How to get out of your head without being off your head

Months ago I wrote about my decision to ditch the too-hard-to-play mandolin and instead take up the ukulele. Well, some months down the line I’m delighted to report that I’m now strumming along to some of my favourite bands.  I’ve just put down the uke after playing along to Guyamas Sonora, a wonderful track on the second album by Beirut, The Flying Club Cup. 

 

Having just watched this video, perhaps I’ll return to the mandolin some time. I’ve also confirmed some of my previous discoveries and theories about the web – principally, that if you’ve an interest, there’s plenty of others out there happy to share in just about every dimension of it. One of my recent finds is the wonderful blog Ukulele Hunt. 

Occasional song lyrics that amuse and inspire me (1)

Listening to a great album of B-sides and rarities by a Cake, a that I could only remember for the glorious cover of “I will survive” by Gloria Gaynor. From the track Never, Never Gonna Give You Up,  

I’m never ever gonna quit,

Cause quittin’ just ain’t my shit.  

There’s also a great version of the old Muppet tune “Mahna, Mahna” There we are, wisdom for those free-ranging on their own path. 

Now showing: The Charity Shop DJ Picture Show

Oh the joy of finding a long lost friend!  I once found an original 12″ of Grandmaster Flash’s The Message in the most unlikely of places.. A charity shop in Surrey Quays shopping centre. In great condition and only a £1.

Andy Jupp has been capturing the magical moments when people, famous and not-so-famous, find a vinyl treasure in a charity shop.  He’s also been DJing in charity shops since 2001.

The lastest episode for a wonderful project to unearth a slice of cultural history takes the form of the Charity Shop DJ Picture Show at the Boris Baggs Gallery, Paddington, London between 26 April and 5 May.

Link: Charity Shop DJ

Punkdaddy on the BBC

Punkdaddy, (my father no less) recently interviewed for the BBC on the 30th anniversary of punk.

In this short film, available to view as a video via the BBC website, there’s some great stories and a couple of gags that make me very proud.

Links:

BBC 48 Hours – Punkdaddy interview

Punk History of Brighton (by Punkdaddy)

On learning and learning French slowly

For the last five years or so I’ve enjoyed the immense pleasure of the eclectic French radio station FIP. Lucky us in Brighton, we can get it on FM. In fact, a guy once knocked at the door doing market research for RADAR and asked about our listening habits. Much to my surprise FIP had been mentioned by numerous other people in our street.

Anyway, I’ve come to love the mix of jazz, indie, French pop, French classics with accordian and the fact that the music is back-to-back apart from a couple of minutes of news at ten to the hour. That’s the time when I focus on learning French. I can usually get the gist of the main stories, clock the football scores and occasionally grasp what’s on musically in and around Paris.

I like the idea of learning this way. Reminds me of 50Lessons, a company with a really simple approach to sharing wisdom. I had the pleasure of working with them for a short time last summer.

I was also interested to hear on the radio yesterday about the government’s personalised learning approach to education. Having had some exposure to the BBC’s Digital Curriculum project when working with Magic Lantern in 2005 and being well aware of Charlie Leadbeater’s influential writings on this topic, it will be interesting to see how this concept evolves. Must talk to teacher friends.. Incidentally I was both delighted and amused to be quoted in Charlie’s open work in progress We-think. Shame he referred to me as Frank. Nevermind