Choose your Best of 2008!!

I am on a bit of a roll today (two posts in one day after none for eons)

Anyway, as it is the time of the year for awards and look backs, I wonder if you would permit me to give you my 'Best of 2008' and invite you to do the same....
Here then are my suggested categoires and my 1-2-3. Let's have your choices...

BEST GIG OF 2008 ATTENDED

1) The Stranglers - Birmingham Oct

2) The Stranglers - Cardiff Oct

3) Bruce Springsteen - Cardiff

(I saw Strangs 8 times, plus Bruce, Editors, the Pistols and Oasis)

BEST ALBUM OF 2008

1) Glasvegas - Glasvegas. Utterly compelling. The Mary Chain meets Phil Spector meets The Proclaimers. Melodies to die for.

2) Coldplay - Death and All His Friends. I genuinely can't believe I am voting for a Coldplay record - I normally HATE Coldplay. But this happens to be a pretty amazing collection.

3) Hugh Cornwell - Hoover Dam. His best ever solo album. Excellent.

I also liked other 2008 releases by The Gaslight Anthem, The Killers, The Hold Steady Oasis and Keane. I also had the Kings of Leon album for Christmas which sounds pretty funky after a couple of waxings.

BEST FILM of 2008

1 The Dark Knight. I don't normally love superhero flicks but this was outstanding.

2 The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. Loved the book - film made my entire family cry.

3 In Bruges. Fantastic black comedy. Includes THE line of the year - 'you can't give horse tranquilizer to a midget'.

I also enjoyed Spanish horror movie The Orphanage, The Other Boleyn Girl (because it was partly filmed around the corner from my house) and The Quantum of Solace because no-one else seemed to get what was actually a pretty smart movie.

BEST TV SHOW of 2008

1 The Wire. See previous post. Outstanding.

2 The Office. (An American Workplace) Possibly, just possibly, better then the Brit version now. Wonderful characterisation.

3 Match Of The Day. My love of football is as big as ever.

PERSON OF 2008

1 Barack Obama

2 Jet Black (aged 70 and still on a rok-it to the moon)

3 Adrian Chiles (I just like the guy and most people here regard him as my doppleganger!)

THE 'WELL I WOULD'....FANTASY LIST

1 Katherine Jenkins. She may be Welsh but that is the only bad thing I can say about her...

2 The woman who plays Carla in Coronation Street. Defines the word 'foxy'

3 Nigella Lawson. OK, a bit predictable for a man of my age but you've got to admit....

MY PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS OF 2008

1 Visting Auschwitz - nuff said

2 Interviewing all four Stranglers for their tour programme and seeing the band seven times

3 My daughter doing well in her GCSEs (and yes she would understand being beneath the other two!!)

Right, boys (and gals?) over to you.....

Has anyone else yet got into The Wire?

Hi there Mem Bookers - an an early happy new year t'y'all...

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone else has got into The Wire yet?

It was only shown on an obscure Sky channel - FX - but it has become such a word of mouth classic that I decided to invest in series one after reading about the fifth major national newspaper article saying it was the 'best TV programme ever'. Everyone has been lauding it (including Irvine Welsh, the Trainspotter author) so I thought I'd better check it out myself as I love losing myself in long running box sets...

And, folks, all the hype is worth it. It is brilliant. Utterly brilliant. As an example on Amazon the fourth series (which I am ploughing through) had about 35 reviews the last time I checked and ALL 35 have given it five stars. That never happens.

But once you watch it you know why - because once you watch it you are hooked.

It is basically all about drug dealing in Baltimore and is completley authentic in terms of the language etc. It takes a while to get to grips with that street lingo (most unlike Bath I can tell you), the fact that in some shows not much happens (it is all about character and subtle plot developments) and the bewildering amount of different people involved. It is also refreshingly 'neutral' - not all the police and politicians are good and not all the drug dealers are bad.

Race is often an issue which is ironic because there is simply nothing 'black and white' about the characters - The Wire doesn't do easy stereotypes and isn't very PC.

It is brilliant, classic, unforgettable, original TV. And nothing comes close - no, not even Terry and June.

Go buy!

You (didn't) read it here first!

Boxing Day

Who's coming out? I am!

