BBC Two was showing The Bloxham Tapes, in which Magnus Magnusson investigated the work of Arnall Bloxham who, over a 20 year period, hypnotised 400 people and recorded them talking about their previous lives.
Was this proof of reincarnation?
I don't know but I do remember watching it.
On BBC One, we got a less astral offering, with Taste for Adventure: The Game of Genghis Khan, a documentary which followed Raheem Mohammed as he travelled to a buzkashi game in the foothills of the Hindu Kush. There, he joined battle with another 130 horsemen in a game more like war than sport. As we all know, buzkashi is a game brought to Afghanistan by Genghis Khan and his Mongol hordes. You don't see many games that were brought to Afghanistan by Genghis Khan and his Mongol hordes, on BBC One, at peak-viewing time, these days.
When it came to music, surely the highlight of the week had to be that Jilted John by Jilted John was at number 10 on the UK singles chart. How could anyone dispute that it was indeed the greatest Punk song of them all?
The Star Wars regulars are still having trouble with Crimson Jack. At least they're not having trouble with Fiery Jack.
Meanwhile, Star-Lord is stuck on a desert planet, with an alien who wants to kill him. Fortunately, our hero has an unlikely ally, in a desert bug who likes to suck every drop of moisture from its victims.
What the Watcher is up to this issue, I could not say but I do know that epic Steve Does Comics football icon Fatty Foulke is once more on the back cover and still advertising crisps.
Hooray! The Leader's humanoids are back!
I always had a soft spot for the Leader's humanoids, even if they never seemed to prove more than a minor annoyance to the Hulk.
But I do love how grumpy they look on this cover.
Then again, I suppose that, if your life consisted entirely of fighting the Hulk, you probably would look grumpy.
But why, exactly, did the Leader cover them in polka dots?
I'm no expert on military equipment but I do suspect that if one was hit by a bazooka, from a distance of a few feet away, one wouldn't be shouting, "No! Nooo!" One would be too busy going splat. Clearly, the Green Goblin's made of strong stuff.
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Is that Star Wars cover the earliest know example of the Tory party conference 'power stance'?
I am genuinely starting to wonder now if that's where they got it from.
Week 7 of 10 in the Green Goblin story. In the actual comic the bazooka shells explode around the glider (allowing Spider-Man to escape) rather than hitting the Goblin.
The highlight for me this week is the Goblin calling his prisoner a microcephalic moron.
Next week will be far more interesting.
Tim (hope you're ok with your name being shortened to Tim) - any idea of C-3PO's position on the EU, whether no deal is better than a bad deal?
Can't say I'm much up on Star Wars, but didn't the whole thing start with a fight over trade deals according to the Phantom Menace?
-sean
Sean, Tim is fine :) C3PO does have the hint of a robotic Rees-Mogg about him.
The comparison of Brexit to the Phantom Menace is probably a fair one, there was a lot of enthusiasm for it but now nobody likes to talk about it
Steve-
I've have never heard of "Jilted John", but now you are adventuring into the punk rock "dimension".
I'll track it down and give it a listen.
It could mean that, in punk rock appreciation terms, one of us is either Dr. Strange or Dormmamu. The statement you made about that song was very bold.
I do hope that until I get back to you on this subject you know, all the universe if not all reality, hangs in the balance.
Is Spidey in a plastic bag? Doesn't he know this is not a toy! He could suffocate!
W.t.h.!!!
It's certainly not very environmentally friendly, Charlie. Does he not know paper bags are more socially responsible?
Killdumpster, now I'm worried that my musical credibility is doomed.
Sean, The Phantom Menace did indeed start with a lengthy discussion about trade deals. I have no doubt it was just what Star Wars fans had been dreaming of in the 15 years in which they'd been waiting for a new installment.
Dangermash, thanks for the bazooka clarification.
Come to think of it Steve, wasn't Jilted John from Sheffield - surely he's even more legendary than that Fatty goalkeeper geezer?
Personally though I've always thought the greatest punk rock single was Death Disco by Public Image Ltd.
-sean
Nowadays if you want to see documentaries about games brought to Afghanistan by Genghis Khan you need to watch BBC Four. Poor old BBC One is a shadow of its' former self.
Spidey does seem curiously unconcerned about being sealed in a plastic bag!
Greatest punk single? Surely God Save The Queen. Perhaps it's time for another of your legendary polls, Steve!
You know... living in the USA Düring punks brief presence, I missed out! That being said Adam Antbsaid he traded his marginal career in punk for new wave because there are only so many ways to spit on people and / or cut yourself so it was a dead end. Can you UK gents comment? I found his quote intriguing!
