Swingin' Ryan

He used to be so good in Shooting Stars.

I say good, I mean funny.

I say funny, I mean depressingly cynical and silent.

Snappy Tomato Pizza - Chilli Beef, Sausage, Pineapple, Jalapeno's, Sweetcorn, Extra Cheese

I assume you mean Kinnock. Will Self doesn't jump.

How far up in the tiered seating can you be in the SECC and still get a legible view?

Is anyone else watching Have I Got News For You?

Will Self arguing with presenter Neil Kinnock, absolutely priceless bit of television.

"To all those bands that moan about not getting into the charts because the rules have changed - Write a tune you morons!" - Nicky Wire.

I thought I'd play too.

Larkin was my english teachers lecturer at Uni. Sid Vicous also spat on her once. She has great stories.

I like Ginsberg, Kipling, Larkin and Keats.

Z for Zachariah is such a classic.

The sultry Bavarian-esque sex-funk of Goldfrapp.

And a live Billy Connoly show on CD at bedtime.

Thank you all.

I've heard samples of the Yamaha CS01 and it sound's ace.

I've heard really short real player samples of the microkorg and micron but not enough, I'd like to give them a proper look.

Does anyone know if the mini-keys on the microkorg and micron are a major annoyance? Every review seems to mention how small they are, is it possible to play them comfortably without havng to fumble about trying to hit the right keys?

Yeh, I'd imagine once I've exhausted the basics I'll want to expand a little bit, aslong as I can get bleeps and dirty bass I'll be happy. The MicroKorgs looking like the front runner at the moment, just because it seems so much easier to use than the Micron, plus I've wanted one since I saw a picture in The Face when it first came out.

Cheers for the help

Here's the scenario, I'm looking to buy a small analogue synth that will be relatively easy to play and won't require a knowledge of programming or anything intelligent. I'm not bothered about it making huge soundscapes or big beats as I've got the drum machine covered. Just something that can make some dirty Goldfrapp-ish bass and little electro beeps and bops.

I've looked into the Micro Korg and the Alesis Micron and a few retro synths. Does anyone have any recomedations? Something with Vocoder capabilities like the Micron and the MicroKorg would be smashing but not essential. I don't need something that I can write 12-minute electronic scores on and that I can programme with patches and other such things. I have basic keyboard/piano skills, but can't do a thing with computers so something simple and cool sounding in the 300-350 range that will just add a little extra layer to a primarily guitar band and will be fun to play with.

All advice warmly recieved

Elvis Presley, he sung the slow ones, he sung the fast ones, and he did them better than anyone else. He invented rock and no-one's done it better since. Download "Trouble", more attitude in that voice than any punk/rock/metal singer ever.

Other than Elvis, by decade I would say.....

60's - Mick Jagger

70's - Marc Bolan

80's - Steven Tyler

90's - James Dean Bradfield

I'd have to agree... But i do like some bands that dress very badly (the polyphonic spree' date=' robes?!) But, yeah... Bands should look cool, or at least try their best.[/quote']

At least it's a look , they look like a band (albeit an LSD-fuelled Gospel choir). The Lost Prophets just look like a group of lads who've just spent all their christmas Topman vouchers in one go.

Yeh, I've seen Miss Black America twice now, thought they were great both times, although the songs seem to blend in a little. They put on a good live performance though.

The Rat Pack (more of a collective than a band, but still...)

Aerosmith

The Manic Street Preachers

The Cramps

Well I loved that post personally. The world's full of boring bands, music needs more arrogance. I fit the criteria pretty well, unfortunately my only real talent is drumming and as I said in the "rock and roll" thread, I'm in one band as it is playing drums and I don't really want to do it in another band. However if your at a completely loose end and there's room a fairly rudimentary bass player that's 90% image 10% talent, then give me a shout.

(And so what if the guy made a Manics clone band? It's not as if there's a huge influx of Manics rip-off's out there, mores the pity. People set up clone "emo" bands everyday churning out the same boring music, a manic-a-like band would be filling a gap in the market).

It's definitelly the best-sounding prospect I've seen mentioned in these classified ad's, unfortunately by trade I'm a drummer, and if there's one thing in the world I don't want to do in another band, it's play drums. However, if my guitar skills improve or I develop a better singing voice, I'll make sure your my first port of call.

bands' date=' quite simply, are meant to look fucking cool.[/quote']

This is the only thing said in this thread that's important. I don't want to see bands that look boring, I can see boring people everyday of my God given life walking down Union Street or sucking Alcopops in the Priory. If I pay money for a CD or to see a show, I want to know the band puts in the effort. If the cool thing nowadays is the whole "Indie" ethic and the "anti-image" then I admit to being totally and utterly uncool. I own every item of clothing mentioned minus the death-metal t-shirts and a Lee polo shirt in place of a Fred Perry one, however I only like about 2-3 of the bands mentioned, at a push. I find it as disgusting as the next man when I see a tubby 12 year old HIM fan, panda-eyed and decked out in a hoodie and jeans that Walter Scott could have camped in for a week, but at least they've made the effort, they might look like shit, but if anyone's into a band or even just the image enough to put the effort into it, especially in a generation that has the visual impact of a damp, greying sheet of cardboard, then they should be comended.

