The Beacon Theatre, New York City, photo by Andy Tennille

I’d never been to New York before. The people ride in a hole in the ground, I knew that, but what I didn’t know was: you can hear them doing it. So I’m walking along 8th Avenue and I hear a train…What? I look around. Where’s the train? Under my feet, that’s where, and the sound is rising up through a grille in the pavement. Sidewalk.

View from the window of a cheap hotel room

Lots of the other hotel guests were in town for TP&TH. You could tell us by our T shirts – it’s a good way of getting to know people. There was even a couple who’d come from England specially, like me. Hmm, so I wasn’t unique. I walked around the city a lot, and I looked at a lot of art. (By the way, art galleries, like rock concerts, are now infested by people who want to take photos all the time. It’s irritating.) I’m keen on South American culture, and in the Metropolitan Museum of Art I found lots of Peruvian gold artefacts – it’s funny, I always thought the Spanish had got the lot and melted them down. I’m glad they didn’t, because there were many frogs.

Peruvian frog beakers, C9-C11. Yes, I took a photo

The next day was the first gig. I found myself outside the venue early…five hours early in fact. I’d intended just to check out where it was, and then go off somewhere else, but I sat down on a bench just across the road and started watching the people and the traffic. Somehow the time slipped past. Directly opposite me, across the intersection, was another row of benches and facing me was a man who had passed out, or was asleep. I couldn’t tell, but his head was thrown back and his mouth open, and I thought about how horrible he would feel when he woke up. He wasn’t dressed like a street bum – or at least, I couldn’t see him very closely but his colours were unusual. He was wearing cream trousers and a caramel-coloured jacket. The next time I looked at him he had slumped forward, with his head now on his knees and one hand on the ground. Well, I thought, that’s probably more comfortable…The next time, I thought at first he had gone but then realised that I could see his leg: he was lying on the ground. I became alarmed. Somebody should call 911, I thought. A few people went by and looked at him, but they kept on walking. I will have to turn my data roaming on, I thought, and call 911 myself. At least I can put him in the recovery position. (I was feeling a little indignant on the man’s behalf. Why should a tourist have to be the one who summoned the emergency services?) Just then a woman about my age rolled up in a motorised wheelchair, looked at the man on the ground, and rolled on a little way to speak to another older woman sitting a bit further along the same bench. Ah, I thought. I bet something happens now.

Sure enough, a policeman on a bike then appeared. He looked at the man, and spoke into his phone. Next, a fire engine pulled up. The fire officers had a first aid kit and a trolley. They assembled their equipment and had an earnest discussion. I was sorry I was sitting so far away. Then an ambulance turned up, followed by a second one. So from having nobody bothering about him at all apart from a tourist who really didn’t want to turn on her phone, my man had now acquired a full complement of New York’s finest to get him sorted out; and after some more consultation the trolley was adapted to wheelchair form and I could see the man now sitting up and (apparently) taking notice as he was loaded into one of the ambulances and driven away, blue lights, sirens and all. It was immensely satisfying.

The Beacon Theatre borrows the TP&TH logo

So what with this and other diversions, I was well entertained until six o’clock came round and it was time for the premium ticket-holders to pick up their tickets from the box office – after which we could enter ahead of the hoi polloi and buy our merchandise at leisure, not to mention what was on offer from the bars. I got into conversation with the man in front of me in the queue, who told me that he’d seen the band a lot and in fact knew two of them personally. (I, of course, received this news with a suitable level of admiration.) Having acquired my ticket, my T shirt and my drink I then waited for my online TP friend to arrive, which he duly did and recognised me from my T shirt. He proceeded to buy me one of the commemorative ‘Learning To Fly’ cocktails (vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and a dash of lime) in the commemorative glass and then insisted on taking our picture. Well, I could hardly refuse, could I?

Me, Justin and the commemorative cocktail

The theatre itself is extraordinary – it was built in the 1920s and has recently been restored, gilding, goddesses and all. There are two balconies and it is a very intimate space. The stage looked very bare and plain, but I was expecting that because I knew that TP&TH were no longer working with their long-time lighting/stage designer Jim Lenahan. (I hope they didn’t have a falling-out, because Jim has a long history with them – in fact he was the lead singer with the original band, Mudcrutch, back in the day.) During the gigs last year I had noticed what seemed to be lighting setups especially for photographic effects. I thought: I bet there won’t be any of those this time. (I was right! There weren’t any!) For the first concert, I was sitting in the second row right in front of TP, but this turned out not to be as good as it sounds, because I was also surrounded by idiots. TP even shook hands with two of the idiots at the end, which I was a bit cross about. It would have been much better if he’d shaken hands with me.

