Tuesday, May 27, 2008

stamp it out

For some reason I can't put titles in my posts if I post at work* (I've decided to stamp out that ugly word 'blog' - at least in this region - what an ugly word, who thought of it?).
Just a general update on my lively mind, made more lively by the enormous amount of bicycle riding I've been doing lately. I am way into it. I hope it's not just another fad. Timing my journey so I can listen to PM in its entirety helps. Fortunately however much PM I miss on RN, I can pick up on 774 between 6 and 7. So it's all good. Eurovision was yet another debacle as the foul russian anthem that was not a patch on Greece and Armenia (two other strong contenders) or for that matter France or Bosnia and Herzegovina which weren't really strong contenders to the end but were very great (Bos/Herz's entry reminded me of one of my favourite films, Starstruck). If you didn't see it, here is Sebastian Tellier from France: This is most definitely the first time I have seen someone on Eurovision and thought 'I would like to hear more of that person's records'; though I did also like Turkey a lot and I think maybe Turkish rock and I have a lot in common. I hate comparing musicians to musicians, but these guys reminded me quite a bit of Magazine. Well the Eurovision excitement never palls. I wish you could get old contests though, I'd like to see the 1971 Eurovision or whatever. Or the 1990 one or, you know, olden days. Anyway now I am thinking of Starstruck. Here is a fabulous bit from Starstruck, all squashed up but the choreography AND the framing/camera work on this is sublime. And that reminds me, 'Starstruck' by The Kinks is just a fantastic song and not a million miles removed in some respects from the French entry in Eurovision you saw and heard above. By the way I mentioned Chris Smith a short time ago, but not the Chris Smith, but then I saw the Chris Smith on Saturday night, he seemed well, it was odd to have seen him on the evening of a day when in the afternoon I had been talking with Simon Grounds about Taralgon, and saying to Simon do you know Chris Smith he's from Rosedale, and we talked about Rosedale. Simon didn't know Chris but had seen him play guitar in a performance situation. The Saturday night was St Helens/ Love of Diagrams at the Tote. Well done everyone. On Sunday Mia and I did not answer the question: what is sumac?

*By the way I don't often post at work whatever you may have heard but I have been spending so much time there lately...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I rather liked the Turkish band too and was somewhat struck by the singer’s movie star appearance. Since Saturday night I have had song from under the floorboards on my brain. So you could be right.

lucy tartan said...

I like Sebastian Tellier, but the record of his that I have is not boppy ye-ye style like that song.

Anonymous said...

Spain deserve an honourable mention too, as do Azerbaijan, if only for both being the last word in Euro-kitsch. You can see bits of old Eurovisions on You Tube.

Wayne Davidson said...

Sumac is a spice.

Anonymous said...

Cycling is great isn't it. I'm afraid I've stopped for a while, too dark on the bike track. Eurovision-wise I liked Greece too, also the Ukrainian song.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I'm a huge Kinks fan, but I was completely unaware until now that they'd done a video for "Starstruck". Thanks for making my afternoon...

Ann ODyne said...

re Wayne Commentor:
Yma Sumac was a great actress of the 1940's in Hollywood.

The Kinks: I have just come from saying how I enjoyed The Kinks from the start, to QLD blogger
Veni Vidi Blogi
where he named his post after a Kinks song.

My mother was born in Rosedale when her father was postmaster there in 1928, but I have never been there.

EuroVision is vile because all those cold eastern peasanty countries are vile. Bosnia Albania Serbia Croatian football thuggery for chrissakes.

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