Charlie - www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_HszocRxSg
-sean
Charlie-
Punk was here in the states years before it was "invented" in England. The Stooges (Iggy Pop's original band), New York Dolls, Runaways, MC-5,etc in the 70's. 80' and well into the nineties gave us the Misfits, Dead Kennedys, DRI, Agent Orange, Necros (mn I could go on forever).
Dead Milkmen, Dr.Know, Tex & the Horseheads, (Ill stop for the 80's to 90's there.
More contemporary popular punk was Suicidal Tendencies, Corrosion of Conformity, & the Rage Against the Machine. Nirvana & Green Day were once considered "punk".
Punk was here first and never left. Guess you got married and had kids early, so you didn't get out much. Lol
Sean, Jilted was indeed from Sheffield.
Colin, I shall see what I can do on the Punk Poll front.
Charlie and Killdumpster, I do feel that both the US and UK made valuable contributions to the field of Punk, although, of course, Belgium was the real capital of Punk, thanks to Plastic Bertrand.
Well, I was 19 in 1980 so during the 70s we went from "rock n roll" to "new wave" with under currents of disco through out. Maybe the train briefly stopped at punk but other than hearing about the sex pistols, never heard a song. None of my friends in high school or college / frat life listened to it.
Growing up in Gary (home of Michael Jackson and VJ Records which signed the first Beatles contract in the USA) we were pretty much "main stream" with a very heavy dose of MoTown.
Even now when I dig out my 1983 issue of Newsweek which features the British Invasion it has a page on punk and shows the same picture I've seen 1000 times of the Sex Pistols where the one dude is cut up all over and bleeding. And they spend more time talking about Malcolm McClaren than punk, seemingly seeing it as a brief pause between rock and new wave.
So... what can I say? My experience was probably the same as 99% of folks my age, lol, living in the heartland, but for the MoTown. Anyhow, once Motown split for LA it was never the same... no heart and too much glitz.
Didn't you still have P-Funk though - George Clinton and that lot - after Motown split to the west coast, Charlie?
My impression is that although there were punk scenes in large melting pots like New York and LA, the thing didn't really go national in the US, apart from the sub-cultural inroad of hardcore in the '80s.
In the UK - partly because of the jubilee scandal, but mainly because being a much smaller territory its easier to break a band nationally - punk went mainstream very quickly in '77, but I don't think you were missing much really. I suppose it depends what you consider to be punk, but so far as the mainstream was concerned it was pretty much over by'79, although it lingered as a subcultural prescence til raves and ecsatasy kicked in big time at the end of the'80s.
-sean
Sean, that is a great synopsis. Wish I could commit to memory for a reference. The whole Parliament - George Clinton style was a genre unto itself, from my view of the world, lol.
My old man would tune into the local Gary station which would play a variety of stuff. Gary had a large african-american culture so we got a heavy dose of Motown and also another form of "black" music referred to as some type of jazz. I just don't recall how we called it but it was basically the forerunner of "P Funk" and hip hop I would suggest.
When I worked for a sound & light production company 50% of the shows I did from the 80's & 90's were punk. And I was busy. From rather large venues to kids renting halls to put on shows.
I loved seeing the look on old peoples faces when the kids would rent a hall at a VA or Elks club.
Mohawks, serious leather and spiky colored hair, before it was fashionable. Their jaws would drop up & down like a Tex Avery cartoon.
Howlingly priceless.
Charlie, a kind of jazz that was a forerunner of hip hop... are you thinking of people like Gil Scott-Heron? Because I'm not sure what you'd call that either - those old '70s independent jazz-types all had very individual styles.
-sean
Ok, Steve.I checked out Jilted John. It definitely has the classic British punk sound, and the videos on YouTube were entertaining.
While kinda funny (I believe it's considered a novelty song) and actually good, I cant say it's the greatest.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention.I'm going to download it and drive my friends crazy with it.
Hmm...a post about favorite punk tunes..
Hi Sean,
I just don't know what I'd call it and I would not be good for categorizing things either as I grew up in a black and white world and we just kind of lumped things into the demographic of the creator not the style of music. (Just like record stores back in the day: "rock" and "r & b")
A neat "case study" is to check out "Money Dude Tazo" on youtube who I know fairly well (long story). CHeck out his stuff from 6 years ago vs. his latest "What if I'd?" He moved from Chicago to LA so you get a migration from foul-mouthed rap to now a slick looking video filmed in the desert. WHat would I call it? Hell if I know, LOL.
