tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17446390200449939832024-03-22T04:23:22.015+00:00the boo galaxy...coils resplendent across a certain area of the cosmos, so there.brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-75595009577548030812012-02-24T12:23:00.001+00:002012-02-24T12:29:36.883+00:00We'll all be wearing jetpacks and bacofoil by 1993, as well."<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gombeen_man">Gombeen men</a> are now a thing of the past, thanks to good government."
<br />
<br />
- <i>The Irish Press</i>, May 1943<br />
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Ah well that's all right so. Carry on.
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<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(via <a href="http://comeheretome.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/before-the-phoenix-the-bell-collected-funny-clippings/">Come here to me!</a>)</span>brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-32172580395011947012011-08-30T16:03:00.000+01:002011-08-30T16:03:58.189+01:00The Lairds of Learning<a href="http://www.monbiot.com/2011/08/29/the-lairds-of-learning/">The Lairds of Learning</a>
<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><blockquote>Who are the most ruthless capitalists in the Western world? Whose monopolistic practices makes WalMart look like a corner shop and Rupert Murdoch look like a socialist? You won’t guess the answer in a month of Sundays. While there are plenty of candidates, my vote goes not to the banks, the oil companies or the health insurers, but – wait for it – to academic publishers. Theirs might sound like a fusty and insignificant sector. It is anything but. Of all corporate scams, the racket they run is most urgently in need of referral to the competition authorities.</blockquote></span>brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-3403386047503715502011-07-02T00:00:00.000+01:002012-03-10T21:35:33.961+00:00The big five-o.50 today. No big celebration, just a meal & a quiet drink with family & friends. And a few tunes later.<br />
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<img src="http://www.flarn.com/%7Ewarlock/tarot/chinese/5.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b>You are The Hierophant</b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Divine Wisdom. Manifestation. Explanation. Teaching. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">All things relating to education, patience, help from superiors.The Hierophant is often considered to be a Guardian Angel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The Hierophant's purpose is to bring the spiritual down to Earth. Where the High Priestess between her two pillars deals with realms beyond this Earth, the Hierophant (or High Priest) deals with worldly problems. He is well suited to do this because he strives to create harmony and peace in the midst of a crisis. The Hierophant's only problem is that he can be stubborn and hidebound. At his best, he is wise and soothing, at his worst, he is an unbending traditionalist. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b style="color: #3d85c6;">What Tarot Card are You?</b><br /><a href="http://www.flarn.com/%7Ewarlock/tarot">Take the Test to Find Out.</a></span></div>
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Heirophant? Well, I guess I'm old enough to know better now. Better than <i>what</i> remains to be seen though. :-)brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-78133237277590172012011-05-31T17:35:00.000+01:002011-05-31T17:35:18.714+01:00"You've been saying you're a fisherman since you were seventeen..."Stan Deely, once a dental technician from Devon Park, managed to become a highly respected artist in the 1970s, releasing 7 acclaimed hit albums and working with some of the industry's finest session musicians. <i>Rolling Stone</i> called his body of work "awesome in its conceptual longitude" and <i>Down Beat</i> even pointed out clear similarities in Deely's <i>ouevre</i> to similar groundbreaking work by many giants of the jass music scene such as Mavis Diles, Thunk Melonius and of course Marley Chingus. <br />
<br />
Wherever you were in 1972, anywhere on the globe, it was hard to go through a typical day without hearing Stan Deely's first hit, <i>You'll Do It Again Till You Get It Right, Like</i> blasting out of some transistor or other. Carried along on an irresistable chorus and bolstered by Zedrik Turntable's electric bouzouki solo, it sent a generation out to the shopping malls in search of comfortable footwear. The ensuing album, <i>Ain't Got A Clue</i> (its very title a nod to Harence 'Frogman' Clenry) made real inroads on the international music scene, though prudish elements objected to its lurid cover which featured a line of girl scouts waiting in the street for the local confectionery to open. <br />
<br />
Its 1973 follow-up, <i>Countdown To Mitsubishi</i>, consolidated Deely's reputation as a world-beating songwriter and prog-jazz composer, containing as it did such highly distinctive tracks as <i>Bobby Shafto</i> and the lightning-fingered guitar stylings of such session luminaries as Judge "Coon" Wapner and Denzel DiAdipose. Despite a warm critical reception it failed to yield any major hits, as uncannily predicted in the album track <i>Any Major Hits (Elude You)</i>. <br />
<br />
All was not lost for Stan, though, as tracks like <i>Your False Teeth</i> and <i>Midnite Boozer</i> garnered respect in the industry, and <i>Reelin' In The Trout</i> became a sleeper hit.<br />
<br />
Stan Deely's next offering, <i>Tayto Logic</i> from 1974, spawned the international hit <i>Hang On To That Number Rikki, If Ya Know What's Good For Ya Like</i> and featured the percussive prestidigitation of session drum virtuoso Barry Towne. The following year, Stan Deely further confounded expectations with his next album, <i>R. D. Laing</i>, named in tribute to the British "anti-psychiatrist". Critics and fans alike were divided on this album, mostly over apparent drug references in the track <i>Doctor Who</i>, which dealt with the thorny topic of getting wasted and watching cult sci-fi programs.<br />
<br />
Deely's reputation was further solidified, though, in 1976 with his fifth album, <i>The Royal Shimozzle</i>, which featured the international hit <i>Tijuana Wedding</i> as well as the FM favourite <i>The Caves of Ailwee</i>. For many though, Stan Deely's magnum opus came with the next album, an ode to the mysteries of the Orient entitled <i>Chinese Takeway</i>. Burnt out and disillusioned with the music industry, though, Deely called it a day after 1980's classic <i>Groucho</i> album, which featured such hits as <i>Ballina Cisterns</i> as well as the playing of highly respected Brit guitarist, Marc Dumbkopf (best know for his work with 'Dire and Straight'). <br />
