While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 22 - On the road

Today we're on the road all day: from Stockholm to Grandma Stina's in Vedborm. 600 km - a fair drive. So there's only one song it could be: Chris Rea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THcbQyFtCqg

I'm rather partial to Saint Etienne's version of this. Much more stripped down.Very English. Sarah Cracknell sounds as though she's driving on the M 25, not some Oklahoma freeway. I couldn't find it on Youtube, but here they are anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4--Lkb_Oldo

One of the great pop bands

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 21 - A very bleak Midwinter

So many fine musicians who have meant a lot to me have died in the past 12 months. Cesaria Evora is the most recent, but also Bert Jansch, Jackie Leven and Amy Winehouse.

Here's Bert back in 1974.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq7jXiOa9U4

And Cesaria from a year ago. She looks very frail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w46ogcfnvjk

I started looking at obituaries (bad idea) and saw that drummer Keef Hartley and Kevin Ayres sideman David Bedford were also gone.

Big Jackie's passing was a dreadful loss. Only 62 and at the height of his powers. Such a warm, wonderful, hilarious man.I can still remember having a beer with him, Duncan and Harry (Byrne)at a long defunct venue in Kungsträdgården.

A bleak Midwinter indeed.

Cooper's List

Here it is! The list that everybody is talking about. My friend Duncan's 40 best album of the year. To be honest I've never heard of most of these artists but if Duncan likes them, I know they will be good. If you know any three of the names on the list you are seriously hip.

http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/albums-2011-nowt-write-home-about#comment-512310

Lots of fine folk, Nordic jazz and ambient stuff. Explore! Enjoy!

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 20 - Snow!

One of the pleasures of Xmas is watching old movies on the box. Preferably a film you've seen many times before. In Britain it always used to be The Great Escape.

Here's one of the uncrowned Kings of Xmas, Mr Crosby, from the movie White Xmas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm6rUykRVFY

Memories of happier, simpler times when a quartet of young people could just burst spontaneously into song on a train. Try this on one of SJ's trains and a jobsworth conductor would soon have you thrown off the train in the middle of nowhere.

Want some more songs about snow?

Of course you do!

Saint Etienne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQzlJRjXSGY

Frank Sinatra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3yi_DNiF0k&feature=related

Cocteau Twins, frosty the Snowman plus calvin and Hobbes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsUIDez0sZw

Incidentally, go onto Google, typed the words Let it snow and watch what happens.

What is the Swedish word for naff?

Kai says he wants turkey for Xmas. I'll show him the songs on this fine list.

http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2011/11/10-worst-christmas-songs-of-all-time/

The Xmas Shoes by NewSong is probably the sentimental C & W song I was looking for last week. Have a bucket ready if you are going to listen to it.

But when it comes to the bottom of Xmas barrels being scraped or indeed pinched I must reserve a special word of praise for Transylvanian twins the Cheeky Girls. You'll remember them of course for their fabulous smash hit Cheeky Song (Touch my bum).This Yuletide video however gives whole new nuances to the word naff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N06aTqbcf4Q

Naff. Now there is a uniquely British concept that it is quite impossible to translate into Swedish. Naff as in car-boot sales, Page 3 girls and Jimmy Saville.

Clearly in Romania it is a concept that they understand well and have taken to their Transylvanian hearts.

Dracula would be proud.

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 19 - Xmas in Prison

I was thinking about depressing Xmas songs a few days ago and Philip in Malmö reminded me of this gem by John Prine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ2YL62Bmfg&feature=related

How strange to think that the man who recorded one of the greatest Xmas albums of all time, Phil Spector, is now spending every Xmas in prison.


Here's anöther old favourite, Asleep at the Wheel with a slighly more light-hearted view of Xmas behind bars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8P1THCn6IM

Orignally recorded in 1956 by doo wop group The Youngsters.

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 18 - TOTP

Xmas is a time when it's easy to get nostalgic and think of Xmasses past. And one can't, as a Brit, do that without thinking about the Xmas edition of Top of the Pops and the Xmas number 1.As important a moment in the day as the Queen's Speech! Here are Wizzard presented by the late (and not particualrly great in my book) Jimmy Saville.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsrsvJFEawg

One brilliant little detail that was mentioned on a blog I read. Xmas songs often begin with the sound of sleigh bells. Here it's the ringing of a cash register.
A few minutes of sheer pop genius!

My pal Tim is singing in a carol concert this evening at the English church here and he asked if I'd like to come. But I'm afraid the whole ex-pat scene is anathema to me. I see myself as an ex-ex-pat. In fact, more of a XXX-Pat.

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 17 - Xmas Tree

I just had to have a song about Xmas trees. I took a look at Paverotti and pals doing Oh Tannenbaum and then decided to go for something much wackier. It's Fred Schneider from the B52s with his side project The Superions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yaCYIKwavY

The Xmas tree, that great Yuletide icon, has actually not been around that long in the Anglophone world. When Queen Victoria was a little girl it was something outré for posh people. Then of course she married Prince Albert, he imported the Teutoni tradition and it spread like a forest fire both in Britain and actoss the Atlantic.

A few more songs

The Magnetic Fields
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEDyGaqx4PA

Holly Golightly, (her tree is burning down and she sounds like Lonnie Donnegan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acf7rqpICmQ

Canadian singer-somgwriter, T. Nile,has a song called The Ballad of Jack Pine which I can't find on Youtube. So here's another of her songs, also about trees. She's rather good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVqdIWockc8

The Superions are a seriously wacky bunch. No Rock Lobsters perhaps but there's a more than a soupcon of that B52 craziness. Ever wondered what Je t'aime, moi no plus would sound like if redone as a sleazy, low-rent Xmas song? Now you know!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYr8RNzbHVw

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 16 - Xmas Twee

I suspect that not many of you will like this catchy, if somewhat twee, little pop song. And as for all the snogging in the video! Philip in Malmö wrote that he wanted to puke when I posted Sofia Karlsson. Yinkies!He'll need to get a bucket ready I fear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URCNMEbgd_w

I do like it though. Good subject to write a Xmas song about too: coming back home at Xmas time and meeting old friends and old flames.

It's Tim Wheeler from Ash and his girlfriend Emmy the Great who've just put out a Xmas album: This is Xmas.

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 15 - Kleenex Xmas

Xmas is a time when it's easy to get a bit over-emotional. I was wondering what was the saddest Xmas song I could find. This one, The little boy that Santa Claus forgot, which was popularised by Vera Lynn in the UK, has to be one of them.A wonderfully restrained version by A Girl Called Eddy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlCsOj_itss&feature=related

But there have got to be other songs that really get one grabbing for the Kleenex. I haven't found it yet but somewhere out there I'm sure there's a real country and western tearjerker. You know the kind:I'm drunk as a skunk, my dog just died, my woman has left me, my kids are hungry and and there's no booze left in the fridge. But find it I will!

Then again, perhaps I should look eastwards? The Finns probably do gloom-laden Xmas rather well.I'm sure that there's a Finnish tango by Olavi Virtu that would reduce me to tears. My reindeer just died, my woman's left me, the sauna has broken down, Sweden just slaughtered Finland at ice hockey and there's no booze left in the fridge.

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 14 - I saw Mummy kissing ......

And now for some snogging under the Xmas tree.

In Jamaica Mum kisses a dreadlocks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqMvlajzlGk

In Iceland it's a "Yule lad", one of the sons of the ghastly, child-eating troll Gryla:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWUicYOKjwU&feature=related

In Finland it's the Joulupukki
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKqYrLPZ6zw
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSO39EGzH9s

In Denmark the Julemanden complete with marimbas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR7xVAi2_II&feature=related

Pere Noel in the Francophone world
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qj1QPhtXKQ

And in Norway it's Nisse that's the lucky lad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHIhAiEHgrk

Here in Sweden the yummy mummy kissed a member of Abba
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT-WHsKn-VY

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 13 - Sweden

It's the Santa Lucia celebrations here today so I felt I had to go for something Swedish. Rooting round the Tube I found this old favourite by Stina Nordenstam. One song you definitely won't be hearing in the shopping malls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPsWT_3ypmo&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLCB77D5C6C46180DB

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 12 - A child's Xmas in Wales

Time for a visit to Wales! My mum came from Dyfed (Pembrokeshire)so I wouldn't forgive myself without something from the valleys.Here's bass baritone Bryn Terfel singing a Welsh carol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsjCwTOuPhM

Here's another real Xmas treat for you: a Welshman who became very popular on the other side of the Atlantic.Dylan Thomas reading his wonderful prose poem A Child's Xmas in Wales. Such a wonderful, hilarious evocation of childhood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjCJd9Bc-qA

My brother, Don, who lives in New York reads it aloud every Xmas as part of his Xmas family tradition.