That’s the back of my head right there in front of TP. Note naked goddess. Photo by Andy Tennille

I wasn’t disappointed in the music. Even though the newest member of the band has been there nearly 20 years, they are not tired of playing together yet and even people who aren’t particularly fond of the music would have to admit they do it well. (There was one major mistake, but I like those.) I knew that there would be far fewer greatest hits in the set than last year, and more songs by other people, and I was pleased about that; and since I wasn’t expecting anything from the next album I wasn’t disappointed when there wasn’t anything. Not very. They did Little Feat’s Willin’ that first night, which is one of my favourite songs of all time, and over the two nights did four songs from their own catalogue that are in my personal top 10 – this is very good, because I am very eclectic. And after the first show was over, one of the idiots passed me a plectrum that TP had dropped. (He drops lots of plectrums.) I was astonished, because I hadn’t realised that they had realised how annoying they were being.

So the next day I did some more art, finally discovering where New York was hiding the Jackson Pollocks; and then I walked round Central Park and found some actual flowers. It was a very hot day; I had to go back to the hotel for a shower. When I went into the Beacon foyer that evening, I was surprised to see again the man who knew two of the band members. We greeted one another and to my amazement and delight he presented me with a backstage pass. It looked real. It had that day’s date written on it.

All through the second show I kept being distracted by the thought that I had a backstage pass. (If I meet TP what will I say to him? Dear reader, calm yourself, because I didn’t meet him.) The set was quite a lot different (no Willin’, but Chris will be pleased to hear that TP now knows the proper words to Friend Of The Devil) and my seat was in the third row at the side, but I had just as good a view of TP if not better, because he came over to my side all the time; and also I was idiot-free, though the man on my right was extremely unpleasant. (But I had a backstage pass, and he didn’t. Rise above it. I rose.) This is the music I love the most and there in front of me, most of the time, is the man who makes it.

Love Is A Long Road

At the end of the show I made my way across the auditorium to the magic door. There were about fifteen of us, including the man I knew – he’s called Alan. We were escorted backstage by the security staff. This whole backstage pass business is very strange, if you think about it. I can see how young bands, and up-and-coming bands, might want to have a bit of a party backstage after a show, and they might want to hand out passes to influential people and potential sexual partners too, no doubt. But why on earth TP&TH would want to bother with all that is a mystery to me. Anyway, we were taken into a largish and very drab room that was like a conference room, with conference-room chairs and tables, and the considerable remains of two cakes, and a solitary orange on a very large plate – the band are obviously fonder of fruit than they are of cake. We waited for a few minutes and then Benmont the keyboards man appeared.

Everything seemed really strained and unnatural, as if nobody knew what to do. So I thought well, I’ve got these things that I was going to say to TP, and so by golly I’ll say them to Benmont instead. So I went over and introduced myself to him, and it’s possible that the things came out rather fast but he was so friendly and polite, and seemed interested, that all things considered I think I managed pretty well. I even thought of a way for him to detach himself from me so that somebody else could have a turn – I mentioned the cakes, saying that nobody had seemed very interested in them, so that Benmont was able to say that perhaps he might have a piece of cake, and then I moved gracefully off. I didn’t do quite so well with Steve the drummer, because (being a Brit himself) he was less impressed by me having come all the way from the UK to see them. He said he did that all the time. I pointed out that he got paid though, which he agreed he did.

So now you’re asking: where are the photos? Ah. Well, while all this was happening, Alan asked me to give him my phone so that he could take photos. But I didn’t have my phone with me. I’d brought it the previous night, but I hadn’t been able to make it work with the Beacon wifi, and so I’d left it at the hotel because I thought I would have no use for it. Alan said never mind, he would use his own phone and email me the photos. He took one of me and Benmont and one of me and Steve, and his daughter took one of me and him. But they’ve not arrived – he must have made a mistake in my email address.

Finally we were all escorted out of the building through the stage door, and outside were a small group of fans hoping to see the band. Ha! Bet they were disappointed to see me! On my way back to the hotel I found a bar that served frozen margaritas. The woman behind the bar said she had just called time, but I could have one if I paid straight away. So of course I did.

Souvenirs

If he chooses a track about octopuses . . I will kill him ! ! !

Welcome to the special Cross Cultural Edition of He Said – She Said ! ! !  This time we decided to show what we think is typical of the music from each other’s counties ! ! !  So I will be picking typically English tracks and Mr P will be picking typically Japanese tracks ! ! !

