Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Weird Fantasy - Guest List


Inspired by the playlist postings here...

Five Centres
The Urban Woo
Valentine suicide

I'm going to do my own playlist posting - the difference being these are potential setlists. A couple of friends Agent Cooper and Paul Sigg's have started a new shindig and monthly tear up in the sunny Southend area called 'Weird Fantasy'( the second installment being this Friday 30th November) and have kindly allowed me to do a spot of decks pesting on the night.

These are the setlists I may be spinning - but it's almost impossible to be prescriptive, so running orders typically go on the wobble and out the window thirty seconds into the first track, but anyway this is plan.

Possible Set 1
Marsha Hunt - (Oh No! Not) The Beast Day
Jackie Mittoo - Stereo Freeze
The First Edition - I Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In
The Marmalade - Mess Around
Roger & The Gypsies - Pass The Hatchet
Donovan -- Babarajagal (Love Is Hot)
Hugo Montenegro - Touch Me (The Doors)
The McCoys - Fever
Johnny Jones - Purple haze
Jackie Mittoo - Hang 'Em High
Tommy Dark - Wobble Legs
Esquerita - Rockin' the Joint
The Isley Brothers - Get Into Something
Amanda Shankar - Jumpin' Jack Flash
The Ikettes -Don't Feel Sorry For Me
Booker T & The MGs - Jelly Bread
Sammy Davis Jr - You Can Count On Me
Velvet Underground - Guess I'm Falling In Love
The Sonics - Shot Down

Possible Set 2
Albert Collins - Cookin' Catfish
The Strangers - Mary Mary
Merry Clayton - Gimme Shelter
Thelma Houston - Jumping Jack Flash
Patti Drew -- Fever
Chubby Checker - Back In the USSR
Five By Five - Fire
The Bobby Fuller Four - Magic Touch
The Younghearts - A Little Togetherness
The Sonics - Psycho
The Happy Cats - These Boots Were Made For Walkin'
Mae West - Great Balls of Fire
Tony Newman - Let The Good Times Roll
Peggy Lee- Dock Of The Bay
Solomon Burke - Maggie's Farm
Wilson Pickett - Born To Be Wild
Tom Jones - Keep On Runnin'

I'll try and do an update of what gets into the final countdown next week, and if anyone does happen to be passing through the Leigh on Sea area this Friday, why not pop along to raise a glass and shake a leg. Or perhaps check out some of my earlier mixes which feature several tracks from both selections.

Tunes From The Crypt


Frighty Night Is Music Night

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Where Are They Now? Pt 1 - Park keepers

"I don't care who you are - get off the grass!!...."

In an ongoing series documenting the disappeared - things that were everyday sights or common occurrences that seem to vanished for no obvious reason.

I'm going to start with Park Keepers.
They may still be around, and I'm just looking for the wrong thing - expecting to see a sour, dour middle aged military type (possibly with a moustache) purple faced and frowning around the grounds. But no, there's obviously Groundsmen (green polo shirts, badged and branded with the local council's snappy logo) shuddering around the boundaries on fun size tractors, who seem to be either straight from a Gillette ad' or dreadlocked friends of 'Swampy' - but no obvious leader of the pack.

There were two 'Parkies' at our local park Geoff (Mr Nice)who looked like Oscar Goldman and would let you sit in the office on cold days, and Bill (Mr Nasty) who would get on the 999 line every time the witches hat was liberated from it's pole, if someone had been spotted on the shed roof, cricket green or had 'French Bangers'

Do these sort of jobs still exist? - It makes perfect sense that there should still be a requirement for Park Keepers but I'm convinced I haven't spotted one in years. I heard recently about a local government scam called 'tarmacing' where at the end of the financial year roads are tarmaced to use up any spare left in the budgets, allowing for the same budget to be given for the following year. I hope 'Parkies' haven't been victims of 'tarmacing' and cutbacks.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Start Making Sense Pt 1 - Chinstrap Beards


What in the name of Dr Mop are chinstrap beards all about?

Fair enough if you're a Quaker, Amish or just enjoy dressing like Windy Miller, but anyone else - why?? Even morris dancers don't go gadding around in their ribbons, bows and pig's bladder balloons away from the village green/pub car park. I can understand the solid earthiness of a full beard, even the neatly clipped precision of a 'tache. But chinstraps - why??And the haircut of choice that the chin strapped chap seems favour with his beardy based version of a comb over is usually

A - geometric pudding bowl fringe
B - bald/shaven

Check out the hyperkinetic ball of sexual tension that is Jospeh here,this is all genuine with no tweakage (apart from the italics)


"I grew my beard because I got bored with being the clean cut look and figured it would be interesting -- plus when some of the women at work complained too much,

what did he do?

"I knew I was onto something- they may deny it, but we all know they love it. ;)"

Not sure I like the no means yes tone there J


"Can't have a mustache though, because I am a tuba player, The downside is that it is freaking hot in summer - "

Aaaaaahh - so that'll be why you're naked in a photo booth then?