<br />
Nearly two dissolute decades later, Stan Deely re-emerged with a searing indictment of what he felt to be the evils inflicted upon music by a certain four-piece Dublin band, his acclaimed (by everyone except Bono) comeback album <i>U2: Against Nature</i> and its follow-up, <i>Everyone Must Blow</i>. <br />
<br />
<i>(Thanks to Stan Deely aficionado and sometime session sideman Domhnall Óg McFagen for some illuminating insights that greatly aided the compilation of this retrospective - not bad at 40 a quarter.)</i>brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-78064237693938782782011-05-05T11:22:00.009+01:002011-06-16T16:00:11.245+01:00another day, another danelectroSo yesterday morning I had a brainwave. I'd spent the last couple of days practising a short set for the support slot that evening. I'd thought up one at the weekend and decided, nah, scrap it. I was, in a word, Stuck. I bought a new guitar - a <a href="http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/guitars/the-best-electric-guitars-under-1000-253352/19">PRS SE custom semi-hollow</a> - two months ago and I'm well happy with it, it's lovely and playable. But I felt I was neglecting the <i>equally</i> lovely twelve string electric I bought two years ago. It's a <a href="http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/electric_guitars/danelectro/dc-12/index.html">Danelectro DC-12</a> with a beautiful retro look and feel and I love playing it. Plus, I reflected, the twelve-string would more suit the sort of support set I was doing - a swift half hour of (hopefully) memorable tunes before the main act. I'd never used it live before… why not string it up and use it for the gig? <br />
<br />
I'd spent the last couple of months staring at two sets of nickel-wound strings I'd had to order online especially for the twelve-string. Here in busker-town you can find a set of bronze-wound, <em>acoustic</em> "twelve-string strings" no problem. But nickelwound for electric? No way José. Fine if you want to be Leadbelly but not if you want to be Roger McGuinn. But praise the lord for the good people at <a href="http://strings.ie">strings.ie</a> - I got two sets of nickelwound strings shipped practically overnight, with a voucher for a discount on my next order. They weren't cheap but they never are.<br />
<br />
I love the sound of the twelve-string guitar. My uncle Batt had one that my mum bought for him. My dad got me a nice Eko Raider twelve-string for my 21st birthday, which was neither yesterday nor the day before. It's still going strong though it probably needs the frets done. I love the way you can get an enormous ringing sound playing simple chords with a lot of open strings. Simple arpeggios and legato figures turn into something else completely - that's the whole sound of the early Byrds right there, for instance. There's also plenty of scope for melody and lead playing if you put your mind to it. And I've always found it ideal for solo accompaniment - you're encouraged to keep your playing simple and concentrate on putting across The Song. <br />
<br />
Anyway, I forgot about all this and left the strings in their padded envelope, on the little stand where I leave my rent money for the landlady every Saturday. And then just yesterday, feeling like I'd come up against a brick wall in terms of inspiration, I suddenly said to myself, "Stop bleeding procrastinating - string up the Danelectro and see how it feels; if it's good, it might be just the thing for the gig tonight." So in between sips of tea and reading the news online, I strung the bugger up.<br />
<br />
The beauty and uniqueness of this type of instrument comes at a price. Twelve strings are a pain to tune and set up. For one thing, twice the amount of strings to thread, wind, and tighten. Higher tension. All those extra harmonics clanging around and confusing the ear. The Danelectro compounds the usual logistical difficulties by having the strings go <em>two</em> different ways into the bridge. Each pair of strings is on a separate saddle - one string is threaded in <em>through</em> the body, from the back, and the other string is threaded in via the bridge on the top. It's an ingenious arrangement once you get used to it and I guess it makes intonation easier. But (like all good things in life I suppose) it's worth taking the time to do things right. <br />
<br />
So, all strung up, I rattled through a bunch of tunes again. They sounded much better this way. After months of six-string playing on guitars with smaller necks, the right hand had to work harder, but again that's part of the price you pay for admittance into the glorious, ringing, chiming, harmonically rich world of twelve-string-dom. It was a little psychological thing but it worked. I felt a lot better about the set now.<br />
<br />
I don't usually drink before gigs, but I had a hot brandy and port in the local to clear the voice a bit, and called a taxi into town. Turned out that the sound engineer for the night was my pal and former housemate Diesel. The <a href="http://tectonics.tv">Tectonics</a> soundchecked and I brought up my own bits - twelve-string, little Vox amp and a <a href="http://www.akaipro.com/e2headrush"> Headrush </a> delay pedal just to thicken the sound a bit. Tuner and capo. Tried a couple of snatches of sounds and they sounded a bit rough, but eventually fell into place. I didn't really have time to do full numbers but they seemed okay. The doors open and people started coming in - fortunately a few familiar faces among them. <br />
<br />
The night was fine. Wished more people could have been there - there was another gig on that night, and friends of the band were actually playing support. Most of the people who turned up on the night were family and friends, and a few stragglers just in to check out some new music. I don't think anyone was disappointed.<br />
<br />
Marcus, Eoin and Seamus of the <a href="http://thetectonics.tv">Tectonics</a> brew up a fine power-pop sound, with the occasional touch of 80s-style 'white reggae'. Hard to describe unless you hear it for yourself. All three of them write and sing and there are some fantastic moments when their voices locked into very sweet harmonies. Eoin is a nimble but understated guitarist who makes great but economical use of effects; Marcus and Seamus (Sykes) are a rock-solid rhythm section having played together in various bands since the year dot - they're probably best known for their spell in <a href="http://irishrockers.com/artistView.php?id=361">The Big Geraniums</a>.<br />
<br />
