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Wednesday 19 October 2011

Oi, big nose..


I have a number of gigs coming up over the next month and a bit. I am really looking forward to
getting out and seeing these bands and meeting some friends for a cocktail or three as well.

First up will be Mr. William Bloke a.k.a. Billy Bragg. Oct 25 in Cyprus Avenue, Cork. I am totally
looking forward to this as it's been quite a while since I saw Bragg live. I can't quite recall when I
really got into Bragg, he just always seemed to be there. Was it Whistle Test footage of him that made
him appear as a one man band? Milkman Of Human Kindness? Odd looking chap, large nose and ears. A vocal style that is certainly an acquired taste but with a sharp mind and a winning way with a lyric.

I do remember a Navy colleague giving me a cassette of Talking With The Taxman and urging me to give it
a chance. Initially, the voice and the strident strum put me off a tad but on hearing Levi Stubbs Tears
I was won over, permanently and forever.

However much I love his music, he is one of those artists that I tend to either obsess over or not play
at all for months. Recently, it's been a heavy rotation thing. Primarily, his earlier albums although
I do like a lot of his more mature output as well. One of his most recent albums England, Half English I must say I only admired rather than loved but the guy always get a pass from me. Of his later output I would put Wiliam Bloke up against anything that was released that year (1996) and it remains an album I play quite a lot to this day. I enjoyed parts of his most recent album Mr. Love & Justice as well and I do hope that he has at least one more really, top notch album in him.

Anytime I see him on tv, Question Time or Late Review, I really enjoy his contributions to the debate. He's quite a well spoken, opinionated and learned chap but at the same time he doesn't talk down to people and certainly doesn't kowtow to his supposed intellectual/social betters.

All in all, he just seems like a proper good guy who knows his shit and who would be as happy watching the football and having a pint as he would be kicking against the political pricks on tv. A chap you'd be glad to get to know and always happy to see.

Songs I would like to hear at the gig? Well, we could be here for two full gigs really with all he has to choose from. In a perfect Bragg world, for me, though? I'm glad you asked..

The Milkman Of Human Kindness
A New England
The Saturday Boy
St. Swithin's Day
Levi Stubbs Tears
Idealogy
The Warmest Room
Between The Wars
Tank Park Salute
Moving The Goalposts
Sexuality
Accident Waiting To Happen
Upfield
Brickbat
The Spacerace Is Over
Northern Industrial Town

Then a few pickings from his collaborative albums with Wilco, a few recent ones from England and Justice and I would be a happy camper. Roll on Tuesday..

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Way over yonder, in the minor key...

Anyone who knows me knows what a voracious devourer I am of music. Not a day goes by that isn't filled with tunes in some way. I am lucky enough to work somewhere that I can plug in the iPod and go.
So,from early morning when I am walking to work to during the day to walking home from work, my day is filled with music. Which is lucky for me with the way I consume new music especially.

Once home, fed and watered, then I am listening to music again till about 9PM. So, it's safe to say that my day is heavily soundtracked. It's just become a part of me. Maybe it's the signs of an addictive personality. When I drink, I cane it. When I eat, I overeat. Now that I'm exercising I have a tendency to overdo that too which is painful. Alas, Horatio, that is a case for a completely different couch and forum.

Strange thing is, notwithstanding how much music is an integral part of my life, I always find it difficult to talk about it and certainly to write about it. Particularly to people who may not be as invested in it as I am. This is especially true in "real life" where I have met people who are only into what's on the radio or X-Factor. Indeed, I have met people who don't have any interest in music and never listen to any at all. This beggars belief on my part. How can anyone wilfully ignore something so life affirming and moving? I mean, even if they just listened to Tony Bennett or Leona Lewis. Surely a person cannot go thru life without at least one song hitting them at their core?

Apart from "real life", I have found kindred spirits on internet music message boards and moreso, in recent times, on Twitter. There are people there, who I've never met, with whom I have shared thoughts,anecdotes and general views on music. We've recommended bands and ripped the piss out of bands and generally had fantastic chats about music and what it means to us. It can sometimes be like one big pub discussion which meanders, ebbs and flows and occasionally even has a point. From a randomly retweeted comment you may follow a link that turns you onto something wonderful. I would highly recommend Twitter to people. It seems less of an intrusion than Facebook and the character limit keeps it snappy and witty for the most part.

I have had people talk to me and tell me I should write a blog, a music blog. Obviously this is not because they think I am a talented writer or a bon viveur. More likely, to stop me banging on to them about the new Richmond Fontaine album or something so they can give their ears a rest. I have always resisted this because, to be honest, I know I am lacking the discipline to be able to write something consistently engaging. I have read enough of Lester Bangs to know I am not him. Even Paul Morley is more entertaining than anything I might write. Yes, Paul Morley. Music journalist as sleeping potion.

However, onward we go. Most of the entries in this blog will be music related in some form over the next month and a bit. This is because I have quite a busy time with gigs coming up, thankfully. Cork gets a raw deal sometimes on the gig circuit. There is a huge appetite for music here but the will to put a decent sized venue here to attract names doesn't seem to be there. It's a shame.

Before I go, if you know someone who has no interest in music..buy them something. A Simon & Garfunkel Greatest Hits or something. You never know, if they engage with it they may come back at you with a rare copy of Jackson C. Frank's debut album. You may start a fire...no Billy Joel though please.

Friday 7 October 2011

I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today...

I love junk food. There, I said it.

Unfortunately, junk food does not love me back. It's more like me stalking it and it is sitting there in it's shiny, eye catching packets and mocking me.

All this self denial started back on May 21 when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In all fairness, I knew it was coming. My weight had more or less spiralled out of control for years and I did no exercise at all apart from walking to and from work. However, this line in the medical sand was probably what I needed. Actually, no probably about it. I decided there and then that the diet had to change and I had to get out and do something.

So that fateful Friday we dumped everything nutritionally malicious in the house, gave the deep fryer the heave ho and started eating from a selection of diabetic friendly menus. Funnily enough, the internet is handy for stuff like that. Here was me thinking it was free music and porn only. Who knew?

On the following Monday I started walking at lunchtime. From the office door to a nearby village church. A couple of miles anyway. I've never measured it. Only in terms of pain and sweat but that is hardly an acceptable numeric denominator. It fucking should be. I pass a sign saying where I came from is 2.2km back the other way so I am guessing I do a little over 4.4km every lunchtime. Whatevs.

After a couple of weeks walking that I thought that it wasn't really getting my heart rate going quickly enough. So I took it upon myself to walk/jog the route. So I would jog from tree to tree or electricity pole to pole. After five months of this I am jogging it more than walking it which for me is a major breakthrough. I want instant improvement and to be able to run fleet of foot like the healthy chaps that pass me every day. I do realise however that I am trying to reverse a trend of not exercising EVER so it will take a long time. I could probably be at the same stage 12 months on. I feel once I do realise that I shouldn't get too disillusioned.

I made a decision the day I started only to weigh myself every three months to monitor how I am doing. So after three months I did and found that I had lost three stone. I was very happy with this as you might imagine. I am now down to 17.5 stone from 21.5 stone and even if it takes forever, as long as it is heading down instead of up then that'll do me.

I fucking ache all the time though. I think the pounding on the roads has taken it's toll on my hips, knees and ankles. So now, for a while, I have taken to jogging hard every two days with a rest day in between to give me some respite.

Anyway, who gives a flying fuck right? It's working for me and if anyone reads this who feels they need to do something about their own weight...well if it works for *me*, as anyone who knows me will tell you, it can work for anyone.

As for the junk food? To be honest, I don't even miss it anymore. Amazing what you can get used to.