The above quote is by none other than Martin Luther. Must've been before he went and got all Lutheran...or maybe there's a seriously fun side to that denomination that I've missed- because if that were the official motto, I'd have signed up long ago, believe you me!

Anyway, that's what this post is all about- songs about drinking, many of which are, by default, also songs about women. Maybe, in the interests of equality, I'll later go into some drinking songs by women about men.

So, for the moment here's just a few of my personal favourites:

Thirsty Dog by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.

This is maybe my favourite, not the most famous, but anyone who's ever had an argument with their better half and then gone on the piss on the strength of it can surely relate. As the temper dies down, we start to reflect on what part we may have played in the whole thing. The lyrics are fantastic, and the raucous feel to the music is just what a drinking song should have- in equal measures apologetic and pissed off.

 Check out the last chorus where they change the line to 'feeling very thirsty in the sorry dog'. This is a live version, missing a verse or two, I think, but it still kicks ass. Enjoy. The lyrics are below for those of you who may be in need of relationship advice...

I know you've heard it all before
But I'm sorry for this three year war
For the setting up of camps
and wire and trenches
I'm sorry for the other night
I know sorry it don't make it right
I'm sorry for things I can't even mention

I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm sitting feeling sorry in the Thirsty Dog
I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm feeling very sorry in the Thirsty Dog

You keep nailing me back into my box
I'm sorry I keep popping back up
With my crazy mouth
and jangling jester's cap
I'm sorry I ever wrote that book
I'm sorry for the way I look
But there ain't a lot that
I can do about that

I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm sitting feeling sorry in the Thirsty Dog
I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm feeling very sorry in the Thirsty Dog

I'm sorry about the hospital
Some things are unforgivable
That things simply cannot be forgiven
I was not equipped to know how to care
And on the occassions I came up for air
I saw my life and wondered
what the hell I had been living

I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm sitting feeling sorry in the Thirsty Dog
I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm feeling very very sorry in the Thirsty Dog

I'm sorry about all your friends
I hope they'll speak to me again
I said before I'd pay for all the damages
I'm sorry it's just rotten luck
I'm sorry I've forgotten how to fuck
It's just that I think my heart
and soul are kind of famished

I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm sitting feeling sorry in the Thirsty Dog
I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm feeling very sorry in the Thirsty Dog

Forgive me, baby but don't worry
Love is always having to
say you're sorry
And I am, from my head
down to my shoes
I'm sorry that I'm always pissed
I'm sorry that I exist
And when I look into your eyes
I can see you're sorry too

I'm sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm sitting feeling sorry in the Thirsty Dog
I'm sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm feeling very sorry in the Thirsty Dog

I'm sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm feeling very thirsty in the Sorry Dog
I'm sorry, sorry, sorry
I'm feeling very sorry in the Thirsty Dog

Right, that's the Seeds (more from 'em later)- now lets hit the king of drinkin' songs- Mr. Shane MacGowan...

I just love this number 'That woman's Got Me drinking'...I mean, as if he wouldn't be drinking anyway... but lets face it, a rocking punky tune, The Popes and a video starring and directed by Johnny Depp, also including Shane's girlfriend, and Shane Himself as the barman, oh and watch out for the switcharoo at the end of the vid- what could be better? Apart from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 bottles of gin....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofj9wwHIIiU

That Woman's Got me Drinking

By Shane MacGowan (1994)

For seven long years
She helped me spend my dough
Now I take her out
But she don't wanna know
That woman's got me drinking
Look at the state I'm in
Give me one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten bottles of gin

That woman's got me drinking
We used to have some fun
Now shrinks and astrologers
Have got me on the run
That woman's got me drinking
Look at the state I'm in
Give me one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten bottles of gin

She said she'd always love me
She said I'd be the one
Now look at the way she treats me
Just like a piece of scum
That woman's got me drinking
Look at the state I'm in
Give me one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten bottles of gin

If I had the guts to do it
I'd take a long goodbye
Instead I'll love her long and hard
And love her 'til I die
That woman's got me drinking
Look at the state I'm in
Give me one, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten bottles of gin

Bottles of gin, bottles of gin, bottles of gin,
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine, ten bottles of gin

Ok, we're nearly done with the drinkin' songs...next up, we return to the Seeds. A song called 'Brother My Cup Is Empty.'

Don't know about you, but I've been there. We've all either been the character in this number or had to put up with him at one time or another. for my part, I've been both. Again, the band kicks arse while Nick brings his own inimitable brand of literature laced with humour to rock n'roll.