I was pretty happy with my own set, I guess all the grief of preparation was worth it. Afterwards we popped into Massimo's for some late drinks. Pure joy seeing all those beautiful girls dancing; if nothing else <em>that</em> made the night worth it!<br />
<br />
Thanks a million to the band for having me on as support - I'm definitely going to be doing this sort of thing more often. Gratuitous plug for <a href="http://www.kellysbar.ie/">Kelly's bar</a> because it's a fine place and a more than decent music venue. As for the loudmouthed heckling arsewipe, I hope he dies roaring. Kudos also to my brother Kev (you know him, he's <a href="http://www.sawdoctors.com">famous</a>) and my pals Frank, Liam, Hugo and especially to the legendary man Diesel on sound. \m/brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-21466753477029923972011-05-04T11:40:00.000+01:002011-05-04T11:40:41.405+01:00tectonic place<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RqNnVVBLTKc" width="425"></iframe></div><br />
They're the Tectonics, and they're launching their new single tonight in <a href="http://www.kellysbar.ie/">Kelly's Bar</a> - a fine venue. Last time I was there was when the <a href="http://www.sawdoctors.com/">SawDocs</a> were doing their <a href="http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/26630">album launch</a> last year.<br />
<br />
Yours truly will be playing support but I doubt I'll be doing the <a href="http://snd.sc/imWPTp">tune posted below</a> ;-). I will be doing <a href="http://snd.sc/fuDovW">this tune</a> though, and probably <a href="http://snd.sc/eFzoM6">this</a>. Who knows? <br />
<br />
Since I have the week off work, I've had plenty of time to practise a set and scrap it completely. I was tempted to use my gorgeous <a href="http://www.prsguitars.com/secustomsh/">new guitar</a> but today I got this sudden hunch that it might be a good idea to string up the old <a href="http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/electric_guitars/danelectro/dc-12/index.html">Danelectro 12</a> and use that instead. I don't know though, putting on 6 strings is enough of a pain in the bum...<br />
<br />
The Tectonics will also be playing at the Mercantile in Dublin on Friday, and Eddie Murphy's in Thomastown (Co. Kilkenny) on Saturday. Their tunes (what I've heard of them) are dead good and I hope this goes well for them. brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-18782888390565991562011-05-01T11:53:00.000+01:002011-05-01T11:53:17.161+01:00budget day blues (redux)Okay, here's a piece I came up with last November (yes, around the time the Budget From Hell was announced by the previous government of my country). It's fourteen minutes long and in six parts; it starts in a pub in the winter and ends in a garden in the summer. <br />
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Turns out I have a gig next week playing support to some folks I know. Don't think I'll be playing this one though - I somehow doubt it would be possible to fit a four-piece horn section, viola, cello, pedal steel and piano players as well as a bassist and drummer on the stage in Kelly's. At least not with the headlining act's backline up there too. ;-)<br />
<br />
Budget Day Blues breaks down as follows:<br />
<br />
i) the next king of ireland <br />
ii) budget day news <br />
iii) meat and jam <br />
iv) threshold <br />
v) harvest <br />
vi) the loose boot<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14489565"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14489565" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/theboogalaxy/budget-day-blues">budget day blues</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/theboogalaxy">theboogalaxy</a></span>brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-54821794287953280542011-04-28T15:56:00.000+01:002011-04-28T15:56:15.078+01:00Yes!<a href="http://donaldtrump.isabellend.com/">donaldtrump.isabellend.com/</a>brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-8091927346490348342011-04-16T09:03:00.001+01:002011-04-16T09:04:59.975+01:00Highfield Park BluesThe Proclamation on the door <br />
Said "They who shout shall shout no more, <br />
for residents will not tolerate <br />
The ructions of the inebriate.<br />
<br />
"Warnings we have given thrice <br />
That your behaviour should be nice, <br />
Civilised, decent, above reproach, <br />
Since on our road ye did encroach.<br />
<br />
"But in your folly ye did choose, <br />
With nightly revels and with booze, <br />
To create a brazen, hideous din. <br />
Your presence 'midst us is a sin.<br />
<br />
"Frequent visits from the guards <br />
Failed to daunt you or your pards; <br />
Shame on those who did ye rear- <br />
We mean your mother and your pere.<br />
<br />
"A fitter place for ye to dwell <br />
While on your merry way to Hell, <br />
Would be a cave along the shore <br />
Or else a Shack in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohermore">Bohermore</a>.<br />
<br />
"On behalf of our Association <br />
Now established through the Nation- <br />
these, our names, we hereby sign <br />
Michael J. and Phyllis Styne".<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/34050">Highfield Park</a> Blues is a poem from the collection <b>Dactyl Distillations</b> by Patrick Finnegan. (1991) Published by Weaver Publications, Dublin. ISBN 0951304429</i><br />
<br />
<i>PDF of the book available <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?e5dtub179ytl189">here</a>. </i>brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-21058671630211717352011-04-13T10:36:00.002+01:002011-04-13T10:36:57.386+01:00Hugh Grant.Never thought I'd be saying this, <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/newspapers/2011/04/phone-yeah-cameron-murdoch">but tell it like it is, my man</a>!brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-88686594311299481202011-04-07T10:17:00.000+01:002011-04-07T10:25:23.781+01:00"i got some money, cause i just got paid"On Saturday night I was sitting on a sofa three feet away from <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/kjmduffy">the brother</a>. We'd spent three quarters of an hour sat there without any apparent outward communication at all. Other people came and went, chatted with either of us briefly, and went on about their business. In actual fact we'd both found the <a href="http://www.olympiatheatre.ie/">venue'</a>s WiFi network with our phones and we were checking out each other's Twitter feeds, re-tweeting where appropriate. <br />
<br />
Some of the <a href="http://www.sawdoctors.com">group</a> and their entourage had come up from the West on the bus with us. Others were already in Dublin. Still others were due to arrive, any minute now. Just about everyone from the group and crew was still jetlagged. They'd flown back from Las Vegas only three or four days ago. <br />
