I just got the new Keane and Dead Confederate CDs today and both were revelations. Keane, because its so good it made me remember how brilliant the first CD, Hopes and Dreams was, and DC because every once in a while you hear an artist new to you and they make that perfect CD that renews your faith in music, just like many folks see Nirvana's Nevermind (which I think is an overrated piece of crap). So, here's 5 CDs that really made me prick up my ears and love music again:

Purple Rain-Prince and the Revolution: I was deep into my Michael Jackon and Judas Priest phase at 14 years old when I heard When Doves Cry on the radio on a family trip. It was the first time I let myself be challenged by what the notion of pop music was and get into the weirdness of this incredibly creative song. One month later I was at WalMart the day it came out and was forced to choose between the Jacksons new album and Purple Rain. I made the right choice. Michael was never good again, and Prince was my world for the next 10 years. After he dumped Wendy and Lisa, I quickly realized they were his weirdness, and he became a cheap imitation of himself. I'm still hoping he pulls his head out of his Jehova Witness ass and gets odd again.

David Sylvian's Secrets of the Beehive still sounds as vital and new as it did 20 years ago. A precursor to Peter Gabriel and Talk Talk's later output, this album is like no other ever made. You really just can't compare his vocals and intricate instrumentation to any out there before or since. This is one of those CDs I can't understand why EVERYONE doesn't own. Its shear beauty on disc. He put so much thought into this, the world should have collectively thanked him. But only a handful of us crazy Sylvian fans took notice. Take a listen, and trust me on this one. Great autumn music Listen on lastfm

Kylie Minogue-Light Years. I wasn't big on pure pop at the time, and certainly had lost track of Ms Minogue over the years, but one night while working at Borders Clark and Diversey in Chicago, I saw the cover of her LTD Edition version with remixes and thought "well, if its crap, I'm gay enough to like the remixes". And while the remixes were actually kind of crap, Light Years proved to be a brilliant shiny listen all the way through. Instead of pops usual drum machine/keyboard throw aways, real thought was put into this album. Its just a great feel good CD, and it got me looking into other overseas pop which still stands up today. Also see: Robbie Williams The Ego Has Landed.

That's it for now. More later. I just felt really inspired by those 2 new fantastic recordings. What are yours?

Love love,

Marc

I’ve had lots of hits on Crumpled Ear this week.  One day I got over thirty people searching for crumpled ear.  I am intrigued by this.  Perhaps there was a fascinating news story about people with crumpled ears that I totally failed to read about.  Do e-mail me and tell me, feel free to tell me how particularly disappointed you were when you found my blog which just relates the sad tale of woe of the day when I was stupid enough to shut my own ear in the car door. Sad but true.

Here we go then:

My child is never invited to parties.

I’m not really sure what to say here. It’s so difficult to judge tone in this kind of writing.  Are you bragging about it? I would be.  I would be bloody delighted if people stopped inviting my children to parties.  They’re always miles away.  They’re always on at the most inconvenient times and they invariable incur vast expense.  I spend my whole life rotating round toy and book shops trying to guess what a pre-pubescent nine year old boy would like best in all the world that doesn’t cost as much as the national dept of Kuala Lumpur.  I pray to have anti social, hideous children with no friends.  So, if you’re showing off, I wave my fingers at you in the international gesture of ‘fuck off’ and say ‘bobs on you matey.’

On the other hand, if you’re worried about it, don’t be.  You have a child in such a situation.  You think it’s a terrible thing and then when you have worked your guts out, worried yourself sick and flogged about rectifying the situation you find that the grass is not always greener.  Not only does it mean that you too will now have to deal with the horrors I have described above, but you will probably find that your child is a) allergic to face paint, b) hates fairy cakes and vomits over the table or c) and this is the worst thing, becomes so popular that you have no social life left at all because you are forever ferrying your child backwards and forwards to their latest social engagement.  Plus, if your kid goes to parties and is of a nervous disposition you will have to stay and make small talk with people you wouldn’t normally choose to spend time with unless forced at knife point.  It’s all terrible. Count your blessings I say. 

What does shrew sick smell like?

I’m getting slightly perturbed by the number of shrew related enquiries that have been popping up over the last few weeks.  I am no expert on shrews, although I do like to hazard an educated guess now and again.  I can say with hand on heart, that apart from the stuffed shrew at the museum this week, the last time I had anything to do with a shrew with a pulse was in about 1982.  My shrew knowledge is therefore woefully out of date.  I have only read: ‘Run, run it’s scary pooh!’ in the last few years, and although it is about shrews I would put my reputation on the line and estimate that it is largely a work of fiction.  It involves shrews in the jungle sniffing panther pooh, so unless you have jungle shrews, or live in the jungle, my current store of knowledge would be unsatisfying to say the least.

To give it my best stab I would say that shrew sick probably smells of whatever the shrew ate last, but a little more rancid with a hint of stomach acid.  I think that unless you have a shrew town it would be quite hard to detect.  The average size of a shrew is that of a small, ornamental thimble, which means their stomach is about the size of a grain of rice. You’re hardly going to be coming downstairs in the morning to find your slippers brimming with shrew sick and an odour you could cut with a knife.  Welshgirl knows a bit about shrews.  Ask her.

