Thursday 11 April 2013

From the vinyl vaults

There are a lot of Thatcher Death Party soundtracks floating around at the moment. One of my favourite collections in this one, because it includes some tracks that aren't just angry punk screaming.

Like this classic bit of rave-era revenge: sampling Thatcher ranting about acid parties to provide a self-referential soundtrack:



And now I'm going to go home and slump into oblivion. I've seen several dissertation students, counselled more by email, and been to 3 long meetings. No marking, no preparation and certainly no chance to sneak off for a swim. Feeling very fat and unhealthy at the moment.

There's plenty of other work to do too. I've agreed to review two new collections of R S Thomas's poems for Poetry Wales (Uncollected Poems and Poems to Elsi) which might add to the legend of RST, and a piece for the Literary Encyclopaedia on JG Farrell's Troubles. Plus several papers to start thinking about… But for tonight: the waters of Lethe. Once I've got the ironing done. It's a rock and roll life I lead, I tell you. At least I have the new Kurt Vile and Gesualdo LPs to soothe me, and the meta-genre stylings of my new literary discovery, Keith Ridgway's Hawthorn and Child.

Until tomorrow, I bid you adieu. Or rather, I'll let Jahn Teigen and Anita Skorgan do it for me, with the song of that name which formed Norway's entry to Eurovision 1982. A classic, I think we can all agree. And quite a contrast to the Thatcher track.

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