30 day song challenge - day seventeen: a song heard often on the radio

I listen to 6Music mostly, so this is quite difficult to answer: I don't tend to listen to the schedule that is more playlist driven (evenings and weekends only) and otheriwse it's the World Service, Radio 4 and occasional Radio 7 Radio 4Extra.

Still: over the last week or so I have been hearing a fair bit of the new Fleet Foxes album 'Helplessness Blues' which makes me a very happy woman (since I luffs that band).

30 day song challenge - day sixteen: song used to love, now hate

Robert Miles - Children by Hakunamatata67

Cannot believe that at one point I loved the cheese that is Robert Miles' Children!

30 day song challenge - day fifteen: song that describes me

Oh heck... I feel someone else should choose this.

Still, in absence of someone else's intelligent supposition, is there any girl who didn't identify with 'At Seventeen' by Janice Ian?

Theatre review: Avenue Q on tour Nottingham Theatre Royal Tuesday 26 April 2011

Most of you will already be familiar with the very modern and adult puppet musical Avenue Q. Heck, its been around since before Gary Coleman died. However despite previous attempts to schedule seeing it in London it has taken the til the show goes on tour to get to see it.

Was it worth the wait? Yeah it was.



Sure there are some dubious elements: I get the underlying sentiments of "Everyone's a little bit racist" but its a bit problematic amidst such a predominantly white audience. Still, much else going on is funny and savvy enough to compensate: after all it is hard to deny "the internet is for porn".

What really entertained was how clear it was that so many in the audience already knew and loved the show. Plenty of young faces too which make a change in the Theatre. Despite one unavoidable point of cast and audience corpsing (dude, that was one helluva laugh) it went really well and smoothly in terms of the production and kudos to all for the puppetry. Very enjoyable. And great music too.

And with a somewhat happy-ish ending, it was actually a rather life-affirming experience despite the dark wrongness of the topics!

Evening Post review

30 day song challenge - day fourteen: something unexpected

Given my eclectic tastes finding a choice for this category is pretty darn hard to justify!

Still, Charles Trenet's Boum is fairly off-beat!

WhoFix Tribute to Lis Sladen

From Neil @ WhoFix who posted this marvellous video from Stuart Humphryes BabelColour YouTube channel [thanks Persephone!]. Now set off blubbing again...

30 day song challenge - day thirteen: guilty pleasure

Hmmm... the soundtrack album to Les Miserables remains a favourite... I think I borrowed the double album original soundtrack from the library so many times they may have well as just given it to me to keep...




Update:
And for those who don't get this choice, it could have been Muse Knights of Cydonia...

30 day song challenge - day twelve: from a band I hate

I'm really not a fan of boybands, but somehow...

Take That - Back for Good. Video is bloody awful but there is a certain charm to the song...

30 day song challenge - day eleven: from favourite band

Hmm... who are my favourite band today?

It was always gonna be...

I-Spy by Pulp



Especially this version (from Jools Holland in 1995) quite possibly the most brilliant moment of their appearances on JH.

30 day song challenge - day ten: makes me fall asleep

Crikey - a snooze song? Something gentle perhaps? Something relaxing?

Possibly something classical or film score... something soothing?

Chopin ----

30 day song challenge - day nine: song you can dance to

Oh... anything upbeat by Bellowhead would do the trick for me --- I can bounce up and down and jig frantically to their stuff!

London Town


Sloe Gin

30 day song challenge - day eight: song you know all the words to

Oh my ---- this is REALLY tricky, not least because since a very early age I have frequently made it my mission to learn song lyrics. My friend Vicki and I used to be able to buy an Abba album and pride ourselves on having learnt all the lyrics and harmonys within 2 days.

Still, I'm going with this one because I so fondly remember learning the lyrics to it

The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys

30 day song challenge - day seven: a song that reminds you of a certain event

A certain day in September...

Sadly no video for the song I really wanted here --- Einsturzende Neubauten's Salamandrina though there are a couple of non-embeddable versions...

Salamandrina - just the song
Salamandrina - fan video

Sad news - Lis Sladen

Guess we all had a bit of a tear at hearing the death of Lis Sladen...

Sarah Jane Smith will live on in our hearts, as will the Brigadier... man: what a sad year for Doctor Who fans...


I grew up on Lis Sladen and Doctor Who: seeing her triumphant return in School Reunion and then in the Sarah Jane Adventures was just a delight. Her ageless beauty took us all back to our childhood with her and made it feel as if we too could make time our friend. Proof - if anyone needed it - that the real world will always catch up with us.

Thoughts to all her family, friends and fans, who will feel her loss sharply.

30 day song challenge - day six: Reminds me of Somewhere

To remind me of somewhere, a track needs a sense of place for me.

And New York is perfectly encapsulated by these two tunes. Sorry - could not choose between them!

Mid-20th century New York --- all art deco gloss


1970s New York - all yellow taxis

30 day song challenge - day five: Reminds me of Someone

This track reminds me of several people actually... and I LOVE the video. The Killers, Mr Brightside still makes me tingle

30 day song challenge - day four: Makes me Sad

For tear factors ---- well, Squeeze and Labelled with Love STILL does it for me...

30 day song challenge - day three: Makes me Happy

For sheer smile factor, I'm going today with The Decemberists The Sporting Life --- because it is genuinely funny.

Sadly no proper video, but the song is hilarious...

30 day song challenge - day two: Least Favourite Song

Crikey - there is a lot of scope for citing stuff that generically comes up on such lists ---- cheesy pop, novelty records etc.

But for sheer irritation, I think it has to be My Doorbell by The White Stripes which has really wound me up on several occasions. A shame as I rather like the band....

30 day song challenge - day one: Favourite Song

Oh man - it's gonna have to be A favourite song from this minute, since 'my favourite song' of ALL TIME would be a nigh impossible task otherwise.

*ponders*

Full length version of Common People by Pulp. Preferably the live version from Glastonbury 1995 because it holds so many memories.

Desert Island Discs - matching the archive

Desert Island Discs has released its searchable archive: now you too can match who would choose the same tracks as you...

Remember Rullsenberg's Desert Island Disc list? I think I'd still stick to this as reflecting memorable tracks for me, despite other favourites looming...

Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin - 54 matches including Ian McMillan, John Noakes, Lang Lang, Matthew Bourne, Dusan Greenfield, and Jack Lemmon

The River by Bruce Springsteen - 2 matches (Britt Ekland and Alan Parker)

Common People by Pulp - 5 matches (Johnny Vegas, Lynn Barber [who I vividly recall loving JC when she interviewed him], AA Gill, Stephen Frears, Fran Landesman)


Funnily, a song about suicide [Blue Oyster Cult's (Don't Fear) The Reaper], Squeeze's Labelled with Love, Echo and the Bunnymen's Never Stop, The Smiths' Ask, and The Wedding Present's Kennedy don't get a look-in.

Huh.

Though other songs by Squeeze and The Smiths DO get a mention!

Remember that list of plays and events?

Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre ----

*whistles*

Plus:

RSC Written on the Heart
RSC Midsummer Night's Dream

(going into 2012)
RSC Measure for Measure

There is clearly a conspiracy of theatre ticket bankruptcy...

No excuses - just busy

Erm.... remember me? I used to blog here. I had such hopes for the year as well....