Tonight, I caught ‘I Dreamed A Dream – The Susan Boyle Story‘ on ITV, everyone knows the story of Susan Boyle; the quiet, middle aged lady from West Lothian who became the Star of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent in 2008 .  Since the programme (in which she came 2nd to a Dance Troupe) she has become a huge hit in both the UK and around the world, in some part thanks to the internet with over 100 million views of her videos online.  Boyle’s album broke records to be the fastest ever selling début record in British history, it’s since sold over 1 million copies.

There is no doubt that Susan Boyle has a great talent and huge appeal, which for Susan and her record company is a fantastic thing.  What worries me is the way Boyle’s rise to meteoric fame has been handled.  I worry that this huge appeal is in part a symptom of how us, the record buying, TV watching public have come to expect our entertainers to look and act.

In tonight’s programme it was hard to get away from gushy celebrities telling us how Susan had overcome many obstacles to get where she is, they might be right of course, but any more than any other artist trying to make their way? A woman who doesn’t fit the media’s (or our) idea of a pop star – she’s middle aged, she’s not slim, she doesn’t have ‘model’ looks yet sings well.  This disturbs me somewhat.

Why are we surprised by this?  Do we expect all our pop stars to be amazingly charismatic and drop dead gorgeous? If the answer is yes then I wonder who is to blame, is it the media for being so negative by thinking we’ll only buy records from good looking people or is it our fault for buying into it in the first place?

It’s nothing new of course, early Elvis sang music that had been performed for years in underground venues by unknown black artists, but he was good looking, charismatic and (unfortunately) most importantly he was white and deemed ‘accessible’ to most.

Fast forward 50 years and it seems sad to me that the idea of Susan Boyle’s rise to success hasn’t been celebrated simply as a ‘lady with great voice singing songs‘ but as a ‘unconventional lady with great voice singing songs‘, for Ant (or Dec) to talk about Trial through Adversity or Piers Morgan to claim Susan’s fame is one of the Entertainment world’s biggest success stories makes it even more negative.

Even after world wide number one records, millions of record sales and rumoured performance for the U.S 1st Lady, the people that brought Susan to the forefront are still trading in the negative idea that it’s almost impossible that an unconventional person cannot harbour superb talent.

I’m not a fan of Susan’s music but I wish her all the best and really hope that she can leave the patronising gang of TV idiots behind her.

While the music industry still doesn’t really get the internet and continues to dish out threats to ISP’s and court orders to your average person, some in the industry realise that court cases and legal download services might not be the only answer.

Enter Spotify, the music streaming software – an application that allows users to pick from a massive library of music, create and share playlists and discover new music.  Spotify has been launched some European Countries (including the UK) with the backing of lots of Major Record Companies.

The service simply works by installing a itunes like client to your Windows or Mac (Linux though WINE, and Mobile devices are being worked on according to Spotify) and away you go – the only proviso is that you have internet access – tracks are streamed in the Ogg Vorbis q5 format at 160Kb/s – quality is probably better than your average downloaded mp3 (although still miles away from CD Quality).

Available in three modes at the minute, free – ad supported, daily pass (Ad free for 24 hours) and Monthly subscription with no Ad’s whatsoever. At the moment I know of no one who is paying the monthly subscription fee but I would certainly consider it in the future as I imagine Spotify will grow in popularity and have to cover more costs – at this point I expect to hear more Adverts.

I’d also consider paying the daily fee for uninterrupted music at a party – this way people can search and choose whatever music they want to hear, in essence this becomes like a free pub jukebox.

Spotify has really got me thinking about this method of music delivery, with 75% and growing broadband penetration in UK households there are few reasons for people to consider downloading music to play via their home pc, media centre, music hub etc, when we can just stream everything we want – there is also less reason to illegally download tracks, this is a big plus for the record companies which is why I think they will continue to support this type of service.

The only real downside I can see to a streaming music service like Spotify is mobile music – with millions of people owning ipods and similar mp3 players it’s going to be a while before people no longer need permanent audio files on their devices but I think with the fast expansion of mobile broadband, free wifi and HSDPA and it’s faster successors I don’t think the idea of streaming music everywhere is beyond the realms of possibility.

Other option is the ability to have a closed system that downloads the tracks to a device that can only be played with the right credentials – then at least you could have music where there is no net access, a Car perhaps.

While there is much more to be be explored and developed in this area Spotify are certainly heading in the right direct and maybe just, maybe it’s enough to convince the record companies to stop dipping their toes in the water and get right in.

I have some invites left for Spotify if you would like one.

