broadway end of the summer

 I don't know if I ever showed you this, I am very pleased with my drumming on it and I think (I might be wrong) I also wrote the music (not the words, which are incredible). So pleased with it, it kind of sunk without a trace like all the best songs. 

This is the holy grail of Top of the Pops LPs, mainly because it has - you guessed it - PiL's 'Death Disco' on it. It's my holy grail anyway. I think some other people's holy grail might be the one with 'Anarchy in the UK' or 'God Save the Queen' or whatever, on it. I don't know. The holy grails are always John Lydon-related, anyway. The fascinatingness of the intersection between Lydon, ostensibly so anti-normality, with the uber-commercialism of soundalikes. So in this case, the version of 'Death Disco' is a fairly credible remake of the original, hideous whining vocal and everything. It's a lot more like the original than the version of 'Breakfast in America' is like its original, although tbh the people who put the Top of the Pops albums together were a pretty skilled bunch of artisans and 99% of the time it's only the fact that you know you're listening to a Top of the Pops album that makes you listen out for the differences, otherwise you might not notice them at all. 

I don't know or care about the background to the Top of the Pops records though I gather that it was (a little like Countdown magazine) the case of a private company being smart and sneaky enough to get in either with a pitch to license the name which the main TV program might later have cause to regret and/or copyrighting the name independently of the program but getting by for a long time with a perceived association. Countdown magazine was licensed, by the way. Also, it didn't necessarily let the side down that often. The Top of the Pops albums, all hundred and shit of them, were as I said a very skilfully created soundalike series. I hope that the people who made them knew the importance of what they could do and they weren't always cavilling and wishing they could do the music version of 'write that sitcom about the sassy robot' or if they did they were satisfied with mixing some of their own songs in with some Simon and Garfunkel and Cat Stevens at the pub on a Sunday night. 

it was twenty years ago today

Not this picture. This was about a week ago. Ferdinand and Perry. 

I don't know why but I was moved for a second to examine my blog from twenty years ago, in the year I began it. I was writing a lot in that first year and I was really convinced I was very interesting and leading a fascinating life (so in that regard not much has changed). I was also writing a lot like everything I was into or had just read/watched/listened to was completely coherently obvious and natural, in a way that at the time probably made sense to me but now when I look at it, not remembering the ins and outs of various stupid films I borrowed from Video Ezy or whatever, or tv shows (I seemed to watch massive amounts of tv back then), I can't make head or tail of what I was talking about. Isn't that mad!

So I guess when I started my blog I had just turned 40, and all was possibility in a manner of speaking. I was surprised to see that we went to the Royal Show in 2005 only because I am pretty sure that I have been to the Show every year since I started going as an adult, which would mean I've been at least twenty times in twenty years (actually not, now I think of it, because firstly pandemic lockdown, also there was at least one time relatively recently when I was overseas and couldn't go). You have already seen the nice pictures of my visit to the Show yesterday morning. 

Also I note Donald Horne has now been dead for twenty years, a little more than. I still see that as a bit of a shame, but I don't suppose he'd be having much fun if he was alive.* Also that twenty years ago we saw Electrelane live, though I was a bit down on them for some reason, but I bet they were actually great. I would like to get (I suppose I mean, re-get) some of their records.* I wonder what happened to that band.*** 

* He'd be 104 

* Wow I just saw the prices on discogs and no, I wouldn't. 

* They went on hiatus a couple of years after they played in Australia - around 2007 - then threatened to return in the early 2020s then didn't. 

the show yesterday - ii

 

Maker's Pavilion. Or maybe just 'Makers', I don't know. Or Makers', look I really don't know.

at the show yesterday - i

Papillons

Lowchens

Papillons

So as mentioned I went to the Show yesterday with my mother - she was primarily interested in the papillons and we saw all the papillons in competition, going through their paces. They did well. 

Below = not papillons.

a house i really liked the look of in richmond last week

 ...mainly because like what's with that upstairs window? But also just generally it's cool. I might steal it.

 As Perry gets older and more comfortable in his/any environment, and as Nancy continues to be Nancy, the two of them are finding it much easier to coexist. Here they are on my bed yesterday (please excuse my clean washing). They don't seek each other out necessarily but they are not at all bothered by each other's presence. 

Yesterday Perry gave Nancy a big lick right down her face, which she also took in her stride, with a bit more 'chill' than I think I would have if I was her. LOL