Every day...

Disclaimer: this post was written in December 2023, and scheduled for future posting. Its contents may no longer be accurate or appropriate.

Having just written about school days, it seems appropriate to remind myself that every day's a school day, still.

I had a bloke in my team at work once who loved Electric Six. He wasn't there for long, just maternity leave cover for one of my regular staff, but to help find some common ground and establish a talking point I thought I'd put the effort in, have a listen and see why he liked them so. Prior to that the only Electric Six tracks I really knew were Danger! High Voltage, which I liked well enough, and Gay Bar, which I thought was okay.

After the requisite amount of YouTubing, I gave up on my conversation-starter project, because I decided I didn't have much time for Electric Six. Also, I couldn't believe how unrepresentative of their wider sound Danger! High Voltage was. And that may be partly because I was completely, dumbly unaware, until a DJ on 6 Music mentioned it today, that additional vocals on that track were provided by none other than Jack White. I know, I know, I have clearly been living under a rock...

Anyway, regardless of such waffly nonsense, this is a terrific video. Frontman Dick Valentine appears to be a bit of a loon, which is possibly why my former mat-leave temp contract guy was so in thrall of him.

All good things...

Disclaimer: this post was written in December 2023, and scheduled for future posting. Its contents may no longer be accurate or appropriate.

Today is the last day of the school year for Amusements Minor. Which means it's close enough for government work, as the saying goes, for me to mark the anniversary of when I left school. Okay, I would have to dig out my old diaries (shudder) to be sure of the exact date, but it's pretty much 35 years to the day since I finished the sixth form and got the school bus home for the last time. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then but I can honestly say I have only happy memories of school days, and only good things to say about my alma mater and its staff. I sometimes feel sorry for people who had a different experience of secondary education, and I accept I was fortunate enough to go to a brilliant school, with a unique spirit, at a special time. Not fortunate to gain a place there, because I earnt that, but fortunate that the place was there to be earnt, I suppose. And of course I met and befriended The Man Of Cheese there and the rest of that, as they say, is history.

There was no end-of-school prom for us, like there seems to be at the drop of a hat for schools these days. No. Instead TMOC, Roachford, a third boy (whose nicknames would no longer be considered appropriate) and I went into the city in Roachford's Allegro, for a spot of lunch; on the way, we popped into the hospital to see another boy - let's call him Horse - who was in for a hernia op, if memory serves, and so was missing the last day. After a fry-up lunch in Sarnies we went back up to school, via a quick pub stop for a pint, for an afternoon of "mingling" on the school field with the rest of the upper sixth and a few staff. I wandered around with a point-and-push Halina camera, taking a few pics of those that had hung around for the end though, truth be told, not everyone had. It was all decidedly low-key by today's standards.

I'm glad there was no prom for us though. I was terribly shy and so almost certainly would not have enjoyed myself. That said, I love this little clip from Spiderman: Homecoming in which Peter gets nervously excited for his prom (and date), perfectly soundtracked by Save It For Later by The Beat.

As I may have mentioned before, I also love the reinvention of the Tom Holland Spiderman era that allows me to fancy Aunt May...

...but enough about Marisa Tomei. When I arrived home from school that last time, Mum met me at the gate and took a picture of me with that same point-and-push. In it, I am trying to smile but look sad. I think I felt life was, if not over, certainly up in the air. I didn't know it for sure at the time but university was waiting, and a whole other adventure that is also full of almost exclusively good memories. But at that precise moment, as I came through the old front gate with my hands in pockets, trying and failing to look cool, I looked like a boy who'd not only had the rug pulled out from under him but had then been forced to watch whilst the rug was trampled on, shredded and finally set alight. That's how much I loved my school days.

Anyway, it's not from 1989, the year we are commemorating here, but it is from the 80s and it is good, so let's hear that Beat track in full:

More to follow, no doubt, when I have another "getting old" anniversary to ruefully acknowledge...

