Matthew & the Wolf

A Mighty Four Hours.

2009-09-24T07:20:00.001-07:00

So my third and final year of University is soon to be under way (scary or what) after what seems like the blink of an eye. So in preparation for the course continuing I thought I would have a quick nosey at my timetable. It left me feeling quite ill.

Last year I had issues with modules clashing which took long enough to sort out as it was. But this year there is no chance of that ever happening. For the grand fee of 3.2 thousand English pounds for a year’s worth of education, my first semester consists of a massive four hours a week. Not a day. A week.

Now I don’t know what they use my fees for but clearly it’s not for teaching. I could quite easily not live in London, get the train down for those four hours and save my parents a lot of dosh. At this age money is vital to my education, especially being in the captial. The only way I can possibly justify this to my parents (I can barely justify it full stop) is that this year’s personal work load must be enormous, what with my dissertation ‘n’ all.

I like my tutors and I can confidently say if I ever needed help with my work they would be there to help. But I intend on finding out what they have planned. I’m fully prepared to work harder than I’ve ever done this year which is why I’m hoping I’ll have plenty to do.

But what lingers in the back of my mind is that I could have a full time job and do this course as a night class which ironically would probably have more hours to it. Frankly it takes the piss but I’m crossing my fingers and hoping this year is going to be a successful one that will lead to a great career. If not I’ll just have to hit the sauce.

Battery People.

2009-09-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

“What random object are you? Answer: A staircase.”

OK now before I begin a rant I must make it clear that I do in fact like Facebook, I find it very handy for a palm full of reasons. For a week or so I haven't replied to messages on Facebook and I'm getting burnt as a witch next tuesday because of it. That might be an exaggeration but I find myself admittedly sitting here looking at the screen, head on hand just starring at the homepage. What looks back at me is frankly hilarious and for all the wrong reasons, so I'm thinking why is everyone so desperately connected to this site?

Facebook groups for instance such as “I hate Goodbyes” or “I love the cold side of the pillow” are just beyond sad. Social networking was designed after all for global communication but added extras like quizzes and groups are just an attempt at people conveying ‘unique’ sides to their personalities. The worst thing is clearly most of them are good friends of mine and they really don’t need to do that.

They are trying in vain to be noticed (because it is the same collection of people that join these groups and that constantly stare back at me on the news feed) or they’re living some kind of parallel virtual life where they are aesthetically the same, but with extra elements of personality designed by Facebook which somehow makes them ‘with the times’ in the internet realm.

Facebook will, like Myspace, die out and a new social networking site will spring out of nowhere and obviously I will go through the tedious task of transferring photos and information to keep up with friends and family.

We have already slipped into an age where technology is a massive part of everyone’s lives and I do think the advancements are fantastic (you only need to see the applications on the iPhone to be amazed what is possible these days) but I do not like the idea of people wasting too much of their time living an internet life that is far from fulfilling.

People need more inspiration from the internet to do something with their lives. With such a vast catalogue of information it should be helping us become better people not suck us into a world where we are all the same but trying desperately to be individuals.

Get out, explore, don’t check Facebook for a week, you’ll feel better for it.

Is Hollywood's Fox, my Fantastic Mr Fox?

2009-08-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

On my bookshelf lies a battered old book with crisp, yellowed pages, strewn with creases and battle wounds from the war against time. Its 90 pages contain a Roald Dahl classic and my favourite childhood story, Fantastic Mr Fox. Equally as fragile is the audiotape which was essential to any car journey; back in the day when a journey of an hour seemed like forever as my legs kicked restlessly, dangling barely over the edge of the seat.

I have always been dubious of literature being interpreted onto the big screen but now Mr Fox has dug his way to Hollywood. When I first heard that the film was in production I was excited, but excitement was overtaken by concern.

Yesterday I saw the trailer for the first time. When I think of Roald Dahl’s books, a wave of nostalgia hits me. A childhood of naivety and a wild imagination comes flooding back wherein you find yourself believing these tales could be true. They are also quintessentially British unlike the cast of the film. I was hoping director Wes Anderson would capture that in some manner or form (especially since he lived in Dahl’s home for some time) but the teaser doesn’t fill me with hope.

On the other hand the plasticine animation does capture Quentin Blake’s skinny limbed illustrations and for the most part I found myself sporting a wide fox like grin. Visually it looks fantastic and I’m glad it’s not going to be another member of the Pixar generation. The plasticine may look jerky but it is that quirkiness which embodies Anderson’s filmic style.

I’m hoping that whilst I’m sat in the cinema watching the finished film, my legs feel like they can’t touch the floor and my mind is once again awash with fantasy and happiness.

P.S. I should point out that the Quentin Blake illustrations to which I refer are not present my edition of Fantastic Mr Fox.

R.I.P Sidney

2009-07-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

Death ironically is part and parcel of life. It is not always certain when the reaper will do his work but more often than not it is a shock to one and all when someone or for that matter something passes away.

Only this time yesterday I was informed of the suspected death of an icon of Little Weighton where I was born, bred and continue to grow up (I fear not greatly in maturity). Sidney, Sid, defender of all ducks at the pond or “that f*@king goose that never shuts up” has been eaten by a not so fantastic Mr Fox.

Sidney I remember first arrived at the duck pond when I was just a wee bairn. I was in bed at the time when I heard the most God awful goose squawk from the other side of the village which scared the shit out of me.

He lived to a ripe old age and was always there blocking the road and allowing ducklings to cross like some guardian lollypop goose. Not so long ago they even carved a goose like shape out of an old tree next the pond; I like to think in dedication to a village legend.

In a village as small as Little Weighton such a thing marks change and change isn’t widely welcomed but it is a product of time. I fear there will be a rise in duck deaths as a result of reckless waterfowl crossing the road without their protector. We will never forget that handsome, sleek goose but at least now we might be able to get some sleep.

R.I.P Sidney.

Bored, Bored and Bored.

2009-07-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

Boredom develops into inactivity and frustration. I know I have at least three books I could read but none of them currently inspire any kind of interest nor does the physical act of reading.
I will at this time quite readily blame the entertainment industry and it's distinct lack of doing what it’s supposed to do i.e. to entertain.

Television is appalling, no originality or longevity (The BBC series On Thin Ice has now finished much to my disappointment. More inspirational programming like this would be welcomed gladly). The Guardian reported that Big Brother 10 has received the lowest viewing figures since series one and it’s not surprising people were sick of it a long time ago. But it’s cheap so why not ey? More like why?