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 11 - Zat you Santa Satchmo?

Louis Armstrong had quite a few Xmas hits. This one from 1953 is a real humdinger. Sheer Yuletide joy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOfbz9KUZ-w

To my shame I had never heard it before this week. I must pull my Xmas socks up.

If you don't know it, here's another Satchmo Xmas classic from the same era that has been covered by many artists, Zat you Santa Claus?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjtYgGN3z6U

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 10 - Drummer? A bummer!

If you've got a small baby who's trying to sleep, the last thing you want is a small kid playing a drum. Canadian band Heavy Blinkers' witty riposte to The Little Druumer Boy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxyL88693x0

Here's Nicole Atkins with a new version of the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOsasoW1Pfc&ob=av2e

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 9 - Santa Super Stud

Time for a sizzling soul classic: Clarence Carter from 1968, originally featured on the compilation Soul Xmas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtTfosvGdTY

Santa is not so much some doddering old codger from the North Pole. He is The Man. An Ultimate Lurve Machine who not only carries a sack but is great in the sack.

An interesting sub genre of Xmas songs!


Here's a good cover version by BB King:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMfhaGNoSfw

It's also beem covered by Bon Jovi, The Black Crowes and several others.

Music nerds will know that he horn riff was sampled by Run DMC in their magnificent Xmas in Hollis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR07r0ZMFb8

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 8 - Joulu - Xmas in Finland

That jolly Finnish Santa, Juha, sent me a Xmas album by Rajaton last year and this year they seem to be releasing another one. I'm not complaining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EDGbKX2zcc

On the topic of Xmas in Finland,the film Rare Cargo adds a rather different twist to the Santa saga. He's a savage beast that eats naughty children!

http://www.lostateminor.com/2010/12/03/rare-exports-a-finnish-movie-about-santa/

However, just look at other traditions and one realises that Xmas hasn't always been so cosy. Krampus in Austria spanked naughty kids and the monstruous troll Gryla in Iceland sent her sons,jólasveinar ("the Xmas lads") into town to find mum a tasty Xmas snack. A nice plump child!

Must do some research on our modern image of Mr Claus.I wonder how much Coca Cola had to do with its creation.

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 7 - A wassailing we will go!

Today it's time to go wassailing in the company of the royal family of the English folk world, the Watersons. Here they are with the Malpas Wassail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE2BsU-dVdI

A real roots gem. The Brits (and Finns!)among you will all know about the ancient tradition of wassailing which is the ancestor of modern carol singing. There were two kinds.

Firstly, the poor of the parish going to sing for the local gentry in the hope of getting some figgy pudding and a glass of punch. If these were not forthcoming, this could sometimes end up in a punch up.

Then in Somerset and the southeast there would be orchard wassails where the locals would sing for the trees to drive away evil spirits and ensure a good harvest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassailing


For the real hard-core Wassailologists among you here is a 1977 BBC programme about the tradition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5_Z2gw_wek

And here are a few other wassails for your enjoyment.

The Albion Band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR4SCIGXuw4

Steeleye Span

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwwEmQmSWs

Kate Rusby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZjQTCaJCEY

Finally a real surprise, Blur doing a wassail!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk4LSrugwRY

Not too bad either.

To my knowledge, their arch-rivals, Oasis, never recorded any.

They'd probably have commented: Wassail the fuss about?

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 6 - Xmas in Hell

The Satanists among you have probably been feeling a bit left out so far with his advent calendar. Time to put that right. Here are the mighty Tap celebrating Xmas down below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KneOdEDwDEc

It's strange to me how utterly mainstream metal music has become. These days Ozzy would be as welcome a Xmas guest as Cliff Richard. And quite right too. He's a very charming fellow. But it's a far cry from the days when he was eating bat sandwiches and sacrificing virgins in sleazy pubs in darkest Birmingham.The tabloids were up in arms about what a threat this new music was to the morality of young people. Nowadays grandparents take their grandchildren to see Slayer and Metallica.

Not everyone is of the metal persuasion. In that case you may prefer this delightful jazzy version by Judith Owen;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvCjZJenyN8

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 5 - Indie Xmas

It wouldn't do if all the artists featured here were just a bunch of old fogies. And let's face it there are a lot of fogies crawling out of the woodwork at Xmas. All whinging about how much better Xmas was in the good old days before they invented television and mr Dickens was still writing. Me. for example!

Here'a young band, The Very Most, from Boise, Idaho who came to my attention thanks to their marvelous,toe-tapping version of Away in a Manger. They've just released a new Xmas CD too, so dash off and buy it. Now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DiwP_der1Y&feature=related

They seem to have quite a few pals on the British indie scene and this is a cover of a song by the Pride of Wales, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. Amazing how they can turn a mere fragment into such a fine version.

Kieron and other indie kids among you will know that this song has also been beautifully covered by Scotland's Teenage Fanclub.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd0rCuLRv34

If you aren't a fan of the Fanclub, you must have been living on a desrt island for the past 30 years.

And finally, as it's so short, you may as well listen to the original version too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP8UIocMYyw&feature=related

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 4 - Ding dong

Here's Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band doing one of our family's favourite carols. Kai sometimes torments us with his version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtKVi3Ippu0

Maddy will be familiar to all you folkies as the singer of Steeleye Span. A quick wiki revealed that she was born in Blackpool, now runs an arts centre in Cumbria and that her father, Alan Prior, was the co-creator of Z-Cars!

The Carnival Band are an early music group who she has done a whole series of albums with and frequently tours with at Xmastime. Clearly they have a lot of fun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Carnival_Band_(folk_group)

Here they even throw in a few corny Xmas cracker jokes.

Reading Potter last nght, I noticed that they pull crackers at Hogwarts. That must be a nightmare for a translator to explain. A strange tradition unique to the Anglo-Saxon world and integral to the British Xmas.

I tried to bring some Xmas crackers back for Kieron a few years back. I didn't get further than security at Heathrow. Those Crackers of Mass Destruction were not going on any plane! Just the sort of fiendish weapon that I am sure is used by terrorists to carry out a hijack! Reduce the crew to tears of hysterical laughter with the jokes, force the pilots to wear silly hats and then redirect the plane to Christmas Island.

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 3 - Maybe Santa Baby

‎Eartha Kitt recorded Santa Baby with Henry René and his orchestra in 1953.
A Xmas classic was born.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOMmSbxB_Sg

(Incidentally, in this clip the "friends" are some drag queens who have edited themselves into the original.)

She reprised it in the film New Faces in 1954 which was a filmed version of a Broadway sketch show to which Mel Brooks contributed.

Since then it seems it has been covered by every female singer who has done a Xmas album. Such a good song that it has survived regardless. However there's a live clip of Eartha doing it live where she comments:

"I used to have a lot of fun with this song - and then Madonna sung it"


James Follette recently wittily reworked it as Santa Brother:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciM1CqVPp-w

And here's a satirical swipe at Obama:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM_rZYQCjwY

Read more about Eartha on wiki. What an amazing woman she was!

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 2 - Family Matters?

Well, if you thought I was going to stick to songs about Santa and Rudolf and Xmas carols, you were wrong. Some of the best Xmas songs are anti-Xmas. And of course, for some poor souls, having to spend a couple of days with their extended family is a prospect to be faced with gritted teeth.

Here's the very talented Jill Sobule with a cover of a Robert Earl Keen song:Xmas Texas style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUwezGMnxt8

To my shame I'd never heard of Mr Keen before yesterday.Doubtless good old boys of my acquaintance will consider this a terrible omission.I intend to put it right. Here's his version of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P37xPiRz1sg

Not much snow in Houston.Nevertheless, this Xmas song has been kind to him. So much so that he wrote another song as a sequel and a book with the same title.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry_Christmas_from_the_Family

Back to Jill, who I've been a fan of for many years. One of those very talented artists who ought to be far better known, but is still just playing small clubs after all these years. Not something that I'm complaining about. Her biggest "hit" was I kissed a girl. Long before Kate Perry started snogging the ladies.

Quite a few years ago Ulrika and I saw her at Cirkus with Lloyd Cole in their short-lived, under-rated band the Negatives. Talk about a dream team.Two idiosyncratic talents together on the same stage. Well, they are both household names in Kärrtorp!

While shepherds moshed: A Musical Advent Calendar: Day 1 - Norway

Last year I did a musical Advent Calendar and it was so much fun that I've decided to have another bash. Believe it or not there is a great deal of fine Xmas music out there and only a mere fraction of it gets played on the radio. And most of these artists are making music all year round so you may get to discover a few new favourites.

