
With Beavis and Butthead back on the air after nearly a decade-and-a-half hiatus, I thought I'd take a moment to offer my belated thanks to these two badly-drawn boys for turning me on to a couple of bands that otherwise would have escaped my attention. Even before MTV got out of the music video business, Beavis and Butthead were airing videos that would never have gotten any airplay via mainstream channels. Presumably channeling Mike Judge's musical tastes, Beavis and Butthead provided US viewers with the first glimpses of several well-below-the-radar bands including the Dead Milkmen, the Cramps, Daisy [...]

This blog has gotten more hits in the past two days than it usually does in two weeks. I guess sometimes even someone like me can write something that can really connect with what people are thinking and be relevant with current trends and topics. Other times I share out-of-print songs from obscure soundtracks that no one cares about. Tonight's post is the later. Selections From the Virtuosity Original Motion Picture Soundtrack For those of you who don't remember/successfully forgot, Virtuosity [...]

The fair has come to Charlbury; had it been the circus, I could have run away to be… the miserable front end of the pantomime cow. Oh well, another day, maybe. Perhaps next week will be filled with fewer disappointments. Two more temporary interns into the MM menagerie arrived this week in the form of George and Teri, two warring terrapins. It turns out that George is a bit of a bully and Teri is a bit malformed and timid. Hmm. I have had more experience of malformed bullies and less of terrapins, but I'm hoping that we [...]

howdy! hope everyone had a loverly weekend, mine was just fine. what we have here is a tribute to the velvet underground which was released back in 1994, in the uk, by imaginary records - heres the wiki page . said label no longer exists, and you can only buy used and one collectible version of it via amazon so i felt pretty ok with posting the entire thing. the lineup for the most part is pretty stellar as you can see, and their respective interpretations aint too shabby either. 1. here she [...]
Last night, at 10:45pm, the health care bill passed by a vote of 219-212. It's been a hard fight and I think even the bill's most ardent supporters will be glad to move on. The "debate" never recovered any sense of maturity after a particularly nasty summer, but hopefully once the dust settles the benefits will win out over the rhetoric.Fatima Mansions - Lady Godiva's Operation (The Velvet

The Patrick Sarsfield Car-Free Parade takes place this Saturday, September 19th, in Limerick city. The parade begins at 1.00pm and goes from City Hall, Merchant's Quay to the Treaty Stone on Clancy Strand and will feature music and street entertainment along the way. It will also include a sword fencing demonstration and a battle re-enactment at Clancy Strand. The event is part of European Mobility Week 2009 , which runs from September 16th to 22nd. The purpose of this week is to raise awareness about the benefits of walking, cycling and using public transport instead of bringing [...]
It's been a much more relaxing week - a few days away in the sunshine, a trip to the Stadium of Light, wildlife expeditions to see baby frogs, cormorants, herons, and dragonflies, football in the park, a few beers with friends tonight, and two more weeks of holiday to look forward to as well.So here's one for everyone still commuting into work. A classic from 1989, and the debut single for Fatima

Dancing across the Stilton wall, Neal's Yard Dairy. Snapped by semiotheque Hello Dearest Friends, remember me?? You do??? How good of you!!! Right, it's time to (re)start this party right, it's time to (re)start it cheesy! Yes, Dearest TiM was gracious enough this week to turn this week's Contrast Podcast over to my favourite foodstuff, le fromage. I can't get enough of the shizz- mind you, I'm talking about tha good stuff, not your waxy Kraft slices toilet paper or Velveeta toejam. [...]

The blogsphere is a great place to wonder around on special occasions such as Valentines Day, Mothers Day, Christmas and St. Patricks Day. Here are the best blog posts I found celebrating Irish Music on the net: http://coverlaydown.com/ finds Boyhowdy celebrating the folkier side of U2 with a post of U2 covers by folk artists. Find tunes by Luka Bloom, Bell X1, The Walls and many more. http://troubledsoulsunite.blog spot.com/ is a great Pearl Jam inspired blog. The blog contains tunes by Thin Lizzy, The Pogues and Flogging Molly. [...]
mp3 : Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In TownIt's tradition for that song to appear on TVV every year on 17th March.Here's some more voices and tunes from folks associated with the Emerald Isle:-mp3 : Fatima Mansions - Blues For Ceaucescump3 : The Frank & Walters - Davy Chasemp3 : Luka Bloom - No SurprisesAnd to finish things off for today, here's the song from which I nicked the title of the
I'd forgotten how great 'Against Nature' is. Bought it at the time. Loved it at the time. Still taking the bus.
I haven't always appreciated Leonard Cohen. As a teenager, the only people who seemed to have any of his records in their collections were the scruffy older brothers of mates - the type of folk who wore second-hand army jackets, had greasy, lank hair and smelled of what I later learned was patchouli oil. In other words - hippie bastards a.k.a., the scum of the earth that punks and new wave kids
I know that, technically speaking, there always is. But someone has accused me of lacking in moral fibre.....Click Here. The song in question?? mp3 : The Fatima Mansions - Blues for Ceausescu (Only Solution Mix) Happy Listening
Following on from the Microdisney post (and to the rapscallion who claimed they are shit, go wash your mouth out with soap and water), here's one about Cathal Coughlan's follow-on band - Fatima Mansions. This time Cathal would have abrasive music to go with his abrasive lyrics. Fatima Mansions, named after a run-down Dublin housing estate, was to be a vehicle for his world-view, and Andrias