Wednesday, April 28, 2010

There's A Fever!


No, not that one.

Election Fever is upon us like never before. For the first time that I can remember the race is actually interesting for once and could be won by anyone! Which actually gave me interest in the whole matter. A foregone conclusion is not interesting and more importantly not what this country needs.

In one corner we have Gordon 'Gripper' Brown. A politician not afraid to beat the shit out of his staff and call his supporters such things as "bigots" "tossers" "cock-noses" and "cuntstains"*. A man who no one actually voted for at any point. At all. Ever. A man who truly defines the old saying "ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag".

In the second corner we have David Cameron. Who does look a bit more like a politician than Brown. I'm sure he has some other stuff going for him. Like his hair maybe. Seems indecisive, and I still physically shudder when I think of the last Conservative government we had. But it's got to be better than what we have now right? Right?

In the final corner (I'm imagining the three main ones in a triangle, alright?) is Nick Clegg. The subject of the current wave of Cleggmania. There are many things that sound good when you add 'mania' to the end of. Clegg is not one of them. Not wanting to put forward my opinions too much - as I strongly believe voting is YOUR decision to make - but I think he has my vote.

On the subject of being influenced, it actually scares me sometimes how much hold the media has on this thing. After last Thursday's debate (the second one) The Sun declared the winner (although it's not actually something you win, that would be the election itself) was David Cameron, who to put it kindly put forward a shoddy performance in my opinion.

But seeing as Rupert Murdoch is for Cameron that means The Sun is for Cameron. He could have got his dick out and bashed one out over the front row and The Sun would have still awarded it to him.

But the startling reality is that a lot of the general public are clueless about this sort of thing and go to media sources such as The Sun or The Daily Mail (get to them in a minute) and take whatever they say as the God's honest truth and will base their votes on that. That isn't someone voting - thats the media controlling someones vote. I honestly believe that people who aren't intelligent enough to make their own decision about this sort of thing should not be allowed to vote.

But yes, The Daily Mail. They always seem to go that extra mile in the ways of bad journalism. Check out this story from last week > http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/election/article-1267921/GENERAL-ELECTION-2010-Nick-Clegg-Nazi-slur-Britain.html

Yep The Mail actually say "his Nazi slur". Based on what? Saying this country was living in the past about the War? I'm not trivializing the Wars for one second but it ended in 1945. That's 65 years ago. Literally a generation. A generation of Germans who want fuck all to do with that part of their history, hell probably 2 generations now. And here we are. Every St.Georges Day, out come the old war songs. As we continue to cling to it. Kids continue to make Hitler 'taches with their fingers. Where do they get that from exactly?

Same shit applies for the 1966 World Cup. I know England isn't the most winningest country but to cling on to these like they didn't happen all that time ago is something truly sad.

A rant about Politics these days isn't anything without mentioning the BNP. You may not have agreed with all I have said in this, but I think we can all get together on the BNP being a bunch of bigoted pieces of shit. Check out this Party Election Broadcast that was shown the other night...



OK let us bullet point all this...

  • The War! There was a war on! Yeah, it was 2 generations ago but cor blimey, love a duck, apples and pears, we'll meet again, rub a dub etc. Yeah I made that point. But it's a cheap way to go for votes. From a cheap individual
  • Where did he get the medals from behind him?
  • "We don't hate anyone" Er...yeah you do. Anyone who is even tanned by the sounds.
  • What would Churchill think? I don't know but I'm pretty sure the immigration problem is not caused by a sudden influx of Germans.
  • We may have not been fighting for political correctness in 1945, but thats no excuse not exercise some.
  • All these 'everyday folk in the street' are actors. Painfully bad actors.

And a final point on that...they only abuse Nick Griffin because he "refuses to toe the political line"? Huh. It's probably more that he's a small minded ignorant cunt.

Till next time - don't forget to vote, you won't be able to bitch about ANYTHING till next time if you don't!




*He may have only said the first one.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. Hyde Park 28-6-09



A look back to my Facebook blog from last Summer...

Managed to cross another 'must see band' from my list (which doesnt have much left on it now!) at the 'Hard Rock Calling' festival in Hyde Park - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!

Had a pretty patchy support lineup to get through first...

Opening the show was Beauvoir/Free who I had no godly idea who they were. Some post research shows they are Jean Beauvior who was an ex member of the Plasmatics and produced albums for the Ramones, and has written songs for KISS, The Pretenders and Lionel Richie! Micki Free was in Shalamar! Anyway they played for a while and were quite entertaining but ultimately pretty forgettable.

Next up were The Gaslight Anthem who were fantastic, the crowd loved them and they played their arses off. And then they brought Bruce out to join them on 'The '59 Sound', a great set and a great atmosphere throughout.

Following that sadly was James Morrison. Imagine you had just seen a great set from an up and coming band which had generated a great atmosphere. Then imagine someone comes onstage after and shoots a puppy. He was fucking shit and I have no idea whose dick he sucked to get on the bill because he had no business being there. One dreary 'not quite indie' song followed another with only a few pockets of support from the obvious housewives. It also rained from when his started to when it ended. Which couldnt come soon enough. Urgh. What a twat.

So it was up to Dave Matthews Band to turn things back around which they eventually did. I really liked them and will have to get their albums. Matthews is a great frontman and by the end they had the crowd loving them too. Good stuff. They played...

Pantala Naga Pampa
Rapunzel
Don't Drink The Water
Why I Am
Funny The Way It Is
Crash Into Me
You Might Die Trying
Alligator Pie
Two Step
Ants Marching
All Along The Watchtower

Then it was time...Boss Time! I do not have enough superlatives for how amazing it was. Songs I never thought I would hear live...ever! Over 3 solid hours. The singer from The Gaslight Anthem joined the band for No Surrender. The place going mental for Born To Run, the atmosphere for Racing In The Streets and Jungleland. I may sound like a Vietnam vet but you had to be there maaaan. The only downside I read is that Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were gonna come onstage for a song but the curfew meant it had to be axed! Never mind, doesnt detract from the show. The heartstopping, pants-dropping, houserocking, earth-shaking, booty-quaking, Viagra-taking, lovemaking legendary E Street Band played...

London Calling
Badlands
Night
She's The One
Outlaw Pete
Out In The Street
Working On A Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Youngstown
Good Lovin'
Bobby Jean
Trapped
No Surrender
Waitin' On A Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Racing In The Streets
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born To Run
--------------------
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Hard Times
Jungleland
American Land
Glory Days
Dancing In The Dark