<br />
I hadn't been in Dublin for almost a decade. We didn't have much time for more than a quick mooch around Temple Bar between getting off the bus and heading in to the venue, but there seemed to be a nice buzz around the place. I found myself getting a bit nostalgic walking the streets that used to house favourite old haunts - book and record stores, coffee shops, pubs, music venues - places that haven't been there in years. <br />
<br />
The brother asked if there was anyone I could think of in Dublin that I'd like to bring along. Off the top of my head, I couldn't think of anyone. No doubt there would be a few names in the old phone book but how many people are going to be able to drop everything and fly into town for a gig on a Saturday night at a moment's notice? <br />
<br />
Things went on smoothly enough. Everyone was tired and jaded but in good spirits, glad to be back on familiar turf, working on reserve energy. The band soundchecked, I grabbed a cup of tea, nibbled on some biscuits, tried to get the TV to work in the dressing room. I remembered playing here a couple of times in the early 90s. Apart from the flat-screen TV, the backstage/upstairs area hasn't changed much. The front has been completely transformed, several times - it's a standup venue where it used to be theatre seating. There used to be one bar, now there are three. The Celtic Tiger had its way with this place all right. There's some small reassurance that backstage things hasn't changed. Apart from the TV - and the availablity of WiFi. <br />
<br />
After the soundcheck mesel' and the brother grab a Chinese from a place next door to the venue. Not very fancy, cheap and cheerful. I wait outside and puff on a cig - in the space of five minutes I'm approached by two different scalpers, asking for spare tickets. Kev says the gig isn't quite sold out yet, but may well be by showtime. As we're tucking in to our Chinese backstage, and getting our phones out to check Twitter, there are shouts and hoots in the street outside. A hen party. <br />
<br />
Later, while the <a href="http://www.sawdoctors.com">band</a> are playing out front, I grab a beer and head out to the stairs where the network is a bit better. Kind of dismayed to find out the brother isn't tweeting from the stage. And yes, the band sound excellent, as ever. Going to be a long journey home, though. That's one thing I remember about those Dublin gigs.brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-63677459991319834772011-04-04T19:00:00.003+01:002011-04-13T10:42:37.903+01:00keys to your heartThe locksmith retired some time ago, but he still comes around to check on the family business. Three sons keep it going for him. He's well into his seventies but in good health. He's out walking first thing in the morning, he swims, he keeps busy. <br />
<br />
In years gone by the locksmith was, by his own account, quite handy on the dance floor. It was back in the days of the Ballrooms of Romance, when people packed out dancehalls like Seapoint in Salthill and parked their bicycles outside. Men would line up on one side of the dancefloor, women on the other. There was no alcohol available in the dancehall, just minerals and crisps. And by all accounts there was some serious hoofing going on, and our man the locksmith was one of the best of them.<br />
<br />
I can see him now, gliding across the floor to take some girl's hand. Making the ladies swoon and the men clench their jaw. Old Twinkletoes.<br />
<br />
Word went around on the jungle telegraphy that there was going to be something of a 'showband show' in Seapoint sometime next week. Survivors of the showband days would all be appearing, people from the old bands. Too many names to list (though it would make for a great blog post in itself). <br />
<br />
The old locksmith was keen to go. But tickets had sold out long ago. He wasn't too pleased about this, especially when it was made known to him that the last 50 tickets had gone, en masse, to what he referred to as "a bunch of feckin' <a href="http://www.franciscans.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=400&Itemid=132">Franciscans</a>". He told this to the brother a few days ago in the pub. (Where else?) <br />
<br />
My esteemed sibling later reported that the matter had been resolved. Well, kind of. When next I met the locksmith myself, I heard it straight from the horse's mouth. He had tickets for the night. Tickets had been got. The thing had been sold out weeks ago but tickets Had Been Got. <br />
<br />
There's something about the combination of The Passive Voice and A Galway Accent that makes you not quite believe What Is Being Said. So I had to press further.<br />
<br />
"Oh, I got tickets all right." Fair play to you, but how did you manage?<br />
<br />
A long pause. "Someone died."<br />
<br />
You don't know whether to laugh or cry at times like these. For my own part, I was given pause for a second, briefly fancying that there could be a bit of neat local serendipity at work. <br />
<br />
A friend of a friend passed away just last week. An older gent, and a former musician himself - drums and trumpet (it was the time of the ballrooms, and it was a time when double jobbing might net you a few extra bob). The man was known locally. He would doubtless have been one of the first to get complimentary tickets for an event such as this.<br />
<br />
A likely story, perhaps, but there's no reason to believe it's actually true. The gent who passed away died after what the death notices call "a long illness, bravely borne". He hadn't been active much in the past few months. The more you think about it, the less likely it is that the tickets were his. <br />
<br />
It would be good to know, though. The locksmith for one is keen to find out.<br />
<br />
"The least I can do," he tells me, "is find out who it is and turn up at the funeral."brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-48700530689561613532011-03-25T11:32:00.000+00:002011-05-02T15:12:50.283+01:00Stray toasters, and the horse they rode in on.Not too long ago I said I was going to write about my old Macs. Sad geek that I am, I shall now do so. This is my blog, mine you hear, and if I want to post about the importance of cheese in the development of the Ottoman empire, I will, because I can, and the rest of yez can sod off. <br />
<br />
So there.<br />
<br />
