderful morning tea event to attend at William's creche. everything one could possibly have wanted was there, except Grandad. and Ouma. and tea, as it happens.

i didn't get to take as many pictures as i would have liked for i was assigned to look after William. this is in no way an easy thing to do, in particular when there is an array of jungle gyms for him to tackle.




it is not like William really needs a jungle gym for climbing either. do you recall that episode of Monty Pythin's Flying Circus in which one of them demonstrates how they will climb Mount Kilimanjaro by scaling the walls of an office? that's life with William, all day every day.

the children put on a lovely show for us, singing some of the songs they have done at school. a highlight was an ace one about a squirrel, the words and proper name of which escape me for the moment.



the more eagle eyed of you shall no doubt have spotted James there in the mix. well, he is an "old boy" of the creche and thus was invited to join in. he was delighted to do just that!

whereas there was no tea, there were certainly many excellent snacks and drinks to have, as well as some most tasty borewors rolls! Grandma was able to make it along with us, and certainly enjoyed it!




i trust that whatever you did or went to over the weekend was as much fun!


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

Monday, March 26, 2012

undermining instead of educating people.....

hi there

the internet, as well as being a most excellent playground, should be a place to inform and educate where possible; certainly for those who seek such thing. it's unfortunate that some take the time and trouble to con people instead of educate them.

you may well have received the below image by a "viral" message (if that's what the kids call it these days). it claims to be an actual image of how Fox News in the USA reported the recent tragic events in France.




it comes with a headline along the lines of "World News According To Fox" and points out the many errors in the picture, along with the unhealthy dose of ignorance displayed. what it unfortunately does not point out that it is an elaborate fake.

here's the real image.




hats off to whoever created the fake one, as it is clearly someone with talent. what a shame they are using it in the wrong direction.

Fox News as i understand it has a somewhat right-wing leaning, something that is pretty much true of any media outlet owned by Rupert Murdoch, a man who will not hesitate to use his impressive range of media houses to push whichever agenda suits him or takes his fancy. if someone, as clearly is the case here, has an issue with that, then why not use real news items to illustrate the bias and try to show people how to actually read the news presented to them and not accept everything without question?

in the internet age fakes like this are easily exposed, and rather make the target of the attack look better and more sympathetic instead of turning people off them or at least question them. it also brings into question the poor taste of whoever created this "joke" from recent, tragic events.

pranks like this have existed long before the internet and shall go on until the end of time. i'd rather, as i said, people used the energy to expose actual folly in news and media outlets, but i suppose that just doesn't seem amusing enough to those who create such things. ho hum, such is the world.



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

The Clockwork Variations

hello there

well, up front, here are some major warnings for the regular reader of this blog. i usually do my best to keep this site family friendly, but the subject which has inspired me to write this involves a good deal more mature, if you will adult, themes than usual. there are also some *** MASSIVE SPOILER WARNINGS ***
in place for everything that comes after the first 4 or so pictures. you have thus been warned.

another warning takes the shape of this probably being a rather lengthy article or post, and at times is, in accordance with the spoiler warning, likely to be an account of two films in comparison to one other.

there, you've been warned. now let's begin proper......

Anthony Burgess was one of the greatest, most prolific writers of the second half of the 20th Century. he produced some 80 books in his time. most were works of fiction rooted in the factual world, like the wonderful Enderby series, Any Old Iron and his two books on the dawn of Christianity, Man Of Nazareth and the superb The Kingdom Of The Wicked. if that were not enough, he also produced some of the finest, most valuable works of study on English literature, most notably on the works of James Joyce and indeed his survey of the history of English Literature.




despite all of this, Anthony Burgess was in his lifetime and since his passing in the early 1990s known for just one of his novels. it may have been a short novella more than an actual novel, but my word if it did not tower over every other work he produced.




