A Bomb Deal
- 28 Feb 08, 03:17 PM
The run-up to the release of the second album is very exciting. And while they’re a modest operation, they know that they’ve done something special, that the new music will deliver extra thrills to the people. I’ve heard snippets and they rock, in a uniquely melodic way.
Last year I took a few casual snaps of Rocky and Shaun, and they liked the results. I’ve got a clunky rangefinder camera from the early ’70s, which has an old-school analogue charm. It cost ?30 on ebay, which is a bonus.
Therefore I did another session with the pair, and happily, they came out fine. This is a shot of them in the studio, giving it loads into the lens of the lucky Canonet.
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
Give Pierce A Chance
- 26 Feb 08, 07:11 PM
Must say, I’m looking forward to seeing Jason Pierce and Spiritualized at the Mandela Hall, Belfast, May 29. He’s like a vintage breed in that he understands the old rock and roll stance; grace under pressure, emotions revealed without unnecessary drama, the music pared and precise.
He was awesome at the a few years ago. More so because he was in a smart little venue that responds to the sense of occasion. When someone mentioned this cool setting to the man, shortly before showtime, he winced, ever so slightly. And then he explained, that when he had been presented by his manager with a list of potential tour dates, he chose this one because… he thought it said Lisbon. Oh well...
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
Playlist 22.02.07
- 24 Feb 08, 09:46 PM
While I was gallivanting at the Waterfront last Friday, my radio show was pre-recorded: a return of the whistling in rock special, followed by a delightful combo, “Listen With Mozzer”, filled with various songs written and covered by Morrissey.
It was also a good reason to feature the track, ‘Lesson Of The Smiths’. The music is a homage to ‘This Charming Man’, while the lyric is a pertinent message about snobbery in popular culture. MJ Hibbert remembers with some shame that he didn’t like Morrissey’s music because he thought Smiths fans were saddo losers. And of course, you should pay attention to the tunes and not the constituency. Good call, MJ.
The Smiths, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (Rough Trade)
The Pretenders, Everyday is Like Sunday (Rhino)
Sandie Shaw, Jeanne (Rough Trade)
Morrissey, Now My Heart Is Full (EMI)
MJ Hibbett & The Validators, The Lesson Of The Smiths (AAS)
The Smiths, This Charming Man (Rough Trade)
David Bowie, I Know It's Gonna Happen (EMI)
Morrissey, Redondo Beach (Attack)
The High Llamas, Frankly, Mr Shankly (Les Inrockuptibles)
Morrissey, Cosmic Dancer (EMI)
Schneider TM, The Light 3000 (City Slang)
Morrissey, Moon River (EMI)
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
Pieces Of Fate
- 23 Feb 08, 07:30 PM
So Terri Hooley got his dues at the last night. There was always a chance that he would turn his acceptance speech into some kind of tirade, but he kept his cool, was gracious about his Legend Award and saved his contempt for the arsonists who burnt him out of the North Street Arcade. Then Panama Kings came on and played a belter version of ‘Teenage Kicks’ on the Waterfront Stage.
It was an interesting night, a meeting of gastro-pubs and moshpits, BT9 and Route 66. Ruby Wax insulted most of the local celebrities and had trouble with the place names. James Nesbitt was amusing, Ronan Keating paid tribute to the late Jim Aiken and when the aftershows were finished, we headed back to Oh Yeah for the after-aftershow.
That’s when the details become a little vague. But I do remember an all-star version of ‘Teenage Kicks’, some songs by Iain Archer and Ciaran Gribben, aka Joe Echo. Another turn, John D’Arcy had learnt off a bunch of Good Vibrations songs, including ‘Self Conscious Over You’, which was witnessed by the original Outcasts singer, Greg Cowan. The old fella was touched.
Later, we bellowed out a version of the Them classic, ‘Gloria’. Left to right in the photo is Terri Hooley, Niall Kennedy from the Panama Kings, soccer hero Gerry Armstrong, Gary Lightbody and myself. Hilarious. The head is still sore.
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
List for Life
- 23 Feb 08, 06:58 PM
During the week I went to see the film ‘Bucket List’, which stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as a couple of, not quite, old men facing up to a diagnosis of terminal cancer. A preposterous plot device allows the two of them to share a hospital room, despite the fact that one is a car mechanic/bedside philosopher whilst the other is a cranky, eccentric billionaire – and no prizes for guessing which actor plays which.