I'm going to kick off in Scandinavia. Rolicking Norwegian fiddling from Majorstuen. Hardy lot these Norwegians! Fiddling away in the snow in nothing but a T shirt!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyOcQrU92d4

Here's another fine song from Majorstuen's Xmas album:
http://www.youtube.com/user/andreasljones?blend=2&ob=5#p/a/u/1/xHvkpys5R_c

This summer I got to see Gjermund Larsen's Trio (a solo project - he's the dark one with the beard) here in Stockholm and very fine they were too.

Maths homework - Kai

Q1: If Farmer Svenn has 5 dogs and they eat 10 dog biscuits a day, how many biscuits will he need for a week.

Q2:If it is 2 km to school and you walk to school 5 days a week, how far have you travelled?

Q3:If Your dad has 600 DVDs (most of which are Japanese crap, Dr Bloody Who and stuff that no one wants to watch anyway),how on earth does he intend to fit them all into a cupboard the size of a shoebox?

In the doghouse

The weekend has been an adventure. Ulrika departed for a long weekend with her pals in Barcelona. I was left at home with the kids and Nikki the dog who was seriously on heat. Interesting!

8.00 am really is a little early for castration! Matchmaker Kai, who knew that Nikki is half Eurasian and half Staffordhire, had been eyeing up suitable dads for her puppies. Atlas, who works on the building site and is a Staff, seemed the perfect choice. He was certainly certainly glad to see us on Friday morning.Then his owner dropped the bomb: Atlas has been castrated. I then had to spenf the rest of the walk to school explaining to Kai what this word meant. Great!

Things that go wee in the night

Midnight and I was researching some arcane area of popular culture on the internet. I heard the kids' bedroom door open and out stumbled Kai. Off to the loo or invading our bed: I thought.


Then I heard noises that didn't sound quite right. Dashing into the hall I saw that he was standing there having a hearty pee over the chair where I put my jacket and rucksack. He stumbled on to our bed and left me to mop up. Oh well, I was going to buy a new jacket anyway.

Sleepwalking I'd heard of. Sleep-peeing is a whole new dimension of nocturnal activity. Aargh!

Ms Gnomer

Whoever it was that coined the term "sleepover" is responsible for the one of the greatest misnomers in the language.

Kai's pal, Viktor, has just spent the night here and I can assure you that very little sleeping took place. Getting two excited boys off to bed last night took an eternity and this morning they were up at 5.00 am raring to go.

They spend the morning erecting an enormous Womble Burrow that used all our furniture and covered most of the living room!

Write on? Write off!

The reading and writing skills of a certain young man are a source of despair to us. Ask him to write dog, cat or cuddly bunny and he looks at you with a look of complete blankness.

Why is it then that once he gets on Youtube, he can effortlessly type NERF super-power sniper rifle, inter-continental ballistic missile and Toys of Mass Destruction?

I feel like the poor sap who got the gig as TEFL teacher to Attila and his barbarian hordes!

A bigger splash

I was having a quick chat with Tor Zombiedad the other afternoon as we made out way home from school and made the fatal mistake of turning my back on Zoe for a few seconds. She saw the opportunity and legged it to the pond thingy outside the church and went into Isadora Duncan mode.

I posted this photo on Bacefook and several friends really liked it. They thought: nice composition of light and water. I thought: wet shoes, wet socks, wet bum, wet dad.

Jackie Brown Junior

Remember the scene in Jackie Brown where De Niro and Jackson are watching the promotional films with bikini-clad girls displaying heavy duty firearms? That's life around here just now.

"Yo bitch, after school I've got a Gun Party and there's going to be some serious carnage". "That's nice, dear. Fish fingers and chips for tea and Thomas the Tank on Bolibompa tonight, OK? And don't forget your woolly. Bit chilly in the playground."

Boys! The strange transformation from angelic cherubs to gun-toting psychos happens overnight.

Fair wash, my lovely!

An altercation with a pensionerin the laundry room this morning. She ticked me off for my macho, hardboiled attitude to my washing chores. Lighting up a Lucky Strike and taking a large sip of Jack Daniels, I told it to her straight.
"Lady, I try to keep it clean but it's a big,dirty world out there. Either wash or get washed up! If you can't stand the heat, get out of the drier! Down these mean sheets, a man must scrub!"

Afrocubism conquer Stockholm

Despite a pretty miserable rainy evening, Afrocubism put on a great show on Friday evening at the Culture Festival.

The gig did not get off to a good start. I'd put Zoe on my shoulders so that she could see and to prevent her from running off and some dickhead behind me said in Swedish: "Take that thing down!" I was fucking furious and for once the cat did not get my tongue. "That thing is

my daughter and she's a person. Have some respect!"

Some of these culture vultures are a bit po-faced. You wouldn't think that music is something full of joy. Rather a lot of sour faces methinks.But rain and umbrellas do not contribute to a good atmosphere at a gig.


Anyway,I did put her down though and she made a beeline for the front so we had the best view in the house. No stopping that girl: through the legs she goes!


After a few numbers up the front where I had to carry Zo so she could see what was going on, we went back a bit in the crows where everything was far more relaxed. Instead of all those serious, cultural faces, people were far more laidback and seemed to be having a lot more fun.

We luckily ran into a group of girls who just wanted to dance to those wonderful Afrocubism grooves and had a fabulous time dancing with them . My daughter is no wallflower!She just went around getting herself new dance partners all the time.

Danger! Artists at work!

The biggest thrill at the Culture Festival yesterday was for K & Z to help paint a structure that Zirkus Loko-Motiv had built up during the week in Brunkebergstorg. Or rather, one that children had built with their help. It seems that lots of young uns, both locals and tourists had been hammering away all week Very messy and lots of fun. Even Mr "Been there, Done That" Kai, normally so very blasé, had to admit that this was the business.

All in all, a brilliant project. Here are the people who were behind it all:
ZIRKUS LOKO-MOTIV
www.zirkuslokomotiv.se

Some of you may remember Public Bars. They were the special area of a pub where working men, covered in paint, sawdust, plaster etc, would have a pint. The ungrubby white collar workers would sip their G & Ts in another room.( What was it called? The Saloon Bar?)

Anyway, yesterday the Terrible Twosome, covered in blue and green paint, despite having worn protective clothing during their artistic endeavours, reminded me of this as we wandered round the rather pristine shopping mall.

Combined with me in my battered gaucho hat, now also rather covered in paint, we must have been rather a sight!

Fanclubs - Teenage and otherwise

I was hanging around backstage after the Afrocubism gig last night, waiting for Magnus Multi, when I found myself in the midst of a gaggle of very excited young Turkish rock fans, waiting there in the hope of meeting their idols, Turkish rock band Duman. Singing together, laughing and all in all in very high spirits. Rather a magical moment.


And then 5 minutes later as I trudged to Centralen in bucketing rain,I met my idol.Tthere he was outside the Scandic Hotel,chilling with some of his pals, the wonderful Toumani Diabate.

When I caught sight of him I came rushing over calling his name. He must have wondered: who is this soggy old wrinkly in a cowboy hat?

He was really friendly and I got the chance to talk with him for a few minutes, a seriously magic moment for me.

Art with a capital F!

The biggest thrill during today's visit to the Culture Festival was for the kids to help painting a structure that Zirkus Loko-Motiv had built during the week in Brunkebergstorg. Or rather, one that kids had built with their help.

It seems that lots of children, both locals and tourists had been hammering away all week Very messy and lots of fun. Even Mr "Been there, Done That" Kai, normally so very blasé had to admit that this was the business. Shame about the rain!

The birds and the bees and the ants in the pants!

Kai was munching his pre-bed sandwich last night and I was trying to get him off to bed. He suddenly turned to me and asked: How do people get children?

Aaargh! The moment every parent dreads. Where was I going to start? Did he learn nothing on the farmyard this summer? Mercifully the ants in the pants won over the bees. He dashed off to do something with his trainset.

I suspect the whole thing was just a delaying tactic. He's ruthless and will use fair means or foul to delay bedtime.

Pug-Nacious

Kai has got it seriously into his head that he wants us to have a dog. So naturally who does he go to for advice on the different breeds? She Who Knows Everything About Anything: Astrid.

The Oracle of Björkhagen pondered his question and then spoke unto her acolyte: Follow tha path of pug and happiness will shine on your family.


So now we are being showered with pug propaganda around the clock. (We are in fact not at all convinced that we should become doggers anyway. This one will run and run).

I tried to fob him with an excellent website

http://animal.discovery.com/videos/top-100-dogs/

which he then spent hours browsing through.

At bedtime he turned to me and said: Daddy I still think a pug is the best choice. And that website does too: it's a very lazy dog, perfect for a very lazy family.