Monday long song: Begging You (Lakota mix)

Disclaimer: this post was written in December 2023, and scheduled for future posting. Its contents may no longer be accurate or appropriate.

This Lakota mix is a longer version of Begging You, for me the highlight of The Stone Roses' much-maligned second album. The Lakota was released on the CD single but not, for some reason, the 12" vinyl. But whatever the format this sounds huge, and I recommend a proper pair of headphones to fully appreciate the pulsating rhythm section magnificence of Mani and Reni. Plus there's far less Ian Brown "singing" on this version ...

Farewell Wendy

Yes, yes, sabbatical-schmabbatical. But I can't regularly and overly praise my love of The Shining without commenting on the passing of Shelley Duvall, can I?

For sure she had her problems in later life - her mental health struggle was publicly over-documented, I would say. And she had a full and varied acting career beyond Kubrick's 1980 masterwork. But if she had only ever brought Wendy Torrance to life, that would still be something, wouldn't it? He she is, firstly getting some feedback from Kubrick, and then talking to the inestimable Barry Norman about the film.

RIP Shelley, with an emphasis on the "P".

Watching from periphery

Disclaimer: this post was written in December 2023, and scheduled for future posting. Its contents may no longer be accurate or appropriate.

Fallen For You by Sheila Nicholls is just one of many songs that I was introduced to by the High Fidelity soundtrack ... which, in case you were wondering, is outstanding. Go and buy it.

As an aside, can anyone think of a better use of "periphery" in song lyrics?

Now give him a proper chance

Another sabbatical-busting post, to mark the monumental election result from last night. There's only one thing to do at a moment like this...

Of course we should be under no illusion about the size of the task facing Starmer et al. Sure, a colossal majority will help them get their agenda through untrammelled, but they are inheriting a country not just in decline but in a state of collapse. And a country with very little cash to splash on solutions. How long, I wonder, before those that have been clamouring for change turn on those they have chosen to make it happen?

And for all the joyous Portillo moments (goodbye Rees-Mogg, so long Truss, farewell Mordaunt, adios Keegan, sayonara Shapps), plenty of others survived (Sunak, Hunt, Cleverly, Dowden, Badenoch and, worst of all, Braverman). Not only that but the country has had a mirror held up to it, and the reflection shows a massive level of support, in vote-share terms if not elected MPs, for Reform. The batrochoidal pub-bore took his dog-whistle to Clacton and won. Other coastal towns on the east followed suit, with Skegness and Yarmouth letting themselves down. It should be a source of national shame that Reform has four MPs now ... although I take comfort in the fact that is significantly less than the thirteen initially predicted by the exit poll.

On the other hand, we should take pride, and maybe a little hope, in the fact that the Green Party also now have four MPs, with a record share of the vote too. It's tempting to say the electorate are waking up, but of course they're not, just old voters are dying off and new ones are coming of age.

I'm also pleased to see the resurrection of the Liberal Democrats. Whatever you think of them, and their leader, three-party politics is better (and more interesting) than two.

Whatever, On another day, and in a colder light, people will point to how Labour's vote share showed only a very modest increase and that, in reality, the cause of the monumental swing is primarily blue defection to Reform and LibDem. But it seems churlish to point that out, right now. Because right now is a time for celebration. Farewell Tories, you total feckless shower, you heartless, inept, morality-vacuum, you corrupt puddle of cronyism, sleeze and entitlement ... farewell. Don't rush back.

And remember, kids - things can change...

Fifteen

Disclaimer: this post was written in December 2023, and scheduled for future posting. Its contents may no longer be accurate or appropriate.

Ye gods.

Do the right thing, right

I'm breaking my own sabbatical for this, for whilst I anticipated an election in 2024 I didn't think it would be this early. Anyway, here's a graph that speaks for itself:

That should be enough on its own to sway any undecided voters. However, at the last election more people chose not to vote at all than supported any single party, so I guess this is a timely reminder from Norman Cook at Glastonbury - if you want to change to happen, you have to vote for it...