‘Anything is possible’ hair.

That sounds fantastic.  Is it available to buy in the shops? Actually it sounds like the sort of thing you buy on one of those late night half hour long infomercials that comes with a free knife set and some non iron pillow cases.  I think I meant to buy some ‘anything is possible’ hair but picked up the wrong one and got the ‘impossible every time’ hair instead.  Bumhole.  Still, good luck to you.

Funny facts of a beetroot for kids.

It is a little known fact that of all the things in the vegetable world, beetroot are the most hilarious, followed closely by that rib tickling item, the sugar snap pea (yes, yes, I know they’re technically a legume and probably a beetroot is actually some kind of small animal, but what the hell).  Beetroot are witty, debonair and devil may care.  They drive their cars fast, like their women loose and when not nestling in a muddy trench being wrestled to the ground by the ageing Monty Don, are often to be found roaming the world on luxury yachts and gambling in the casinos of Monte Carlo.

They have a wicked sense of humour and one of their favourite jokes is using that soap that makes your face all sooty.  They’re also rather fond of sewing your pyjama legs and arms up and making apple pie beds.  They are passionately fond of the back catalogue of the late and dearly lamented Jeremy Beadle, and the King of the Beetroot (Roger III) is distantly related to Benny Hill.

A night with Ray Mears.

Oh what a night! Late December back in ’63, what a very special time for me, because I made a bivouac with Ray Mears.  They’ve changed the last line of the chorus for commercial purposes, but that is the song in its raw and original form.  Not many people know that it is in fact dedicated to the great King Ray, but I am here to shed, light, sanity and truth throughout the land, so suck it up.

We nestled under an ancient oak tree in our bivouac of Lincoln green.  The firelight flickered on his little ginger face and the slug sausages with nettle coulis sizzled in the pan.  The smell of smoke wafted through the boughs, making the sleeping pigeons cough, and a light rain misted my pacamac. It was marvellous.

They’re now doing Red Letter Days offering a night with Ray for a mere £20,000, bring your own Swiss Army Knife.  Good luck.

Let Sainsburys’ entertain me.

Is Robbie Williams working in the biscuit aisle?  That would be fab wouldn’t it? Perhaps he’s learned to juggle custard creams, or is working on a musical about the fish counter with Dierdre on the deli.  It will have a wonderful dream sequence in which Robbie enters on a shopping trolley decorated with flame proof tinsel and kumquats wearing giant bacofoil angel wings and Dierdre and her band of hair netted shelf fillers serenade him with a gospel version of Angels while Ray the under manager shakes a tin of Jacobs Crackers to keep time.  It’s a hit, a very palpable hit.

Boobs going to work.

What, and leaving you behind to have a nice rest in bed? As if.  If you really can train them to do that I beg you to write a book about it, including diagrams and preferably photographs, and I will buy it.  I’d love to send my boobs out to work while I stay at home and watch Property Ladder. 

Law of serial killing.

The cardinal rule of serial killing is that it is very, very, very imperative not to stop at one.

Other than that they have fairly lax standards. I believe anything goes as long as it’s more than one.

The perfect place to grow Tracey Emin.

In a washed out yogurt pot with a small amount of compost and a dash of baby bio.  She doesn’t like direct sunlight, but too much shade makes her leaves wither.  Water once a fortnight and rub her leaves over lightly with a cloth once a week. (p.s. I do know this is actually about an installation, I’m just being facetious)

What does Keanu Reeves smell like?

Prunes lightly sautéed in vinegar kept in a hat box in the cupboard under the stairs.

My parents are horrid.

That is their job.  If your parents weren’t horrid you would have nothing to rebel against and would plummet off the edge of the world into unending chaos and misery punctuated by meaningless whinging and cries of ‘It’s not fair!’ but if your horrid parents weren’t there to hear you and actually give a toss, nobody would even notice you had gone.

Why won’t my friend take his socks off?

He has. It’s just that his actual feet just look like socks.  It’s a trompe l’oeil. Bobs on you.

There's a song for every feeling.

Robbie Williams, para quem não sabe, começou a sua carreira de cantor como membro de uma das primeiras "Boy Bands" de sucesso do mundo. Há quem diga que isto é uma boa notícia, no entanto para um cantor que se preze, o facto de ter pertencido a uma "Boys Band" é algo vergonhoso e do qual ele não se deve falar. Infelizmente o sucesso dos Take That foi tanto, que Robbie Williams não tem outra hipótese senão o de estar permanentemente associado a esta banda.

De facto quando os Take That acabaram finalmente, muitas jovens ficaram destroçadas, contudo para aqueles que desejam um mundo melhor essa foi uma boa notícia, porque o mundo tornou-se efectivamente melhor, pelo menos até à chegada dos Backstreet Boys...