A maestro of mould!

A typical Sunday morning chez Farrow: old media meets new media to then explore even older media.

This morning a review of To what strange place:The music of the Ottoman-American Diaspora 1916-1929 in the August edition of The Word. set me off on a quest on Google and Youtube to find out more.

First a long article from the Washington Post about the wonderful nutter behind the project, Ian Nagoski: "I like the smell of mold, because I associate it with the euphoria of discovery".


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/13/AR2010081305087.html?sid=ST2010082100046

A true king of the yard sales.

I then stumbled across this short film about him and the record:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmmN4mC2gfk&feature=share

A useful history lesson about the early days of the record industry.

And then, last but not leasr, Greek American songbird Marika Papagika:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux_whsihlM0

And all this before breakfast!

Now I should go the whole hog: learn the bouzouki and form a Papagika tribute band!

Cheeky Freedia

Next Friday the extraordinary Big Freedia, Queen Diva of New Orleans, will be hitting Stockholm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWj3olTeYmc&feature=share

I imagine she puts on one hell of a show but I fear I will give it a miss. After a few pints you may occasionalyy find me nervously tapping my feet to Mozza or B & S. Somehow though all this vigorous rump shaking is alien to me and I fear also to my Viking brethren. I'm far too self-conscious to be dancing cheek to cheek.


OK. Ï confess that after a bottle of Jack D on Basin Street you might just find me tentatively wobbling my enormous bottom. But I fear the locals would give me the bum's rush!

Freedia guests with the magnificent Galactic. Check them out!

Ursus Hibernicus

We are a seriously retro family.

I've been giving Zoe Twist lessons and Kai has been watching the original Hannah Barbera Yogi Bear cartoons. I suspect he doesn't understand all the dialogue. In his enthusiasm, he keeps shouting: Smarter than the Irish bear, Boo Boo! When asked who this ursine Hibernian might be, he looks puzzled.

For me

Beställningsbekräftelse - kvitto
Tack för din beställning. Här får du en bekräftelse på din beställning. Observera att detta inte är ditt färdbevis. Trevlig resa! (Du kan inte svara på detta e-postmeddelande.)



Ditt beställningsnummer är: XTA6942M
JOHN FARROW, telefon: 070 7298573, e-post: john@watsonlanguage.se


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Koebenhavn H - Kalmar C
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PRIS TOTALT 966 SEK

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Leverans och betalning
Leveranssätt: Hämta ut Betalsätt: Kontokort Betaldatum: 2011-06-28
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Ombokning och Återköp
Biljett som du har köpt med flexibilitet "Kan ej ombokas" kan varken ombokas eller återbetalas. Biljett som du har köpt med flexibilitet "Kan ombokas" kan avbokas fram till avgång. Du får då ett ombokningsvärde som kan användas vid byte till en eller flera nya resor. Hela ombokningsvärdet måste användas vid ett och samma tillfälle och eventuell mellanskillnad återbetalas inte. Biljett som du har köpt med flexibilitet "Kan återbetalas" ger dig pengarna tillbaka (dock inte bokningsavgiften) om resan avbokas före avgång. När du har köpt en resa av SJ har du och SJ ingått ett avtal. I det avtalet ingår våra resevillkor, som du hittar på SJ.se. Vid resa med annan reseoperatör än SJ, gäller respektive operatörs villkor.





SJ AB, 10550 Stockholm. Org.-nr 556196-1599

Man's best friend

Kai has got it into his head that he wants us to get a dog.

Fond though we are of our canine pals, Ulrika and I are lukewarm to this suggestion as we know who it is that will be doing all the walkies and pooper scooping.

He gained an unlikely ally yesterday when Astrid came over for supper and lobbied hard for the purchase of a pug (mops in Swedish). The two of them were enthusiastically browsing puggy websites together and he was getting quite pushy about it all.Pugnacious?

Effective parenting

The day before Midsummer Kai was getting a little cheeky over supper out at Ortlala Lund. My retaliation was swift and merciless: One more remark like that young man and you are on the first bus out of here!!

Danne and Helena looked at me in bemusement.
Dan then discreetly informed me that there wass no bus for the next two days.

A little practice needed on making threats I fear.

One mean moggy!

World exclusive! The moggy mobster who rules Bjorkhagen with a paw of steel. Kai and I had a run in with this Corleone of the cat world yesterday catsmorning. The ferocious feline just lay across our path. Big dogs cross the road to avoid him!

I'm still traumatised by the first time that I was dog-sitting Nikki when this mog went for both of us and had us running across the road with our tails between our legs. I had to be rescued by some brave mums.

Södermalm - Home of the stars

I was at Ylva's birthday party last night and Danne and Helena mentioned in passing,as though it was nothing very remarkable, that Lykke Li used to be my god-daughter Vendela's babysitter. I was gobsmacked. Lykke, for those of you who've just arrived from another planet, is one of the biggest pop stars in Europe at present and headlining at Roskilde this year. She's also a not unattractive young lass.

When you live on trendy Södermalm, rubbing shoulders with the stars in this way seems to be nothing remarkable. What else haven't they told me? Lady Gaga used to be their cleaning lady? Alice Cooper teaches at Simon's school? Björn and Benny work in their local supermarket. The king and his friends go the same nightclubs as they do?

Envious? Moi? Damn right! Out here in Kärrtorp celebrities are rather thin on the ground. Fat chance of rubbing shoulders with Morrissey in the queue at Konsum or running into Johnny Depp in the local charity shop!

The cool jazz sounds of Manchester and Bavaria!

My friend Duncan, that's him in the groovy red shirt, says that Matthew Halsall's new album is the best British jazz record in 25 years. I've heard Mr Halsall's previous outings and I'm sure he's right. Duncan doesn't get this sort of thing wrong. He's introduced me to lots of fine music over the years.

Here for all you cool cats out there in Jazzville, are Duncan's top jazz albums of 2011 so far. The comments are his: nicked from The Word's website where he is a lively contributor.

Not up to date with the Bavarian chamber jazz scene? You soon will be! Groovy!

Cooper's Best of 2011
1. Matthew Halsall - "On the Go"
Gondwana Records of Manchester does it again. This may be the best British jazz album of the past 25 years.


2. Eple Trio: "In the Clearing/In the Cavern"
The iciest ambient chamber jazz from Norway. Hard to track down, but worth it.


3. Ketil Björnstad & Svante Henrysson: "Night song"
Stately Piano/cello duets from veteran Norwegian/Swedish pairing.


4. Storms/Nocturnes: "Via"
Top-notch drummerless UK/US trio featuring the incredible Tim Garland on saxes.


5. Paolo Fresu, A Filetta Corsican Voices and Daniele di Bonaventura: "Mistico Mediterraneo"
Italian trumpet and accordeon with Corsican polyphonic chanting - entrancing.


6. Kit Downes Trio: "Quiet Tiger"
I love James Allsopp's bass clarinet on this.


7. Francis Drake: "Stories"
Top Bavarian chamber jazz trio doing their thing. Nice!


Check them all out on Yooftube, jazzfans!

Marry Archie?

Long weekend here so we jetted off to Tijuana for a few relaxing days. You know us - never short of some brass. Below is a photo of one of the charming Mexican street urchins who we have befriended!

Buy a boy a sombrero and it will go to this head. Kai is currently bonkers about Mexico. This is based on seeing the film Rango and an insatiable appetite for nachos. He can at least now point it out on an atlas.

He's now wondering round the flat in his sombrero and a heavy metal T shirt shaking maraccas and shouting Viva Mexico! all day long!

Last but not least some vintage Herb:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_KDPUTyDyQ

You don't hear music like this any more. Unless you are in a lift in Acapulco!And what a groovy video. Cutting edge stuff. In 1966 . What a professional! He keeps tootling away even when his feet get soaked.

Shoeby doo

This evening Ulrika and I are going to a party! Together!! At the same time!!! Without kids!!!! What can go wrong?...

The only problem is that she has NO shoes. None! Strange, her wardrobe seems to be full of footwear. But no, nothing remotely suitable. Yesterday we had a long odyssey through the shoeshops of Stockholm.

Perhaps some one wiser than me can explain this thing about women and shoes. Jeanie tells me it's something that men just don't get.

Disco Parrots of the Carribean!

This week, me hearties, I'm on a quest for the lost treasures of Cap'n Gibb: unnusual disco music from around the world.

And shipmates, I hit gold at once! A Venezuelan disco rap record from 1979 featuring a parrot and a comedian!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4eo0rBqzyk

Poe faces Sarah

Good news for good old boys from Tucson to Turku and honky tonk women from Watford to Wakiki: a new album by Sarah Jarosz!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nco8U4fEYo0

She's a new star in the bluegrass firmament is only 20 years old. That means that Allison Kraus is old enough to be her mum and Robert Plant old enough to be her ...great-grandad?

