Dig yourself, Lazarus dig yourself, Lazarus dig yourself, Lazarus DIG YOURSELF!

Nick Cave is back! With a silly moustache, but we'll forgive him for that. (I wouldn't argue with Warren Ellis's beard, now.) Dig, Lazarus, Dig! is an awesome title track that I can't get out of my head, and hopefully the rest of the album is as good.

And he's playing three nights in London, too. I might go, but there's no one to go with...

Is that alright with you? Is that alright with you? It's not alright. Is that alright? It's not alright. Is that alright with you? It's not alright. Is that alright, is that alright with you? Is that alright? It's not alright, not alright. Is that alright with you? Is that alright? Is that alright, is that alright? It's not alright. Is that alright?

Now I can see how people can like Coldplay. I can understand that some people enjoy Cliff Richard not for his camp value. Even Rammstein are at least, at some base level, enjoyable.

But how can anyone actually enjoy listening to the gigantic bag of dirge that is Damien Rice???!??

And on the first day, we had everything we could stand
Ohh-ohhhhhh who could've asked for more?
And on the second day, there was nothing else left to do
Oh-ohhhhh what a day that was

I just wanted to say David Byrne is great, and I may have to do a elunojigglioso and make an avatar out of his Once In A Lifetime "Multiple Chicken Head-Bob" dance.

Also, to bulk out this pointless entry:

• Space Shuttle Mission STS-121 launches from Cape Canaveral on a mission to dock with the International Space Station. Sum0 18:47, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

• posted. The Tom 19:05, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

So now I am technically, on the front page of the Wikipedia. Go - look - in the "In The News", that bit about the shuttle: I wrote that.

Finally, this is almost too true to be funny:

And the carny had a horse, all skin and bone
A bow-backed nag, that he named "sorrow"
How it is buried in a shallow grave
In the then parched meadow
And the dwarves were given the task of digging the ditch,
And laying the nag's carcass in the ground
And boss Bellini, waving his smoking pistol around
saying "The nag is dead meat,"
"We cain't afford to carry dead weight"

I was listening to this song, half-asleep, at half past midnight last night. I've never actually listened to all of it before. It is a... severely strange song.

Anyway, bunked off school early to head to the bus stop to go to Ipswich to see the Chili Peppers yesterday. Met (Shaun) Marshall there, then Josh and Robin turned up, then it was a two hour-ish journey to Portman Road on the coach. I was stuck at the back because I'd bought my tickets seperately, so I listened to the Talking Heads, a lot, and read Spies which as previously mentioned is the book I must read for English. I actually quite like it. It's one of those books, like Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, which are semi-autobiographical and based on the part of their life where boys go from being children to adolescents, and I find them strangely interesting. Possibly because I never actually seemed to have gone through it myself. Eh, I don't know. Maybe you have to had grown up in 1960s Ireland/WW2 London. It's a good book, with some nice twists at the end: some of which you're prepared for, some of which come as a intriguing shock.

Anyway, queued ("Standing in line to see the show tonight," as Robin punned) outside Portman Road for ages while they slowly opened up the turnstiles (turnstiles 42-47 were packed, while 48-53 next to us were totally empty: but of course, our tickets were for 42-47. Why do event organisers always manage to cock everything up? It's a CONCERT, LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE COMING, OPEN THE TURNSTILES, DUH). Went in, found ourselves dead centre to the stage, but about halfway across the pitch, so view = ehh. Ate a sandwich. And so we waited until !!! appeared. Yes, !!!. You mean you've never heard of !!!? (They've got no hope because you can't search for them on Google, not even "Three exclamation marks"). Yes, they were an American something-rock band, spelt !!!, pronounced "chkchkchk" or "powpowpow" or "thrpthrpthrp" and so forth, and they were #@!%?!. Hoho, they weren't really. I might like them, but they were pretty forgettable. Next up was Karl Barat's Dirty Pretty Things, and they sounded like what would happen if one of the guys from the Libertines went off and started his own band. Good songs, but I only knew the last one, Bang Bang You’re Dead.