Anyway, none of that matters, nor does the fact that this is not a particularly good movie. What is intriguing is the premise from whence comes the title. Faced with their reasonably imminent death the two of them draw up a ‘Bucket List’, that is, things they really want to do or see before the finally kick the bucket. Now that’s an idea that I found fascinating on all sorts of levels.
If I could begin by borrowing a phrase from Mr Benjamin Franklin: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” Amen! We none of us like to dwell on it, but one day we’re all going to be ‘facing of the final curtain’, and whilst we hope that day is still a long way off, we really can’t be certain. People have accidents, get knocked down by buses, get taken suddenly ill, but the difference between us and the characters in the movie is that they had a fair idea of ‘the when’ whilst we’re all living on in blissful ignorance. I say ‘blissful’ because I am pretty certain that most of us, if asked, would not want to know the exact time and date of our deaths – I certainly wouldn’t – but a date with death there will undoubtedly be.
And that is where the bucket list comes in. I reckon, for the reasons I've just mentioned, we should all have one - and not just some vague set of hopes and dreams that we carry around in our heads, this needs to be something that you actually commit to paper. It’s a question of sitting down and writing out a wish list of things you want to do from the sublime to the ridiculous, the serious to the seriously off the wall. And it’s amazing how when it’s there in front of you in black and white it takes on a life of its own. Also, if you’re anything like me, once you have any kind of list you’ll be itching to start crossing things off it.
I’m currently compiling my own list and I’m being very careful about what I put on it. I don’t want something the size of a telephone directory – whilst I’m hopeful I still have a few good years left in me I cannot deny that, in strictly numeric terms, I am hovering around middle age …what a hideous phrase, it should be banned from the English language!
So far on my list I’ve been dealing with the easy things, the fun things – take a trip on the Orient Express, see the Taj Mahal at dawn, have dinner in 3 star Michelin restaurant – preferably with George Clooney, sing in a Paris jazz club, speak fluent French, drink a bottle of wine older than I am…..no doubt you’re getting the idea. so far it’s only at the draft stage, but in the next few weeks I’ll be finalising the definitive The Bucket List – although I see no reason why I shouldn’t be able to amend it or add to it.
So if you share in my philosophy, and you want my advice, don't put this off, start today. Get thinking, get writing and get living….I'm certainly not giving up until this particular fat lady sings! Now, where's my Cole Porter songbook?
Vaux Pop
- 20 Feb 08, 09:16 AM
Here’s my autographed cover of ‘Vauxhall And I’. While I don’t normally solicit signatures, in this instance there’s was a point to the request. It was 1994 and I had queued for a considerable time outside the HMV by Manchester’s Arndale Centre. I wanted to meet Morrissey, to converse with the singer and this was my only chance.
Let me explain. In August 1992, Morrissey played a show at Finsbury Park, supporting Madness. In front of an audience of seig-heiling skinheads, he paraded the Union Jack and sang a series of songs that were dangerously ambiguous. At this stage, the Moz songbook contained tracks such as ‘Asian Rut’, Bengali In Platforms’ and ‘We’ll Let You Know’. At an NME editorial the following Tuesday, we decided to start a public debate. It was the moment when the paper and the artist were officially divorced. Things haven’t been the same since.
There was no response from Morrissey, no attempt to clarify the debate, and so the story festered. But when ‘Vauxhall And I’ appeared, it seemed like a more contrite record. There was tenderness, an appeal for compassion, and a closing track called ‘Speedway’ that seemed to ask the judge and jury for some kind of a reprieve.
I wrote a constructive review and the word came back throught the Moz office that he was glad to have been given a fair hearing. So when we heard that the singer was doing HMV signings in London and Manchester, we decided to deliver a score of NME writers into the queue, each bearing a question. When the answers were collated, we would have a feature for the paper and perhaps some resolution to the debate.
Of course it ended in chaos and comedy. The London signing was cut short, and so myself and John Harris took it to Manchester, talking to fans in the queue, building up a story. Finally I met the man, got my CD signed and we exchanged a few words. We had our cover story, albeit a slightly mad one.
The Morrissey controversy has resumed again, as reported here. The difference is that the artist was quick to react, issuing a denial and forging links with the . All good.