Teaching the Finns to get funky!

At the weekend, Ulrika and I are going to a party together! That has not happened for a few years.

There will be lots of disco dancing.I find this Finnish disco instruction video very helpful to get me in a funky, Saturday night fever frame of mind.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwakjoSs754

Shaun Tan wins Astrid Lindgren prize

One of my pet hates is the Polar Music Prize. What a complete waste of time! Let's give a lot of money to a rock superstar who every knows about and already has so much dosh they don't know what to do with it. Brilliant!


The Astrid Lindgren Lindgren prize makes a lot more sense and seems to be honouring some fine writers.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2011/mar/29/shaun-tan-astrid-lindgren-prize

And they get to spend a whole week in Stockholm so Kai and I actually met Philip Pullman. Kai, then aged 3, did not realise what an honour this was.

Next year perhaps the prize ought to go to Shaun the Sheep?

Lots of useful links here:
http://astridlindgrenmemorialaward.wordpress.com/

Jon McGregor interview

I belong to a book circle and we've just been reading Even the Dogs. A remarkable book.Technically it reminds me of The Waves. The subject matter is more Irvine Welsh. If Virginia Woolf had written Trainspotting (an interesting thought!) it might have been something like this.

Here's an interview with the author:


http://theexcerpt.com/2010/03/even-the-dogs-an-interview-with-jon-mcgregor/

Never in the field of parental endeavour.......

Sometimes being a parent feels like one prolongated combat zone.

Meal times. Bed times. Playtime. You name it. It's one constant struggle for power.

Just been to see Kai's teacher about Junior's difficulties with learning to read among other things and I felt like the British people being adressed by Winston Churchill. I have nothing to offer you but blood, sweat and tears.

And soon it's summer holidays: We will fight them on the beaches. We will fight them in Gröna Lund. We will fight them in MacDonalds.

You will be pleased to hear that Ulrika is made of sterner stuff than me when it comes to negotiating with the Axis of Infants.

Whereas I am prepared to offer a few ice creams or a slice of Sudetenland to ensure Peace in our Time, she is busy digging air raid shelters and training the Homeguard. I guess I need to join the Dads Army!

Never surrender!

Sounds ....and silence

A beautiful summer evening yesterday. We were over at Kai's pal Victor's for a BBQ supper. The soundtrack was provided by his dad, Per, strumming his geetar and the 15 CD collection of Beatles covers that I brought. Reggae, rumba and Brazil Beatles. And then the weird stuff!

Their street is a cul-de-sac and after supper was crowded with kids with bikes, scooters and water pistols dashing around. Just like streets used to be. Lots of carefree kids.No cars. Kai found a zarzuela and launched into some honky atonal free jazz. Nice!

Strangely quiet here this morning. Kai and Victor decided that Kai should have (his first ever Stockholm) sleepover. A peculiar feeling to wake and find that there is not a small boy who has crept into our bed during the night and is now taking up a large part of it.

Ildo Lobo

Amilza, one of Zoe's nursery ladies who is from Cap Verde, suddenly presented me a with CD by Ildo Lobo yesterday. (People often give me music in this way for some reason.) I'd never heard of him - a big oversight!.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjwV-aeaMBM

He died tragically at the age of 51 and during his early life he worked in the CV salt mines on the island of Sal.Later on, he never gave up his job as a customs officer at the airport despite his success as a singer. A real discovery! What a voice!

Three Robbers

Hats off to the Swedish distribution company, Folkets Bio, who make many cinematic gems available that otherwise would probably not reach a wider audience. Today Kai's been enjoying a German animated film, The Three Robbers. Atmospheric visuals and a sound track with more than a smidgeon of Tom Waits. Lots of fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL0QQV0kOXI

Tunnel Vision?

I forced Kai to watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5aeeSmkPwQ


Teach the young hooligan a little European history.

No silly haircuts! No glass cubes!No explosions! No ethnic dancers.

And yes, that's an orchestra playing!

He wouldn't know an orchestra if it bit him!

Disgruntled of Kärrtorp

White Russian or Wrong Russian?

A catchy pop song is a very dangerous thing!

Kai is in ESC XTC and currently going round the flat howling "I love Belarusse - Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!". He has no idea where Belarusse is but the harridan in the micro dress who looks like she eats small boys for breakfast clearly did it for him.

That and the flames! That boy is a total sucker for pyrotechnics!

Sounds of Sundsvall

No trip to Sundsvall would be complete without a visit to the wonderful Harvest Records. I popped in this afternoon and bought the Joni Shadows and Light concert DVD.Ms Mitchell with a backing band to die for featuring Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius.

A great favourite of my old pal Alastair who once spent a year working here for the Watson Empire. The proprietor of the shop was a bit shocked to see me. A customer!! Not every month he sees one of those! The poor man was in a state of shock! When I offered him money to buy something he didn't really know what to do.

Euromissionaries

Portugal's ESC entry is absolutely guaranteed to get nul points. An agit-prop song about Portuguese politics in the 1970s. Sure to get lots of votes from the kids, eh? Such a truly hopeless case that I can't help rather liking it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bDN53Rqh54

No Y fronts for Darth!

No undies in space shock!

SVT showed Carrie Fisher's hilarious Wishful Drinking show on Saturday evening followed by Postcards from the Abyssbased on ger novel.

She told a wonderful story about how George Lucas refused to let her wear a bra when filming Star Wars. According to the great man there is no underwear in space!

http://geektwins.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-princess-leia-went-commando-in-star.html

The fact that there are no Y fronts in space must a matter of great relief to the laundry workers in the Death Star! Returning Lord Vader's whites in a less than pristine condition would be no joke!

It's a bit gob-smacking just how big Star Wars still is. Kai has got SW jim jams, a wii game and a boxset of the new animated series which I must admit is very good.

Ms Fisher was very amusing on what it was like to become an international galactic icon.

Blue Monday in Sundsvall

A beautiful, deep blue summer evening here in Sundsvall but the only sign of human life is a man taking his dog for a walk. There must be times when this marvelous square is throbbing with life, but when I'm here it's always like Dawn of the Dead.

Watson has booked me into the bridal suite of an extraordinary hotel that looks like an Italian palazzo. Rumour has it that a local bigwig once rode a horse up the main staircase.

Another drivetime favourite

Discovered on one of Bob's Theme Time Radio compilations. A treat!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeLfKPg-d1g

Highway to Hull

Kai has an unlikely new drivetime stereo fave: The people who grinned themselves to death by The Housemartins.

The perfect antidote to all this royal wedding fever. I suspect Fatboy Slim wasn't invited to spin discs at the nuptial bash.

Lukewarm

Watched 5 minutes of the royal nuptials on telly last night. which seems about the right level of attention for it all.

Impressively organised, pleasant enough young people, the kids seemed to be having fun. There are worse ways of passing the time. It reminded me of a Coldplay concert. Mildly agreeable but I can't really see what all the fuss is about. I wouldn't dash out and buy the album!

Creosote still rules!

I know that no one is remotely interested in what I bought yesterday during Record Shop Day. But I'm going to tell you anyway. Not quite the shopping orgy I'd hoped for as Zoe was getting impatient. I took the advice of the ever-reliable Kent at Fönstret and invested in the new J Mascis along with the new King Creosote and Jon Hopkins album which is currently on and sounds marvelous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i91LSpH2pio

Nice chap KC. Had a very pleasant chat with him a few years back after a gig at Sod Teat.

Rentaland.com?

A fabulous marketing opportunity for all those countries Smaller than Luxembourg. And of course the ultimate status symbol for the megalomaniac mega-rich.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/15/liechtenstein-hire-rental-scheme?INTCMP=SRCH

Who's going to be happy with hiring a summer cottage when they can have a whole country?

And in these days of fluctuating currencies and shaky economies, maybe bigger fish and not just tiddlers will be on the market?

We're renting Norway for a week in May.

We got a special offer. We're renting Scotland for a weekend in September.

The world is their oyster.

Easter Runny

The school holidays begin here! And to be honest they haven't got off to the best of starts.

The school rang at lunchtime to say that Kai was a bit flippy floppy and by the time Ulrika had dashed there to pick him up, there were noxious fluids spurting out at both ends. We do so love being parents!

I couldn't pick him up myself. Too busy tucking into an enormous, delicious curry with Watson. A working lunch! Tough job but it had to be done!

