The War of the Jeans

So spending more time at the flat has its advantages.

I get to do my laundry more often, which means I have more clothes to wear.

However, I am havinga slight...no, major issue with flatmate P. Apparently we wear teh same size jeans (I wear guys jeans, cos they're more comfortable). Now, somewhere along the line, he decided that my jeans are also his jeans, and has been helping himself to my freshly laundered ones when he needs them.

THE FUCKER!!!!

No wonder I hardly had clothes to wear!!

So from today, I will be watching my jeans dry and then hiding them once dry.

Other news...My Chemical Romance is in town, again, this time playing at Wembley area. I don't have tickets.
But I have a lot of free time.
Now, how do you get to Wembley???

The job hunt continues....

Fall Out Boy - Thnks fr th mmrs

New hilarious video from Fall Out Boy. Well worth the watch.

YAAAAAAWWWNNNN

I'm writing this from an internet cafe.

Why?

My contract got terminated.
I don't have a personal laptop.

This means I get shortpaid by a week,
I don't have anything to listen to my music on,
Can't watch DVDs while getting drunk in my room waiting for the 4th to show up,
Am bored stupid.

I hate semi unemployment...
(I still have the pub job though...)

Was up until 3:30am watching british television...made me feel suicidal. Yes, the BBC is THAT bad.
Trying to avoid the flat today as am getting cabin fever. Kind of sucks when all you want to do is wallow in self pity, watch Audrey Hepburn movies, listen to rock music and drink far too much wine.

So have taken my sad ass out of the flat, into Camden Town to mosie about the markets and maybe take in the sun on Primrose Hill Park.

Despite having the time to do all of this, i prefer working.

Am I a sick puppy or what?

Dear Big Concerts...

Dear Big Concerts,

As the premier (read only) international live show facilitator in South Africa, I think your company is lacking in a few areas.
Namely logistics and research.

Lets start with logistics.
You ran out of beer at last years Colab. You either over estimate or under estimate crowd attendance for gigs and then go on to book venues that are entirely unsuitable.
You either undersell or over hype events.
In effect, you haven’t found the right balance for your advertising and promotions.

Research.
Do you do ANY research, at all? If you do, fire that person immediately! They are obviously not paying attention to social trends or what the public wants. When was the last time they even went to a gig not sponsored by 5fm?

You work with 5fm.

You are obviously losing money, seeing as how your ticket prices are the far side of exhorbitant, that even touts find it hard to sell them.

You obviously need a good kick up the arse.

So hire me immediately!

Thank you,

Insano.

What I knew all along...

This is going to be a long post, so bear with me…if you will.

Firstly, scientists confirm what we’ve known all along.

'Heavy Metal soothes teens'
22/03/2007 09:44 - (SA)
London - Teenagers who lock themselves in their bedrooms to blast out heavy metal music may simply be trying to cope with the pressures of being gifted, according to British research reported on Wednesday.
The study said that teenagers often work off the stresses and strains of being a bright outsider by listening to bands such as System Of A Down, Slipknot and Tool.
Researchers questioned more than 1 000 members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth, whose members rank among the brightest five percent of youngsters in Britain.
"There is a perception of gifted and talented students as being into classical music and spending a lot of time reading.
"I think that is an inaccurate stereotype," Stuart Cadwallader, a University of Warwick psychologist who is presenting the findings to the British Psychological Society Wednesday, told the Daily Telegraph.
"We are looking at a group with lower than average self-esteem that does not feel quite as well adjusted.
"They feel more stressed out and turn to heavy metal as a way of relieving that stress."
Cadwallader added that heavy metal fans often appreciate the "complex and sometimes political themes" of the music.
"It has a tendency to worry adults a bit but I think it's just a cathartic thing," he said.
"It does not indicate problems."
Many of heavy metal's biggest stars are closet geeks - Brian May, guitarist with Queen, is currently finishing a doctorate in astrophysics, while Iron Maiden star Bruce Dickinson is a history graduate, international fencer and qualified commercial pilot.



