At the time of the great Britpop rock 'n' roll swindle, the Liverpool University student newspaper published a league table of British bands (obviously only British bands could be included, it was called BRITpop after all). It is a testament to the vibrancy of the British music scene at the time, and the all-pervasiveness of the football boom after England's hosting of the 96 European championships, that the extensive list was divided into 2 divisions of 18 bands.
If I remember correctly, division one was headed by Oasis, Blur and then Pulp, before descending through lower lights like Space, Elastica, Cast, and the Bluetones. Division two was headed by the over-hyped media darlings Menswear, and the too-punky-to-be-proper-Britpop Skunk Anansie. Just outside of the automatic promotion places, in 3rd, was tragically under-rated Manchester band Audioweb, ahead of the soon to be massive Catatonia.
Here is a classic tune from them, an anthemic dancefloor-filling cover of Bankrobber by that covers-band extraordinaire, The Clash.
Call me a one-trick pony if you want, but I reckon they never reached the Britpop Premier League because indie music at that time was supposed to be about floppy-haired white boys playing guitars, and one of their faces blatantly didn't fit.
If I remember correctly, division one was headed by Oasis, Blur and then Pulp, before descending through lower lights like Space, Elastica, Cast, and the Bluetones. Division two was headed by the over-hyped media darlings Menswear, and the too-punky-to-be-proper-Britpop Skunk Anansie. Just outside of the automatic promotion places, in 3rd, was tragically under-rated Manchester band Audioweb, ahead of the soon to be massive Catatonia.
Here is a classic tune from them, an anthemic dancefloor-filling cover of Bankrobber by that covers-band extraordinaire, The Clash.
Call me a one-trick pony if you want, but I reckon they never reached the Britpop Premier League because indie music at that time was supposed to be about floppy-haired white boys playing guitars, and one of their faces blatantly didn't fit.
17 comentarios:
Oh good Lord, beware guys, for 'I shot the Mosso' might well be broadcasting certain polluting and infectious alpha waves. I mention this because just a couple nights ago I went to my own personal revision of the Britpop thing.
Now that I read the names at your list it almots hurts to see how irrelevant some of these have become after all the hype. Space, Elastica, Cast, Menswear, Skunk Anansie, Audioweb, even Catatonia...what's the print they left in the end?
Even though they enter the lands of the very much despicable 'one hit wonder' (I HATE those) my own retro moment was fueled by the sudden appearance in the back part of my cerebellum of the melody of Gay Dad's 'To Earth with Love'
Then, when I went to retrieve it from the internet, by some happy coincidence, I found this fortunate edit which mixes music with the images of that De Jong avant la lettre scoring at the clockwork orange (but note that De Jong wears plain Tridentine black only...and does not make trios). However, beating fellow Antwerp VB gang thugs is indeed in the agenda. Flamboyant eyelashe may go as well, if I have to maintain a subterranean political meeting in any given terminal pub where dudes like Alcinous can be seen.
I think it is worth the listen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvMJcbSE2Lg
De Jong
Well, guys, first of all I should like to apologize for my absence after this long birthday reveillon that’s kept me away.
De Jong, first of all: I hope you don’t believe I attend (regularly) those beer pubs for taffies, do you? I indeed dig more the cozy, Swiss-inspired Montecarlo ’72 stuff, where girls tend to look –and smell- better.
I indeed might track my Barcelona anabasis back to the crucial statement “a Barcelona hi ha dos tipus de noies: les que es dutxen i les que no es dutxen” formulated by a good ol’ student friend from Sarrià that made me open my eyes on such a crucial point. But let’s not get down to the details, the threesomes, the cocaine and all the rest if we want to remain on the heights, De Jong, as stay we want, as stay we must.
And indeed, I’m most sorry I can’t possibly catch up with you guys –you’re truly an amazing team- as I’ve been overwhelmed for a time now by an unvincible nesting instinct, doubtlessly enhanced by the prospects of preying on the bargains left over by defaulters to the banks and the market (interesting shacks BTW) that’s brought me to jihad my way (I’ll ask my Rabbi about this) to beef up my purse and become –adonai, adonai- just another mortgage signee per saecula saeculorum, amen.
We shall talk about that in months to come, won’t we.
