Hammer To Fall

A strange occurrence happened today, a godsend if you will. I was kicked out of a seminar. To be fair to the teacher i had not done the reading, but with three essays biting at my ankles i really couldn't be arsed to read a depressing novel about prostitution and sordid affairs.

Our seminar class consists of, usually, five or six people at best and today was no exception. The mysterious boy named Alex, confound that swine, did not show up and he was scheduled to give a presentation on Stephen Crane's 'Maggie: A Girl of the Street'. Only two people had actually read it (or at least parts) and one person had bought and brought a copy. A shambles to begin with, it quickly descended into chaos. Hyperbole aside, me and three other people were booted out of the seminar like shit off a shoe. Bitch probably hates me now, yet i attend all the seminars (at 9am i might add) and get most of the work done. As a teacher of teachings she should be teaching us rather than sending us out into the cold and damp Nottingham morn.

Still, the more i bitch about it, the more i see it as a godsend. I actually got some work done instead of mindlessly sitting there doodling and whatnot - if my limited readership knows anything on Mark Twain, Andrew Johnson, Impeachment of Presidents, Radical Republicanism, Thaedeas Stevens or Huck Finn by all means contact me.

But i doubt this, and i am doomed like Hiroshima.

In summary - GTFO of my seminar.

It's Been A Long Time

And not a lot has really happened

If it has, it either involved -

1. Alcohol

2. Marijuana

3. Sleepless Nights

4. Picturesque Landscapes

5. Unwritten Essay's

That is about the extent of my life so far - FTW, naturally

Going home soon has not quite slapped me in the face yet, but with an old school jungle night coming up, i'm sure someone will

RE: I'm Ashamed Of The Person I Am

'Look at yourself, if you had a sense of humour, you would laugh to beat the band'

I have been humbled.

I'm Ashamed Of The Person I Am

To paraphrase Ian Curtis in Isolation.

Ample it is in its description of me and especially my evening. Sitting in a dark doorway, cigarette in one hand, tissue in other, i sat crying (weeping if you will) over just who i am and what i am 'supposed' to be.

Fitting in here at University is not as easy as people and things make it out to be. Naturally a lonesome guy, i never thought it would get me this far. Crying in the street is bad enough, but openly crying in the street in front of several passers by is perhaps a low point of my life. To timeline this evening is to look at the night sky - many different things happening at many different times, be they past, present or future. Just coming out of the screening of, what is in my opinion the greatest biopic of a man and a band, 'Control', i suddenly had a rush of emotions. The emotional last scene of the film (and of Ian's life), played over with the greatest of Joy Divisions songs 'Atmosphere', left me thinking. Thinking of life, living and the people surrounding me.

Walking back it hit me like a ton of bricks. The line in 'Atmosphere' that stuck with me and rings throughout my head as i write this is as follows -

"People like you find it easy. Naked to see, walking on air"

Its not much so the words that hit me, but the sense of feeling in which Ian delivers it. The raw deliverance and passion in his voice conveyed so much to me. Feeling weak, i effectively collapsed in the doorway and let loose my emotion. It says so much to me, that line, that it literally knocked me down. Sitting there, i contemplated just how much i miss home. How much i don't 'fit in' here and how desperate i want to be 'free'. Now this all sounds like melodramatic bullshit, and i know it reads like such, but to me, at that very point, it all came together. Its sad that i have to use a complete strangers words to convey my own feelings, and its altogether sad that i am writing this here and now.

Earlier that evening i saw a homeless man begging for change. I thought to myself 'what if that were me?'. I took pity and gave the poor man a pound. Seeing life reduced to begging began me on my self realization that nothing we do on this Earth matters squat. There are those that have it, and those that don't. Whatever your situation, life still ends with death. Once more to paraphrase Ian -

"Existence well what does it matter? I exist on the best terms i can. The past is now part of
my future, the present is well out of hand"

In summary this evening was pretty shit for me, emotionally especially, and i feel that i have really 'betrayed' who and what i am supposed to be.

Time

I have way too fucking much of it.

Lectures don't start proper till next week.

Yay.

Dropkick Murphys - The Meanest of Times

Let me tell you about this album. It's pure energy in a CD. Just like any other Murphy's CD it contains rip roaring oi! songs and the beautifully crafted (and expanded Pogues sound) of Celtic instruments (tin whistles, bagpipes, accordion, fiddle etc.). Seeing them live in Belgium was the pinnacle of my summer (how sad i know) and made me realise just how much better bands are live. Raw energy and pogoing was everything i expected, but the sound and the feeling that they gave off while on stage gave me the impression of a band worthy of all the praise and kudos one could shower on a band.

