I haven’t written anything for my blog for ages, but now I have.

Betty Davis

I’ve been listening to a bit of Betty Davis, and I even managed to find some functioning links for her first three albums.

Betty Davis – Betty Davis

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=A1IQ34Z7

Betty Davis – They Say I’m Different

http://rs408.rapidshare.com/files/242607957/They_Say_I_m_Different_K.rar

Betty Davis – Nasty Gal

http://rapidshare.com/files/242607955/Nasty_Gal__1975__K.rar

Loop Festival 2009 Mixtape

There is a free Loop Festival mixtape available on the NME site, but all the tracks are seperate and badly labelled. I have labelled them up, zipped them up, and take pleasure in presenting to you the Loop Festival 2009 mixtape as it should have been…

- Loop Festival 2009 mixtape

- http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AEZ0T5GP

Bad news in that the festival has had to have been moved indoors, due to the bad weather Brighton is supposed to be having on the weekend. I’m not sure what sort of pricing solution will suit my budget, but I won’t be missing Múm, after their experiencing their earth-shattering DJ set at Bestival 2007 (I think).

I stole this blogpost from the new blog I just set up for Pick n Mix, a new club night in Brighton which I am trying to shamelessly promote.

Wednesday the 8th of July, 2009

I didn’t watch Michael Jackson’s funeral on the telly last night, but I did hear some of it as Five Live cut periodically to a family member murdering one of his songs from the pub-based cricket chat. I’m finding Five Live better than Radio Four at the moment, so there.

The Ashes have started, and I couldn’t give a toss. I tell you what though, the commentary and the sound of ball on bat is quite soothing to listen to at work, and makes a change from stressing over finding some good music to listen to in the office that doesn’t offend anyone. I can work to cricket.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the bomb attacks on the London Underground. I heard some interesting conspiracy theories when it first happened, including the film ‘Mind The Gap‘ presented by David Shayler (who later disappointed me by appearing in the Daily Mail wearing a white robe, talking about how he had divine powers). I look forward to the results of the independent inquiry. Is there going to be an independent inquiry? Conspiracy theories are way more interesting than the results of enquiries though.

The weather is nice today. The big storm yesterday seems to have cleared the air, and allowed the sun to beat down once more. The gulls are doing fine, although 2/3 have fallen down from the tallest bit of roofing to a slightly lower platform below it. Their white feathers are beginning to come through and they seem to be hassling their parents increasingly vigerously for food. They are also accomplishing flight, albeit temporarily in high winds. Mum is limping and generally standing on one leg most of the time.

Gully

There has been some seagulls nesting on the roof next to my kitchen for the last month or so. I know you shouldn’t throw fish ends out of the window, but when seagulls are squawking and flying around outside, it seems such a waste to throw them away.

The babies are quite big now, walking around and stretching their insufficient wings. The mum and dad seagull take turns with the kids, presumeably flying off to find food elsewhere. Sometimes the daddy lands on the windowsill and taps the window with his beak. Then I open the window and feed it a cracker.

He sat there looking at me for at least half an hour while I photographed him. He got the cracker in the end.

Dallas Penn published some nice photos of hungry seagulls attacking people for ice cream.

The Twitter Twatter of Tiny Tweets

Facebook is getting boring. I’ve hidden so many people from my News Feed recently, I almost miss being invited to find out what type of Power Ranger I am. My favourite is the “How much do you know about me?” application, as if you’re expected to visit their profile more often to find out more about them so you can rank well in the quiz. Who knows; if your score is high enough you could become real friends!

While Facebook connects me with my cousins, my colleagues and old teachers, and tags me in a photo every time I go out drinking, Twitter gives me a cheap, sleazy, anonymous thrill. I can see what Lily Allen is talking about today; it’s bound to be fascinating.  More likely I’ll be following some funny updates from Tim Westwood about DJing at a uni bar last night, or JME will be sharing his breakfast with the world. Minor celebrities talk about their daily lives.

What I really like about Twitter is the lack of emphasis on having profile information or photos. Twitter is primarily about short status updates, links to external sites, and the conversations you have on Twitter; nothing more. It’s not about adding and accepting, merely following and not following. Twitter does not try to tell you who your friends are by suggesting them, and it doesn’t want to know your postcode, your email address or your real name.

Peaches Geldoff, Lily Allen, Stephen Fry, Jonathon Ross, Phillip Schofield… the list of gay celebrities on Twitter is endless.

OK so you might have to listen to Charlie Brooker’s witter on about work, being famous, self-assembly furniture and the BNP, but would you rather look through his photo album of family walks through the Lake District?

I am starting to like Twitter.

This is me writing my blog…

Bestival 2009 Mixtape

I’m starting to look forward to the Bestival a little bit. The line-up is a bit cack really, although I have just started enjoying last year’s Fleet Foxes album so I was pleased when I re-checked the line-up and clocked them on there. If you’re feeling a bit bummed by the line-up, then why not check out the File Life Bestival 2009 Mixtape. Who knows you might even find some new music that you’ll want to check out when you’re there. Or something.

OK, so it’s not mixed, nor is it on a tape. ‘Bestival 2009 fistful of mp3s’ might have been more accurate but I wanted an excuse to insert an image of a cassette:

The Shirehorses – The Worst Album in the World…Ever & Our Kid Eh

Do you remember when Mark Radcliffe had the graveyard shift on Radio 1? He used to play some good music (did you know it was Mark Radcliffe who discovered White Town – Your Woman?) and have poetry reading and stupid banter. I sometimes used to record the show on cassette, and loved it when they used to do silly cover versions. I think my favourite will always be Gazebo – Lardy Boy.

Later, when they sold out onto the Breakfast Show, they started churning out these cover versions pretty quickly, and their popularity grew to an extent which facilitated a cd release of the songs. Crappy versions of late-90s britpop. It’s Friday!

Our Kid Eh

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2y5mjsk4

Andre Popp & Pierre Fatosme – Elsa Popping and her Pixieland Band – Delirium in Hi-Fi

I have been waiting for this album for a long time. I never really thought I would manage to find it on vinyl, since it was pressed in 1957, but then I didn’t realise there was a 1987 re-press.

Andre Popp was the son of a church organist, he was a Frenchman and he went on to do loads of boring easy listening music. Luckily, before penning the awful ‘Love Is Blue’ he recorded an album with Pierre Fatosme for Columbia’s Adventures in Sound series. The series presented exotic, worldly music on LP, and straddled the stereo revolution.