Dad3353

Must be a typo; the text should read, not 'Pick', but 'Pig in a poke'.

+1 ^^ Come on, Dave; how hard can it be..? Just break out a ream or two of paper and sharpen your quill. We're waiting...

Fixed. (You'll get used to it, I'm sure...)

... which only goes to prove that it's not a completely useless appendage. That one might be a bit more called upon for usual tasks is fine, but both hands are fit for doing many things, whether lefty or righty. Amputees adapt rather well, for the most part, by necessity, and more folks than is often assumed are rather more ambidextrous, with only a slight leaning to either right or left hand use. When driving, both hands are used. In a British RHD car the radio is on the left. In Europe (and elsewhere...) it's on the right. One doesn't cross hands to operate these things; either hand will do, for most folks.

Contractually they were obliged to edit out the good stuff. ...

Oh, yes, I can.

Just for the anecdote... More years ago than I care to remember (even if I could ...), I was an active member of the organising team for our local summer festival (Les Trois Elephants; look it up..?). Ideas for a 'theme' were always in discussion over the winter hiatus; one suggestion I made seemed to strike a note with the others. I had contacts, from a previous job, with purveyors of second-hand pianos in the North of England. They had (and still have...) entire floors of a very large building, heaving with pianos of all sorts, many of which have no value as instruments (wooden frames, you see...), to be had for a song and a penny. My idea was to bring over to France a Tautliner full of pianos (about fifty or so...), build a pyramid as part of the festival decor, and, at a suitable moment, set it alight. Stuffed with adequate preparation (ping-pong balls stuck in the strings, rubber bands, a bit of pyrotechnics...), the blaze would 'play' itself; it was to be recorded, both from outside and from a couple of sacrificial mic's inside. The budget was accorded (modest enough; the truck cost more than the joannas...), and a few days before the festival, they were delivered. That's when it all went wrong. Seeing these pianos, half of the team, and more onlookers once they heard the news, decided that these 'instruments' were in too good a state, and would grace their homes. Once a distribution of the better looking furniture (for that's what they're classed as, really...) had taken place, there were so few pianos left, it was not worth piling 'em up..! The remaining pieces were scattered around the festival site as ornaments, but the Biggest Blaze of Pianos in the World did not take place. A shame, really, as I could otherwise have played you the resulting cacophony. I'd especially ordered (and paid extra for...) a player piano, which was to be the summit of the edifice, playing away by itself until things go too hot. Never mind; at least I tried. The festival was, despite not having this show-piece, a great success, and for several more years since, including this year.

'Noise' being the operative word.

But there's nothing to 'get'..! If it doesn't have a positive effect on you, just give it a miss, surely..? A looped recording of half a ton of empty beer bottles and silver cutlery being rolled down the stairs of a lighthouse appeals to me very little, and if I heard such, and my ears proved me right, I'd not repeat the audition. Others may dance and clap with glee, and wax lyrical as to its relevance to modern thinking; so..? I'd still not like it, and would avoid hearing it again. Let the children play, I say; the dogs bark, the caravan passes.

Masterpiece indeed..! Thanks for posting; that is Good Stuff. Lenny's Dad might like it, too.

Be careful, now; you've been warned. It's a slippery slope, and you've soap on your soles...

As I wrote above, that's fine, whatever, as long as I don't have to listen to it. Good luck to 'em, but I'll not be contributing to their 'success'.

Quite; they're obviously 'aving a laff, and enjoying the joke. Ho ho. ... Next ...

Well, it would be, if they were any good..! Shakti meets the Doors, featuring Syd Barrett and a student of Terry Bozio. As with any experiment, by definition one has to admit the possibility of failure. There are glimpses of hope for these young men, but they still have a way to go before achieving what they appear to be striving for. Nice effort; come back when you've sorted out the glitches, please. You're right in one respect, though; at least, while typing this, I let it run right through to the smattering of applause. Will I play it again..? Unlikely.