Mx

Nope. I have no idea what you're on about

Thought I'd start a list of things where everyone knows what's meant, but wait, hang on a minute, no I don't know what you mean. Atcherly.

1. The Father The Son and the Holy Ghost.

The Holy what now? Is the holy ghost in the bible or did some church make it up later on? And what is it? What does it do? Don't assume we know.

2. Stewed coffee.

'Oh that coffee's been on for ages, it tastes horrible'. Nope, I have no idea what you're on about, if coffee's still hot it's still good. In fact when it's cold it's still good sometimes. There must theoretically be a point where, if you keep ladling new coffee on top of old coffee grounds in a cafetiere, it would eventually be undrinkable. But, for me, that'd only be when the mold sets in.

3.  Garlic breath.

Oh grow up. Does this even exist? Or is it a remnant of early 70s Brits abroad eating their filthy muck.

Tories Grooming Senior Civil Servants

Wel Mas? Any "Groomed" you? Yuk!

What did you nick from "woolies"?

Strangley we used to nick darts, and sell them to the trade in post. I saw the first ever space shuttle launch in woolies and played very first video game, pong.

I got a work blog now...

We have gone all bloggy at work to try and enter the blogosphere so I have used this fine template to set myself up for a work one.

Should you remotely care about my musings on Bath etc my blog is at..

samholliday.blogspot.com

The big winners following the PBR

Sign makers selling 97 1/2p signs to pound shops in Tamworth. And, er... no one else. Fiscal policy is not what it was when I was a lad.

Apropos of nothing, some groovy instrumentals for the weekend:

Emil Richards: Amethyst (February)

Pierre Henry & Michel Colombier: Psyche Rock

Hope this works- happy listening!

Bruce mate, maybe you should just start by writing your ideas on a piece of paper

What are the chances of an early election then? Tax Cuts, the Brown Bounce, Obama. What does the panel think, and in Whitehall?

My 'local' column - about Barack

What's the point of having a newspaper if you can't exploit it?? I do a weekly column about local issues so today I wrotre about...Barack Obama. I mentioned a couple of places in Bath to try and justfiy it but what the hell!

When America became colour blind...by Sam Holliday


As I write this during Wednesday lunchtime, I must confess to feeling more than a little tired and weary.
It is not the feeling of fatigue that comes from working too hard but the sense of the hours catching up with you after a very long night. And the reason for that epic Tuesday evening is the reason why probably millions of other Brits had a woeful Wednesday too – because I stopped up to watch history in the making across the Atlantic.
We use the words ‘historical event’ far too glibly in my opinion to record sometimes the smallest new occurrence. But Tuesday truly provided a seismic moment which in its own way was as relevant to Bath as it was to Baltimore and as crucial to life in Wiltshire as it is to life in Wisconsin.
The reality is that because they are our biggest and most important allies, the election of a president in America is almost as important to our day-to-day lives as that of the selection of a Prime Minister. If you think that is exaggerating, ask yourself whether we would now be in Iraq and Afghanistan if it weren’t for our ‘special relationship’ and remember also that it was people defaulting on their home loans in far away Washington that means we are now having cash and mortgage problems in Widcombe and Whiteway.
But, of course, this wasn’t any old American election.
In the past we have seen battles with people who quickly disappeared off the map – how well do you remember Michael Dukakis or Bob Dole, for example? But something tells me the world will never forget the 2008 Barack Obama versus John McCain battle.
Now it is over and the somewhat unspoken issues can be talked about. Let’s be honest and admit that the thing that made this particular election so fascinating was that whatever the result, we would end up in unchartered territory. The result would give us either a black/mixed race president or a female vice- president.
Regardless of the individuals involved or their policies, this represents a fantastic progression for America and blows away the theory that only white, middle-age men need ‘apply’ for the top jobs.
For Barack Obama to have ended up victorious is a truly astonishing event and one which was fully deserved. He was the best candidate, he fought the best campaign, he had the best vice-president and, as Americans of every colour and background have agreed, he also had the best policies. The fact that he is also as black man of mixed race descendants shouldn’t matter – but of course it does.
This is a country that based much of its early wealth on slavery and even fought a civil war about the issue. Even more recently – within Barack Obama’s lifetime – it was a country which had its own form of apartheid in many southern states and where the Ku Klux Klan were a terrifying force of evil in every-day life. Could any of those bigots of just a generation ago imagine that a black family would now be walking into the White House having received votes from every sector of the population?
It means that for maybe the first time in its history America today looks like a colour-blind nation.
You may feel this is all thousands of miles away and not that relevant to your life but the feeling of hope knows no geographical barriers and that is what I detect this election has created. This isn’t about politics or Left and Right, it’s about that rare, possibly once-in-a-generation feeling that you are witnessing something or someone very special.
Barack Obama is my generation’s John F Kennedy or Winston Churchill – a man who is perfect for the time and who instils a sense of belief and positivity that few politicians can ever match.
In many ways this is a presidency that looks quite daunting owing to the current world situation, and for Barack Obama it all starts now. But what would encourage him is that in many ways he has already scaled what just a few years ago may have seemed to be unreachable heights and armed with that confidence, you suspect that anything is possible.
God bless America? You bet...