But, for the time being, and before the new cycle of the moon makes us scant and ratty again, I solemnly declare that Tridentine black –and also some tridentine pinstripe on occasion-, whiteish make-up, Art Déco, bible studies, cajun folk and Aaron Copland match to perfection my current Ashke-nazi mindset.
I feel so generous that, even knowing this is non-kosher, I could even bring Raimon on board malgré soi, as la bête would put it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqrxAmjIfzY
Thank you indeed for your patience.
alcinous
FE DE RATAS: Even though Sarrià is a clear example of daily anabasis for the common Sant Andreu cleaning lady, it appears obvious that katabasis, not anabasis, was meant.
Thanks, alcinous
E-RATA: N'importe quoi en disent quelques québecois, louisiens et/ou beurs devenus ministres de justice islamisants, la bête dirait toujours comme Molière 'malgré lui'.
On en parlera plus à fonds la semaine prochaine.
Salut, la bête
Alcinous, you know by now already that I am in the process of hijacking (or 'sequestering' as my beloved Damon Albarn would put it) this blog and put up a task force nicely fit for World Domination by means of political ultra-violence theory (those not interested in the practical part II seminar, please advise before it is too late).
It only takes me going through refractive eye surgery to get this myopia once for all and terminate my embarrassing 'ullerapastisme' thing (translation, Alcinous? please) and then, the critical point: luring BNS into my masterplan.
We will have to decide on which kind of political creed we are to stick to. Apparently there is a certain discrepancy between down the street psychotropicale Marxism and foggy-introspective armchair ultra conservatism, but it will be sorted out amicably, dont worry.
We may take on on simply random political ultra-violence for the sake of a compromise. The only thing is that negotiations would definitely derail if he doesnt admit Albarn's outright (and outrageous) superiority over Gallagher scum. I'm testing the waters on his stances on the matter as I write this. So stay tuned to see whether we keep going or we have to stop and rethink the whole thing, again.
In this regard, I've been scrutinizing la bête: he does look promising and fit indeed (and I needed someone for the Francophonie anyway).
I am trusting that new candidatures will be appearing as weeks go by (there is already a vacancy and an ongoing recruiting process for the the Labrador peninsula, just in case you know anybody).
Everyone has their own dears, but I, as the ringleader, am to keep the most important ultrablack Tridentine posts i.e. Antwerp, Kraków, Padova, Hrodna-Грoдна, and, above all, the ridiculously untridentine Land of Valencia (all of it). The rest will be scrambled orderly between us, dont worry.
Of course I've been thinking of you, Alcinous, since the very minute 1, for the all-important Germanophone countries+the Yiddish+Classic Greece sections of our joint plan for World Domination and...alas! there you are again with things like ana- kata- stuff which really cast a shadow in your candidature.
So, are we to trust you? I know for a fact that you will try to stab me in the back, Brutus, at earliest possible. Being well aware of that, I will take my precautions (you can expect random beatings as a means to keep you under reasonable control) but if you try to be so smart as to stop the whole locomotive just to 'perorate' (translation into proper English for this false friend, Alcinous? please?) on Greek prefixes, then I dont know if I can safely designate you as one of my viceroys (something which you always deserved, by the way).
Dude, I hate to have this argument with you now in public, but, please, try to stay low key at this point with your things. Please, I'm asking you with the due respect, as always.
Now, please, the rest of guys excuse this somewhat farcical interruption and keep the debate as scheduled. You will get accustomed to Alcinous and I mutual at times scandalous spats. Rather sooner than later you will notice they all are terms of endearment in the end.
Sorry again for the interruption.
So...who was going to speak next?
p.s.
dammit. shite.
flying on the wings of hybris (or hubris, please, Alcinous, dont make a case of this one, too) as I was, I forgot to put the keystone in the gothic arch my post above was meant to be.
without it, I know it looks unstable and the whole thing is collapsing.
just in case I could still mend it (which is impossible, you can't possibly fix the keystone after you completed the arch).... I was going to say, when I was all apollineous sobriety and my mind was clear, that, Alcinous, as a good germanophone, sometimes you act like if you were waiting in the sun (of a Mediterranean island) for too long.
WTF, a p.s. will not mend it...
De Jong,
Regarding you question, I guess you’d say ‘lecture’, as in “Alcinous, stop lecturing us”.