Song by song, here is my take and such on the songs from the album.

1. Famous for Nothing - Starting with a school bell and the sound of children yelling with excitement, the album busts opens with a classic Murphy's matching drum roll. The song is really a song about youth and what happened to it, basically how fast it was and how much was missed, but also how much fun was had. 'These lies won't save me from the times that made me' and 'their gang went my way for basketball, my gang went their way for alcohol, when we met it wasn't pretty at all, still the bells of St. Marys were ringing' are two lines that say everything the song is about. Top quality opener, much love here.

2. God Willing - The very beginning reminds me of a Tragically Hip song, with a slow and punctuated guitar line, then Ken Casey rolls in with a powerful bass line. Pipes and guitars roar through this one, mostly a song about leaving someone and never seeing them again. At about 2 mins. in a bitchin' solo is heard, then breaks down for shouted, passionate vocals, marching drums and lone bagpipe. Like track 1, its definitely a great song - more love here.

3. The State of Massachusetts - The first single from the album, a definite Irish theme here with banjo and fiddle, is perhaps my favorite song and soon to be favorite of all Boston skins and punks (a rowdy bunch indeed). A song about the DSS and social care in Massachusetts, it tells off Tony and Billy being put up for adoption and sent away by their Mother who can't look after them. Its rather hard to convey emotion in the Murphy's songs, but this does a great fucking job. Something about Al Barr's voice and Ken Casey yelling shit that makes my spine tingle with glee.

4. Tomorrow's Industry - 'Yesterday's values living in tomorrow's industries' A very clear song about conditions of the working man, the Murphy's most favorite of characters outside of drunken Irishmen. A unflinchingly fast and rowdy song that only they could cook up. Good guitar work and vocals make up for lack of Irish instrumentation.

5. Echoes on "A" Street - Perhaps the closest thing to a love song that the Murphy's could write. About the perfect woman who will wait for you 'in the wind in the rain...shield you from the venom of this town...she'll wait by your side...your the one thing that matters in her life'. For what it is (an oi! punk love song with an Celtic twinge) it is rather good and one that will be forever shouted, inebriated at many a concert.

6. Vices and Vurtures - Classic drum roll starts us on a short but sweet 'story of 4 brothers and the crown'. Four brothers, four deaths. 'Whiskey, War, Suicide and Guns' would have been a great title for the song, a refrain used in the chorus and one that clearly states the meaning of the song. Another all round stonking effort, rather much like Tomorrow's Industry, although could be seen as filler.

7. Surrender - I'm not sure what to say about this song. Its very 'punky' with the stabbing guitars and rolling, smooth lyrics with battered vocals. About having someone to keep you going and not giving in. 'I had all but lost my faith...these things all carry on' is a line that really cements the song. A embattled cry for help with a badass sound.

8. (F)lannigan's Ball - Perhaps the greatest song ever recorded by any artists on the history of the earth. With both Ronnie Drew (of Dubliners fame) and Spider Stacy (of Pogues fame) its like a timeline of Celtic rebel music. Drew's voice, one that is folky, raw and unique,sounds drunk the whole time. Spider Stacy gives a bloody good stab at vocals here and mixed in with Barr and Casey, you are forgiven if you forget he is not a regular member of the band. Great Celtic music here, pipes, flutes and whistles abound, setting the story of a raucous Irish party that turns violent. The song has the makings of a classic to rank alongside their other Celtic songs like Fields of Athenry, Shipping Up To Boston, Auld Triangle, The Wild Rover, The Rocky Road to Dublin and Worker's Song. All round classic mix of great past and present Irish musicians on a wild fling. One to jig with Whisky too.

9. I'll Begin Again - Starting with a expressive solo and some beaten down vocals and lyrics, it sets the scene of a man released from prison - broke and lonely - trying to get his shit back together. Like Tommorow's Industry and Vices and Vurtures its a straight forward, no-nonsense, nuts-on-the-road oi! song. One for all you pogoers and raucous bastards out there.

10. Fairmount Hill - The Murphy's version of the Irish ballad 'Spancill Hill', changing the scene of Ireland to Boston. like (F)lannigans Ball its got a great Irish feel to it with all the soft banjo and Irish heart in it, ranks up with Auld Triangle as one of my favorite Murphy's song. Slow when it needs to be, but passionate at the same time. A song that only an Irishman can write, beautiful and mournful, uplifting yet downhearted. Classic.