The internet is cold and unresponsive, you find yourself looking at the screen with the most bizarre assumption something will just happen that will keep you going for at least a minute. Alas this isn’t the case; you have to tell the internet what you want. You control the internet remember? Maybe we don’t...still that is another discussion I cannot be bothered to go into, not at the moment.

During the state of being bored you find yourself in a barrel of thoughts and emotions and as you roll in search of activities they become merged. Generally this results in: anger, becoming lethargic, frustration and far too much deep thinking rolled into one neat cylinder of inner conflict. This could all be resolved with a decent film. Nope watched them ALL.

Still this time tomorrow night I’ll be out at the faithful quiz. I think this is the issue, before University I had homework, I had a job and I didn’t know what going out really was. Now I’ve experienced it I becoming bored a lot quicker.

Maybe I should buy some Lego or find a stick and entertain myself like I used to back in the day when I was a tiny tot. A solution will be discovered my friends and I imagine it will be a DVD box-set.

The Pub Quiz

2009-07-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

I’ve always been competitive which I think I get from my dear papa, a sports fanatic who now sports a dodgy knee but keeps himself in shape. In the past football games have lead me to bouts of stress and when I look back it was a sign of weakness and was a little embarrassing.

Now my determination takes a rather inward approach and these days it takes a considerable amount of annoyance for my stress to show. I haven’t needed to be overly competitive for some time now; I’m no longer part of any sports teams so any exercise is purely for personal fitness. It is now mental agility which is my new sport.

I don’t know whether pub quiz’s have become a fashionable part of student life but of late the local pub quiz has become my staple Wednesday night activity coupled with heavy drinking, pool and a lot of chin wagging. I spend the majority of my days waiting for this quiz and I do feel guilty; I’m not going to be around forever and it almost seems like I’m wishing time away which is a little sinful. We've even sampled other pub's quiz's to fill our time but nothing compares.

So I’m trying to pack my days with activities such as this blog but today I stepped back and looked at myself in horror as I was actually sat at the computer researching the current affairs of the past week and scribbling them down for the pub quiz this coming Wednesday.

Half of me thinks’ as a journalist this is a good way of revising useful information and random facts. The other half thinks I’m taking this pub quiz lark a little far. Either way the Black Horse, that small local inn has given me many better nights than any club or pub in Hull this summer. Now back to the research, this week is the week...well it better be or else.

Glastonbury III

2009-07-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday

My word Daman Alburn’s looking like a bit of Geezer these days isn’t he? With his gold tooth and Fred Perry attire. Still Blur’s simply colossal set opening with “Girls & Boys” was untouchable, drawing possibly the largest Glastonbury audience ever. “Song 2” was so extreme I thought my head might explode as the whole of the crowd morphed into a huge wave. That is what manic means. “Tender” created a sing-a-long which even after the set was over was rekindled well after Blur left the stage. It seemed effortless and surely will spark questions as to whether they will reform creatively. Alex James looked like the happiest man in the world whereas Graham Coxon was sporting what could only be described as a child’s outfit. Could it have been for a bet? It made music from the 90’s seem brilliant again and they will definitely struggle to top that at Hyde Park. It was hit after hit after hit like a smack head going for it. Easily the band of Glastonbury 2009.

If you have epilepsy and you want the best and worst fit of your life I would recommend seeing The Prodigy. They have the world’s most extreme collection of strobe lights and for some reason they are terrifying in the most incredible way. Except the front man is called Keith which lessens the fear factor somewhat. Since I’ll be seeing them at Leeds Festival it was a like a sneak preview of what to expect. And the answer is adrenaline fuelled mayhem surrounded by brick shit houses. Watching them makes me feel ill but at the same time makes me feel a little animalistic. This is what cave men would listen to if they had iPod’s whilst hunting.

I struggle desperately to hate La Roux, her music is my guilty pleasure and her acoustic version of “Bulletproof” was fantastic. Karen O managed to pull off yet another bizarre colourful tribal like outfit, where does she or how does she get these outfits? It surprises me that people are even allowed to interview them because they are so cool.

Madness do exactly what they say on the tin and brought a bit of fun to Glastonbury and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds pulled off a powerful, brilliant, thrusting set. At one point I did think Nick Cave was going to rip out of his suit and start fighting people with his bulge alone. Then Tom Jones turned up and sang some songs and everyone was even more jolly. Meanwhile Status Quo managed to inspire the drunks and oldies to get a good nostalgic sing along with “Down, Down”.

Bon Iver for me was a highlight of the final day. His recent album “For Emma, Forever Ago” has been labelled the ‘break-up’ album. But his performance of “Skinny Love” was a surprising summer tune with the audience all smiles, no broken hearts in sight. Glasvegas ended the BBC coverage in a mumbling, dull sort of way.

This year’s Glastonbury was a classic. So much cultural variety that you really couldn’t cram into any other festival and although I didn’t think a great deal to the line up I couldn’t help enjoying it, and I only watched it on television.

My dearest mother informed me that the Daily Mail ran a story claiming that too many journalists were ‘wasted’ on Glastonbury. Frankly too many journalists, too much effort and far too much money are wasted on the production of the Mail. Until next year.

Glastonbury II

2009-07-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday

Today was the day The Boss came to town and although I have never been a great admirer of Springsteen’s music, I cannot deny he knows how to put on a great show. The odd song such as “Dancing in the Dark” I was helpless to enjoy. He certainly liked immersing himself in the crowd and they loved him for it. Facebook is now riddled with people who claim to have ‘touched’ the great man. Personally it sounds a little physically intrusive and illegal. Springsteen’s most recognised number; “Born in the USA” was for some reason or another missing from the BBC’s coverage much to my confusion. Maybe he didn’t play it, or maybe the BBC just messed up slightly. Either way I was disappointed.

Now a slight travesty has occurred here because Kasabian who were billed upon the request of Springsteen to play before him got a total of 3 minutes coverage. With most of the coverage of the majority of acts broadcast were shown for at least two of their songs. Kasabian headlined Glastonbury a few years ago and yet only one track, “Fire” was played. It didn’t go down too well with moi.

Following some witty banter between Wiley and Radcliffe who claimed to be a slightly pissed Paulo Nuttini did his usual act of performing like a small hunched over Scottish woman attempting what sounded like a terrible Jamaican accent with a numbed tongue. Not only does it sound annoying it also sounds like a pervert’s ideal choice of voice and at times he looked like he was enjoying himself a little too much.