Myopia? Oh, yes, the end of myopia is nigh, De Jong, but I still feel I’ll have to gather enough courage to undergo ophthalmic surgery, attend three or four consultive sessions to enquire the specialists about the treatment, then synchronise my agenda with the choice surgeon’s and assimilate mentally such a sea change, so it is highly unlikely that I get rid of my diopters before september at soonest.
Once I’ve come through that, De Jong, I shall be able and glad to take under my aegis the rule of all of the Nordic nations (Scandinavia + Denmark + Iceland + Faroe Islands + Greenland + Scotland) + the Netherlands along with the honorific title “Emperor of the North (Pole)”, being the most qualified member of the staff to train the locals into our outfit.
As a sign of appreciation for your bestowal, I will be holding in your honour during my interim viceroyship a great (scientific) whaling party in Suðuroy, where you will be able to stuff yourself with lordly grindabúffur and the best jock single malts on the permafrost rocks (100.000 bC). Let me know if you wish my Conselleria de Cultura equivalent to book La Banda Municipal del Polo Norte as well to play us some tunes during the bloody feasts.
So, since the sort of “capón / colleja” gimmicks, random beatings, ultraviolence theory and teenage swagger is, in the end, just what I’ve been yearning for nearly all my life, I guess I should accept your generous offer now and come aboard at once, before we get lost in softer sentimental undertakings that would irremissibly ruin our highfliers' lives.
I shall kneel down before you and take my patch at your earliest convenience in due place and time, to soberly depart after receiving precise instructions.
Yours,
alcinous
I shall have my psychotropical Marxism with kiwi salad instead of Marx fries, if you don't mind.
Thank you.
Thanks, Alcinous, for your willing to cooperate in our project.
World domination is, you may agree with me, always a desirable outcome for young (middle-age in my case already) males like ourselves. The recent and unlikely eurocup won by the Spaniards is giving dangerous signs that, indeed, there's something going on in this regard.
But, to start with the whole thing, as a taster to set common ground and identify our skills, I still need that you translate your apt neologism '(iniciativo) ullerapastista' into English (YOU created this one, didnt you?). If you dont feel qualified to go about the challenge of translating that marvelous term in one word, then you can always attempt a descriptive translation. We both know what it means, but our global audience demands an effort from our side. Thanks.
As for a meeting where to issue the first instructions and get the whole thing started, I was thinking about a world summit at [[Caffè Pedrocchi]] in Padova (no guns, as there will be body searches in this regard).
If we end up our lively meeting without shots fired, but with certain agreements on policies, then we could all pose in the stair for a group picture as the new New Kids On The Block.
Unfortunately, here's the reality check: other than for you, Alcinous, I see nothing but a complete lack of enthusiasm whatsoever from the rest temptative members of our gang. BNS splendidly disregards our conversation and I'd say that la bête, as a good 'rationaliste' even frowns upon our derailing thoughts (like if if it wasnt Robespierre himself starting ultraviolence theory-practice in the first place!). They apparently consider our Big Idea as a mere latter day dilettante hyperintellectualized sudoku without a clue. If that is the case, then I will have to cancel the whole thing here in at this block and go back to subterranean activities.
As for Iceland, I've been yearning for a good whale steak since I went to Oslo in the winter of 2006 only to be told that both whale and seal were 'out of season'...WTF!?
I want to taste those marine mammal proteins ASAP. So please make sure that, whenever we head there, it is peak season for these northern European sushi delicatessen.
I would feel extremely disappointed if it tastes like game.
Dr. De Jong, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
Oh, De Jong you didn't think you'd get whale in winter, did you? If ever, some dolphin in pickling brine from the previous season, but no fresh whale until may-june, when the ice starts thawing in Norway.
On the other hand, I don't want to disappoint you -whale is rather fat than proteic; fluffy, meaty, and it bears no comparison with delicious seafoods like tuna, shark, shellfish, octopus or even algae.
But indeed, trying a new food -let alone a new meat- is always a wild experience. August being peak season, let me know if I'm to book a table at the *********** of Oslo in your honour.
yum-yum,
alcinous
De Jong,
Even if it proves extremely difficult to describe the ullerapastista phenomenon in Catalonia, I believe these descriptions are a good starting point to adress the issue, as well as another valuable contribution to your brilliant latter-day genre, scil. unipersonal termini.
Ullerapasta: Mandatory glasses in Catalonia.