Later in the day Kai and I were indulging in some father-son bonding enjoying the Robyn concert programmeon the box. (Rather good. It brought back memories of seeing her in the Arena Tent at Roskilde.) Suddenly he's up heading for the bathroom. And ...he doesn't make it. Every step he takes there's a fresh little puddle of vomit. A delightful evening!

And you will know him by the trail of puke!

Smaller than Luxembourg!

Small is beautiful! This list really made my day!

http://rateyourmusic.com/list/Kriibs/music_from_countries_that_are_smaller_than_luxembourg

Not much fun afoot in Funafuti the capital of Tuvalu. However, I can't help noticing that however small a country may be, they usually have a metal band!

NeedlessI'll be scurrying off to fillinthe gapsin my music library!

Young Len interview

A very youthful Mr Cohen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yta36Ry8UFc

Phoneys

I've now learnt that the word lusophone (Portuguese speaking) comes from Lusitania, the latin name for Portugal. Not to be confused with Francophone (French speaking), Hispanophone (Spanish speaking), Sinophone (Chinese speaking) and Nokiaphone (Finnish speaking)!

For John

Hej igen,
Beklagar verkligen allt strul du har fått med installationen! Jag har hittat en möjlig orsak och ändrat det i koden, och lagt upp en ny version här:
http://download.cogmed.com/QM/MSI_QM.exe



See the end of this message for details on invoking
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text **************
System.BadImageFormatException: An attempt was made to load a program with an incorrect format. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8007000B)
at FB_965910463_Class.isc_attach_database(Int32[] statusVector, Int16 dbNameLength, Byte[] dbName, Int32& dbHandle, Int16 parmBufferLength, Byte[] parmBuffer)
at FB_965910463_Class.IFbClient.isc_attach_database(Int32[] statusVector, Int16 dbNameLength, Byte[] dbName, Int32& dbHandle, Int16 parmBufferLength, Byte[] parmBuffer)
at FirebirdSql.Data.Client.Embedded.FesDatabase.Attach(DatabaseParameterBuffer dpb, String dataSource, Int32 port, String database)
at FirebirdSql.Data.FirebirdClient.FbConnectionInternal.Connect()
at FirebirdSql.Data.FirebirdClient.FbConnectionPool.Create()
at FirebirdSql.Data.FirebirdClient.FbConnectionPool.CheckOut()
at FirebirdSql.Data.FirebirdClient.FbConnection.Open()
at Endogine.Data2.PoolDeposit.GetOpenConnection()
at Endogine.Data2.PoolDeposit.Get()
at Endogine.Data2.DbWrapper.GetPooledConnection()
at Endogine.Data2.DbWrapper.FillTable(String query, Boolean getSchema)
at Endogine.Data2.DbWrapper.FillTable(String query)
at NiGame.TextParser.ReadFromDb(String languageCode)
at SyncApp.Startup.Start()
at Endogine.IDE.WinForms.ProgramBase.AfterFormInitialized()
at Endogine.IDE.WinForms.MainBase.MainBase_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnLoad(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnCreateControl()
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl(Boolean fIgnoreVisible)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl()
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmShowWindow(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.ContainerControl.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.WmShowWindow(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.WndProc(Message& m)
at Endogine.IDE.WinForms.EForm.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)


************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
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CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
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SyncApp
Assembly Version: 1.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 1.0.0.0
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System
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CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
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System.Windows.Forms
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Endogine.IDE.WinForms
Assembly Version: 1.0.0.0
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Endogine
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Microsoft.DirectX
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Endogine.Data
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************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.

For example:





When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.








Hej!
Det är helt klart inte ditt fel - detta Setup Error är orsakat av Microsoft. (Och vårt fel också, eftersom vi förlitar oss på att deras komponenter ska fungera...)

Fick du någon ytterligare felinformation? Ibland kan det bli fel i deras setup när själva internetanslutningen inte är tillräckligt stabil. I så fall kan man ladda ner den fullständiga filen direkt (istället för att förlita sig på den inbyggda nedladdningsfunktionen i filen du laddade ner):
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=d0e5dea7-ac26-4ad7-b68c-fe5076bba986

Ibland kan det också hjälpa att gå in på Kontrollpanelen, gå in på Program (platsen där man avinstallerar program), markera Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5, välja "Avinstallera/ändra" och sen markera "Reparera".



Det bör lösa sig genom att installera Service Pack 2 av .NET 2.0:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=5b2c0358-915b-4eb5-9b1d-10e506da9d0f&displaylang=en


Den här innehåller uppdateringarna från v2.0 SP2 m.m:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyId=AB99342F-5D1A-413D-8319-81DA479AB0D7&displaylang=en

Hann du titta efter vad som redan låg i C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework? Ingen fara om du inte hinner, men det vore mycket intressant!

The Z Files! Call Muldaur and Scully!

We have a rather serious problem with our flat and I don't really know how I'm going to explain it to the landlord.

It has become apparent to me that somewhere in our home there is a hidden portal to another dimension and that strange beasties are crawling through it to nick and borrow things.

Unlikely? It's the only rational explanation I have to explain how Zoe's glasses, which had been missing for two weeks, suddenly rematerialised on the living room floor yesterday. We really took the place apart looking for them and went through every cupboard and toy basket. And then suddenly there they were: back again. Spooky!

The truth is out there!

No strings attached!

Ian and I saw a fine show at Söder Theatre last night by Tokumaru-san. What a wonderful guitarist he is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuGtZ98eWiE&NR=1

For the hard-core Nipponophiles here is a longer clip of him on a chat show featuring a visit to a hardware shop to check out the acoustic potential of flower pots!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNeA3FBOOcw&NR=1


The girl playing accordion, xylophone, glockenspiel and sundry toys was rather nifty too. I bought her solo album at the merch table after the gig and got a discount because she hadn't tied a piece of string with a special knot around it. The sales chap was very apologetic. How very Japanese!

Her name is Meso Meso and here's the album and more info:

http://www.thesirenssound.com/2010/08/25/meso-meso-spoon/

Lit Critical

Mc Donalds eh? It's a hothouse of intellectual activity.

Sue and I and our respective sprogs were tucking into some Big Macs yesterday and she suggested that, other than the creations of female novelists, the canon of English literature is sadly lacking in rich, complex female characters.

Kai wasn't going to take this lying down. He countered that Portrait of a Lady's Isabel Archer and Big Boobied Bertha from the How to train a dragon books were both very well-rounded characterisations.

But is Sue right? I'm racking my brains for counter-arguments.

Camera obscurities

The mind of an 8 year old boy is a wondrous thing. Kai picked up a catalogue from an electronics shop this afternoon. After browsing lovingly through it, he has just spent 30 minutes enthusiastically telling me his plans to set up CCTV in our flat. 14 hidden cameras in out living room does sound a tad over the top.

He's also been looking at the various air pistols which mercifully he is not allowed to buy. If any hapless burglar should dare to break and enter, he would be faced with a barrage of serious weaponry.

Perhaps our son has a future as a security advisor for Fort Knox?

The Mighty Farrow and the Mighty Sparrow

Calypso fever continues here in Vikstensvägen. Here's a clip from the 1958 movie Bop Girl Goes Calypso which was a cash in on the calypso fever that was sweeping the world at the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50NDq_eRunM&feature=related

Santaphilia

Ulrika's away on Oland.

So what do the rest of us do? Have a Xmas disco of course! Zo and I found the Tweenies Xmas album on Spotify and she was ready to bop.

While the rest of Sweden rejoices that the snow is gone, we wish it could be Xmas every day!

A wizard from Oz

Here's Frank Yamma, an artist that Songlines are raving about. He's from Alice Springs. How many other singer-songwriters do you know who sing in Pitjantjatjara?

I can't even say it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQFPwt9Lu1I

Negotiations

Hilarious!

We met Kai's classmate Frida on the train at the weekend. She was complaining to her mum that she was the ONLY child in their class who did not have a mobile and how embarrassing and humiliating this was for her.

Strangely enough, Kai has used the same line to try and get himself some door keys. In his dreams!

Applied mathematics

Ulrika has just left for four days on Öland with Grandma Stina. This has given me a chance to try out Kai's skill at maths. If Mummy is away for four days and we eat three pizzas a day, how many pizzas do I need to buy?

The Old Bill goes latin

A latin sizzler from Bill Frisell's latest album with Vinicius Cantuaria: Lagrimas Mexicanas. You'd have to be a hard-core gringo not to like this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3no_O1CnBzA

Don't diss Disfarmer!

Off to Uppsala tonight to catch Bill Frisells'Disfarmer tour. Lucky me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfWlnnyqoiM

La machina rock?

Some of my pals have been getting nostalgic about a post-punk sampler called Catch a Wave.

http://www.simpleminds.org/sm/discog/comp/cawff1.htm


For me the 1968 CBS mid-price sampler The Rock Machine Turns You On was a similar epiphany. Well not an EP-iphany, more an LP-iphany!