I think my playlist says it all…

Moving on, but staying in the music world…

Apparently, the MTV show TRL (Total Request Live) is going to be taped and aired in future. MTV says it’s cheaper this way.
Funny, that, seeing as how it is the most popular show on MTV due to its interactive aspect where you as a teenybopper fan can sms questions to whichever band happens to be visiting the Times Square studio that day.
In terms of advancement in media, MTV is taking a step backwards. But then again, they are owned by Viacom…

Which brings me onto another question…
If the UK is being treated to the single ‘I Don’t Love You’ by My Chemical Romance, then which single are they releasing to the rest of the world?
Is it fair to release certain tracks to certain countries only?
Can the record company then be upset for the copious video sharing that goes on?
Hmmm…

Plug It In

In a shameless appeal and plug for good SA music, I am asking you, my readers, to help out a great SA band - Movie55.

Download thier 3rd single here

Singer, Garret Boone, and drummer, Roger Erian, formed the band in 2001. They were originally a cover band, entertaining audience’s country wide, but soon found their thirst for their own original music became overwhelming. They started to concentrate on their originals, with the cover band becoming a sideline project.

Movie55 released “Anyone in There” shortly thereafter and the song quickly climbed to no. 3 on the High5@5 music chart on 5fm as well as getting many hours on TUKSfm. The single created a massive stir among their fans and the release of their album, Anyone in There, was hugely anticipated. Since then, two new members have joined the band, and they are here to stay.

Movie55’s guitarist, Raoul Roux teamed up with Roger and Garret in 2004 and has never looked back since. Anton Beukes arrived on the scene three months later. Movie55 have since been in studio recording their latest album, Save Myself, which they completed in December 2005. All four members contribute to their highly original sound due to their extreme talent and diverse personalities.

Their hit single ‘Save Myself’ is, or has been, played on KofsiesFM, PukFM, RMR Radio, East Coast Radio, UCT Radio, and RSG. Movie55’s first music video is screened on MK89. Save Myself was also a featured cd on Barney Simon’s SA Show on Radio 2000 and on UCT (4 tracks played on each).

This is a very exciting time for this extremely talented band, Movie55 are ready to take the world by storm, Watch out for this band, they truly will blow you away with their stage presence, their musical genius, their moving lyrics and melodies, and with their dedication and talent.

Movie55 was rated one of the highlights of the White Mountain Music Festival line-up and will perform at Splashy Fen Music Festival in April 2007. 1100 cds have been sold at their gigs.

For more information on each individual member plus free mp3 and video downloads, please visit www.myspace.com/movie55.

Alarming Stuff!!!!

Over the past few days a shiteload of things have been going on all at once.

Firstly, the Durban coastline is being washed away at a rapid rate due to tropical cyclones off the coast and (as many suspect) the alignment of the planets. Personally, I think it’s the prologue to The Day After Tomorrow.
On this side of the world, spring teased us for a week before unleashing arctic winds filled with sleet icy rain.

Which, actually, is the same thing.

Zimbabwe is finally in the international public eye. Kudos to everyone sending pictures to the international press – they’re causing quite a stir. Although, sadly for me, now everyone I meet thinks its my fault Mbeki isn’t doing anything.

Thanks guys.

In the entertainment world, Viacom is still trying to sue YouTube for breach of copyright, or something like that.
Viacom owns MTV and other channels that feed the teeny boppers whatever they deem is cool enough for the week.
Anyway, the problem with their lawsuit is twofold.
Firstly, YouTube does not control what gets loaded up onto their site as it is a user based site. In order to check that every video that is uploaded is not infringing copyright laws, would take an army as there are about 20 000 videos uploaded DAILY!
YouTube relies on the integrity of the posters…hmmm.

Secondly, why not, like Universal Music Group, open your own channel on the site and post the music videos yourself? Thereby beating the public to the punch! Ok, this could be a little sticky due to copyright laws differing in the UK and US. I can’t watch any US videos on MTV’s site. Why not get it fixed. Or get left behind. Didn’t I hear a rumour that MTV was already losing money????

