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Friday, October 29, 2004
Steve Earle
The country-rocker Steve Earle has taken over from the now-defunct Rage Against the Machine as the most frankly political performer now working. His new album, The Revolution Starts... Now, is a searing indictment of the administration, with wittily scathing attacks on Condoleezza Rice, the National Security Adviser ("Condi, Condi, I'm beggin' on my knees/ Open up your heart and let me in wontcha please")
Andrew Gumbel, The Independent.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=576702
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Steve Earle & the Dukes
"This is an artist you must listen to... Steve pulls no punches and gives me much hope... If I were a rock star, I would be Steve Earle." - Michael Moore
The revolution starts...now
Special Guest Allison Moorer
Oct 30 2004 New York NY (US) Webster Hall
Oct 31 2004 NEW YORK NY (US) Bowery Ballroom
Nov 6 2004 ROTTERDAM (NL) Nighttown
Nov 7 2004 AMSTERDAM (NL) Paradiso
Nov 9 2004 BRISTOL (UK) Colston Hall
Nov 10 2004 LONDON (UK) Hammersmith Apollo
Nov 11 2004 MANCHESTER (UK) Apollo
Nov 12 2004 BELFAST (IE) Ulster Hall
Nov 14 2004 LIMMERICK (IE) UCH
Nov 15 2004 DUBLIN (IE) Olympia
Nov 17 2004 LEEDS (UK) Irish Centre
Nov 18 2004 NEWCASTLE (UK) City Hall
Nov 19 2004 GLASGOW (SF) Barrowland
Nov 22 2004 GOTHENBURG (SE) Tragarn
Nov 23 2004 STOCKHOLM (SE) Cirkus
Nov 25 2004 OSLO (NO) Rockefeller
Nov 26 2004 MALMO (NO) KB
Nov 28 2004 COPENHAGEN (DK) Pumpehuset
Nov 30 2004 PARIS (FR) New Morning
Dec 1 2004 BERN (CH) Bierhubli
Dec 3 2004 STUTTGART (DE) Theaterhaus
Dec 4 2004 MAINZ (DE) Frankfurter Hof
Dec 5 2004 HAMBURG (DE) Fabrik
Dec 7 2004 BERLIN (DE) BKA Luftshloss
Dec 8 2004 MUNICH (DE) Metropolis
Dec 10 2004 BRUSSELS (BE) Ancienne Belgique
Dec 11 2004 HARDENBURG (NL) Podium
Dec 13 2004 BIRMINGHAM (UK) Academy
Dec 14 2004 EDINBOURGH (UK) Usher Hall
Dec 15 2004 NOTTINGHAM (UK) Rock City
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Site update
As you can see, I have moved the kernow cowboy site to a new domain so as to avoid confuisn.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Country Music without prejudice
I like country music, I like the fact that artists such as Alan Jackson, Tim Mcgraw, Kinky Friedman and Kris Kristofferson and the Dixie Chicks have something to say. They have issues.
In the early nineties I liked hip-hop and rap music. It was all about the struggles of life and death on the streets. It was all about Issues. These days hip-hop is all about 'bling bling' and the twenty inch wheels.
In my last post I mentioned that county music was gaining ground as popular music once again. And the best best of all its real music, it explores the world we live in. The music is tackling issues such as politics, lifestyle and religion. Its moved beyond the late nineties pop-country.
Country music is fighting off the stigma of being right-wing music for hillbillies.
Many of our favourite artists tackle issues concerning sex, religion and politics in their songs. Many of them write these songs and discuss these issues to open up debate on important issues.
Country music is at its best when it explores the world in which we live issues such as religion, belief, politics and love and marriage break-ups.
Maybe one day we really will enjoy Country Music without Prejudice....
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Country Music without prejudice?
With the success of cross over acts such as Kid Rock, Gretchen Wilson and now Big and Rich, country music isn't just music for 'your mum and dad to listen too'.
Maybe that has always been part of the problem with country music here in the UK, it was often seen as, for want of a better word, naff! Many people see country music as a bit of an embarrassing genre. Ask british people about country music and most will have an image of Dolly Pardon in mind and lets face it, no matter how much you love Dolly Pardon you have to admit that she is just a little kith.
When country music does do well in the UK it is usually at the expense of the 'country' bit. Acts such as Shania Twain have hit the charts with huge album and single sales here in the UK. However it was usually as a result of either clever marketing, the 'hey Im not really THAT country' approach or writing pop songs with a bit of a country twang. Genuine country acts such as Alan Jackson and Tim Mcgraw have largely been overlooked.
But maybe that's are about to change. Gretchen Wilson has proved popular here in the UK and she is certainly 'Genuine Country' and Big and Rich are doing well this side of the pond.
Are we approaching a point where we can go into HMV or Virgin and buy a country music CD without the spotty teen behind the counter looking at you like a freak?
I'll get my coat
A good friend of mine pointed out that the mystery of Columbo's first name has been solved for some time. Although at first a little annoyed that I had wasted half an hour of a rainy afternoon solving the mystery myself, in hindsight my approach was more columbo than Holmes.
When watching an episode everyone knows the answer to the mystery but we still enjoy watching the problem being solved!
If anybody else has a mystery (preferably one that has already been solved) for me to investigate then please feel free to contact me at the usual address and I'll tell you something that you already know.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Just one more thing...
With the release of Columbo on DVD I have finally got to the bottom of a famous mystery.....
During the history of the show we were never told Columbos first name.
As reported last week I have been happily working my way through the first series on DVD and noticed that in the episode 'Dead Weight' Columbo shows his police badge and card.
