The 194th day of the year
13.07.09
Wikipedia tells me that today is "the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 171 days remaining until the end of the year." Which suggests it is all downhill from here... or uphill depending on where on the globe you are.
Whilst in wiki mode, did you know - Ten songs written by Dave Dobbyn appeared in New Zealand's Top 100 songs as voted by APRA members?
These were:
- Dave Dobbyn - "Loyal"
- Dave Dobbyn with Herbs - "Slice of Heaven"
- DD Smash - "Whaling"
- Th' Dudes - "Be Mine Tonight"
- Dave Dobbyn - "Beside You"
- DD Smash - "Outlook For Thursday"
- Dave Dobyyn - "Language"
- Th' Dudes - "Bliss"
- Dave Dobbyn - "You Oughta Be In Love"
- Dave Dobbyn - "Naked Flame"
No wonder he was awarded the NZ Order Of Merit!
In strange facts you didn't know and might not believe, according to words found on the internet (so it must be true) Lockward Smith the Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives was a close friend of Michael Jackson:
"Dr Smith struck up an immediate friendship with the Jackson brothers, but says that he formed a particular rapport with Michael. "I stayed up all of that first night rappin' and jivin' with him, and by the morning we'd written the song Blame it on the Boogie. We played it to the rest of the band, and they decided to make it their next single. It went straight to number one."
From that moment on, Dr Smith says that he was virtually adopted into the Jackson family. "Joe used to refer to me as 'the sixth member of The Jackson 5ive'. People used to think that he was joking -- but he was completely serious."
Even if not true David Haywood's Public Address post is highly amusing and a cheery diversion for those feeling a Monday pick me up.
Release Of The Week
Dylan Storey - Out Of The Soup
What is the relevance of a concept album in today's climate of media and rapid information exchanges one might ask? In the age of instantly accessible downloadable singles, can an album stand in and of itself as a piece of art? It's possible that Dylan Storey's new album, Out Of The Soup, might shed some light on this question, as its broad yet distinctly themed collection of songs takes you on a journey through the history of human thought and the fate of mankind, as seen through the eyes of an armchair philosopher.
Auckland musician Dylan Storey didn't intend to write a concept album, it was just what came out of two unemployed summer weeks of all night music vigils, armed with a guitar, (well...5 guitars) a piano and a head full of thoughts on cosmology, evolutionary science, philosophy, religion, dogma and war. Contending with the piercing squawks of Black-Back Gulls nesting right outside the window, an irate, psychopathic, neighbour, a long overdue tax return and the incessant babble of Mt Eden housewives with designer Poodles drinking lattes at the cafe through the wall, a theme began to emerge.
With its uniquely New Zealand sound, and a style that ranges from laid back progressive alternative country to psychedelic jam rock, Out Of The Soup may not answer any questions, but it will provide a fantastic musical background to ponder them by.
Enjoy.
