shut up and sing

Around three years ago the modernist, bluegrass singing Dixie Chicks were on stage in London and the band's Natalie Maines made comments about being ashamed that George Bush came from Texas. There was someting of a furore in the USA and the once popular band plummeted. Radio stations in the US stopped playing their songs and there were pictures of their CDs being destroyed in the street.

Now they have returned with a recent new album and a film called 'Shut up and Sing' which includes footage from the London gig, Iraq war footage and the subsequent protests. Quel surprise that some of the major networks have decided to ban the commercial for the film too, although local channels are getting it played. NBC says the adverts are 'disparaging of President Bush'.

So a film about pop musicians being blacklisted for speaking their mind on a topic which is fairly widely discussed is now being blacklisted. Is this just publicity, or are their other forces at work?

timelord

I watched the first two of the BBC's new Torchwood episodes tonight, from Sky Plus. Torchwood is a kind of spin off from Doctor Who and is actually an anagram of Doctor Who.

I commented about Torchwood during the last Doctor Who series when they visited the Torchwood Institute and there do seem to be a number of tongue in cheek references between the two series. Both filmed in Swansea, there is an invisible elevator in Torchwood on the spot where the Tardis landed on one of the early episodes of the Ecclestone Doctor Who. Jack from the Torchwood series says there's a 'non perception point' that means no-one can see the elevator because of a previous disruption in the area - I suppose maybe the Tardis landing would cause this? (Hmm - did Jack the American say 'elevator' or 'lift'...?)

In the first episode of Torchwood, Jack also refers to the need to see a special kind of Doctor about his apparent immortality (I wonder who that might be?)

I also thought I heard a little piece of Doctor Who music mixed in episode two, so I suppose the BBC are having fun with us. I suspect there will be some discarded Doctor Who artifacts in the rather messy Torchwood headquarters too. There's already a Torchwood website featuring safe handling of alien objects, as an example.

Compared with the BBC's new Robin Hood, I find Torchwood much more entertaining although I suppose the themes like the female sex crazed alien (Welsh species?) in episode two may move it out of family viewing.

And tonight, with the change of clocks, I get to be a time traveller too, just for one hour, and back in time.

sawhney fusion

I've liked Nitin Sawhney's music for a long time and often have an album in the car. There was a collection of his works performed live yesterday evening. I couldn't get along because the seating was very limited, but there seems to be an excellent record of his concert across at the BBC. Here's a small extract, based upon a very specific request by Julie.
Tag: Will Young, Nitin Sawhney, music, live gig

lock

I'm shutting down for the evening. The last few days I've been around Stockholm, Sweden and Frankfurt, Germany. I managed to duck the side visit to Helsinki on Tuesday but it still feels intense. Tonight, the Lufthansa Airbus 300 was on time but we'd forgotten to figure out how I was to get back from Heathrow.

Logistically challenged, with my car in a distant multi-story car park.

Its been a multi-story kind of week.

niederrad

So, against my logic and at your request, we fleetingly met again in a Greek restaurant in Niederrad. Marco had told me it was a rough part of town, but it looked like a good and random place for us.

Corner table, professionally facing two exits and with a small glass of white wine already poured when I arrived.

A few words, a new request and the slightest touch of our hands. I know I should have destroyed the small slip of paper after I had memorised the number, but it has no connections for anyone else.

A few minutes later, the smudged yellow light of a taxi outside and you were back into the early darkness.

My evening had become complicated.

OTA : Wordless Wednesday

gamla stan

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Tag: Wordless Wednesday

smoked

I was thinking about Seattle yesterday after dawdling by netchick's site and my mind drifted to the seafood bars along the waterfront near to Pikes Place Market. They sell oysters so fresh they are bursting with the sea's being - an experience like no other.

Then today, in Stockholm, I tasted the fresh North Sea salmon and had a similar minor brain explosion from the freshness and the energy.

Sometimes you just have to be there.

Москва

I knew you'd used me, weeks before our last goodbye, shivering at the embassy that icy morning. You'd walked from the main doors to the bars by the sentry post. I could see your breath, like mine, across the four meters separating us. The guy with the grey barrelled zoom lens didn't seem that interested whilst he took perfunctory photographs of us.

You said they'd never catch you now - but I noticed you didn't make the same comment about me. I'd been the one who you'd asked to get the stuff and had fallen deeply, willingly, into your spell as we'd plotted mere weeks before how I could provide you with the information.

And three weeks even earlier, when we'd first met in that cafe. Insufficent tables, a coffee together and then you'd forgotten your bag and I'd left a few moments later to return it. Such a simple device, but you had me hooked and then as we developed our passion you started asking for small, soft favours.

It was a rachet, both of emotions and of crime. Who'd ever know about either? But they did find out. Not about me, but about you having some of the papers in your possession. It wouldn't take long to piece it together and that's why I thought it best to disappear. You ran for cover to your embassy, but we now both know what happened.

A week after I said goodbye with my eyes, I saw the news report and the pictures of your car being pulled from the Moscva and you being described by that other name you had told me. I left Russia the same day, back to London, to another identity.

The ache lasted months but I finally put you into a little closed box in my heart.

Then today.

I saw the black cars approach, the whirr of a window from the one in the middle. A couple of softly spoken words, and the look from those eyes. Your eyes. Then a whirr again and you were gone. But now, to me you have come back, and it will all start again.

Saturday

I'm not quite sure where today has gone.

Its nearly seven pm and I'm getting ready to go out for dinner with some friends, but I can't really work out how it could be so late.

Sure, I've had some things to do today. Shopping, visiting the laundry. I don't think I've really even stopped to eat today so far. Oh yes, maybe a valencia orange yoghurt earlier, but that was mainly because I'd accidentally closed it in the car boot and needed to rescue the perforated carton. Actually it was pretty good.

So tonight I shall be with some friends. No doubt a lot of talking, but I hope they don't ask what I've been doing today, because it won't be very interesting. Maybe its because they played "Sunday Morning" on Radio Four early today and I got confused.

Heres Live if you want it.

दिवाली

Its interesting in our global village that there are huge festivals in one part of the world which others in another may not even be aware of. So, amongst current ones is दिवाली or दीपावली - Diwali.

This "Festival of Lights," symbolises the victory of good over evil, and lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. It is celebrated in different ways in different parts of India, so there's about 1 billion people involved, or roughly 3 times the population of the USA.

Thursday Thirteen (V31)

I thought I'd try to save £13 this evening by posting 13 questions which I could otherwise ask to 82ask. In case you don't know 82ask is an SMS text service in the UK where you can ask ANY question and get an answer for the charge of £1. If I can get answers to my questions from bloggers, then I can save £13, based upon it being Thursday Thirteen. So here goes...

1) How much does the earth weigh?
2) Does a sheep's wool shrink in the rain?
3) How many calories does kissing burn off?
4) What's the French for 'thats a nice jacket, can I buy you a drink, are you doing anything later?'
5) What is the takeoff velocity of a 747?
6) How do homing pigeons know the way home?
7) What is the largest shoe size?
8 ) How long does it take to get from the south side of Chelsea Bridge to Covent Garden, by bus?
9) Where can I buy HP sauce in Tokyo?
10) What is the oldest pub on record?
11) Who are four internationally famous Belgians?
12) How do I plant tomatoes so that I have a regular crop instead of all of them together?
13) Where's the nearest Victoria's Secret to Leeds Town Centre?

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Tag: Thursday Thirteen, free link friday, 82ask

OTA: Wordless Wednesday

supper

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Tag: Wordless Wednesday