Quote RegressiveRock:

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Quote turbodave:

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Reg, You seem so erudite and wordly that one gets the impression that you will have experience of much that will be suggested, however I will offer some musical suggestions. Josh T Pearson Mark Lanegan AJ Roach

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Finally, gotten around to reviewing some o these suggestions, my daughter didn't get the Mark Lanegan, I liked the AJ Roach.

I also could not resist buying Zen's guitar making book.

So I guess they both become contenders!

However, still have loads of stuff to investigate.

Reg

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Trust me , Mark Lanegan is the real deal...he is diverse and has the necessary dark side to make him worthy, but flits from Mature grunge to THIS

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My head hurts!

Hey Reg,

No mic required! But seeing that you like Owen poetry, Goodbye To All That and so on reminded me of my first degree studying literature of WW1 veterans. That time, with the huge scontrast in people's lives between their sense of purpose and camaraderie, and the full mind-corrupting horror of what they were involved in, and the post-war period of de-mobbed soldiers and fractured society looking with optimism towards political solutions (however badly that ended) will always fascinate me.

For books, if you've not yet read them, you might enjoy:

Siegfried Sassoon: The Complete Memoirs Of George Sherston

Henry Williamson (yes, he of Tarka, and an admirer of Hitler at one time!): Chronicles Of Ancient Sunlight (a 15-novel sequence following a life from late Victorian times through to post WW2).

Ford Madox Ford: The Tietjens Tetralogy — though each of these four novel stands pretty well up on its own.

HG Wells: Mr Britling Sees It Through (a propaganda book, and therefore on the face of it slightly trite, but when you know that's the case it's a fascinating read)

Ernst Jünger: Stahlgewittern ('Storm Of Steel'). The best German-penned account of the war IMO, but there are English-language versions available)

Frederic Manning: Her Privates We / The Middle Parts Of Fortune

...and for factual history books, I used to find Trevor Wilson's The Myriad Faces Of War superb. I'm sure there have been others since then (early nineties) but that was very detailed yet very readable. Not just accounts of the battles, but of the whole impact of war on society too. Thoroughly recommend it.

I'd also suggest reading some of the wartime diaries. Douglas Haig's was a fascinating read. Both reinforces the 'Lions Led By Asses & Knaves' accusation, and challenges it in equal measure.

AS FOR FILMS...

I take it you've watched Regeneration, which is loosely based on GTAT and the Sherston memoirs about the time when Owen and Sassoon were in Craiglockheart together undergoing treatment for shellshock?

The black and white All Quiet On The Western Front (I liked the book less) was good.

Gallipoli still sends a chill down my spine. (Quite how people can vote Churchill as the greatest Briton after his responsibility for that escapes me!)

There are lots of other great war films, not just WW1, so if that whole psychological impact of war thing appeals, try Land & Freedom (Ken Loach on the Spanish Civil War) for starters, and then working your way through some of the 'Greatest War Films' lists. If you don't go for the obvious ones, there are some stunningly good works of art in there.

debt: the first 5000 years by david graeber is an interesting read.

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ohm's where the art is

A quick update

I have read most of Zen's guitar making book and bought one or two high quality but inexpensive tools as I have come across them. I have also put myself down for a basic luthier course that starts later this year.

I have ordered the Sassoon.

I have listened to loads of music, but have yet to decide what to buy.

I think if Zen had not disqualified himself from the mike, he would have won it, simply for setting my feet on a new path I am finding profoundly interesting. However, that may all change once I have to face my incredible lack of manual dexterity when it comes to woodworking.

On another tack, from another thread I have watched about half of the first series of Space:1999 online and have enjoyed even minute of its 70s trippiness!

However, as Zen has called himself off for the mike: it means it is still up for grabs. I am as good as my word.

A month remains to win it for those that are interested. For those of you who have already contributed, do not worry, I will get to more of it. There is just so much, I am pretty much limited to whim as to what to try!

Regards,

Reg

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Google less; read more!