Ora, eu sempre pensei que o Robbie Williams tinha ganho juízo e quando ouvi falar que os Take That se voltariam a reunir para lançar um album, calculei que Robbie não fizesse parte dos planos. E assim foi, até agora. Surpresas das surpresas, afinal Robbie Williams pode voltar à banda. E atenção, o mais chocante desta notícia não isto! O mais chocante é que desde que soube da intenção dos outros membros de voltar a reunir a banda, Robbie Williams quis desde o principio voltar, algo que só não aconteceu devido aos restantes membros não o quererem na banda. Afinal eles é que não queriam o Robbie Williams, que na realidade ainda continua o mesmo imbecil dos tempos de juventude. Pois quando se é cantor a solo e se tem algum sucesso, normalmente não se volta para antiga "Boys Band" a que se pertenceu, porque isso é simplesmente regredir.

Bom, o que aconteceu é que os restantes membros da banda, pensaram melhor e agora já o querem de volta. De repente já gostam deles, o facto de bão terem tido nenhum sucesso desde que voltaram e de ninguém sequer querer saber deles, não pesou sobre a decisão. O resultado pode ser então o regresso à banda do seu membro mais controverso, Robbie Williams. E neste momento as minhas esperanças para um mundo melhor morrem mais um pouco...

Aqui fica um pequeno vídeo que mostra a razão pela qual esta banda nunca deveria ter existido. Aviso desde já que podem ficar traumatizados pelas imagens mostradas e sentirem uma enorme tristeza no vosso interior. E no caso de gostarem muito de música, não se preocupem, não vão ficar muito chocados, pois o que estão prestes a ver pode ser muitas coisas, mas música não é de certeza absoluta.

back to american idol, i've been a fan to this kid since his very first audition in some place across america, i dont remember where, umm -Utah if im not mistaken, even Randy sang along with him through his audition, young at age and mature at voice, a cash cow combo i should say.. he is none other than David Archuleta! huhu #1 big fan [many people claimed they are the #1 fan, so umm, everybody is his #1 fan ^_^ fair enough, isnt it?], he then through the competition had sang several songs that really caught my interest such as Heaven [Brian Adams], Imagine [John Lennon], Angels [Robbie Williams] and Smokey Mountain Memories [Dolly Parton].. ever since then i never stop watching that show (downloaded by Sewordz of course -again full credit for him for being very determined in downloading these stuffs)..

[caption id="attachment_81" align="aligncenter" width="330" caption="David Archuleta"][/caption]

nevertheless, he just the 1st runner up in the competition, the winner that get the american idol season 7 title was David Cook [quite depressed  at first, but im all over it now -a fan of him as well, so it's okay ^_^], there has been a tough fight between these two Davids, not physically obviously, by fans voting what i mean here, Archuleta is young and was doing great job when he sang songs in soul genre, i noticed during the hollywood week, when he sang Heaven, one of the back up singer [if you have the video, the one to the left] was crying upon the song he was singing.. im not certain on why did she cried, but the way he sang that song, it was way better than Brain Adams himself.. that's not a lie, you can check any reviews on that performance in the internet if you dont..

David Cook on the other hand, was very excellent in singing rock, emo-rock genre just like Chris Daughtry.. i see the resemblence of Daughtry in him, really! when he shouted on stage, the vocal was amazing, so i thought that he'll successfullly becoming a second Daughtry even if he didnt win the competition.. but on his own label for sure.. im very keen and looking forward to buy his first album when it's released in Malaysia. i already knew that he's in the making process to create his first album after american idol season 7, but that was long ago, has it finished yet? someone? and if yes, does it sell in Malaysia yet? i really want to buy it..

[caption id="attachment_82" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="David Cook"][/caption]

oh, i love the song 'Always Be My Baby' he sang, i'll definitely give that song to my GF in future [why future? dont ask! why not now? i said dont ask idiot!], but before giving that song, i'll give her the 'Crush' song first.. ^_^ both sang by my fave singers! Crush is Archie's [this is how the fans called him, so i just followed the trend] first single after american idol season 7, i get it as soon as it was released [illegally of couse -ah what a shame, sorry!] and i keep repeating this song every single moments i could.. am i crazy? no im not, but hey! it score 2nd in US billboard just 2 days after the song was released, now that's crazy.. the 1st that time was Disturbia by Rihanna..

im so sorry every and each one of you who, you know didnt get interested into this entry, but again, this is my blog, im the CEO of my own blog~ i luv these kind of stuffs and let me be, umm well, you're not human if you deny entertaiment in your life, even if you are soooo piety, at least you're going to love 'nasyid' at the end, arent you? *wink2~

oh anyone with d info of David Cook first album, please tell me, not to forget David Archuleta first album as well..

[caption id="attachment_83" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Battle of the Davids"][/caption]

p/s: i know people going to love Crush, that's why im promoting this song at every single places i went.. so people, get this song! ^_^

[Via Vision]

The Featured Artists' Coalition says it wants musicians, rather than record labels, to retain control over the rights to their music. The group also says that new technology has been quickly changing the music industry, and that artists are being left out when their songs are distributed through digital means.

The group officially launched on Sunday, October 5, at the In the City music event in Manchester.

Mukana ovat mm. David Gilmour, Kaiser Chiefs, Radiohead, The Verve, Wet Wet Wet ja Robbie Williams.

Järjestö on nimeltään Featured Artists’ Coalition.