 O brother, if you don't like this then you ain't got no soul...even Mittens woke up from his smack induced coma to give it a paws up... and check out the guitarist Blixa Bargeld doing his thing in that 'interesting' hat...oh, if you like Blixa, you'll love Einstuerzende Neubauten (his own band- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBP57yI-jmY), not for the faint hearted- thoroughly German experimental stuff and an acquired taste, weird but oddly compelling... anyway, check out the Seeds first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWJGzTUD1tA

Birth

1947. Pete Gage (Vinegar Joe) born.

On Tour

1991. Guns N' Roses and support band Skid Row play London's Wembley Stadium. Both bands were allowed to play after receiving written instructions banning them from swearing or leaving the stage at any time during their performances. At one point, Skid Row read out their letter from Brent Council instructing them not to perform the song, "Get The Fuck Out". This prompts the crowd to chant the title repeatedly before the band do play it. Not to be outdone, Axl Rose lambasts the media for their reaction to the band and their poster campaign - "Guns N' Fucking Roses, Wembley Fucking Stadium, Sold Fucking Out". Brent council later say the bands would never have been allowed to play had they not given written undertakings to abide by their instructions. While the council refuse to say if they will now ban both groups, they do admit it will have an effect on license applications.

In Court

1989. Shane McGowan appears at Marylebone Magistrates Court charged with possession of cannabis. He pleads guilty and is fined £ 150. The court is told that the offence came to light when he was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.

On The Radio

1990. The Cure try launching their own pirate radio station, Cure 94.8. Broadcasting to the London area. The station runs into a mass of technical problems, eventually starting more than three hours late with Robert Smith at the microphone. They soon give up after discovering that their signal is being swamped by BBC Radio 2 and shelve plans for any future broadcasts.

On Television

1990. The Word (Channel 4, U.K.) Guests include LL Cool J and Deee-lite. Musical guests: MC Tunes and 808 State; Movement 98 featuring Carol Thompson. Here's MC Tunes vs 808 State with "Tune Splits The Atom". 4m 50s.

Death

1947. Bluesman Son Bonds dies in Dyersburg, Tennessee from an accidental gunshot wound.

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The Pogues on the cover of NME, 1st July 1989. Photo by Chris Clunn.

This piece posted at 2.30pm - da dum! Seeing Shane on the Stiff documentary shocked me. How is this man still alive?

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I discovered that they are connected to so many other musicians. Elvis Costello produced their album; Rum, Sodomy and Lash. Steve Lillywhite (who also produced a lot of The Smiths albums) produced their album; If I Should Fall From Grace With God. Joe Strummer took over vocal duties after Shane McGowan left the band. Matt Dillon starred in the video for "Fairytale of New York". A lot of their songs have been covered by other bands.

When I moved to California, my good friend was a huge fan. He furthered my education and made my love for their music grow even more. Now, it's at a point where they are becoming one of my go-to bands. And I enjoy hearing them at all times. So, I figured I'd throw some songs of theirs your way. Kind of a best of, but the best of in my opinion over the years. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

The Pogues- Sunny Side Of The Street (This is off of the album, Hell's Ditch)
The Pogues- Fairytale of New York (This is off of the album, If I Should Fall From Grace With God) (It is also, in my opinion, the greatest X-Mas song ever)
The Pogues- Love You 'Till The End (This is off of the album, Pogue Mahone)
The Pogues- Body Of An American (This is off of the album, Poguetry In Motion)
The Pogues- If I Should Fall From Grace With God (This is off of the Straight to Hell: Original Soundtrack as well as an album of the same name)
The Pogues- Streams Of Whiskey (This is off of the album, Red Roses For Me)
The Pogues- Pair Of Brown Eyes (This is off of the album, Rum, Sodomy and Lash)

Here's another video for ya... It's for "Fiesta".

And a couple of live ones...

The Pogues (with Joe Strummer on vocals)- Straight To Hell (Live in Germany) (this is originally a Clash song, do I really have to tell you that? I guess. I guess I should tell you that it was most recently sampled by MIA for her song, Paper Planes... which seems to grow stronger by the day even though it's been out forever)
The Pogues- Dirty Old Town (Live in the Netherlands, 1986)

And just to be a prick... a scene from "The Wire" featuring the music of the Pogues...

With August Bank Holiday coming up I thought it'd be fun to post this ad for Reading Festival. When you look at all these bands, most of whom have broken up long ago, it rather puts into perspective how well 7th on the bill, My Bloody Valentine have done. New Model Army are still together though!