So I’m inclined to believe that while he has a romantic and deluded view of little England in the old days, I don’t believe it’s a malicious one. I still play his music and the best of it moves me uniquely. Therefore in the second hour of this Friday’s show, I’ll dedicate an hour to ‘Listen With Mozzer’. Lots of Smiths tunes and tracks covered by Sandi Shaw, The Pretenders, Schneider TM, plus some charming surprises.
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
You've Got Male
- 17 Feb 08, 08:00 PM
On Saturday night we shouted at the telly when won his for Best Irish Male. The fella looked properly surprised and made a right haimes of his acceptance speech. But we don’t celebrate him for his public speaking skills, rather the soul, the fun and the musicality. I’ve heard a few snatches of his upcoming Kurt Weill / Huckleberry Finn EP and it’s another intrepid dimension. His award may also make up for the sad night two years ago when he didn’t win the Choice Music Prize and his van was burgled outside the venue, costing him a stack of CDs and merchandise.
The Meteor billing for Gary Lightbody and Lisa Hannigan suggested that they were singing ‘Some Surprise’ in public for the first time. Not true. They managed this on May 5, 2007 at the Open Day in Belfast. I believe there may even be a bootleg film of it out there. Here’s a still of it anyway. 
Like Duke, I’m not anticipating an acceptance speech at the on March 1 in Dublin. But I’m touched to be on the shortlist for Best Music Blog. There’s a frenzy of ideas out there, and I’d say the smart money music be on , who is batting away impressively, shaming the older hacks with all that energy.
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
Sing it, don’t say it…
- 17 Feb 08, 07:34 PM
“Picking up where my esteemed colleague Mr Bailie left off on the subject of Valentine’s Day…. Last year I got the standard bouquet of flowers and it was absolutely lovely - lilies and roses and all sorts of other blooms I can never the names of. Naturally I was delighted, particularly after several years in the romantic wildnerness. So, as I am still happily ensconced with my beloved - albeit not always necessarily in the same country - I would have to admit that when I awoke on the morning of February 14th my mood was one of optimistic expectation.
However, as the day wore on and no flowers, cards or other such gifts were being showered upon my person I did begin to panic slightly. After 3 calls to the 大象传媒 front desk to ask if anything had been delivered I realised I was starting to sound very desperate indeed. Bizzarely, when I was single none of this mattered, my expectation was zero. Now it was different, now there were no acceptable excuses.
By this stage I had taken to rehearsing in my head just how exactly I was going to enact the Valentine’s Day Massacre II – only the one victim, but a lot more blood! As you would expect I had also scripted the bitter words about “being neglected” and “unappreciated” and “I don’t care how much you think it’s just some sort of commercialised rip-off invented by greeting cards companies and florists”.
And then it happened. The little envelope popped up on my computer screen and in this electronic age I got the best, the most romantic Valentine ever. My beloved got in touch with his sentimental side, sat down at the piano and recorded, especially for me, a version of one of my all time favourite songs ‘My Funny Valentine’, written by Rodgers and Hart in 1937 and one of the most recorded of all the standards that make up the Great American Songbook.
Now obviously it helps that he’s a very talented singer songwriter and a terrific musician with a great voice – honestly I’m not being biased - but despite the fact that this has been covered by everybody from Ella Fitzgerald to Michelle Pfeiffer this is the best version I ever heard – and always will be.
It brought tears to my eyes, joy to my heart and I will treasure until the day I die. Who needs flowers now!!!!
And just in case you aren’t familiar with Mr Hart’s words here they are…
My funny Valentine
Sweet comic Valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable
Yet you're my favourite work of art
Is your figure less than Greek
Is your mouth a little weak
When you open it to speak
Are you smart?
But don't change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little Valentine stay
Each day is Valentine's day
Is your figure less than Greek
Is your mouth a little weak
When you open it to speak
Are you smart?
But don't you change one hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little Valentine stay
Each day is Valentine's day
Romantic or what? If I can find a way to let you hear Jim’s wonderful version I will definitely let you know!
Playlist 15.02.08
- 16 Feb 08, 03:08 PM
A decent part of last night's show was spent investigating the which is active next week. Favourites such as Nanci Griffith and Eilidh Patterson will be joined by more left-field names such as Iain Archer, Tobias Froberg and Kevin Gordon. I must declare an interest in that I'm chairing a Wednesday discussion panel about the value of song and then fronting the 'Nebraska Revisited' night. But hey, it's a sincere festival and Colin and Anne are doing a valuable job.