Around the beginning of the Nineties, I was what doctors refer to as a "full-time musician", which means that I played two or three gigs a week, appeared on a few TV and radio shows, met a lot of girls and had absolutely no money whatsoever. (One very significant reason for this is that one member of the band decided that the rest of us were some kind of interns, whose duty it was to help him promote his songwriting career.) Every few months I would manage to scare up some typing work. I had a nice Brother electric typewriter -- still have it, it still works, pretty piece of kit, just can't get ribbons or daisywheels for it anywhere. <br />
<br />
I'd done a night course in word processing and I'd been typing ever since I was about ten years old. I had a few friends who were still in college, and did a lot of thesis typing to keep the wolf from the door. This was a breeze, except for one occasion where I missed a page number, and had to go back with Tipp-Ex and manually change about 80 pages. Not fun. <br />
<br />
Some day I will post more about my friend Canelli. I haven't seen him for years, but he has a knack for turning up out of the blue when you least expect it. Like most good friends, he can be extremely helpful and kind as well as a complete toolbag when it suits him. Still, if a friend is a friend, you should allow him to be an asshole every now and again. Suffice it to say for the moment that I blame the whole Mac thing on Canelli. And he will be punished, believe me. <br />
<br />
My friend Canelli was an engineering student at the time. His thesis was already late, and he needed it in by Monday. Could I help him out? I knew it was a tall order, because I'd seen some of his notes, and they used all sorts of formulas and algorithms and fancy symbols. It should be no problem, he said. Did I know how to use a Mac?<br />
<br />
A few years previously, when I was living in Chicago, a friend had asked me to do some typing for him on what must have been a Lisa or something. That's all I did - I typed in the text and left him to format the rest. It was an interesting little object, that little box with the picture of an apple on it. Not as wonderful as a typewriter but it would do, at a pinch. It would, of course, never catch on. <br />
<br />
Canelli brought me in to see a friend of his, who had a very pukka looking Mac II. Not only did I get my friend's thesis done in a fraction of the time, but I also got plenty of other work done too. I put together a very large mail-shot for a corporate physician that netted me a quite respectable wad of cash. I managed to master the basics of Freehand (handy for all those flowcharts, formulae and symbols) as well as that newfangled programme called something like Microword Soft. This was great. It was easy, it was fun, it was something new, and it was Earning Me Money. <br />
<br />
Some time later, another friend asked me had I ever done work on a Mac. Oh yes. Nice little machines. Did I want a look at his one? It was a Quadra. Much larger than the Classic. The damn things were just going to get bigger and bigger, and some day, no doubt, would become so expensive that only the richest kings of Europe would be able to afford them. He didn't actually let me use his Quadra. It was look but don't touch.<br />
<br />
Anyway, time marched on, this happened, that happened, I went to England. I did some nursing training for a couple of years, before two things happened: a) I discovered that even very skilled, highly-qualified nurses make terrible money, and b) I mentioned in passing to someone that I had typing skills and knew how to turn a computer on and off. So I ended up doing some work on a PeeCee that had no mouse, no Windows, no nothing but a couple of basic office programmes, a command line and a DOS shell. It ran WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3 and dBase III, and you started up each programme by typing in some arcane bit of nonsense that looked like the name of some demonic entity in a book by H. P. Lovecraft.<br />
<br />
I was a bitteen flummoxed. My limited experience of Macs had spoiled me somewhat. I'd been led to believe that all personal computers were easy and fun to use, and didn't require all that command-line voodoo. I think the general feeling around then was that Macs, being more expensive and all, were strictly for design professionals, and there was no point doing any "real" (i.e. business-oriented) work on them. They were an indulgence, an overpriced toy for those pampered arty-crafty types.<br />
<br />
Anyway, another couple of years flew by. God is that the time? I'd better get out of here. I'll catch up with this again at some point. I ended up with six old Macs at one stage and I still haven't written about any of <i>them</i> yet.brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-22445993945613560952011-03-22T13:09:00.000+00:002011-03-22T13:09:48.525+00:00I've been worried about a particular situation at work for the last couple of weeks. I'd thought of blogging about the situation detailed below and the flurry of abusive emails from one particular academic that gave rise to this letter from my boss. I'd hoped to write about it but was also hyper-conscious of protecting peoples' privacy - even if they happen to be people who verbally attack my colleagues, myself and the people I work under. <br />
<br />
Maybe it's old fashioned of me, but the fact that he's verbally attacked my boss (who is a woman) makes me twice as pissed off. Add to the equation that I've had dealings with the person described below plenty of times over the last ten years, and never had a problem with him before. I thought he was a decent guy. I guess I was wrong.<br />
<br />
<i>Dear Brendan and -----,<br />
<br />
I’ve been out of the office for the last week, so I’m sorry that I’m only now contacting you about the wholly unacceptable emails you’ve received from ---- -------. Please rest assured that his opinion does not reflect my opinion, or library management’s generally, nor indeed the opinion of the rest of the body of academic staff about the quality of service you are providing. You are offering a fantastic service with a wonderfully helpful approach, and you most certainly don’t deserve the sort of language and tone that ---- ------- has used.<br />
<br />
This man has been finding difficulty with absolutely everything we’ve put in place instead of [<strike>irrelevant name for outmoded service</strike>] and this last was one of many emails of the same nature I’ve received from him. I’ve also had communication from his head of school apologising to me for the language and tone that he has used in previous emails and asking us to try to ignore it – can I please ask you to try to do the same. It’s not easy I know – his emails are most upsetting, but we need to hold our heads up high and know with confidence that we’re offering a great service and he is being entirely unreasonable in his criticisms of the scanning service.<br />