What's floating my boat is quite a lot, though mainly 80's inspired electronic, music from the likes of chromeo (nigt by night and don't turn the lighs on a brilliant songs), the new OMD stuff, got a few of the kraftwerk remsters top notch sound quality, gravitonas, Royksopp, newer (and older) DM stuff and (dare I say it) scooter (esp. the 90's/early 00's stuff). and thats about it really (apart form the obligatary stuff like queen, dire straits Etc).

In terms of must listen to albums I would have to suggest,

Kraftwerk: Techno Pop, TEE and Radioactivity
Chromeo: Buisness casual
OMD: OMD + A&M
Dire Straits: Making Movies
Scooter: No time to chill, ...and the beat goes on, The stadium techno experience
Royksopp: The understanding

What!! I don't recall eliminating myself !!!!

I'm still in the game and chasing the prize Reg. People want to hear those Ukes I'm building when they're finished.

Time for everyone to find even more great inspiration for Reg. I'll call Space 1999 and raise with VR5 staring Lori Singer.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Music-wise, there are a couple of things which may have slipped under the radar of most people, but which I love - I'm not trying to be "obscurer-than-thou", I just think they're worth a listen...

So, bearing in mind you mentioned "Powder Blue", then I have to recommend "The First Album" by Ella Guru and "No Other" by Gene Clark. Both should appeal massively to an Elbow fan. Further - and still not very well-known, I'd also suggest "Music for Egon Schiele" by Rachel's and "Twin Feathers" by Fuzzy Lights. In a slightly more poppy vein, Wintersleep's "New Inheritors" is an album full of melodic magnificence topped off by a stunning Tony Doogan production job. Utter life-affirming wonderment. Talking of which, The Tallis Scholars' rendition of "Spem in Alium" (Spam in aluminium?) by Tomas Tallis is, by any sensible, objective assessment, perfect. Yeh. I'm a bit of a fan.

Films? Well, there's a reason that "Rashomon" is frequently described as a classic. My favourite movie of recent years, though, is "The Baader-Meinhof Complex". Simply stunning. Also watched "Tyrannosaur" last night, which manages to be relentlessly grim yet funny and uplifting at the same time. Obviously that leads us on to anything by Shane Meadows ("Once upon a time in the Midlands" being a possible exception). On a lighter note "Grand Theft Parsons" is an enjoyable and at times massively moving romp - with a stellar soundtrack. Finally I'd have to add "Once" - which is simply, in my view, perfect and "The Iron Giant". Don't be blinded by the fact it's a cartoon, as it shows more depth, characterisation and emotion than 95% of Hollywood's entire output in any given year added together. You'll never hear the word "Superman" in the same way again. Oh, and "Grosse pointe Blank" is probably my favourite film ever...

Books? I've got to start with "24 Hour Party People" by Tony (Anthony H?) Wilson. Crazed, self-aggrandising, scabrous, tragic and laugh-out-loud funny. A must-read. Iain Banks is a genius of course (although be sure to give "A Song of Stone" a wide berth. It's just awful), but my favourite recent discovery is the glorious ouvre of Christopher Brookmyre. I'd give my left arm to write a book half as flat-out superb as "Attack of the unsinkable rubber ducks". Also, Jasper Fforde's "Shades of grey" is a glorious lump of surprising darkness. Highly recommended. On a factual level, "The Admiralty Regrets..." is a great book about the loss of the HMS Thetis, lost in Liverpool bay in 1939. Shocking and sad.

Whether I'm in the running for the mic or not, give the above a look, read or listen. I promise you won't regret it.

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"We knocked on the doors of Hell's darker chambers..." But no-one answered, so we went to the pub instead.

Ooh - and as war films go, then you can't - absolutely can't - miss "Flags of our fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima".

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"We knocked on the doors of Hell's darker chambers..." But no-one answered, so we went to the pub instead.

Quote zenguitar:

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What!! I don't recall eliminating myself !!!!

I'm still in the game and chasing the prize Reg. People want to hear those Ukes I'm building when they're finished.

Time for everyone to find even more great inspiration for Reg. I'll call Space 1999 and raise with VR5 staring Lori Singer.