The playlist was my first chance to air the new REM single, and frankly I think it sounds too eager to rock and is slight on the kind of mystery that Michael Stipe used to employ so well. It would be cool to see them on the Oxygen stage this July but we remain uneasy about the new album. Still liking the Vampire Weekend record and smiling at the story of the elderly couple who bought tickets for Frank Black in Dublin, believing that it was the blessed Frances Black. Some difference.
PLAYLIST 15.02.08
STUART BAILIE
大象传媒 Radio Ulster, 92-95 FM, 1341 MW
Online: www.bbc.co.uk/radioulster
Fridays, ten – midnight
Josh Ritter – Kathleen (Setanta)
REM – Supernatural Superserious (Warner)
Tobias Froberg – When The Night Turns Cold (Fire Egg)
John Power – Ain’t No Woman (Taniki Taniji)
Vampire Weekend – Campus (XL)
The Coal Porters – Mr Guthrie
Woody Guthrie – Pretty Boy Floyd (Special Delivery)
Devotchka – Along The Way (Anti)
Sound Dimension – Rockfort Rock (Soul Jazz)
American Music Club – The Victory Choir (cv)
Nina Simone – He’s Got The Whole World (Charly)
Radiohead – Nude (XL)
John McGurgan – Jenny And Her Vega Machine (white)
LCD Soundsystem – Time To Get Away (EMI)
John Power – Ain’t No Woman (Taniki Taniji)
Matthew Sweet, Susanna Hoffs – And Your Bird Can Sing (Evangeline)
Alelia Diane – The Rifle (Rough Trade)
Aretha Franklin - a House Is Not a Home (Sony/BMG)
Vampire Weekend – Walcott (XL)
Kate Walsh – Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (Bluebury)
Morrissey – I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday (EMI)
Nada Surf – See These Bones (City Slang)
Moldy Peaches – Anyone Else But You (XL)
David Johansen – James Alley Blues (Chesky)
Ben Glover – Things Haven’t Started Happening Yet (Mr Jones)
Tetine – I Go To The Doctor (Soul Jazz)
The Black Keys – Strange Times (V2)
The Pixies – Gigantic (4ad)
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
The Card Of The County
- 14 Feb 08, 09:25 AM
I don’t have so many outstanding memories of Valentine’s Day. As a teenager, it was all peer pressure, disappointment and missives from the occasional stalker. That’s why I always shiver during the Janis Ian song, ‘At 17’. You know the lines: “To those of us who know the pain / of Valentines that never came”. On your side, Janis.
In my 20s, it was Chet Baker and ‘My Funny Valentine’. Some pleasure, intimacy and good times. In later years a Steve Earle song has hovered into the equation. 'Valentine's Day' is about the stresses of adult life and the struggle to sustain special moments in the face of compromise, commerce and self interest. Steve sounds magnificently bedraggled. He’s forgotten the card and the shops are sold out of roses. And so he moans:
If I could I would deliver to you
Diamonds and gold; it's the least I can do
So if you'll take my IOU
I could make it up to you
Until then I hope my heart will do
For Valentine's Day
This year I made the missus a card. Concept by myself and photo by my eldest girl. Ain’t it fancy?
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
Grin and Bear It
- 12 Feb 08, 08:20 PM
“Now, I was wondering if you had seen the lovely picture of the treasured doggie Ella and I in the Belfast Telegraph last Friday night. The reason for our appearance in print was to highlight the very popular ‘Days Like This’ slot on Radio Ulster which, this week, is featuring a number of the station’s presenters including me. My special memory was the day I met the puppy who would go on to become the ‘Princess of Pooches’, although I did briefly consider going with the moment when I first learned to kiss – but that is a story for another occasion…..let’s just say that realising I was supposed to breathe through my nose changed my life!! And, in case you’re wondering, I was only 14 and girls were a lot more innocent then.
Back to Ella, and along with the photograph in the paper I had to say a few words about how wonderful she is, which was all completely heartfelt, and I really wouldn’t have missed the last 12 years with her for anything.
However, old dogs are like old cars and once they start to go wrong they’ll end up costing you a fortune. Since my public declaration of canine devotion there is no going back, even if I wanted to, so at the weekend when the vet suggested a series of tests to determine the state of her health, as well as get her ears cleaned out under general anaesthetic, what could I do but agree. I love her.