I discovered it on one of our visits to our cousins, the Craigs in Clacton. Now those lads had their finger on the pulse! Still have in fact!

Check out this Spanish site where the blogger has found video clips of many of the songs on it! Fabuloso!

http://elselectorcovers.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-first-long-play-rock-machine-turns.html

Que vida!

Who'd have thought that 40 years on, I'd be sitting in Stockholm reading a Spanish fan site, on the (space-age!) internet, about that record.

Glam or glum?

Zoe hasn't really cracked the idea of glamour yet.

Ian gave her a bright purple feather boa for her birthday. Instead of prancing and posing with it, she has been slowly picking it to pieces. This means that our flat has acquired the appearance of a psychelic chicken coop with purple feathers strewn over everything.

Boaing boaing bong!

Mudchester

The snow is melting and spring is in the air.

This would be wonderful were it not for the large amounts of mud everywhere. Kai came home from school coated in it, looking the Mad Mud Monster of Mudchester. Everything that came anywhere near him turned brown.

Daz-tardly! Can nothing stop the Tide? That boy is going to turn me into an Omo-sexual!

I don't think Mrs M would have gone much on Chaucer

The Mrs Miller Story.

A strange and wonderful tale...


http://www.danacountryman.com/elva/elva.html

Not so golden slumbers

Just what we needed when we were already totally knackered!

First Kai had a nightmare and woke us up at 3 am. He told me he's only going to sleep during daytime from now on to avoid nightmares. I tried to explain to him why we have dreams and nightmares and how important they are. I then began to give him a lecture about Freud and his interpretation of dreams. That soon got him off to sleep.

And then at 5.30 Little Miss Sunshine strides in brandishing her Boogie Beebies DVD. She drags me out of bed to join her for morning gym with her TV favourites. Come on Daddy move those arms and legs!

The Funky Monkey! The Wacky Penguin! The Groovy Duck! What a way to start the day!

Her face at first just ghostly..

And it was that later as the Miller did her wail...

Astrid is over for dinner and I think you can imagine her delight when I brought out my Mrs Miller compilation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odf0KpluvgM

Ulrika had no idea what she was about to be hit by so she really suffered. Poor girl!

Tom Traubert Alley?

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/images/uploads/2009/03/tomwaits2.jpg

Cartoonist Tom Gauld clealy knows and loves Mr Waits. Here are some of his notebooks:


http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2009/march/tom-gaulds-sketchbooks

Not so FA B!

Heartbreaking to watch developments in Japan.

But have no fear! P Diddy and his pals are going to record a charity single!

I've been watching the Japanese helicopters pouring water over the reactors and keep thinking: where are International Rescue?

Typical of the world we live in? You need Thunderbirds and what you get is ....the Diddymen!

Heavy girls or loight boys?

This week's orgy of nostalgia continues. By enormous popular request, here he is The Singing Postman!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TIFiaHyC9E

Back in the day he knocked the Beatles off the number one spot. Deeply politicially incorrect. And all in a thick Norfolk accent. Wonderful stuff. I wonder if he ever did a Peel Session.

Welcome to the Anubis Centre of Kärrtorp

My great dream in life used to be of opening a subsidiary of the Multi Kulti record shop here in Kärrtorp. But now, very sadly, that wonderful musical oasis is no more, the victim of downloading and on-line sales. Record shops are a thing of the past.

Bur you can't download a dog biscuit. You can't do walkies on line.Amazon don't provide a pooper scooping service. Dogs and dogcare are the new rock and rol.l. And a serious money spinner. My advice to Magnus would be: re-open Multi Kulti as Multi Hundi and he can't go wrong.

And my own canine business idea is really starting to take shape. As I was doing the washing this morning, I realised that I have to think big on this one. So I've ditched my idea for a no frills dog minding service. No, now I'm going the whole hog (or perhaps I should say the whole dog.)

If punters are prepared to fork out 6 000 for common or garden dog minding, what would they be prepared to pay for an establishment that caters for their pooches' spiritual needs as well as their material ones?

And so was born the idea of the Anubis Centre: a fully new age canine experience. Organic dog biscuits. Yoga for dogs. Canine Thai Chi. Therapy sessions that will help clients to re-discover their inner puppy.

The decor has to be right of course. I thought we could search for inspiration in the temples of Ancient Egypt and the cult of Anubis, the dog-headed god. Gold trimmings and hand painted hieroglphics. All very discreet and tasteful of course!

The possibilities are endless. I could then write a series of best-selling self-help books on the lines of: Daschounds are from Mars, Alsatians are from Venus. Yes indeedy! Where there's hounds, there's pounds.


Recently there was a guy here in DStockholm who sold out the Globe Arena. Was he a muscular rocker with a sensational show. No! A mere dog-trainer who had a few anecdotes to tell about dealing with pooches. For which he got paid a fat wad of dosh. And everywhere he went, this guru of doggery was surrounded by hordes of beautiful, adoring women whose greatest dream is to go for walkies with him!

So, yes the Anubis Centre! What a nice ring that has to it! I'm onto a winner this time!

So what do you think? Am I barking up the wrong tree? Or just plain barking mad?

Puppy love

There comes a time in every man's life when he feels that a change of career beckons. I feel I have arrived at such a moment of truth.

I was talking to Gitte, Nikki's owner, yesterday and she told me that on Södermalm doting dow-owners are prepared to pay 6 000 SEK a month for a place at a doggy dagis. Now that's what I call a license to print money!

What am I doing sitting slaving in front of a computer all day when I could be doing next to nothing except taking man's best friends for occasional walkies when I felt like it?

Our flat surely must be big enough to take at least 10 doggy-dayboys? A few more if I can get some chihuhuas. Costs? A few plastic bags to pick up poo and some dog biscuits and Pedigree Chum. And then I can just sit back and watch the dosh come rolling in.

But of course I will not let my new-found wealth go to my head, nor forget my old pals. I'll be only too happy to offer a job to that fine chap, my current boss Mr Watson. With 10 active doggy bottoms I'm sure I'll be in need of an Assistant¨Poo Picker-Upper!

Doggone it! What can possibly go wrong???

The Miller's Wail?

I found a Mrs Miller compilation in a charity shop on Saturday and bought it out of idle curisoity.

Well, we all know what happened to the curious cat...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEPPbONFXYc

I suppose it's lift music. From that horror film where the lift gobbles up the passengers!

I wonder what happened to poor Mr Miller? My blood chills at the thought!

They sent Mrs Miller to Vietnam to entertain the troops! What did that do to morale?

She really should have been featured on the Apocalypse Now soundtrack!

Hits and Mrs

After Mrs Miller, here's Mrs Mills, stalwart of British light entertainment until all those long-haired, guitar-playing hooligans came along and blew her, the Black and White Minstrel Show and Billy Cotton to kingdom come!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhkYB4kcaLg


When I was Kai's age the Beeb served this up as the epitome of musical entertainment.

Sheepish

I am very glad I am not a sheep on the Faroe Islands! They are in for a chilly summer.

My immaculately fashion-conscious pal, Penny, in London has just ordered a "Sara Lund sweater" from the Faroes and I suspect that thousands of UK fashionistas will be following suit.

So those poor little baa-stards are in for a close shave as the Faraonic knitters get to work to satisfy demand.

Fairies and ferroviles

Zoe and I have been at a very pink, girly party. I think Andreas and I were the only ones not dressed as fairies. Then again, we both look like trolls without any make up! A very good time was had by all.


While we were away, Kai was busy building a train track that went to every corner of our flat. Here's Kärrtorp's little Mussolini making sure that the trains run on time. Andreas mentioned that when I was picking up his lordship from school recently he heard Kai shouting to me: Come on Mr Iphone! I haven't got all day!

Young 'uns today!No respect for their olders and betters.

Zoe's Euromission

The Swedish Eurovision song selection programme was on telly tonight so I skulked into the kitchen plannning to sit and listen to my new CD of minimalistic ambient folk music by Spiro. Zoe was not having that. Our little disco girl came and dragged me into the living room to sit through all the entries.Sigh!

Kai to his credit (I suppose) backed the winning song by spaniel-eyed toy boy Eric Saade and was over the moon when it won. It really isn't a very good song but try telling our son that. Ulrika and I sat there and grumbled like a pair of old fogies.

Kai and I have actually seen Eric live: last summer at Gröna Lund. He's a talented enough pop star. But in the middle of the set when he did some ballads, Kai got bored and inisted that we went off for a go on the Wild Mouse rollercoaster. We got back in time for his hit during which he took a shower on stage(!)so Farrow Junior was perfectly satisfied.

