A Rampaging Monster!

Ah well, there weren't any new Radiohead tracks last night, and so, Ed in fact did lie to me! How could you Ed? Radiohead are also set to make an appearance on the 200th Later with Jools Holland this Friday coming (a week today in fact), but there's very little chance of them playing unheard tracks on that occasion. I make this Radiohead's 5th appearance on the show, including their 2001 special when they played a full set to a very lucky audience.

What other good stuff do we have to look forward too? Well, both myself and my son have got quite excited about this:

Cloverfield will go on general release tonight, although it doesn't come to the UK until February 1st, which is OK with me. I'll have more time then anyhow. I haven't really got in on all the hype. I saw the first trailer and that was enough for me. I don't want to know anything else about the plot until I see it. I do know there's a monster, but that's all I do know!

I quite fancy getting to a concert this year, I'd especially like to go and see Sigur Ros, but I don't think they're touring. I should go and see Radiohead at Glasgow Green, but I'll be working that day. Can't really get out of it either. Ah well, hopefully a chance to see a half-decent band will materialise in due course!

And Now... The Radiohead Takeover!

Well, last night's Radiohead in-store gig didn't come off exactly as it was intended, but at least they did play eventually after having to move to a bigger venue next door (93 Feet East), on the recommendation of the Police, as there was a huge crowd hoping to be admitted. Only 150 very lucky sods actually got in, so the rest had to freeze as I suggested they might, yesterday.

That's not the end of it though. I'm typing this hurriedly, because Radiohead are about to "takeover" the Zane Lowe show on Radio 1, and I want to hear it on the off chance they might play a new song. I had hoped they would play one last night, but they didn't. Anyhow, Ed suggested last week, that there'd be a new song played this week, so I'm thinking that it would have to be tonight. or else Ed has lied to me.

I thought I was going to be ill yesterday. My guts were churning all day, but it never came to anything thank goodness. Being in school with all those kids, you'd think illness was inevitable, but I try to stay welll back from the ones that are obviously ill. Which is OK until they ask for asssistance, in which case I have to put myself right in the line of fire. It wouldn't be so bad if I was getting paid!

Radiohead In-Store Webcast Tonight!

Yay, good times to be a Radiohead fan. First it was the unexpected album download, followed by a boxset with an additional CD. Then they did the Thumbs Down webcast, playing Smiths, New Order and Bjork covers. For New Year they did the Scotch Mist webcast, playing all the tracks from the new album. At 8 pm tonight (GMT), they're going to be playing a free in-store gig at Rough Trade East in London, which will be simultaneously webcast. Delightful!

What to expect? Well, we know they've been rehearsing a Siouxie and the Banshees cover, and last week Ed let the cat out of the bag when he said that they'd been rehearsing new tracks as well, including one which was particularly brilliant, that they wanted to play the following week. Play it tonight!!!

By the time I publish this post there will only be an hour until it starts. Some people have been queuing all day long to get in, and to be honest who can blame them. It's a very rare opportunity to see a band of Radiohead's calibre in such an intimate setting. Those who can't get in however, will have the opportunity to stand outside in the freezing cold and watch it on screens there. Good luck if that happens to be you, it's not warm tonight!

Faust Arp - Webcast Deliciousness!

Told you I wouldn't have much time today, and that hasn't changed. Said I might give you a video and that hasn't changed either. If you don't like Radiohead then that's too bad (what's wrong with you). Regardless, watch this video of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood with nothing but Thom's mic and Jonny's acoustic, on top of some Wintery hill someplace, just as it's getting dark. From their recent Webcast this is so cobbled together, yet utterly sublime. Talent oozing from every pore!

Ordering In Rainbows!

After years of waiting nothing came, until now... it's finally here, almost. The new Radiohead album, for which we have had to wait what has seemed like an interminable time, and they've only gone and made it available on some website-type thingy! I've gone all soft in the head and ordered their £40 discbox special boxed-set thing as seen above, but then again I have been known to be slightly obssessive about them.

Hail to the Thief was out when? I think it was 1st June 2003. That was ages ago! We already have a rough idea what some of the songs ought to sound like, after they toured with them last year, and there's only one reason why they might have changed since then, and that of course is Mr.Yorke. He is known to be a bit of a perfectionist, for instance, I think it was "Knives Out" they recorded n^3 times, only for him to decide the first recording they did was his favourite.

You have no idea how absolutely delighted I am. The download version will be available to me in 10 days time, then I'm going to get a wonderful package of goodies from them at the start of December. I'll just say it's my Christmas present to myself. Oh no, the wife enquired about the cost just now... she doesn't seem to see £40 as the bargain I do!

An Airbag Saved My Life!