Andy

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Sorry Zen,

I thought you were one of the guys who said that they would pass.

You are in pole position then, but there is a whole month to go!

Reg

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Google less; read more!

Don't worry Reg, it's all cool.

Lets keep those inspirations coming folks

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

I'm going to pitch in a couple of books.

Light by M. John Harrison - an amazing sci-fi book from 2002

After The Ice - A global human history 20'000 - 5000 BC by Steven Mithen

Zen, I didn't have you down as a Fela fan, cool. Two favorites of mine - Water No Get Enemy and Colonial Mentality.

Quote fletcher:

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Zen, I didn't have you down as a Fela fan, cool. Two favorites of mine - Water No Get Enemy and Colonial Mentality.

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Shame on you !!! He's one of my absolute heroes. Up there with Miles Davis, Howling Wolf, Richard Thompson, Robert Fripp, Neil Young, and John Martyn. I remember hearing him on John Peel in the late 70's, and a few years later I was in HMV and saw a live double album with Ginger Baker sitting in on drums so I bought that. And now you've reminded me, I'll be listening to Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense shortly It was that or Zombie

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Quote RegressiveRock:

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Sorry Zen, I thought you were one of the guys who said that they would pass. Reg

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I think that was just me and Idris.

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Strictly project and just for fun

I hear you there Zen!

Re. Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense - I have a video of him playing it at Glastonbury in the early '80's. Not sure if the record is the same (have to dig out the vinyl) but at this show Fela talks of democracy, in a way I found hilarious.

This only makes sense if you are familiar with the broken english spoken in places like Lagos. Fela says he was thinking of this word, democracy - demo cracy, demo crazy, crazy demo, demonstration of craze.... and of course such a good description of the Nigerian election at the time. Come to think of it a good description of quite a few electoral systems around at the moment!

Quote fletcher:

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democracy - demo cracy, demo crazy, crazy demo, demonstration of craze....

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It's all there on the CD. Delicious.

About 20 years ago I was helping out a friend putting a PA in for a student union May Ball. We were in the marquee outside. Once it was up and running I slipped on Fela and cranked the volume hard. Just to make sure everything was running smoothly, of course. The students outside had never heard him before and were going wild... until they came out of the main hall to complain that they couldn't hear the PA in there to sound check

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

RE: "Please assist me by further enriching my life!"

Apart from music and artworks, it's the big revelatory concepts that have expanded my mind the most profoundly. Here's a few that come to mind:

*"Reality is just a plain picture" -Bob Dylan said this and it made me realise how people (esp newspapers) craft everything into neat little stories, when in fact it's all just 'stuff that's happened', which feeds into everything else, hence...

*Chaos Theory/butterfly effect. (People can't accept this idea easily. The state of the economy, for example, might not be anyone's fault, but just 'blows all over the place' no matter what we do.)

*Schrödinger's cat and the multi-reality idea (I find this some comfort/compensation for my lack of belief in afterlife/meaning).

*Theory of relativity and the idea that time does't 'flow' as we experience it. (I find this some comfort/compensation for my lack of belief in afterlife/meaning because it could be that we all, always exist, in a sense).

*The questions that (hypothetical) teleportation raise about what makes us, 'us'. (Perhaps we only think we're the same person we were yesterday.)

*Fractals (you end up seeing these patterns everywhere and in everything).

*How 'knowing' and 'realising' are very different things. (Another one I arrived at myself: You can understand something logically without it having a profound effect. It's the realisation (usually using imagination) that is revelatory. When you think of yourself, say, walking up the side of the Earth with tons of ocean standing in front of you, it's quite a different revelation than simply knowing we're on a sphere with gravity pulling us to the centre, etc. Perhaps it relates to the modality concept. Using imagination we can join together the analytical with the spatial.

*That emotions are actually felt physically (I've never heard this as a theory and I arrived at it myself, but I can't think how else emotions are actually felt. It is physical pain like any other, so this presents way to deal with it. Grief is felt across the forehead and eyes, fear/anger esp in the guts and heart, tension, going numb, etc.) Relates to...