Fast forward 48 hours and I have just forked out many hundreds of pounds to be told that Ella’s ears are grand and she is fit as a fiddle. Don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely delighted to hear it, don’t begrudge a penny spent, and the vet did a fine job. I just want to know why everything has to be so expensive these days. I seem to spend my life robbing Peter to pay Paul. For example….I have a cracked filling, a root canal job, and whilst it isn’t sore it is sensitive and I know it needs fixed. But it was the vet or the dentist, because there is no way any normal person could afford both in the same month. So I have to postpone getting my teeth fixed now until after Easter. To be honest, even at the best of times, you practically need a second mortgage to visit the dentist, and I’m not talking the cosmetic stuff here, this is just for the basic oral upkeep.
Remember the good old days when dentists had NHS practices and you didn’t have to save up for weeks beforehand, or pay it off on you credit card over half a year. I think there are still some NHS dentists out there, I certainly don’t have one. Indeed I’m beginning to suspect they may just be an urban myth as rare as the proverbial hen’s teeth – pardon the pun.
Also lets be honest, given what they charge, dentists and vets must be making a fortune!! Oh I so wish I’d been better at science at school.
So the conclusion of this shaggy dog story is that Ella is happy and healthy while I am broke and must avoid biting off more than I can chew. And the moral…..make sure you get pet insurance and a private dental plan and you’ll never need to worry.
‘Days Like This’ with Ella and I is on Radio Ulster at 08.55 on Saturday morning.….
For Whom The Toal Tells
- 12 Feb 08, 10:16 AM
The Saturday Magazine show on Radio Ulster feels more like a social club than a piece of programming. The guests are swapping music, eating well, launching tall stories and meeting people with odd pastimes. And when it finishes at 11am, the team tends to hang around to continue the discussions and to partake of Paula McIntyre’s tremendous cuisine.
The mainstay of course is John Toal, a clever and affable gent who can converse with Newry lap dancers, children with wayward rabbits and psychotic Westlife fans. He knows his literature and his high art, but he snorts with childish pleasure at the contents of the Russell Ash book, . And why shouldn’t he?
The John and Paula rapport is also something to watch, as the business of cooking on radio is punctuated with Toal’s smacking lips and evident, epicurean joy. We finish with a record review that also aims to be entertaining. Whenever Katy Melua or Il Divo are mentioned, it’s also the chance to be terribly catty.
Outside broadcasts provide the opportunity to take this cavalcade to our listeners. Last Saturday, we hauled up at the King’s Hall in Belfast to visit the event. It was billed as the Beauty And Vitality Show, therefore John was pampered, Paula had her face done and I was subjected to an oriental head massage. My stress was located and eased. The ear lobes were wrung out like minature dish cloths and I did indeed feel highly revitalised. Where else would you get it?
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
Playlist 08.02.08
- 10 Feb 08, 11:08 AM
Another sweet show on Friday night. I was joined for a couple of live tracks by , who has a tune out at the moment called 'Double Bed' and who's finding his voice and his style with rewarding speed.
The album is a treasure of alternative fun with hints of world music, shown through a wonky prism. It was also great value to hear a Scottish act called , who clearly admire Gram Parsons, the Band and Neil Young. That also applies to local artist , who releases his debut album in a weeks time, and you'll hear plenty of that next Friday.
PLAYLIST 08.02.08
STUART BAILIE
大象传媒 Radio Ulster, 92-95 FM, 1341 MW
Online: www.bbc.co.uk/radioulster
Fridays, ten – midnight
Patti Smith – People Have The Power (Arista)
The Galipaygos – Happiness Starts Now (Unity)
Matt McGinn – Double Bed (live session)
Nick Lowe – I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass (Proper)
Matt McGinn – Lately (live session)
Vampire Weekend – M79(XL)
Rev Gary Davis – If I Had My Way (Smithsonian)
Guillemots – Get Over It (Polydor)
Jaymay – Ill Willed Person (Heavenly)
Marvin Gaye – I Met A Little Girl (Motown)
Adam Green – Morning After Midnight (Rough Trade)
The Stooges – No Fun (Elektra)
Morrissey – First Of The Gang To Die (Attack)
The Galipaygos – Pickin Fishes (Unity)
Devon Sproule – Let’s Go Out (Tin Angel)
Martin Simpson – Never any Good (Topic)
Ben Glover – Mercury Is Falling (Mr Jones)
Junior Brown – What’s Left Just Won’t Go Right (Demon)
Adam Green – Festival Song (Rough Trade)
Kd Lang - Jealous Dog (Nonesuch)
Rivers Cuomo – Buddy Holly (Geffen)
Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (XL)
The Teardrop Explodes – Reward (Mercury)
The Cave Singers – Dancing On Our Graves (Matador)
The Verve – A Northern Soul (Hut)
Feist – My Moon My Man (Polydor)
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
Talking Turkey
- 9 Feb 08, 12:21 PM
“And so puppet of parody par excellence Dustin the Talking Turkey is firm favourite to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest with his song ‘Twelve Points, Deuze Poins’. But why am I surprised? He’s hardly the first turkey in the competition and one thing’s for sure, he couldn’t be a worse choice than last year’s entry which, if I remember correctly, actually came last!