Yes, I know I missed yesterday's post, but I was late getting back from Uni, I had a migraine and couldn't be arsed really! But, I'm going to make it up to you today. First off, check out the video above of the 2006 Pride of Arizona Radiohead Part1 and 2 (UW Game). Why don't we ever have stuff like that in the UK? I'll tell you why, it's because we have no vision. Yes, the Americans have guns and a genocidal president, but at least they get to do cool stuff.

You want to know what's in the video before you watch it? Well, it's a marching band playing Radiohead songs right before some big American Football match. What struck me was the choice of songs that they selected; Airbag, Paranoid Android, Optimistic and The National Anthem. Now while I prefer the 2 more obscure tracks from those 4, I imagine the crowd at the game were largely ignorant of Radiohead. But, why? OK Computer is largely hailed as the Best Album Ever and certainly the Best Album of the 90's. Radiohead's headline act at Glastonbury 97 has also been voted the Best Concert ever. You get the picture? If you haven't heard the albums then what are you waiting for?

I'm going to post a couple more interesting videos today. Just stuff that has come to my attention for one resaon or another. Let's face it, you could sit watching videos all day, if you had the time!

Ticket To the Limit One More Time!

Treated myself to a mince and onion bridie from the bakers for lunch today! Absolutely love them with baked beans and tomato sauce. I just load the whole lot on to the plate and mix it all up into mush, then devour. Some people might consider that kind of sick, but I can assure you it's lovely. You just don't know until you try.

Also, happened to chance upon my Radiohead ticket stub from the AEC - 1st December 2003. I've been trying to find that for the last year or so with no joy, then happened to find it while looking for something else. Isn't that always the way? Reminds me of when I used to work for Riddoch's. A co-worker of mine, "M**e S***h" (Name altered for privacy, but it's the same as a BBC radio 1 DJ from the 80's who was in a helicopter crash with his girlfriend Sarah Greene!) was a huge Bon Jovi fan. I'm talking 97 here I think. Anyway, I told him about the time I went to see them at the SECC in Glasgow in 1989, how they were at their peak and so on. He absolutely refused to believe me, even when I showed him the stub for the concert. Ah well!

Back to the bridie, it was lovely as I said, but then again I do like my food. It's my only vice really and it's not really a vice since eating is essential to survive, so I may as well enjoy it IMO. That said, I'm feeling really unfit right now, three years at College does that to a man. I'm hoping that Uni will at least allow me to get some exercise, albeit little, other than that I may have to resort to, heaven forbid.... dieting! No.............. !

My Life In Music!

Yes, I'm going to lay my soul bare about the music that has influenced and affected me so far in my life. Why? I'm not sure, just what was in my head when I stepped up to the terminal. I was going to denegrate modern music seeing that I've already expounded on the failings of modern telvision and gaming, but then I realised I don't know enough about modern music. Its so bland I've pretty much given up listening to new stuff!

Anyway, it all started back in the early 80's. The first band that I believed merited buying their album, was Big Country. The year was 1983, the album was "The Crossing", and as with most of the albums I've ever bought, I'll still say that's a damn fine album. From Big Country I got into Marillion and then U2. "The Unforgettable Fire" was and still is truly magnificent, and although I preferred "The Joshua Tree", I hated most of what they did after that, and thinking back "The Unforgettable Fire" is a far more honest album anyway.

I think a lot changed for me musically around 1987. I was unexpectedly exposed to the commercial face of Heavy Metal, by which I mean 2 particular tracks which had a profound influence on me. They were, Iron Maiden's "Can I Play With Madness" and AC/DC's "Heatseeker". Shortly afterwards I had long hair (more bushy really), a leather jacket and skin tight jeans with the kness ripped open. My volte-face in musical tastes also permitted me to make some great friends, who although I've lost touch with most, I'll never forget them!

I think that after that, I mostly plundered the Heavy Metal archives, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and the likes. Couldn't believe I hadn't heard Led Zeppelin before, I realised I'd missed something there, but I'd been too young anyway. The next change in musical tastes came with the arrival of Grunge around 1990, but on that front I was an early adopter. I had Nirvana and Soundgarden albums long before most Brits had heard of them. I also took to Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam, before they were popular also, but bizarrely as those bands did become popular, I became bored with them.

I got married in 1993 and with my son born in 94, I didn't have much time to notice anything musically then, even though I watched MTV2 regularly. The only track which got my attention, on seeing the now iconic video, was "Creep" by Radiohead. I filed that one away as a band to keep an eye on. I wan't wrong. When "The Bends" came out, it was just one huge track after another. I knew that I'd found a new favourite. And, Radiohead have been my favourite band ever since then. I still listen to other stuff, I quite like Sigur Ros and I get the LZ out now and again too. However, I don't like the music that's dominating at the moment, it does absolutely nothing for me. It will take something exraordinary to rouse this beast from his musical dormancy!