We think it will be fun and hope you like the post ! ! !

This time we have chosen to visit each other’s musical heritage in a fantastic cross cultural exchange type of a thing. I think it’s interesting to see how others see us, through the medium of music. We have chosen one contemporary  track, one oldie and one traditional.  We hope you enjoy the tracks.

~ ♥  ~ ♪ ~  ♫ ~  ♪ ~  ♥ ~  Contemporary  ~ ♥  ~ ♪ ~  ♫ ~  ♪ ~  ♥ ~

Pairubu – AKB48  - BKA48

( Link to higher quality video – We think it is a fun video ! ! ! )

He Says:

I chose this one as it covers several aspects of modern J-pop but also because it’s really funny. The theme of the song is, basically “Stupid” ( something I am quite the expert on ) and what you have here covers “Girl group sound” , mass popular appeal, the kind of “in yer face” cheeriness that is so common in J-pop and , of course, schoolgirls. Remember, as we have shown in previous posts, that the schoolgirl thing is mainly aimed at other girls, not pervy old blokes. The audience for this kind of song is mainly female, I understand, the girls are admired rather than lusted after.

She Says:

This is the thirty first single from AKB48 and I love it ! ! !  It is such a great pop song and really fun  ! ! !  I think it really captures the fun and innocence of youth.  Of course AKB48 are one of the most commercially successful bands in the world and ( with one or two exceptions ) their success is based on catchy and fun pop tracks, like this one ! ! !  There is no doubt that for most of Asia’s teenagers if you ask them about Japan the first thing they will say is AKB48 so really there is nothing more typical ! ! !  It is great track and I love it ! ! !

Sakura – The Wombats – Lests Dance To Joy Division

She Says:

I associate England with the great indie bands that always seem to come from there.  They have a unique sound and are very innovative to me and I  really enjoy that.  I really like The Wombats.  Strangely their first LP was only ever released in Japan, some tracks were cut out to make it an EP and this was released a year later in the UK.  They have a very typical English indie sound to me with the guitars and the vocals and it is a fun track which makes me want to dance ! ! !   (Even if I do not know who Joy Division are ! ! ! )

He Says:

Oh Goody ! I can use my favourite joke here:

“What’s a wombat ?”
“It’s something you play wom with.”
There, got that out the way. I can’t say this one does a lot for me but it does illustrate, as Sakura points out,  “indie” which, when you think about it is one of our great cultural exports. We gave the world wonky, simple,catchy, inexpertly played pop and, accidentally, encouraged bands all over the world to follow suite. Indie sprang very much from the punk ethic of “you can do it yourselves” and that is no small gift for us to give the world.

~ ♥  ~ ♪ ~  ♫ ~  ♪ ~  ♥ ~  Oldies  ~ ♥  ~ ♪ ~  ♫ ~  ♪ ~  ♥ ~

Pairubu – Peanuts – Lover Come Back To Me

He Says:

Sakura has hit on the reason why I chose this track. For me it represents “Salaryman” pop from the time when Japan was flourishing commercially. I can imagine a bar full of drunk guys in business suits singing along. It’s Japan looking out towards the world as saying ( singing) “We belong with you, we are sophisticated, civilised and growing more prosperous day by day”. Of course it all went pear shaped but at the time this was recorded no one would know that.

She Says:

I was surprised by this choice, but after thinking about it is certainly typical of a particular era.  Peanuts made their debut in 1958 but achieved thier biggest successes in the early part of the 1960 decade.  They specialised in making cover versions of popular western songs, such as this one.  They were the first Japanese vocal group to achieve international success and were popular in the USA as well as in Japan.  They captured a desire that there was in Japan at that time to be modern and western and to leave the time of the post war occupation and the war behind.  Japan was booming and growing in stature in the world and we wanted to belong to that wider world and Peanuts captured that feeling perfectly.  Also I think it was reassuring to the USA to see Japanese people in western clothes singing western songs and it was a powerful message that Japan was a western country and not a communist one like North Korea or Vietnam or China.

Sakura  -  Sex Pistols  - Pretty Vacant

She Says:

I think that influence of England in modern music comes a lot from punk.  If you say the word punk then people always think first about London,  the street fashions and of course the Sex Pistols.  I think they are probably the most influential English band internationally except  for maybe The Beatles.  Certainly they inspired a generation in a way that, for example the Ramones, did not.  For me punk will always be tied to England and The Sex Pistols.  This is my favourite track of theirs ! ! !