A Clockwork Orange is some considerable distance away from being the greatest of the works of Anthony Burgess. in respect of reaction to the novel at time of publication, it did cause a few ripples with its graphic violence, even dressed as it was in the 'Nadsat' language Burgess created, and some controversy with its message that bad people who are bad of their own free will is a better society than good people made to be good by the State.

the reaction to the novel itself was of course not what cemented the legend and legacy of A Clockwork Orange. what did that, and indeed made sure that it was all Burgess would be remembered for, was the film version, as brilliant as it is controversial, delivered to the world by Stanley Kubrick.




if i were to write a general piece on a Kubrick film my great fear is that it would be nothing more than gushing fanboy stuff. i therefore try to avoid it, and oddly shall be here for the most part.

the controversy and trouble caused, or rather done in the name of Kubrick's magnificent adaptation of A Clockwork Orange is no doubt well known to anyone reading this. the decision of Kubrick to just simply withdraw the film from release in the UK was understandable just as it was frustrating. one of the more curious stories around the film was that a rumour started that there was no such person as Anthony Burgess; it being the case that Stanley Kubrick rather invented the name so he could simply blame someone else for the graphic content he filmed.

perhaps, as an excuse to put this next picture up, Stanley came up with the idea of a fake name on the set whilst having a chat with the star of the movie, Malcolm McDowell.




this post, as indicated, is not about Kubrick's dazzling version. i seem to recall reading or hearing that there was a go at a TV adaptation of parts of the novel not long after publication. how would you feel, however, if i told you that there was a film adaptation (of sorts) of the novel something close to a decade before Kubrick's vision? and i am not talking about the speculated, planned and thankfully never made intended "musical" version featuring The Rolling Stones?

how about we go one further - what if i were to say that the earlier adaptation of A Clockwork Orange was made by someone who the world at large, if not your humble narrator her, considers to be a more significant artist that Stanley Kubrick?

well, no matter what you think or feel, it happens to be true and it exists.




at some point in the mid-60s Andy Warhol made a film called Vinyl. no secret was ever made of the fact that it was an adaptation of the Burgess novel, although as far as i can work out it was never officially endorsed and nor were the rights to make an adaptation properly obtained. perhaps as a consequence of that, it is possible to purchase a very expensive copy of it on DVD, or it can be found by other means.

when it comes to telling how i got my copy of it, i am reminded of an article the great magazine Film Threat ran in the pre-DVD, pre-download days of the mid-90s about the workprint version of Apocalypse Now. their explanation of how they got it went something like this :

"how did we get it? we FOUND it. it was SITTING ON A CHAIR and so we just PICKED IT UP AND PLAYED IT."

that was good enough for them, so that is good enough for me to tell you how i got it. and with that out of the way, let's have a look at Warhol's interpretation.

those familiar with Kubrick's film version will get an instant sense of familiarity in the face when the Warhol film starts.




yep, that's right. the film starts with a close up of the face of the protagonist, with the camera slowly tracking back from him to reveal the scene! a question to be asked about this is "did Kubrick see the Warhol version before making his and borrow from it?". as we shall see, it's entirely possible.

the similarities, for now, end there however, as there is no lavish Korova milkbar in sight. instead we get a shot of the protagonist, here named Victor instead of Alex, apparently working out in a gym of sorts. missing also are the droogs, with Georgie, Pete and Dim apparently consolidated into one character, the interestingly named Scum Baby.

the gang of droogs are not the only thing to be condensed and consolidated, as it happens. the various acts of ultra-violence committed in the novel are reduced to one "everything in it" incident, interestingly enough the assault on the University professor.




regular readers will be aware of an article i did on lost Kubrick footage, and in that there were some images of the same incident filmed but never used by Stanley. there i speculated as to reasons why it was not used, another factor it seems might be because of the Warhol version?

when i say all the attacks from the novel are condensed into this scene, i do mean all, as apparently the professor is subjected to a sexual assault by Victor, with the phrase "up yours!" replacing the "in out, in out" Nadsat phrase.




i gather a homoerotic slant is a given in Warhol films - no idea, oddly this is the first of his films i have ever seen. anyway, this particular part of the attack is not exactly graphic, happening as it does out of the range of Warhol's seldom moving camera, but it does seem to go on in the background for quite some time, the attack continued by Scum Baby who you can see in the background here.




ah, yes. more similarities to the Kubrick version. the white outfits for a start, but how about Victor's weapon of choice, a bike chain? what was it that fat, stinking, billygoat Billyboy waved around in Kubrick's version again?

after some more implied assault on the professor, we hit a most interesting part of Warhol's interpretation. in the novel, after a night of mayhem the events of the next few days reveal that Alex has quite a hefty intelligence level, leaving the powers that be in disbelief and unsure as to what to do about his - to put it mildly - wild side. this is something of a crucial part to the book, for it throws out the moral question of whether Alex warrants or deserves redemption, and indeed should his free will be removed.

