Month: October 2012

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Stunning Mach

Amazing.

That’s all that’s needed really.

Felix Baumgartner and a huge team of engineers and back up crew including Joe Kittenger have done it. It was stunning.

I wasn’t alive for the Moon landings so I couldn’t see them live and I don’t recall watching Andy Green break the sound barrier live on television although I definitely watched the documentary on it. Felix Baumgartner’s skydive from a billion miles up was something I could watch live and, such is technology nowadays that I streamed it to my phone while I was walking the dog in the park. I was trying to watch it on my phone while the kids had thier dinner. Then it got to bath and bed time and Felix hadn’t jumped. But, then it was time to walk the dog. Fortunately I can get a 3G signal in the park and watched the live stream via cellular technology. It was quite an amazing thing to see. The check list was simple and yet necessary. The standing on the edge and then the fall. I imagine that watching the moon landing was like this but much more so. I felt chilled and elated at the same time. It was as though time slowed and I watched every second of his freefall in utter peace. I am astounded at how it went when all the possibilities are considered.

Well done to all involved.

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It Took 20 Years

About 20 years ago I borrowed my dad’s car. I got in and turned on the ignition. The car radio was tuned to Essex FM and after a few seconds a dance / drum and bass song came on that stunned me! It started with a woman speaking about various sex acts and I was rather surprised it was broadcast.
I’m used to dodgy lyrics, the song Animal by WASP, Kickstart The Fight by Combichrist, F^^^machine by Combichrist, and quite a few songs by AC/DC all have dodgy or explicit lyrics. I do understand that these will probably never make it to broadcast.
Someone in Essex FM really messed up. This drum and bass song was explicit and obviously so. I guess they don’t always listen to everything before broadcast. I once heard Killing In The Name Of by Rage Against The Machine played in full on the BBC Radio 1 chart show when it was released!
Every now and then over the last 20 years I’ve wondered if the song existed. I’d never heard it again and didn’t really mention it to anyone. Recently, when I’ve thought about it, I’ve tried Googling but not really found anything. It was quite hard to decide what search terms to use.
Today was a breakthrough. One particular key phrase from the song brought up a YouTube link that seemed promising. I have played the link and am fully confident that it is the song I heard 20 years ago.
I feel somewhat relieved! Firstly I didn’t imagine the song. Secondly, it is as rude as I remember. Unfortunately the song is pretty rubbish apart from the “lyrics”.
Should you want to sample some of this disturbing song then try searching for “Andy C” and “Dirty lil slut”. You might be surprised or you might not.
Direct link here.

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Long Time

Continuing the iTunes and iPhone theme I have here a list of songs arranged by time (descending).

iTunes sorted by length of song
Long Songs

I need to listen to most of these to check whether they are proper songs or just tricks that have lots of empty space. Time to melt by Lard definitely seems to be a proper song. Over time I will check these and get back to you. The list stands as follows:

  • Lard, Time To Melt – seems a proper song.
  • Therapy?, Sister – seems some parts of silence, cheats!
  • Combichrist, At The End Of It All
  • Senser, Weatherman
  • Lodestar, Iliac Crest
  • Nirvana, Something In The Way – gaps and silence.
  • Throbbing Gristle, After Cease To Exit
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Current Most Played

Here’s my list of top played songs from my iPhone. Actually the first 5 were all children’s songs so I haven’t kept those in the picture.

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As you would expect Combichrist are at the top as are some other Aggrotech or hellectro bands. Some might question Boston’s Foreplay/Longtime but I reckon if you listen to it you’ll realise it’s a very good song. Black Betty by Ram Jam is one that gets my children dancing so, although I appreciate it is a good song, without them it probably wouldn’t be in the top.
It’d be very interesting to mine my mind for data about songs I have listened to in my lifetime as this list really only covers the last year since I rebuilt my iTunes library. AC/DC’s If You Want Blood and plenty of Iron Maiden and Megadeth would be in the list. Would there be some shocking surprises? Maybe some Prince!

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Excited

Very excited. I just bought my ticket for Download 2013. It’s a heavy metal festival held at Donington Park somewhere in the midlands. Now, I’m not a great fan of festivals and in all reality this will be my first, but, what a beauty it is going to be. I am going with my mate as it is his 40th birthday near to then and this seems to be the perfect way to celebrate.

First things first. I can’t go on the Friday as I have to work. So that means I am going to miss Slipknot. This is not a bad thing. I really am not bothered about seeing them. I will be travelling on the Saturday morning and then returning at a god-awful hour on the Sunday night / monday morning to head into work.

Headlining on the Saturday are IRON MAIDEN. This is good news as they were the first band I ever saw also the birthday boy was there for that one too. That was in 1988 and they were on the “7th Tour of a 7th Tour” tour. What makes this festival rather special is that they are going to be playing pretty much the same set as on that tour. It originally was filmed and released as the “Maiden England” video and I have a copy of that somewhere. Seeing Iron Maiden pretty much play the same set list as I saw 24/5 years ago is going to be brilliant. None of the new stuff will be played which is good as I’ve never really listened to anything recorded by them past about 1990!

On the Sunday the German industrial metal band RAMMSTEIN are going to be playing. This is also a good thing. I saw them a couple of years ago at Wembley Arena and they were brilliant. I am so looking forward to seeing them play again.

The headliners are making me sweat just thinking about it. I am very much looking forward to seeing the rest of the line up released. With a bit of luck Combichrist will be on there with, let’s say, Wolfsbane or the almighty for some real 80s throwback stuff.

 

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Seeking Aircraft

Here’s #1 running to the fence to see the aircraft at Headcorn Airfield. We watched a helicopter take off and skydivers safely return to the home planet. It was most pleasant.

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I really like the sky in this picture. It’s a good contrast to the ground.

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What To Do In Paris?

Am in Paris! With time to kill. What to see?

Your heavy metal guide might help? I want to see Sacre Cour, Arc Defense, anything really. If Trust are playing I will die!

They’re not: I checked. And no good rock pubs either: I checked. Too chic for metal!

Ok so your choice is hotel porn or coffee and cigarettes on the Champs Alysee! Or both!

Hmm, like your thinking. But have checked out, and don’t smoke or drink coffee. Moulin Rouge?

Think Moulin Rouge is the only option. Mind you there must be some shit-hole nasty bar that plays rock. The French are a bit rebellious as well as chic.

Gave up, am now at the station an hour early!

Boo! Train station books and magazines it is then.

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Cheeky Master

I recently bought some tickets to see the singer Usher at the O2 (or North Greenwich Arena if you followed the Olympics). The tickets were quite expensive and there was a similarly over-priced booking fee.
It turns out that Usher decided that being a judge on the USA version of The Voice was more important than singing to his fans in the UK (I don’t consider myself a fan, see My Music). So he has postponed his tour over here.
Ticketmaster, through whom I purchased the tickets, were really good at contacting me about the postponement of the event. I received a text, mobile phone message, home phone message and an email. I have also been refunded the price of the tickets. However, they have kept the booking fee! As far as I can tell I have not actually booked any tickets because they don’t exist anymore and so I should get a full refund.
I do know it is probably in the T&Cs somewhere about them keeping the booking fee. What do they care? If I want to see a band in the future I’m still going to use them. It’s win-win for Ticketmaster.

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Broken now Fixed

We woke up last Thursday to a broken window. Bit of a shock. None of us heard anything! Now, it is fixed. A bit like the NIN albums!

Broken

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Fixed
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The new window is currently the cleanest part if the house.

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