In Fact, Ah: September 2005

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Why blogging could be dogging for all they know ...

Does your Mom know what a blog is? Unlikely. Does your friend who works as a baker know what a blog is? Unlikely. So what's the point?

According to a recent poll conducted in the UK, only 28% of those sampled knew what a blog was. To my mind this is quite a high figure. A mere 12% were aware of what podcasting entailed. Unfortunately, no reason was given by the company who conducted the poll as to why so few people know what these emerging trends are.

Here's my take. Blogging for the main part is free for the blogger apart from the hosting costs for those with their own domain. Adsense aside, there's little money to be made from it. Blogging is not a commercial entity. It's not driven and promoted by many corporate interests. When was the last time you saw a billboard saying "Get your blog now ..."? Even mainstream media give little airtime to the goings-on in the blogosphere.

Published by Colm.

28.9.05 | Permalink |

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Only Meant to Say

Saturday 24th marked the second anniversary of a talented yet sadly departed singer-songwriter. Matthew Jay was found dead after falling down seven storeys from his apartment window in North London. Nobody else was present at the time of his death.

His legacy remains one of the best folk pop albums of the past decade. I can remember where, when and how "Draw" struck me after first hearing it in September 2001.

Published by Colm.

27.9.05 | Permalink |

Blair seeks to arm Saudi Arabia for £40bn

It's funny isn't it. On a historic day for the people of the North and the Republic, Tony Blair comes out with a quote that makes a mockery of what he's really about. He says, "This may be the day when finally after all the false dawns and dashed hope, peace replaced war, politics replaces terror on the island of Ireland". On the very same day, it's revealed that Tony Blair and his Labour government seek to trade arms with the Saudis to the tune of £40bn.

Despite the War on Terror, despite the London bombings, despite the fact that the real reason for poverty in Africa is because the UK supplies arms to corrupt regimes, despite the fact that the IRA have destroyed their arsenal (contestable), Tony Blair and his henchmen are looking to arm the Middle East to the teeth with machines of death.

Only the corrupt or the blind could fail to see the contradiction.

Published by Colm.

27.9.05 | Permalink |

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Sinn Fein/IRA march on Dublin

To be honest, I didn't know whether to spit on him or pat him on the back. The sight of Gerry Adams a few feet away from me on O'Connell Street was enough to leave an agitated phlegm in my throat. Up to 4,000 Sinn Fein supporters marched down O'Connell street, many bearing posters demanding that IRA prisoners be released. Some of the floats to take part in the parade depicted scenes in which British Army officers posed with guns.

On the one hand one could feel pride for their continuing resilience, despite the execrable oppression committed by the British. On the other, it is unforgivable that these people continue to support a terrorist organisation that continues to hold total power in areas of Northern Ireland.

All said however, I have some sort of twisted respect for what Gerry Adams is trying to achieve. Who would have foreseen the change that has occurred in the past decade? Credit must be given where it's due.

Releasing the Jerry McCabe killers is something that the Irish government should never consider. Their case most certainly does not apply to the clause of the Good Friday Agreement that stipulates the release of IRA prisoners.

Published by Colm.

24.9.05 | Permalink |

Friday, September 23, 2005

The demise of the onion ring

Did I ask for a battered onion burger? No.

What have things come to when you can't even get decent onion rings in Dublin anymore?

Published by Colm.

23.9.05 | Permalink |

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Got the credit card ready, now give me some!

In Fact, Ah must be hanging out with the wrong people. Despite the huge publicity recently over the usage of coke by every Kate, Moss, Tom, Dick and Harold, I never seem to get offered any - ever.

This is quite disappointing. Is it 'cos I is poor? That I can't afford it? That I'm not hip to the scene or whatever phrase the cool kids say these days?

If you read the paper these days, you'd be forgiven for thinking that cocaine is as widespread as Mary Harney. But how come I never see it? The cops are constantly having cocaine seizures but why doesn't anyone arrest them for snorting?

The newspapers had me convinced that cocaine is so omnipresent that I started to suspect my own mother. Despite the cunning ruse of donning an apron and clutching a rolling pin, I saw the signs. The white powder was smeared all over her!