Andy Warhol simply rejects this aspect or, if you wish to be kind, replaces it with a rather avant garde interpretation of it. interpret how you will, really, but all we get is Victor dancing to Nowhere To Run by Martha And The Vandellas. twice.




by the way, if you've noted some figures on the side, i can assure you that the lady in the cocktail dress does not do anything but sit there, except to have a cigarette lit now and then. the chap in the suit we shall come to.

after the dancing, there is some sort of skirmish between Victor and Scum Baby. i did not quite follow it, my copy not being the best, but i think Victor was either trying to kill Scum Baby, or perform some "up yours" on him. or both, in which order of little relevance to Warhol.




the consequence of this is that Victor is arrested (the chap in a suit turns out to be a police officer), apparently being betrayed and turned in by Scum Baby. well, wouldn't you? as with the book the trial is skipped over, but we do get an interrogation scene of sorts.




again, my copy was somewhat muffled (blast these copies of films found at random on chairs), but as far as i could work out there is a scene in the prison where Victor wishes to undertake the "treatment" to make him good but he is warned against doing so.




for the next 10 or so minutes, then, we get the Andy Warhol variation of the Ludovico Technique, designed to stop people engaging in any violent, aggressive act. it's obviously not as lavish or visual as the Kubrick version, but it is here than Vinyl comes into its own and we get a shocking yet brilliant sequence.

up to this point, you would have punched anyone - quite hard and in the face - who suggested that Gerard Malanga was any sort of actor. his line delivery and indeed his dancing had been particularly horrid. however, under duress of torture, he is constantly asked "what can you see?". his responses carry with them genuine tones of being repulsed as he describes the horrors he is forced to watch as he is given the medication.




of course, it might be that his performance here got enhanced by the fact he was being tortured as this happened, with all sorts of bondage gear (including what is now known as a "gimp mask") being placed on him and, from what i am told, candle wax melted onto his chest. i am somewhat happy that my copy was blurry in this regard, then.

the treatement is completed and, lo and behold, Victor appears cured.




exactly what happens next is, sigh, a bit of a mystery lost in the copy. either Victor is subjected to a sexual assault in his cured state by Scum Baby (something that happened to Alex in the novel but was replaced by a drowning and sound beating in the Kubrick version), or its an Andy Warhol homoerotic moment of forgiveness, acceptance and willing activity. either way, this all gives way to close up displays of flesh.

and then this all gives way to the finale, which is an awful lot of dancing. the music is pretty good for this end bit, though - whoever was in charge of the stereo (and at all times you can hear records being changed) played a nice mix of The Who, The Kinks and, if i am not mistaken, The Stones.




Vinyl runs for just under an hour. it has the budget of a tin of soup, a cast of people who appear never have even seen someone acting let alone acted themselves, a script that seems to have been improvised and done as they filmed and more or lest no directorial artistic merit at all. and yet, oddly, it works as a rough albeit fake diamond of an interpretation.

any fan or admirer of A Clockwork Orange should make the effort to (ahem) obtain a copy of this film and watch it through at least once. yes, granted, it shows exactly why Andy Warhol is remembered more for his paintings and considerably less for his films, but allowing for limited resources and talent this is a rather good go at a visual telling of the story.

a question one has to ask after seeing Vinyl is did Stanley Kubrick watch it prior to making his adaptation? as highlighted above, there are certainly one or two things in it that somehow ended up in the Kubrick version. possibly sheer co-incidence, possibly Stanley saying "i'll take that, thanks".

a film that fans of A Clockwork Orange may wish to avoid, however, is something that was originally called Eloy De La Iglesia, most commonly translated from the Spanish to an English title of Murder In A Blue World.




cashing in on the fact that it is frequently called the "Spanish Clockwork Orange" means that it has also been released around the world under the name Clockwork Terror.




how the hell Warner Bros ever let who released it as above get away with the close font to the Kubrick original is beyond me, but there you go.