It was a strange experience really, pretty much every time I’ve been in that club they’ve been playing R’n'B and it’s been full of stripey jumpers and folk who look like they have school in the morning (or maybe I’m just getting old) but last night it was full of cool, funky people all itching to hear some Smiths or Stone Roses – we weren’t dissapointed either.

Lamacq was ace and was eager to take requests and have a bit of a chat. Towards the end of his set about 2am he said something about not being the greatest DJ in the world but wanted to play a record for the greatest; John Peel, and proceeded to play The Undertones – Teenage Kicks. ACE

I was a bit unsure about how good it would be last night but I’m happy to say it was class all round, although I’m not sure you need a toilet attended on an Indie night!

Well done CoCo’s.

Merk
x

But now Wellington night club Pussycats Nightclub have decided to give it a go, with Dale and Bevo doing all the promtional leg work and me & Stavros playing tunes.

Clockwork is going to be monthly night and will start this week on Thursday (8th May) and subsequent nights on the first Thursday of each month from then on.

I suppose in a way we’re trying to emulate Blast Off of old (pre EMO!) but with a live element too, the first band playing are a great local group called HEY EDISON, I’m looking forward to hearing them perform.

It’s 2 for 1 on drinks too.

It should be fun, see you there?

Here’s the top ten;

1) Definitely Maybe, Oasis

2) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band, The Beatles

3) Revolver, The Beatles

4) OK Computer, Radiohead

5) (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis

6) Nevermind, Nirvana

7) The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses

Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd

9) The Queen Is Dead, Smiths

10) The Bends, Radiohead

I’m going to say that I think The Queen Is Dead album is my top, perhaps followed by OK Computer.

Click More for Full list.

11) The Joshua Tree, U2

12) London Calling, The Clash

13) The Beatles (The White Album), The Beatles

14) Abbey Road, The Beatles

15) Up The Bracket, The Libertines

16) Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols, Sex Pistols

17) Four Symbols (Led Zeppelin IV), Led Zeppelin

18) The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, David Bowie

19) A Night At The Opera, Queen

20) Is This It, The Strokes

21) Hot Fuss, The Killers

22) Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys

23) Grace, Jeff Buckley

24) The Holy Bible, Manic Street Preachers

25) Bat Out Of Hell, MeatLoaf

26) Appetite For Destruction, Guns N’ Roses

27) Employment, Kaiser Chiefs

28) Rubber Soul, The Beatles

29) Rumours, Fleetwood Mac

30) The Libertines, The Libertines

31) Urban Hymns, The Verve

32) American Idiot, Green Day

33) A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay

34) Parklife, Blur

35) Thriller, Michael Jackson

36) The Wall, Pink Floyd

37) Automatic For The People, R.E.M.

38) Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand

39) Tubular Bells, Mike Oldfield

40) Achtung Baby, U2

41) Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd

42) Exile On Main Street, The Rolling Stones

43) Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel

44) Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin

45) Parallel Lines, Blondie

46) Brothers In Arms, Dire Straits

47) Blood On The Tracks, Bob Dylan

48) Hunky Dory, David Bowie

49) X&Y, Coldplay

50) Who’s Next, The Who

51) Hopes And Fears, Keane

52) Parachutes, Coldplay

53) Arrival, Abba

54) Different Class, Pulp

55) The Velvet Underground & Nico, The Velvet Underground

56) Forever Changes, Love

57) What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye

58) Let It Bleed, The Rolling Stones

59) Elephant, The White Stripes

60) Doolittle, Pixies

61) Absolution, Muse

62) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John

63) Sheer Heart Attack, Queen

64) Come On Over, Shania Twain

65) Sign ‘o’ The Times, Prince

66) Ten, Pearl Jam

67) Kasabian, Kasabian

68) Dookie, Green Day

69) Origin Of Symmetry, Muse

70) Hounds Of Love, Kate Bush

71) Blonde On Blonde, Bob Dylan

72) All Mod Cons, The Jam

73) Blue, Joni Mitchell

74) White Blood Cells, The White Stripes

75) Dog Man Star, Suede

76) Metallica (the Black Album), Metallica

77) Dare! Human League

78) Closer, Joy Division

79) In Utero, Nirvana

80) Back In Black, AC/DC

81) Funeral, Arcade Fire

82) Up All Night, Razorlight

83) Ray Of Light, Madonna

84) Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen

85) Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin

86) Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Arctic Monkeys

87) A Day At The Races, Queen

88) The Lexicon Of Love, ABC

89) Spice, Spice Girls

90) Violator, Depeche Mode

91) Final Straw, Snow Patrol

92) Electric Warrior, T. Rex

93) Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette

94) Unknown Pleasures, Joy Division

95) Kid A, Radiohead

96) Out Of The Blue, Electric Light Orchestra

97) The Smiths, The Smiths

98) Electric Ladyland, Jimi Hendrix

99) Rage Against The Machine, Rage Against The Machine

100) Hotel California, Eagles

I dunno about you, but sometimes I find I do loads at the weekend or just doss around the house. Sometimes both. For instance this weekend I’ve been to work (eeek!) to help with some overtime, I went to Pussycats to check out the kit for the upcoming indie night, I went for a pint with Dale then come home for a curry and laughed at funny Europeans trying to sing. FINLAND ROCK!