So if you see me about town, do stop and ask if I'd like some. I couldn't tolerate being outdone in the cool stakes by my mother.

Published by Colm.

21.9.05 | Permalink |

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Uncle Gaybo gets a taste of his own medicine

There's one word that I reserve for a certain group of "entertainers" that dominate Irish television and that is "unctuous". This description was recently used in an entry about Eddie Hobbs and I thought it fitted the bill at the time. Other elite members of my unctuous group include Pat Kenny, Derek Mooney and Tony Fenton. But the doyen of this group has to be Gay Byrne.

For years Gaybo was lauded as the father of chat show presenting the Late Late Show over four decades and is still the longest running programme of its kind in the world. There's no doubting that he excelled at being the host that steered debate, squeezed intimate details from his guests and gave a platform for many an emerging band. Unfortunately, it was on the Late Late that Boyzone got their big break, but that's another day's sob story.

His outer facade can tempt the innocent, the naive and the kind-hearted. Putting guests at ease was his forte. Regaling audiences with simple talk was his bread and butter. But for the cynical, the twinkle in his eyes belied a sinister being. And there have been occasions when he let his guard drop to reveal this persona I speak of: think back to his banning of the turkey called Dustin (or was this Pat K as suggested in the comments below?); his gobsmackingly horrible attempt to demonise Annie Murphy; the "fuck off" retort to Mike Murphy at Trinity College; and the patronising interviews with his television-adopted daughter Sinead O'Connor. The prominent line that connects his nose and mouth twitches when he's under fire and when he wishes to openly display his contempt for an interviewee.

It was with great glee therefore that I witnessed his dressing down as dished out by Terry Wogan on the ESB awards show last Sunday night. Byrne looked to be thoroughly peeved at not being chosen as the greatest living Irish entertainer and started to dismantle Wogan's legend by making all sorts of smart alec remarks. Wogan stood firm and returned fire with some unbelievably cutting ripostes. Cue the twitch under his nose. The audience loved it. I loved. Finally, a come uppance of sorts for the comeback kid.

Published by Colm.

20.9.05 | Permalink |

Monday, September 19, 2005

Return of the Mack (intosh)

Enjoyed my stay away, even if it was only for three days and technically constituted as work. There was something very odd but pleasant about sitting down to dinner and partying with 1,200 fellow employees on a beach off the coast of Africa. Being incommunicado with Ireland was refreshing also.

Anyway, enough about me.

View from my hotel room balcony

Published by Colm.

19.9.05 | Permalink |

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Blogjacked

In Fact, Ah has previously asked me to do the odd guest contribution to this space. What better time to oblige than now while Colm is otherwise engaged poolside?

It is not often that the internet surprises me these days, it being in some kind of state of maturity by now. However, I was bowled over by a corner of the int0rweb I found yesterday. A mate pointed me in the direction of KCRW's website, a community service radio station in California. More specifically I was urged to check out their Morning Becomes Eclectic show. This show invites various great (according to me) bands to come in and play live in the studio for around 40 minutes each day and have a bit of general chat also. The truly awesome part is that they webcast these sessions live each day (audio and video) and they have a huge archive of the shows. To name just a few of the sessions you can watch here are installments featuring The Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, The White Stripes, The New Pornographers, Röyksopp, Sufjan Stevens, Stephen Malkamus, Interpol, our own Bell X1, Doves, Beck, Mercury Rev, Wilco, Sonic Youth, The Caridgans, Snow Patrol, Air... I could keep going. They obviously haven't heard of the Gerry Ryan format for 9am-midday on the radio over there yet.

With all respect to the list of artists above, I suggest you drop what you're doing right now and dig out the most recent Stars session on Morning Becomes Eclectic. It is particularily excellent and is exactly what I needed after their storming gig last weekend left me wanting more. They all even appear sober in the studio ;)

Published by Colm.

14.9.05 | Permalink |

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

We were on a break ...

In Fact, Ah will be on temporary hiatus owing to the need to lounge around this place until Saturday. Smell ye later.

Published by Colm.