Ullerapastisme: Political doctrine original of Catalonia postulating glass struggle as a means to attain social recognition and/or political power over the less educated masses. See Marx's dictadura del professorat.
Ullerapastista: A Catalan left-wing scholar, liberal professional and/or employee of the autonomous administration interestedly espousing ullerapastista ideology in order to increase his/her income.
Iniciativo ullerapastista: A cutting-edge ullerapastista, also with a nose and set of ears fit to wear the state of the art of ullerapasta design.
Regards,
alcinous
I will have no part in this madness.
P.s.
I have been unable to respond until now as I have been training a team of suicide porpoises to swim under japanese boats with semtex strapped to them.
Freedom for all our cetacean proletarian brothers!
Wrong. I'm well aware that commercial whaling in the Nordic countries, despite not being approved by the IWC, is strongly regulated and fully complies with sustainability criteria, matching the handbook green record of Scandinavian nations.
Until the world understands that whaling in the Nordic countries is just a cultural quirk of the Vikings, it will not be able to stop the real slaughter committed on a daily basis by rogue Spanish barbarians in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
May I thus suggest that we stop at once being hypocritical about the Norwegians or the Faroese catching a few minor cetaceans, while remaining silent about Spain killing off tunas from all of the Earth's oceans in 10 years time.
Thank you so much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA7enHKa5As
Alcinous, dont get me started with anti-Spanish rethorics, per favor.
How can you have the guts of salivating in one post at the prospect of a good, thick, grilled fresh tuna steak served at the table (like the ones you can find here in Lima, at least food is good over here) and then, in your next post, crying wolf because the Spanish brave fishermen are after them?
Are you enjoying a psychotropicale afternoon today or it is only your Catalan inconsistency du jour?
As for the other stuff, call me overcautious, but, after our previous exchanges, I can't help but to sense imminent danger under the form of sexual tirades in your "trying a new food -let alone a new meat- is always a wild experience".
I apologize beforehand if I am overstating it.
An Oslo rendez-vous is always an option, but only if I we make it a group political orgy rather than a tête-a-tête like you could be suggesting. I'd say Stockholm offers a more attractive by far night scene (Oslo is DEAD) even though we would miss the marine mammals thing.
Whale sounds disappointing indeed...what about seal?
De Jong,
'if you can't save them anyway, then better eat them'
No, don't get me wrong: it's those mountains of cans containing tuna chunks in cheap oil that set my conscience ablaze. I actually appreciate swordfish, tuna or shark steaks, but no more than stockfish or sole, so if it gets ugly I'm willing to impose a moratorium on tuna -and I hear hake crying as well.
Canned tuna in particular is by far the most obscene mainstream foodstuff in the West (eat eggs, pork chops, beef if you work out).
Seal, walrus are extremely fat and, just like every overfat meat, must be pretty stinky, particularly the males.
Horse, lamb are a good alternative to ingest different proteins and introduce some variety into the poultry - white fish paradigm.
Blue fish is excellent, but I haven't still worked out an alternative to frying and marinating is highly time-costly. I had thought of backing mackerels, and Danes eat them raw in salad, but I'm reluctant to eat raw fish massively due to parasites. Maybe replacing the roasted potatoes by seasonal courgette & pepper chunks and celery could be a fat-low alternative, just like boiling it in a wine-vinegar stock with laurel, salt and pepper grains.
Any dinner suggestion welcome.
Regards,
alcinous
No dinner suggestion?
I'll give you mine:
Backed Centolla gallega with courgette chips.
Salad with salsa rosa.
Basque goat cheese.
Plums (!)
+
Chilled verdil wine
The arròs amb fesols i naps for lunch was more than OK as well.
Regards,
alcinous
Oh, well, excuse me, guys, for I forgot to mention that, at any given point, Alcinous is capable of abandoning his outstanding reasoning lines to engage in non-sense culinary stuff, just like if he was a middle-aged West coast housewife (which I presume a sexual fantasy of him, by the way).
That is why I politely ask you guys to disregard the lessons in orthorexia he is (or will be, in the future) giving.
(Alcinous, do not worry about parasites but, instead, start loving The Bomb: for sure there was at least one larvae of anisakis in one of those boquerons en vinagre you used to eat before you became self-aware of the issue...besides, in the absence of any allergenic re-action, you can treat those friendly parasites as a mere additional neuter part of your otherwise beneficial gut flora)
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