Today, I’ve just lounged, all day. Got up for my lunch, watched a DVD, listened to some music, slept more, had some Tea and surfed the web a bit.

Next week I plan to go to the Cricket with Stav, get drunk and sleep – but before you know it, the week comes back round. The weekend is a teasing whore.

So my driving lessons are going well, the instructor tells me he wants me to do 3 more lessons then put in for my test, which is nice if not a little unnerving. I have to sort my theory out first though…that’s coming in June. It’s about time I did sort it out, once and for all. I’m 25 now, I had the opportunity to do it when I was 17 (my granddad used to be a driving instructor) but apathy won that battle. This time we’re on though, I AM going to do it. Be nice if it could be first time, but let’s not get carried away.

Talking of my Grandfather, it was his birthday on Friday – 75 no less. I don’t talk much about my family on here but suffice to say that my granddad is one of the main influences in my life. I always said if I grow old to be even half the man he is then I’ll be a happy man. Words cannot really describe the adoration I have for this man, what he’s taught us, given us and contributed to our life is eminence – Not that I’d admit it to his face obviously, he’d get a big head!

I’m reading more Bill Bryson at the moment – Stav bought it for me the other month in Aberystwyth. He, like so many others, can read a book in a couple of days. I’m not so lucky, I find it really hard to get into a book, I could count, without taking off my socks, the number of books I’ve finished – it’s so bad and I feel genuinely shit about it, but I just find it nearly impossible to finish a book without loosing interest. I like non-fiction though and Bill Bryson writes so well, as if you’re having a chat with him in a boozer. I’d like to read more; I’m just too easily distracted.

Did you see Big Brother? What a bunch of freaks – I can’t be doing with it this year. Not for another 10 weeks anyway. Plus the World Cup is starting soon – I’m hoping this year will be a humdinger.

In a Stav Blog stylee now – on to music;

I’m really enjoying The Housemartins greatest hits album ‘Now that’s what I call quite good’ (1987) again at the moment. Bow Down being a particular favourite. It’s probably not very cool to like the Housemartins but hey!

And finally last nights winners of the Eurovision Song Contest; Lordi – Hard Rock Hallelujah

The walls come down like thunder
The rocks about to roll
It’s The Arockalypse
Now bare your soul

How can you not win with lyrics like that!

What is your favourite song from each of these artists;

- Radiohead
- Spandau Ballet
- Elvis
- Doves
- Pet Shop Boys

I do suppose it might depend what sort of mood you’re in but right now my song would be ‘Dont Worry Be Happy’ by Bobby McFearin or something equally shit and happy.

What would yours be?

p.s yes this is blatent comment whoring but I am actually intrested.

That’s right, some of them must have been put in here for a laugh. look;

Underworld – Born Slippy
“lager, lager, lager”

Outkast – Hey Ya
“Shake it like a polaroid picture”

Kylie Minogue – I Should Be So lucky
“I should be so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky”

Go vote for yours. Mine went to The Rolling Stones for “Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste, I’ve been around for a long, long year, stole many a man’s soul and faith” from Sympathy For The Devil . A class song all round.

Nat Cole has one of the best voices you or I will ever hear.

That is all.

Ordinary Boys
at Carling Academy Birmingham,
Saturday, October 29 at 6:00 PM

TURIN BRAKES Plus Special Guests
Wolverhampton Civic Halls – Wulfrun
Friday, 4/11/05 7:00PM

Elbow
Carling Academy Birmingham
Tue-15-Nov: -7pm – 11pm

HARD-FI
Wolverhampton Civic Halls – Wulfrun
Wednesday, 7/12/05 7:00PM

Ocean Colour Scene
Carling Academy Birmingham,
Tuesday, December 20 7:30 PM

I’ve bought tickets for Paddy (as in Max and Paddy fame) stand up and David Gray at the MEN Arena.

David Gray? I’m officially a Radio Two listener now!

I watched Last Night of the Proms last night – the highlight of which being the massive rendition of Rule Britannia, made even better by live pictures and sound from Hyde Park, Cardiff, Glasgow, Belfast and Manchester. We’re generally not that patriotic and most of us hate the flag waving Americans but the Last night seems to invoke real pride into people.

