super extra bonus party Choice Winners!

Congrats to super extra bonus party (capitalization a la k.d. lang) who nabbed the Choice Music Prize tonight beating hotly-tipped Cathy Davey (album also super) and not-so-tipped Róisín Murphy (album also super).

The album is madly eclectic and hugely adventurous/bonkers and miles away from the rather earnest (read ‘dull’) fare often lauded in Irish rock circles (not looking at any Frame X1 in particular).

My favourite track off the eponymous album is Favourite Things. An MC rattles away in Portugeuse over a breakneck beat and what sounds like string stabs before, apropos of nothing, Ms Julie Andrews appears and gives us a few bars of ‘My Favourite Things’ from that musical.

And they are appearing at a Childline Rocks benefit gig tomorrow night in the Academy, Abbey St, Dublin. From their site;

Great gig for a very worthy cause. Line up includes Jape, Dry County, Cathy Davey, Steps, Peter Andre, Aqua, Nikleback, The Outhere Brothers, Staind, 2Unlimited, Scooter, Scatman John, Eiffel 65, Appollo 440, Babylon Zoo, The Kelly Family and many many more. Actually, heres more, ACDC, Ace of Base, East 17, New Kids on the Block, Wet Wet Wet, Savage Garden, Hot Chocolate, Slayer, Lordi, Boyzone, Bon Jovi, Axl Rose (solo set), Rihanna plus more to be announced.

They’re kinda mixed and fun, no?

Catholics, Jews, Muslims; they just wear you out

1. Catholics: The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute are pissed off that the fledgling state of Kosovo has opted to protect gays against discrimination. More at GCN.ie.

2. Jews: Some deeply stupid (sorry, love, the truth hurts) Israeli MP reckons that the recent earthquakes in Israel are as a result of legislation sanctioning sodomy. More at the telegraph.co.uk.

3. Muslims: Where to begin…. teddy bears? Cartoons? Hanging teenage kids? Sigh….

The trouble is I know some really decent people who  are Theists. Yet some of their fellows behave like Scientologists. How can I talk to them about the hassle that their insistence on having an imaginary friend causes?

Foggy tracks Eastwall, blue

Foggy tracks Eastwall, blue, originally uploaded by asteri design.

Good grief, will you just look at the amazing stuff that David is pumping out over on flickr.

No expectations.

It’s been a most odd few weeks in this not-quite-New Year thus far.

The latter half of 2007 was dominated by the almighty Open University commitment. If any of you are thinking of doing H808, mother of Christ, do not do it unless you have nothing much else on.  Then I started another one, but thus far, it’s more manageable.

Anyway, my point,life has been far more regimented these last few months than it has ever been. Full work commitment, study and scheduled leisure activities. I’ve never liked having things scheduled very tightly. I like to wake up on Saturday and have absolutely no commitments to anything or anyone.

Yet, every weekend for the last month, I’ve lived it up. I reintroduced myself to the fun of the Dublin scene, danced til dawn, wined and dined and caught up with friends as if I had been released from prison.

On Friday, we hosted the lovely Kevin for dinner, and this civilised event descended into all night dancing, raids on skips for things to burn in the open fire (don’t ask) and lashings and lashings of funky house  (I still get a kick when I dance to my DJ mixes with other people).

On Saturday morning (ish), the also lovely Enda & Catherine called in to take me to brunch unexpectedly. More unscheduled enjoyment. We ate and had a few cheeky drinks over a most pleasant couple of hours with the Saturday papers in a hotel lobby. All unplanned fun.  I rarely do this. I should do it (even) more.

However, my sincere apologies to the victims of my unscheduled fun times, Alan & Conor. Ironically, their Dublin visit was the only planned event in my diary this weekend and a mixture of tiredness, disorganisation and Irish Rail conspired to send me to bed early rather than finally meet the bloggers. Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry…. And good luck next weekend in the Best Personal Blog, Conor.