In the past other fans of the show have made use of the pause key on their video remote controls to freeze the image and try and work out what his badge says. Some fans have even 'taken screen grabs' with their computers and manipulated them in graphics packages to 'enhance' the image.
With the improved quality of DVD I was hopeful. I must admit that pausing the image on DVD did little to help, as the resolution and screen clarity of my television was not good enough to view close up.
I transfered the DVD to my Apple eMac and I was able to pause and progress through the scene, frame by frame.
It took less than 3 minutes to locate and pause the clearest frame. No screen grabs, no manipulation, no noise filters. Just am Apple eMac and a DVD. The end of a 33 year mystery.....
His name?
Frank Columbo.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Weddding Photos
Just to let you all know, I have moved the photos to the Gallery page to speed up the loading time for the homepage.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Updates
I have added a couple of posts in the music section today and also updated the gallery to include some artwork from an exhibition I held in 2000.
I am hoping to have a selection of photos from my recent trip (honeymoon) to Prague.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Oh, I'm just another cop. My name is Columbo. I'm a lieutenant.
Murder by the Book...
Well the winter will shortly be upon us and if you believe the hype 'One of the coldest winters in recent memory is about to hit Britain'. If thats the case, then Im going to be sat indoors enjoying the complete first season of Columbo.
Maybe its just me, but the 1970's and 80's were a goldmine for great detective television. We had Banacek, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Perry Mason, the lists goes on. One of my all time favourites was Columbo, the cigar chomping police lieutenant played by Peter Falk.
Murder by the book, Directed by Steven Spielberg, was the first episode (not counting the two pilots episodes) of this long running TV series.
When the bestselling murder mystery authors Ken Franklin and James Ferris go there seperate ways (Jim wants to try serious writing on his own), untalented playboy Ken is enraged. Rather than risk exposure (Jim did all the writing) and poverty, Ken resolves to kill his partner and collect on the insurance policy they have on each other.
A run of the mill story is brought to life by the direction of Steven Spielberg and the performance of Peter Falk in only his third outing as Columbo.
Those of you who have watched the earlier pilot episodes will recogonise this as the first apperance of Columbo as we have all grown to love him.
Any way, as I write this, Its almost midnight, its raining, the wind is blowing and its time to watch the next episode of Columbo.....
Monday, October 11, 2004
Changes
Well as you can see.. I have made a few changes to the site. I have added a music page, an autos page, galley and links pages.
On these pages you should find information about my favourite musical artists and also favourite cars both new and classic. I'll also add a few news items, reviews etc etc. hopefully the music and autos pages will prove useful for fans of country music and American cars.
This main page will still cover the weekly events that shape my life (or not!!) and the gallery willbuild over time as a photographic record of my adventures.
The links page does exactly what it says on the label in providing links to other websites that I find enjoyable or amusing or useful (sometimes all three!!!)
Friday, October 08, 2004
That was the week that was
As you can see, I haven't posted anything since last Friday. Thats not to say that nothing has happened, only that I have hed so much going on that I haven't had time to post anything.
The trip to see 'Big Dog' Bill (or Big Dawg as he prefers to be known) was a success. We spent most of the time chilling out, pottering about and eating lots of tasty food.
Whilst in Stourbridge I bought the new Tim Mcgraw and Alan Jackson albums. Both of these were good purchases, and as usual both artists delivered the goods. I' ll be writing up some reviews soon.
The journey back from Stourbridge was was a complete nightmare... We experienced some of the worst driving conditions possible with huge winds and horizontal rain!
Its amazing that when everybody is crawling along at 50 mph some idiots still seem to think that 80mph in the outside lane is safe.
Friday, October 01, 2004
We're off on the road to Stourbridge...
I know what you are thinking.
Well actually I don't, if I did I know what you were thinking then I would be on Jerry Springer as some kind of 'white trash guru'.
Thats not a very good example. No special gifts are required to know what people are thinking about on Jerry Springer. FIGHT!! FIGHT!!! FIGHT!!!!
So what MIGHT you be thinking? The Road to Stourbridge? That doesn't sound very exciting.
Admitedly when I think of 'going on the road', I tend to think about Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, The Road to Morroco, Road to Utopia etc possibly Andrew & Greg on the road to Truro.. but thats another story for another day. When I think about going on the road I don't tend to think of road trips to the midlands. Not unless I am visiting Big Dog Bill, the best man at my recent wedding.
Why the name Big Dog Bill? Well he is a very big guy and his name is William so the name kind of works.
Anyway I am digressing again. Not only are Jenny and I looking forward to seeing Will, we are also looking forward to seeing his expensive DIY project. A new bathroom.
The story goes something like this.....
On my Stag weekend, Alasdair, Richard and myself stayed with Will in Stourbridge. We spent the Saturday shopping in Birmingham and wondering how long it would take for the new Bullring shopping centre to turn into something from a Phillip K Dick novel. I have never been inclined to eat sushi but the thought of sitting and eating it whilst being bombarded by subliminal and not so subliminal advertising whilst surrounded by flickering neon lights is a little bit to 'Blade Runner' for me.
Shopping was followed by a Indian meal and a few drinks at the local pub. It was all very civilised.
However during the course of the weekend, Richard, not knowing his own strength, managed to break one of the taps in the bathroom.
Under normal circumstances this would be no big deal. Unfortunately over the next few weeks William was unable to find a suitable replacement for the tap and so decided to purchase a complete new bathroom suite AND have the bathroom re-tiled and decorated.
Total cost? £2500. Thats a very expensive tap.
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