Yesterday I bought Kai a couple of classic metal albums by Sabbath and Maiden in the charity shop. I have some work to do on his musical taste!

Nordic Knitwear

"Killing" fever is sweeping the UK. (Ok what I mean is 2 or 3 of my pals are keen viewers).Nordic noir seems to appeal to Brits who are Midsummered out. My thanks to Penny for sending me this link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/mar/10/the-killing-sophie-grabol-sarah-lund


With Sarah Lund's jumper the talk of the town, maybe there will now be knitting fever?
There's a second series which I'm pleased to see is now available as a boxset here in Sweden.

Jumpermania is here to stay.

Wee timorous slikit cowering phonie?

Truly iBernian! A Burns app!

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Robert-Burns-app-created-to.6694960.jp

Don't count your poppadums until they're popped!

Yesterday evening I was looking forward to a mellow evening scoffing curry and indulging in some witty banter with ex-pat pals. Instead I got one that was as far from that as you can get: three hours in the Accident and Emergency Department at the Astrid Lindgren's Children's Hospital with Zoe. She had a nasty fall just as we got home from nursery and had two deep gashes in her brow that needed stitching.

Once she'd got over the initial shock of the blood gushing from her head she was as good as gold. She has such a sunny disposition.

In fact she was in good spirits all the time until it was time for the stitching.
Then she screamed her head off and peed all over me. Can't blame her!

Today she's cheerful and naughty as ever! She'd only been up five minutes before she was sneaking into the cupboard to scoff sweets from Kai's secret stash.

Poor little sausage!

App-artunity knocks?

Tonight I'm going out with some pals for a few pints and a curry.

I can't wait to show them all the wonderful new apps on my iPhone.

It all starts in a Scottish pub so I'm a tad miffed that I haven't got the iPiper that would enable me to play popular Scottish melodies in a bapipe stylee to get us alll in the mood.

But I do have iPianp, iBone, iOcarina, iGuitar and iHarp.Not to mention Eno's ambient app Bloom and iDaft which transforms me into Daft Punk.

Then I've got apps with useful quotations from a variety of languages, living and dead.

Groovy geography quizes. Point at the globe and locate Papua New Guinea!

Instant access to several important international newspapers. Nothing like the latest headlines from Tashkent to get the conversation started!

I really didn't realise how much my new gadget can do.

Blown into it and it plays flutey new age melodies.

Point it at a sound system and it will tell you which tune is playing and then give you the lyrics. Kieron and I were able to sing along, karaoke style to the theme from Shaft at Debaser on Tuesday.

Point it at a bird and it will identify the species.

Turn on iBeer and submerge your phone in a pint and it will identify the brewery.

Activate Tandoor-i and dunk it in the curry and you'll be informed how strong it really is.

Do iBears shit in the iWoods? The iSpoor app will rapidly identify that mysterious lump of poo that you find in the forest!

I'm particlarly taken with Roman-i, a GSM map app that shows where you are on the road system of the ancient Roman Empire. Very handy if your chariot is caught in a tailback on the Via Appia. Geddit?

As that wag Ian commented: It'll all end in APPocalypse!

Canine chaperone

An interesting afternoon.

Once again we are dog-sitting Nikki who is currently on heat. This led to some interesting discussions with Kai on the way home from school about why I didn't want to let her off the lead.

She's on heat, Kai.

Maybe she'd like a roll in the snow? To cool down.

I think she'd be more interested in a roll in the hay.

Anÿway, just as I was getting on to the nitty gritty of canine sexuality who should pop up but Malthus, Nikki's pal. Malthus is a rather handsome male dog and I think our Nix has a bit of a thing about him. If he appears on his balcony when we walk past, she comes to a standstill and gazes up lovingly at him. It's real Romeo and Juliet stuff, doggy style.


Today for some reason he was not on his lead. And he of course was extremely interested in her.

Oh look, Daddy, Malthus wants to play!

He certainly did!

So suddenly I found myself thrust into the unlikely role of a chaperone, not one of which I have much experience! It must have been quite a hilarious sight. Two star-crossed lovers trying to follow their natural impulses and me desperately trying to keep them apart while trying to explain to Kai how puppies happened and why I thought they were not such a good idea at this point. Mercifully we managed to find Malthus's owner and so Cupid was thwarted.

The family circus

Couldn't resist posting this. Zoe was so proud at being able to climb up and stand on the back of the sofa!

The good the bad and the gecko

On Saturday Kai and I went to see Rango. A strange but entertaining film.

Imagine a remake of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as a spaghetti western. Then cast it with a gaggle of Beatrix Potter beasties who've been badly overdoing the moonshine and crystal meth and you get some idea. Different.

Kai liked it.

iLand Fling

I'm heartbroken that the app which can transform my iphone into a dalek is not available in the Swedish Itunes stores. Neither indeed is the iPiper which would morph it into some bagpipes.

I intend to take this case to the human rights tribunal in Brussels!

A clear case of discrimination against ethinic and intergalactic minorities!

iDaft as an iBrush?

I've now dowloaded all kinds of interesting musical instrument apps onto my iphone. For the children of course! I wouldn't mess about with such frivolities myself.

Kai is very taken with iDaft which makes it sound like those electronic Frenchmen. And then I discovered this clip which was very inspiring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19KBAcJ53ak

Coming to a T banan near you soon? The Daft Farrows!

Always look on the dark side?

Sometimes my own ignorance embarasses me!

How could I not know that there is a bluegrass Pink Floyd tribute album: Dark Side of the Moonshine?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-HAnpglqkk

I do now thanks to the wonderful Boistophe blogsite.He's even done a compilation of the various DSOM tribute albums:

http://baistophe.blogspot.com/2009/03/show-me-your-dark-side-abo021.html

What a great loss to the human race that all my friends with eccentric music collections have careers, partners,dogs, families, studies etc. If they didn't have a life they could spend hours treating the word to wacko compilations like this!

I'd lsten to them all!

Egg Man-agement

Can there be anyone in their right mind who would not want a compilation album featuring nothing but cover versions of I am the Walrus?

http://baistophe.blogspot.com/2008/09/nevermind-walruses-vac-012.html

A labour of love from a rather marvelous blogsite.

I just downloaded their compilation of Tri Yann (The Three Johns) who are Breton folk rock's answer to....??? .... the Fairport Convention/Steeleye Span/The Oyster band/The Chieftains?

Pancake Goes Britfolk - Dogan Mehmet

My English folk odyssey takes me to trendy Brighton and a folk singer with Turkish roots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjMXsyYQaPw

Pancake Goes Britfolk - Gadarene

If I'm doing English folk, there has just go to to be some clog dancing! Don't see much of that in Stockholm except when the Unthanks are in town. Here's a fine band called Gadarene putting that right.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAmr4YBnFVk

And here they are in more instrumnetal mood:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWa3FROTpic

And their website:

http://www.myspace.com/gadarenemusic

App-titude

Smiling Appy People!

In the last week I (and Kai) have been seriously getting into Iphone Apps. So many wonderful things. Today we were experimenting with MeAnderthal, an app from the Smithsonian Institute that transformed us both into Neantherdals.

Ulrika would probably argue that little transformation was necessary!

Pancake goes Britfolk - Spiro

A very fine English folk/jazz/classical band that I'd never heard of before this week. They come from Bristol and had been playing together for yonks wheh they got signed to Real World. Their album is called Lightbox and I can't wait to hear it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3P_NAgWvMM&feature=related

Thank goodness I have the Wise Man of Turku to keep reminding me of the muscal delights coming out of Blighty!

Pancake goes Britfolk - Bellowhead

I've been far too neglectful of British folk music on this blog.


This week I will put that right and post some favourites old and new. Here's one of the best live bands (in any genre) that I've seen in recent years. I saw them at Roskilde but sadly they've never visited Stockholm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ9joSfUB5k

Vengeful

Fascinating piece of Oscars trivia.

The Danish film that won the best foreign film Oscar is called Hämnden (Revenge) in Swedish but the English title is In a better world.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340107/

Swedish filmgoers do like titles with the words revenge or dangerous in them.

Delighted to see a Scandinavian film getting an Oscar!

Discovering my inner Celt

My good friend, Andreas Fridaspappa, has an interesting theory. He believes that I am the long-lost bastard offspring of a Viking raid in Northern England a thousand years ago who has now returned to the land of his ancestors to worship Thor and Odin and carry out pagan rituals deep in the Nordic forest. Must be my runic tattoos! A dead giveaway!

Be that as it may, just now, as I listen to the bagpipes of Galicia, I feel a deep need to nurture my inner Celt.


http://celticusisacus.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html