If you can’t beat them, join them.

What I mind most interesting when coming from a country where the headlines usually read “AIDS kills 50 a day!” and “New Corruption Case Opened” etc, is coming to a country where the headlines read “Hottest Year on Record” and “Short Haul Flights to be Taxed”
Each country has different priorities. In the UK, they’re juggling trying to save the world, save the environment and save themselves. Carbon emissions are monitored, dead soldiers are listed, gang violence is deemed horrific (have they ever heard of the Cape Flats?) and everyone discusses Posh’s latest blonde look.

As I write this, I am sitting at the Chelsea Football Club, awaiting the last few delegates to arrive for our seminar. On the screen in front of me, my boss has Google earth playing…check it out Lost Places on Google Earth…behind us, the paraplegic toilet has burst a water pipe and we have maintenance people scurrying around trying to cork the leak before our presentation begins.

Later…

So our seminar was not the most successful, but we did get some business out of it.

I set the fire alarm off.

I stepped through the rotating doors of the Chelsea Football club and suddenly this alarm goes off. So I hightail it out to the car. Only the car wasn’t there.
So I set off around the club, looking for the car.
As I got to the other entrance, our company car drove past me. So I followed it all around the freaking club, and it is NOT a small club.
As I round the corner back to the entrance where I originally started, a large crowd had formed outside.
I promptly found the company car, hopped in and made a swift exit.

And in the secret news...

My Chemical Romance has filmed thier new video, literally a month after filming thier previous video.
On MySpace, they called for fans to meet them in the New York area. See me green with envy. Turns out, they shot the video for thier next single - Teenagers.

Now for those out there that aren't familiar with the Black Parade album, Teenagers is one of the songs that stands out (for me at least). It is unashamedly tongue in cheek with a good steady rock 'n roll beat and a chorus that will take over karaoke bars in the future.

Teenagers scare the living shit out of me.
They can't care less as long as somebody bleeds.
So darken your clothes and strike a violent pose.
Maybe they'll leave you alone but not me.

I really hope this video takes a grittier look than their previous ones. And that it shows that the band doesn't take themselves as seriously as everyone thinks they do.

Ok, off the music trail in onto my personal life...if you're not interested, stop reading and go check out FOBs video for Carpal Tunnel of Love on YouTube.

So i've got 16 days left until i go home.
Excited? Yes!
Terrified? Somewhat...

I've put off the flat hunting until i get back in May, seeing as how Joyce insisted that I stay. I'll just pack up all my stuff anyway. The job hunt is rather depressing. I keep applying, but no one is replying. but I will carry on...don't have a choice really.

Spent the weekend wired on Red Bull. Had about 4 hours sleep from Thursday to Saturday. By the end of my shift on Saturday afternoon, I was having tunnel vision!
But did I go immediately to bed?

No.

Ended up at Nats until 2am, then trudged home only to crash until 4pm Sunday afternoon. Got up, had something to eat, a bottle of red wine then back to bed. Woke up this morning feeling like I had been run over by a bulldozer. Every sinew hurt.

Now am sitting at work trying really hard to concentrate on working, but YouTube is far too luring...dammit!

I Demand The Job...Now!

I have had it! Absolutely freaking had it!

I have been perusing the festival sites, keeping an eye on who is playing where, when etc. See, UK and Europe are inundated with music festivals every summer (June/July/August).

We have (in date order)
Rock am Rock (1st-2nd June)- Germany
Download Festival (8-10 June) UK
Glastonbury Festival (22-24 June) UK
Roskilde Festival (5-8 July) Denmark
Oxeygen Festival (6-8 July) UK - YES! SAME FREAKING WEEKEND!!!
Rock the Rock Fest (27-29 July) Isle of Wight
V Festival (18-19 August) UK ALREADY SOLD OUT
Carling Reading/Leeds Festival (24-26 August)
Bestival (7-9 September)

Ok, so those are the fests I'm interested in attending, but I have a bone to pick with the organisers. In fact, I have a bone to pick with organisers in general.
They are obviously not doing thier jobs.
What is thier job?
To create a festival for a certain market and cater to it.
A good example is Download Fest.