Sen tavoitteena on mm. uudistaa lainsäädäntöä, joka ei artistien mielestä vastaa nykypäivän todellisuutta.

In staking
Begin januari zei de zanger nog dat hij geen nieuw album meer zou uitbrengen bij platenmaatschappij EMI omdat hij niet blij was met de nieuwe eigenaars van het bedrijf. Na een opmerking van Clark, die zich openlijk afvroeg hoe EMI de promotie wilde regelen, leek het alsof Williams in staking was.

Die geruchten worden nu door zijn manager tegengesproken. Williams, die volgens Clark goed in zijn vel zit, is de afgelopen tijd bezig geweest met het schrijven van nieuwe nummers.
Onlangs deden geruchten de ronde dat Williams bezig is met een album geïnspireerd op buitenaards leven. Hij zou hopen met de plaat ruimtewezens aan te trekken. Volgens Clark is dat flauwekul.

Williams, die hits scoorde met nummers als 'Angels' en 'Rock dj', bracht twee jaar geleden zijn laatste studioalbum uit, getiteld 'Rudebox'. Dat werd niet bepaald een verkoopsucces.

Bron: www.demorgen.be

britische stars haben eine art gewerkschaft für musiker gegründet. hierbei wehren sie sich angeblich gegen die musikindustrie, und fordern mehr rechte an ihren eigenen liedern. unter anderem dabei: kate nash, the verve, radiohead, david gilmour und die kaiser chiefs.

derzeit besitzt die musikindustrie, bzw. die plattenlabels der künstler, den großteil der rechte der produzierten musik, wenn nicht sogar alle rechte. zwar wird so die musik möglichst gewinnbringend vertrieben, jedoch verdienen die musiker dabei kaum was, wie steve albinis* berühmter aufsatz "the problem with music" zeigt: das einkommen der musiker selbst bei majorlabels beträgt 781 usd. ein viel zu geringer betrag wie die musiker meinen. verdienen tuen die nämlich größtenteils an ihren konzerten.

bei indielabels bestehen diese probleme übrigens meisten nicht.

commander meint: ein weiterer schritt zur entmachtung der musikindustrie? zwar ist es nicht wirklich die böse böse musikundustrie, wie man sonst immer sagt, immerhin verhilft diese den artisten zum ruhm und immerhin haben jene den vertrag bei den majorlabels unterschrieben, aber die konditionen bei einem vertrag sind zugegebenermaßen unwürdig sie einzugehen. musik ist geistiges eigentum. und dieses eigentum sollte bei den künstlern bleiben. klar sollten die labels ebenfalls ihren anteil abbekommen, da sie für den vertrieb sorgen. aber nicht in dem hohen ausmaß. man sollte jedoch die künstler nicht als verfechter sehen, die noch für das gute kämpfen - ihnen geht es auch nur ums geld .

*steve albini: berühmter kritiker der majorlabels und musikindustrie. er selbst war jedoch selbst als produzent tätig (z.B. nirvanas "in utero" - ein meilenstein der rockgeschichte), also quasi mittäter. was die glaubwürdigkeit seines aufsatzes jedoch nicht in frage stellt, sondern im gegenteil bestärkt.

Críticas:

Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

Razl - Rotonova

Videoclips:

Nuevo videoclip del single de Radiohead, Reckoner

Información y teasers del documental de Justice, 'A Cross the Universe'

Stereophonics publican Decade In The Sun y regalan su single, You're My Star

Noticias:

Arctic Monkeys regalan una canción en su web oficial

Radiohead, Kaiser Chiefs y Robbie Williams se unen contra la industria

Monográficos:

Versiones para una tarde de viernes: What a Wonderful World

Entrevistas:

Entrevista a El Guisante Mágico (I)

Entrevista a El Guisante Mágico (II)

ITALIA

Ligabue 3 voti (25%)
Jovanotti 3 voti (25%)
Eros Ramazzotti 3 voti (25%)
Vasco Rossi 2 voti (16.7%)
Zucchero 1 voto (8.3%)

Totale voti: 12

RESTO DEL MONDO

Robbie Williams 5 voti (45.5%)
Bono Vox (U2) 3 voti (27.3%)
Chris Martin (Coldplay) 2 voti (18.2%)
Richard Ashcroft (The Verve) 1 voto (9.1%)
Michael Bublè 0 voti (0%)

Totale voti: 12

Ora potete dire la vostra esprimendovi sia sui risultati, sia continuando a votare, perché il vincitore di questo campionato musicale siete voi a deciderlo. VOTATE!

Poll: Chi preferisci?

• Vasco Rossi
• Ligabue
• Jovanotti
• Eros Ramazzotti

Also want to create a poll? Click here

Poll: Chi preferisci?

• Bono Vox (U2)
• Chris Martin (Coldplay)
• Richard Ashcroft (The Verve)
• Robbie Williams

Also want to create a poll? Click here

De groep meent dat muzikanten en niet platenlabels zeggenschap moeten hebben over door hen gemaakte muziek. Muzikanten zouden vaak buiten beschouwing worden gelaten bij de distributie van hun muziek via internet of mobiele telefonie.