<br />
I really appreciate the great service you are offering with the scanning chapter service, and I hope that you will try to ignore these unreasonable remarks and remain confident that you are doing a great job.<br />
<br />
Best regards,<br />
<br />
------</i>brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-13206551981973687982010-11-15T10:22:00.000+00:002011-04-15T10:26:30.323+01:00Decayed.Ten years ago, not quite today but just about this week, I got a call on my disgusting, clunky analogue mobile phone. Even back then that piece of junk was out of date. But what to do? I was broke and out of work. <br />
<br />
I'd supplemented my dole playing pub gigs with The Worst Band In The World™ but in the end the grief (and the constant threat of electrocution on stage) wasn't worth the money. I'd attended a few job interviews, done aptitude tests, checked in with the temp agencies. When the social welfare people called me to an interview and asked if I thought I'd be have a job within six months time I ticked 'yes'. Trying to be positive I guess.<br />
<br />
I'd been for a job interview not long before. In all I'd been interviewed three times for this job. Plus a pretty grueling aptitude test. Two days after the interview the familiar envelope came, an equally familiar "thanks but no thanks" note nestled within. I felt philosophical. I lived above a pub. Though I wasn't drinking much at the time, I decided to pop down below for a pint. <br />
<br />
Down there, I met a friend of mine, who worked in the same place that had just rejected my application. AGAIN. He asked me had there been any developments on the job front; I had to tell him the sorry news. My friend raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you know they're advertising the same jobs again in today's paper?" It sounded crazy but I looked and he was right.<br />
<br />
It was four o'clock. The place (and their personnel office) was about twenty minutes walk from where we were, and it closed at five. My friend offered to give me a lift in but instead I just hopped on my bike, called in to the personnel office, and filled out yet another application form. By now I could have done it in my sleep. <br />
<br />
The following day my phone rang. They offered me a job. And now here I am, ten years later. Guess I must be doing something right. :-)brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-27107554906066405342010-11-05T13:03:00.001+00:002011-04-08T13:04:41.067+01:00Crossbars.It seemed like a good idea at the time. Meet up in a strange city, where we didn't know any other people. Nobody to start whispering about us going around the place arm in arm. And for the first couple of days it was a good idea. The cracks that appeared had to do with each of us individuating a bit, feeling out our boundaries. That had to happen. The cracks had to appear. <br />
<br />
First I would forget things. Then you would forget things. We didn't become hostile, there was no open conflict, just a gradual giving up on each other. By the time it came to part ways and head each to our respective homes, the hugs had grown half-hearted. And then after the final hug we ended up just clasping hands, very tightly. That was unplanned. It came from whatever part in each of us that didn't want to let go. All the more reason to let go, to have to let go.<br />
<br />
Neither of us knew other people there, but you just happened to get approached a lot. That was fair enough; you were prettier. I'd go off and talk to some bunch I'd just met then, nice enough people. You didn't expect me to hang around watching some guy drool all over you, did you? Neither did I expect you to give me exclusive attention. You're not like that, you never have been, I didn't assume that was going to be the case. But after putting myself out, after going some distance, making some time to spend with you -- I didn't really expect exclusivity, that wasn't it. Some kind of recognition, I don't know. If I'd known what it was I really wanted, there wouldn't have been any problem. <br />
<br />
So I didn't get mad. I didn't start hating you. After everything, that would still be hard to do. Something just started to grow inside me from then on. Not quite resentment, though it started with resentment. Not quite feeling abandoned or hard done by. Just a gradual feeling of -- I try to call it independence. Keeping some kind of stake of emotional independence. Not to get too caught up in someone, no matter how much you like them. Then there was wariness because we hadn't seen each other in so long. What were you going to be like after 20 years? I mean, you were good. You were okay. You were and are still the same nice, unique person. <br />
<br />
It was no great calamity. I suppose it took that week to realise that we've moved on as people and that things are never going to be the same. Nothing new there. What tugged about it, what still tugs about it, is the way something small would happen - some look on your face, some attitude, some conjunction of time and place every now and again - and with it would come that feeling of deep togetherness. Something I'd never expected. It hadn't been like that in the old days. Things have changed.brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-80353224218610260242008-02-09T15:04:00.000+00:002011-02-06T17:11:02.761+00:00Anode Enzyme, IQ 12,790...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6uxyY7olvAl5jLj38U0Bo3gGXOkktFodwGsBFV8Ka74n4MfmuOx4hhhu_RryX0RoqMepRDYMD8ZcPzdSAqKfry_FMLeiRNsQ80QyS1itQdCsXDgJ7CqdBloGRF4S_MsNHNIlZtt8Ffo/s1600-h/gfr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6uxyY7olvAl5jLj38U0Bo3gGXOkktFodwGsBFV8Ka74n4MfmuOx4hhhu_RryX0RoqMepRDYMD8ZcPzdSAqKfry_FMLeiRNsQ80QyS1itQdCsXDgJ7CqdBloGRF4S_MsNHNIlZtt8Ffo/s400/gfr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164996951521726146" /></a><br /><br />...it <span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">was</span></span> 12,79<span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">4</span></span>, but he lost four points watching TV.<br /><br />From <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genius_(cartoon)">Genius</a></span> by <a href="http://www.johnglashan.com/">John Glashan</a>.brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-69375000907849185672008-02-08T10:24:00.000+00:002011-02-06T17:11:02.776+00:00The Void on celluloid...<em>Control</em>, the movie about <a href="http://www.joydiv.org/">Joy Division</a> singer <a href="http://www.iancurtis.org/">Ian Curtis</a>, who took his life in 1979, came out last year, and guess which lazy blogger is only getting around to writing about it now?