*Man as a 'Noble Beast' (able to transcend animal urges (including laziness) by being conscious of them and not obeying them. Basically 'letting go' of their control, not 'controlling them' like Catholics and other religions try to do.)

*Modality in thinking: Logical/Analytical/Catalogical vs Spatial/Sensual/non-linear. Education tends to favour the first mode, which is why we end up with things like that horrible Olympic logo that looks like a 15-year-old has done it for some jobcentre enterprise *See videos about split-brain patients, it's really bizarre how the non-verbal mind communicates using actions, like when you see someone expressing with their hands in conversation, that's (mostly) their right brain side 'talking'. It's probably what we're trying to do by using:

, etc.

*The limitations (and advantages of) language (e.g writings by Aldous Huxley, particularly his lecture on language and Doors of Perception. How language deludes us by catagorising and simplifying what is actually infinite. Extends into countries, symbols, flags, war, etc). Also, understanding mindfulness/Zen/Taoism, most people's preoccupation with words/stories/meanings. Relates to 'fuzzy logic', how many bites does it take before an apple ceases to be 'an apple', etc.

*How shutting the brain up (inner dialogue) leads to clearer, more intuitive thinking, living in the 'now', not dwelling on the past or fearing the future, etc.

*The idea that human consciousness is a synergy between all the senses, language thought, and animal urges. (Maybe not an official theory but one I arrived at myself).

*Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection (-many people don't fully realise how it works by death and sexual selection -that's the vital key. Human nature makes so much sense with a crystal clear understanding/realisation of this.)

Cheers

Book: Collected Poems (Dylan Marlais Thomas) Particularly Authors Prologue
"..as I hack this rumpus of shapes for you to know.."

Video: Glenn Gould (genius within)
"The only excuse we have for being musicians in the first place is to do it differently"

Song: Visions of Johanna (Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde)
"Aint it just like the night to play tricks when you're trying to be so quiet"

Song: Common People (Pulp)
"..you'll never watch your life slide out of view.."

Picture: Picasso - Portrait of Ambrose Vollard

Musicians: Franz Liszt, Frank Zappa, J.S.Bach, Glenn Gould.

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The only excuse we have for making music in the first place is to make it differently..vis-a-vis our own difference (Glenn Gould)

Books - Chandler (The Lady in the Lake), Pullman (Northern Lights), Castaneda (Journey to Ixtlan)

Music - Turin Brakes (Ether Song), Dave Brubeck (Time Further Out), Wagner (Parsifal)

TV - Battlestar Galactica, MASH

Anything uttered by Richard P. Feynman I find fascinating and often life-enriching. It's amazing how easy it is to follow everything he's saying in lectures on complex concepts and ideas, just because of the way he tells it ...almost like a dirty joke in the pub:

Richard Feynman 'The Mirror'

There's loads of stuff on Youtube:

BBC Horizon Documentary (Full)

Cheers

Only a couple of days to go people!

Reg

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Google less; read more!

Get fibre optics: porn is instant.

There, now, where's my U47?

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Samplecraze
Stretch That Note

Best thread. Even better than Richard and Judy's book club.

Only one suggestion, "Gwerz live" (if you can find it). Not the studio album which is, as I believe the young people say, underwear.

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Ohm's Law states, "Your PA isn't as powerful as you think it is".

Quote Zukan:

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Get fibre optics: porn is instant.

There, now, where's my U47?

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You have always been my cultural icon.

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Google less; read more!

Okay... It is 10 days until I have to pay up one second hand mike.

Last call!

Reg

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Google less; read more!

Avoid Pheasant Wood like the plague, no wonder Hawaiians preferred Koa for ukuleles.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Book: Confederancy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole. Jonathan Swift: "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." (Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting).

Web (that IS a category, right?): Derek and Clive Get the Horn.

Film: Harold and Maude.

You may PM for my mailing address!

