Pynchon

I like this kind of game. Courtesy of Mr. Planet.

Set your iPod (or in my case Creative Zen Sleek MP3 player - there are other personal music players on the market, kids!) to shuffle. Play six songs. Write about each one.

Here we go.

"Tracy Jacks" by Blur from "The Mod Squad".

"The Mod Squad" was a bootleg of a gig that Blur did at the Aston Villa Leisure Centre in Birmingham on the 5th October 1994. If I remember rightly it was being recorded for broadcast on Radio 1. It might even have been going out live. I cannot remember.

I was at that gig! Pulp were the support band. They played "Common People" for the first time that night. Definite hit, I remember thinking at the time. As for Blur... I remember that Alex James smoked throughout the entire gig. Graham Coxon wore the tightest T-shirt I had ever seen. Damon Albarn was a bundle of energy - he never stopped moving. Dave Rowntree... er... drummed a bit. Really good gig. I jumped around a lot. They should put the recording out officially. It's a good record of how they were live at their peak. Lots of Damon clones (blonde hair and checked shirts, at that point) and over excited girls in audience. I was out of my head on booze and... other things. Sister 1 picked me up afterwards and the car broke down. A story for another time.

"Young Hearts Run Free" by Kim Mazelle from the "Romeo + Juliet Soundtrack".

Not as good as the original Candi Staton version, but I suppose it is OK. I really liked the film it came from, though. Di Caprio's finest moment except for "The Basketball Diaries".

"Finest Worksong (Mutual Drum Horn Mix)" by R.E.M. from "Eponymous".

The mix that was rejected for inclusion on "Document", but saved for single release and inclusion on the first greatest hits collection. In my humble opinion it pisses all over the version on "Document". I never liked the version on "Document", but this is great.

"Sophisticated Boom, Boom" by the Shangri-Las from "Shangri-Las Greatest Hits".

Sixties girl group genius. Lead singer Mary Weiss had a particularly brilliant teenage sounding voice. Sometimes yearning, sometimes pleading, sometimes stroppy, sometimes heartbroken. They were a brilliant pop group and made some great records. I hear that Mary Weiss has just released a solo album on which she is backed by a teenage garage band. I might try and get a hold of that one.

"California Earthquake" by the Mamas & The Papas from "Mamas & The Papas Greatest Hits".

The story goes that Cass Elliott auditioned lots of times to get into the Mamas & The Papas and John Phillips always turned her down because she couldn't hit a particular note. Then she banged her head in an accident, auditioned again and... could hit the note. Just goes to show. (Shows what exactly? Er... Don't know.) Cass Elliott was always a brilliant singer.

"Candle In The Wind" by Elton John from "Elton John: Greatest Hits 1970-2002".

This is the proper version. (1974 and about Marilyn Monroe. Not 1977 about Princess Di. I do not like the 1997 version very much, but I can respect that she was his friend and it was a heartfelt tribute to her.) It's a good song from the period when everything Elton John did turned to gold. I still kind of like him. Is that terribly uncool? Bollocks. I glory in my uncoolness.

Except for the last one, I didn't really write about the songs did I? Ah... Never mind.

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I have been tagged by the lovely Katy. Here are the rules.

1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Ready? Here we go. I am sure that everybody has heard all of this stuff before, but I may drag up something new. You never know.

1. I wear spectacles for close work, like reading, but only one of the lenses (the left, I think) is actually a lens. The other is just clear glass. I often read the newspaper on the bus without putting my glasses on and do not have any problems.
2. In my head I have always referred to my penis as a 'winky'. I do not know why, how or where the name came from. It has always been there. When writing about my 'winky' I always have to force a name change when writing it down to something more appropriate like 'Cock', 'Mr. Cucumber', 'Pink Torpedo' or 'Man Root'. Subtlety is the key word here.
3. I had Chickenpox in my early teens which, apparently, is quite late to contract it. I fainted out cold walking into the living room one morning and spots started developing all over my body while my Mom watched. I'm told that it completely freaked my Mom out. I was very, very ill and was off school for weeks and weeks. At the time it seemed like I watched every television program broadcast on UK television in 1976.
4. The first single I ever bought was "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles, which is the greatest single of all time.
5. At work I have a coffee in the morning and at lunchtime. The rest of the time at work I only drink water. It was a conscious decision because I read somewhere that coffee is ageing and dehydrating.
6. In times of trouble I dream about my Dad. My Dad died at 43, but in my dreams he has become an old man. He still looks good, though. He would have been 72 on 3rd April 2007. He talks to me and tells me, "You're doing OK, Son". I'm not, but that's my Dad for you.
7. I have a rare fingerprint called a whorl. All the male Pynchon's have the same type of fingerprint on the same fingers. I would bet money that my Granddad on my Dad's side had the same type of fingerprint. None of the Pynchon women have the fingerprint.
8. I sometimes write reviews for The Internet Movie Database. I don't think I am very good, but I enjoy doing it.

So, then. I tag

1. Graham.
2. Mr. Planet.
3. Stef.
4. Suburban Hen.
5. Doug.
6. Swiss Toni.
7. Ginny.
8. Threelights.

but you don't have to do it if you don't want to.

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No film today because, after shopping for food, I got stuck into watching "The Thirty-Nine Steps" (Hitchcock's 1935 version) which I thoroughly enjoyed. Yes, it is old and creaky, but the script is sparkling. I reckon that if they shot exactly the same script today, with modern production values, and cast George Clooney as Richard Hannay, they would have a huge hit.

Or am I just in love with Big George in a gay way? Might be...

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That's all for today. Bugger off...

Labels: Mememe, Movies, Music