Artiesten grijpen steeds vaker zelf de vrijheid van internet aan om hun muziek uit te brengen. Zo kon 'In rainbows', het laatste album van Radiohead, worden gedownload via de website van de Britse band. Oasis biedt het nieuwe album 'Dig out your soul' aan via de netwerksite MySpace alvorens het in de winkel ligt.

Bron: www.rtl.nl

"Londres, 4 out (EFE) - Estrelas da música britânica, como o grupo Radiohead e o cantor Robbie Williams, se uniram em um grupo de pressão, para terem um maior controle de seus trabalhos frente às gravadoras(...)"

"(...)A chamada Coalizão de Renomados Artistas é integrada por mais de 60 solistas e bandas, entre eles a cantora Kate Nash e os grupos Kaiser Chiefs e The Verve.(...)"

"..."É hora de os artistas terem uma voz coletiva forte para lutar por seus interesses", afirmou a respeito Brian Message, agente do Radiohead e de Kate Nash.(...)"

"(...)Os membros do grupo de pressão acham que, na era digital, a música que compõem pode ser vendida e utilizada por muitos mais canais que no passado, o que faz muitos artistas se sentirem excluídos desses novos mercados.

"Gravadoras e companhias tecnológicas estão assinando acordos para levarem a música aos fãs de novas maneiras", destaca o estatuto da coalizão.

"Os artistas", diz o texto, "não participam dessas negociações e seus interesses provavelmente são considerados por alto. Os artistas deveriam receber uma compensação justa por esses acordos".(...)"

(fonte:http://br.noticias.yahoo.com/s/04102008/40/entretenimento-estrelas-da-musica-britanica-se-unem-gravadoras.html)

Ok. Nada mais justo, não? Será que século XXI e Internet diz algo para as gravadoras? É claro que sim. Afinal, se não dissesse ela não procurariam novos meios de atingir seus consumidores, até porque qualquer pode notar a diferença nas vendas dos cds físicos após a invenção de uma coisinha chamada download. Estamos vivendo na era da tv digital, da interatividade entre meios de comunicação e usuários e ainda que não estivessemos, os artista deveriam (desde de sempre) ter direitos sobre o seu trabalho desde da prática ao financeiro. Boa sorte aos nossos caríssimos artistas britânicos e que essa "onda de união" passe pelos outros continentes também.

Objetivos da 'Coalizão de Renomados Artistas':

- Ter os direitos autorais de suas músicas (atualmente nas mãos de muitas gravadoras)

- Aumentar a participação nas vendas e na divisão dos lucros

Recentemente, várias bandas lançaram seus álbuns na internet, sem o apoio de grandes contratos com gravadoras.

(Fonte: EFE)

]]> http://mcshuibhne.wordpress.com/?p=3307 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:54:48 +0000 mcshuibhne http://mcshuibhne.nl.wordpress.com/2008/10/04/radiohead-kaiser-chiefs-iron-maiden-robbie-williams-y-60-artistas-mas-se-coaligan-contra-las-discograficas/ Radiohead, The Verve, Kaiser Chiefs, Klaxons, Kate Nash, Robbie Williams, Iron Maiden, David Gilmour, Travis y así hasta más de 60 grupos y solistas se han coaligado para intentar quedarse con un mayor control y propiedad de sus trabajos frente a los sellos discográficos.

Para ello han creado la Featured Artists' Coalition, un grupo de presión que busca mantener más derechos sobre la música que crean, tener un mayor poder a la hora de decidir cómo se venden sus canciones y contar con un mayor rédito en las ganancias (los derechos de autor están en propiedad de las mafias discográficas).

"Compañías discográficas y compañías tecnológicas están firmando acuerdos para trasladar la música a los seguidores de nuevas maneras. Los artistas no participan en esas negociaciones y sus intereses probablemente se pasan por alto. Los artistas deberían recibir una compensación justa como parte de esos acuerdos", señala el estatuto de la coalición, que ya cuenta con página web.

Por su parte, Brian Message, co-manager de Radiohead y Kate Nash, ha explicado que "la Featured Artists' Coalition ayudará a todos los artistas, jóvenes y viejos, conocido o no, para conducir el cambio atrasado por la industria en pro de los intereses de los artistas y de sus fans".

La puesta de largo de la coalición será mañana, domingo 5 de octubre, en Manchester.

Ya era hora de que los artistas pusieran contra las cuerdas a las discográficas. Ahora hay que esperar la arremetida de éstas, que, seguro, será de órdago.

My computer's been down. In a way it was if the world had stopped. A bit like not going to work. A bit like being without a television.

Last week Boz got himself locked up. At the beginning of the week he was in the office talking to Lily about abducting his children and hiding away with them in the caravan at Sandy Bay. Lily pointed out that he had already sabotaged his own plan by disclosing his secret whereabouts. Boz threw a wobbler and stormed out. He went into the car park and began methodically ripping the wing mirrors off cars. This is no easy task - a bit like pulling out a rhinocerous tooth, I thought. Once extracted he threw the detached mirrors over the wall into the street. He detached five in all, including both the driver's and passenger's side from Meg Bomberg's BMW. At least no-one will notice the wiggly scratch now, as Lily said.