Since its inception, it has been a metal festival. Simple. Headbanging, long haired, screaming, thrashing guitars, stainless steel metal.
However, the grumblings in the underground is that Download has gone copper in its old age and has sold out. I investigated this claim and I have to agree.
Sure, My Chemical Romance is headlining the first day, but the only link they have to metal is in thier musical influlences. MCR is a punk rock band. And as much as I love and respect that band, they should not be playing Download. There is bound to be a repeat performance of last year's Reading/Leeds bottling incident. Only this time, they're setting themselves up for it.
The wild card is Linkin Park. They're headlining the second day. having blasted onto the scene a few years ago riding the wave of nu metal acts, they have disappeared from the public concious until now. i suspect they are going to try thier new material at the fest, but this hardly warrants them a headlining slot.
The only fixture I see as being correct and in line with the tradition of Download, is third day headliners - Iron Maiden.

The rest of the line up is dodgy at best. Post Hardcore bands abound. Have the metalheads gone underground? Or is this selling out at its crudest?

Another little event I would liek to rant about is Colab, or affectionately known as My Coke Fest. Someone obviously didn't think that concept through.
Kudos to Big Concerts putting this together, but, really. Hoobstank? Maybe two years ago. And even then - maybe!
They are obviously cashing in on the South African publics starvation of international acts, so we will gladly shell out over R500 for second rate has-been international acts.

Let's examine our line up, shall we?
International Acts:

Guns 'n Roses - Aging rockers trying to cash in on past fame. not the show your parents remember from the 80s. Cringe-worthy is the term.

Evanescence - Ok, I'll grant Big Concerts a brownie point for them. After all, if we ignore the new Open Door album, this is a solid, CURRENT band that actually has a following.

Hoobastank - They have one single. The Reason. That is not a reason to spend money getting them out to SA. Pointless, really.

3 Doors Down - I like this band. I really do. But why bring them out now? They last released an album in 2003. That's 4 years ago. If people can remember that far back, then good for the band, but I foresee an apathetic audience.

Staind - They have one song. ONE!!!! And the nu metal wave crashed three years ago. Bad choice. Very bad choice.

So who would I replace four of the five acts with?

MCR - Obviously! they're touring the world, so why not stop by?
The Fratellis - Maybe they haven't quite hit the radio waves in SA, but when they do, trust me, you'd love thier stuff. Swagger forth!
Arctic Monkeys - Two brilliant albums. I bet that you look good on the race course. Reason enough.
Kaiser Chiefs - Firstly, they're named after one of our soccer teams. Secondly, they have just released thier second album and have a huge following.
Fall Out Boy - which 16 year old girl would not give up her um..eye teeth for tickets to see this band? Three hit albums later! The latest released just recently. Again, CURRENT is the key word.

Too indie?

How about...
Marilyn Manson - Releasing new album this year. Playing Download Fest. My COKE Fest, anyone??? nuff said.
Rage Against the Machine - New album. Old fans. Come on!!!
30 Seconds to Mars - Cos they've played everywhere else and maybe Jared Leto needs an audience that forgot he's an actor.
The White Stripes - Icky Thump. nuff said.
Kasabian - Rocked the summer with Empire. Again, CURRENT springs to mind.

but that's just my thoughts.

As for the local line up:
Taxi Violence
Love Jones
the Dirty Skirts
J - who???
Cassette
Evolver
Nudies
Parlotones

I can't really fault it. Except maybe for J. Who the fuck is J?? Kick him off the line up and slot in The Hellphones instead.

See? I would make the perfect organiser for these things.