as an aside, i suspect that i also saw this film for sale once, in an ex-rental store in Middlesbrough about 20 years ago, under the name "Clockwork Culture". i didn't to my regret have enough to buy it at the time. i think it might be the same, but i am sure on the box i saw people dressed as droogs. nothing has ever surfaced on the net for me about it being "Culture" instead of "Terror", but if you are reading this and think you know what i am talking about please leave a message!

righty-ho, on to this really rather dreary film. in short, it's a below average "oh look, a woman can be a serial killer" affair made by someone who worships Kubrick and has access to money and film making equipment with Clockwork Orange elements seemingly wedged in as an afterthought.

the serial killer is a nurse, played by none other than Sue Lyon, yes she of Kubrick's version of Lolita fame. you can actually have a fun game of "spot the Kubrick reference" with this film i guess.




Lyon is an award winning and respected nurse, who happens to be working at a hospital where a bizarre "criminal correction" proceedure is being tested. this causes some mild interest in the audience, but as that path is being explored we instead cut away to some sort of gang of thugs.




i am not sure if the above picture is clear, but my reaction to the above was this : ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. The legendary Durango 95 from Kubrick's film has been replaced with a cheap yellow beach buggy, the "droogs" are all in black instead of white, and have crash helmets - with orange visors no less - instead of fancy hats. the term "rip off" has just never felt so apt. the leader appears to have a whip instead of a cane, for the record.

any humour one finds in the rip off above disappears as the gang move in to assault a family who, as it would happen, were about to sit down and watch Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange together.




the assault, although far from graphic onscreen, is sickening by suggestion and leaves one in a great state of discomfort. in no way, shape or form is it easy viewing.

it is perhaps just as well, then, that the film remembers one of its plot points and returns to the Sue Lyon character just in time to see her murder someone.




this all gets a touch contrived, so bear with me. the gang we saw has a falling out with one of the members exiled, and somehow that exiled member sees Sue Lyon dumping the body. he becomes quite enchanted with her and begins, frankly, stalking her.

hopes of this being a version of A Clockwork Orange are raised (a bit) when we get to see this radical new treatment for criminals in action.




erm, yes. it does amount to a semi-naked man being strapped to a bed and given electro-shock treatment.




rather bewilderingly, you are never given any information or insights into those who get the treatment. they are certainly not members of the gang seen earlier and nor do you see or hear of what crimes they apparently committed. the phrase "random scenes wedged in" springs to mind.

a rather fascinating comment on Spanish police crops up, i think it was around the time that Sue Lyon had "converted" and subsequently killed a young gay Spanish boy. the police, 3 or 4 murders down the road, start to suspect that the killer might just have access to medical equipment, since all of the victims have been stabbed with a scalpel. the police immediately then spring in to action and ask a doctor, the one who seems to be semi-dating Sue Lyon, if he might agree with this possible interpretation.




this film really is as bad as it sounds thus far, and gets worse. the exiled member of the gang confronts Sue Lyon and rather blackmails here than turning her in or turning the tables on her. this leads to all sorts of scenes of him spending her money.

this is seen by his former gang members, who presume he has in fact stolen money from them. to this end, they promptly find him and beat him senseless.




which leads to him being sent to the same hospital that Sue Lyon works in, possibly for that "corrective" treatment.




needless to say, Sue Lyon ensures that he is no longer able to blackmail him. and then, thankfully, the film is over.

really, i cannot say this enough - avoid this particular film. don't be tricked like i was. it is rubbish.

it's a bit peculiar, considering how powerful the book is, that A Clockwork Orange has not inspired yet more rip-offs or honest adaptations. i mean, sure, it would be a brave and foolish person who dared make another film of it in the light of the Kubrick masterpiece, but there are so many talented directors out there it is a wonder that no one has tried. there was of course that wonderful April Fool joke, from 2000 or 2001, where it was announced that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg would co-direct a remake, but that's it.

and, other than the brilliant episode of Sledge Hammer! called A Clockwork Sledge, not forgetting numerous references in The Simpsons, that's the grand total of my knowledge of variations in film of A Clockwork Orange. if i have missed a film or two, leave a comment an let me know!


viddy well.............................

the Darth Maul lightsaber

hi there

it is a universally accepted truth that taking young children shopping with you can be a rather interesting thing to do. it gets all the more interesting if you happen to go past a toy shop on such a trip. chance would have it that these would combine for me and the boys this weekend.

