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June 30, 2006
Oldton continues
Huge congratulations to Tim Wright, whose wonderful fictional town Oldton now has a new life as a play in Radio 4's forthcoming memory season.
Posted by Tom Dolan at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2006
Being busy...over a year ago.
I should point out that the following message is entirely off-message, but it's how I think of it...
If you like slightly folky, pompous, camp, 60s inspired, silly, overproduced, intelligent, lovable pop - and would enjoy the added bonus that I played on it, then why not pop over to iTunes and buy the new album by "theghostorchestra".
Well done to Des for getting it all together. At great financial peril.
(And although I'm not involved as I once was, this is the project that got me to take up learning piano properly - so it's had effects way beyond the original intention. Which I'll spare you from today, but do believe I can go on, and on, and on, and on about it)
Posted by Tom Dolan at 12:49 AM | Comments (0)
I bet you they won't play this song on the iPod
So it's happened yet again.
I've nearly given up on an album, after having burnt it onto the iPod, only to find out it's just majestic on CD.
This is probably the 8th or 9th time, where a CD I've bought has come home, been put on the iPod for listening, and then sounded...well *less* than it should have. Just not as good as records should sound, you know?
The Pet Shop Boys album referenced earlier was, to be honest, a bit of a disappointment. Where was the sparkle? The texture? The MAJESTY?
There are others who will be able to explain better than I, but it was there all along, and it was thrown away by iTunes as "irrelevant data".
From now on, two rules will apply:
i) I will learn all new CDs as CDs, and then review and remind on the shabby iPod
ii) I will buy real CDs - particularly classical ones - as I'm happy to pay the extra 25p per track just to be able to refer to The Real Thing...in all its sparkly well mixed and expensively reverbed glory.
Posted by Tom Dolan at 12:37 AM | Comments (1)
June 12, 2006
Ta
Thanks to all of you who've updated your RSS feed URL to the new feedburner address. Much appreciated.
Posted by Tom Dolan at 09:17 PM | Comments (0)
What's in a name?
Ah yes, the new pet shop boys album, Fundamental.
Featuring those magic words - to some, and you know who you are - "produced by trevor horn".
(Also featuring Anne Dudley, Steve Lipson, Lol Creme and many many more...)
Posted by Tom Dolan at 08:45 PM | Comments (2)
June 10, 2006
Getting into the spirit of things
So, like the rest of a small proportion of the male population, today I'm watching the football and pretending I understand what's going on and, to a certain extent, care. Because, you know, I kind of feel I ought to.
But I can't help feel I'm on a losing streak, when the commentary gives me help like
"See how the goalie moves to make him aim high. That would be like having an enormous banana running at you."
I suspect that inspired image will keep me going far more than any of the rest of the football.
Posted by Tom Dolan at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2006
I am a vain man...
So if you are getting this blog through RSS, any chance you can change your feed URL to
http://feeds.feedburner.com/BlatantOptimism
that would be lovely.
Posted by Tom Dolan at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)
June 08, 2006
Projects
Projects.
Bloody projects.
Sometimes they start, then fizzle out.
Sometimes they blossom into a glorious nightmare.
Sometimes they take seven bloody months before everyone finally says "oh, let's just not bother then".
(And it's even more galling that this is the right decision)
Posted by Tom Dolan at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)
Everyone's an ...ist except me!
As ever Simon HB gets it spot-on over at No Rock&Roll Fun. This time dissecting the Guardian article opinion piece on the Chris Moyles 'gay' ringtone furore.
"Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, agrees that the offence is probably unintended, but adds drily: "He's not especially homophobic because, as Halle Berry pointed out the other day, he's racist as well." Summerskill says he's unsurprised by the BBC governors' response given the "inexcusable" lack of an openly gay board member. "They are presuming to be down with the kids. It's like a dowager duchess turning up at a dinner party in a rubber mini-skirt and pretending she's hip."
It's interesting how the negative stereotyping of homosexuals is wrong, but it's fine to create lazy stereotypes about older people.
Posted by Tom Dolan at 05:18 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2006
Talk Like Nobody's Listening...
(And it's probably best if you don't for now).
Notice that I haven't called it a podcast yet. Once I've actually got an RSS feed, more than one entry, and something useful to say, then it'll be a podcast. (Am I right to get wound up by people calling one-off audio downloads podcasts? I don't know.)
In the meantime, just assume there is a massive
test
on it, ok?
Posted by Tom Dolan at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)