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Alexis -Cubase 6.5.0/SX3.1.1.944, XP SP2, 4GB RAM (1GB not accessible, but used just to balance the computer so it doesn't tip over); Delta 66 in Omni i/O Studio; Motif8; UAD-1

Quote RegressiveRock:

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One word of warning, I spent some time working as a film critic but only on the worst pay-per-line hack basis, so I am pretty "movied up"! However, I am prepared to be astounded.

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Rabbits by David Lynch.

You can curse me later

From a film point of view Alejandro González Iñárritu's trilogy of death series I'd suggest althrough Babel I expect you've seen and perhaps 21 grams, but also track down Amores Perros if you haven't seen it. Otherwise stick a dart in Miike Takashi's vast range of films for an entertaining evening or even some of Chan Wook Park's films if you haven't ventured down that way before. Althrough as far as CWP goes I suspect you'll have seen Oldboy (the whole trilogy is good stuff) but most people haven't seen the lesser known but far more touching "JSA".

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ScanProAudio & 3XS Audio Systems
ScanProAudio Blog

Quote RegressiveRock:

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One word of warning, I spent some time working as a film critic but only on the worst pay-per-line hack basis, so I am pretty "movied up"! However, I am prepared to be astounded.

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Well, films are a passion of mine, so in that case (excluding the most obvious classics):

'Night Must Fall' (1964)

'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' (1960)

'Local Hero' (1983)

'Dead Man' (1995)

'The King of Comedy' (1983, a really underrated Scorsese film)

'After Hours' (1985, another underrated Scorsese film)

'Stranger Than Paradise' (1984)

'Hobson's Choice' (1954)

'Being There' (1979 Peter Sellers' last great performance. Forest Gump was ripped-off this.)

'The Hill' (1965)

'The Offence' (1972, A completely overlooked film I've not seen for years or even heard about)

'Wise Blood' (1979) Another overlooked film

'The Nanny' (1965)

'Broken Flowers' (2005)

'The Weather Man' (2005, even Michael Caine's terrible American accent merely adds to the understated surrealism)

'Touching the Void' (2003 documentary film)

'Dark Days' (2000 documentary film)

'The Magic Christian' (1969)

'The Graduate' (1967, every scene a work of art!)

'Walkabout' (1971, another work of art all the way through)

'The Conversation' (1974)

Being There has been a favourite film of mine since it came out, but I always was a massive Peter Sellers fan. However, the book Being There by Jerzy Kosinski that it is based on is also excellent. One of those rare examples where the book and film are equally good.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

'Being There' is a favorite film of mine too. Didn't know about the book. Thanks for sharing.

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Strictly project and just for fun