13.9.05 | Permalink |

Monday, September 12, 2005

Stars – The Sugar Club, Friday September 9th

A packed Sugar Club was treated to music that made heads bounce and ears ring. Having an ideal spot in the front row was a real battle of physical endurance for In Fact, Ah owing to the loudness. But on the upside, the crowd was blown away by music that exudes energy without relenting throughout the set by the upbeat Stars. The strings make it all very grand and big, massive bass, a sassy guitar girl and a lead singer, who would probably make money from bouncing off walls if he were not a singer, all lend to this exciting third album "Set Yourself on Fire". Stream here.

Success has come late for this Montreal crew. They’ve been at it for the past six years and keep company with the likes of The Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene when back home. Indeed, keyboard player Chris Seligman and front woman Amy Millan play with BSS in their spare time.

“Ageless Beauty”, “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” and “Calendar Girl” are the big hits.
The gig itself went down a treat with the people strewn across the floor of the Sugar Club and demands were made for an encore after a riotous standing ovation.

Luckily for the Stars, they encountered In Fact, Ah hanging out in Carnival after the gig. We don’t like to disappoint our fans so we invited Stars to come with us to The Village for a few late tipples.

Violin player

Like, rock on.

Discovering the delights of a burger from Roma II at 3am

Published by Colm.

12.9.05 | Permalink |

Friday, September 09, 2005

That's a girl product

This is quite an oldie but funny. Tune out if offended easily.

Published by Colm.

9.9.05 | Permalink |

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Morto

During the half-time break last night, I had a thirst on me to beat the band. So I joined a long queue to get a cup of tea. Teams were coming back out as I floundered up the steps of the stand, scalding my hand in the process.

Having lost my bearings I asked a steward for directions. He said go right, I went right, along a row of seats, "sorry, can I get by you" being uttered constantly until I reached the other end of the row. "Where are the boys, where are the boys?" I kept saying to myself.

Looking left I see the boys waving, laughing uproariously and calling me by some strange name. When I got to them, they had managed to attract the attention of three rows to my bout of disorientation. And everyone was calling me "Rocky"? One of the jeering crowd was none other than an Irish sporting legend.

I sat down and laughed it off. What else can you do when you look a fool with a burned hand and some fucker who secured the Ryder Cup for Europe is laughing at your stupidity?

Published by Colm.

8.9.05 | Permalink |

Down, but not out

A massive effort on the part of the home crowd was not sufficient to save the Republic of Ireland from suffering a crucial defeat to France in the race to World Cup 2006. Ultimately, the home team did not respond to the cries of encouragement from the supporters and are now staring down the depressing barrel of the not-qualifying-for-Germany gun.

A few players stood out; namely Roy Keane, Richard Dunne and Andy Reid. However, Zinedine Kilbane and John O’Shea had a torrid time of it. Both gave the ball away far too much which was especially soul-destroying considering how little of the possession was at Ireland’s disposal. In short, they had ‘mares’.

The French themselves were no great shakes. Their chances to score were few and far between and were content to hold on to the ball.
However, all is not lost. Should Ireland win the next two games against Switzerland and Cyprus, they are guaranteed of a second place berth in the group.

Published by Colm.

8.9.05 | Permalink |

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Allez les Verts!

To doubt would be disloyalty, to falter would be sin ...

The Republic of Ireland face France tonight at Lansdowne Road in a crucial World Cup 2006 qualifier. Defeat for either team would seriously impact their chances of qualification.

The build-up has been tense for both sides. Kerr continues to deny that he had a major bust-up with Roy Keane, Robbie Keane and a host of other squad members saw it to be ideal preparation to go on the tear three nights in a row, the Irish players have suddenly gone mute, France welcome back Zidane and Makelele while Thuram probably won't play, the group contains four teams in contention for qualification and I've got a ticket.

Published by Colm.

7.9.05 | Permalink |

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Cow Herding Noises

When I was smaller, myself and my siblings were constantly being asked by neighbours to give them a hand when they were moving cows on the road. Not being a farmer didn't hinder the development of my own distinctive herding sound. It went something like "sskwan", "hup" or "get".

What was your herding sound? Answers in a comment please.

Published by Colm.

6.9.05 | Permalink |

Mercury Music Award Top 5

For once, I’ve actually heard of most of the Mercury Award nominee albums. And here’s a quick top 5 from me as to whom I feel should pick up this money-generating award.