11. Loyal To No One - Not really a fave but stilll a good song. About a big headed man with nothing in his life. 'You say we die alone, in this case you were right, no friends by his side no family in sight' sums it up perfectly. Shame it seems like filler to me.

12. Shattered - A moody and rolling bassline kicks off a classic oi! song about the state of world today and the people in it. 'The ball players you loved as kids are gone, replaced by steroids and neanderthals...the local cop stalking girls at the mall, or the world's greatest crooks from the FBI' are classic, angsty and powerful lines in song that looks to get some shit of its chest. Definite one for moshers and pogoers. A song to get the shit kicked out off with.

13. Rude Awakenings - Delicate mandolin beginning is shattered by punctuated guitar chords and begins a song about waking up drunk in someone else's house and having to face to consequences. Chest beating and foot stomping 'HEY!'s are heard in a song that is yelled (like most Murphy's songs) with a passionate anger. A great addition to any oi! compilation but one for the Irish out there and to people who this has happened to (blush)

14. Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye - Another cover of traditional folk, this time an Irish anti-war song that has the same melody as 'The Ants Go Marching'. Again, starts very delicate with plucked mandolin caressing the ear when all of a sudden the Murphy's come storming in to make one hell of a song even better. The catchy and famous chorus line of 'guns and drums and drums and guns, hurroo, hurroo' will be stuck in my head all week until i gets knocked out by some other (no doubt one of these) song. One to, again, get ridiculously drunk too and stand on tables to sing.

15. Never Forget - Lone bagpipes begin this one before being joined by hearty and meaty guitars. 'When you got love and family' a line repeated throughout - very obvious that this song is about values, love, respect and admiration for friends and fans. A fitting end to a great album, and, on a sort of circle of life kind of note, the bells heard at the beginning are repeated here at the end albeit with the sounds of church bells and birdsong. Perhaps the album is one long journey through life with all the shit that goes down inbetween. Either that or its just straightforward oi! Celtic punk,

16. Jailbreak - Cover of Thin Lizzy. Fucking classic - rates up there with Fortunate Son, Dirty Water (Boston Your My Home) and It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Want To Rock and Roll). Because they love us Europeans they gave it too us and not to those ungrateful American bastards. Still, they never tour over here : (

So in closing buy the album and be amazing, then go forth and spread the word and buy everything Murphy's related.

Woody Guthrie, Blues, Jazz, Americana And The IWW

Well that was a mouthful (feel free to say it Robin).

These are the things that in the last few days and hours have been riding my mind. Firstly Jazz and Americana hit me like a slice of apple pie in the crotch yesterday when signing up for the various societies (such as the cheese appreciation and pirate society which filled up quicker than Paris Hilton). It was all a bit woah and hey and ooh and ahh but in the end i signed up for the most Jack Barrie things i could find - Jazz, AmeriCan (American and Canadian society) and Baseball team. Needless to say they all consist of things i love and the prospect of playing Baseball is terribly exciting to little old me, so i can't wait to grab me a uni and hustle something wicked. See me on WikiPedia soon under Nottingham Theives : )

Besides all that guff an hoohaw, there is some serious business to attend to. Firstly i have just got back from a rip roaring and depressingly good performance of Woody Guthrie by a certain Will Kaufman (whom i met and nicked a CD off). It was by far the best thing so far (for me) of this freshers week. All the partying and whatnot is fun don't get me wrong, but it's also nice to attend something musical that does not have a four to the floor beat or repetitive female vocals and fresher twats spilling my beer and putting paint on my dressing gown. Now this Mr. Kaufman is one hell of a storyteller and educator. And he's not a bad singer too. He went through a history of Woody and his songs, as well as a history of the times. He also introduced me to the IWW (International Workers of the World), an on the cusp Communist style party that looks for all those unemployed to get a job. In a sad but true moment, it seems that i only did it to get a free badge, and that chicks dig Commies. Now you might remember, most of you won't even know, that i wrote a few stories under the name 'Tales From The Dustbowl' and am now going to be re-writing some and creating some more spurned on by this evening with Mr. Kaufman.

Oh yes, please buy these two items that are essential to your musical experience:

• The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
• Robert Crumb's Heroes Blues, Jazz & Country