Monday 22 December 2014

Victoria Clarke interviews her partner Shane MacGowan about Fairytale of New York


At this time of year, one cannot avoid hearing the song ‘Fairytale of New York’. It is one of the most popular Christmas songs ever written. And while I am delighted and proud for Shane, the song is a constant reminder of how much we have in common with the bag lady and the tramp in the song. It also reminds me of how very lucky we are to still have each other, to have managed to stay together through very good times and very bad ones.
Over the years, I must have heard Shane sing that song thousands of times. And yet, I realised that it isn’t something we ever talk about. And so, when I was asked if I knew the story behind the song, or how long it took to write or how Shane really feels about it, I realised that I did not know any of these things. And when I did investigate, I was surprised by what I discovered...
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The Endlessly Examined Life

Kool DJ Red Alert - Live on KissFM NYC (Dec 1984)

Yan Jun
: Speakers Have A Right To Die

Abbott says his top achievement as Minister for Women was carbon tax repeal...


You CANNOT make this up

Q-Tip's message to Iggy Azalea

HipHop is a artistic and socio-political movement/culture that sprang from the disparate ghettos of NY in the early 70's / Coming off the heels of the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT and approaching the end of the Vietnam war it was a crossroads 4 America / specially for blacks in the US our neighborhoods were PROLIFERATED w/a rush of HEROINE / our school systems here in NY dungeon traps with light for learning / blk men some of whom didn't return from tours of duty n the ones who did came w/war baggage (agent orange, addiction, ect..) / these men had families but due to these events and throw into the mix the public emasculation... / they proved to be handicapped parents. The surrogate parents? The STREETS / the streets of gangs, crimes, and the hustlers coddled us and swept us up / but! Being a spirited, rhythmic & expressive people music art dance outlined our existence / it proved a way for us to exhault to scream to dance to laugh and find OUR VOICE / we weren't at the same time skilled musicians as kids. We had records, turntables, ideas and INGENUITY / being natural chemist we took from whatever was availed to us and we created something mighty and special / we cut breakbeats back n forth we took a hybrid of Jamaican toasting along w/ radio jock rap( hank Spann, Gary Byrd, ect.) and / we put our rap down.. / it was a neighborhood thing really. Black and Latino kids were carving out their space and it became infectious / eventually Keith Cowboy coined the phrase hiphop. Yrs later the first rap record was recorded and now we r moving / but during these strides this country still had the monster of racism and racial insensitivity breathing and ruling / believe it or not young black n Latino lives specifically weren't acknowledged in mainstream American culture unless Ofcourse.. / the convo was abt gangs , being criminals or uneducated. And hey! Like I stated early our families were rushed our schools / sucked and we were left to put devices to survive / but HIPHOP showed that we had DEPTH, fire, and BRILLIANCE / the music was undeniable! It moved from NY N became national and even GLOBAL / hiphop now was FOR EVERYBODY!! All of those who cld relate to the roots, the spirit, the history, the energy.. It reached YOU / it touched your spirit n took u up. We magnetized you! That's what brilliance DOES / now u are fulfilling your dreams ... BUT! / you have to take into account the HISTORY as you move underneath the banner of hiphop. As I said before / hiphop is fun it's vile it's dance it's traditional it's light hearted but 1 thing it can never detach itself from / is being a SOCIO-Political movement. U may ask why ... Well / once you are born black your existence I believe is joined with socio-political epitaph and philos / based on the tangled and treacherous history SLAVERY alone this is the case / It never leaves our conversation... Ever. WeAther in our universities our dinner tables our studios or jail cells / the effects still resonates with us. It hurts... We get emotional and angry and melancholy / did u know president Clinton was the ONLY PRESIDENT to apologize for it? / did u know that remnants of slavery exist today thru white privilege? When certain "niceties" r extended your way because of / how u look? Isn't that crazy? I say this 2 say u are a hiphop artist who has the right 2 express herself however she wishes / this is not a chastisement this is not admonishment at ALL this is just one artist reaching to another hoping to spark insight / into the field you r in. I say this in the spirit of a hopeful healthy dialogue that maybe one day we can continue / I've been on twitter a long time and this will probably be my last series of tweets pretty much but / I'm Kool with it as long as I got to share w u. Zzzzzzz's up! Peace!
Via

Jane Bown: Samuel Beckett

R.I.P. Jane Bown

Billie Whitelaw R.I.P.

Sunday 21 December 2014

Truth


Lucinda Williams - npr Tiny Desk Concert


James Fitton: London Transport Posters (1948)

Via

New Riders Of The Purple Sage - Live at Beat Club Bremen (29/5/72)

The Drug-Crazed Majesty of Gram Parsons

It's the 21st of December...(Gravy Day)


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