Earworms Part VI

A special song this one. Hypnotic, brilliant, for me one of the whole packages. Not just the song itself but the setting, especially in this video. I saw Radiohead live last year and they played Everything in its Right Place as part of the set. Live it is thrilling, doubly so with the light show - seeing the scrolling text in the bars was rather mesmerising. The use of electronics (Kaoss pads and delay pedals modifying the sampled vocals) I find fascinating, just for the whole atmosphere it creates!

The tram crash on the way home was less pleasurable, a minor derailment that brought down a couple of poles and very nearly hit Cafe Nero - I remember looking round to see a sign embedded in the door and thinking best not go out that way. But in a way added to the experience, thankfully everyone was fine - but it certainly made a talking point of the gig. This live footage is from Reading this year...

Earworms Part V

I simply adore this track. Its called "A Century of Elvis" by Belle and Sebastian (it uses the backing of "A Century of Fakers" and is on the "Lazy Line Painter Jane" EP), its just such a simple tune with a great story. Its just a wonderful narration of a great story; I considered putting the lyrics here but it has a lovely little twist that gets to me every time.

How to Disappear Completely...

Dublin absolutely fascinated me. I'm eager to go back, though I'd prefer somewhere different to reside as the hostel wasn't great... This photo was taken on St Patrick's Day 2008 looking down towards O'Connell street and the bridge at the bottom. The advantage with the poor accommodation was the motivation to get up and out for coffee and breakfast by myself in the morning, it was great to be out amongst the business traffic in the hustle and busy by myself. Wonderful city!

The photo always made me think of the Radiohead song "How to Disappear Completely", just floating down the Liffey.

Earworms Part IV

Another from 31 Songs that Changed my Life . This time is the funk influenced Brooklyn by Youngblood Brass Band. From the very first time I heard it its a track that just makes me want to get up and dance; so funky and the sounds in the sousaphone solo are phenomenal!

Earworms Part III

This is the first time that I've included one of the tunes from 31 Songs that Changed my Life in Earworms. The tune is Tamacun by Rodrigo Y Gabriela (this performance is from Later with Jools Holland in 2006). Somehow seeing it performed live tops the record, not just because the tempo is up, but seeing performers so into the music for me is part of the joy of watching a performance. Its something that just makes me wish I was better at guitar!

Wish You Were Here

Every so often I look back over these photos, and each time I always see something a little bit new. In a small point of self-indulgence this is one of the very few pictures I've ever actually titled with something more than a bald description of the contents. Its just a reminder of a real chilled out period of time.

I should just add the picture is looking out to the Andaman Sea from Patong Beach on Phuket.

Somewhere in the Between...

"...is a life of which we all dream and nothing or no-one can ever take that away" - Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between.

This blog can be accused of a lot of things, from self-aggrandisement to a bit of navel gazing. I'll admit that isn't quite the intention. I guess this is the second part of Why I write.... I suppose its something that I always knew. There isn't a magic fix all button out there. In my case something got pointed out very bluntly to me (a friend of mine described me as a robot that just worked permanently - he was right - and its how I got treated by a lot of people but I didn't do myself any favours). Unfortunately from there things can go two ways, I worked hard at putting right the things I didn't like. I lost my way, it took a lot of things that maybe I took for granted going away. I'm not proud of saying that - or of my subsequent actions.

Its that balance - work and life. Both of which being as quiet as a night on the Mary Celeste made me re-question well most things. But why? Simple - its the first time that I felt I was treated as a human, professionally but more so personally. Work was the easiest place to see it (not the most critical but the easiest) - I got told by my boss that I would get told what would be the things interesting me, that I didn't have the skills they wanted or needed, that the way out was just to work harder. That was a pretty big red flag.

But as I've said it wasn't the most important. That life aspect - its the one that most interests me from the self-help I've read - everybody says don't worry things will turn out right (there's this automatic assumption you have this group of people round you or are in a job you've taken out of actual desire for it) and as they are meant to. Well I have news on this front and an addendum I'd like to add - this is a pointless statement if you've somewhat isolated yourself socially; and for about 6-7 years I was and I couldn't see it (how to bury yourself in work part 1...). Because they won't work out unless you take that action, you'll be left sitting by yourself again wondering what exactly is going on. Well that was where I came into this from - and I knew I had to haul my backside out of it, and did but putting myself back into didn't seem the wisest move. But its time to rebuild, jobs, life, love and relationships.