sarahx

It's a lovely sunny Sunday morning. So, obviously, I'm sitting on the sofa writing. In my pyjamas, equally obviously. A quick scan through the diary shows that the next day I can devote to writing-type-work is Saturday 22 October (always assuming the US visa materialises, of course). This means that today - and the one evening I've got free this week - I've got to:

• Finish my American news (taking a break now, it's about half done)
• Finish a feature on chiral chemistry (started a couple of weeks ago, wrote 200-ish words, another 2000-ish to go)
• Finish my new drugs page - one out of three done
• Write up one of the interviews for the Cambridge mag as the guy's going to be away after this week.

Hmmm.

I'm cheering myself up by listening to some of the nonsense in my vinyl collection I've not listened to in some years. There is some spectacular crap in there, nestling between the good stuff like Led Zep, Duran Duran and Half Man Half Biscuit. And I found something I'd totally forgotten about - possibly my absolute favourite of all my 45s (it has a lot of competition...). I found it in a record shop in Amsterdam when I was on a concert tour there back in 1984, it cost me about a guilder and I bought it purely because of the cover. The content doesn't disappoint. I've no idea what they're singing about - Dutch translation help needed ;-) But it's very oom-pah and there's a quite magnificently OTT key change in there. And the B-side is an instrumental so you can sing along (or could if you knew the words). Glorious.


Back to work...

OK - here's the final answers. First, the one that people really should have got.

16: The thought alone is killing me right now
Hey Ya by OutKast

Not at all obscure!

The Norwegian definitely deserves more explanation. It's a song called 'Kontroll på kontinentet' (Control over the continent) by Kaizers Orchestra. The line I posted, 'Den skal vær mann som kan gå med min hatt', is the first, and means 'One must be a man to wear my hat'. You can hear the song here. Go on, you know you want to.

The song is off their first album, called Ompa til du dør - yes, that really does mean 'Oom-pah till you die'. As recommended on Amazon by Tom Waits, no less... "Norwegian storm trooping tarantellas with savage rhythms and innovative textures. Thinking man’s circus music. Way out."

I saw them live in København with the Danish ex about three years ago, and they were great fun. They use some rather unconventional instruments, including a pump organ (played by a man wearing a gas mask, obviously), plus percussive oil-drums and wheels. Further listening can be supplied if anyone's interested (and stu_n at the very least really ought to be!).

And finally... thanks to tyrell, a long-but-very-amusing transcript of a conversation with a call centre. Inspired.

...no idea where she'd been but the little tinker was curled up in her current favourite sleeping place - on the table in the garden - when I went to hang the laundry out just now. Phew. However, she's yowling away at me from the cat box and I'm quite sure I'll be in her bad books for days.

Time to go and spend a pigging fortune at the vet's.

On a random note: am I really very sad for quite liking Charlotte Church's single?!

Went to see the Ukulele Orchestra of GB with stu_n & burge this evening. They were excellent - Anarchy in the UK, on ukulele anyone? And their rendition of Yes sir, I can boogie was truly inspired.

We made it to the pub in time to see Pink Floyd's glorious and unlikely reunion on the telly. Wow.

But there were far too many people at the station and on the train who'd clearly been in Hyde Park and had left before PF took the stage. OK, so they were running an hour and a half late. And there were last trains to be caught. But... Bloody Philistines. You get the night bus, you go clubbing, you even kip in the park - it's hardly cold out. YOU DO NOT MISS PINK FLOYD FOR THE PATHETIC REASON OF GETTING THE LAST TRAIN.

rantyrantyrant...

(and yes, I'm rewatching Floyd now. Still wow)

Two days, two football stadia. And two fine days out.

Saturday: Duran Duran, St Andrew's, Birmingham.
John Taylor looks every bit as good in his black leather trousers as he always did.
And I can still remember all the words...

Sunday: Sheffield Wednesday, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
Still can't get my head around this one. We won. We're promoted. Proper report later when I'm feeling a little more coherent...

Ken Bruce on Radio 2 is starting his show with Buck's Fizz and Making your mind up. Broadcasting live from the Ukraine, no less. As has been the incomparable Wogan. I hope there's plenty more magnificent Eurovision songs to keep me going through the morning.

Am I very sad for loving Eurovision?

I should be working, but the Eurovision section from yesterday's Popbitch is much more interesting... Disappointingly, the very rubbish Irish entry lost in last night's semifinal (which I missed as I wasn' t back from Cambridge in time). I'm particularly looking forward to the Norwegian entry.

>> It's Eurovision time! <<
Must-watch TV for Saturday night

Our insiders in Kiev tell us that it's shaping
up to be the drunkest Eurovision one ever. Here's
Popbitch's guide to the runners and riders
of tonight's Semi-Final and Saturday's Final:

Greece - Helena Paparizou. The favourite.
Represented Greece as part of Antique,
with one of the best ever Eurovision songs
in 2001.
http://www.helenapaparizou.com/eng/news/index.html

Belarus - Angelica. The Slavic J-Lo has been
swanning around Kiev with an enormous entourage,
four limousines and has hosted three parties.
$1m has been spent on getting Eurovision to Minsk.
http://www.eurovision.tv/english/belarus.htm

Norway - Wig Wam. Pub glam rock. Their singer Glam
is leading the Eurovision shagging stakes. His
chat up line? "I like your boobies."
http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/3763


Moldova - Zdob si Zdub. One of Russian-speaking
pop's biggest bands. Their song Granny Bangs The
Drum is enlivened with the singer's granny on
stage... banging a drum.
http://www.zdob-si-zdub.com/

Portugal - 2B. The singer fainted at the dress
rehearsal, which could be funny on the night.
http://www.eurovisionmadrid.com/2005/zpor05.html

Ireland - Donna and Joe McCaul. Hilariously
amateur teenage ginger siblings. Joe wins the
fans' prize as most unlikely party animal. The
Irish delegation have now imposed a curfew on him.
Watch their dancers fall over while River Dancing:
http://www.oneurope.biz/irevid.avi