Yuki ya kon kon

It was on the news last night - reports confirmed Britain is officially 'chanking'.

Edinburgh, and Britain in general, is experiencing a cold snap which the Daily Telegraph said would "freeze the nipples off Satan". Even headlines are affected - "Water bills frozen" said the Mail yesterday. Of course the media circus is loving it, whipping up fury and pointing fingers at this week's scape goats - council workers. Reports are full of words like treacherous, battling, nightmare, arctic. And that's just the BBC. It's a media madness - News programs have actually got something to talk about that people understand, have a view on and doesn't get boring (like Israel / Iran / Afghanistan). Since communication became instant we have developed into needing immediate solutions for all life's questions - we seem to have lost the ability to understand patience and common sense. Why won't the snow just leave us alone?

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Posted by stupot at 06:32 PM Thursday 7 Jan | Post comment (0) comments

The Great British Public

Sometimes I lose faith in Britain as a country. And sometimes I get reminded of it's Greatness. I just bought my first single in years.......

Posted by stupot at 08:53 PM Tuesday 15 Dec | Post comment (0) comments

Ballboy

Four years ago in south Osaka, and whilst searching for something else, I stumbled upon the tunes of Ballboy. They were to do with nothing in my life at the time but came to be integral in the music I'd listen to whilst heading into the mountains over to Wakayama on the bike. I knew nothing about the band, and despite the powers of Mr and Mrs Google, decided to leave it that way. A luxury these days, to not let the internet influence you one way or the other. I could tell they were Scottish but didn't know if they were new or old, if they still produced records, toured, what.

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Posted by stupot at 11:42 AM Sunday 29 Nov | Post comment (0) comments

kinky

My Kinky Afro T-shirt came through the post the other week - much to my delight. Great memories of the Sub club in the nineties. Cheers Matt!

Posted by stupot at 05:57 PM Saturday 14 Nov | Post comment (0) comments

Modern Etiquette #164 - bleeding ears

The buses in Edinburgh are pretty good. There's a decent amount of them and you know when the next one is coming. 60 years ago there used to be a problem with men in bowler hats and pipes playing 78's on old gramophones - the space they took up, not to mention the poor sound quality and racket. 30 years ago the 'Boom-Box' and 'Walkman' became equally annoying disturbances on a quiet journey and, with the advent of ear-plug headphones, I thought the syndrome of leaky music was over.

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Posted by stupot at 04:59 PM Thursday 5 Nov | Post comment (0) comments

traditional week

I was treated to two incredible gigs this week - The Unthanks from Northumberland and Julie Fowlis from the Hebrides. I was pretty sceptical about the Unthanks - I listened to a bit of their music and wasn't bold over. The gig was quite different - a sold out voodoo rooms saw beautifully sung songs with the complementary voices of the sisters. Quite a few sad tunes but also some fun ones - and always with good stories in between. The clog dancing was a bonus! They also seemed to be getting over the fact they were actually appearing on Jools Holland in 24 hours. The pregnant and Gaelic speaking Julie Fowlis was equally incredible - a great repetoire, on occasion with Phil 'are you pregnant too?' Cunningham. The seated Queens Hall with it's presbyterian interior and demographic didn't endear but the music washed that away - again with fantastic stories and light hearted banter between band members. It's the difference between most gigs I go to where you get a grunt or a 'cheers', if anything, between songs. More bands should consider a sprinkling of personality.

Posted by stupot at 11:41 AM Wednesday 28 Oct | Post comment (0) comments

Everything that happens will happen today

Worth a download from here.

Posted by stupot at 01:17 PM Thursday 10 Sep | Post comment (0) comments

David Byrne....

.....was incredible last week at the Playhouse. A slow start, it soon picked up and the all-seated crowd was up and dancing in the aisles. All in white and with well-coreographed-with-a-hint-of-improvisation in the dancing department it was a joy to watch. The band's set-up had a feel of stop making sense with monochrome clothes and the drum, percussion and keyboard risers to the rear. Backing singers were right on, even joining in with a bit of dance and the whole Brian Eno related theme made for a great set list from Talking heads classics to My life in the Bush of Ghosts to Everything that happens will happen today. Some shots from the gig here, the new album, the old wireless and his bicycle diaries.

Posted by stupot at 11:28 AM Monday 17 Aug | Post comment (0) comments

The Pleasance

The Fringe is immense - with hundreds of comedy, theatre, dance and music venues all over Edinburgh and I think the Pleasance sums up the Fringe. Usually part of the University - it's a sheltered courtyard busy all day with people gathering to drink, meet and queue for one of the many venues here. Today was blistering hot and sweat dripped from my forehead as I drew. The official Edinburgh Festival starts at the end of this week but the fringe is what it's all about these days.

Posted by stupot at 06:20 PM Monday 10 Aug | Post comment (0) comments

currently playing

This week I'm still listening to some oldie's - a real oldie from Simple Minds in 1979 from their debut album - Chelsea Girl. Another more recent oldie from Midlake which sounds like it could have been on CSN&Y's dejavu - Roscoe.

Posted by stupot at 04:04 PM Tuesday 28 Jul | Post comment (0) comments

Tattoo

Edinburgh Castle esplanade becomes an auditorium in Summer - like for about half the year. Until the festival and the Tattoo arrives Crosby, Stills and Nash, Duran Duran and the likes come to play open air to many, invariably wet, fans.

Posted by stupot at 08:23 AM Saturday 25 Jul | Post comment (0) comments

Ceilidh, Sun, Sofas and Cycling

It's been a surprisingly lovely start to 2009 thanks to few plans and a couple of good rides on the pusher. The local Ceilidh on Hogmanay, in West Kilbride, was great fun with dancing, pipes and band. And some shortbread and champagne thrown in for good measure. Stumbling around the house at lunch time the next day paid dividends as I found all the missing pieces of my bike jigsaw (pedals, cleats and a new tube) and got out for a ride in beautiful weather up to Largs where the promenade was bustling with people strolling past the recently reopened Nardini's. Friday was a day of sofas and fine food at Mr Macdonalds in Glasgow - his wonderful hospitality was just what the doctor ordered. A few more sofa's were sat on in West Kilbride before arranging an early morning ride up to Loch Thom above Largs. Despite the arctic conditions (digits, ears and faces were numb and the water bottle froze) the views were astounding and the ride finished up with a proper coffee at Nardind's. Woo hoo.

Posted by stupot at 05:49 PM Saturday 3 Jan | Post comment (0) comments