And so finally, the Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared. Woo. Couldn't see them very well, mind, but tiny Flea is still as good as giant Flea. And I didn't really get any good pictures. They were alright, as in great, but not as great as they could have been. They played most of the classics: starting off with Can't Stop and moving into Dani California, then Scar Tissue, Californication and By The Way at the end, followed by Under the Bridge and Give It Away in the encore. In between they played stuff off the new album, random short jams with Flea, Chad, and John Frusciante, a rather sweet little solo piece by Frusciante, and also at one point Anthony Kiedis apparently forgot the lyrics to a song, asked for someone to get them for him, and announced "We're calling an audible", and I was like "whoa! I'm like, the only person in the crowd to get that joke!" except for the man in the 49ers shirt behind me. But it was kinda disappointing, because they insisted on playing the weedy ballady songs which are track 32 of the B-side of their new album's second disc (probably), and I was there for straight-up funk. And at the end they did this random jamming thing, which was cool to begin with but after three minutes of repetition I just wished they'd give us an extra song.

But eh, you can't have it all.

On the way back I finished Spies, listened to Nick Cave a lot, and slept a little. Luckily my dad was there to give me (and Marshall) a lift home. Hurrah.

My phone ringtone is the codec from MGS. How cool is that?

Oh, apparently I am also going to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers on June 30th with Josh et al, which coincidentally is also the day Megan is going with her friends, which is a spot of luck. That, and Foo Fighters/QOTSA/Motorhead on July 17th. Looks like a good summer, eh? I wonder who's on in August.

Thieves take elderly woman's lawn

When I saw this on the local news, the bad pun part of my brain went into overdrive:

• I hope someone grasses them up.


• They'll be facing the long arm of the lawn.


• The police should just turf them in prison.

Sadly, before the remnants of his brain dribbled out of his ears, the nice man asked me to stop, please.

Stuff wot happened today:

A kind gentleman from St Peter's Brewery came round to sell us his beer and talk to us about the beer making process, because Mr Field thinks it's important we learn where our alcohol comes from. Sadly, he spoke very quietly and was very, very boring, like the man from the Box Factory in the Simpsons. "St Peter's Brewery sells mainly export to other countries, where markets are quite strong. Interestingly, the bottle we use for our beer is a patented design. We are the only brewery in the country to use copper-plated taps, as opposed to the more mainstream aluminium taps, which I'm sure you'll agree are hardly in the same league. No, we only make boxes to ship nails. Now, this is the best part of my talk. You see, this may look like an ordinary bottle of beer, but with one important difference - oh, we took that out. Yes, it is just like every other bottle of beer." It's difficult to make fun of him because I honestly can't remember what he said, aside from "We do a lot of business with... Asians." So me, henner and squidblaine just quoted the bit in Donnie Darko when Patrick Swayze is giving the talk at the school. "You know what? No one ever knows what they want to drink when they grow up. You know it takes a little, little while to find that out, right, Jim?"

Anyway, in Biology I found out that I actually need to be doing coursework, no, seriously, like in time for handing in in a week, and then I skipped Critthink because it was another test. Later at Robin's I tried one of the St Peter's beers. Eeuck. Maybe I'm too young, but... bitter is like, a tad too bitter for me.

Later I went to the city and finally bought Ben Folds Five's Whatever and Ever Amen, because I have run out of CDs to listen to. She's alone. I'm alone. And now I know it: She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly. Also I bought a watch to time my runs, like. I saw three runners today, and I wanted to say "Hey, I'm one of you now!"

On the bus home, I was feeling nostalgic for the old days, so I listened to Ash and Weezer. I kinda stopped listening to Ash after Meltdown came out, because it was kinda a disappointment. Generic pop punk filler! Trying to be "hard" and "rock" and "punk" but sounding like Fisher Price Rock! OK, maybe I'm a bit harsh, but Ash aren't hardcore enough to do hardcore rock, even though I love them all dearly. Especially Chaz. Also, after listening to them non-stop for several years I'd got bored of them. But listening to them on the bus, it brought back memories 'n' stuff, of old girls I used to know and Broads Sailing trips and the time I almost decided to flip and become a vampire, which was cool. And then I listened to some Weezer, and decided I still love them lots too.

Any day now you'll call me up on the phone
Say you love me more than you ever did before
It's all that I can do right now
To make it up to you somehow
And meet you on the other side of hope

Stolen from the Onion

Franz Ferdinand Frontman Shot By Gavrilo Princip Bassist

March 17, 2006 | Issue 42•12

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND—Lead singer and guitarist for pop band Franz Ferdinand, Alexander Kapranos, is in critical condition today after being shot by a man identified as the bassist for rock group Gavrilo Princip. "We ask fans to cooperate with Interpol to find the assailant, and call upon British Sea Power, Snow Patrol, and The Postal Service for help," drummer Paul Thompson told music magazine NME Monday. "The suspect had links to The Decemberists and The Libertines, and we are following up on all leads." It is unclear whether the shooting was linked to The Polyphonic Spree's invasion of Belgium earlier this week.

