Blog: pogo a go-go

Dear Friends, I face an artistic connundrum. I am unsure where exactly I stand vis-a-vis the mashup. I do admire the bricolage and DIY ethic of the form, but I have endured so many humourless and pained examples that I now approach them with utmost caution. That said, I have come across a few which, to my mind, stitch together the component songs with golden threads of sheer genius. I offer for your consideration: Go Home Productions - Ray Of Gob (Madonna vs Sex Pistols). Currently unavailable, but allegedly will be re-released [...]

Oh dear, this does not bode well. Though we here in Vancouver continue t o endure overcast, chilly weather that smacks not a whit of an impending summer, today I noticed the air was full of cottonwood fluff. That can only mean one thing: the hay fever season is upon us. I don't want to dwell too long on this topic, Dear Readers, since whenever I whine about my allergic reactions I am reminded of Piggy from Lord of the Flies with his "ass-mar". Suffice to say that if I'm going to be gummed up, I at least [...]

Dear Friends, I've just popped by tonight for a quick chat. You see, my eye was caught by two bits of news on BBC.com that stirred me sufficiently to put finger to keyboard. First, reggae stalwart Desmond Dekker died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 64. Dekker's signature hit, "Israelites," was the first reggae single to top the UK charts in 1969. After enjoying raging success in the 1970s ("It Mek," "You Can Get It If You Really Want"), his star waned and in 1984 he was declared bankrupt. Dekker's career was revived by margarine, [...]

Dear Friends, my superpowers are still at a lowish ebb, despite recharging with a pizza dinner and full-on pillowfight avec Les Enfants. Though I can't actually see that cussed Black Dog at the moment, the lingering doggy smell leads me to surmise he is still nigh. My immediate problem is bone-weariness, prevasive fatigue, and brain drain; I feel like a pithed frog, a somnambulist, a zombie. What to do? In a post yesterday on his fine blog, Coxon Le Woof mentioned en passant his preference for using music to reflect, rather than change, his mood. I [...]

Well, I tried not to let it all get on top of me, but I failed. Pretty miserably. Poor show all round. In sharp contrast to Lordi, nul points. The Black Dog came a-visiting, and I let him in. Sundays are generally not my best days. Regardless of circumstances, I find they hang heavy around my neck and drag, smelling like old dust and sounding like the dry tick-tocks of ancient grandfather clocks. So this past Sunday I busy myself with the mundane but necessary chores of fixing up shelves, unpacking, and the like. But everything seems so [...]

"On the day of Rockoning / It’s who dares, wins / You will see the jokers soon’ll be the new kings" - Lordi, Hard Rock Hallelujah Dear Friends, Lordi have stormed and stomped to comprehensive victory. How splendid!! My faith in Eurovision is reaffirmed. Now I'm off to celebrate with a nice bit of havarti and the following: Cornershop - Born Disco, Died Heavy Metal (buy here ) Children of Bodom - Oops, I Did It Again (buy here ) [...]

Dear Friends, those of you who know me or who've read some of my earlier posts will know that je suis fanatique of cheese, especially the old and ripe varieties. Indeed, I should also make you aware that I am, in addition, particular to pickled herring, the schmaltzier the better. With all this in mind, it should really therefore come as no surprise to you that I LOOVE the Eurovision Song Contest, which on 20 May will be celebrating its 51st annual outing. "But Fil," I hear you cry, "what about Joey Ramone, Billy Childish, Johnny Rotten, Donita Sparks, Peter [...]

Dear Friends, many thanks for your expressions of condolences. Fret not, I won't go all Gwyneth Paltrow on you and rattle off lists of names while crying, even if that's what I really feel like doing. But I really do appreciate what you've done and said. We are trying to stay centred, especially since we have also just received very discouraging health news about my mother-in-law. And so the universe unfolds... This weekend was, of course, Mother's Day in North America. Dearest Wife was blessed with some wonderful drawings and paintings from our daughter, Ailsa, and we all [...]

The call comes on Saturday evening as Dearest Wife, the children, and I dine on pizza among the chaos and boxes of having just that day moved house. Mother tells me Dad had been taken to hospital with severe abdominal pain and the doctors do not think he will last the night. My head swings and swims as I scramble to rearrange the flight to New York I had recently booked for late May. The supremely nice lady at BA asks when do I want to travel. Tomorrow, as soon as possible, please. There, all done, and at no charge. [...]

Dear Friends, I need to tend to a family emergency in NYC and therefore will be forced to take a hiatus from pogo a go-go for about a week. I do hope to see you upon my return - I am very fond of you all. Boys Don't Cry - The Cure

Dear Friends, further to my auto saga... Last night I thought things were going my way, that my petulant whining had finally paid off. Not an hour after publishing yesterday's post, Dearest Wife agreed to let me have the car today, provided she could have it the following day. Victory, however petty and shallow, was mine and (add metaphors, mix briskly) my musical drought was over. So early this morning I slipped behind the wheel only to find the pesky AA battery in my mp3 player was dead. Poo. Bollox. Damn. Again. With knobs on. My crest was [...]

Dear Readers, allow me to gripe a wee bit. This week I am suffering acute and painful music withdrawal pangs. You see, Dearest Wife has (quite justifiably) commandeered the family car this week to facilitate our move and as a result I have been driving my father-in-law's car. It is, of course, very kind of him to lend me said vehicle, and I am accordingly grateful. However, his jalopy (a vintage 1990 Volvo 740 sedan, for all you carspotters out there) is rather aged and its vacuum-tube radio does not go low enough on the FM spectrum [...]

Dear Friends, I thought it about time that Gina the Wonder Dog made her blog debut. In my wanderings around cyberspace, I have come across countless photos and fragrant words dedicated to pets of all stripe. Gina is certainly no less a beast than any of the Fidos and Gingers I have encountered, and therefore I posit she deserves her rightful pace in the ether. She is an English Staffordshire Bull Terrier (for you North Americans in the audience, no, she's not a pit bull) and is a credit to her breed. Though she has been with us over nine [...]