He Says:

Very much “of my time” , of course. The Pistols were hugely influential, the catalyst to a thousand suburban fantasies of stardom. I looked and dressed a bit like ( a budget version of) Sid Vicious at that time and embraced the idea of being “Pretty vacant” to the full.  This song has, I feel, worn well, better than some of their other songs. The lyric contains several key “punk” ideas, most importantly “we don’t care”. That,  for me, was the key to understanding 1977 vintage punk.

~ ♥  ~ ♪ ~  ♫ ~  ♪ ~  ♥ ~  Traditional  ~ ♥  ~ ♪ ~  ♫ ~  ♪ ~  ♥ ~

Pairubu – Rin – Sakura Sakura

He Says:

A slight contemporary twist to this traditional tune. This is just so evocative of “old Japan”, the sound of the Koto is instantly recognisable. How can you not think of Geisha, tea ceremonies, Kimono and cherry blossoms when listening to this.  Beautiful.  The Koto is one of the world’s great “impractical” instruments. Imagine having to tune that !

She Says:

This is maybe one of the most famous traditional Japanese songs.  It was written in the Edo period when the capital of Japan moved from Kyoto to Tokyo and this period ( 1603 and 1868 ) was when Japanese classical art, music and theatre reached its peak.  It became a very popular song in the 1890 decade when it was included in a book of easy Koto pieces and it was at this time the lyrics were first added.  There are several versions of the lyrics and additional verses were added in 1941 to make the song more patriotic, however the version by Rin is the original 1880 lyrics which are about a person missing and thinking about a departed lover.  I really like this version of the song ! ! !

Sakura – Kings College Cambridge Choir – O Come All Ye Faithful

She Says:

Actually I had a really big problem when I had to think of a traditional track.  I realised that actually most Japanese people would not be able to name one traditional English song ! ! !  And the only ones I know are the Rambling Sid tracks Mr P has intorduced me to.   But then I realised that of course we all know the Christmas carols.  Even though we are not Christians in Japan the festival is celebrated as a shopping opportunity and Christmas carols are played in all the malls.  There are also carol concerts on TV and in malls.  In school we also learnt christmas carols in our English lessons so these are actually the most popular of English traditional music.  This is my all time favourite carol, and the choir is lovely ! ! !

He Says:

Unseasonal, perhaps but I can see why Sakura has chosen this.One of my favourite things at Christmas is to go to a Carol Service.  There are so many beautiful carols and when sung in a setting like King’s College Chapel they can really make you feel all Christmasy.  You have to be a particularly sour faced Puritan not to enjoy this kind of thing, I think.

~ ♥  ~ ♪ ~  ♫ ~  ♪ ~  ♥ ~  Conclusions  ~ ♥  ~ ♪ ~  ♫ ~  ♪ ~  ♥ ~

She Says:

We hope you have enjoyed our look at each others culture and the music we consider typical of the other’s country.  We had a lot of fun making the post and we hope you enjoyed it ! ! !  Please leave a comment to tell us what you think are typical tracks from your country or one of ours ! ! !

He Says:

So there you are.Some good selections here, I think, which illustrate how we see each other’s countries.Japan and England both have rich and varied musical histories with a lot to offer the world. It takes a bit of effort, perhaps, to listen to some of the unfamiliar sounds from other places but it is nearly always worth the effort ( the jury is out on nose flutes). We hope you enjoyed our brief tour.

“Where will go now Mr P ? ? ?”
“Who knows, Ms S . . Who Knows . . “

~ ♥  ~ ♪ ~  ♫ ~  ♪ ~  ♥ ~  Mr P and Ms S  -  Bonus Track About An Octopus ! ! !  ~ ♥  ~ ♪ ~  ♫ ~  ♪ ~  ♥ ~

200 years ago today, Richard Wagner was born. As an historical figure, he is undoubtedly controversial. His personal traits and character flaws have been documented extensively and his popularity with the 20th Century’s  darkest regime is perhaps the single best known fact about him, and probably the reason so many people are reluctant to engage fully with his music. But on his birthday, I ask indulgence and a few moments attention to try and demonstrate quite why his music is among the most sublime ever written…

Firstly, there is the unavoidable issue of scale. Yes his “music dramas” are enormous, lengthy beasts. But within them is an incredible sense of massive structure. In an oft quoted architectural analogy, his works are constructed like vast cathedrals, soaring up to the heavens and taking our spirits with it whilst leaving us awestruck. Intellectually, there is so much to return to in each work, the recurrent use of motifs to represent specific characters and their motivations means that the works fit together logically like vast puzzles that yield increasing reward with each listen. But ultimately for me, it is the physical effect that his music has that makes it so compelling – there is no composer that has the same visceral effect, that can make your heart soar or exhaust you so completely.