Anyway, I’m rambling on when what I really wanted to talk to you about isn’t turkeys, but chickens, ?1.99 chickens to be precise.
I just cannot believe that any supermarket chain in their right mind would think of trying to offer their shoppers cheap chicken after everything that we’ve seen and read about intensive breeding. Have they not been watching Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fernley Whitingstall? Do they not realise the appalling conditions in which these poor birds live their brief lives, in pain and distress, not to mention the fact that they are being pumped full of god knows what to keep them disease free in their cramped, filthy, cages? Do they imagine that their customers are uninformed or uncaring.
I have absolutely no problem whatsoever eating meat from livestock specifically bred for the purpose (sorry vegetarians), but just because, from the moment they are born, their destiny is to end up on our plates doesn’t mean to say that their lives should be filled with unrelenting misery. Indeed, whilst I love my meat I would sooner give it up than buy into that. Surely in this day and age when we know that organic and free range is better for the animals, as well as for ourselves, we should be moving more strongly to support ethical methods of farming… and what that means is moving with our feet, our purses and our plastic to the suppliers who can deliver that promise.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that people, including myself, have budgets they need to stick to and organic or free range is going to be three times the price. The thing is, if you’re dividing that chicken up, you may get a smaller portion but it’ll taste a hell of a lot better, it’ll be healthier and you won’t have bought into the misery of intensive poultry farming. Add lots of good local veggies and spuds and after you’ve finished you can use the bones to make stock. Unless, of course, you are the mad, bad, dangerous to know, Michelin star chef Marco Pierre White who is currently to be seen advertising a well known brand of stock cubes. Mmm, you wouldn’t get that from Gordon Ramsay.
So, as you push your trolley around the supermarket today, might I suggest that the only thing worse than being offered a cheap chicken would be to actually buy one. It would certainly take a lot more than one of MPW’s stock cubes to make it palatable.
Don't Believe The Tripe
- 6 Feb 08, 06:22 PM
Here’s a picture of myself, Steve Lamacq and an unknown rude boy, up to no good in North London. I believe the venue was the Sir George Robey in Finsbury Park and the occasion was a Prince Buster gig, probably around 1990.
Myself and Lamacq had figured that another ska revival was on the cards, and so we went prowling around reggae shops in Berwick Street, mooching with Two Tone fans on the South Bank and searching for proper Jamaican legends on the Seven Sisters Road. God bless Prince Buster, who didn’t really know what we were talking about, but he humoured our daft questions and the story was duly filed.
Our NME editor was Alan Lewis, an avuncular fellow who had presided over Sounds during the previous ska revival of 1979. So he was ready for some sport, and the story was expanded to a rather embarrassing spread of pages.
The Ska Revival Revival threatened to materialize for a few agonising months, but finally petered out. We felt rather silly, and Melody Maker ribbed us endlessly in their funny pages. They said there was a commotion down at the local supermarket, as someone saw a poster from Prince Buster. But no, the sign actually said Price Busters. How we laughed…
Not long after, Melody Maker tried to sell us the tragic mod revival that was Menswear, followed by Romo, a kind of new-romantic-and-electro-combo. Then the blessed publication went bust.
Myself and Lamacq consoled ourselves over the fact that our journalistic talents had successfully presented the world with happening new genres such as raggle-taggle, Camden Lurch and fraggle rock. I hope you are all truly grateful.
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
Fat Tuesday
- 5 Feb 08, 12:51 PM
“Today I have finally and fully emerged from hibernation, which is the only way I can ever get through the hideous month that is January. I’ve been living in a little ‘Groundhog Day’ cocoon with a recipe that goes something like this: work – home - eat stodgy food – do not venture out of doors – do not exercise brain or body – do not socialise – sleep a great deal. Repeat for 31 days.
