Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Raise your glasses to Raise Your Banners

Yup, raise your glasses to Raise Your Banners! What am I on about? Well, I sent off a song to people who champion political songwriting - it still exists? Answer, yes! Certainly among the Raise Your Banners people anyway...

I haven't done my research properly but it looks like I'm playing a song on this coming Saturday (26th) at a thing called ‘Our Songs, Our Voices, Our Lives’ concert

Google 'Raise Your Banners Bradford' and check it out folks...

I'm playing just one song I think - but it's a good one and it's a brand new one - and there's loads of other good stuff on too...

Lianne is lovely!

You may have noticed that I don’t really do fan stuff on this ‘ere blog. But I want to let you know that I met Lianne La Havas the other day – and she was lovely. I didn't have to make an appointment or get hassled by security - just wandered up for a chat.

She was on Jools Holland’s show recently and is one of them singers that is so good that they transcend the genre barrier. Great songs too...Went to see her at the Nation of Shopkeepers in Leeds - £4 a ticket. So there – check her out before you can’t afford the tickets. Won't be long.

Ed has good song!

It’s weird when you don’t have any context for music that you hear. That’s the place I live people! I hear stuff but I pay no attention to the look or lifestyle package or biog nonsense.

So here I am to tell you that despite being on the ‘Now’ series of grindingly awful and soul destroying music compilations and getting played on Capital on the radio (OK, that’s context) Ed Sheeran’s ‘The A Team’ is a great song. There, I’ve said it! There’ll be all kinds of ‘reasons’ for his success but you have to remember that you can’t beat a great song as a starting point.

It's been around for ages hasn't it? I don't claim to be up to date...

A bloody good job!

Hey, here’s a good job that came up recently – “Recruitment Sales executives needed to start ASAP across the UK - Apply today to secure interview next week”.

You get 18 to 25 thousand pounds a year apparently - but here are the 'benefits'-

“Monthly lunch clubs at top restaurants, Aston martins, Rolex watches, days out and international holidays plus bonuses”.

Did I miss the line where it said 'utter wankers needed'? You can just imagine the poor deluded souls learning to be conmen persuaded by the lure of the tiny, tiny chance that they might get a posh watch...

Dyson Hoover Service Lunatic Calling!

Another weird modern phenomenon is revealed by our mistake in buying a Dyson Hoover a couple of years back (yeah, I did say Hoover, it's a matter of principle really to mis-represent brands...)

In my crazy old fashioned world you buy a Hoover and use it. If it breaks you either get it fixed or buy a new one. You hope it'll last 30 years like they used to, but expect it to last only 5 due to improvements in design and manufacture introduced over the last couple of decades.

So we bought a Dyson and now we get these lunatics ringing up asking how it is and if it's 'been good for you' and stuff. They then offer to 'service' it for us at £40a pop (or £40 a pop reduced to something tempting like £15) They're going to come round, look at the Hoover and take money off us. They don't threaten disaster like Yorkshire Water and their 'hey, leedle old laydee, your pipes gunna burst and we won't feeex it' but they do apparently expect to be taken seriously. They don't appear to be Dyson themesleves (or I'd tell them not to be so smug about 'design' as the clip that's supposed to hold the sucky pipe thing doesn't work)but firms touting for business.

Well, if they can come and check the coffee mugs and settee are OK I might have 'em round. Floor's looking a bit worn...

Branded on my own...

I keep being told (via spam) that if I don’t use the proper printer ink things could go horribly wrong – in addition to the hurt, bemused and indignant messages from the Epson printer itself I mean. Well now it’s the paper too – 'original Epson Paper'. It’s the perfect combination apparently – how could I have been so stupid to think that paper was paper and printer ink was printer ink eh? They must think I'm a special person who uses special paper...Imagine by the way Esso trying to convince you to only buy their petrol because any other brand will probably wreck your car. Actually they probably do if I paid attention.

I also had one of those talks from a sales person about anti-virus software recently – only the one they were selling is any good of course – I can’t remember which one it was but it was one of those that hijack your computer and send you hundreds of unwanted messages and threaten you with stuff. Yeah, Norton, that was them…

You have to be a halfwit to be a fan of ‘brands’ of course but it really is a special kind of ‘brand’ that makes you actively hate them – so congratulations, Epson, Firstbus and Norton. Mind you, I do quite like the singing passengers waltzing on the bus without paying – very much like getting the number 49 through Harehills, I’m sure you’d agree.