The versus of the universe

So in Austin Texas, much to my absolute jealousy, is the SXSW festival. Originally planned to showcase independent (read UNSIGNED) bands in the area, it exploded and this year features 1,400 bands. Rolling Stone Mag in thier *ahem* view say that SXSW is going back to its roots, only its roots - namely indie bands - have been whisked away by major labels. So who do they get to play at thier fest this year? Well, The Chiz has informed us that three of SA's finest will be playing. Good luck kids! he also highlighted the visa issue. But that's not what my rant is about today.

Its about being an Indie artist.
Firstly, you need to distinguish between being Indie in sound or Indie in finances.
If you choose to go Indie in sound, please sign to a whoever signed Coldplay/Travis/The View etc etc as soon as possible.
If, however, you choose to go Indie in terms of finance, well, then, SXSW is the fest for you.
Being an independent artist means being in it for the music. To have the independence to take your music in whichever direction you want it. Granted, your audience may be small, but with the internet, it can be global and earn you a cult following (if you're good enough). Besides, being an underground, independent artist is what its all about!

As a fan, how can you tell the difference between and Indie and indie band?
Lets see:

Indie - clothes look as though they were bought from Oxfam/Cancer Research/Camden vintage market, when in fact, Stella McCartney designed and hand delivered the rags.

indie - clothes actually belonged to grandfather/great uncle/ were bought from charity shops. or more than likely stolen.

Indie - Sound like stoned emo kids. Lyrics try for something deep and meaningful, but end up being soliloques along the lines of - Edgars ran out of the Levis i liked, so I had to go to Foshini instead.

indie - Sound like whoever they want to. From Black Sabbath to Bob Dylan influences. After all, you're not trying to capture a niche market, you just want to jam. Also, most lyrics do have a few references to fighting the man, boycotting starbucks cos they don't offer a student discount, and wearing the same jeans for four days cos you sold the washign machine to buy new guitar strings.

Indie - public image of being the psuedo intellectual philosophers who question the universe and everything in it while being one of the lads swigging guinness at the local pub.

indie - working as a barman at said pub while trying to secure a gig slot next to the jukebox next Tuesday so you don't scare away the regulars.

I'm all for both the Indie and indie musicians. in fact, I'm for anyone who can deliver a solid tune and make me either want to walk with a swagger down the street with a smile on my face or get drunk and think deep dangerous thoughts.

So my point of this post?

If you're going to say you love indie bands, make sure you know who you're talking about and if the next guy you meets tells you he is in an indie band, just be sure which indie he means.

Next up: Download Fest. has metal as a genre gone soft? or should we have a word with the organisers behind The Fly with a lead pipe?

Fact vs Not so much a fact as my imagination...

My boss comes back from his quick jaunt around the world on Thursday. I have had to email him everyday a list of things I did that day. Needless to say, the list did not reflect fact.
For example:

Email my boss gets:
Worked on Direct Marketing mails
Did layout for shooting schedule
Worked on Ad campaigne design
Worked on new company logo design
Arranged seminar for next week
Updated Youtube account with podcasts
Did Google SEO Audit
Updated Website

Fact:
9:00am - rolled into office, still mostly asleep.
9:05am - turned on computer and made some breakfast (museli and soya milk)
10:30am - finished reading blogsites and updated own blog.
11:30am - trawled YouTube and Google Video looking for music videos of favourite bands
1:00pm - Lunchtime
2:00pm - look for new flat.
3:00pm - flat hunting depressing - search for new job.
4:30pm - job hunt even more depressing. Shuffle paper around.
4:35pm - revisit blogs to view comments.
5:00pm - MySpace
6:00pm - Leave to go work at pub/stay and download TV shows.

So I have a fuckload of work to do before Thursday. If anyone needs me, I'll be buried under the mountain of paperwork.