Florence and the Machine from what was shown played a great gig and if anything deserved a greater stage to perform on. Yet the darkness of the cave like tent befitted the musical witch like Florence.

Crosby, Stills and Nash joined the list of golden oldies playing Glasto along with Neil Young, The Boss, Tom Jones and Rolf Harris. Unfortunately a reunion with Neil Young wasn’t possible but “Long Time Gone” was fantastic. But scheduling again meant that the BBC couldn’t show all of what I assume was a brilliant set.

Nathan ‘Flute Box’ Lee was possibly the most entertaining interlude of the whole weekend; the beat boxing flute player was talent. There you go Cowell. Franz Ferdinand allowed for a pop alternative to Springsteen but none the less drawing a huge crowd despite the majority opting for the Boss.

Now becoming a festival must-see, Dizzee Rascal literally sent Glastonbury “Bonkers” with possibly the tune to end all summer festival tunes. In contrast the legendary Spinal Tap took to the stage for possibly the most comical act I’ve ever seen, with Jarvis Cocker joining them on bass for “Big Bottom” with an entourage of odd bottomed women. If I was pissed I’d be lovin’ it ladies and gents. Not visually but then again if I was drunk I probably would struggle to see anyway, so it’s a win-win situation.

Adam and Joe managed to make me smile with a list of jokes which I’m sure have all been heard before...except this one “what do you call a man with a spade on his head? The poo monster.” In my defence I laughed because it was not what I was expecting and because I think my brain has melted in the heat. Maybe they should present Glasto next year...

My face turned sour as Maximo Park were next on the schedule...I think the less said the better before this turns into a hatred blog. They managed to break some instruments which ironically sounded significantly better than the music they’ve written.

Glastonbury From The Sofa (May Contain Strobing)

2009-07-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

The festival season is now underway but as my funds limit me somewhat, a trip to more than one festival which costs upwards of £180 a pop is nigh on impossible.

Therefore I am experiencing a compacted 6 hour Glastonbury through the witchcraft of Sky+. To get the authentic experience I should really roll around in flower beds and then sit under the shower whilst watching it in full festival clobber. Except claiming my sanity is intact may be difficult to prove with such a display...even to myself.

Friday

Friday was all about the great angry faced Canadian Neil Young, with what was the longest ending to a song I have ever witnessed. For some time I presumed that at the end of “Rockin’ in the free world” I was sat on the remote which constantly rewinded and played at least 4 times. Alas after ages of smacking the remote and crawling around in front of the Sky box for answers I discovered that the man was clearly possessed by something good.

"Words" was a little self-indulgent but he’s Neil Young, he can do what he likes. Clearly he hypnotised the 80,000 strong audience which upon request swayed their arm’s from left to right, a sight so amazing I couldn’t help but smile in bewilderment. There is something very satisfying about seeing such a huge group of people do something in unison.

A cheeky play on the Xylophone at the end of his cover of “A Day in the Life” pulling the most unhappy face I have ever seen was frankly comic genius. It took him long enough to play Glastonbury but it was so very worth it.
Doves were a favourite of the BBC coverage from Friday night and despite The Specials frontman Terry Hall looking like he had just come straight from work it did look a lot of fun.

Before I go on I should mention the simply dyer choice of presenters. Lauren Lavern and Mark Radcliffe were eye blisteringly boring and about as funny as cancer. Joe Wiley clearly seemed uncomfortable and Zane Lowe seemed frustrated. I would be if I had to work in such a team. There is a reason radio presenters are on the radio. This ‘casual’ chatting in-between acts may work on the radio but was painful to witness as minute after minute passed without anything really being said. It was awkward and embarrassing.

Fleet Foxes emitted a timeless quality to their act which suited the hippy vibe so well that is seemed Saville Row tailoring must have been involved. ‘Secret Act’ The Dead Weather showed some promise with Jack White’s usual blend of grimy, garage rock ‘n’ roll with an organ involved. Quote of the day surely came from the man himself: “do we look like we’re sun people?!”

Friendly Fire’s performance managed to turn my stomach slightly as Ed Macfarlane managed to throw such writhing shapes I believe only squid could perform whilst brandishing the world’s most snug trousers. One word - cleft. My highlight of the clip being a trio of fellas dressed in body suits with even their faces completely covered like three colourful manikins.

Following this Zane Lowe and Mark Radcliffe were picked up by the world’s strongest woman who also ripped a novel in half. Librarians all over the country vomited and fainted in disgust. Next the White Lies allowed a skinny Scottish panda take the stage and sing terribly, culminating in boring, boring music. I sleep easy knowing it will be forgotten in a year’s time. At one point I thought this song isn’t bad until I realised it was one of Springsteen’s.

Lily Allen introduced her granddad and I discovered Little Boots is from Blackpool. Staggering coverage. A bizarre short feature followed on the Shangri-La zone, hosted by a Nathan Barley wannabe broke up the coverage. I rewinded in the hope of understanding what had just occurred. I’m still in the dark.

Finally Lady Ga-Ga made me Gag-Gag with her lack of clothing, a suspicion of miming and dance choreography which clearly was designed by Churchill the nodding dog. Not to mention the fact her music is ever so slightly annoying (There’s an understatement for you). I hear she wasn’t wearing knickers. What a delightful and tasteful way to end the coverage.

Weather

2009-07-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

My daily routine in the computer follows quite a simple route. From MSN I drift to Facebook and from there to the NME website. Usually NME throws up something interesting to keep my attention for more than 20 seconds and the other day it did.

Glastonbury has always been famous for its generous helpings of thick mud and heavy rain but year in year out people go. It has never once affected the music. Usually I think weather conditions rarely qualify as an excuse 99% of the time, especially in cricket. Bad light? Get a life. Now I don’t know whether Michael Evis is somehow proud of the biggest music festival in the world also being the most weather cursed because if he is then he’s got competition.

One of my close friends and his lady asked me this year whether I would like to pop to Spain for a week or so and go to a festival, the line-up they said was awesome. And they weren’t telling fibs. Benicassim has made a name for itself over the past couple of years; rife with brilliant acts, perfect weather and a long weekend holiday. Perfect.

Luckily I declined and popped along to HMV and got a Leeds Festival ticket because this happened:

I don’t think any act at Glastonbury has ever had to stop playing because of the weather; it is simply unheard of in this day and age. I feel for those people who had a day ruined and couldn’t see Kings of Leon (not so much Maximo Park, if anything that was divine intervention), I just hope I will be lucky and all goes well at Leeds festival.