Back from my Biology examination, and it actually went rather well. Answered pretty much everything with a decent answer, one or two questions I guestimated but I think I've got them pretty much right. And got a whole page of scribblings on enzyme concentration and rate of reaction, and remembered the word "phagocytosis" correctly. Plus the ever-wonderful nomaki leant me the first series of Lost on DVD.

Who are these The Servant I have just heard (mainly cus the song from the Sin City DVD menu got stuck in my head)? I like, the lead singer sings like some bizarre mixture of Damon Albran and Jarvis Cocker. And Matt Bellamy?!

I was trying to troubleshoot why my router gives me slow internet speeds, only to find my connection has somehow shot up to 3 megabit. Which is nice, but complicates my router troubleshooting

Anyway, off to my McDonald's inducktion soon. Hoorah!

We all say, don’t want to be alone
We wear the same clothes cos we feel the same
And kiss with dry lips when we say goodnight
End of a century
Oh, it’s nothing special

It seems increasingly unlikely that I shall finish

Philosophy: Descartes & Skepticism
Philosophy: ????
Philosophy: Sartre
English: Something about language in Translations
English: Act I of Translations analysis
English: Antony + Cleopatra?!?
English: Something even more complicated about Translations

oh, aaaaaandd revise for whole bunch of exams that I can't actually remember what they were

in three days.

But we'll burn those bridges when we get to them.

It's fucking Christmas, they can't expect me to give a damn about their essays.

Oh, it was fucking Christmas.

Bah, 2006 sucks already.

On the plus side, I am Expanding my Horizons by listening to Songs for the Deaf wot my brother got me.

This song, like most Gorillaz songs, has a clever double meaning. The music and video reflect a high energy, drug fueled club scene, but the lyrics hint that Shaun Ryder's character is being convinced to masturbate. The song starts with Shaun singing 'it's coming up. . . it's dare'. This could referring to the anti drug organization DARE or it could be 'there' said with an English accent ('it's coming up' meaing getting an erection). Noodle instructs him to just 'think it', 'hold it down there', and 'feel like you were there yourself'. Ryder's character justifies this by saying, 'it never did no harm'. Ryder's voice chimes more and more in the chorus as the song progresses, hinting that he is being convinced. Background voices come in at the end of the song, maybe to simulate going back into the club. The most likely explanation is that DARE makes an analogy between drug use and masturbation.

...you what?

So I was rather shocked to find that they really are doing an Evangelion live action film. Yes, Untitled Evangelion Project (2006) is scheduled for production, and the fans are surprisingly optimistic about it (although annoyingly misinformed/shortsighted about the movie industry as usual, e.g. "Shinji can be the boy from charlie and the chocolate factory, the main character kid" - oh, you mean Charlie? No, just because he was a boy in another film doesn't mean it will work). I guess I am too. Get in some director that knows that they're doing, at least. And make it good. That's all.

In other news, I realised that for the past week or so I've just been listening to endless Nick Cave. And as cool as he is, it feels as if that's not a healthy musical diet. I want the next big thing.

Tried that newfangled "podcasting" thing. I guess it's kinda cool, but the only reason it's popular is because iPod users are a bit slow and think "Whoa, it's like the radio on my iPod!" while the rest of us are like "Oh yeah, only my MP3 player actually has a radio built in."

So on the bus, I decided to listen to the radio for a change. Radio 4 had I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue on, so I listened to that, before the Archers. I always laugh at my dad for his dedication to listening to the Archers, but I actually listened to an episode and it was surprisingly (terrifyingly?) good. I must be getting old.

I was... not shocked but... disappointed earlier today. I was watching my Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds DVD, and actually heard the man speak for the first time. I was saddened. This man, the epitome of coolness, the "media-shy king of darkness", with his slicked-back hair and growling Cash-esque singing style, sounds... like a slightly (admittedly not too much) weedy guy with an Australian accent.

That's it.

That's all there is.

Luckily the video for Loverman rocks. It's the only music video I know of where the band was hypnotised (by a priest?).

"Loverman,
Till the bitter end
While empires burn down
Forever and ever and ever and ever"

Today was reasonably good. I got 11/20 on a Psychology test, which was sadly the second highest mark in the class, but at least I don't have to do the "punishment" on Friday. I also have three essays to write for English, but you can't win 'em all.