Rather than writing reams in trying to justify why anyone should listen to Wagner, I am instead going to point to a single except to listen to, and if you have not heard it before, I urge you to give 10 minutes to it – I am suggesting the incredibly passionate  Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, performed here by the wonderful Jessye Norman

The liebestod is literally a “love-death”, as Isolde is consumed with grief at the death of her lover Tristan, she wills herself into death – the music begins softly and slowly then builds in a seemingly never ending climax to ever greater levels of intensity, building and building in waves until it breaks in a moment of shattering release, in what is almost certainly a musical analogue of an orgasm.

There are whole books to be read on how Tristan and Isolde is the birth of modern music, of how it pioneered the breaking of strict musical conventions to generate ever more dramatic soundscapes.  But on Wagner’s birthday, don’t worry about that. Ignore the ugliness that you might associate with this composer and just revel in what has to be one of the most beautiful sounds ever made.

So, this week’s ‘Spill Challenge is all about the Wizard of Wimborne, Robert Fripp.

Apart from being the sole constant in the ever-changing kaleidoscope that is King Crimson, Fripp has contributed his guitar work to albums by many varied artists as a session player, recorded collaborative albums with others and produced a fair number of albums too.

The constant factor here is that everything either features Fripp as a musician or producer or has ex-Crimson members performing on the tracks on offer.

The rules are the same as always, select the one that appeals least and consign it to the dustbin of history.

So, to the music.

1) David Bowie – Up The Hill Backwards. Fripp had previously worked with Bowie on “Heroes” and this track is from “Scary Monsters”, probably Bowies last truly great album. Fripp plays on several tracks, and this one has some typically angular and spiky work.
2) Peter Gabriel – Fear Is The Mother Of Violence. Gabriel’s second solo album after leaving Genesis was produced by Fripp and also features him playing guitar on some tracks. A deceptive ballad, with a rather unsettling feel.
3) Van Der Graaf Generator – The Emperor In His War Room. VDGG were never an easy listen for many people and notably didn’t really go in for guitar solos, although Peter Hammill did play a bit of acoustic guitar. Anyway, here Fripp contributes some trademark sustain-driven electric guitar work.
4) 21st Century Schizoid Band – I Talk To The Wind. The band is made up from former Crimson members and occasionally tours playing classic Crimson tunes. This is from Crimson’s groundbreaking first album, “In The Court Of The Crimson King”.
5) David Sylvian – Wave. One of Fripp’s more interesting and enduring partnerships in the 1980s and 90s was with ex-Japan frontman David Sylvian. Fripp wanted him to join a reformed Crimson in around 1991, but it never happened. This track is from Sylvian’s earlier solo album, “Gone To Earth” and features Fripp’s distinctive sustained guitar and elements of Frippertronics.
6) McDonald and Giles – Flight Of The Ibis. After quitting King Crimson, Ian McDonald and Michael Giles released an eponymous album in 1971. This ethereal track is similar to “Cadence and Cascade” from Crimson’s second album, “In The Wake Of Poseidon”.
7) Daryl Hall – Something in 4/4 Time. Daryl Hall’s first solo album, “Sacred Songs”, was produced by Fripp, who also played on it. At the time, in 1977, Hall was enjoying a lot of success with John Oates as Hall and Oates and, fearing that this allegedly uncommercial solo record might impact on his success, Hall’s record label refused to release the album and it was shelved and only released three years later.
8) Judy Dyble – Dreamtime. Judy Dyble was the original female singer in Fairport Convention. She was also, for a time involved with the precursor to King Crimson, Giles, Giles and Fripp. She gave up the music business in the 1970s and only began perfonming and recording again in 1994. This track is taken from her 2009 album, Talking with Strangers, and features Crimsonites Ian McDonald and Pat Mastelotto.
9) Peter Hammill – Child. This track is from Hammill’s 1971 debut solo album, “Fool’s Mate”. The album is made up from material that Hammill felt wasn’t really suitable for VDGG but features all the band’s members as well as Fripp and several others.
10) Robert Fripp – North Star. From Fripp’s 1979 solo album “Exposure”. This features the vocal talents of Daryl Hall, again something that Hall’s record label wasn’t too pleased about. There are different versions of the album, with some songs rerecorded with other singers replacing Hall, notably Peter Hammill and Peter Gabriel, but both are available as a double CD.
11) King Crimson – Exiles. Finally, to round off, we have the Mighty Crim itself, recorded live in 1974 in Providence, Rhode Island and issued on the live 4-CD box set “The Great Deceiver”. This was arguably Crimson’s greatest line-up, with David Cross, John Wetton and Bill Bruford joining Fripp for some truly incandescent virtuoso playing.

