Music la la la....

Another bad night with the ankle pains - feels like my foot's coming away from the end of my leg - not to worry though...

Up early and prepared the breakfast...



Mid morning and the postie brings February's edition of Wire magazine. I suscribe to this periodical. I can't say I read very much of it though. I buy it mostly for the free CDs of weird music which are given away with it every so often....

Back in 2002 when I launched the Crispycat Website, one of my aims was to promote my more "experimental" music via the pages of this magazine but I've never gotten round to it, despite having renewed my subscribtion at least twice since then...

This month there is a weird double sided DVD with the magazine - it's called SonicActs XI :The Anthology of Computer Art and is promoting a festival of the same name which is taking place in Amsterdam next month (www.sonicacts.com)...

I love Amsterdam - must go there again soon...

As usual with the Wire promos, some of the stuff on the DVD is really good, some of it's pretty bad and some of it just makes you go "huh??"

Whilst downstairs to get the icepack from the fridge I flick the TV on and stumble across an old edition of "Horizon" which was discussing the extinction of the dinosaurs....

The latest theory is not that they were wiped out by an asteroid hitting the earth (although one did hit and seems to have been the final blow) but that the dinosaurs were gradually becoming extinct for around three milion years before that impact due to various other factors affecting their everyday lives...

A three million year wind-down...

And we think 100 years is a long time...

Inpired by the Wire DVD, I decided to explored the video making capabilities of the new digicam. Quality is good. It records around two minutes before running out of internal memory - but I also have a memory card I've not attached yet...

Mind you, I need a better subject than "me hobbling down the stairs" or "me preparing a sandwich for lunch"...

In the afternoon, I prepared a couple of recent CD orders and then tidied up in anticipation of the visit from Jim Park - the man who broke my ankle (completely unintentionally of course and with no blame attaching)...

Jim duly arrived and, as promised, he'd brought some exotic fruit including a pineapple, some lychees, a big round yellow thing whose name escapes me, a banana, some tasty strawberries and some very small oranges (possibly tangerines) and a couple more bananas - all of which was very much appreciated...

Here's Jim with his big pineapple in his hand...



I'd liked to have been able to go to Glasgow tonight to see Dar Wiliams but my leg's not up to it, though I am hoping to make it to a classical music concert tomorrow night...

We had a lovely curry for tea whilst watching "Coronation Street", follwed by Jim's strawberries - then I went off upstairs to sort out the categories and mail out the voting papers for the 2006 Five a Sides Awards Night next month....

The 2004 Xmas Awards didn't happen till April thanks to my procrastination and became the 2005 Awards, so we're getting the 2006 awards in early. Of course with the old broken ankle I'm having to seriously consider whether I'll return to play again at some point...

The last eight weeks has been a hard price to pay for the privilege of an hour's worth of mostly being bent over double out of breath with my hands on my knees or being hit on the legs, body and face whilst utilising my excellent goalkeeping methods...

I am certainly not the player I was even ten or twelve years ago (despite Jim's protestations otherwise - he's so kind!)

I mail out the categories to all and sundry and await the responses which I'll then need to collate and count prior to the Big Night...

Then, I came across a recent article at the BBC Website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4599340.stm) which confirms my growing fear re the worthlessness of music thanks to the proliferation of downloading and MP3s....

My own thoughts were sparked by being able to buy things like:-

Every edition of Now That's What I Call Music on 2 DVDs for a fiver
Every No 1 Hit from 1960-2005 on one DVD for a couple of quid
Three thousand hit singles on 3 DVDs for thirty quid
and, if I wanted,
The latest Top 60 albums on a couple of DVDs for a fiver....

Just go on to e-bay and search for "MP3 CD" and watch them all pop up - the entire recorded output of several bands is now available for around the price of a couple of pints of lager...

The BBC article says recent research by the University of Leicester has shown that the "Download Generation" is apathetic towards music and does not seriously appreciate songs or performances....

Apparently, the ease with which songs can now be accessed means many music "lovers" are no longer excited at discovering and playing unfamiliar work...

Psychologists monitored 346 people during two weeks to evaluate how they related to music...

They found music had "lost its aura", was seen as a commodity, is taken for granted, no longer requiring the "deep emotional commitment" which was once associated with music appreciation....

The Scientist in charge, a Dr North, opined that his findings
"could explain the popularity of TV talent shows such as X-Factor and Fame Academy, which give viewers a rare chance to engage and appreciate music and live performance that is missing for today's iPod generation"

To which I say "Eh???"

People are turning to the X Factor for musical appreciation????

He adds that, while in the 19th Century, music was seen as a highly valued treasure with fundamental and near-mystical powers of human communication, in stark contrast to previous generations, current mass media has meant music has become much more accessible and is now merely a soundtrack to everyday life, rather than something life-changing and special.

"The degree of accessibility and choice has arguably led to a rather passive attitude towards music heard in everyday life" he added.

I'll go along with that, but not the X Factor nonsense...

I finish off the day with the second episode of "Hyperdrive" and then a listen to the Wetton/Downes CD while Anne snoozed on the settee...

Highlight of the Day : A visit from Mr James Sebastian Park