The track above is a cover of the Rolling Stones’ No Expectations by some English people called Soulsavers. Nice, innit?

Ok, so it’s a Popculture blog…

Ever since my unexpected (oh so modest as well as gorgeous) nomination for Best Popculture Blog in this year’s Irish Blog Awards, I’ve been wondering if I had been put in the wrong category. Shouldn’t it be classified as a personal blog? After all, it’s full of rampant shameless self-indulgence. But then again, aren’t all blogs, so I got over myself and learned to love the bomb.

So, some excitement from the fabbo weekend just gone.

1. If you are looking for a pretty classy, subdued restaurant that will have a free table at the weekend, you could do a lot worse than the one in Brooks Hotel on Drury St. The venison was simply to die for darlings!

2. There are some seriously fabulous Asian transpersons in the Dragon of a Saturday night. On a related note, it was vaguely amusing to watch a lady (?) of Jordanesque proportions dressed in a leather outfit scamper in and out of the Dragon very quickly with several security staff hot on her (very tall) heels. Those bronzed boobies were most precariously ‘out there’. My little brother and his girlfriend visiting for the weekend now love the Dragon.

3. Shelby Lynne is not so scary. For some reason, I always thought that this woman was difficult and annoying, without having heard a note from her. I think I got her mixed up with Fiona Apple and Ute Lemper. Anyway, she has done an album of Dusty Springfield covers and she has done it very very well.

4. One of my friends that I have been pestering to create a blog for the last two years may be about to do so. I shall be called either ‘It was ever thus’ or ‘Brutaltop’. Either way, expect it to be nominated next year, as he is the bastard offspring of Dorothy Parker and Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory (not really. ‘Love your work, darling… [airkiss])

5. Not really feeling the new OU course yet. Work is beginning to settle down, so at least I can devote some office time to it. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Which reminds me, I’m supposed to be updating the sensible blog rather than this one. See ya later, pop-pickers.

NEXT WEEKEND: I get to meet Alan and fellow Blog Award nominee, Conor, in the flesh for the first time. Oh my! The whole idea of having a blog is so that one doesn’t need to be socially-awkward with real people. This can’t end well….

Here’s a LOLcat to end things.

McDonald’s New Advertising Campaign Inspires Mild Sense of Panic

Now I know what to play next time I’m babysitting the kids.

It’s Mix Time! Digital Immigrants

Free (temporarily) from the evil Open University, Enda frantically scoured the virtual record bag for whatever morsels of disco tastiness he could find. After a relatively gentle start with Goldfrapp and some chart stuff from Timbaland, we go into a RAWK mix of Noir’s Fuck Me (charming!), keeps it up (ahem) for some time with Janet telling us that she’s ‘heavy like a first day period’ and some ‘enhanced’ people called Muscles getting sweaty. Then we go utterly apeshit with Robyn, back on track with David Jordan and bonkers again with Lalula.

Business as usual, then.

• A&E (Gui Boratto Remix) * Goldfrapp
• Apologize (Lenny B Club Mix) * Timbaland pres. One Republic
• Needy Girl (Lifelike remix) * Chromeo
• Fuck Me (Plastic Inc’s Biker Cowboy Shootout Strip) * Noir
• Faster Kill Pussycat (Club Mix) * Oakenfold feat. Brittany Murphy
• The Journey Continues (Thomas Gold Remix) * Mark Brown feat. Sarah Cracknell
• Gotta Move (Fonzerelli Remix) * Turbofunk
• Feedback (Ralphi Rosario ‘Sexy’ Vox Mix) * Janet Jackson
• Sweaty (Original Mix) * Muscles
• Be Mine! (Ocelot mthfckers Remix) * Robyn
• Place In My Heart (Stonebridge Mix) * David Jordan
• Supa Bajo (Ashley Beedle Vocal Mix) * Lalula

Download Digital Immigrants continuous mix (Remastered mp3, 65MB, 67 mins) [mediafire link]