Bloc Party, "Silent Alarm"– for me the record of the year, not just in Britain. The energy you can feel off Silent Alarm is astonishing. You just know that it will be heralded as a classic in the future.

Hard-Fi, "Stars of CCTV" – when I first heard this album I didn’t think much of it. However, it has grown on me quicker than herpes on a hooker. It also contains the single of the year (okay tied with Gorillaz “Dare”) in “Stars of C.C.T.V”.

Antony and the Johnsons, "I am a bird now" – the androgynous Antony has a voice that would send shivers down the spine of a snail. Being laden with contributions from other artists may cause it to be denied the Mercury, but an outstanding album in its own right.

The Go! Team, "Thunder Lightning Strike" – it's a funny old album. It’s like a compilation of Sesame Street tunes. But there is such a mix of influences in all of the songs. For most other bands, having so many contrasting sounds would not work. Their Village gig this year was a tad disappointing (sound was rubbish) but still a very worthy effort.

Kaiser Chiefs, "Employment" – getting phenomenal publicity at the moment. Hotly tipped to be the winner by the bookies, but not my number one. Lacking 3 or 4 songs to make it a classic in my book. The obvious standouts are “Everyday I love you less and less”, “Caroline, Less” and “I Predict a Riot”. Haven’t seen them live, but from what Central Village tells me, they have an extremely energetic show.

That means there’s no place on In Fact, Ah’s list for the likes of Coldplay, KT Tunstall, Magic Numbers, Maximo Park or the bands I haven’t heard of.

Published by Colm.

6.9.05 | Permalink |

Monday, September 05, 2005

Forgotten in New Orleans

Something terribly sad about this photo ...

Published by Colm.

5.9.05 | Permalink |

Kipper and the Corpse

Repetitive showings of Fawlty Towers can diminish its comedic impact. No comedy series, no matter how classic and how well it has stood the test of time, can bring about new laughs when it has been seen over 10 times.

However, having only seen the “Kipper and the Corpse” once previously, it goes without saying that my abdomen flailed wildly during RTE’s showing yesterday evening. Basil’s attempts to hide a guest’s corpse are fraught with all sorts of danger. Firstly, old Miss Tibbs, a long time resident in the hotel, stumbles across Polly, Manuel and Basil trying to carry the body through a corridor. She becomes hysterical and is eventually put in a wardrobe in one of the guest rooms. Finally, the cadaver gets mislaid along with any chance that the Torquay hotel will reach normality before the end of the show.

I could not possibly do this episode justice by describing it any further. You can read all about this masterpiece here.

Published by Colm.

5.9.05 | Permalink |

Friday, September 02, 2005

The Constant Gardener

Having read the book recently, this really is something that I look forward to. The John le Carré thriller "The Constant Gardener" has been released on film this week in the US and has been met with critical acclaim. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, the story follows a British diplomat's pursuit of justice after his wife is brutally murdered in Kenya.

The story centres around a pharmaceutical industry conspiracy and examines the ethics involved in the testing and usage of drugs in Africa. Interestingly, the director is none other than Fernando Meirelles, the director of "The City of God".

It's not new news that pharmaceuticals operate with questionable morality but the release of this movie should stoke a Dan Browne-esque reaction from the public.

Published by Colm.

2.9.05 | Permalink |

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Why blogging could be dogging for all they know ...

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Only Meant to Say

Blair seeks to arm Saudi Arabia for £40bn

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Sinn Fein/IRA march on Dublin

Friday, September 23, 2005

The demise of the onion ring

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Got the credit card ready, now give me some!

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Uncle Gaybo gets a taste of his own medicine

Monday, September 19, 2005

Return of the Mack (intosh)

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Blogjacked

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

We were on a break ...

Monday, September 12, 2005

Stars – The Sugar Club, Friday September 9th

Friday, September 09, 2005

That's a girl product

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Morto

Down, but not out

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Allez les Verts!

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Cow Herding Noises

Mercury Music Award Top 5

Monday, September 05, 2005

Forgotten in New Orleans

Kipper and the Corpse

Friday, September 02, 2005

The Constant Gardener

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