Wednesday 6 January 2010
My New Years Resolution
On my iPod at the moment, I have 5985 unplayed songs. That is starting to feel a bit ridiculous. I have 15 days, 10 hours, 37 minutes and 36 seconds of music that I haven't even listened to. It is my resolution to reduce this dramatically, maybe even fully, by the end of the year. Will it last? Will it fuck!
Tuesday 5 January 2010
2009
On a personal level, 2009 has been quite a shit year, for my whole family. Brother graduated university, but has since been in and out of mind-numbing factory jobs. Father got made redundant at the start of the year, and has only recently got back into work. Mother broke her ankle on her first day back at work in January, and later got made redundant too. Me? Well, it was all going so well, until a diagnosis of thyroid cancer spoilt it all. A month or two of prods and ‘mm-hmms’, and a nine-hour operation later, I seem to be doing better, which a kick ass scar to boot, but still, you can see that 2009 was a bit of a downer.
Elsewhere though, it appears that 2009 has been a pretty good year, with some excellent music coming out. The likes of Gaslight Anthem, White Lies and The Dead Weather emerging with brilliant albums and an exciting future ahead of them, while bands like Doves and Green Day return with excellent new albums, after a prolonged absence. One of the best albums of the year though, in my opinion anyway, would be Arctic Monkeys’ 3rd album, ‘Humbug’. With a more developed, mature sound, the band has gone from strength to strength. The decision to employ Josh Homme as producer has invariably led to misguided claims that it sounds ‘just like Queens of the Stone Age’, where in reality, there is more of a likeness to what The Fall would sound like if they were, well, good.
2009 has also been a year in which blockbuster movies have dominated. The likes of ‘Transformers’, ‘Terminator Salvation’, ‘2012’, ‘Star Trek’ and more recently ‘Avatar’ have been big hitters at the cinemas. However, it was also a year that saw the truly brilliant ‘Watchmen’, an adaptation of arguably the best graphic novel ever written, and the ever-so-lovely ‘(500) Days of Summer’ grace our cinemas too. The latter being one of the sweetest stories of heartache I have ever seen. Both of which had fantastic soundtracks too.
We have seen some sadness this year, as it seems more than the usual amount of ‘famous’ people died. The likes of Michael Jackson, John Hughes, JG Ballard, Les Paul and, well, Jade Goody, left us this year. However, the biggest loss, for me anyway, was the inevitable split of Oasis. It was always going to happen, but it still came as a huge shock to me. All I can hope is the rumoured solo projects do well, or conversely do so badly that it forces them to reconcile and reunite. We will just have to wait and see.
All I can hope on a personal level, is that 2010 brings much more of the good things in life, good music, good films, and a lot less bloody hospital appointments.
Elsewhere though, it appears that 2009 has been a pretty good year, with some excellent music coming out. The likes of Gaslight Anthem, White Lies and The Dead Weather emerging with brilliant albums and an exciting future ahead of them, while bands like Doves and Green Day return with excellent new albums, after a prolonged absence. One of the best albums of the year though, in my opinion anyway, would be Arctic Monkeys’ 3rd album, ‘Humbug’. With a more developed, mature sound, the band has gone from strength to strength. The decision to employ Josh Homme as producer has invariably led to misguided claims that it sounds ‘just like Queens of the Stone Age’, where in reality, there is more of a likeness to what The Fall would sound like if they were, well, good.
2009 has also been a year in which blockbuster movies have dominated. The likes of ‘Transformers’, ‘Terminator Salvation’, ‘2012’, ‘Star Trek’ and more recently ‘Avatar’ have been big hitters at the cinemas. However, it was also a year that saw the truly brilliant ‘Watchmen’, an adaptation of arguably the best graphic novel ever written, and the ever-so-lovely ‘(500) Days of Summer’ grace our cinemas too. The latter being one of the sweetest stories of heartache I have ever seen. Both of which had fantastic soundtracks too.
We have seen some sadness this year, as it seems more than the usual amount of ‘famous’ people died. The likes of Michael Jackson, John Hughes, JG Ballard, Les Paul and, well, Jade Goody, left us this year. However, the biggest loss, for me anyway, was the inevitable split of Oasis. It was always going to happen, but it still came as a huge shock to me. All I can hope is the rumoured solo projects do well, or conversely do so badly that it forces them to reconcile and reunite. We will just have to wait and see.
All I can hope on a personal level, is that 2010 brings much more of the good things in life, good music, good films, and a lot less bloody hospital appointments.
Sunday 3 January 2010
Top Gear is actually shit.
Someone had to say it. It really is fucking awful. If you like I'll tell you why...
In all honesty, you have to admit, cars are boring. Does anyone really know what horsepower is good to have? If a car can do 0 to 60 in 5 seconds, is this good? Considering you'd never be in a situation in your everyday routine where this would be helpful. Because you all know, you really wouldn't.
Why is watching a complete wanker (more of which later) speeding around a racetrack in a fancy car good? You'll never get that car, you'll never go on a track with it, you'll never be able to drive like that.
If it is supposed to be a show reviewing cars, why does it not mention anything of cars that people can actually afford, and that you would drive around in to go to work/do the shopping/cart various children around? Oh wait, because it would be boring (like all cars are). Instead we see whatever 'super car' go 'like a squirrel with adrenaline injected into it's testicles', or some other ridiculously stupid metaphor.
It is presented by a total prat. I really don't see what is so funny about Jeremy Clarkson. He is a stupid, arrogant bigot. He knows nothing about anything. Other than how much he likes the sound of his own voice. For someone who is a 'petrol head', he actually does not have a clue about anything to do with cars. All he 'knows' is how to hit things with a hammer, and insult the French/German - a petty disliking, that the whole nation could probably do with getting over.
So there you go. Don't agree? Then watch it, and think about all these points, you will see that I am right. I saw a Facebook group campaigning that the show shouldn't be cancelled (and as we all know, Facebook really can change the world....). I for one, really hope that it does. Because it truly is fucking shite.
In all honesty, you have to admit, cars are boring. Does anyone really know what horsepower is good to have? If a car can do 0 to 60 in 5 seconds, is this good? Considering you'd never be in a situation in your everyday routine where this would be helpful. Because you all know, you really wouldn't.
Why is watching a complete wanker (more of which later) speeding around a racetrack in a fancy car good? You'll never get that car, you'll never go on a track with it, you'll never be able to drive like that.
If it is supposed to be a show reviewing cars, why does it not mention anything of cars that people can actually afford, and that you would drive around in to go to work/do the shopping/cart various children around? Oh wait, because it would be boring (like all cars are). Instead we see whatever 'super car' go 'like a squirrel with adrenaline injected into it's testicles', or some other ridiculously stupid metaphor.
It is presented by a total prat. I really don't see what is so funny about Jeremy Clarkson. He is a stupid, arrogant bigot. He knows nothing about anything. Other than how much he likes the sound of his own voice. For someone who is a 'petrol head', he actually does not have a clue about anything to do with cars. All he 'knows' is how to hit things with a hammer, and insult the French/German - a petty disliking, that the whole nation could probably do with getting over.
So there you go. Don't agree? Then watch it, and think about all these points, you will see that I am right. I saw a Facebook group campaigning that the show shouldn't be cancelled (and as we all know, Facebook really can change the world....). I for one, really hope that it does. Because it truly is fucking shite.
I got a Gamecube for Christmas...
And it is fucking awesome. After only playing on it for an afternoon, it officially kicks ass. Takes me right back to the days of Tony Hawks, Kerrang compilation albums and New Found Glory.
I just need to decide if that is a good thing or not...
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