<br /><br />As befits a film with photographer/video-tician <a href="http://www.corbijn.co.uk/">Anton Corbijn</a> at the helm, <em>Control</em> looks fantastic, especially the "live" footage. Musically it's something of a (pleasant) surprise too. The actors actually play their instruments reasonably well, and while they're no Joy Division, they come as close as you could ever get to evoking the spirit of the band in performance. Some of it is based closely on clips of the original band, playing live and on TV, and a lot of work obviously went into these very impressive sequences. And yes, it is in black and white, like many of Corbijn's great rock photos were back in the day.<br /><br /><em>Control</em> is based on <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touching_from_a_Distance">Touching From A Distance</a></em>, Deborah Curtis' memoir of life with her late husband. The book itself was guileless and honest, and the movie has something of that tone. Unlike the book, though, Corbijn also draws on others' memories of the Joy Division years, so the portrayal of all that boys-on-the-road stuff, as well as Ian Curtis' affair with Belgian journalist <a href="http://chroniclesofjoydivision.blogspot.com/2007/05/annik-honore-other-woman.html">Annik Honoré</a>, is a bit better fleshed out.<br /><br />It's interesting to compare this with the first half of <em><a href="http://glasshoover.blogspot.com/2002/12/so-much-to-answer-for.html">24 Hour Party People</a></em>, which treated of the rise of Joy Division and Curtis' untimely suicide with less depth but great economy, and a certain amount of black humour. <em>Control</em> for its part tends to focus on romance and relationships. It reminds me more than a little of <em><a href="http://www.walkthelinemusic.com/">Walk The Line</a></em>, which was more love-story-told-with-real-characters-and-based-loosely-on-real-events than straightforward biopic, but quite effective for all that.<br /><br />This movie is clearly aimed at a younger audience, the sort of people who buy records by modern bands who've been namechecking Joy Division and Curtis as an influence. And why not? <em>Control</em> tells the tale with exactly the right balance of sympathy and objectivity, humour and honesty.<br /><br />I really didn't expect to like this, but it was well worth watching. Like I say, it's a seriously good-looking film, with enough substance to justify all the pretty pictures. And if it gets a new generation into the music of Joy Division, then I for one will be very happy indeed.<br /><br />I was not so happy about <em>Once</em>, directed by former Frames bass guitarist John Carney, which is only just out (though I managed to get hold of a preview copy last year). It features Frames lead singer <a href="http://rachelpink.typepad.com/rachelpinkridesthebus/2007/06/once.html">Glenn Hansard</a> (who first appeared on cinema screens as Outspan in <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Commitments_%28film%29">The Commitments</a></em>) and Czech songstress <a href="http://www.radio.cz/en/article/89770">Markéta Irglova</a> in a sort of musical romantic tale set on the streets of Dublin's fair city. I expected to like it - I've seen it several times now, and really <em>tried</em> to like it, but I'm sorry, it just left a bad taste.<br /><br />I'm not a big fan of <a href="http://www.theframes.ie/">the Frames' music</a>, though I do admire them for the fact that they've survived as a band despite all the begrudgery and sheer malice they've had to endure in their native land. The kind of spite that would be more properly levelled at, say, that other Dublin band, the one whose name consists of a letter followed by a number...<br /><br />Anyhoo, Hansard plays a street busker and Irglova a flower-girl (awww) who also turns out to be a pianist. They bond over her broken vacuum cleaner, which he mends (that's his day job, y'see). Then they get to know each other and help each other out musically. And, well, that's about it.<br /><br />Maybe I'm being too hard on this movie, but what <em>is</em> all the fuss about? Do <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=seppo">Seppoes</a> think they have, like, totally cute accents and stuff?<br /><br />It's not that <em>Once</em> doesn't have some good qualities - Hansard and Irglova are both fine musicians, and though not 'proper' actors, they have a pretty good onscreen chemistry. Their friendship develops believably. The music isn't my cup of tea, but it's worked well into the movie. Director Carney clearly knows his stuff. The ending may be a bit of a cop-out but at least it's not standard boy-gets-girl schmaltz. It's just that I couldn't find anything in this that actually added up to, you know, A Movie.<br /><br />Joy Division were a band whose music was associated with despair and alienation but actually had its own cathartic, uplifting power. And some of that came through in <em>Control</em>. Whereas <em>Once</em>, for all its celebration of the joys of music and the virtues of friendship and (tentative) romance, just leaves an empty feeling. As though one had just been watching an adaptation of <em><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/notting_hill/">Notting Hill</a></em> for raggle-taggle groupies.brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-19958777996570580612007-12-07T21:30:00.000+00:002014-02-24T14:29:47.612+00:00one last look<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMwrBR25Sldvjo06G6TL8D_lTGiZcz8c9nDro2kJFeOnFPc3lOAxCiNictkyLDfG1X5qkdpIe9VxRWOW-2TCJ3FBxXpRc0kO3_-A5MnHa8e5RbBszwhbb4E9aiAtZ01GMquxAgOmH8KsD/s1600-h/b'port.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMwrBR25Sldvjo06G6TL8D_lTGiZcz8c9nDro2kJFeOnFPc3lOAxCiNictkyLDfG1X5qkdpIe9VxRWOW-2TCJ3FBxXpRc0kO3_-A5MnHa8e5RbBszwhbb4E9aiAtZ01GMquxAgOmH8KsD/s400/b'port.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141347607204811474" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-75543831788497688952007-09-20T08:44:00.000+01:002011-02-06T17:11:02.984+00:00Shelf number: 306.7662 BUT<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CbrXeZZ4-CNaP4w_IKMMRWOSTSwLrntsX_o4Fj2it_nynRkyFgAl9wqy6cZvPDUx7ZULucFHxurx7VtQG1pbRaUSiycrqR_FAghPowC_oM7bkR7KirtKoMQdnJ2R-tTOuY6qzyQZIFWF/s1600-h/buttbook.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CbrXeZZ4-CNaP4w_IKMMRWOSTSwLrntsX_o4Fj2it_nynRkyFgAl9wqy6cZvPDUx7ZULucFHxurx7VtQG1pbRaUSiycrqR_FAghPowC_oM7bkR7KirtKoMQdnJ2R-tTOuY6qzyQZIFWF/s320/buttbook.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112189665876903042" /></a>brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-39908496808445141882007-09-10T15:02:00.000+01:002011-02-06T17:11:03.000+00:00Thus We Refute Darwin, #3,422.