Maybe this is one of the reasons why people love festivals: the unpredictability? Looks like you’ll have to get a hurricane next year Mr Evis to top that.

On Thin Ice

2009-07-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

Upon returning to Yorkshire for the summer I had a couple of weeks work on a farm picking weeds, sweeping and stacking. As mundane as it may sound it was remarkably fun, not just because it was paid work with my best friend but because it meant that for once I was kept busy day in day out doing hard work.

Recently I received my pay in a beautiful envelope, bursting with the Royal Mint's finest. But now my services are no longer required and I have returned to the stereotypical student life of doing nothing much apart from checking my Facebook every five minutes. I now have money to go out but I have to wait around for that night as my friends somehow stay busy. I now have cabin fever.

Yesterday to relieve some boredom I turned to BBC iPlayer for help. ‘On Thin Ice’ was my choice, the series following James Cracknell, Ben Fogle and some randomer as they race to the South Pole; emulating the contest taken on by Amundsen and Scott in 1911.

Now I don’t know whether it is because my holiday this year takes the form of Leeds Festival or whether I just want to travel, either way I found myself desperate to take on some challenge and go exploring the world. I looked up prices for flights and accommodation to Iceland and New Zealand, how much second hand Land Rover Defender’s were, even the price of a decent world map (Just so you know, not so cheap).

Now I don’t class myself as a ‘youth’ because I no longer dwell in the age of the teen, nor do I count myself as being old. So this is no hormonal thing, nor is it a mid-life crisis. So the plan is this, to work all next year whilst at University and save enough for a holiday with friends.

In a year’s time I intend on writing on this very blog my holiday plans, because I doubt it will be as brilliant as to warrant being on television.

Pointless

2009-05-23T19:23:00.001-07:00

I am currently sat at my computer in the world’s most ludicrously uncomfortable chair but it has family history so it has right to damage my spine.

It’s 3.01am and I have no idea why I am still wide awake but I’m pondering and had the sudden urge to write. Why is it that at night your brain keeps thinking about absolutely everything to the point where you have to do something in order to satisfy its demands?

I know at the moment I’m thinking I would have liked to have lived in 1969, and that I need to exercise more. Completely unrelated and just as inexplicable as becoming hyper for no reason, which happened yesterday. I have a feeling that if I’d remembered to buy a Lottery ticket I would have won something tonight and that I need some new clothes desperately.

Now I’m bored of thinking. At last. Until next time.

Twitter

2009-02-27T13:49:00.000-08:00

Twitter seems to have become the ‘new’ thing to do. Short snappy comments. 140 character blogs. What I find hilarious is the sudden hype surrounding the fact that celebrities use it. You can actually see what they write without being their friend! This is astounding! Oh no wait, I don’t care.

Don’t tell anyone about books or interviews with celebrities for the love of God...I imagine there will come a time when people will expect celebrities to have webcams in every room of their houses. Celebrities are only people, not some higher power that stops them from being socially interactive on the internet.

Last of the Teenagers

2009-02-10T15:40:00.001-08:00

Today has just been one of those days. The bed collapses in one corner under my standing weight, there is no food in the house, I have no money and the bog roll has all gone. Again.

This resulted in a day of contemplation with one major subject springing forth into my lethargic mind. That in less than a month I will be the ripe old age of 20.

This of course is petrifying because I feel horribly old, even though I am told time and again that I’m still young, I feel like I must start being responsible and everything associated with being ‘a grown up’. I might just get bitten by a vampire and remain 19 for the rest of my days until I am stabbed through the heart with a sharpened stick of rock.

Anyway I intend to make the most of my remaining month somehow. So as with most things I plan, it will never happen. So my first song on the 9th March, the day of my birth shall be Wasted Time by the mighty Kings.

I hope another day of contemplation doesn’t come along soon, life is a bit better when you don’t contemplate. Here’s to youth!

This blog post is dedicated to Laurence Victor Rushworth who turned 20 today.

The Egg

2009-02-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

I have been to the Tate Modern many, many times now but it was only until I had to venture there with the intention to write about one of its hundred's of works that I discovered my appreciation for the artist Anish Kapoor.

The 1991 Turner Prize winner has been around for some time now but his portfolio is well worth a peek if you have the time. Here’s the piece which captured my attention, Ishi’s Light.

Time To Be Critical

2009-02-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

For years publications like the NME struck fear into the music industry, their journalists had no remorse in condemning a band to the depths of failure. Nowadays music journalists seem to simply have no bollocks when it comes to reviewing a band.

I don’t know whether these journalists are getting slipped a few quid to write a good review or whether they’re just soft, either way I have not known whether a band has been good or bad for years.

According to most music publications all bands are better than average with the more popular artists getting a few extra bonus points for who they are and what they have achieved in the past. It’s pathetic.

I have no respect for anything written anymore, we are cluttered up with average bands which have some success due to weak journalism. Every week or month there seems to be a new Oasis, a new Led Zeppelin, a new Strokes and it never comes to anything.

In times like these with the financial crisis hitting everyone hard, it’s time to start being critical again because no one can afford to go and see shit bands; it’s just more money wasted.

If music journalists were more brutal then bad bands wouldn’t get paid to play, and we could save that money instead and free ourselves of the credit crunch.

Losing Faith

2009-02-08T08:24:00.001-08:00

I am rarely in a combined state of disbelief, disgust and anger but this week I found myself in that rare state.

Christianity it has to be said has seen a progressive slump in popularity as science tends to sway people’s faith more than a lifelong hope. Personally I find myself ticking all the right boxes to be labelled an agnostic.

But despite my willingness to have some questioning hope, I cannot help but shake my head in disbelief at the way some people approach their faith. And I am talking directly about those delightful few Christians who have this week done something which I believe should be a sin on a par with murder.

Sending hate mail to Sir David Attenborough, a national treasure, the king of British national treasures, a voice recognised by the world as the voice of knowledge and comfort is an abomination. Attenborough says that he received this filth ridden post due to the failure of crediting God in his programmes.

In an interview with the Radio times he recounts’s "They tell me to burn in hell and good riddance." How those people can call themselves Christians is beyond me. Balls to love thy neighbor then?

Offending such a great man does nothing but make me lose my faith in people and how they incorporate religion into their lives. No wonder religion is losing its audience with people such as those giving it a bad name.