It brings me on to the brilliant song Jerusalem – a feat of historical genius: Blake’s words, Parry’s music and Elgar‘s arrangement. The song that was created to raise spirits during the Great War is still probably one of the most widely sung in England.

The worst thing about the proms is the ‘national anthem’ sung right at the end. After all this patriotism, ‘isn’t Britain great’ sort of stuff. We end up singing a piss poor song about a woman who ended up Queen cause her uncle couldn’t cope! Which brings me onto the programme that followed on BBC FOUR: Jerusalem
- An Anthem for England. People like David Mellor and Billy Bragg talk about why it should be the English National Anthem, Keith Allen talked about how he used a Black Gospel and all Gay Choirs in his Fat Les video to piss off the BNP and National Front and Various Clergy men talked about why the Church has banned the song from many parish services.

The last part about Churches is interesting, Jerusalem is thought of as a Hymn by many but when you break it down it’s really not. Schools we’re publicly encouraged to sing it, The WI took it as their anthem but the Church of England doesn’t like Blake’s words…….and Blake didn’t like the Church – He once said that Churches were the synagogues of Satan. He was a spiritual person but hated organised religion, some people think that his questions in the poem were metaphors for many things – I guess we’ll never know.

I for one think it’s an amazing, emotional tune and is really worthy of being the English National Anthem – Billy Blag made a really good point that the poem isn’t about what England IS, but what England COULD BE. Spritiual or not, I love it.

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark Satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land

I went to the pub at half five tonight and left at ten. Thanks Rich.

Tonights topics;

Me & Singing
His cellar
a grass sofa
Daniel Hoffman Gill
ID Cards
the (leeching) royals
Jobs
Money
France
London

Good night all

…power was restored in sufficient time for the third act on each stage to play. With a piece of Glastonbury magic this meant the Undertones – billed third – opened the festival with Teenage Kicks, which will now always sound like a tribute to the late John Peel. The crowd were wet but their spirits lifted as the first bars rang out.

John Peel will always live on at Glastonbury

Coldplay = shit, off to radio 2

I don’t think he read it out. You know how I feel about coldplay, you know how I feel about the kissy arse bollocks the media give them. If you don’t know how I feel please click here.

1. Black and White Town – Doves
2. The Bucket – Kings of Leon
3. Mr Brightside – The Killers

get them, listen to them, enjoy.

Night night

They were OK.

Since then they’ve exploded into some ultra band. Chris Martin married a movie star, who gave birth to piece of fruit and he tried to save the world, when that failed – he went home to his lush LA house.

My highlight of coldplay hating came in 2002 when the headline act at the V festival was (again) Muse, or Texas (yawn). We went for Muse. Waiting around in the soggy field that made me think I was in a WW1 trench, someone appeared on stage and a few thousand people started to cheer – Muse were about to start. Only they wern’t.

For it was Chris Martin, he of Coldplay, Husband to Gwenny and Father to Apple, Savoiour of the world and it’s music.

Instantly the thousands of ‘YEAAAAAAAAHHHSSS’ turned into ‘BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS’ – it was ace.

He walked to the microphone and proudly said “Hi, I’m Chris Martin from the band Coldplay”, at which point some bloke in the crowd shouted “fuck off you miserable c*nt” – Thousands laughed. Muse came on, we rocked, we fell over, the band finished, Sinatra came on the PA, we all walked back. Tops.

So okay, I hate them, but mainly I hate him – he’s a self righteous, over played, arse kissed twat. But I’m sure more people love them than hate them. Otherwise how could anyone explain the sell out tours, the album sales in their millions and the constant (over)hyping of yet unreleased material?

So today Chris ‘woe is me’ Martin told Radio 1:

“I think we’ve been away for so long now and the only public feedback we get is tabloid gossip, which is generally vitriolic. So at this point we feel so unpopular and so out of the loop.”

What a load of crap, the tour has sold out in a weekend, someone must love you. He also goes on to say:

“I want some couple on their first date, say Nigel and Bobby, to come and have the best time and then go home and snog and it be the beginning of their romance, because the Coldplay concert was so good.”

Hahaha, “Darling, I’ve got some tickets to Coldplay, perhaps we can sit at the back and cry over the beauty of Chris Martin’s lyrics and the fragile nature of the planet we call earth and it’s inhabitants, then you can touch my winki if you like” Come off it Chris. The only person getting off on your music is you.

Virign Radio are doing their best to tell Coldplay they love them. As I type this the Presenter is kissing their arse as we speak, ‘oh yes Gwyneth listens to the station, tell your man we do love them’, in some vain hope of getting her on the phone. Now he’s really pissed me off by playing Keane.

Ahhhh Keane, You’re next!