Just discovered that Spin magazine put their entire magazine online for free via Simon Reynolds recent piece on My Bloody Valentine. Amazing!

This is the funniest thing I saw all week. Watch to the end...it really kicks in around 1.10. Hold tight!

or fi celtic-punk, iar eu n-am nicio legatura cu treaba asta. si chiar asa, nu ma identific neaparat cu ei, dar va spun, simt fiori pe sira spinarii si asa, un tremur usor, cand ascult. or fi versurile, o fi muzica, nu stiu prea bine, dar impreuna ma agata si ma transporta acolo, aiurea, pe strazile alea friguroase din londra, la cursele de cai (doamne iarta-ma, ce caut eu acolo?), in US of A, chiar in momentul in care imigrantii coboara cu sutele de pe vapor, la new york, fix de craciun si mai stiu eu unde.

sinceritatea asta a betivului are ceva induiosator. e un pasaj intr-un documentar bbc in care shane, baut bine, canta usurel, ca intr-o transa, abia articuland cuvintele, intr-o carciuma prafuita.

The Broad Majestic Shannon

si ceva irish-turkish-macgownish-punk cu o introducere de la respectabilul joe strummer

The Loved Ones, they have almost as ironic a name as the Thrills as far as I'm concerned. In the same way that Ireland produces far too many gimp-wad-singer-songwriters, America produces far too many emo-punk* bands. How many variations on three chord, piano-means-we're-sensitive-too, punk can you manage? These guys really stretched it. Formulaic to the point it was almost subversive; drenched, as it was, in clichés and irony. "this is a song about addiction"-proclaimed the lead singer before he burst into another bout of snarless shouting, blunt-edge rock'n'roll, the type of shit your mam thinks you like when you're about 15.

Every song sounded the exact same, the only evidence that it wasn't one big long wall of guitar being the stoppages between songs-all of which were for the purpose of dedicating it to someone, these guys clearly owe a lot of favours. There were a few variations on the theme though; the introduction of a piano which Ms bro L** correctly guessed would preclude 'the reflective piece' and the wholly redundant acoustic guitar for 'the really reflective piece'. Seriously, fuck off until you have some ideas. Their best song was the closer, which was only half-decent because the Hold Steady got involved-Tad and Franz came out to kick some ass on guitar and harmonica.

They even looked formulaic. They had the 'skinny sensitive one' on bass, the 'monster' on lead guitar, 'the artist' singing and 'the nice one' on drums. There was constant posing on all parts, some of it so cynical that you felt sorry for people who genuinely feel their own music-who don't stop to check where the camera is. I also have a serious gripe with men who wear skinny jeans but that's so far down the list of things I didn't like about this band that its only getting a mention.

Compare all this posturing and self-consciousness to The Hold Steady, who saunter out looking like a bunch of mismatched geography teachers at a school disco-and rock the club to its knees! No bullshit, just straight up, been there and seen it all, rock'n'fuckin'roll.

Franz murdering a bottle of wine with a grin, big mean drums, Tad and Galin rockin'it harder and harder with every note and Craig Finn demanding that the audience get involved-forgetting his mic half the time because he was so into it-thats Music, thats rock'n'roll, thats genuine and thats passion. None of this poxy emo bullshit.

A decent bounce from the crowd but I was a bit further to the front than I'd like so I can't really judge. You can't bounce at the barrier because every time you go forward you crush someone, which isn't very pleasant. I like jumping. I like gigs where you come out absolutely knackered, covered in sweat, half deaf and completely satisfied. Gigs where you come out knowing you've just been part of something special, where you know you've just shared everything with the crowd around you, where all our voices are hoarse and none of us care-gigs like last night. Keep your trendy, good looking bands. I'll take the Pogues at Christmas, the Loose on the dancefloor and the Hold Steady turned up full-we'll see who has more fun.

I can't believe I've only been listening to this band for about a fortnight, I was singing along to so much of their set and the bits I didn't know just made me want more of their stuff. I haven't felt this way about a band since discovering Republic Of Loose or maybe Saul Williams(though Niggy Tardust was a bit disappointing). The Hold Steady probably aren't as progressive as either of them but the attitude is there, the lyrics are certainly there and the live bit is...well....frighteningly good

*only punk in name because punk is really about tearing down everything that has gone before and starting from scratch, as opposed to copying the 5 billion or so other bands who sound exactly the same as you. Technically, Jay-Z is more punk than any of these gobshites. Actually, fuck it, Jay-Z is significantly more punk than these guys. Jay-Z is also one cool bastard.