The Return

2009-02-08T05:07:00.000-08:00

Recently the old blog has been a bit neglected for a palm full of reasons that I cannot be bothered to explain. I shouldn’t have to make excuses or have to try an defend myself, this is after all my blog and if I want to keep you waiting then that’s what I’ll do.

Luckily for you however, this week is going to be a blog extravaganza with several blogs posted per day for a week, in a bid to give you some word nourishment. I might throw a few photo’s in too if I’m feeling generous. I hope you enjoy it.

The Gym

2009-01-11T06:35:00.000-08:00

As New Year’s resolutions go, joining the gym is an extremely common one. Since I’d never been to a gym before I thought I would finally see what all the fuss was about.

Now from the outset I had a pretty good idea of the kind of vain, huge and lonely people who go there which had put me off previously since my physique resembles a plucked sparrow but this would not deter me this time.

Exercise does make you feel a lot better about yourself but it’s just the effort it takes to actually do it. At the gym you have no choice, if you’re not doing something you will be spotted and shot my marksmen. And I must say after about 20 minutes I was enjoying it, the rowing machine especially felt like it was actually doing something beneficial.

Old men with biceps the size of Shropshire looking at themselves in the mirror, sweat dripping from every pore and the disgraceful music wasn’t the issue I had with the gym, it was the attitude towards the changing rooms. I am comfortable with myself, I’ve shared changing rooms at school and when playing for a Sunday league football team countless times but this was different.

The changing rooms are a basically a huge room full of exposed male sexual organs and before this sight hits you there is that delightful odour of sweaty parts. Frankly it makes me feel a little ill. Some people have no shame.

The showers are merely two panels where I imagine in a similar way to prison, if you drop your soap there’s going to be trouble and what’s more I don’t want to see middle aged, young or pensioner crack anyway. It’s all about being manly apparently. Frankly I think it’s a free show for perverts. Since when was it manly to fill each other’s eyesight with wedding vegetables? And What the hell is classed as manly these days? I’ll shower at home I think.

F*** planning, get a tattoo

2009-01-04T05:24:00.001-08:00

A few months ago my Dad accused me of ‘living for the now’ because I was not being financially responsible. In fairness I do owe the bank a few quid here and there.

He said “I think you’re going off the rails”. Now if you know me you would know this statement to be nothing but hilarious. I seem to be one of those people who tend to plan ahead unless I’ve made a good friend with an alcoholic beverage. It's a part of me which I hate.

Now when it comes to getting a tattoo people have always said, just do it. My argument has been “What about when I’m old, what will it look like then?” to which the response has always been something to do with the future not being certain about anyone’s lives.

This puts me in a dilemma because I would like a tattoo a lot but know I would be accused of being ‘reckless’ and I’d probably be sent to a therapist. The problem is it's hard to think of what I want my body to be marked with for the rest of my days off the cuff.

The new Jim Carrey film ‘Yes Man’ has I think subconsciously inspired me to live life in a similar way. My new year’s resolution is to be better with money and to say yes a little bit more. And I’m saying yes to a tattoo. You don't get anywhere in life without taking a few risks.

This is defiantly one of those times when living for the now is necessary, I’m open to suggestions. You know where the comment box is.

Continuation

2009-01-02T03:58:00.000-08:00

OK, now I started this blogging business back in the early days of November (08) and I do want to make an effort to keep this literary band wagon going. I will make it clear that this is not a New Year's resolution because I had every intention of continuing the blog into 2009.

It started out as a practical element to a University module and it has rapidly become second nature to think of ideas for my next blog post.

When I told my friend and ‘avid reader of my blog’ Mr Christopher ‘Frog’ Heward about it, he laughed. But oh how the tables have turned, for he has now set up a blog and he has already begun typing away. So this is just the beginning of the addiction and hopefully it will be as beneficial to my writing and to my career as I have been told.

I will save myself some time and apologise in advance for any offense I cause over the year and beyond.

Happy New Year!

P.S. If you love childish humour masked by supposed intellectual writing then look no further because the Frog & Wolf blogs are the place to be. Chris will deny this of course but he loves a good joke about willies and front bottoms really. Don’t we all.

Competition - Final Feature Piece

2008-12-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

To condemn the CD as an obsolete format would be slightly overreacting. Although there is currently a huge hype surrounding digital music, it is only because it is a new format to be exploited by the music business; it’s another way to make money from music. It's all about competition in business.

When a band releases an album, the hype surrounding it is focused on the physical product, not its release on iTunes. That’s just another way for the album to be purchased. Figures have shown that illegal downloading bears no real dent into the sales figures of newly released albums. The success of albums such as Kings of Leon’s Only By The Night proves that.

Vinyl has now been around since the late 1900’s and are still being sold today; they have lived through the cassette and the minidisk and have only now been dominated by CDs. The download charts are important to artists today as they produce equally as much popularity and revenue as CDs but just because of technological advances it doesn’t mean people don’t like buying CDs anymore.

Recently Amazon released its own version of iTunes, except it would not have the restrictions of iTunes tracks. Furthermore the tracks and albums are considerably cheaper with some whole albums costing as little as £3 compared to the common price tag of £8.99 on iTunes prompting a ‘sale’ on iTunes to combat the competition. A website is also being developed where old MP3 tracks purchased from iTunes can be sold back instead of simply being deleted.

In this time of recession competition between all music formats is the only way that prices for music products is going to be reduced. If CD prices were lowered, downloads would follow but this is the simple fact of the matter. People just can’t afford to buy a lot of music at the moment. What we need is a credit crunch version of iTunes and just dirt cheap CDs.

Appetite for Success Destruction - Feature

2008-12-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

These days just about any song ever written can be found on the internet and downloaded. Even songs that haven’t officially been released yet manage to find their way into the public domain. Maybe there will be a day when you can download songs that haven’t even been thought of yet. That’s just silly though...and a little scary.

Kevin Cogill was recently prosecuted for breaking copyright laws after he posted tracks from the Guns ’n’ Roses album, Chinese Democracy on his blog before its release in November this year. Cogill faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

OK, Cogill did break copyright law but the album did take 15 years to be made, a substantial wait for fans after “the Spagetti Incident”. In many respects I don’t blame Cogill at all; I think fans waited long enough for what is sadly an average album.

But after all this legal action they release it on MySpace just days before release. Yes, onto the internet where it could be spread quicker than Lurpack Spreadable. Yes, onto the internet where they had tried desperately to keep it from. It is officially the most expensive album ever made costing over $13 million. Maybe they thought MySpace would help them boost CD sales through coverage and advertising.

