Q magazine: as usual, wrong in every possible way

~ Inquisitor

Since when the hell was “I’m Not In Love” a guilty pleasure? And since when was “Life Is A Rollercoaster” anything but dire? I haven’t bought a copy of Q since they started printing paparazzi photos, and this only reaffirms my decision.

BBC Have Your Say is on target for once (and for the most part, thankfully, ignoring Gary Glitter’s inclusion), as people admit their own embarassing guilty ‘pleasures’: “Star Trekkin'”, “Barbie Girl”, “The One And Only”, “Ra Ra Rasputin”, “Remember You’re A Womble”.

My occasionally perverse liking of most things 80s leads me to suggest “Material Girl”. Yes, that “Material Girl”. What’s yours?

Mel Gibson is a drunk, speeding driver

~ Inquisitor

Not so holy now, are you?

The Oscar-winner, 50, was stopped after driving at 87mph in a 45mph zone in Malibu, California.

He failed a breath test, was charged with drink-driving and freed on bail.

Speeding and drink driving. Wow. Definite entrant into my “scumbags” category, especially since he only paid $5000 for his bail (probably because he’s a ‘sleb, or maybe… nah, not in 2006).

In case you’re wondering about my hatred of Mel Gibson: he’s a decentish actor who’s appeared in some decent films (the Mad Max series and Chicken Run) and he should stick to bloody acting instead of inflicting overwrought epics on us. Plus Braveheart comfortably takes the title of my least favourite movie of all time, followed up by Passion of the Christ, a 127-minute long torture scene with majorly uncomfortable homophobic overtones (in the Herod Agrippa sequences) and even more uncomfortable graphic torture (only made bearable with the addition of the Benny Hill music, a bit of a surprise in itself). I have seen Japanese movies which are much more bearable than Passion, despite being more graphic, because it’s obvious that the film-maker isn’t actually enjoying the depiction or (in the case of Takashi Miike), at least, is trying to make a point with it.

So Mel’s been in a lot of stuff I hate and, what’s more, was completely responsible for it, so anything that takes him down a peg is fine by me.

Plus, let’s face it, driving drunk is lame.

UPDATE: Gibson apparently made anti-Semitic remarks:

“The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: ‘F*****g Jews… The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.’ Gibson then asked the deputy, ‘Are you a Jew?'”

Definite scumbag. See Orac for a decent historical discussion.

Music choices of the Commons

~ Inquisitor

According to the British Library (via the Guardian), the top favourite album of British MPs is Led Zeppelin II.

Not actually a bad choice, to be honest – and a cross-party choice, probably one of very few things Damien Green (Tory immigration shadow) and Lembit Opik agree on. There’s some amusement in there: Mark Oaten’s choice was the Human League’s Dare! (I’m saying nothing – I like it a lot myself), Michael Howard went for the White Album, Greg Pope went for Never Mind The Bollocks, and Galloway picked Blood On The Tracks. How so very appropriate.

When even Tory MPs like Zeppelin, rock’s very own Satanic scapegoat until Black Sabbath came along, we know that rock has truly entered and capitulated the establishment. Does this matter? Probably not – MPs will always be a bit remote by nature, and surveys like this always provide a bit of amusement.

But hey, it’s always nice to know.

Shortlist shortcomings

~ Inquisitor

The Mercury Music 2006 shortlist has now been announced, and it’s a bit of a downer. Kate Bush and the Pet Shop Boys are missing, despite both having released brililant albums in the last year; no Mogwai and no Boards of Canada. However, Hot Chip, the Ludicrously Overrated Arctic F***ing Monkeys and Editors are on despite the fact that their albums are distinctly average at best and excruciating at worst (Hot Chip, I’m looking at you). Lauren Laverne thinks it’s a “really good list”, which says everything.

Thom Yorke, please. Wouldn’t mind Muse either. Still should have been Aerial.

The day in stupidity

~ Inquisitor

Bobby Gillespie has apparently been beaten up in Madrid. Probably wasn’t because of the Scream’s new album – he has a tendency to mouth off extremely stupid things about world politics, especially Israel/Palestine – but it should have been, ’cause it’s terrible. Shame, really, I like XTRMNTR a lot (despite the stupid politics) and wish they’d do more in the same vein.

And also in stupid politics, Bush has confounded even the harshest of critics’ expectations with his truly awe-inspiring CCTV-monitored conversation with Blair, who doesn’t exactly distinguish himself either. I mean, “Yo Blair“? Come on, this is the leader of the free world we’re talking about here and he sounds like he’s just got his first Myspace profile.

Much of the media are, like the sheep that they are, focusing on the fact that Bush refers to the Israel/Lebanon situation using the word “shit”, which is really the least interesting thing about the transcript (a better translated, but incomplete version is on the BBC website) – in fact, more interesting is that he refers to it as “ironic”, which indicates a complete lack of understanding of what irony is. The conversation does indicate that Bush has some kind of control, but in a very “folksy” and unprofessional way; it also shows his complete dislike for all things “ceasefire”, unsurprisingly.

