Twitter presents The National

I found myself sitting very still at my desk this morning, certain that any sudden movement would send me spiralling into an exhaustion pit. Last night I went to see the Oh Land gig at Heaven (make your own heaven and earth pun, I can’t be assed) and done a lot of accidental wine drinking in plastic cups. She covered The National’s *Bloodbuzz Ohio in her set and gig companion Jo & I both conceded they were a band we knew little of and should probably rectify that given her rendition.

I send many annoying pleas for help on Twitter. Some get little response (who should I call about the dead cat I found on the pavement got two) and some get more responses than I can keep up with (asking if anyone could make me an edible Morrissey cake topper is still ongoing). During my “sit very still in case you wake the hangover” morning I asked what tracks by The National I should listen to and lovely Twitter responded.

That my friends is what an artist doing a cover version and social media can lead to. An introduction to a band you are falling for hard. Like the first time you saw River Phoenix in Running on Empty and thought “hang on a minute”.

The suggestions above were provided to me by @goodstufftom @georgiamof @tomwaitsripoff @theboycarve @hcarrowsmith @Goingundrground and another man I know (IRL) called Gareth (so huge thank you to you all). It resulted in me doing little work and the following playlist which you can listen to on Spotify. Twitters introduction to The National. Enjoy. ♥

*I didn’t know this was the track name, I just assured Jo I’d remember the “money to the money I owe” part of the song. Then we ran into McDonald’s for a wee and got talked at by a lively motormouth of a girl from Wolverhampton who told us the name of the track. Then we got on the tube. Went home to bed. The end.

F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.P.H.E.W

On Thursday 1st September I trotted off to see Pulp for the third time this year, lucky old me. I was also sort of celebrating, albeit in a muted fashion. For those that stalk follow me on Twitter you’ll know I was made redundant a few weeks ago and a melodramatic panic set in. Let me tell you, in this recession riddled climate trying to find a job is harder than what the actual job entails in London right now. I started buying lottery tickets, wondering how long I could stretch out a homemade batch of Daal, considered how much of a pay cut I could budget for. I was never a student, I have always worked, so I am unskilled and unprepared for this kind of life. I’m the kind of idiot that spanks £20 on magazines just to look at the pictures while sat with a monster sized frozen yoghurt while painting my nails with a colour purchased on a whim.

Then I got the job I wanted. Out of all the soulless corporations I’d traipsed through this was the one. Normal sorts who I had an actual laugh with in the interview. What a perfect way to celebrate. Give me a stubbly man with non-existent hips any day of the week to make me feel like I’m in Mecca (lucky for me that description also fits the boy Lolita). I celebrated with my long suffering flat-mate and Jarvis Cocker. Looking back at the setlist it was every song I wanted, if Pink Glove had been included my life would have been too perfect. I’d of passed out like the girl in front of me (who found the grinding during This Is Hardcore too sexual. Not mine. Jarvis Cocker’s). Pulp purists got to hear tracks from Live Bed Show all the way back to Countdown.

Except I felt like I couldn’t cast off the shackles of unemployment quite yet. They were being thorough in their reference checks (in my mind I was just too good to be true, in reality they are a small firm and just being understandably cautious) and until that cleared I’ve continued to temp at a very religious embassy who own giant pritt sticks & eat a lot of KFC. Old colleagues told enough necessary lies about me to give me the green light. I found out yesterday that I start tomorrow.

I never got a chance to sit around in my dressing gown watching Jeremy Kyle THANK FUCK! ♥

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September 4th Mixtape – Happy Birthday Freddie Mercury

Sundays mixtape is intentionally a day late so I could pay homage to the sublime, unique genius that is Freddie Mercury. I am certain ALL of you are already peppering your day with Queen, playing with the Google Doodle & in my imagination you’re all wearing mo’s while pushing the Hoover around in high heels.

It is not a day late because I got locked in a pub in Shadwell until the early hours of Sunday morning and therefore was good for nothing but noodles and Dr Who yesterday. Otherwise the tone of this mixtape would have been a slow, pitying weeping. Not what Freddie Mercury deserves at all.