But luckily for Axl Rose it broke another record; “the largest amount of listeners for an artist album stream launch on the (MySpace) site to date”. Upon its release onto the site on 20th November it had an average of 25 listeners per second.

Despite this popularity online, it didn’t do a great deal for CD sales, far from it in fact. I believe that releasing the album online allowed people to make their decision on whether to buy it or not, and many will have just have been curious. Whatever happened, it wasn’t a sales record breaker. Foiled by the internet after all those years.

CreDit Crunch - Feature

2008-12-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

It’s Christmas time again and for music retailers it’s their most productive time of year. Downloading a loved one an album in front of them to their iTunes wouldn’t quite be the same as buying them a CD and wrapping it up would it? Of course there are iTunes vouchers these days if you get really stuck.

The credit crunch this week claimed another victim as indie label distribution company Pinnacle Entertainment announced they were going into administration after it made 94 people redundant. Pinnacle currently distributes for over 400 independent labels including Rough Trade and Bella Union.

This could potentially be a colossal step towards the destruction of hard copy music as we know it. Entertainment stores have already dramatically reduced the music areas within their sales floor due to online sales; further cuts in stock could see the extinction of physical releases altogether.

The recession has meant that people have stopped spending so greatly on music and if they do want music they either buy music by bands who they’re sure they will like or buy cheaper online. Or both.

EUK (leading distributor of entertainment products in the UK) was a casualty of the Woolworths collapse resulting in “high-profile Christmas album releases such as Take That and Britney Spears (being) held up, while retailer Zavvi was forced to halt online sales” according to NME magazine(Dec 08).

The continuing decline of indie record shops such as the infamous Sister Ray will also be affected as small indie bands will struggle to get there music distributed. So only established bands will have the guarantee of hard copies being sold within stores.

This in turn is bound to effect how the label will release music in the first place, and the first port of call will naturally be the internet. With it being the cheapest and most popular form of music retail, it could easily become the only form of music retail in the future.

But this is not quite judgement day for the world of hard copy. Music label Cooking Vinyl have set up their own distribution company, Essential Music & Marketing, and new bands are even going DIY, cutting out the middle man and not using a label at all. Surely that’s more independent than indie itself.

So this festive season go and buy as many CDs as you can before they become a distant memory. "I remember in my day when I could buy music on a disc..." I'll say to the youth of the day...probably next week sometime.

Log - Week 5

2008-12-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

This week was the final week of the group blogs and for me the final week of the module itself.

The group blog was, I feel a very unique blog within the class and despite being described as the ‘arty’ one, I thought it was very down to earth and wasn’t too flamboyant. Not too ‘ponsy’. It was the simplicity that made the blog work well, one word a day and what it means to you. It was the perfect license to be creative and not too serious.

As a social experiment it was interesting to see the differences between people’s writing that over the course of only five days began to express their personalities. I think if continued and developed with further multimedia instalments such as video blogs, a greater image gallery etc the blog could become very popular. I felt it had a very open audience which in turn could contribute to any further success. Moreover it was just good fun.

In terms of the module as a whole I believe it has opened my eyes to the opportunities the internet offers in terms of getting individuals work noticed. I’d like to think it has in some way improved my writing since I’ve had the chance to write a lot more regularly.

This was the issue I had with the course last year, that fundamentally I’m doing a journalism course yet I wasn’t getting the opportunity to write much at all. This year however I feel like the course as a whole is starting to become what I envisaged when I read about the University.

I’m sure there will be a survey to accompany the start of the next module asking what I thought about the online project so I won’t ramble on about attendance, resources or standard of feedback. Simply the first term of the course so far, including production journalism has been excellent.

Hallelujah Feature

2008-12-18T02:58:00.000-08:00

Alexandra Burke’s X Factor winning single, Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, became the fastest UK selling digital download of all time last Sunday (14^th December).

Released only hours after the show on iTunes, Burke sold 105,000 copies on Sunday alone beating Leona Lewis’s recent record of 82,000 with a cover of Snow Patrol’s Run.

Established global superstar, Lewis holds the record for the fastest selling debut album of all time in the UK, with Spirit, outselling the Arctic Monkeys debut – Whatever people say about me that’s what I’m not- by 12,000 copies with over 375,000 copies being purchased during the first week of release.

Hallelujah is set to be Christmas number one, as Burke signs a £1 million recording contract with Simon Cowell’s label Syco.

Winning the X Factor doesn’t guarantee sustained future success. 2007 winner Leon Jackson is rumoured to soon be dropped by his record label after his debut album flopped with only 85,000 sales being made since its release in October.

In comparison Kings of Leon’s Only By The Night was sold over 220,000 copies in its first week (September 23^rd)reaching a number one double in the charts alongside single, Sex On Fire.

If Alexandra Burke, 20, is marketed in the same way as Leona Lewis, I believe the success will end this Christmas, there is no gap in the market for another Leona, especially since Burke hasn't quite got the same vocal brilliance. Lewis’s popularity is unique, as well as the amount of money put into her success by the American music industry, allowing her to record with producer Clive Davis.

Beyonce’s performance alongside Burke in the final was a master class, Burke simply could not compete, proving why Beyonce is one of the most successful female singers in the world.

X Factor gains contestants press and coverage and has become a phenomenon in this country. But the only winners are the judges, i.e. Simon Cowell who seems to own the majority of the music business, Cheryl Cole who has become a national icon and of course ITV.

Feature

2008-12-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

It’s hard to remember a time when iPods weren’t in nearly everyone’s pocket. The online music industry is taking over from hard sales, not only is music released earlier on the internet, it is also cheaper.

Napster was the first file sharing tool, which now has agreements with five major record labels with a back catalogue of over 6, 000, 000 songs. Since its creation in June 1999, Napster has become embroiled in many legal cases regarded copyright violations. In 2000 Metallica, Dr Dre and Madonna took legal action against Napster after tracks from there forthcoming albums were circulated before their release date.

iTunes was released by Apple in 2001 and is currently the largest music retailer in the US with over 8, 000, 000 tracks available, not including TV programmes, films and podcasts. However both Napster and iTunes face the competition from illegal file sharing sites, as both have strict copyright regulations on their products.

Every item purchased cannot be copied or sent as the 79p charge entitles the customer to rent the song. Yet anyone can buy a CD and use it freely for just pennies more.Illegal downloading sites have emerged because customers feel the price of downloads are too high on established systems. Downloading illegally means that people don’t have to spend anything on what they download and they can also use the download however they please.