Time's a telling

I have two weeks to find a flat. Two fucking weeks!!! HELP!!
Have been going aroudn looking at potential holes, I mean, flats and rooms etc and let's just say...no way!
So I chatted to P last night before dashingout to meet Dan for a drink/dinner. He said he really wants to move out too and would rather share a flat with me.
So, yeah, he drives me to drink most times, but we hardly see eachother with the insane hours I keep, so we're getting along way better.
So now the search is on. Two bedroom flat in Greater London for about £200 pw. And those from SA reading this, don't convert. DON'T CONVERT!!! The average price for a flat in the nice parts of London go for about £500 pw. i kid thee not. There was a flat that went for £15 000 per week! Well, it was in Cavendish Square.
I'm not asking for a lot. Close-ish to tube, gang related killings to a minimum. Come on! I'm from the East Rand! I can handle anything.

Moving on...
Sick Puppies.
No, not my nickname, but the name of a new amazing Australian band.And how can you argue with a name like that!!! They also feature a female bassist...not completely original in terms of line up, but glad to see more girls in the industry.
Thier first album 'Headphone Injuries' (2006) while only having 5 songs on it, gives you a taste of a band with huge potential. Falling into the post hardcore without the screamo scene, they deliver strong songs, steady riffs and all round great tunes. Check them out!!!
Thier second album 'Dressed up as Life' is releasing 3rd April.
Download thier singles here

Speaking of more women in the scene...why are there not more women fronted rock bands?? Gwen Stefani was the perfect example of a fantastic frontwoman for a punk band. She totally sold out by heading into the bling/hip hop world!! And let's not forget the awesome Shirley Manson from Garbage. What a role model! And Amy Lee from Evanescence? Let's forget about the dismal 'Open Door' album and take note of the strong character it takes to front a "metal" band.
We have a few newbies these days - American youngsters Paramore with 17 year old Hayley Williams, Lacuna Coil fronted by Cristina Scabbia, and erm...that's about it for now.
Honestly girls! We need more chick rockers a la The Veronicas, Hole, Sioxsie and the Bandshees. What's going on out there??
Far too many potential stars are falling into the grimy pop world instead of shaking things up in rock.
And when we do get bands like that, why aren't labels signing them? Remember tha last wave of girl power? I think we're due for another one.
And no, I won't start my own band, but I'll sure as hell make one famous!!

So I've been thinking..

Nah, forget it..just scroll down and re-watch the MCR video.

My Chemical Romance - I Don't Love You

It's here!!! It's finally fucking here!!! WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!
And it just started playing on the radio too..I can die now happy now..thanks.

Listing the Night Away

So during this morning's internet perusal of the intellectual kind, I mosied on through to the Rolling Stones Magazine site. I have always heard of how it has been a cornerstone in the music and printed news industry. I put it to the test. And yes, they do stand up as an informative, slightly subjective magazine.
How can you argue against a magazine that has Fall Out Boy on thier cover one week and follows that up with a cover featuring South Park?

So I clicked onto the news and turns out they perused the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame's top 200 albums. They then compared it to thier own list.


I was curious to see what the comparisons were.

Let's just say that if I were a cat, I'd be dead...

At first glance, the two lists seem to agree on one thing - The Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club is the greatest album. Ever.
Ok, I haven't listened to it personally, but being a Beatles fan in general, I'll go with them on that one.
But on closer perusal, it becomes evidently clear that the "Rock n Roll" Hall of Fame list reads more like a Billboard magazine sales list. I think that if you're going to compile a list of albums, make sure they're albums and NOT soundtracks (case in point:The Grease soundtrack at number 37 above albums like Green Day's Dookie.)
Also, for a "Rock n Roll" Hall of Fame list, why do we find Shania Twain in the top 25?? I demand an explanation. If you felt that you needed women in the top 25, I can provide a list longer than my arm who deserve that slot.

I can keep griping on and on about the list, but you check it out yourself and make up your own mind. All I can say is that its obvious who calls the shots for the lists.



