(1) Big thanks to various readers for keeping things going while I was in Elsewhere last week. I hear those Sam Amidon shows were excellent (he was one of my highlights at this year’s SXSW), the Bon Iver Galway gig we mentioned here months ago is now confirmed, Fever Ray plays Oxegen (unfortunately, Karin Dreijer Andersson and friends appear to have been abandoned in the Dance Lean-To – someone at More Cash Dinny Inc has obviously not heard the band) and Temper Trap are playing the Electric Picnic. Oh and for garethh, that version of “Dirty Old Town” from The Wire was apparently sung by Pierce Turner.
(2) You go away for a week and come back to see politicians strung up on every pole in town. Unfortunately, the stringing up only consists of posters, but hold that thought. Here in Dublin North Central, we have a fine gallery of rogues and gombeens. Our favourite poster-boy is Ronan Callely – the son of Ivor – whose poster is calling for change of some sort. Change? From the member of a Fianna Fail dynasty? OK, admittedly a very small dynasty (and that’s just the size of the FF logo on the poster), but a Callely calling for change is like a turkey calling for Christmas. Dude’s bigging up his Facebook page so maybe that’s the change he’s on about. Nepotism really does begin at home. Hey, where are Rock the Vote when you need them and their wacky videos featuring various celebs?
(3) Elsewhere, it’s a choice between dynasties and blokes off the telly. George Lee’s triumphant arrival into Dublin South on a Segway has to be welcomed, if only for the fact that it may prove that voters are prepared to do more than just vote for a family name no matter what Mary Coughlan thinks. Of course, it may be a different matter for George once inside Dail Eireann where it’s clientalism and not celebrity which usually gets you back to the top of the poll. For now, though, his presence on the hustings is a modicum of change.
(4) More change. Tubs FTW! Ryan Tubridy gets his Saturday nights back as he takes over the country’s favourite goldfish bowl. Oh yes, it is the nation’s favourite show because no matter what is said about The Late, Late Show, people still watch the damn thing and discuss its good, bad and downright awful turns the week after. Tubs may be seen in a lot of quarters as a safe pair of fogey hands, but he’s a safe pair of fogey hands who could and can take it this way and that. Remember, folks, it’s only a chat show.
(5) More change? Hey, who died and made you Barack Obama? By the way, did you hear Barry’s speech at the White House pol corrs nosebag the other night? Dude killed them. Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, Rupert Murdoch wants your change. The Australian Darth Vader thinks it’s time folks paid to read his papers online. This rumble is going to be interesting to watch, especially as Times Online readers can just switch their browsers to stun at the BBC instead. Something tells me Rupe should get one of his minions to find that memo from the record industry on all this for him.
(6) The soundtrack for my week off in Elsewhere was provided by Dirty Projectors (“Bitte Orca” is an awesome wall of sound), Yeah Yeah Yeahs (“It’s Blitz” just gets better and better with every listen), Nina Simone (I’d forgotten just how fantastic “Baltimore” was), The XX (even their version of “Teardrops” works), Raphael Saadiq (“The Way I See It” will also make you a believer), Death (old-school Detroit punky garage rock on their “…For The Whole World To See” album from 1975), El Michels Affair (their “Enter the 37th Chamber” is a funky, fat Wu-Tang freestyle) and Crocodiles (new album “Summer of Hate” is fuzzy, buzzy and bad-ass).
(7) We’re about 10 days behind with this, but what the hell – Tipperary v Kilkenny, what a game. The championship may actully produce a few matches after all if other teams press the Cats like that. Of course, they’ll probably still win, but it will at least be more interesting.
(8) I really wish I was going to Brighton to the Great Escape festival this week. Dammit.
(9) Forget the Champions League, the NBA play-offs are where it’s at right now. We’re really digging the Lakers set-to with the Rockets.
(10) And finally, seven shades of awesomeness