Using iTunes to download music is similar to watching the BBC for news; they are both well respected and trusted amongst the audience therefore people are willing to us service in the knowledge that the products they download are safe. That might not swing it for students though.

Feature - rationale

2008-12-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

For my feature I am going to write about the changing face of the music industry over the course of several instalments, focusing primarily on the music download industry.

Within these features I will analyse news stories, give a short history of the download industry and predict the future of the download market.

Log - Week 4

2008-12-09T05:31:00.002-08:00

This week we had the chance to produce a group blog and create something similar to a magazine structure online. I was dubious as to what ideas could be put forward considering many genres for blogging such as news or celebrity are saturated, finding a niche market would be impossible.

However I was proven wrong as Sophie Borazanian pitched the idea of a creative writing blog which focused on a word a day, such as Wander or Home, which became the subject of the writing for that day. Basically each person writes whatever they feel the word means to them, it’s simple and slips neatly into the arty bracket of magazines such as I-D or Vice. Being told that our idea wasn’t cheeky enough, I pitched the word Boobs. Hope you enjoy that Jim.

I liked the chance to do something a bit different from the usual type of journalistic formats we centre around, like news writing as well as developing what we’ve learnt from creating our blogs.

Log - Week 3

2008-12-09T05:31:00.001-08:00

This week we looked at online research tools, namely Google News and Google Reader, both of which I haven’t used previously. Although I found them useful in part, I didn’t feel they were necessarily essential to our understanding of online journalism but they were an interesting tool to use. For instance personalising your searches through certain sources using RSS feeds.

We analysed various blogs in terms of their importance, their style and their content to discover what makes a good blog and what doesn’t which I thought helped guide us into making our own blogs better.

What I enjoyed most was looking at opinion writing on blogs, such as Charlie Brooker’s blog which focused on how to write opinion pieces. I think this was essential as the whole idea of a blog is to input personal opinion whether your writing a strictly structured news story or not.

Log - Week 2

2008-12-09T05:10:00.000-08:00

This week we discussed the changing face of the news media and the potential dominance of online media over print. We had a guest speaker in a Q&A session, European editor of the Wall Street Journal website and ex-Guardian journalist, Neil McIntosh.

As I study issues such as these as part of my other modules such as Media Consumption, this was particularly helpful, especially gaining an insider’s perspective on the situation. With respect to the qualifications of the teaching staff, I think if possible, guest speakers should be invited on a more regular basis, especially ones who can contribute a lot to our knowledge of the media before we go into it as a place of work.

This session was filmed so it made it easier to watch it again for quotes, or to look for a news story for our assignment. But it unlined one thing that at some point, as dry and dated as it may be, short hand is more important than I once thought. Luckily the notes I got were enough to make a news story, but not enough generally.

In addition we also learnt how to use search engines more efficiently by using certain keys to narrow down searches which I have found useful, especially since the majority of searches throw up a lot of unnecessary rubbish.

Log - Week 1

2008-12-09T05:08:00.000-08:00

This week I set up my blog. Before I started this module I presumed that blogs were for those people who like to say a lot but don’t really have an awful lot to say. Those people who complain and whine about everything and find it essential to let as many people know this as possible.

I thought that the internet is so vast that any input I make would surely not be recognised amongst the millions of other blogs, many of which are written by established journalists.

However there is a sense of fulfilment at having your own page, in a similar way to having a Facebook and/or Myspace account, is enough to get you hooked. Instead of constantly trying to get my work published in papers or magazines, blogging is the perfect way to regularly publish my writing.

This also means that I have to edit my work personally, so what I write is truly my own. As I found out this week, links are the most important thing on your blog as it is these which allow a greater audience for the blog, including professional journalists. This puts added pressure on me to write to the best of my ability on a frequent basis, but it will hopefully improve my writing because of it.

The internet is the resource of today and it seems obvious that being part of that resource can only help my career in the future as my writing has a greater exposure online. I like the freedom it offers to use multimedia formats in conjunction with my writing.

I feel this course will help me understand the importance of online journalism today and it’s potential in the future.

Google Reader

2008-12-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

Google Reader’s use of RSS feeds allows Google searches to be refined to certain websites of your choice but I found that is the issue. The idea of using a search engine is to get a broad search spectrum, despite a lot of websites holding no significance to the search, it still offers that variety.

The advantage of Reader is its accessibility to blogs by trusted and well respected journalists, and if you compile a list of feeds large enough you can make an excellent catalogue of sources to find news from. But of course this relies on your personal input of logging enough feeds into your reader. However it makes Reader the most personal way to access news, you choose the sites the news comes from, sites which you trust and that you have used in the past.

Google News

2008-12-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

Google News is a more flexible around individual needs than other news websites, rather than focusing on what the majority of the population wants from their news. It follows the basic structure of a news websites; the types of news can be chosen such as World news, sport, music etc and moved around the page in order of your preference.

The feature which allows you to receive news based around the name of a band, or a football team etc I found was the most useful part of the website. However names such as football team names obviously are place names too, which means that local news around that area would also be included in the news it gives, defeating the object of the feature. It is made harder still since Google is American and therefore uses American style English so football here would be soccer there and so on.

Band of Brothers (Opinion piece)

2008-12-01T02:10:00.000-08:00

Ever since I can remember, my two eldest brothers would stand on my feet, kick me in the unmentionables and break my toys. But they also helped me build Lego models and played football with me in the garden. It’s all part of an odd bond between brothers that in some way is socially acceptable. Character building I think they call it, whatever that means.
The last time we saw brothers in the spotlight was when Oasis swaggered onto the scene. Today the Followill brothers, plus cousin, take the crown as the most famous brothers on the planet, because they make up the Kings of Leon.
Last week the January issue of Q magazine hit the shelves with the Kings gracing the front cover and naturally the magazines main feature article. Since then, a barrage of tabloid hell online has ensued. Front man Caleb has it has been reported fallen out with the rest of the band due to his excessive drinking and drunken alter-ego Rooster, who causes fights between them. This has resulted in speculation that their tour will not go ahead, despite it kicking off today (December 1st) in Brighton.
Ironically the magazines photo shoot depicts the band fighting and even states “the family bond, however volatile it might appear, will always protect the band from self-destruction.” In eldest brother Nathan’s own words “being related we’re like the Hotel California...you can check in any time you want but you can never leave.” Barely a week later, the bands falling out is reported.
Although this a worrying time for fans, myself included, I cannot help but think this has been coming. Since their debut album, Youth and Young Manhood came out in 2003 I can’t remember a time when they weren’t on tour. And for years the only thing we’ve heard is the odd bit of celebrity gossip and snippets of stories of cocaine parties which did nothing but cement their reputations as possibly the most rock ‘n’ roll band in the music industry today.