"the upside is that I spend winters in Finland, where it works great at keeping the wind off my cheeks. :) "

Upside for who - your Floridian neighbours, the girls at work - surely not the good people of Finland who get Oddbod flying in for a full winters worth of tooting on his tuba.?


So there you go forget Facebook, Bebo and other social networking sites Beards.org is where the hot action is frying tonight.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Bad Book Club Pt 1 -A Londoner's Diary


The London paper the Evening Standard has a free magazine every Friday 'ES'.

Typically the cover splash features ‘next big things’ (actors and/or models) that I've never heard of and never seem to go anywhere. Inside it's a medley of serious faced suity types and their shiny new projects, aristocratic inheritance scandals about high society swizzery and who ended up with all Lord Toffingham’s lolly. Oh, and a designer. But the travel pages are great.

However, the thing that really makes me grind my teeth to dental powder is one full page of full on smuggery bringing light to the lives of lowly folk - called

‘A Londoner's Diary’

It’s usually written by the sort of quack head Notting Hill ninny you’d dread being sat next to anywhere (apart from when it’s Alex James). In which the guest gabbler of the week swishes through a list of society lunches, showbiz launches, 'charidee'work and country weekends throwing celebrity names around like someone feeding handfuls of corn to the feral pigeons

The political diarists are even more deeply dire, full of quizzical eyes, knowing nods and Westminster(yawns)yarns that turn you grey faced, glazed and bored to the very core.

It’s these sort of metro trendies and droning minnies that give southerners a bad name. You could argue - why read it, if its so bad? But that's the thing - it is so bad! I have to check in to see if it’s still maintaining it's quota of queasy cheese.

I don't care who’s appearing this week (apart from if it's Alex James) they can take their dreary diary and smugger off.

Friday, November 9, 2007

My Superhero Personality Quiz

Your results:
You are Green Lantern
























Green Lantern
75%
Superman
65%
Iron Man
65%
Robin
60%
The Flash
60%
Hulk
55%
Catwoman
50%
Supergirl
50%
Spider-Man
35%
Wonder Woman
25%
Batman
25%
Hot-headed. You have strong
will power and a good imagination.


Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Retromanic Pt 5 - Kooks

The final part of my retromanic week and a few crackers

Unlikely celebs in some great ad's

Gary Numan & Tubeway Army - Lee Cooper


Lulu - Happies Shoes


Spike Milligan - Mini


Captain Scarlet/Thunderbirds - Lyons Maid

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Retromaniac Pt 4 - The Kids In America

I'm convinced there must have been a few 'stoners' and 'heads' working on children's TV in the U.S.

Sesame Street - Jazz Spies number 10



Sesame Street - Baker number 5


And they even got Stevie Wonder to tear it up on Sesame Street.

But the Banana Splits knew how to shake a leg as well, believe it or not this Saturday morning soul stomper was written by Barry White.
You can read all aboout it here


And by special request Danger Island - for Axe Victim
uh oh…chongo - wasn't that how it used to go?


They always had the coolest gear in America, which I never sent off for (I didn't know what to do when they asked for a 'Zip Code')

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Retromaniac Pt 3 - The Kids Are Alright

This would have been a typical day in the 70's for me - compressed into under 4 minutes.

Breakfast.


Mid morning telly.


Lunchtime Treats
They only seemed to sell Cresta at the Baker's round our way.


Textbook sarnie box filler (keep an eye out for the Cor!Comic bus)


After school action


What's for tea?


We used to have a 'Corona man' selling bottles from a lorry!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Retromaniac Pt 2 - Champagne Supernova

After yesterdays sip's and smoke's what were the la de da cosmpolitan crowd and champagne set indulging in? High society Cig's and choco's of course....

Does anyone use the phrase 'Tobaconnist' anymore?

John Player Special



Milk Tray

Monday, November 5, 2007

Retromaniac Pt 1 - Cigarettes and Alcohol

Following on from Fridays funky theme - Robins Nest, and the TV related threads over on two tip top blogs Davy H - here and Sky Clearbrook - here, I'm on a bit of retro TV buzz, not in a "wasn't it all a bit wacky let's snear and snide behind our hands " - clip show way, but just fancy digging around in the dusty loft of film and TV treats that is Youtube.



Asteroids


Rizla


Double Diamond

Friday, November 2, 2007

Theme Team - Robin's Nest

Tying in with Funky Friday's fizz fest on Planet Mondo

I thought I'd post up his bit of bistro based Funk. No one writes decent theme tunes any more. Robin's Nest (or Mr Robin Snest as the gag went in the first episode)isn't one of the greatest but it's SO groovy - and the sort of riff Jamiroquai's been riding for years. There's also a touch of Ian Dury and The Blockheads 'what a waste' about it