**the older one, not to be confused with young N who recieved a stern lesson in drinking one fateful night. He never stood a chance, he was sitting between me and AAF for a game of kings. The 'pick a mate' card alone was devastating, the Joker/shot card was cruel but the "N has to drink twice anytime anyone else drinks" rule was frankly unnecessary.

Det er kanskje drøyt å hevde at Tjsernobyl-katastrofen i det hele tatt førte noe godt med seg. Men faktum er at det var nettopp evakueringen av hovedmann Eugene Hütz som sparket i gang fenomenet Gogol Bordello.

Med sin brokete bakgrunn som flyktning og omreisende i Europa endte han til slutt opp i New York der han kokte ihop sin kjernesuppe av egen folkemusikk, cabaret og New York-punk. Med sitt utpreget gode humør har dette ført dem mot toppen av den ellers ikke så rent lite selvhøytidelige New York-scenen.

Gogol Bordello herjet flere av de norske festivalene i fjor, og beviste at de voldsomme ryktene om et vanvittig liveband holdt stikk i massevis. Her er det både irsk folkrok a la The Pogues oppblandet i energioptimalisert rock'n'roll og selvagt rikelig med balkanske sigøynertoner samt noen hint av ska. For å nevne noe.

Blandingen til Gogol Bordello utgjør en eksplosiv eleksir som sammen med avhengighetsdannende låter gjør at du kommer i Hushovd-form tvert. Det er både kaotisk og rebelsk, og omslaget sier det meste, her er det hæla i taket og spandexjenka i en herlig grell koloritt. Full fest!

Sjekk utlånsstatus og reserver denne platen på drammensbiblioteket.no

So in the spirit of Christmas I want to wish you all a Happy Christmas

Any excuse to post the greatest Christmas song ever....

1979:  the clash london calling
1980:  joy division closer
1981:  black flag damaged
1982:  bad brains bad brains (it was really tough to not say thriller!)
1983:  u2 war
1984:  u2 the unforgettable fire
1985:  the pogues rum, sodomy & the lash
1986:  the smiths the queen is dead
1987:  u2 the joshua tree
1988:  public enemy it takes a nation of millions to hold us back
1989:  the cure disintegration
1990:  public enemy fear of a black planet
1991:  a tribe called quest the low end theory
1992:  morrissey your arsenal
1993:  strongarm the advent of a miracle
1994:  nas illmatic
1995:  radiohead the bends
1996:  wilco being there
1997:  whiskeytown stranger's almanac
1998:  pedro the lion it's hard to find a friend
1999:  mos def black on both sides
2000:  ryan adams heartbreaker
2001:  as friends rust won
2002:  pedro the lion control
2003:  death cab for cutie transatlanticism
2004:  sufjan stevens seven swans
2005:  sufjan stevens illinois
2006:  arctic monkeys whatever people say i am, that's what i'm not
2007:  ryan adams easy tiger
2008:  the street dogs state of grace (thusfar...it'll change i'm sure)

damn, '79 was a good year to be born!  joy division's unknown pleasures, the specials self-titled debut, the who's the kids are alright (soundtrack), michael jackson's off the wall, bob marley & the wailers' survival, the cure's three imaginary boys, the police's reggatta de blanc, madness' one step beyond, etc.  good times.

a funny thing about this was how ryan adams narrowly beat out radiohead twice.  in 2000, radiohead's kid a came out, which is also on my all-time top 10, alongside heartbreaker.  just a few spots behind it, though.  and last year, it's a close one between adams' easy tiger and radiohead's in rainbows.  though thinking about it at this moment, i might want to say the soundtrack to once is my favorite album of last year...but i'm still in the throws of ecstasy from just seeing it!  there were a lot of close ones on this list, i'd say the next closest was 1996, with wilco barely beating weezer's pinkerton.  the way i figure, wilco is still amazing, and weezer completely sucks now, so staying power gave jeff tweedy & co. the upper hand :)

side note:  you may have noticed, u2 has the most records on the list with 3.  almost 4.  achtung baby was real close for '91.  and, if anyone serves as the "voice" of my lifetime, it's u2, with them forming just before i was born and having released albums throughout my lifetime, and still being together.  God bless the lads!

no music videos this week.  that's weird, eh?  timbrown out.

La cosa es que hoy dia vi la película de la cada vez mas guapa Hilary Swank "P.S. I Love You" ¿y sabe que? me gusto. Y lo que más me gustó de esta pelicula, fue la canción "Love You Till The End" de The Pogues. Así Nomas.