Onto other lists...Kerrang magazine has released thier list and special edition magazine of top 100 icons in rock. This is obviously opening up a can of worms especially when you have youngsters with no more than a debut to thier name listed above legends such as Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten, Jon Bon Jovi and Johnny Ramone.
But then again, you need to look at it from a young fan's point of view. Currently, the 'icons' of the past few years would be newbies eg: Pete Fall-Out-Boy Wentz, Gerard Way (I'm not complaining about his inclusion), Amy Lee and co. these are faces familiar to kids and by putting them alongside true icons such as Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Billy Joe Armstrong, and older rockers, a fan is not alienated, but instead educated about the bands who influenced thier current icons. Good Job Kerrang.
Just one little gripe - Did you really have to include Brandon Urie? Panic! At The Disco has one album and a few singles...hardly icon material. Icons in the making...maybe..not. We'll see.

I'll give a full listing later and you can tear it apart at leisure.

Oh, For Genre's Sake!

I've been collecting music at a rapid rate lately, if only to keep up with what the journos are prattling about in NME and Kerrang. The latter, btw being a far superior informative magazine. Moving on.
Out of the vast collection, I have decided to share the latest (meaning released this year) albums with you.
So I began to listen to teh albums, research the various bands and then began to write a review of each album. It was all going hunky dory until I had to classify the band.
Um, ok.
My media player lists 120 different genres (booty brass amongst them!?!?)

Some bands are easy to classify, especially if they initiated the sub genre. Let's take Arcade Fire. They invented the Arcade Fire sound. So bands that sound like them you class as Indie a la Arcade Fire.
But then you get bands that sound like Arcade Fire on acid. Where do you put them then? Ac-Indie?
The entire concept of what makes a sound Indie has been distorted to such a degree, that, like Emo, it no longer has any connotation to its originators.

Now I've always stated that the term Indie should be used solely when describing UNSIGNED bands. And I will stick to this. Like bubblegum to a cashmere coat.

So I have done a little investigation and waded into the history of music genres.

Boys and girls: Welcome to School of Rock - Insano Style.
See tomorrows post for lesson 1.

As Promised...

I have twice raved about the Jozi indie rockers - The Bang. I can't begin to tell you how talented and innovative and completely awesome this band is, whether its live at the local or by listening to thier cd.
But if I can't convince you, read this, and this and this.
I even interviewed them for WickedRock.co.za. Here is the salvaged cd review from the crash of '05.

Yes, I realise most of the links are for myspace...sorry.

And the nominees are:

I've been nominated! Thank you!
Now, you just need to vote.

[UPDATE: Due to a technical problem on the SA blog Awards site, it turns out I am only a finalist in the Best SA Music blog. - Go figure!]

Do you think I'm the:
Best SA Music Blog
or
Best New Blog

This is soooooo exciting!!!!

Tough competition this year. Granny Wrangler and Peas are definitely going to give me a run for my money and The Chiz is also a strong contender...hmmm.

Good luck to everyone who has been nominated. May the best connected, I mean candidate win.

Note to self: More shameless plugging of local music...

And then the wheels fell off...

i'm not one to deny the fact that yes, I enjoy the good night out. However, London is not one of those places.
Saturday night started off all innocent...I shaved my legs, got all dressed up and made my way down to Carnaby Street to a club called Zebranos. Had every intention of leaving after one drink to go home and sleep. Yes, despite the getting dressed up!
Was a colleagues birthday party and well, one beer turned into two and I ended up having a pretty good time and was relatively sober when I left to catch the bus home.

However,

As I was standing waiting for the bus, wrangling with my mp3 player which has decided to die on me, I had the sudden and urgent need to pee. So I headed down teh street to my pub to use the facilities. As I was abotu to leave, the bouncers said I shoudl go downstairs and join the Rebel Rebel party night. Which I did.
I also met John Fratelli. Yep. Shook his hand, told him I had a great time at teh Apple Store gig and then went to get a beer.

After that, the night turns sketchy and all I really recall is some dancing, me throwing up, discreetly, then being bundled into a cab, arguing with teh cabbie for a reciept and waking up the next afternoon to discover a business card in my bra.

hmmmm...

