Added to iPod
October 28, 2007 | Filed Under Music | 11 Comments
“Sweeny Todd - Original Soundtrack” Len Cariou and Angela Landsbury. This music rocks - ask Tim Burton…
DJ Shadow -”The Private Press”
Brazilian Girls - “Talk to la Bomb”
PiL - “Second Edition” The CD version will do until I can record the Metal Box.
Jewel - “Pieces of You” Stop sniggering. Most of you never heard her real first album. I bought this early and saw her play at the late, lamented club Tradewinds on the Jersey Shore. She was straight forward and a lot of fun. Then one of the singles hit, she got a video, a stylist and REPRODUCED the whole record. This is the original recording.
Roisin Murphy - “Ruby Blue”
Also - Tim Curry - “Fearless” Just the three big singles. They were perfect hits - especially in the days when they would start the midnight festivities at Rocky Horror. Only put on CD once in a greatest hits collection that now goes for $100 on eBay. Luckily, I have vinyl.
MRI
October 27, 2007 | Filed Under Main | No Comments
Ever had one of these? This is high-tech. The top of the food chain in diagnosis for the average joe. And this was my LAST line of interrogation to find out what the f&#@K is wrong with my knee.
Because I have been limping for two months now and it is really making me depressed… though the worst thing for me is not knowing the cause.
Anyway - an MRI is not an unpleasant or even a time consuming event. But it is odd. The first thing they do is make sure you’re not claustrophobic - since you are inside a metal tube. Second - they give you ear plugs. That is because this machine makes it sound like you are on the inside of an operating trash compactor. Very very loud. Then - they offer you a blanket. Being a guy, I waved that off. I had a long sleeve shirt AND my sweats on. Why would I need a blanket?
Take the blanket. It is very COLD! Obviously that is to keep a machine that sounds like a broken buzzsaw from overheating. And since this was happening around 7:30am - when I am usually getting on a bus to go back to sleep - the noise and the cold did its best to keep me awake.
All perfectly worth it if I can get this leg fixed.
Kuwait - Done Deal
October 23, 2007 | Filed Under Main | No Comments
Signed and sealed. Leaving in January.
As Lou Reed said - “It’s the beginning of the Great Adventure”.
Hell, I was in politics for four years and lived. This could only be easier.
Added to iPod
October 21, 2007 | Filed Under Music | No Comments
People ask if I actually listen to all this stuff.
The answer is YES!
Jack Lancaster - “Marscape” Old, instrumental art rock with Phil Collins and members of Brand X.
Miles Davis - “Fillies de Kilimanjaro”
“DIY - Mass. Ave. - The Boston Scene” featuring classis hits by The Neats. Nervous Eaters, The Real Kids and many more bands from my youth.
Manu Chao - “Esperanza” French born. Spanish descent. He sings a potent mix of latin, reggae, and african rhythms in english, french, spanish and a few other languages. A dollop of politics, a wiley sense of humor and a love of the ganja. I believe this is his second album. Good stuff.
Thelonius Monk “Monk’s Music”
Suphala - “Blueprint” World-beat jazz with this young tabla artist. Getting quite a reputation. Look her up.
Bruce Springsteen - “Magic” Honestly - my wife plays him so much that the only other Bruce CD I have loaded is “Nebraska”. But I heard the new single at the airport in London and it was strong. Not bad for an old guy…
CAN - “Soundtracks”
Galaxie 500 - “The Portable Galaxie 500″ A best of.
Also - some missing songs from Horslips now that their ENTIRE catalogue is on iTunes.
8,247 songs. 24.8 days. Can I make it to 30 before I go??
M.I.A.
October 16, 2007 | Filed Under Main, Music | No Comments
Ah, the things we learn in a day…
I mentioned earlier that I thought M.I.A.’s new record “Kala” is one of the best of the year. Then I remembered that a woman who works in my office was from Sri Lanka (via London). So I asked her if she knew M.I.A..
“Yes”, she said curtly. “I hope you don’t like her.”
Why?
“Because she supports the terrorists - the Tamil Tigers!”
oh.
Hello? Wikapedia? (actually I used Encarta)
The Tamil Tigers are a terrorist group in Sri Lanka similar to the IRA. The Tamil people form part of the society in Sri Lanka and Southern India. There has been tensions between them and the main ruling class for years and - after a few serious ethnic clashes - 100,000 Tamils fled into Sounthern India. The Tigers or LTTE (The Liberation Tigers of Eelam) are a separtist group fighting for a separate Tamil nation and use violence and assasinations to get their point across (sound familiar?).
From what I read, M.I.A.’s father joined the Tigers when the violence started and she and her mom left for London. Supposedly, there has been no contact between them for years. But she filters ethnic struggles, fighting for your rights and a no BS attitude through her songs.
So - a little less ignorant. I still think the record is hot.
Added to iPod
October 13, 2007 | Filed Under Music | No Comments
It’s a music FRENZY!!!