<em>Customer:</em> I'd like to get an interlibrary loan please. How long would it take?<br /><br /><em>Dogsbody:</em> An interlibrary loan? Typically, about a week to ten days. <br /><br /><em>Customer:</em> That long? I wouldn't be able to get one by tomorrow?<br /><br /><em>Dogsbody:</em> Er, no. Unless you can find a library anywhere that could get a book to us by tomorrow.<br /><br /><em>Customer:</em> Oh - you mean the books actually come from <em>other</em> libraries?brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-43945474861114995842007-09-10T14:30:00.000+01:002011-02-06T17:11:03.020+00:00Taw shay mahogany gaspipe.Anois is féidir an <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org">ciclipéid arlíne is fearr leat</a> a fháil as Gaeilge. Anseo: <a href="http://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%ADomhleathanach">Vicipéid</a>.<br /><br />Mar shampla:<br /><br /><a href="http://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Millington_Synge">John Millington Synge</a>; <br /><br /><a href="http://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flann_O%27Brien">Brian Ó Nualláin</a>; <br /><br /><a href="http://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertie_Ahern">An Taoiseach</a>;<br /><br />agus mar sin...brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-15552013156437902792007-09-10T14:15:00.000+01:002011-02-06T17:11:03.035+00:00I want my, I want my, I want my N. D. E.THE BIG GUY: I definitely don't feel well. But now I seem to be floating... floating... up to the ceiling. Yes, I'm up on the ceiling looking down on some fat fella... oh. That's me. I've definitely looked better. But what's that up there? A glowing white light... a light of uncommon purity. And who's that coming out of the light?<br /><br />GOD: Hello <a href="http://www.lucianopavarotti.com/">Luciano</a>. Are you ready to come home?<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: Is that... really you, God?<br /><br />GOD: Most certainly. <br /><br />THE BIG GUY: Has anyone ever told you you look a lot like <a href="http://www.blockbuster.com/catalog/movieDetails/160167">Marianne Faithfull</a>?<br /><br />GOD: I do get that sometimes, yes.<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: So... so this is it, I suppose.<br /><br />GOD: "It"?<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: The end. The end of my life on earth and the beginning of... I don't know, really. <br /><br />GOD: "Life everlasting", you mean?<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: Well, I suppose that's up to you, isn't it? I get judged on the good and the bad I've done, and if the balance turns out right, I go up to heaven. And if not, I suppose I get sent to... that other place.<br /><br />GOD: "Other place"?<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: You know, the place Down Below. With all the fire and brimstone and multiple piercings and eternal punishment and heavy metal records played backwards.<br /><br />GOD: I don't think there's any fear of that, Luciano my dear boy. You've done plenty of good in your time. You've raised money for charity. You've uplifted and inspired people with your music. You've kept thousands of restaurants financially solvent. Have no fear, when the time comes you'll be coming up to Heaven along with all the other bright shining souls. We are short a few tenor voices in the celestial choir, after all.<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: "When the time comes?"<br /><br />GOD: Well, this is it, you see. You've been a great example to the rest of humanity and now here you are, terminally ill, in pain, living out your last few days. The least I can do is give you a little slack time. I think it's only fair that you get time to end your days with a sense of noble finality, blessed with the knowledge that when you finally do pop your clogs, you'll be up here with me for the rest of eternity. <br /><br />THE BIG GUY: So my time has not yet come?<br /><br />GOD: Oh, it'll come sooner rather than later. It's up to you, really. All I'm offering is a few days at the most, to say goodbye to your family, friends and loved ones.<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: Well, that's wonderful. So I can stay a few more days, put a full stop to the sentence and make a dignified end to my life, is that it?<br /><br />GOD: If you want. Or you can come with me now if you prefer.<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: That's a very kind offer. But I've made my peace with everyone. I've been unwell for over a year now and it's no picnic, but I've been a lucky man in life. I've had a good family, plenty of friends. I've said goodbye to them all, really. <br /><br />GOD: Well, what about that Irish fellow you used to hang around with?<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: You... you mean <a href="http://www.voiceoftheturtle.org/show_article.php?aid=11">Bono</a>?<br /><br />GOD: Yes, indeed. Good old Bono. Lovely boy.<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: Bono's back down there waiting for me?<br /><br />GOD: It looks as though he might even start singing, any minute.<br /><br />THE BIG GUY: All right, God. You can take me <em>now</em> then.brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-79893407388216481192007-07-19T15:36:00.000+01:002014-02-24T14:34:15.903+00:00Four minutes and thirty three seconds.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 90%;">"I have spent many pleasant hours in the woods conducting performances of my <a href="http://interglacial.com/~sburke/stuff/cage_433.html">silent piece</a>... for an audience of myself, since they were much longer than the popular length which I have published. At one performance... the second movement was extremely dramatic, beginning with the sounds of a buck and a doe leaping up to within ten feet of my rocky podium."</span></blockquote>
- <a href="http://www.newalbion.com/artists/cagej/autobiog.html">John Cage</a>: <a href="http://www.marionboyars.co.uk/Amy%20individual%20book%20info/Silence.html"><i>Silence: Lectures and Writings</i></a>.brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744639020044993983.post-22208668265780018602007-05-31T16:13:00.000+01:002011-02-06T17:11:03.066+00:00Best? Episode? Ever?<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/11/13/alan-moore-to-guest-star-on-the-simpsons/">Alan Moore to guest star on the Simpsons</a>.<br /><br /><em>(July update: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/07/23/simpsons-create-episode-for-all-you-comic-geeks/">Daniel Clowes and Art Spiegelman will be appearing too</a>.)</em>brendanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05042088929673765425noreply@blogger.com0