Boz then went and sat on the wall and had a cigarette. He was sitting there almost serenely when the police arrived in their Ford Focus panda car. They rolled down the window. The officer asked him if he knew anything about the five broken mirrors lying in the road.

Boz shook his head. ‘Me?' he said. ‘Naw, nowt to do with me, mate. Do I look like a vandal? Naw, it must be the numpties from Newbiggin.'

Lily walked out into the car park at this point. Boz glanced at her.

‘So do I look like a kidnapper to you?' he asked the police officer. ‘Do I? Do I have the look of a man who would abduct children? Well, come on - do I?'

The police officer glanced across at his colleague. He had a wry smile on his face. Lily hadn't said a word.

‘You think that's funny, do you? Eh?' Boz said, throwing his cigarette down and standing up. He scrunched his stub into the pavement. For a moment he stood looking at the police officer, nodding his head slowly. Then like a leopard he suddenly pounced on the Focus wing mirror and began riving at it.

The police officers leapt out, twisted his arm up his back, slapped him in handcuffs, and threw him in the back seat of the panda, its passenger side mirror dangling like an almost severed limb. Boz bellowed and howled that they were numpties, numpties, numpties, that all policemen are numpties. They took him away to the station.

Lily looked at me and shrugged. ‘Do you think it's time to cancel the anger management sessions?' she said.

That night when I got home the clock was still ticking. The global economy was in a state of chaos. De Kooning wanted me to pick him up and carry him to the kitchen. I did so and then went for a walk before night fell.

On Thursday morning I caught the beginning of In Our Time as I drove to work. By sheer coincidence, I would suggest, the programme was looking at miracles. In the introductory part they looked at the Jewish and Christian versions of the idea and the way it was bound up with the idea of God and His power to intervene in the world. It seems that the Hebrew word used in the Bible means both ‘wonder' and ‘sign'. It interested me that these two concepts could be separated. The programme moved on to the Hindu and Taoist view of miracles, where a miracle can just be a wonder and not a sign at all. It seems that someone with these world views can witness as a miracle and regard it with a sense of wonder - and be fully aware that it defies the laws of nature - but not think it has a meaning. Such things are not signs. The Taoist has no idea why they happen and isn't much bothered in any case. They just do. This is an attitude that is alien to the west, I was thinking. Western cultures are heavy on ‘the need for cognition', so much so that some Western psychologists consider it to be one of our fundamental traits.  We need to know why things happen. We want explanations. Everything happens for a reason. We need to give an event a meaning.

The programme mentioned the case of the Hindu milk miracle, which occurred in 1996, and involved a stone statue of Ganesha the sacred elephant drinking milk. Or seeming to drink milk, depending on your point of view. This caused great excitement in the Hindu community and Hindus from far and wide came to witness the phenomenon. Even in Britain sales of milk near Hindu communities soared as people went off to get a bottle and feed a spoonful to their local stone elephant. The excitement was about something wonderful happening and the desire to witness a supernatural event. There was little concern about what the event might mean, it seems. Of course even in India the need to explain quickly asserted itself in some quarters. Scientists rapidly came up with the explanation that the stone elephant appeared to drink the milk because of capillary action: the stone was porous. Hindus resented this wonder being taken from them. Why is it that things that have an explanation cannot still be wonderful?

I was thinking, of course, about the Napoleon in Margaret's bedroom. Its tick was nagging at me. Maybe I should just regard it as a wonder, a clockwork Ganesha. Maybe I should try to persuade Margaret that this magic ticking really had no meaning, that it was a sign of nothing at all. What in fact was the evidence that it had a meaning, and what was the evidence that it had any particular meaning? Was there a message in the ticking, a secret language of ticks that a suitably inspired listener might translate?  Is there a Rosetta Stone of ticking? I doubted it somehow.

When I got in De Kooning ran up to me, as if he had great news. Had the Napoleon stopped? I picked him up, but before I got to the door of Margaret's bedroom I knew it hadn't. I pushed open the door and looked over at it. It gazed back smugly. It was ticking steadily, indifferently, like a cow chewing the cud of time.

‘I think I'll have a cappuccino,' I said. ‘Do you want a few prawns?'

I sat in the conservatory with my cappuccino, trying to read The Guardian. I wondered if I should ring the Greek, but I knew what he would say: the clock will stop, be patient. I began to think I would have to take matters into my own hands and take a spanner to this insolent clockwork wonder. I began to fear that once word got out about the Napoleon's perpetual motion, miracle freaks from around the globe would flock to our house for a glimpse of this wonder. They would come with camcorders, digital cameras and mobile phones and probably pay for the thrill of recording it, although what the value of a recording of a ticking clock - albeit an impossibly ticking one - would be was a little unclear to me. What would be important, however, was that Margaret and Brenda didn't realise the money making potential of this freak clock.

Scientists and horologists from around the world would descend upon us. Theories would proliferate. The government would call for calm. Gordon would have to decide upon some Calvinist neo-liberal position on the question, a view with which all cabinet ministers would be bound to agree. It would have to be made very clear that even if this miracle is a sign, it's not a sign of anything about the economy. There were clear dangers that it would be read that way in the current climate, given that the miracles the unregulated global markets have brought to us are now falling apart around their ears. Gordon would have to act to marginalise and neutralise the miracle of Margaret's Napoleon.

