When I was 17 I met a boy. For the record, he was a lovely boy. I don't see as much of him as I would like to any more, I suppose life gets in the way. For a few years we were very much in love. He was ace. The best thing about this boy was that he pushed my musical boundaries. He made me listen to things that had never even entered my frame of reference. He took my love of Green Day and showed me the joys of Skunk Anansie, Live, Radiohead, A, Midget and Therapy? (To name but a few!)Then when life got in the way, and we both moved on and I met someone who hated my taste in music. I spent the next three years speaking to someone every day who thought I only ever listened to miserable music sung by Northerners. So I stopped talking about music. This is not a sob story or a cry for help you understand. This is a simple statement of some facts.
Just before Christmas I was in the pub, having a drink with someone I didn't know very well, and I was talking about Rock City. My musical home. Being from a crappy little town just outside Nottingham I've seen more bands in that place that I'd care to count, I've pulled a pint at the bar, been sick in the corner and fallen asleep in the loo...more than once. Anyway, I digress. I was telling my friend that the last time I was in Rock City I had requested a song by Therapy? and had been told that I needed to go downstairs to the "Classic rock" room to hear such songs...What. The. Fuck. In my head Therapy? sounds as fresh as it did in 1994. And in my head, 1994, was not that long ago. It was. However I realised I'd made a new friend for life when the acquaintance I was having a drink with nearly dropped his pint, his face lit up and he exclaimed "you know Therapy? !" I've spent the last three weeks talking about nothing but music with him, going over some serious blasts from the past, and getting very over excited about The Long Pigs (remember them?), Stiff Little Fingers, Midget, Skunk Anansie, Queens of The Stone Age, Iggy and the Stooges, Phoenix and of course, Therapy?
I suppose this post is not so much a pontification about what is cool now, or what will be cool in the future (may I direct you all back to my post about Michael Kiwanuka?) but about being grateful to those people who formed your taste in music, and value your thoughts about things that are important to you. Its a love letter to standing up and being counted, and loving what you love, regardless of whether anyone else gets it. Just never stop talking about it. What you like is good...because you like it. And fuck everyone else.
I suppose this is also a well over due apology and letter of thanks to that boy who met 17 year old Zi, and helped me turn into this. You know who you are, and you did more to help me become who I am than you'll ever know. I'm so glad you're happy. I'm happy too. I'm sorry if I ever hurt you, but as you're mother once said to me, "it'll all come out in the wash." Look after yourself, hug your loved ones extra tight, and lets go out and have a rave soon? Yea?
Showing posts with label me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label me. Show all posts
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Friday, March 12, 2010
Morning View
I was woken, as is usually the case when Himself isn’t in town, this morning by the radio alarm.
I should probably point out that I am not the most tech savvy person in the world, I do not yet own an iPod (although I am about to cave) and nor do I understand the fascination with iPads, Kindle Readers or indeed word processing, give me a pen and paper any day. Yet my radio alarm is the height of sophistication. It connects to my non existent mp3 player, it has multiple alarm functions, but the point of my buying it initially was to indulge in digital radio. I love being woken up by the radio, it’s a far friendlier way to wake up than the obnoxious beeping of an alarm clock but it must be said I desperately miss my UK go to radio stations of choice, BBC 6 Music and Radio 4.
Having worked in student radio, and having donated more hours of my life than I care to remember to reading OffComm rules about broadcasting in the UK I can safely say that Irish radio certainly has the ability to grate on me a little. I have found a couple of stations that will keep me up to date with the news, and entertain me during the day, but breakfast radio: Yuck.
Until recently I was being awoken by the radio alarm, and then getting up and switching on the laptop to BBC 6 Music. In the words of a friend I continue to fear the loss of Keaveny, Laverne, Bacon, Adam (and even Joe) to the likes of James, Moyles and Fearne effing Cotton. I can’t stand the radio for retards approach that Radio 1 have recently adopted, and I just can’t quite fathom the switch to Radio 2. I remember Chris Evans when he was a Radio 1 DJ; and despite my eternal respect for Limerick’s finest, Sir Terry Wogan, things will I fear never be the same. I’m too young for Radio 2, but too old for Radio 1. The blogosphere is a wash with “Save BBC 6Music” posts, go and read them, they are probably far more eloquent that I could ever be.
This post has a different purpose. I wanted to flag the presence of RTE’s 2XM digital channel. Although not 6Music, I think for morning radio it is of some quality. There is no talking, and no news at 7:00am, which quite frankly, when I’m in my pre caffeine daze, will do; I’ll catch up on the content of The Today Programme when I get to work thanks!
