The Libertines -- A Time for Heroes (Up the Bracket)
Art Brut -- Good Weekend (Bang Bang Rock n Roll)
Frankie Goes to Hollywood -- Relax (Welcome to the Pleasuredome)
Futureheads -- Beginning of the Twist (This is Not the World)
Teenage Fanclub & Donna Matthews -- Personality Crisis (Velvet Goldmine)
Supergrass -- Floating (Supergrass)
Eurythmics -- When Tomorrow Comes (Revenge)
OMD -- If You Leave (Best of OMD)
Trashcan Sinatras -- It's a Miracle (Weightlifting)
David Bowie -- Five Years (The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust)
Portishead -- Machine Gun (Third)
Life WIthout Buildings -- New Town (Any Other City)
Ting Tings -- Great DJ (We Start Nothing)
The Cure -- The Only One (Single)
Brian Eno -- King's Lead Hat (Before and After Science)
Lemon Jelly -- Song for Jack (lemonjelly.ky)
Goldfrapp - A&E (Seventh Tree)
Hot Chip -- Ready for the Floor (Made in the Dark)
Last Shadow Puppets -- Right Next to Me (The Age of the Understatement)
The Pipettes -- Pull Shapes (We Are the Pipettes)
Heavy Blinkers -- He Heard His Song (The Night and I Are Still So Young)
Black Box Recorder -- Weekend (Facts of Life)
Elbow -- One Day Like This (The Seldom Seen Kid)
Morrissey -- Now My Heart is Full (Vauxhall & I)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Portishead In-Studio Session
Nope, not on my humble show, sadly. But they did just play a storming in-studio session on my BBC Radio 2 show of choice, the always excellent Radcliffe and Maconie show. Go to their homepage and click on Beth Gibbons's keening face.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Cultural Artifact -- Catherine Tate
I hate all generalizations. ALL of them. Without exception.
Broadly speaking, though, there are a couple of differences between British and American TV comedy. Much British comedy tends to celebrate silliness, whereas American comedy focuses more on either stupidity or its flipside, wiseassery. Also, British comedy is more about the talents of the performer, while American is more about the cleverness of the writer (or, more typically, writers.)
Catherine Tate is quite a celebrity in the UK at this point, but if she is known in the US, it is probably due to her semi-regular role in the popular sci-fi show Doctor Who.
A couple of years ago, however, she took Britain by storm with The Catherine Tate Show, in which the incredibly versatile performer created a number of characters who have quickly become indelible parts of the British cultural landscape. TV sketch comedy is where British humour often has its finest moments -- for some reason nobody can figure out, we just don't DO sitcoms very well. In Tate's hands, sketch comedy becomes a venue for some astonishing self-transformation and some awfully subtle acting.
Most famously there is Lauren, the stroppy teenager who has become the best-known of Tate's characters -- and the most disliked by Tate herself, for whom the character's catchprase "Am I bovvered?" became an albatross around the neck. Still, it got her into 10 Downing Street to do a skit with Tony Blair, so how bad could it be?
Tate does more than create characters, she inhabits them, refusing again and again to go for the easy laugh or punchline, preferring to take a more holistic approach to comedy, allowing the laughs to emerge from the character rather than being forced into their mouths. And, crucially, she seems to have a real affection for the people she plays, even if many of them appear to be loathsome on the surface. (For example, the foul-mouthed grandmother "Nan," or the high-strung woman who screams in surprise and terror at every little noise...)
So do some YouTube surfing, or find a way to get your hands on the full season of her show (I bet Netflix has it, and if you live in Champaign-Urbana, it can be borrowed at the Champaign public library...)
You may especially recognize this character.
Broadly speaking, though, there are a couple of differences between British and American TV comedy. Much British comedy tends to celebrate silliness, whereas American comedy focuses more on either stupidity or its flipside, wiseassery. Also, British comedy is more about the talents of the performer, while American is more about the cleverness of the writer (or, more typically, writers.)
Catherine Tate is quite a celebrity in the UK at this point, but if she is known in the US, it is probably due to her semi-regular role in the popular sci-fi show Doctor Who.
A couple of years ago, however, she took Britain by storm with The Catherine Tate Show, in which the incredibly versatile performer created a number of characters who have quickly become indelible parts of the British cultural landscape. TV sketch comedy is where British humour often has its finest moments -- for some reason nobody can figure out, we just don't DO sitcoms very well. In Tate's hands, sketch comedy becomes a venue for some astonishing self-transformation and some awfully subtle acting.
Most famously there is Lauren, the stroppy teenager who has become the best-known of Tate's characters -- and the most disliked by Tate herself, for whom the character's catchprase "Am I bovvered?" became an albatross around the neck. Still, it got her into 10 Downing Street to do a skit with Tony Blair, so how bad could it be?