The music I like does have some influence over what I wear, but not much. And I don't avoid wearing something because it's associated with a certain style of music, I often wear jumpers and scarfs, but I pretty much only listen to Glam-Punk/Rock and Roll etc and really dislike emo/hardcore, doesn't mean I'm going to freeze this Winter just because some pervert at Kerrang thinks Duffel Coats mean you like Emo music.

In conclusion, image is important, everyone who likes Rock music has at some point seen a picture of a band they liked and though "fuck, they look cool", the part of your brain that makes you love rock music, makes you love the classic "rock" images aswell, it's just that ugly people have told you to blank it out because image isn't cool.

Fin.

I taped it. It was passable,nothing special. It was pretty much just clips of videos spliced with an interview with James, they only obviously had access to the Sony videos, which was a bit silly as James spoke for a while about Motown Junk and recording that etc, which they followed up with a 2 minute clip of Motorcycle Emptiness. James did say some interesting things in the interview though, about how happy Richey would have been to see "If you tolerate this" get to number 1, as his ambition was always to get a song about some major historic event (the Spanish Civil War) into the top ten and into popular culture. He also spoke about how he knew Richey wouldn't be "dissapointed" in their change in sound as many fans think, as they'd actually already recorded a lot of the Demo's for Everything Must Go with Richey, for Small Black Flowers, All Surface and Kevin Carter (although I don't think Kevin Carter was a major change in sound, I don't think it would have been massively out of place on the Holy Bible).

Nothing Earth-shattering, but interesting nonetheless. I did feel the whole Richey era was dispensed with in the first 5 minutes though.

I chose to do an essay on On The Road in 3rd year.

Yeh I should have thought it through, I have no idea how I'm going to stretch out a 10 pages essay on the book.

Manic Street Preachers : In Profile on ITV tonight at about 3:30am if anyone's interested.

I did Catcher in the Rye, really enjoyed it.

I'm doing On the Road by Jack Kerouac and Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck for my advanced higher dissertation, roughly basing it around travelling and the pursuit of the "American Dream" and the alienation of being on the road.

Not very much to do with 1984 though, although there's quite a few comparisons with the Thought Police and the american anti-terror media.

I take particular offence to the comment about -

"The mind boggles what people who have a particular aversion to smoke were thinking when they applied for a job in a BAR or PUB. It's not like there's a shortage of jobs in the servile job industry for experienced waiting/counter staff or such like' date=' infact there's even a few non-smoking bars in Aberdeen from what I've read."

why the hell should i have to work somewhere else just because i dont like getting smoke blown in my face?

[/quote']

It's a BAR!

That's really spitting in the face of the unemployed desperate for work. STUDENTS getting jobs then complaining about their working enviroment, I know people who have had to work in disgusting enviroments for a mere pittance to fund their life and students complain about smoke when their making over minimum wage. A complete insult to people on the dole who'd crawl over backwards to get a job, regardless of smoke. Completely pitiful view on the subject. Life doesn't come on a silver platter pal, we can't all get jobs tailor-made to our individual wants and desires.

Do you think it was a laugh working down mines for a living, or working on a building site? Some people have to put up and shut up, you have the choice. At least in a few years students will have degrees and cushy office jobs, some people will be working on building sites till the day they die, exhausted from building the fleets of "starter-homes" these students will fill, content in their gorgeous salaries and comfortable estate cars. And you think you have the right to stop them from smoking because you might develop Cancer in the 3-4 years you'll be working there.

Great interview where the Health Minister on Richard and Judy today when he took War Veteran pubs as an example (I can't for the life of me remember the offical name for them, similar to Working Mens Clubs but for Veterans), he said "You think it's fine for these war veterans to go and risk their lives fighting to keep your country free, but outlaw them from having a smoke in a pub".

Exactly how I feel, the day you do something for society other than helping people get drunk on a Saturday night, then whine about your job. Until then, put up with it or get a new job, theres plenty, check the P and J. No smoking in supermarets, banks, shops, cinemas, many cafe's and restaurants.....

I think there were quite a few really great albums made in the 90's, but post-2000 hasn't had very much to offer whatsoever, I like little bits here and there but I don't think I've gone out and bought a post-2000 album, too much Emo/Hardcore and really pissy Indie like fucking Keane. Only primarily post-2000 band I've been giving heavy rotation recently has been Goldfrapp and a bit of Postal Service. There has been some good guitar-rock stuff but not a lot.

To sum up, I'd say there hasn't been a REALLY great album for the last say.....5 years with the possible exception of Youth and Youngmanhood by Kings of Leon and Black Cherry and Felt Mountain by Goldfrapp.