It was becoming clear: a miracle can lose its gloss fairly quickly. Miracles might not be all they're cracked up to be. Naturalists and supernaturalists, deists and atheists and Seventh Day Adventists, Neo-Druids and a host of other New Age pilgrims would squabble and debate night and day at our gate. Makeshift camps would spring up on the grass verges, mini-Glastonburies. The faithful would be found asleep or urinating in gardens. The neighbours would complain. Geraldine would probably go to the press. The miraculous clock would be as bad as the Citadel - worse possibly - another dreadful blight on their peaceful existence. The police would put permanent traffic cones down the street. Celebs would arrive for a photo opportunity. Robbie Williams might arrive. Or Jade Goody. My mind went back to the spanner: surely it would be better to nip this curse in the bud? But how could I do that without admitting that a miracle may have occurred? How could I destroy the evidence that I might be wrong about the nature of the world?  I was in a cleft stick. I'd have to hold firm and wait. The Greek was surely right: the Napoleon would stop any day now.

I spent a lot of last weekend out and about, walking or cycling. I was avoiding the ticking, I suspect. When I was in the house I'd sit in the Conservatory staring at the dark dreadful matrix of the Citadel with De Kooning, playing music loudly enough to make absolutely sure not a tick could be heard. I listened a lot to Teddy Thompson's latest album. It turns out to be an especially good record to drive away unwanted ticks. I think De Kooning liked it too. From time to time I got up with him and we danced a little as we looked out together at the darkening world.

On Monday I was going first thing to a meeting in North Shields. Margaret asked me to drop off another box of slippers at Brenda's on the way.  I got there at about half nine. Tristan answered the door. He came to the door in pale blue pyjamas and a pair of checky brown slippers, which looked brand new to me. His hair was tousled.

‘Morning, Tristan,' I said. ‘Are you not working today?'

‘No jobs,' he said. ‘Business is slow. It's the cwedit cwunch, mate.'

Yes, of course, I thought to myself, the cwedit cwunch. It has consequences for us all, even a Trotskyist plumber from Whitley Bay.

‘So is this the beginning of the end for capitalism, do you think?' I asked. ‘Is this the way the system collapses?'

‘It's in sewious twouble, mate, that's for sure. But they can't afford to let it fall. They'll pwop it up no matter what it costs. No point in expecting miwacles, as the man said. And as my father always weminded me, capitalism is adaptable. It's wuthless. It's survived this long and it'll survive a while yet. And he was wight. I'm beginning to think the world will be on its knees before we'll see socialism.'

It was nice to be reminded of the illustrious Wupert. Tristan, of course, is probably right.

‘So is Brenda in?' I said. ‘I've got a box of mules for her.'

‘Yes, she's just getting weady.' Tristan said. ‘She's got a client in about ten minutes. She's been away for the weekend and she got back late last night.'

‘So where's she been? Anywhere special?'

‘A poetwy festival. She loved it. She seems to get a lot out of mixing with poets. She finds it exciting. It's a load of pwetentious wubbish to me. But each to their own, eh? '

I nodded. ‘So what kind of client does Brenda have this morning, Tristan - someone for acupuncture?'

‘No, reiki, I think.' Tristan replied. ‘Mr Armitage. He's been having trouble with his kidneys. Or is it his knees? Anyway, here is now.' Tristan nodded towards the road. An old man in a blue Rover was pulling up. I gave Tristan the box of slippers and bid him farewell.

‘Say hello to Brenda for me,' I said. I was wondering what kind of poetry she reads. I was wondering if she reads Lorca. Perhaps she prefers Bukowski.

I drove on the North Shields, listening to some more Teddy Thompson. I was noticing the ways he reminds me of his dad, something that wasn't very obvious to me at first.

When I arrived at the office Boz was sitting in reception.

‘So they let you out, Boz, did they?' I said.

‘Of course they did,' he said. ‘Do I look like a criminal? I hadn't done anything in the first place. It was their fault, not mine. That's the trouble with the police, they show people no respect.'

Mandy Potts was in the interview room with Debs. Debs told me she was worried because the phone calls had started again. Over the weekend they've had Yvonne Fair on three separate occasions. Someone has also told her that a white Mercedes was driving around the estate in the early hours of Sunday morning and that Elephant Carmichael's been released on bail.

‘And she says Molly Armstrong's on the game,' Debs said. ‘Mandy says Flinty always tried to get her to go on the game when he needed money for drugs. She thinks he must be desperate. When he can't get drugs he's unpredictable.'

‘So what does she want you to do?' I asked.

‘'Nothing, I think. She just wants to talk about it. She wishes he would just disappear, but she knows I haven't got a magic wand.

‘Is she still with Mr Zee?' I asked.

‘Yeah,' Debs said. ‘The kids were with him while she came in.'