First - I added two CDs from magazines I picked up at Heathrow Airport: one just called DJ (filled with techno stuff) and another called The Word, which has new tunes from John Fogerty, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and Alison Moyet.
Then:
Geroge Harrison - “All Things Must Pass” The 30th Anniversary Edition.
Vangelis - “Vangelis Odyssey” Mainly from his soundtrack work.
Underworld & Gabriel Yared - “Soundtrack to Breaking and Entering” Not very Underworld-like, but pretty
Band of Horses - “Cease To Begin” Nice record of moody alterna-pop. Wouldn’t seem out of place on a Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack. Oddly - there is a song on the record titled ‘Detlef Schrempf’ (anyone? anyone?)
Fat Boy Slim - “Late Night Tales” Part of a series of chill-out mix CDs - where a known artist throws together his favorite tunes. This one is a lot of fun - filled with old vinyl recordings.
M.I.A. - “Kala” This young, Sri Lankan woman mixes hip-hop, techno and World vibes with fierce lyrics and brass balls. This is one of the best records of the year!! Check it out.
Radiohead - “In Rainbows” I paid three pounds ($6.00) for this download. That is because their last couple of records were worthless, pretentious twaddle. Well, I’m glad I only paid six bucks. Though the new record is much better than previous offerings - it is still f–ing BORING! They make Coldplay look like a rock band! Why does the band even have a guitar player? Do they need the dues?!
Lou Reed - “Berlin” and Big Star - “Sister Lovers” These are two classic records. Along with “Tonight’s The Night” and Nilsson’s “Pussycats”, these are among the most messy, painful and brilliant records in the Rock canon. Lou has described “Berlin” as his Hamlet. It is about a tortured relationship that ends badly. But the record is produced to within an inch of its life by Bob Ezrin. Horns, strings and a full, crisp production provide the background to some of Lou’s most heartbreaking tunes. “Sister Lovers” was the last Big Star record. No contract. No sales. No hope. Alex Chilton can be heard dissolving into drugs and alcohol on the album. But his talent shines through the songs and the vocal performances. It is scary and well worth the trip.
Kuwait - Part 3
October 13, 2007 | Filed Under Main | No Comments
One of the disconcerting things about flying roughly 4,000 miles to a country you’ve never seen and a part of the world you know very little about is to get off the plane and walk through the gate to the Immigration Desk, look to your right and see Ronald McDonald – with a Pizza Hut right next door. And this wasn’t the last time either, since my two days there consisted mostly of a slight ten-cent tour of Kuwait City – mainly highways, shopping malls and the coastline which is littered with American fast food joints. I was told by the people who at met at my possibly new office that – because it was Ramadan – things were pretty upside down. Many shops were closed because you can’t eat/drink/smoke in public and many people stayed indoors until sundown. None of this was a hardship, however, since the hotel still served room service and the office set aside an area for non-Muslim’s to eat lunch. Incidently, it was 103 degrees outside and 65 degrees in any building. Also – the Kuwaiti people drive only American cars – big, fat SUV’s, Hummers and trucks. Gas is cheap there (surprise, surprise). However, it is a dry country. No alcohol is served anywhere… except in people’s homes where it seems many people either make home-made wine or buy black market. Which only made me wonder what the serve at the Applebee’s and TGI Friday’s on the Waterfront (just down from the Emir’s Palace). I mean, they can’t serve buffalo wings – right? If there is no beer, what the hell is the point?
So – the new office and the people there are great and the work they do all over that area of the world is very important. But – outside of seeing some very nice apartments – the rest looked like a less green New Jersey. Maybe I can see a bit more next time.
British Airways
October 11, 2007 | Filed Under Main | No Comments
Yes - I’m back! Got home yesterday officially 24 hours after I got up to catch my first plane home… and YET it was still Wednesday. I love the time space continuum!
More on the trip when I have time, but let me first sing the praises of British Airways and Business Class travel. HOORAY!!! LOVE YOU GUYS! Never had such a pleasant flight in my life! Great food (and lots of it). Good wines (and LOTS of them). Big spacious seating and many good movies to choose from (unedited). Also - because of being on Business Class, you had use of the B.A. lounge and easy transfer from one flight to the next.
Best vacation I ever had!
Friday
October 5, 2007 | Filed Under Main | No Comments
long week….
Kerry has been in Paris with a friend and enjoying the same hot, sticky weather that we have had here. The humidity has been KILLER in the city. (I thought it was October…) Chris has been prepping for his SAT’s on Saturday. I have been hobbling around all week on one leg (as bursitis has attacked my left knee) as well as completing every project at work I can think of so I can make my clandestine trip to - Kuwait! Tomorrow. I’m packing now and mostly suits… which is just SO WEIRD!! I never travel with suits. Go - try and find a decent hanging bag that you can check. I think I saw two in all of NYC.
The week has been so stressed, I haven’t really added anything to the iPod - except for the first two epsiodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” which I have missed so far this season.
So - be back Wednesday night. I’ll let you all know next weekend what it was like. Right now? I am actually looking forward to the very long plane trip…