Whew..just made the sell-by date

Here's a quick list to the "soundtrack" of my life, my top reccommendations

Music
First live music I was ever exposed to [when I was 9 years of age] was opera - Verdi's Aida - but for mind-blowing intro into the genre I always recommend
1. Mozart - Don Giovanni [soooo dark and disturbing - there's a break-in, a rape, and a murder - all in the first two or three minutes !]
2. Gluck - Orfeo et Euridice [fantastic music, and opera without all the frills]
3. Rossini - The Barber of Seville – love the start scene of this opera where the onstage band a) play way too loud and are told constantly to keep it down, and then afterwards they have trouble getting paid..lol..same as today
4. Bizet – Carmen – your basic “Boy wants girl – girl doesn’t want boy – boy cant live without girl – girl doesn’t give a toss because she’s having a great time with other boys – if Boy cant have her, no one can – girl tells him to get stuffed – boy kills girl, but still loves her of course and is very sorry – the end]
5. Verdi - La Traviata – I’m guaranteed to cry whenever I listen to this opera, NOT a pretty sight !
All have beautiful music etc but as well as that have used as their basis some of the most brilliant literature in history [as well as some of the 'hotter' tabloid-type books of the time!]
Other favorites and reccommendations include Vivaldi, Handel, Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Jenkins, Jacqueline DuPre cellist, Cecilia Bartoli - Oh, and the opera scene in Bruce Willis - Milla Jovovich movie The Fifth Element
My life of classical/opera music was divided by an album which had a chart success in 1976 and changed my mind about "silly pop music" ...Queen's "A Night at the Opera" -[doh! not MORE opera! lol] with
6. Bohemian Rhapsody
That opened the floodgate - but my biggest influences till now have been
7. Steely Dan's "Aja"
8. Little Feat – “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now”
Aarrrghhhh nearly forgot my heros Blood Swear & Tears with David Clayton-Thomas
9. BS&T's "Go Down Gambling"
My guitar player worshipping started with Al di Meola and progressed to include George Benson, Larry Carlton, Paco Pena, John McLoughlin, Paco de Lucia, even Yngwie !
10. Mediterranean Sundance – Di Meola, McLoughlin, and De Lucia
Best Live Concerts EVER awards goes to number 11 and 12
11. Prince – LoveSexy [or ANY live tour]
12 Sting – Bring on the Night
Literature
Stephen King – The Stand [and nearly everything else by him]
Lorenzo Da Ponte – Memoirs [one of Mozarts Librettists – gives a big insight into life in Italy in the 17th century]
Richard Matheson – I Am Legend [ I read this as a kid, WAYYY before the movie came out, lol – stole it from my dad’s collection and had nightmares for weeks after]
William Peter Blatty – The Exorcist [again read before I was old enough to see the movie, kept it hidden in a drawer, with the cover placed face down even though I couldn’t make out what the pic on the cover WAS – more nightmares ]
Oh..nearly forgot probably the most influential book of my teens - Lyall Watson's Supernature - this book is amazing - so much so that I ended up in hospital getting stitches after trying out some of the theories !!!!
Movies
Actually too many to mention and remember, but here’s a start
Planet of the Apes – the original of course – first movie I remember going to see
2001, A Space Odyssey
Carrie – Stephen King again, it’s the first movie that made me actually jump out of my seat in fright
Jaws – the second movie to make me jump out of my seat – AND shout out AAAaaaaaagggghhhhh !
Farinelli - a 1994 biographical movie about the life and career of the Italian castrato opera singer
Pyscho – [the original version] oh..and The Birds as well – the more Hitchcock the better
Loads more, including [red faced with embarrassment now] Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Cary Grant etc
TOP of my list forever are two movies – Schindlers List, and Tim Roth in “The Legend of 1900”
There, that’s my quick 2 cents worth – Did I win?????

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That wasn't a wrong note, just a bad choice!

Highly recommend Suzuki Beane by Sandra Scoppettone . Amazing book from my childhood, now lost. Looks at culture shock and prejudice from the perspective of two friends in 1961 NYC.

Suzuki is a beatnick and Henry is a rich kid. The book points out so beautifully why people can't just necessarily "all get along" but the kids get it. They get so fed up they end up running away together.

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Gear list: If you can't find it, grind it

Right.

The door is closed and I am going over my working whilst reading quite a glut of last minute posts.

Film at eleven!

...errr actually, I will take all suggestions quite seriously, so I might need a few days to check for any hidden Eureka stuff amongst the old, the new and the already checked.

Reg

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Google less; read more!

So, where's my [ ****** ]@n Valvet then?

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Samplecraze
Stretch That Note

Quote Zukan:

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So, where's my [Email][ ****** ]@n[/Email] Valvet then?

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Zuk, you already know you have open access to my mikes!

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Google less; read more!

who won? Its me, isnt it??

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That wasn't a wrong note, just a bad choice!

Oh feck!

I am trying very hard not to reach a conclusion I reached six weeks ago and I am failing because ZenG opened up a line of thought I had not even considered as the most bumthumbed-cackhanded person I know.

My mind has been massively opened by the posting here and I do not know how to thank people for some of these posts as my mind is inevitably expanded!

But the mike goes to Zen!

Reg

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Google less; read more!

Many thanks Reg, the mike will be used and appreciated. And many of us have had our minds broadened thanks to you starting this thread, so thank you. You know that I'm only a PM away if you have questions, or just want to chat about your new direction. And if our paths cross, we can have those conversations over a pint or 3.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Cool thread. Everything Zen said. Cool result

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Strictly project and just for fun

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Samplecraze
Stretch That Note