What a fantastic day!!!!

I could not be happier.

I feel as excited and optimistic as I did in May 1997 when Blair was elected but in some ways this is even more significant.

My respect for America/Americans has gone through the roof.

A fantastic day.

Paint America Love

...by Lou Christie.

For election day. 

If Barack doesn't win....

I dunno about anyone else but I have been utterly enthralled by the American election and I am really excited about the thought of a President Obama.

I have found his speeches and his vision to be exhilirating and inspiring and I think the whole world will view America in a different way if it does the right thing on Tuesday.

We know we are not supposed to think of this as a race issue but let's be honest, what an incredible thing it will be to wake up on Wednesday morning to hear that the leader of the free world is a black/mixed race guy. And that in a country famed for slavery and the Klu Klux Klan.

The race thing however still worries me. Every poll for months has put Barack ahead by large margins so I genuinely believe if he doesn’t win now it will be down to just that one thing. He is the best candidate, has fought the best campaign, he has the best Vice President and is running against a Republican Party that is held responsible for many of America’s ills. He fully deserves to win and if he doesn’t then I can’t see any other reason than the one we never like to consider – the race card.

Perhaps a lot of white people have told pollsters they will back him because they want to be seen as liberal (the Tories always used to be under-estimated in polls for the same reason) but when it comes to the private poll will they change sides?I really, truly hope not because I am convinced Barack Obama will be good for America and good for the world.

I can’t wait for tomorrow and I plan a very long night of TV watching….. GO BARACK.

Nick Laird-Clowes, the posh twerp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-aE4oPKSDQ

Dear oh dear.

better move over, here comes a supernova...

It's back! Top marks to Sir Matthew Lees (it's only a matter of time that all mandarins get their KBE, isn't it) and I say it should be given in recognition of his service to the Memorable Book. I really thought it had died. I'd even taken it off my home page tabs, sick to death of only getting posts that were as bad as the junk e-mail I get telling me to "screw her all night" and Screwfix sale ads. You know you are of a certain age when those are the two most frequent junk mails you get. But here we are with a new-all-credit-crunch beating Memorable Book. It's certainly taken my mind off Brand/Ross/recession fears. Who cares that we are still in two wars, facing the most severe financial crisis since 1929 and depression still dogs me. The 'Book is back.

Well I am here. And by jove isn't it rather pretty. I can even do this..

• ghghgghghdfhhghg

Well done Mas. Perhaps now some of the posts I send can get in (my rate for successful posts was about one in three!)

It is like a Born Again Memorable Book. Hallelujah!

When The Stranglers Met Roland Rat

Just noticed that this is on BBC iPlayer. So funny. It's about pop groups appearing on children's TV programmes. There's a bit where Mickey Dolenz appears on Cheggers Plays Pop - and it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Also the Love documentary is currently available to watch for free at www.pitchforkmedia.com - on until Friday I believe, so get in there.
Mxx

Classic

The Memorable Book

Refugees from MSN's Groups function, these Tamworth kids continue their ancient arguments over post punk rock vs 1970s nu-modernism, settle their grievances with astonished women, recommend records, books and films to each other, and swop private jokes, fuzzily remembered.

Get some in.