This imprompto soundtrack is spot on. The music, the lyrics, the cadence of the artists voice, the rhythm of the guitars, the snap of the snare, all of it puts you in the moment and you're lost; to the music.

And that's just the first track.

On his sophomore album, David Ford takes his diary, empties it out, and tries to convey to the listener the turmoil of his new-found self-awareness and wanting for things that may have been, up until now, unattainable. He swimmingly croons through a sea of relationship-laden tracks as if David Gray was sitting on a lifeguard tower ready to jump in and save him with some of his own British electro-pop styled mouth-to-mouth. Mr. Gray better put on some more SPF30, because he's gonna be there a while.

We here at eargoggles have just secured a copy of his latest album Songs For the Road out on Original Signal Recordings earlier this April, digitally in February. Great to listen to in the car; probably the reason for the title. Upon first listen it is quite impressive; hit well with the current weather change in Southern California (a little relief from the low-100s with a balmy mid-70s day). It has, as mentioned before--and we hate to equate artists to other artists, a David Gray feel, with maybe some of Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst in here--Mason Jennings, perhaps--wait! no!! Jason Anderson. You know, good sweater music--good for a brisk walk or an Autumn read on the porch sippin' on some coffee or tea--with some Bailey's or whiskey.

The album was released last fall in the UK where it received rave reviews from The Sunday Times (Best of 2007: "...a devastating reminder that an artist witha keening voice, an ear for melody and a willingness, lyrically, to wrestle withdemons can still take the breathaway."), The Guardian ("…[Ford] has a real and thrilling edge."), and The Sun ("This is a sublime 37 minutes of music. It’s melodic songwriting on par with Damien Rice, folk singing reminiscent of The Pogues and lyric writing as good as Bright Eyes."). Wow! So we were spot on with the Bright Eyes compairison.

He's got all the tools for a succesful commercial jump to America. He's got the voice, the gimicky sound, and a signature look; he wears a fedora/bowler-like hat (see above and in the videos).

That was at first listen.

Now, when you watch him it's a totalydifferent story. Looping live noises, strums of a guitar, drum beats, as well as harmonizing with multi-tracked recordings looped of himself on top of live vocals performed live is where it gets very interesting. While we here at eargoggles are huge fans of Andrew Bird, who also uses live instumentation and live recorded loops behind his very distinct voice, David Ford seems to have thrown at least 3/4 of the staff here for a loop. Watch some video below:

"Go to Hell!"

and here with "State of the Union"

Now see, that's pretty amazing! a nice change of pace, a little Nevertheless, David Ford will be playing in Los Angeles at the Hotel Cafe on July 10th. Definitely something to check-out if your in the area. We'll be there, well some of us, looking for a good time and some cool looking hats.

Live show review to come!

Sorry it took me a while to get to this, Richard. You don't wanna know. And yeah, I did peak. You got me.

Anywho...the instructions for the meme read as follows:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.

So, with caution to the wind, I took seven songs that I recently downloaded (or not so recently downloaded), popped them into my copy of Audacity, and, what HO! Instant oggcast! Actually, some of them are planned, but oh well...

So, up for a bit until I decide, or someone else decides, to take them down, are the following:

1. Public Image Limited - This Is Not A Love Song: Actually, the song I really wanted to put here was Public Image, and the version of This Is Not A Love Song that I greatly prefer to the one noted here was the one I heard on the BBC World Service Top 20 back in '84, which had Keith Levene doing his dirtiest squawking chicken scratch all over the track. Unfortunately, Mr. Levene had already rancourously left Pil by that time, and all of his guitar parts on that track, as well as those on the resulting album "This Is What You Want...This Is What You Get" were replaced by horns (at least on the version that came out in the States), which, frankly, don't do it justice.

2. Adele - Hometown: "Chasing Pavements" is the song being pushed here in the US. It does not do it for me, frankly. I prefer the first song I ever heard by her, a simple, emotional, heart wrenching homage to her little part of London.

3. Bjork - Earth Intruders: Timbaland produced this. Don't hold that against her.

4. Arab Strap - Haunt Me: Yes, I still miss them. Heave...sigh...

5. The Pogues - Streams of Whiskey: The first album I purchased by the Pogues was "Rum Sodomy and the Lash". It made my summer, and even now still gets me going. This song was actually on the album that came out before, "Red Roses for Me". I dunno, I got spoiled by "Rum Sodomy", but I am used to Shane McGowan sounding a little more, uh, mature? Or drunk? He sounds like a damn kid here. Oh well...

