It's The End of The Week As We Know It...And I Feel Fine

Weekend Links and Updates

Welcome to the weekend. First things first, in yesterday’s (paid subscribers) post I included the wrong playlist. I fixed it up later in the day - so if you revisited the Substack website it would have been corrected, but I don’t bug you with an email all over again, that would just be annoying. I’m going to share the proper/correct playlist again here - so it’s a bonus listen to free subscribers that just get the weekly wrap-up dose:

A nice wee playlist I reckon. Let me know what you think.

My podcast started five years ago and this week clocked its 250th episode. Something of a milestone. The guest - Greg Smith - is brilliant. So I’d urge you to check out this chat. Greg is one hell of a storyteller with a busy and fascinating life.

I hope your week’s been good. They’re rolling on by eh - nearly Easter, nearly first school holidays. Crazy.

Last week I was treated to seeing Bill Bailey - click there for my review. What a tonic. So many laughs. It felt like perfect timing seeing Bailey again.

It was a great start to the week. Put me in such a good mood.

More downbeat, but just as perfect - I’ve hooked right into the world of Charlie Brown and Peanuts.

I’ve always been something of a fan - but this week I started reading the old strips again and watching some of the TV show episodes. I’ve seen the movies, read a lot of the books way back - but in recent years Charlie Brown and the gang have existed for me mostly in meme-world. It’s nice going back to the genuine article. The source. Again, the timing feels right.

Oh, and, lol, I watched the SIX60 doco and wrote a silly wee review about it.
The director approached me a couple of times for an interview to be in the film, but no thanks. What could I possibly say, how would I be represented? I note in the finished film my blog made the cut, but they wouldn’t name me or it - instead mentioning “Critics” plural. Without dropping any names. Funny.

REVIEWS:

Pascal Gabriel is one of those people you’ve heard without knowing it. As an engineer, producer and songwriter he’s been behind mega-hits by Bomb The Bass, S’Express and Yello and even co-wrote My Delirium with Ladyhawke. But as Stubbleman he makes lowkey ambient electronic - which is always the balme for me. And I found myself almost hypnotised by his latest EP under this guise.

Brianna Thomas has a huge, soulful voice. And she uses it on a set of standards, with a great band - taking jazz and making it funky. If that all sounds appealing you should definitely check out the latest by The Brianna Thomas Band.

But the album I’ve played the most lately is Magic Mirror by Pearl Charles. A wonderful slice of 70s-inspired AOR that sits, by choice, in the middle of the road. Influences include Dusty Springfield, Carpenters, Fleetwood Mac but there’s a modern pop glow to it all. I included the opener on this week’s Something For The Weekend playlist and it smacks of ABBA. In the best possible way. But the rest of the album is more subdued, probably more charming. Here’s that easy-intro pop hit that kicks the album off though. Hard to not like, eh?

I’m a huge fan of graphic novels - and especially the memoir and biographical varieties, perhaps particularly music-related ones. So this graphic bio of Bowie’s Ziggy years and the creation of that character is an absolute must. So beautifully drawn and written. I reckon it has more truth and knowledge in it than many of the ‘proper’ bios about the man.

READING:

I started a bunch of books this week - and finished a few as well. I’m not super happy with the change in look and feel of Good Reads. The main page is fine, but when you go into individual book pages the cover image dictates and the sharing ease has been removed. Like any developments in social media I will have this lowkey whinge and then just keep using it…

Anyway, Klara and The Sun is the latest by Kazuo Ishiguro and it is my first time reading a book by someone I’m sure is one of my favourite authors. Which is to say I’ve never read anything by Ishiguro (apart from the wee volume that was released encapsulating his Nobel Prize speech) but I’ve seen the films made of his works and I know he’s good. I want to like him. So I’m diving right in here. Also I started this book after listening to him on the always-excellent Adam Buxton podcast (which is worth checking out).

I also chanced upon this collection of three poets in a second-hand store and had to own it. So I do. And I’m very happy to have this.

The graphic novels of Dakota McFadzean have been part of my world just lately, and so I’m carrying on with this hefty collection of daily strips made between 2011-2013.

WATCHING:

I’m currently watching this Liam Gallagher documentary which is pretty good. It’s been on the list for a while.

But the big thing for this week was finishing Ken Burns’ Country Music which was brilliant. I started watching this just before Christmas, watched the first four episodes, and was digging it just fine. But it wasn’t something to pursue with the family during the holidays, so this week I settled back in and finished the second half of it - an absolutely brilliant doco-series. Expect nothing less when it’s Ken Burns.

And me and Oscar are watching Futurama. We’re watching it from the start. We’ve blitzed the first season - genius - and we’re ploughing on into season two. What a great show!

LISTENING:

The new Lana Del Rey album is in my ears - because I’m more recently a fan after not enjoying her earlier work.

Someone mentioned the Strong Songs podcast to me. And I’d not heard of it. So of course I dived right in. And I’m currently enjoying going for a swim there.

And here’s something for you - a big earful. I discovered the music of Julius Eastman a couple of years ago, he was new to me. His triple album Unjust Malaise is where you get albums, it’s three hours of epic piano compositions. And you can hear the whole thing on the YouTube.

LINKS:

This beautiful piece from Michael Rosen on survivin Covid.

The movie Harold & Maude revisited.

On Substack you should joine Letters of Note if you haven’t already.

Wellington Jazz Festival anounced its headliners.

And it was shared already as part of yesterday’s newsletter but if you’re only on the free list and you missed it during the week here’s my chat about Kate Bush from RNZ.

What are you reading, listening to, watching? Got any great links you want to share?

Hope you have a great weekend!