Tate does more than create characters, she inhabits them, refusing again and again to go for the easy laugh or punchline, preferring to take a more holistic approach to comedy, allowing the laughs to emerge from the character rather than being forced into their mouths. And, crucially, she seems to have a real affection for the people she plays, even if many of them appear to be loathsome on the surface. (For example, the foul-mouthed grandmother "Nan," or the high-strung woman who screams in surprise and terror at every little noise...)
So do some YouTube surfing, or find a way to get your hands on the full season of her show (I bet Netflix has it, and if you live in Champaign-Urbana, it can be borrowed at the Champaign public library...)
You may especially recognize this character.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Playlist from May 7th, 2008
Trashcan Sinatras -- It's A Miracle (Weightlifting)
Magic Numbers -- Take a Chance (Those the Brokes)
Belle & Sebastian -- I'm a Cuckoo (Dear Catastrophe Waitress)
Rolling Stones -- As Tears Go By (Shine a Light)
Supergrass -- Richard III (In It For the Money)
British Sea Power -- Waving Flags (Do You Like Rock Music?)
Pet Shop Boys -- Suburbia (Discography)
James -- Sound (Seven)
Tom McRae -- End of the World News (Tom McRae)
The Specials -- Too Much Too Young (The Specials)
Hot Chip -- Ready for the Floor (Made in the Dark)
Tunng -- Bullets (Good Arrows)
Flotation Toy Warning -- Fire Engine On Fire pt. II (Bluffers Guide to the FLight Deck)
Portishead -- The Rip (Third)
Cocteau Twins -- Seekers Who Are Lovers (BBC Sessions)
Stereolab -- French Disko (Serene Velocity)
My Bloody Valentine -- When You Sleep (Loveless)
Elbow -- Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver (The Seldom Seen Kid)
The Last Shadow Puppets -- The Age of Understatement (The Age of Understatement)
Switches -- Lay Down the Law (Lay Down the Law)
Sugarcubes -- Hit (Stick Around for Joy)
Moloko -- Day For Night (Do You Like My Tight Sweater?)
Magic Numbers -- Take a Chance (Those the Brokes)
Belle & Sebastian -- I'm a Cuckoo (Dear Catastrophe Waitress)
Rolling Stones -- As Tears Go By (Shine a Light)
Supergrass -- Richard III (In It For the Money)
British Sea Power -- Waving Flags (Do You Like Rock Music?)
Pet Shop Boys -- Suburbia (Discography)
James -- Sound (Seven)
Tom McRae -- End of the World News (Tom McRae)
The Specials -- Too Much Too Young (The Specials)
Hot Chip -- Ready for the Floor (Made in the Dark)
Tunng -- Bullets (Good Arrows)
Flotation Toy Warning -- Fire Engine On Fire pt. II (Bluffers Guide to the FLight Deck)
Portishead -- The Rip (Third)
Cocteau Twins -- Seekers Who Are Lovers (BBC Sessions)
Stereolab -- French Disko (Serene Velocity)
My Bloody Valentine -- When You Sleep (Loveless)
Elbow -- Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver (The Seldom Seen Kid)
The Last Shadow Puppets -- The Age of Understatement (The Age of Understatement)
Switches -- Lay Down the Law (Lay Down the Law)
Sugarcubes -- Hit (Stick Around for Joy)
Moloko -- Day For Night (Do You Like My Tight Sweater?)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
OMG! MBV!
Hear that crinkly-creaking noise? It's the sound of hell freezing over. After vanishing for a couple of decades, My Bloody Valentine have announced the dates of a Summer '08 World Tour. And yes, they're coming to Chicago.
06-20 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-21 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-22 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-23 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-24 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-28 Manchester, England - Apollo
06-29 Manchester, England - Apollo
07-02 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
07-03 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
07-03-06 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-09 Paris, France - Zenith
07-17-20 Benicàssim, Spain - Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
07-25 Naeba, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival
08-08 Oslo, Norway - Øya Festival
09-05 Isle of Wight, England - Bestival
09-19-21 Monticello, NY - Kutshers Country Club (ATP New York)
09-22 New York, NY - Roseland
09-23 New York, NY - Roseland
09-25 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh
09-27 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
09-30 San Francisco, CA - The Concourse
10-01 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic
10-02 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic
06-20 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-21 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-22 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-23 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-24 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-28 Manchester, England - Apollo
06-29 Manchester, England - Apollo
07-02 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
07-03 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
07-03-06 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-09 Paris, France - Zenith
07-17-20 Benicàssim, Spain - Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
07-25 Naeba, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival
08-08 Oslo, Norway - Øya Festival
09-05 Isle of Wight, England - Bestival
09-19-21 Monticello, NY - Kutshers Country Club (ATP New York)
09-22 New York, NY - Roseland
09-23 New York, NY - Roseland
09-25 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh
09-27 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
09-30 San Francisco, CA - The Concourse
10-01 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic
10-02 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Playlist from April 23, 2008
Camera Obscura -- Number One Son (Underachievers Please Try Harder)
Ballboy -- Where Do The Nights of Sleep Go To WHen They Do Not Come To Me (Guide for the Daylight Hours)
Art Brut -- My Little Brother (Bang Bang Rock n Roll)
Sugarcubes -- Walkabout (Stick Around for Joy)
U2 -- Dioscotheque (Pop)
James -- Come Home (Best of...)