6. Flobots - Handlebars: These guys are getting played to death on my local modern rock station, at about this time. I would say they sound like a cross between 311 and Eminem, except WAY more political, which would put them in Michael Franti and Spearhead territory, IMHO. I'm not a big fan of the lyrics I take that back. I took a few more listens; they're pretty damn cool, actually, but the passion in the delivery way more than makes up for it goes even beyond that!

7. Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle: Yeah, I liked Divine, and I'm glad that Msr. Tellier got some shine on Eurovision:

But I keep coming back to La Ritournelle - the best damn collaboration Serge Gainsbourg and Burt Bacharach never did. It's just a a damn beautiful piece of work.

Here's a preview of the oggcast, if you can't bother to download:

[audio http://www.ezarchive.com/original/treaclestuff/MondayEveningOggcast6208.mp3]

I tag Trudy, Todd, Jason, Gordon, er, Gustav, Peggy, Hazel 8500, and, of course, Ed to continue this, uh "tradition".

Download this episode

Bumble Bee - Lavern Baker
Lepidopteroa - Devil in a Woodpile
Gli Insetti Del Podere - Caparezza
The Bug - Jerry Dallman and The Knightcaps
Vivo Con Fuoco - Goran Bregovic
Ladybird - Ladytron
I'm Nature's Mosquito - Jonathan Richman
Coccinella - Ghigo
The Grasshopper Unit - Beastie Boys
The Roach - Gene and Wendell
I Am The Fly - Wire
Shoo Fly - Clark Kessinger
Madonna of the Wasps - Robyn Hitchcock
The Bee & The Wasp - John Shuttleworth
Birds & Bees - Agent Ribbons
Bee Bom - Anthony Newley
Les Abilles - Andre Bourvil
Flight of the Bumblebee - George Malcolm
Worms - The Pogues

I need to maybe find a different way to start these pieces instead of the reminiscent ramblings that I always use as a lead in, but I tend to think framing it in a personal way talks about why the hell the piece is being written in the first place and why the band is on the bloody page in the first place.

So, The Pogues? How did I first get in touch with them? And by that I mean their music. Well, Primary School is maybe not the first way that everyone gets there but that is honestly how my first brush with Shane MacGowan and his crew came about. My headmaster, and little did we know it at the time, was one cool motherfucker -- Mr Fletcher take a bow. So, he sits the whole class (or maybe it was the whole school) down for a sing-song. Now this is pretty cool in school anyway because it means that you aren't doing work. He sings a few songs that are the usual fair for this sort of occasion: kiddy songs, you catch my drift. But then he throws in a few folky numbers and one of them is -- Paddy Works On The Railroad. Now it's a traditional song but it was my route to The Pogues.

Next memory? Only the best fucking Xmas song in existence: Fairytale Of New York -- goddamn if that didn't blow me the fuck away, and seriously, is it Christmas if you don't hear that song? If you answer yes to that then you'd best go off yourself now and do the world a favour. A Christmas song with spunk? With vigour? With a sense of humour? A fucking timeless duet. Christ, it is one of the few repeat plays at xmas that isn't cheesy and doesn't get on your tits and drive you postal.

And then? Fuck me, a whole slew of albums with amazing lyrics that span from Irish mythology to the war, to modern life, to whatever the fuck you could ever possibly want in a song. Rum, Sodomy & The Lash from the front cover with the band on the Raft Of The Medusa, to the last track has more energy, more class, more brains, balls and heart than a truckload of that other bollocks people are happy to call music. It's scruffy and it kicks along and fights and spits and drags you by the ear into the middle of a scrap with beauty -- how can you not fall in love with this album?

I also remember an interview that Shane did on Danny Baker's chatshow -- he got the most enthusiastic talk-up I have ever heard a talkshow host give to someone. That was one thing about Danny -- when he genuinely loved someone's work you could tell; he didn't come across as a brown noser like some do. He introduced MacGowan as one of the best lyricists in the world and if you sit there and look at those words he crafted you'd be an idiot to deny the validity of the claim. So, what happened? Said greatest lyricist appeared pissed out of his skull and barely able to string a sentence together. It was clearly what a lot of people expected but fuck them, if you didn't find it in the least bit sad then I don't know what's wrong with you.

Cut to a documentary following Shane around for the ten year anniversary of Fairytale I think and you have Shane emptying what I think were small martini bottles into a pint glass, striking up a song in the middle of a pub, getting embarassed looks and then everyone joining in.

