No Good Deed ...

'No Good Deed Goes Unpunished' is one of the better songs in the second act of 'Wicked'. Basically, Elpheba gets fed up with trying to help people only for that help to go wrong in some way.

This morning I gave up my seat on the Tube to a pregnant woman. I was clearly the oldest person in that part of the carriage. The woman wasn't heavily pregnant, maybe 5-6 months, but still clearly had a bun in the oven. No-one moved. So I did. The young woman gave me a look almost as if to say, 'why did it take you so long?' and sat down. No smile, no word of thanks. She took my seat.

Why did I do that? Why didn't others? Because of my slipped disc, then I often need a seat since every little jerk of the carriage can be agony but I always try to avoid sitting in the 'disabled' seat beside the carriage doors since there's probably someone who needs it more than me. But, more often than not. it's filled by a young person who bounds into the carriage as the doors shut, swing round the rail and sit down without thinking. I suspect they don't *need* that seat. It's not just young people, older people often take the 'disabled' seat as well whether they need it or not.

Earlier as I was getting on the Tube someone else just moved in front of me and got on. I was standing right in front of the door where the train stopped so there was no question about who should step on first. But the lad in the suit moved in front of me and got on. He said 'sorry' as he did so, but he did it. Pushed in front to get into an empty carriage. An *empty* carriage with space for everyone. But he had to get on first.

I suppose it's the unthinking nature of this behaviour that bugs me. What's happened to personal space? What's happened to people? What's happened to basic humanity and common feeling? What's happened to thinking that someone else might actually exist?

'Song Of The French Partisan' by Buffy Sainte-Marie

A new video of Buffy playing 'Song Of the French Partisan' live (scroll in 30 seconds after she talks about Leonard Cohen).



Another aspect of war.

The B-52's at The Funplex

Tonight was the long awaited B-52's gig at the Funplex (as I re-named The Roundhouse for the night). It's been 30 years a-coming and they were well worth the wait. They are mad and gorgeous and glorious and the world is a much better place for their being in it.

I can't believe how excited I was getting and then there they were on stage, Cindy wreathed in smiles and barefoot, Kate tossing her red locks, both having activated their shimmy mechanism as soon as they stepped on stage, and Fred and Keith looking impossibly thin in skin-tight trews. The bassist (who's name I missed) fitted right in in her silver lurex mini-frock, plus drummer and keyboard/guitarist. And so the magic began...

They opened with 'Pump', the opening track from the new album, 'Funplex', and one of my favourites. Kate pumped her arms up and down, Fred declamed in true fashion and Cindy skipped around the stage (I worried she might step on something without shoes), while Keith was all guitar-hero. Kate didn't stop moving throughout the show, shimmying over to sing beside Cindy and back to her place again, arms up and moving, working the audience and being thoroughly gorgeous. I was delighted to see Cindy get a couple of bongo solos when she wasn't dancing around the stage and singing. They were all so *up* that it was a delight to see them. I was covered in smiles from the start, clapping and drumming along, singing and slipping further into the Funplex with every song. It was one of those gigs that should've just gone on and on.

Their whole career was represented tonight and it was a joy to behold. They're probably got three main periods - the new wave start in the late '70s beginning with 'Rock Lobster', their mainstream days with 'Cosmic Thing' in the late '80s and the present, with the excellent 'Funplex'. They played songs from each of those periods and proudly paraded a few inbetweenies, like 'Mesopotamia' and 'Private Idaho'.

Fred left the stage while the girls sang the new single, 'Juliet Of the Spirits' and (one of my favourites) 'Roam', and I think that's something I really like about the B-52's - they have three lead singers. Each of them can take the lead or they can share it out in almost call-and-response mode, and it all works. And they all have the stage presence to keep your eyes glued to whoever is leading at any particular time. They've been doing this for long enough to know what to do and they gave us the full package, full throttle, tonight. And I am so pleased that they did.

How can I possibly choose any favourites from a nearly perfect gig? Perfection would've required at least another two hours on stage... 'Pump' is a great opener and I like 'Juliet Of The Spirits', 'Hot Corner' (with its chorus that I hear as 'waiting for the bus from London to come'), 'Love In The Year 3000' with Fred's time machine and, after a truly great 'Funplex', Fred advised us not to go shopping at the local mall on pills and booze but I'm not sure anyone was listening to him... Of the oldies I'd pick out 'Roam' and 'Love Shack', both timeless glories. Going further back, I was gobsmacked to see and hear 'Planet Claire' and a euphoric 'Rock Lobster'. I bought the 'Rock Lobster' single back in 1978 (with the black and white plate-spinner picture sleeve) and never expected to see them play it live. But they did. And I saw Fred miming rowing to safety and bashing the lobster over the head so he could escape it's grasp. As I said earlier, mad.