And today the hangover hits me. Today. So am nursing it with coffee and doughnuts. Also woke up to a cold sore on my top lip.

So on the painful commute, I sat wondering...

Should I give up drinking all together?
It has led to most of my cringeworthy moments in life so far. But at the same time, i thoroughly enjoy that hazy feeling that a good glass of wine gives me. And I love tequila shots.
So no, I'm not going to give up drinking.
Well, only in public.
From now on, I'd only drink at home, where I know where my bed is, i don't need to wear high heels or deal with catching a cab.

Moving on...

Still flat hunting. Still job hunting.

Joyce is still crazy and P is still annoying.

will be funny and witty another time.

[UPDATE: Turns out, I gatecrashed John Fratellis Birthday Party. And the business card belonged to one of his mates.]

Fanning About

It's official.
Joyce has just crossed the line.
I am going to kill her!! Figuratively, of course.

I have one of the busiest days today (and yes, job/flat hunting is very important and can come before work) and she woke me up three times last night!! THREE!! WTF??

It all started off alright. Got home at a reasonable hour, armed with a box of Surf and Comfort fabric softner. It was laundry night. Well, purely because I had run out of jeans to wear and have to work tonight and tomorrow morning.

So I throw my jeans in the wash, open a bottle of vino and touch up my roots. All this very quietly in my room.
I then hang my wet jeans up on my drying rack and put the fan on them. Because in this weather, i'd be lucky if they're dry by Sunday! It had a quiet hum going that was drowned out by BBC news that Joyce insists on watching on the loudest setting.

I then do the rest of my laundry and hang them up. I nipped to P's room to watch Supernatural with him and find out abotu his new job whiel raiding his sweets collection (he gets it free form his new job). Halfway through Supernatural, Joyce sticks her head in P's door and tells us to stop fighting.
We weren't even talking.
Joyce: You mustn't fight.
Insano and P exchange surprised looks.
Joyce: Waht you watching?
Insano: Supernatural
Joyce: What's it about?
P: Two brothers who kill ghosts.
Joyce: But you can't kill ghosts.
Insano and P trying really hard to follow the adventure unfolding on the screen.
Insano: (words dripping cyanide) They can, Joyce. See? (points to screen where hottie pumps rock salt into spectre)
Joyce: (Blows a raspberry!!) Nonsense. (Waves arm and leaves room making R2D2 clicking sounds)
Insano and P look at eachother in confusion.
Insano: What's happening? I lost the plot somewhere!
P: Fuck it. (turns off TV)

I drifted back to my room only to find Joyce had turned the fan off. I turned to her.
Insano: Joyce, why did you turn off the fan?
Joyce: It was cold.
Insano: Joyce, it was in my room with the doors closed...
Joyce: It was using electricity.
Insano: Joyce, I really need to dry my jeans so that I can wear them tomorrow. I will turn it off as soon as its dry. Besides, I pay for electricity too.
Joyce: Why didn't you tell me? I could have washed them this afternoon!
Insano: No. It's not your responsibility..It's mine. I prefer to do my own laundry. (And she tends to overwash items out of pure forgetfulness and I don't like people looking through my dirty laundry anyway.)

I retreated to my room, closing the doors behind me and turning the fan on a low setting. by now it's after 12 and I am buggered!! Crawled into bed.
not 10 minutes later, I hear my bedroom doors slide open. I jolt up in bed and there stands the old crazy trying to reach over my laundry rack to turn the fan off.

Repeat above conversation.

she leaves and I turn the fan back on.

Rinse and repeat twice more!

And people wonder why my mirror nearly cracked when I looked into it this morning. Or that I nearly reduced a train conductor to tears with one look.

Now to get to work...

I give you Emo!

Blurry Good

I, Insane Insomniac, hereby sincerely apologise for every bad thing I have ever utter or thought about Blur.

I finally GET IT! They are awesome!

Thanks for reading,

Insano.