Now onto their fourth album, each coming in quick succession after the other, they have elevated themselves into the rock elite. And yet after all this time we have just expected them to do this, relentlessly. Frankly I’m surprised fractures didn’t show earlier despite their solid relationship with one another. I don’t think many people could live with their siblings for such extended periods of time and keep the peace.
Caleb said in the interview that “if I stopped drinking I wouldn’t be able to take it, the pressures that get to me. If I couldn’t reward myself with something I would have to walk away.” The pressures they are under surely reflects the lack of big musical talent today, causing a reliance on bands such as Kings of Leon to keep producing albums and touring constantly.
It’s hardly a Winehouse level of irresponsibility or abuse but they are musicians, some abuse is common place. It is after all Caleb’s troubled mind which has created such amazing music over the years. As this countries obsession with celebrity culture grows there are fewer places for the famous to hide these days so any little issues are blown out of proportion because of press coverage, as the Sachsgate affair proves.
There is a stereotype within the music industry that we as an audience somehow expect to be upheld yet when we see photos of Pete Doherty or Amy Winehouse looking their respective worst we are disgusted. I hope the image of the Kings as fantastic muscians out-weighs the publicity in the tabloids which has in many cases ruined people.

Simply Northern

2008-11-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall this week accused Oasis of creating a negative stereotype of northern people. In this months Q magazine he said Oasis have “made a cliché out of presenting Northerners, especially Mancunians, like that.”
Strangely enough when I introduce myself and say I’m from Hull people generally don’t accuse me of being Liam Gallagher. And geographically I am northern. But after living in London for a year and a half it seems southern people imagine northerners to be all from the same place, a small community with no electricity and no link to the outside world. That's a bad stereotype. I find the best thing to say is Hull is just a bit further north than Watford.
Mick Hucknall is far from being the voice of the northern people. He’s not a northern hero. I don’t aspire to be a fat ginger man who looks like some bizarre old woman. Why is the Oasis stereotype so bad? Years of success, thousands of fans, immortal identity and heroes to northerners and southerners alike. In fact I might just start swaggering around in a huge parker. I hope someone does say I’m like Liam Gallagher, it would be a compliment.
Mr Hucknall doesn’t seem to know Oasis aren’t the only northern band in the world. Neither does he know that we don't live in the 90's anymore. Those Oasis stereotypes are dated, along with Simply Red. Very dated. Jealousy is a terrible thing Mick, move on.

Regional's "hardest hit" in print decline

2008-11-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

Photo by Sophie Borazanian

Guardian Chief Niel McIntosh predicted the end of regional newspapers in a Q&A session at the University of Westminster last Thursday (20th ).

The Head of editorial development said regional’s will be “hardest hit” as print begins to lose the battle against online journalism. McIntosh named The Scotsman and Herald as two of those under threat after the Johnston Press is rumored to be up for sale for an estimated £50 million.

This comes after Guardian executive, Emily Bell, warned that as many as five national papers could “fold within two years.” McIntosh echoed this statement saying that he believes The Independent is “preparing for a sale” after it cut 90 jobs last week. But he believes this is not the end for newspapers.

Last week the Guardian released figures stating it was the most popular UK newspaper website breaking the 25 million barrier for unique users. McIntosh believes the Guardian’s deal with Reuters to sell advertising in the US as well as the Guardian’s coverage of the US elections boosted its online audience.

McIntosh, soon to be European editor of the Wall Street Journal.com, said he believes there will always be someone in the market to buy a newspaper, namely The Independent which he believes will recover and potentially exploit the US market like the Guardian.

The BBC Trust threw regional papers a lifeline last Friday (21st) after it declined the BBC’s application for extended regional video services online, Guardian writer Roy Greenslade revealed.

BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons said “We…recognise the negative impact that the local video proposition could have on commercial media services which are valued by the public and are already under pressure."

McIntosh moves to the WSJ during the transition period of the Guardian to its new state of the art office in Kings Place.

The Times Haven't Changed

2008-11-19T17:05:00.000-08:00

Newspapers these days are for the traditionalists, those people whose consumption of a newspaper on a daily basis is part of a personal ritual. The Times itself has kept to the traditional image of a newspaper, dominated by lengthy columns of text with very few visual images. In contrast the Times Online has a rather different approach. Although the content of the writing is greatly the same i.e. in style and length, texts have links to other related stories, greater variation of visual images and more up to the minute news. Newspapers of course focus more on the analytical side of news stories, going into greater depth and description than online news which tends to contain the basic facts of a story. The Times Online has a more rounded display of news and culture, the modern day world. The home page if full of adverts, snippets of blogs and links to many different variations of news from business to sport. The internet wins in terms of variation and density of information, but the writers for The Times are some of the most respected journalists in the world, therefore their opinion matters to people. The fact that they made it into print and not just onto the internet where anyone can make themselves journalists defines their importance. Personally I don’t believe the Times Online varies greatly at all from other newspaper sites in any way. The newspapers themselves have real contrast from one another, the image of the paper is embodied in its print product.

Kash-ing In

2008-11-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

What is Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant? NME.com recently broke the news of the singer being replaced by Washington born singer, songwriter and front man of Alter Bridge, Myles Kennedy, for Led Zeppelins new 2009 tour. This to me seems like the remaining members of the band, bar Plant, are cashing in but for no apparent reason. They’re possibly the greatest band of all time, there popularity is relentless, they don’t need to tour to boost album sales that’s for sure. They’re not the Sex Pistols. Hopefully the news of a new album being recorded will see Zeppelin heading in a new direction, setting a bench mark of creativity for new bands and moving away from the days with Plant. The reason old bands are seeing a new resurgence is the distinct lack of new bands that have any kind of longevity, timeless quality. However Zeppelin just isn’t Zeppelin without Plant, he is the voice and the soul of the band. They might as well be a tribute band with special guests. If they do go ahead with the tour, they maybe shouldn’t be under the name Led Zeppelin. Personally I believe that Plant made the right decision to end the reformation of Led Zeppelin with the reunion gig on 10th December 2007. This new tour, without possibly the greatest front man of all time has disaster written all over it.