In fairness, I have also had this cold/flu thing that’s been doing the rounds so that was another excuse for solitary confinement. Then, I had to pay my tax, my roof sprung a significant leak, and I’ve finally had to accept the fact that the condition of my ancient car is terminal. So if you think I’ve been avoiding you, honestly you were better off without me.
It’s amazing though how the world goes on without you. I logged on this morning to my computer for the first time in about three weeks and I had 96 messages, none of them of the slightest importance, and most of them trying to sell me something.
Of course comforting as the routine of sloth and self indulgence is, there comes a time when you get fed up even with that and you realise you just have to get up and get on with and rejoin the rest of humanity.
The turning point for me came yesterday. The first very strange occurance was when I got up and for once it wasn’t raining. I ventured gingerly outside into the garden and there, among the damp green foliage, with their brave little heads held high, were three perfect, pure white snowdrops, a sure sign of spring. I knew then it was time for me to cast off my weary, winter mantle and look forward. So, I went shopping. Horror!
The down side of human hibernation is that unlike squirrels and bears who live off their body fat while they sleep the winter away, we eat on – certainly that’s what I’ve been doing. So rather than living off my reserve inches I have been adding to them with sausages, stew, casseroles, crumbles and other such comforting dishes. I’ve also spent the month slouching round in my tracky bottoms and big jumpers and pretending not to notice that my bottom is now the size of a well filled space hopper – not to mention a similar shape. Nothing nice that I have fits! I have gone up a dress size since just before Christmas and so I vow, here and now, that I will be down two sizes by Easter. Which brings me on to my next point….
How come it’s Shrove Tuesday already? I know I said Spring is in the air, but this is ridiculous! It’s only just been haggis for Burns Night and now we’re gearing up for pancakes. I was in the supermarket earlier buying vegetables, salad and chicken (turning away from my traditional route down the sausage and bacon aisle) and it’s all Easter Eggs and chicks and bunnies and don’t forget your lemon juice for your pancakes. So how early is Easter this year? I got home, looked it up on the calendar and there are only a little over six weeks to Good Friday.
I think my hibernation may have lasted just a little longer than in should have done!
But if this is Shrove Tuesday, what that also means is that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, the season of denial – and I am not talking about the river in Egypt. As it turns out that sits very well with my current mood of moderation and healthy living, it sort of legitimises my quest and makes me feel that I do not suffer alone. I wish I’d realised earlier though, because of course the whole point of today is the last big blow out until Easter. Hence the whole idea of Mardi Gras – ‘fat Tuesday’, the big party, the riot of excess before the penance of abstinence. I could have had one last apple crumble and custard!
Although perhaps if I had indulged myself in one or two less this wouldn’t already be a fat Tuesday in more ways than one.
Also, can anyone explain why in places like New Orleans and Rio they have riotous street parties, outrageous parades and general carousing for Mardi Gras…..while we have pancakes with butter, sugar and lemon….mmm. What does that say about us?
Mind you, I can talk! The only thing I’ll be having lemon juice on this year is my lettuce!
Let's Get Lost (Slight Return)
- 5 Feb 08, 09:48 AM
There’s was a kind of arrogance about the start of , Series Four. It was assumed that you knew the characters, that you remembered the serpentine plot of 2007 and that you were still suspending your belief in this strained idea. They were asking a lot.
Meantime, there’s Hurley, gunning his vintage Camaro, chased by the cops and spooked by the ghost of his island buddy. He’s in some future time, back home and coming to terms with his celebrity status as a member of the Oceanic Six. Hey? Before we have time to analyse much, the storyline yanks like a bungee rope and we’re back on the beach, warring over the nature of the apparent rescuers, out there on the sea.
Locke has gone royally mad, Jack is pulling that constipated look that passes for heroism and Ben is steadily mutating into Thom Yorke from Radiohead, scorned and tortured. How will they be reconciled, and why do the future survivors want to go back to the island?
Like many viewers, I’m no longer involved. The tension of those early episodes has given way to a resigned feeling that the Lost producers can be freely whimsical, indulgent and silly. Industrial action by the Writers Guild Of America has already curtailed the new series to eight episodes. Actually, it might do no harm to lose some of that excess.