OK, i confess, i did sort of plan to get this item anyway, but that did not prevent a tear forming in the eye when i saw the price.

as avid Star Wars fans, James and William have between them a formidable range of lightsabers. not real ones, thankfully. for some time now William has been trying to use a "regular" lightsaber (if there is such a thing) as the one that Darth Maul uses in The Phantom Menace. it was time, then, to get them an actual Darth Maul one. this delighted the boys a great deal indeed.




if that looks like it might be a bit too big for the boys to be playing with, that's because it probably is. rather heavy, the Maul saber is, and rather long. indeed, if you are guess as to whether or not it stands taller than James, let me remove the guessing for you and show you exactly how much taller!




it also stands a little bit taller than Michele, to be honest. i am not allowed to show you a picture as proof of this, though, as she was in a state of dress that would defame her character if i posted it here and, quite frankly, i do not need the legal bother and cease & desist letter from my good lady wife, thank you.

Michele did rather impress the boys by using it as an impromptu baton thingie, doing all sorts of twirls, throws and catches.

well, they were sort of impressed. i think they, William in particular, were happier actually playing at being Darth Maul with it!




William did find it a good deal easier to play this whilst on the trampoline with it, and i was fortunate enough to get a picture of him doing his Darth Maul face pose whilst holding it!




William eventually got a bit tired of holding it up, instead opting to put it down over the trampoline and do smart "Obi Wan" like jumps over it.

it would do my finances no end of good if this were the last Star Wars related item i was to purchase for a while. i suspect, however, the two of them shall find something as equally class for me to buy in the not too distant future!


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

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Nasher 25 March - show two

hi again

well, show two has finished, and there is no third one, so hopefully this review will be a bit more insightful than the last!

yes, i know the last few posts here have been Nasher, but he's been busy this weekend. if for some reason you don't like reading about Nasher, well, i have a thousand or so posts here not about him, so tuck into those.

for the second show this evening Nasher turned his attention to tracks from his second album, Le Grand Fromage. well, we did have at least one track from it, Onjerry, during the first show, now that i have a touch more time to write.




sadly not airing for my favourite off that album, Top Of The Pops Again, but we did get a great version of Ruby Blue.





my connection, alas, was doing the stutter thing again. there was little consolation in the fact that fans around the world (Canada, the US, Ireland and the exotic ways of Morcambe were all represented) joined in with me in having a momentary freeze of the live feed. ho hum, perhaps soon this internet thing will be of a standard suitable for an artist like Nasher.

breaking connection or feed aside, it was good to hear, i think only for its second performance, another new song in the form of Don't Go Yet.




this song, and indeed all the others we have heard previews of, suggest that the next album will be a classic. this will take some doing - all three have been great thus far, but the most recent, A Lo Mimimo, is a masterpiece.

and since i mentioned the masterpiece, it's worth mentioning that we got one of the many great tracks from it in the set, Airplane.




there was the usual banter, of course, and indeed the usual display of a quick drink or two whilst Nasher played!




and how's this for a first encore - England In The Rain, Here Comes The Sun and Prince's overlooked masterpiece, The Cross.




for those unfamiliar with it, England In The Rain is the greatest unreleased Frankie related song there is. well, at least since Do Ya Think I'm Sexy sneaked out on one of them iTunes download releases. unreleased implies you can't really hear it with any great ease, sadly. those of you with some binary hunting talent should be able to find it on the net of inter, otherwise why not come along to one of Nasher's online gigs and hear it?




as time permitted, however, we got some extra encores - a version of The Power Of Love that those of us there feel is perhaps his best ever performance of, followed by Can't Let Go off A Lo Mimimo. a stunning way to round off two excellent shows!

this whole StageIt website thing, despite the glitches that seem to prevent a decent live feed, is fantastic. it is truly excellent to be able to see Nasher, one of the finest singer-songwriters out there, performing via this site. and really, he is that good. yeah, sure, i am a big Frankie fan, but that's not going to make me automatically like each and every thing associated with the band. it's just fortunate that Frankie consisted of five incredibly talented artists, and their solo stuff stands up just as well as what they did together. give Nasher's music a try if you have not done so already, find out for yourself!

a non-Nasher post shall probably follow soon!


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