Peggy Gilbert 1905-2007

Some old, some new, more Earworms for you. At least one is borrowed and the air is blue because ITunes  just deleted my carefully crafted playlists. Good job I write them down. Ha!! Thanks as ever to our gracious contributors, without whom (etc. etc.) Please keep them coming to earworm@tincanland.com, thank’ee.

Cake – Mahna, Mahna – tincanman: A quirky, good-humoured band playing the ultimate earworm. I win.

Gene Autry- Deep in the Heart of Texas – pairubu: One of my favourite films is Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and this song features in a scene set in Texas. Guaranteed thigh-slapper, (for me at least)!

Etta James – Something’s Got A Hold On Me – williamsbach: Etta James is in the car CD player at the moment, rediscovered during a move.  Turns out both Sandra and I are fans.  Her ’62 Billboard R&B no 4  is amazingly fresh to the worms in our ears.  Stylistically straight outta church with the Amen Corner on overtime, it’s a love song most upbeat, typical of Ms James’ mix-it-up tendencies and summing up the musical changes happening at the time.  Don’t tell S, but it’s top of my wedding playlist.

Be You – Irma Thomas & Dr John – glasshalfempty: A while back Betty Harris went down well with those of you in the wiggly-things-in-the-ears fraternity. So here’s another great N’Awlins songstress, Irma Thomas, ‘The Soul Queen’.  She deserves a wider audience, after only one chart hit in a 50 year career. It was hard to pick just one track to offer. Here she is with Dr. John imploring her man to just ‘Be You’.

Sore – Nancy Bird – barbryn: A year’s supply of ‘Spill points to anyone who can guess what year this was made and what country it comes from.

Manhattan Transfer – On A Little Street In Singapore – ali:  OK, so you can’t beat Glenn Miller. But this reminds me of “waltzing” in the snow with my friend Nicky, outside the Student Union, in unsuitable footwear. Those were the days …

Anorak Girls Anorak Girl
Are You Feeling Fashionable? Help She Can’t Swim
Same Song Sing Along Her Space Holiday
Tallulah Allo Darlin’
Fashion Party (With Chairlift) Das Racist
Fashion Magazine Glamma Kid
Madame Hollywood [Tiga Remix] Felix Da Housecat
Magazine Ilad
What Kind Of Man Reads Playboy Bongwater
The Sweetest Thing Camera Obscura
Silver Screen Shower Scene Felix Da Housecat Feat. Miss Kittin
In The Hidden Places The Mountain Goats
Birthday Girl The Roots Feat. Patrick Stump
The Songs That We Sing Charlotte Gainsbourg
Map of the World Monsters Of Folk
New Art For The People The Indelicates
Gilded (Live) Arab Strap

Here’s a piece of music that’s been haunting me for some months now, ever since I saw the film last year. This is just a short selection, it seemed to run throughout the film. I left the the theater with it running through my head. There’s a fair bit of information at Wiki so I won’t bore you with it here. It’s well worth a listen.

So, what do the two things have in common? The first thing is Mogwai*, my useless former tortie sulker. The second is “I See You Baby (Shakin’ That Ass)” by Groove Armada & Fatboy Slim.

The answer is….nothing! Apart from the fact that the two things are irretrievably, utterly linked in my mind. Mrs McFlah & I used to sing the song towards Mogwai because of the way her furry rump swung when she walked, waaay back when it came out (the song, not the cat’s bum) in ’99. Whenever I hear the song, I can think of nothing else but the feline booty sway.

So then, I would like you please to recommend songs that are solidly bonded by association in your minds – the winner will be the one that has the most convoluted & bizarre or ridiculous & mundane explanation to it!

Cheers!

*yes, named after the band.

I’d also like to know a movie or book that you’d recommend on the subject – AIP’s a closet Twilight fan, heehee (he’s been listening to the soundtrack – not reading the books or watching the movie – he’s not imploded with pressure that much) – keep it Vampires – I’ll do a wolf playlist next time I get a go.

So:
Trash One
Add One
best Movie
best Book

thank you – my children of the night.