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But look, I know that no political party is perfect. No single manifesto aligns perfectly with my views (nor yours, I suspect). And all the leaders are flawed, and prone to saying whatever they think it takes to win you over, safe in the knowledge that pledges made during election campaigns are not legally binding. Keir might not be your cup of tea, nor Ed, nor Carla/Adrian. But at least they are palatable cups of tea, unlike another dose of Rishi. And whatever you do, don't be tempted by any dog-whistling Trump-lite with a pale blue rosette and a promise to "save Britain". No, no, no. If you are unsure where to place your X, may I refer you to this handy tactical voting guide by constituency, which makes no bones about its sole intent: to prevent a Conservative win.

Most of all, though, do the right thing, right? After all, you know who Johnny will be voting for, don't you? Be more like Johnny.

And don't forget to take your photo ID with you

People are stupid so, you know, they'll buy anything

Disclaimer: this post was written in December 2023, and scheduled for future posting. Its contents may no longer be accurate or appropriate.

If I've got my dates right, Wimbledon starts today. A fortnight of sporting excellence and perhaps the best event of its type in the world. I'm crossing my fingers that Katie, Emma and Andy all make it into the second week, but that seems slightly optimistic written, as this is, in the middle of December. Anyway, it seems like a good time to share a video that might have passed you by if Wimbledon is the only tennis you watch all year. Lots of detail in this to enjoy.

And so, with a tenuous tennis link, this is La Electricidad by Spanish band McEnroe. After spending much time pasting text into Google Translate, I can tell you that McEnroe are from Getxo, a little town just north of Bilbao, and have been recording off and on since 2004 (although currently they seem to be on hiatus). Main man Ricardo Lezón seems to have a competing solo career, from what I can make out, and publishes poetry too. Anyway, La Electricidad opens side two of McEnroe's 2015 album Rugen Las Flores (The Flowers Roar) and sounds like this:

Here are the original lyrics, and a rough translation, with all apologies to Spanish speakers everywhere:

La Electricidad

Electricity

Acuérda te de mi, cuando pises algún charco Cuando escuches algún pája ro cantar Acuérda te de mi, cuando veas algún rayo Agrietando todo el cielo como un cristal No dejes de buscar, incluso en la hora más oscura Puede apa recer de pronto la electricidad Yo estaré por aquí, escondido en algún recuerdo O en el leve movimiento de sentir Y cabe la po si bi lidad De que te vuelva a encontrar, en algún incendio Y cabe la po si bi lidad De que te vuelva a encontrar, en algún incendio Me acordaré de ti, parado en algún semáforo O afinando justo antes de salir Estás por aquí, escondida en alguna frase O en el leve movimiento de vivir Y cabe la po si bi lidad De que te pueda olvidar, en algún momento Y cabe la po si bi lidad De que te pueda olvidar, en este momento

Remember me, when you step in some puddle When you hear some bird sing Remember me, when you see some lightning Cracking the whole sky like glass Don't stop looking, even in the darkest hour Electricity can suddenly appear I'll be here, hidden in some memory Or in the slight movement of feeling And there's a chance That I may find you again, in some fire And there is the possibility That I'll find you again, in some fire I will remember you, stopped at some traffic light Or tuning up just before I go out You're around here somewhere, hidden in some sentence Or in the slight movement of living And there's a chance That I can forget you, at some point And there is the possibility That I can forget you, at this moment

So there's a first for New Amusements, a Spanish language track. Bastante buena, en mi opinión. ¿Qué te parece?

BTO

Disclaimer: this post was written in December 2023, and scheduled for future posting. Its contents may no longer be accurate or appropriate.

No, not Bachman Turner Overdrive. Johnnie Walker has a feature on his 6 Music radio show called BTO - Better Than Original. Listeners write in to propose cover versions that are, as the feature suggests, better than the original.

So without further ado, from 1980 here's the original Getting Nowhere Fast by Girls At Our Best! (their exclamation, not mine).

Good though that is, I think the 1987 cover by The Wedding Present is better:

Which do you prefer?