Wednesday 30 July 2008

signposts to a summer

yes it is time. we have now reached the 3 weeks of the british summer where the sun breaks through and the rest of the british public, when pushed, would say that they thought cricket was really rather jolly and wasn't it a nice day out with the kids and isn't Pimm's lovely. as opposed to the rest of the time when the focus groups consistently come back with: boring, incomprehensible, elitist and rained off.

So what are the england team doing to cash in on this fleeting ambivalence? yes they're carrying on their relentless search for top-class mediocrity and "the right areas" against the South Africans. so thank god for Roots Manuva who, in releasing this video has probably done more for English cricket than Wisden has managed in 10 years. tune too.

via musiclikedirt




the other event happening around now, is the annual UK Drug Policy Commission Report. This is the yearly reminder to the government that they would generally cause a lot less pain for all of us if they just gave the fuck up, had some Pimm's on the terrace and watched the cricket. i was pleased to note that so eye-stabbingly obvious are the conclusions of this report that the bbc have simply recycled last year's article with a couple of powerpoint slides tacked on the end. i expect next year's to just read: drug. policy. pointless.

last year

this year

pass the smack, blowers.

Saturday 12 January 2008

how not to make a formulaic hip-hop video

hello - yes, still here. more or less anyway, but it takes something pretty awe-inspiring to drive me to the keyboard these days. in fact, this video thoroughly justifies me not posting all the weak shit i would doubtless have sent your way since september.

dj format should be absolutely my cup of my tea: clever, old school, uk hip hop with plenty of up to date references and samples, great beats and no guns, hos, obscure types of brandy or attempts by the rapper to make comparisons between themselves and god (yes kanye - you can still fuck off - daft punk sample or not).

but tho i love Music for the Mature B-Boy, i've never had it on quite as heavy rotation as you might expect and i haven't sought out too much of his other stuff (tho i have now got this on order). it'd certainly never occured to me to wonder what the videos for the tracks were like. so, during a mid morning musical wilf i was frankly stunned to find this:



i've already sent this to most ppl i know but it makes me smile so much i felt i needed to share the joy. and it's good to know that bungle hasn't rested on his laurels after the success of rainbow.

it's the work of ruben fleischer, about whom i can do no more (cos i know piss all about film) than to direct you to his rather excellent website. where you will find several squillion brilliant films and photos to amuse yourseves with.

happy new thing to you all. see you in... well, march probably.