My earliest memories of Queen visually would be watching their performance on Live Aid. I don’t think I truly appreciated how great they were until I saw Freddie Mercury perform. He is one of the greatest frontmen, and a man not afraid to be himself at a time when minds weren’t as open as they are in the year he would have turned 65. He played such a huge part in forming our generations tolerance and understanding. I hope that somehow he left this planet knowing that.

“I won’t be a rock star. I will be a legend” ~ Freddie Mercury

Click on mixtape to play my favourite Queen tracks, it’s not easy to limit such a back catalogue. Also if you have the time this week it is well worth watching the documentary Days Of Our Lives. Truly moving. ♥

1. Under Pressure
2. Keep Yourself Alive
3. Save Me
4. Tie Your Mother Down
5. Don’t Stop Me Now
6. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
7. Killer Queen
8. Seven Seas Of Rhye
9. Another One Bites The Dust
10. I Want To Break Free
11. Somebody To Love

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July 3rd Mix Tape

And normal mix tape service resumes after Glastonbury. Click on Spotify to play.

What a week! So disoriented. Up until Wednesday night I kept waking up thinking I could hear Oxylers West deep bass reverb. Then just as I had recovered went off to see Arcade Fire and woke up deep in a level of exhaustion again. I left my voice at the Pyramid stage on Sunday, got it back finally on the Thursday to lose it again in Hyde Park singing (screaming) along to Arcade Fire and continuing to do so even when I could feel it going again. I’m not complaining mind, who would when they’ve been so lucky to see so many bands in a week. I’m also off to Pulp as soon as I hit send. I promise to post something more entertaining soon.

For that reason this post is going to be very rushed. I was going to give you a Sunday soundtrack based on who I saw at Glastonbury but I am feeling a tiny bit random this week and to suit my mood I have literally picked the first songs that come into my head. Some of them are probably subconsciously Glastonbury related, others will just be my ear worms this week. Enjoy! ♥

1. Lou Reed – Satellite of Love
2. Violent Femmes – Blister In The Sun
3. The Joy Formidable – A Heavy Abacus
4. Emmy The Great – Iris
5. Bon Iver – Calgary
6. Kings Of Leon – The Bucket
7. Darwin Deez – Radar Detector
8. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – You’re All I Need To Get By
9. Janelle Monae Feat. Big Boi – Tightrope
10. Blackstreet Feat. Dr Dre – No Diggity

June 19th Mixtape – Guest Blog From My Dad

It’s not Bob, Mick, Keith, Scott, James or Ray who is the man most influential in my love for music. From the moment I plopped onto this planet with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck, screaming blue murder, my Dad has been playing music to me. As a baby, when my mum would go out, the 8 tracks or LP’s would come out and with the volume up as loud as it would go my Dad would dance around with me, swinging me in his arms. I know all this because it was a constant battle between my parents, my mum thought it would damage my tiny eardrums. My ears are fine, but this early introduction to music is responsible for what is essentially the great love of my life.

It seems only right that I handed over the reigns to him for this weeks mix tape seeing as it’s Fathers Day. I asked him for a few tracks he thinks everyone should listen to as a music lover, he took it very seriously and found it nearly impossible whittling it down. Mum claimed my Dad is massively sexist for not having any female artists in his final list. Click on Spotify or the links in the blog to hear this ‘guest’ mix-tape.

Happy Fathers Day Dad – a man who has raised me to be considerate, kind, patient, interested in others and to always have a soundtrack in my life. ♥

1. Gordon Lightfoot – If You Could Read My Mind
2. The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset
3. Sam Cooke – A Change Is Gonna Come
4. The Verve – The Drugs Don’t Work
5. Abraham, Martin  & John – Marvin Gaye
6. Tom Petty & The Heartbreak – I Won’t Back Down
7. Neil Young – Rockin’ In The Free World
8. James Taylor – You’ve Got A Friend
9. The Who – Substitute
10. The Rolling Stones – Satisfaction
11. The Animals – House Of The Rising Sun
12. Van Morrisson – Brown Eyed Girl
13. Bob Seger – We’ve Got Tonight
14. Bob Dylan – Like A Rolling Stone