This was a marvellous gig. If you missed it, shame on you. It didn't have a flash light-show or special effects but it did have four special people on stage who've written and performed some glorious music over the years. It was a thrill and a privilege to witness them in action tonight. Come back soon and share the madness and euphoric glory. Please?


Let's 'Keep This Party Going' shall we?

Giggin'

When I left work this evening I automatically plugged my iPod into my ears to drift away on the journey home. I decided to listen to the B-52's to make sure I'm word perfect for tomorrow's long-awaited gig. And then I had a shock - I couldn't recall my last gig. It was, of course, Mary J Blige at the O2 at the start of June. That seems so long ago for some reason.

I missed a few gigs during my sojourn to the wild North last month - the Yazoo reunion gig, Tom Tom Club at this years' Meltdown festival and Lou Reed performing 'Berlin' at the Royal Albert Hall. I'm seeing The B-52's tomorrow, followed by Macy Gray at the end of the month and then Amanda Palmer at the ICA in August. August is a quiet month...

September opens with a snarl from the Sex Pistols, X-Ray Spex and Madonna in just over a week, followed by Shelby Lyne and Ronnie Spector later in the month. October sees Amanda Palmer, Boy George, Beth Rowley and (um....) Alphabeat... Shockingly there's nothing in November but December opens with the Steel City Tour of the Human League/ABC/Heaven 17 triple bill and, of course, the Merry Xmas Tour with the mighty Slade!

No doubt more will be added - Blood Red Shoes are touring in Europe in October so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a mini-tour before Christmas.

I'm looking forward to all these gigs (well, nearly all) and it'll be great to see Amanda again (twice!) but you know what? The one I'm *really* looking forward to is X-Ray Spex - I want to see the world turn day-glo!

In the meantime, I want to hear Fred shout out that he's "a fully eroticised being" while Kate and Cindy do their shimmer thing. Watch out Camden - my funky thang will be shaken at the Funplex tomorrow night and no apologies offered!

Eliza v Santi

I bought two new records today, both very good in very different ways, or maybe not so different really.

'Dreams Of Breathing Underwater' by Eliza Carthy

Eliza last graced my CD player with her excellent work with The Imagined Village project so it was with some trepidation that I got her new solo record but it's instantly enjoyable. Different musical styles all united by her vision and voice (and violin), from the raw electric guitar on 'Follow The Dollar' to mariarchi brass on 'Mr Magnifico' via some more traditional folk sounds and Indian-tinged 'Lavenders.'

I don't know how the 'folk community' has greeted this album but I like it. There's something here for everyone who has vague folk leanings and I'd love to see Eliza perform these songs. I saw her a few years ago on one of the Meltdown nights that Patti Smith curated and it was great to see Eliza on that stage singing her traditional folk songs unaccompanied and joking with the audience, ' you didn't think I'd do a cheerful one, did you?'. This collection of songs isn't a set of dirges by any means and deserves lots of listens.

'Santogold' by Santogold

Santogold (Santi White) is in a very different place to Eliza. I've resisted listening to Santogold because of the hype until I listened to a few songs on the Pretty Much Amazing music blog and fell in love with two tracks - 'I'm A Lady', a very classy pop song, and 'Get It Up' (Radioclit remix featuring M.I.A. and Gorilla Zoe). 'Get It Up' isn't on the album but it's full of powerful pow wow singing and I've fallen for the sound of the track - I can't tell who's singing at any given time but that doesn't matter, it's the sonic experience that pulls me in.

So, what about the album? It's a big record, lots of styles and sounds that showcase Santogold, great pop songs with bits of hip hop, electronica and reggae thrown in for good measure (and can I hear a bit of Blondie in 'Lights Out'?). It's well worth a listen. Play it loud.

The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor

This film has my name on it. It even has snow!

Suzi Quatro 'Unzipped'

Some of you might recall that I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Suzi Quatro twice last summer, firstly at a gig she played at a strange festival in Wimbledon and then at a book signing/talk to promote her autobiography on Charing Cross Road. The Wild One was in full rock swagger mode both times and it was a thrill to see her and meet her, even briefly. Leather was, of course, involved both times.