It’s a must see document, mainly because we shouldn’t be seeing it – although all professional politicians are supposedly trained to treat mics as live at all times, so who knows why it them so long to turn it off? Oh well, it’s one of the few times that we actually get to see the real, un-stage-managed, Special Relationship, and for that we must be thankful to whoever left the mic on.

Scary people

~ Inquisitor ~ 2 Comments

Because Israel and Lebanon are hurling threats and bombs at each other, it must be APOCALYPSE TIME! At least according to denizens of the Christian fundamentalist Rapture Ready messageboard.

Choice quote:

I am excited beyond words that the struggle of this life may be over soon and I can finally be FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

You know this is a bit embarrassing for them because when the link to the thread started spreading among the US lefty blogosphere, the board killed it off. Gee, wonder why? It exposes what the Christian right really think about world events – as a sort of paranoiac, list-making exercise in misguided, greedy self-confidence. Everything must be linked in God’s glorious plan, after all, no matter how awful or screwed up it may seem to the rest of us.

And don’t forget, we’re looking here right at the percentage of the US population who’ll still vote for Bush. We’re looking here, possibly, at Bush. They have their hand on the Bomb, and they hope every day for Armageddon. Doesn’t that just scare the shit out of you?

(via: Pharyngula, Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion.)

Shine on, Syd

~ Inquisitor

Syd Barrett has died, age 60. BBC says complications of diabetes, Guardian says cancer (and has a really good obituary talkback on their Culture Vulture blog, as well as a decent Xan Brooks piece.)

Pink Floyd mean a lot to me, but I’m from a post-Syd age; he hasn’t been seen in public, unless you count paparazzi/deranged-fan photos, for the entire period of time I’ve been alive. No music, just a self-imposed exile, occasionally disturbed by idiots seeking out something that only existed in their mind. Poor guy.

But we’ve still got Piper at the Gates of Dawn. And The Madcap Laughs. And if it hadn’t been for Syd, we wouldn’t have Pink Floyd’s great 70s albums, much of which emanates from the band’s guilt trip about what happened to Syd (especially on Dark Side and Wish You Were Here.) And for that, we all need to pay our respects.

Good news, and follow-ups

~ Inquisitor ~ 1 Comment

In the good news, Jim Davidson has been declared bankrupt because he won’t pay his tax bill (serves him right for living in Dubai, not to mention being a racist, sexist little shit).

If you delve deep into the BBC Europe site, however, you find some much worse news relating to the League of Polish Families (UKIP’s bunk-mates in the European Parliament), a seriously dodgy ultra-ultra-Catholic political party which has an unfortunately large role in the current Polish government. One of the party’s founders said the following at a Europarl commemoration of 70 years since the Spanish Civil War:

Thanks to the Spanish army and Franco the communist attack on Catholic Spain was thwarted. The presence of such people in European politics as Franco guaranteed the maintenance of traditional values in Europe and we lack such statesmen today. Christian Europe is losing against atheistic socialists today and this has to change.

[BBC News, “Europe diary: Franco and Finland”]

Wow! And he has the cheek to call other people “revisionists”. Those people who Franco made disappear would probably differ on that one, but hey. “Atheistic socialists”? Give me a break.

One would suspect Jesus wouldn’t have appealed much to him.

I’ll never insult the German people again

~ Inquisitor

I just downloaded the full install of XP SP2 at 4.7MB/second. MB, not Mb. MB. It actually took IE longer to do its stupid “copying from C:\temp to D:\” thing than it did to download the file. I didn’t think you could get an Internet connection that fast in the real world… Firefox took seconds to download, too.

Yes, I’m in Germany. Not for the World Cup (that would have been a disincentive normally), but on a student exchange programme that Shall Not Be Named. I’ve been going around the country for a while and haven’t had an Internet connection, but now I’ve settled down and registered for in-room Internet, and the connection is fast, fast, fast. So expect Deutsche-Blogging from now onwards for a few months.

I’m in the East in a small, pretty (apart from where the DDR got a hold of it) university town. The weather is hot and bright, and yet not too disincentivising. It’s a beautiful country, too. And electronics prices here are surprisingly low – I just bought a 512MB SD card for €16.99 (£11.76) from the German equivalent of Comet, K&B, which as far as I can see only eBuyer type places can beat in the UK. And wouldn’t you rather buy from a shop than eBuyer? I know I would.

It’s going to be an interesting few months, that’s for sure. In the meantime, however, I’m going to go off to my local large screen, drink beer (obviously, this is Germany) and watch Germany-Italy with my fellow trainees. Speak to you later.