Digital radio is still relatively new in Ireland, but the offerings of the national broadcaster RTE cannot be reasonably ignored. 2XM broadcasts a wide range of music, from Monday evening Bluegrass to a show donated entirely to indie record labels. It’s a brilliant start, but that is just it. It’s a start, and its not going to get me very far, other than giving me the impetus to get in the car, and get going, given I can pick up Radio 4 LW (old school) on the car stereo. 6 Music proves the potential that stations like RTE 2XM have, all I’m really asking for is someone to talk at me just a little bit in the morning. Evening programming is all good, but by 10pm my attention span goes about as far as a 30 minute instalment of mindless chewing gum for the brain TV. All I’m asking for is someone with a modicum of intelligence, a news bulletin and the usual good music in the morning. Either that or Shaun Keavney to move to Ireland…
Am I missing something? Or should I just bung a CD on of a morning and stop compaining?
I should probably point out that I am not the most tech savvy person in the world, I do not yet own an iPod (although I am about to cave) and nor do I understand the fascination with iPads, Kindle Readers or indeed word processing, give me a pen and paper any day. Yet my radio alarm is the height of sophistication. It connects to my non existent mp3 player, it has multiple alarm functions, but the point of my buying it initially was to indulge in digital radio. I love being woken up by the radio, it’s a far friendlier way to wake up than the obnoxious beeping of an alarm clock but it must be said I desperately miss my UK go to radio stations of choice, BBC 6 Music and Radio 4.
Having worked in student radio, and having donated more hours of my life than I care to remember to reading OffComm rules about broadcasting in the UK I can safely say that Irish radio certainly has the ability to grate on me a little. I have found a couple of stations that will keep me up to date with the news, and entertain me during the day, but breakfast radio: Yuck.
Until recently I was being awoken by the radio alarm, and then getting up and switching on the laptop to BBC 6 Music. In the words of a friend I continue to fear the loss of Keaveny, Laverne, Bacon, Adam (and even Joe) to the likes of James, Moyles and Fearne effing Cotton. I can’t stand the radio for retards approach that Radio 1 have recently adopted, and I just can’t quite fathom the switch to Radio 2. I remember Chris Evans when he was a Radio 1 DJ; and despite my eternal respect for Limerick’s finest, Sir Terry Wogan, things will I fear never be the same. I’m too young for Radio 2, but too old for Radio 1. The blogosphere is a wash with “Save BBC 6Music” posts, go and read them, they are probably far more eloquent that I could ever be.
This post has a different purpose. I wanted to flag the presence of RTE’s 2XM digital channel. Although not 6Music, I think for morning radio it is of some quality. There is no talking, and no news at 7:00am, which quite frankly, when I’m in my pre caffeine daze, will do; I’ll catch up on the content of The Today Programme when I get to work thanks!
Digital radio is still relatively new in Ireland, but the offerings of the national broadcaster RTE cannot be reasonably ignored. 2XM broadcasts a wide range of music, from Monday evening Bluegrass to a show donated entirely to indie record labels. It’s a brilliant start, but that is just it. It’s a start, and its not going to get me very far, other than giving me the impetus to get in the car, and get going, given I can pick up Radio 4 LW (old school) on the car stereo. 6 Music proves the potential that stations like RTE 2XM have, all I’m really asking for is someone to talk at me just a little bit in the morning. Evening programming is all good, but by 10pm my attention span goes about as far as a 30 minute instalment of mindless chewing gum for the brain TV. All I’m asking for is someone with a modicum of intelligence, a news bulletin and the usual good music in the morning. Either that or Shaun Keavney to move to Ireland…
Am I missing something? Or should I just bung a CD on of a morning and stop compaining?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
It's a bit like me coming round to borrow a virtual cup of sugar.
So, I've been lurking for a while now, and the time has come, as the Walrus so eloquently said, to talk of many things. It is about time I began to pin my colours to the mast.
I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to begin, strangely I write for a living, but I've never been asked to write what I think. The things I write are more about what I research, what other people think, and the conclusions I draw from that. I write things that come with footnotes, acknowledgements and too many hours in dark libraries. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not complaining, I love, LOVE, LOVE my job. I suppose I'd just like somewhere to talk about the other things I'm passionate about.
So here it is, my digital life, centred mostly around music, with some fashion and food notes thrown in no doubt. I'm just putting it out there to see if it will float.
I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to begin, strangely I write for a living, but I've never been asked to write what I think. The things I write are more about what I research, what other people think, and the conclusions I draw from that. I write things that come with footnotes, acknowledgements and too many hours in dark libraries. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not complaining, I love, LOVE, LOVE my job. I suppose I'd just like somewhere to talk about the other things I'm passionate about.
So here it is, my digital life, centred mostly around music, with some fashion and food notes thrown in no doubt. I'm just putting it out there to see if it will float.
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