That's where the title of her autobiog comes from, unzipping her leather catsuit to reveal the real Quatro beneath. 'Unzipped' is Suzi's autobiography and I finally got round to reading it yesterday in one (long) sitting. It's a good read, telling the tale of Suzi from Detroit to New York to London to achieve fame and fortune, touring with SLADE and Thin Lizzie in 1972 (the tour I didn't see), having No. 1 hits and touring around the world, joining the Fonze in 'Happy Days', taking to the stage to escape her marriage and even writing a musical (o yes, dear reader) to re-marrying, perpetual touring, becoming a grandmother and making a 'come-back' album, the great 'Back To The Drive'.

The book is an enjoyable read, a good page-turner wanting to see what happens next. Suzi writes in two voices - 'little Susie from Detroit' and 'Suzi Quatro' and, occasionally, the two of them discuss a particular episode. Ever self-effacing and striving for honesty, for every 'good' thing or adventure there's a 'bad' one and she admits her faults and failings, both as a rock star and a mother. It's an enjoyable book and she wrote it herself (no ghost writer).

Suzi will probably never get the full credit she deserves because she made it in the 'glam' era and was part of the Chinichap stable but she changed music for women and provided a different role model. One of the best things she ever did was to team up with Andy Scott, another Chinichap survivor (from Sweet), and deliver the excellent 'Back To The Drive' album. C'mon Suzi, we need more...

Nightclub School

I'm having a wierd weekend re-discovering the music of the early '80s and gradually remembering why it's not one of my favourite musical eras. Now, I'm all for a bit of electronica and some hedonism, but it all seemed to go just a little bit too far.

When I think of that period now I automatically see Boy George's 'Taboo' musical in my minds eye, Steve Strange and Marilyn doing their stuff, Petal flogging drugs to all and sundry and it all being a little bit sordid and selfish. I've just been listening to Visage's 'The Anvil' which includes the refrain, 'nightclub school' and that sort of sums it up for me - the view that the most important thing in the world is learning how to present oneself appropriately at a nightclub. Now, in part, that was all a reaction to punk, with people wanting to get dressed up and be different, and using the new electronic instruments to signal a sonic and visual difference. But it also partially led to the 'me me me' generation of Thatchers children later in the decade. Total self-absorption isn't pretty.

'Crayons' by Donna Summer

I finally picked up Donna Summer's new record this evening, her first in 17 years. I've only listened to it once so far but I've no doubt that repeated listenings will be rewarding - she's still got the voice and she's sounding good. It will be loaded onto my iPod before the night is out.

I haven't seen any 'proper' reviews but the blogs I've seen all seem to comment on how she's trying out different styles in most tracks but I don't really hear that. It sounds like an album should do to me, with a bit of variety , some fast and some slow and very much in the 21st Century - having said that, two of my favourites hark back to late '70s classic disco Donna ('I'm A Fire' and 'It's Only Love' - mega-groovy long dance tracks).

A couple of the tracks sound like bog-standard 'girl singer' songs these days - the songs, the structure, the production, which is odd since she co-wrote all the songs. What makes them different is Donna's voice - still powerful and strong - and that's what sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.

'The Queen Is Back' is a quasi autobiographical song announcing that Donna is back in suitably dramatic style. And she is! 'Fame (The Game)' is, for me, the first punchy Donna track, electronic disco like in olden days that demands to be played loud and often. 'Driving Down Brazil' introduces some infectious Latin beats which breaks the album up nicely. 'Slide Over Backwards' is a lovely bit of swampy funk with an hypnotic chorus line. The final track, 'It's Only Love' is classic Donna with a slight hint of 'I Feel Love' to remind us who the Queen really is and it works excellently, especially the sudden ending which seems to suggest that it could go on forever or just stop.

'Who Killed Amanda Palmer?' Tracklisting

The tracklist for Amanda Palmer's solo record is now available:

1. Astronaut
2. Runs in the Family
3. Ampersand
4. Leeds United
5. Blake Says
6. Strength Through Music
7. Guitar Hero
8. Have to Drive
9. What's the Use of Wondrin
10. Melissa Mahoney
11. The Point of It All
12. Another Year

I've heard some of these songs before and some I've played for ages in live versions but it'll be great to hear studio versions. I'm particularly pleased to see the inclusion of 'Ampersand', one of my favourite Amanda songs. There's a new video for it on YouTube here where you can listen to it and see the visual depiction of the song ... but I'm not looking at it. I'll wait for the record to come out to listen to it for the first time in all it's new glory. I am *so* restrained....