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
Playlist 01.02.08
- 4 Feb 08, 09:05 AM
Here's the playlist from last Friday's show. I got excellent value from the soundtrack and while my pal Joe Lindsay informs me that the movie isn't so great, the music is ideal. I could have chosen some Belle And Sebastian from the CD, but opted instead for a couple of and a Mott The Hoople for old time's sake. I'm a dude, man.
Because of a technoligical mishap, I played the wrong REM track. Instead of 'Talk About The Passion', I got 'Gardening At Night', but since this followed on from 'Gardenia' by Stephen Malkmus, it seemed like a perfect connection. In this matter, I will defer to Brian Eno who tells us to honour mistakes as a secret intention.
I was slightly undewhelmed by the track. Media reports had suggesting something astounding from Antony Hegarty's vocal and a disco dimension. But to me, it was Bronski Beat, redux.
Playlist 01.02.08
The Ramones- Rock And Roll Radio (Sire)
Helen Love – Debbie Loves Joey (Elefant)
Sharon Jones And The Daptones – Something’s Changed (Daptone)
Stephen Malkmus – Gardenia (Domino)
REM – Gardening At Night (IRS)
Okkervil River - Unless It’s Kicks (Jagjaguar)
Linda Thompson – Do Your Best For Rock And Roll (Decca)
Maddox Brothers And Rose – Hangover Blues (Proper)
MGMT – Time To Pretend (Columbia)
Kimya Dawson – So Nice So Smart (Rhino)
Ernest Ranglin And Sound Dimension – Straight Flus (Soul Jazz)
Kate Rusby – The Village Green Preservation Society (Pure)
Elbow – Grounds For Divorce (Fiction)
Ben Glover – No Direction Home (Mr Jones)
Hercules – Blind (DFA)
Magnet – Lay Lady Lay (Ultimate Dilemma)
Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova – You Ain’t Goin Nowhere (Columbia)
Rod Stewart – Mama You Been On My Mind (Mercury)
Kimya Dawson – Tire Swing (Rhino)
British Sea Power – No Lucifer (Rough Trade)
Pegi Young – When The Wild Life Betrays Me (Warner)
Editors – Push Your Head Towards The Air (Kitchenware)
Stina Nordenstam – Little Star (EastWest)
Cat Power – Breathless (Matador)
Jerry Lee Lewis – She Was My Baby He Was My Friend (Mercury)
Los Campesinos – Death To Los Campesinos (Wichita)
The Hold Steady – Chips Ahoy! (Vagrant)
Mott The Hoople – All The Young Dudes (Rhino)
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
Are You Gonna Go His Way?
- 2 Feb 08, 03:54 PM
You join us in 1989 as we barrel down the freeway from Los Angeles to Orange County in a shiny chrome bus. There’s myself, Lenny Kravitz and his wife Lisa Bonet. Baby Zoe is also on board, and she’s being tended to by Lisa’s mother Arlene. We’re on our way down to a Tom Petty concert, which Lenny will open, and the mood is upbeat.
It’s not been long since Lenny released his first album, so he’s cool about the press and allows this writer several days of quality access. We’ve already worked on an NME photo shoot at the Griffith Observatory, where James Dean posed during Rebel Without A Cause. By the end of the week, we’ll have sat in during the video edit for ‘Mr Cab Driver’, a moment that is rudely upstaged by Slash from Guns N’ Roses. But that’s another story.
Back in Orange County and we’re having small talk with Lisa, who’s clearly not fazed by the media intrusion. She looks like any other considerate mother, although the tattoo on the back of her neck keeps making the connection back to ‘Angel Heart’. The baby girl will later inspire a song called ‘Little Girl's Eyes’, but for now, she’s a helpless bundle and the family bonds accordingly.
The concert is pretty good and I remember a rather fine version of the Hendrix tune, ‘If 6 Was 9’. Backstage, I have dinner with Roger McGuinn from The Byrds, without knowing it was he. Well, he doesn’t wear the hexagonal shades these days. And during the headline act, I’m so busy following Duff McKagan and Slash through the VIP area that I miss an onstage performance by Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. D’oh!
I met Lenny again a couple of years later at a Danish festival and he had morphed into an egotistical loon, a Superfly caricature and a divorcee. I’d I’ve rarely thought of him since. But now it seems that is being regarded as acting talent, with roles in the recent films The Brave One and No Reservations. Good luck to her, and may she avoid some of her father’s pitfalls.
Stu Bailie presents The Late show on Radio Ulster, every Friday from 10pm until midnight. See his playlist here.
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