Maybe a couple of years later I read that Sinead O'Connor is supposed to have called the police to come and get Shane because she is scared for him. Bets on how much longer he'd be alive have been going on for god knows how long - but he seems to soldier on, the only noticeable things to have changed being the lack of teeth which were once famous for the state they were in.

Yeah, the Pogues are real, genuine, genius, punk -- they are fucking soul music in the true sense of the word. Don't own a Pogues' album? You should be ashamed.

Helen Austin har skrivit ny text till en av mina favorit-Pogues-sånger: "Fairytale of New York".

Childbirth Song

You've bags under your eyes
You've got boobs to your knees
Your hand's full of poo and your bra's full of cheese
Your stomach is bloated your clothes do not fit
He still wants sex while you feel like shit
He begs for this favour not long after labour
It's like eating a meal after you've just been sick

And the boys at the office tell him I should give him what he wants
To this I say that they're a bunch of lalalalalalala

You bastard you cocked up it's you got me knocked up
Just cos you want me to have bigger tits
You're pleading, you're pining
Oh please stop your whining
You're not getting sex 'til the kid's 26

You say you want another child, another pregnancy
When you can poo a watermelon I'll agree

I could have been someone if you just hadn't come (along)
If I hadn't been so drunk and I'd said maybe
We'd be going out and stuff, now there's foreceps up my chuff
Pulling the head of a screaming 10lb baby

And the mums on Hornby Island* say keep breast feeding 'til they're four
If I do I won't have nipples anymore

And all the doctors told me that I'd need a stitch or ten
I say sew me up so I can't do this again.

*an island nearby with a reputation for being very wholesome!

-

Här är originalet - där Shane MacGowan och Kirsty MacColl sjunger en duett.

Kirsty MacColl föddes 10 oktober 1959.

I december år 2000 var hon med sin käreste och sina båda söner på semester i Mexico. De dök i ett område där all trafik i vattnet var förbjuden. Kirsty MacColl såg en båt som styrde mot en av hennes söner. Hon lyckades få honom bort från båten - men blev själv dödad.

Båten ägdes av en mexicansk miljonär; Guillermo González Nova. Vittnen såg honom köra båten - men en av hans anställda - José Cen Yam - tog på sig skulden. Han fick 2 år och tio månader - men betalade sig fri från straffet. Dessutom skulle José Cen Yam betala skadestånd till MacColls familj - ett skadestånd som baserats på hans förmögenhet - vilken inte var så hög.

Familjen kämpar fortfarande för att få rättvisa.

Justice for Kirsty

Aftonbladet: Sångerskan Kirsty MacColl död

PS: Tack Nina för Helen Austin-filmen.

Shane MacGowan's 70s punk band The Nipple Erectors will be playing a reunion set at London's 100 Club this coming Tuesday 6 May, supported by cult '77 punk rocker Johnny Moped and Seattle power pop band The Cute Lepers.

Years before rising to fame with The Pogues, MacGowan raised hell as a first generation London punk. Notorious for his heavy drinking even then, he was furthermore an embarrassing example for 'what not to wear' in the fashion-conscious Roxy Club punk milieu. When forming the Nipple Erectors in 1978, he donned the amateur punk outfit for a teddy boy look to suit the 50s-rock'n'roll-gone-punk concept of the band. After only one single (King Of The Bop, Soho Records 1978), they changed their moniker to The Nips and went for a more Pretty Things influenced 60s garage and rhythm & blues style. This Tuesday, Frenchman Eric Ulcer of garage scenesters King Salami and the Cumberland 3 will play drums for The Nipple Erectors.

Johnny Moped's 1978 album Cycledelic is punk rock as seen through the eyes of a drunk Croydon geezer. It features a cover version of Chuck Berry's Little Queenie sung with an annoying falsetto voice and a song called Wee Wee, but also the absolutely ripping Incendiary Device. The inner sleeve (see below) is testimony to the fact that political correctness was not Johnny Moped's forte.

A classic in its own right, Cycledelic is the nightmare of academics who seek to attach a deeper social and cultural meaning to the punk movement. Watch an incredibly rare 1974 pre-punk live performance of the Johnny Moped Band (with Captain Sensible, later of The Damned, on guitar) here.

Although Moped was offered good money to tour some European countries in the 80s and 90s, it proved too difficult to get him out of his local South London pub. If MacGowan and Moped both manage to show up on Tuesday, this will be a rare treat indeed.