I gave it three minutes, fifteen seconds. No, I junked tapes like that the day after having made 'em, with buddies, back in those heady 'squat' days (or was it weeks, or years..? I can't remember ...). It could just as well have been (and wouldn't surprise me to learn...) a sea-lion on guitar, the bassist is plugging away looking for that all-elusive super-lydocrean scale he'd heard on a John Peel show, and the drummer is stoically trying to pile his kit into a telephone booth, but they keep rolling out. Maybe it all comes together after an hour or so; if the tapes we made at the time are any guide, I'd say that's unlikely. No, I have no qualms whatever with this stuff being listened to, admired, imitated, praised, glorified or paid for by others; that's their prerogative, and I have no judgement to pass (even if I was qualified to do so, which I am definitely not...). As long as I'm not obliged to suffer such stuff, it's no skin off my nose, and good luck to 'em. I have a similar approach to other stuff, such as Spice Girls, or Tiny Tim, and more yet, so it's not an exclusive ignorance of the genre, it's just that I don't want to listen to it any longer than I have to. In daze of yore, I assisted at concerts by Soft Machine, Matching Mole and more, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Maybe, I'm getting old, like your Dad..? Hmm; we'd perhaps get along just fine... Magma, on the other hand, are serious heroes of mine, and are as impressive today as they were in the '70s. That is Good Stuff, in my opinion. Not to everyone's taste, of course, but I still attend their events if within travelling distance, and always leave elated.

+1 ^^ , no contest, but too much for me to take in in one sitting. I'll dive back in to enjoy the rest, but in shorter 'chunks'. His 'workshop' videos are fascinating too, but I need time for assimilation, as the sometimes dense content comes thick and fast, and I'm slow, and slowing further..!

Shades of Stewart Lee, maybe..? Wind instruments of the sort will always bring a smile, to anyone and everyone. Fact. (In...) Decent harmonisation, though.

Maybe they just need biasing, and a smoke refill..? ...

Not really a fair comparison; those are pieces of music.

How about the shriek of a jet lane taking off..? Or the rhythmic 'thud thud thud' of a diesel locomotive..? Five minutes of Portuguese fado..? Recordings of whales..? Lots of stuff that some folks listen to with passion and enjoyment. Disclaimer : I have no interest in having the original subject analysed, named or put into any category; the only thing I'm concerned with is not having to listen to it again. High Art or arty-farty; whatever. Just as long as I don't have to hear it again.

'Still turning on' probably translates to 'the Power LED lights up. The 'small amount of smoke' is probably the o/p trannies frying, or the bridge rectifier, which would explain the hum. The mains fuse may well be a chunk of milk-bottle top. Difficult to be precise, of course, but from the description given, I'd say that it's in need of more than a wipe-down with a dry cloth. I'd give it a miss, myself.

Although, to be fair, some folks say that they enjoy the sound of high-performance motorbike engines. It takes all sorts to make a world, no..?

Putting aside being diabetic for a moment... I like a nice Forêt Noire gateau I like a Victoria Sponge cake I like chocolate éclairs I like jelly and trifle I'm less fond of a Forêt Noire, layered with a Victoria Sponge, stuffed with chocolate éclairs and topped with jelly and trifle. That's what I made of the BBC video, a rich series of elaborate compositions each vying for a place in a sonic sphere already pretty full. Yes, the bloke is multi-talented, and has a lot going for him, for which I would think he's worked darned hard; chapeau bas for that. Taken individually, in smallish doses, I can appreciate a lot of it, and even enjoy some, but in such a massive dose, I had to turn it off half-way through. I might go back to listen to a bit more in, say, five-minute sections, or however long the pieces might last, but then I'd let that settle on the stomach for a day or so before going back for another dose. I would recommend, on a technical note, that he carries on with, or takes up, proper singing lessons from a good coach, as he definitely has the vocal capacity for doing some great stuff, but it's a bit more than 'hit'n'miss' to be comfortable. Trained to the same high standard as opera, lyric singers, he'd be a good deal more 'musical', I'd say. In short, I'd suggest that the fellow is a living proof of the old adage: less is more. I found the quality and professionalism of the orchestra to be of great help in getting as much as I did from what I heard, and will likely go back for more, but not right now. [Burp ...]

Hmm...