Steve, If you do a post on favorite punk, that would give us a chance to immerse into the artistic pain & glory of Siouxsie & the Banshees.
Growing up in the "sticks" did not avail me to funk. I only discovered it in the mid 80's, but fell in love with it. It was more fun to dance to than disco. I had a compilation called "All-Star Funk" that was excellent. Basically a funk's greatest hits. It didn't have Rick Jame tho. That guy was amazing live.
KD we just played "Punk ROck Girl" by The Dead Milkmen at my Ukelele group this Saturday morning. Admittedly I've never heard the original but it don't sound like "punk" to me.
To my stereotypical idea of punk, I don't see the band spitting on the crowd, smacking each other with guitars, etc. over this tune as they perform it, lOl.
Who the hell is Mojo Nixon b.t.w?
Charlie-
There are more sub-genres of "punk" than you could shake a stick at.lol.
The Milkmen are considered "folk-punk". I set up for those guys, and they were fun to work with.
There's punkabilly, technopunk,cowpunk,hardcore,retropunk, crossover and on and on.
Virtually every form of music has gotten a "punk rock treatment". Even opera and classical.
Oh, and Mojo Nixion RULES!
Punk, while there are is a kind of basic template, is more about energy & attitude than anything, with possible opinion, message and/or humor.
Mojo had a minor hit, "Elvis Is Everywhere". He has a bunch of albums.
Highly recommend. I forgot about the Mojo reference in "Punk Rock Girl".
A couple more favorites of his are "I Hate Banks", "Where The Hell's My Money?" and "Feeling Fine By The Powerlines".
He'd be considered folk/cow-punk. Lotsa comedy.
Punk has transcended from spitting, bleeding and showering the audience with beer. Not that it doesn't still happen tho.lol.
Hokey smoke, Bullwinkle! A ukele group? Talk about punk rock pioneer possibilities!
Charlie-
I was more or less in a local punk band called Grateful Unborn (I played bass when the real guy was in jail, lol.) I had made their backdrop banner, Casper the friendly ghost lying in a puddle of blood with a giant coathanger in his belly, waving to the audience.
We did pornographic parodies of Grateful Dead songs, along with Pistols, Misfits, ect covers.
One of our originals was "They're Always After Me Lucky Charms". The lead singer would shower the kids with cereal. BOXES of it!
That was the only abuse we did to the fans. Some of the kids would scoop it up off the floor and eat it. How punk is that?
Must've been because of the marshmallow shapes or the lack of jobs here on the upper East coast. Or marijuana munchies. Lol.
Charlie, if your ukulele army are doing the Milkmen, some of their other "hits" could lend themselves to your format.
Big Lizard In The Backyard, The Thing That only Eats Hippies & the Pit come to mind.
Please do not attempt Bitchin' Camaro, Charles Nelson Reilly or If You love Somebody Better Set Them On Fire. Those songs are better set for banjo.
Just looking out for ya, bro.
Man, back when the music industry was booming I'd offer to be your manager. That'd be me, the Malcolm McLaren of the ukelele set. Did you pick that up in your frat house?
I have memories from old movies of frat boys in giant fur coats with turned up hats in the front. Desi Armed tried to promote ukelele, think he had a business investment.
Then there was Tiny Tim. "Tip-toe Thru The Tulips" wad on the radio every 20 minutes.
Indeed you can see Uke being played in numerous movies as mentioned above.
Uke was fairly popular in the USA for throughout the 1900s until 1970 when Tiny Tim single- handedly put all the nails in its coffin popularity went to 0. No man would want to be mentioned in the same breath as Tiny Tim.
THen around 2005 there was a massive (and that is not an understatement) resurgence. No one quite knows why... was it Jake playing this god-like version of While My Guitar Weeps on youtube? Was it Paul McCartney on tour playing "Something" on the Uke as a tribute to George? Weezer? Was it some other event in the media?
The best explanation I heard was that kids had never heard of Tiny Tim and their Uke-playing grandparents had died off taking the Tiny Tim effect with them, to the grave.
Why did my son and I start playing around 2005? My dad (at 70 years old) suddenly got his Uke out of mothballs and started playing again and my 7 year old took to it like a fish to water.
THe Uke club I go to once a month on Saturday has 50-60 folks show up. We play and sing along to everything from "5'2 Eyes of BLue" (1920s) to Punk Rock Girl to WHen the Saints GO Marching In.
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