British Sea Power -- Waving Flags (Do You Like Rock Music?)
Aztec Camera -- Good Morning Britain (Retrospect)
Basement Jaxx -- Lucky Star (Kish Kash)
Inspiral Carpets, feat. Mark E. Smith -- I Want You (Saturn 5)
The Jam -- Going Underground (The Sound of The Jam)
Ash -- Girl From Mars (1977)
Ed Harcourt -- Watching The Sun Come Up (From Every Sphere)
Elbow -- One Day Like This (The Seldom Seen Kid)
Morrissey -- Suedehead (Greatest Hits)
Madness -- MIchael Caine (Divine Madness)
Ballboy -- A Europewide Search for Love (Guide for the Daylight Hours)
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci -- Where Does Yer Go Now? (How I Long to Feel that Summer in My Heart)
Divine Comedy -- In Pursuit of Happiness (A Short Album About Love)
Hot Chip -- Ready for the Floor (Made in the Dark)
Hidden Cameras -- Breathe On It (The Smell of Our Own)
Sinead O'Connor -- The Emperor's New Clothes (I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got)
Ray Davies -- No One Listens (Working Man's Cafe)
Ballboy -- Where Do The Nights of Sleep Go To WHen They Do Not Come To Me (Guide for the Daylight Hours)
Art Brut -- My Little Brother (Bang Bang Rock n Roll)
Sugarcubes -- Walkabout (Stick Around for Joy)
U2 -- Dioscotheque (Pop)
James -- Come Home (Best of...)
British Sea Power -- Waving Flags (Do You Like Rock Music?)
Aztec Camera -- Good Morning Britain (Retrospect)
Basement Jaxx -- Lucky Star (Kish Kash)
Inspiral Carpets, feat. Mark E. Smith -- I Want You (Saturn 5)
The Jam -- Going Underground (The Sound of The Jam)
Ash -- Girl From Mars (1977)
Ed Harcourt -- Watching The Sun Come Up (From Every Sphere)
Elbow -- One Day Like This (The Seldom Seen Kid)
Morrissey -- Suedehead (Greatest Hits)
Madness -- MIchael Caine (Divine Madness)
Ballboy -- A Europewide Search for Love (Guide for the Daylight Hours)
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci -- Where Does Yer Go Now? (How I Long to Feel that Summer in My Heart)
Divine Comedy -- In Pursuit of Happiness (A Short Album About Love)
Hot Chip -- Ready for the Floor (Made in the Dark)
Hidden Cameras -- Breathe On It (The Smell of Our Own)
Sinead O'Connor -- The Emperor's New Clothes (I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got)
Ray Davies -- No One Listens (Working Man's Cafe)
The Living Library -- Borrow a Person for a 30-Minute Chat
What a fascinating idea!
It was like the school disco all over again. As some unexpected spring sunshine brightened up the Finchley Road last Sunday lunchtime, 15 of us were waiting nervously in a room in Swiss Cottage's sleek new leisure centre to be borrowed as “books” in the UK's first ever Living Library.
The idea, which comes from Scandinavia, is simple: instead of books, readers can come to the library and borrow a person for a 30-minute chat. The human “books” on offer vary from event to event but always include a healthy cross-section of stereotypes. Last weekend, the small but richly diverse list included Police Officer, Vegan, Male Nanny and Lifelong Activist as well as Person with Mental Health Difficulties and Young Person Excluded from School. I was there as Gay Man.
It was like the school disco all over again. As some unexpected spring sunshine brightened up the Finchley Road last Sunday lunchtime, 15 of us were waiting nervously in a room in Swiss Cottage's sleek new leisure centre to be borrowed as “books” in the UK's first ever Living Library.
The idea, which comes from Scandinavia, is simple: instead of books, readers can come to the library and borrow a person for a 30-minute chat. The human “books” on offer vary from event to event but always include a healthy cross-section of stereotypes. Last weekend, the small but richly diverse list included Police Officer, Vegan, Male Nanny and Lifelong Activist as well as Person with Mental Health Difficulties and Young Person Excluded from School. I was there as Gay Man.
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