Whether you want to celebrate London's most unfashionable 70s punk bands or are simply interested in this event as a case study in alcoholism, you are advised to hurry as there are not many tickets left.

Waltzing Matilda by Slim Dusty - this version is the traditional one that the the old Australians know and is also the version Josh White covers.

And the Band Played Waltzing Mathilda by the Pogues - Eric Bogle wrote this war narative version of the song in the early 70s and it was made famous by the Pogues.

Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Mathilda) by Tom Waits - Here is Tom Wait's version.  It has less in common with the other two but he does seem to borrow a little bit from the Bogle version.

I relented the other night due to absolute exhaustion from continual study, work and anxiety about my much anticipated up and coming exams. The Irish movie of the moment was something called "Once".

Now... I have to admit. Of the very few Irish movies I've seen, they really aren't too bad! I mean, The Crying Game was legendary, and I don't care that there was a he-she doodah in it, the movie broke ground! (I say that after only seeing it for the first time late last year... I had obviously heard about it many times before though).

But this "Once" movie really stuck with me. I even jumped onto iTunes yesterday and downloaded the soundtrack and have been listening to it over and over again!

So, what the hell is it about, you ask?

Well... it's not really about all that much, to be honest. The most enjoying aspect of the movie and I guess the theme and main component of the plot is the music.

The brilliantly talented Glen Hansard (lead singer of The Frames) plays the "easy to feel comfortable with and very quickly relate to" main character, and of course lends his excellent music talents and vocals to the film/soundtrack.

His voice is so raw and earthy (yet with a sing-song Irish twang) that you can't stop listening to him and dammit, you just want to hear so much more!

And his wonderful co-star Marketa Irglova (who I had never heard of before) adds another element to the movie and soundtrack. Her voice is sweet, but what I really love is that every now and then, if you listen oh so carefully, you can hear her Czech accent coming through. I don't know which to say, but either the music really suits her voice or her voice really suits the music. Either way, she added a lovely tone and character to the movie.

I would watch the movie again. And probably another time after that. But it is the music that I will continue listening to over and over.

I cannot deny that Ireland has produced some sublime musical talent over the years and when visiting the country last year, I can see that music is in the heart and soul of so many of this small island's inhabitants.

It is not just those musicians with their big one-time smash hits that I am referring to, either. It is the smaller, often lesser heard of group of incredibly talented singers that astound me.

I think it was the first time I heard one of Damien Rice's songs that I really started to pay attention to other Irish musicians. Just like Hansard, the raw, earthy tone of Damien Rice's voice is incredible. It is real singing. It is real music. And it's all Irish.

Although I will never live this down, and I can't even believe I am about to write it... The Irish deserve more respect than we have given them. Sure, they are great to poke fun at and make jokes about, but the contribution the people of this country have made to the Arts and Entertainment industries is noteworthy and considerable.

I recommend you watch "Once". But more importantly I recommend you listen to it's music.

Thankfully, there are saner ways to enjoy a bit of Irish mayhem, and one of those options presented itself in the form of O'Tasty, a DC Celtic punk band performing last night at Iota in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, Va. Now the raucous members of O'Tasty may not think of themselves as the more civilized option for observing St. Pats as they rock out, drink lots of beer and swear copiously as they call down Celtic Thunder with a mix of amped up Irish folk favorites, covers of The Pogues, and their own compositions.

The relatively large band leaps energetically through its Irish offerings with a mandolin, fiddle, guitar, drum and piccolo as frontman James O'Brien gruffly sings his way through their catalog with swagger so authentic you would swear you were on the set of a movie about a raucous Irish band covering traditional favorites for your pleasure in a seedy Dublin bar.

O'Tasty appear to have an aversion to the local DC pubs, however, and their next gig is at none other than DC9 next month. Throw back a few of the bar's cans of Guinness and enjoy the lighthearted debauchery if you get the chance!

Arcade Fire opgesloten in een liftkooi, hilarisch:

Live met een behoorlijk bezielend nummer:

Hier een fantastisch voorbeeld hoe ze vanuit complete chaos geleidelijk overschakelen op een soort georkestreerde bende dolle muzikanten:

In deze live setting geeft deze bende echt een wat losgeslagen indruk. Ik moest meteen aan The Pogues denken, met een rijk instrumentarium en hier en daar onverwachte geluiden die op een bizarre manier een fantastisch geheel vormen. Op hun studioplaten gaat dat een beetje verloren door de productie wat een meer mainstream geluid oplevert. Dan klinken ze af en toe als Bruce Springsteen of Neil Young. Echt een aanrader!