I listened to Teddy Thompson again as I drove home that night. When I got in I heard the Napoleon ticking. I let De Kooning and out and got changed. I went out for a walk. I walked over to the old campsite beside the reservoir at South Newsham and then down to the beach. I walked along the promenade and then followed the beach road and Wensleydale Terrace to the park. I went along the quayside and through the footpath on Ballast Hill. I walked along York Street and from there through Morrison's car park. I went all the way up Bowes Street and then along Renwick Road and past the council offices on my way home.

When I got back Margaret was in. As soon as I came through the door she asked me if I'd done anything to the Napoleon.

‘Nothing,' I said. ‘I won't touch it, I promise.'

‘It's stopped,' she said.

‘It's stopped?!' I said. ‘Your Napoleon's stopped?!'

‘Yes,' she said. ‘It's stopped. Have you done anything to it? Please tell me the truth. Have you?'

‘No,' I said. ‘No, I swear I haven't. I'd thought about, of course, more than once. But, no, I haven't touched it.'

Margaret shook her head. ‘I can't believe it,' she said. ‘I can't believe it. What am I going to tell Brenda? Why would it suddenly stop?'

This was an odd question, the exact opposite of the question that had been bothering me. I had ideas, but I didn't think Margaret was in the mood for them. What I wanted to tell her was that Teddy Thompson was to blame. But I didn't.

De Kooning came trotting in from the garden. It was almost dark. I picked him up and went into the kitchen. I stood him on the bench and put the kettle on.

‘So what do you think of that?' I said to him, almost gleefully, scratching his head for him in that way he likes so much. ‘The clock's stopped. Just think - no Robbie Williams, no Katie and Peter, no Jade Goody. It's a miracle, isn't it, an absolute bloody miracle!'

.

I was her she was me
We were one we were free
And if there's somebody calling me on
She's the one
If there's somebody calling me on
She's the one

We were young we were wrong
We were fine all along
If there's somebody calling me on
She's the one

When you get to where you wanna go
And you know the things you wanna know
You're smiling

When you said what you wanna say
And you know the way you wanna play
You'll be so high you'll be flying
Though the sea will be strong
I know we'll carry on
Cos if there's somebody calling me on
She's the one
If there's somebody calling me on
She's the one

When you get to where you wanna go
And you know the things you wanna know
You're smiling

When you said what you wanna say
And you know the way you wanna say it
You'll be so high you'll be flying

I was her she was me
We were one we were free
If there's somebody calling me on
She's the one
If there's somebody calling me on
She's the one
If there's somebody calling me on
She's the one
Yeah she's the one
If there's somebody calling me on
She's the one
She's the one.

Holy torture!!! Si vous pensez que l'émission Dancing with the Stars est une vraie assiette de caca mou, imaginez ce que ça donne quand le délice télévisuel invite Chestica Simpson à venir chanter une toune de Robbie Williams. Utiliser une fourchette comme Q-Tip ferait moins mal que ça.

Pis c'est quoi le deal avec Cheryl Burke (Beurrrke) pis son osti de tête de Muppet? PAS CAPABLE.

Känner du ibland att du var menad för någonting större?

Att det finnas ett större syfte med tillvaron - med 'dasein' som tyske filosofen och teologen Martin Heideggar skulle ha uttryckt det.

Jag kan ge dig ett större syfte, syftet var att få ta del av Naudos magi:

Robbie Williams Angels tolkad av Naudo

Naudo Productions heter han på Youtube - klassiskt skolad gitarrist men med mycket egen stil. En fantastisk musiker som gör fascinerande covers på klassiska hits från senare delen av nittiotalet, däribland Robbie Williams Angels (som länkad i posten), Beatles Penny Lane (rekommenderas varmt) och Stings Fields of Gold.

Fantastisk musiker. Ännu ett skäl att vakna en morgon till, finns så förbannat mycket talang i världen som behöver upptäckas.

/ Krigsstigen

Ok, I've heard some pretty strange shit but this has got to take the cake!  British singer Robbie Williams is rumored to have been spending some time in U.F.O. camp writing a new alien-themed album!

Williams, who claims to have had alien encounters in the past, took video equipment to Trout Lake in Washington in his search for aliens.

Michael C. Luckman, director of the New York Center for Extraterrestrial Research says, "What better person to roll out the welcome mat than Robbie Williams, one of the most recognizable and beloved performers on the face of the planet?"

Is he serious?  When is the last time Robbie Williams had anything out?

The "expert" believes, Robbie must be trained to deal with "highly advanced" intergalactic life-forms by boosting his "psychic powers" and undergoing a procedure similar to one used on N.A.S.A. astronauts.

Yeah, good luck with that!

En signerad R.W bok... Köpt av syrran i en liten bokaffär i London, sen gav hon den till mig!
EFTER köpet så ser hon att den är signerad!
Man kan ju säga att värdet på boken klev upp nåra staplar..
I like!! <3

Nu ska jag nog sova! Tired e jag och jag ska upp  tidigt. Börjar jobba 6.45 as vanligt!

Gonatt

seriously, why did jessica simpson think she could sing 'angels.' robbie williams is probably... well, too busy searching for extra-terrestrial life, actually, but he should be outraged. also, she's totally fellating the microphone.

via dlisted: 'dear jessica, the angels want you to stop'

ps - i love dlisted.