I'm currently ripping my backlog of CDs in anticipation of unwrapping me iRiver tomorrow morning:
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better (a cracking album I have realised)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Lyre of Orpheus (some excellent tracks)
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Placebo - Once More With Feeling
They Might Be Giants - Then
They Might Be Giants - Flood
Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks
Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction

There's also the Essential Bob Dylan, but my dad has pilfered that. Speaking of my dad, I decided to look him up on Google. It's kinda weird seeing him from the viewpoint of The World. Oddest find: a BNP website complaining about the fact that the EDP didn't print their letter.

So he paints a pretty picture
And he tells you that he needs you
And he covers you with flowers
And he always keeps you dreaming
If he always keeps you dreaming
You won't have a lonely hour
If a day could last forever
You might like your ivory tower

But the night begins to turn your head around
And you know you're gonna lose more than you found

Random person on Limewire who had The Night by Intastella, you rock!

Whoa! So! Met up with Shaun and Lewis and Roper and Roberto and Lil Craig and Saz and my darlin' Megs at the Forum kinda late but nothing too much, walked down to the Waterfront, stood around for a while, finally went in. Oh the nostalgia. The two support acts were kinda eh, though one of them did a nice cover of I Don't Like Mondays. Inme were like... generic rock. Nothing wrong with that, just not too interesting. The lead singer guy did an acoustic bit which was kinda cool.

So anyways, the evening wound up, got a lift home along with Roper by Shaun's dad, who had a minor incident with a red Vauxhall and decided that he would take us on a high-speed car chase through the back streets of Norwich (I kid ye not).

Blerghry-eyed and it is late and my Internets connection has failed me. So I'll post this tomorrow if I remember. (Which I did.)

Oh dear, MSN is down again.

Been to an Art Thing at the old abandoned shoe factory. It was pretty fun. A lot of it was overpriced pretentious shite not to my taste but there were a few gems and such. I like art exhibitions, I can be eccentric and opinionated.

Later today cometh my THIRD GIG EVER, InMe, a band I have actually never ever heard before. I have some album of them on one of the DVDs of MP3s in the stack next to me (generously donated by Chris) so perhaps I'll check it out pre-gig. Tcha, look at me, nearly 17, legal for 3 years, and I've been to all of two gigs. And one of them was more a concert. It's not my fault my friends all have bad music taste different favoured genres.

Hmmm so pretty uneventful day. Read Translations and then Antony and Cleopatra in English, popped down city afterwards at insistence of Rob+Lewis, bought Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (finally).

Oh yeah and there was a Blyth-Jex girl on the bus who started talking to herself and then started insulting us and claiming we were perving on her and threatened to throw her boyfriend at us.

So what did we do?

We did what you always do when people threaten you.

Pretend to be German exchange students.

There's a new Garry's Mod out. W00t.

And I realised that as of yesterday I'm going out with a hot Weezer fan (it's the same girl, doofus, she just listened to the blue album). Well she tells me she's not that much of a fan, but I can tell that she is.

So I listened to Weezer's Pinkerton again at lunch today, and it's once again reaffirmed itself as quite possibly my favourite album, because it's still all so relevent to me, despite my lack of teenage angsty loneliness.

How stupid is it? I can't talk about it
I gotta sing about it and make a record of my heart
(How stupid is it? Won't you give me a minute
Just come up to me and say hello to my heart) How stupid is it?
For all I know you want me too and maybe you just don't know what to do or maybe you're scared to say I'm falling for you

Don't you just love songs with the words "Like I love you"?

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Do You Love Me?
"Do you love me? (Do you love me?) Do you love me? (Do you love me?) Do you love me? (Do you love me?) Do you love me, like I love you?"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps
"Wait... they don't love you like I love you, maaa-aaa-haaa-maaa-aaa-haaa-maa-aaa-haa-maaa-aaa-haaaps"
JUstin Timberlake - Like I Love You
"Ain't nobody love you like I love you"
The Magic Numbers - Love Me Like You (kinda)
"She don't love me like you, she don't know what you do..."

I'm pleased to see Weezer are number 9 in the artists chart on Audioscrobbler (behind Coldplay and Radiohead, but that's not to hear). And the interesting thing about Audioscrobbler is the favourite tracks. Bizarrely, Beverly Hills is more popular than Buddy Holly. Brave little My Name Is Jonas is even more popular than Hash Pipe. It also makes me want to go and ram Nick Cave down everyone's throats (no! wait! ew!) and hug everyone who likes the same bands as me. I was highly disappointed earlier to find lyrics websites consistantly mislabel Where the Wild Roses Grow as a Kylie Minogue song, when it's clearly nothing she could ever come up with.

Incidentally these people rock.

Waste my days.