NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL

THIS IS A GREAT CITY THAT CAN'T BE KILLED. JAMIE DELL'APA, FROM RADIO STATION WWOZ IN NEW ORLEANS IS GOING TO DO A FEATURE SHOW ON ROLAND KIRK, AND I'M DOING SOME COMMENTARY FOR HIM. THEIR STATION PROMOTES THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL, AND UNTIL RECENTLY, I WAS IGNORANT OF JUST HOW BIG THIS THING IS. THERE IS LOTS OF JAZZ OF ALL TYPES, BUT THERE IS PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE AS WELL. IT'S IN APRIL- MAY, OVER 2 WEEKENDS, AND THIS YEAR INCLUDES SANTANA, DR JOHN, ELVIS COSTELLO, DIANA KRALL, STEVIE WONDER, BILLY JOEL, SHERYL CROW, ROBERT PLANT, ALISON KRAUSS, COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA, JON CLEARY, AL GREEN, RANDY NEWMAN, JIMMY BUFFETT, NEVILLE BROS, AND MANY MANY MORE. THE MID-WEEK IS TAKEN UP BY A SEPARATE BLUES FEST. JUST MIND BOGGLING.

LIFE IMITATING ART

DOC NELSON DOING A DOC NEESON? I KNOW I SAID BEFORE LAST YEARS ELECTION, THAT I WOULDN'T TALK ABOUT POLITICS AGAIN. WELL. TOO BAD, I LIED, JUST LIKE A POLITICIAN. OUR HAPLESS, UNCOOL, DE-EAR RINGED LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION, DOC NELSON IS TOURING, JUST LIKE DOC NEESON DOES. UNCOOL DOC TELLS US HE NOW HAS 4 FENDER STRATS. I THOUGHT A POLITICIAN SHOULD HAVE TELECASTERS.


THIS IS THE ANGEL'S DOC NEESON AND BELOW IS FEDERAL PARLIAMENT'S DOC NELSON. DO I EVER WANT TO SEE HIS FACE AGAIN???? NO WAY, GET F*****, F*** OFF!
WITH APOLOGIES TO ANNABEL CRABB OF THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD!

NO BALI BOMBERS HERE

MY FRIENDS KEITH AND HELEN WERE IN BALI RECENTLY, AND SAT IN WITH THE LOCAL BAND AT THE HARD ROCK CAFE. KEITH'S ON DRUMS, HELEN'S ON BASS. THE PICS ARE TAKEN FROM STILLS OFF A MOVIE. GO ON KEITH, STICK IT ON YOU TUBE.

THE ENGLISH DO THESE THINGS SO WELL

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MUSIC, BUT I AM ALWAYS AMUSED HOW THE BRITISH ARISTOCRACY HAS A PENCHANT FOR OBSCURE SEXUAL ACTIVITY. IT'S JUST BEEN EXPOSED THAT MAX MOSELEY, THE BOSS OF FORMULA ONE MOTOR RACING, AND SON OF SIR OSWALD MOSELEY, THE PRE WAR NAZI LOVER, HAS BEEN BEEN FOUND ENGAGING IN SEXUAL FANTASIES WITH HOOKERS DRESSED AS NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP GUARDS. THIS, OF COURSE, HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LORD DOWNER'S ATTRACTION TO WEARING FISHNET STOCKINGS.

IT'S JUST AN OPPORTUNITY TO POST A COUPLE OF CARTOONS OF ONE OF MY FAVOURITE POLITICIANS. IT'S A SHAME HE SPENDS SO MUCH TIME AT LUNCH AND ON THE BACK BENCH THESE DAYS, HE WAS ALWAYS GOOD FOR A LAUGH.

COFFEE ADDICTS, OR SNOBS?

I HAVE DECIDED TO HAVE A BIT OF A CLEAN OUT. AMONGST STUFF IN KITCHEN CUPBOARDS, IS AN ATOMIC COFFEE MAKER FROM THE 60'S. I LIKE COFFEE, I HAVE A PLUNGER, ANOTHER STYLE OF ITALIAN STOVE TOP PERCOLATING THING, AND A GERMAN DRIP FILTER COFFEE MACHINE, MORE THAN AMPLE FOR MY NEEDS. I KNOW THE ATOMICS ARE FASHIONABLE AND COLLECTABLE, SO I THOUGHT $200 IS BETTER IN MY POCKET. IT'S NOW UPTO $455 WITH 3 DAYS TO GO ON EBAY. ANOTHER ONE SOLD LAST NIGHT FOR NEARLY $700! FOR A 40 YEAR OLD COFFEE MAKER!

MMM...NICE TATS

AMY WINEHOUSE IS TO BE PAID $1M BY JULIA ROBERTS AND GEORGE CLOONEY TO SING AT A CHARITY BASH IN NEW YORK. SMALL CHANGE REALLY, THE STONES COMMAND $4M, THE EAGLES $3.75M....VERY CHARITABLE .

IT'S WILSON PICKETT'S BIRTHDAY

LEGENDARY SOUL SINGER, THE LATE WILSON PICKETT, WAS BORN ON THIS DAY, CHECK OUT THE YOUNG JIMI HENDRIX ON GUITAR.

इ कैन टाइप इन हिन्दी!

ओने ऑफ़ थे रेअल्ली उसेफुल फेअतुरेस ऑफ़ ब्लॉगर, इस ठाट इ कैन टाइप इन हिन्दी.

MUSICIAN STIVERS MOONLIGHTING AGAIN!

IT MUST BE NOTED, THAT CARTOONIST MARK STIVERS, IS ALSO A MUSICIAN.

THE THREE LEGGED RACE IS OVER!

PAUL IS PROBABLY ON SUICIDE WATCH, AFTER FORMER WIFE, AND UNIPED, HEATHER MILLS LINED UP THE ALL THE ACES ON THE LITTLE WHEELS OF LIFE. DOWN TO HIS LAST BILLIONS, PAUL STILL REFUSES TO GIVE ANY DOUGH TO HIS KIDS. WHAT A TIGHT ARSE!

A NEW "FLAKE" CD THIS YEAR?

WE HAVE TAKEN THE FIRST TENTATIVE STEPS TOWARDS SOME NEW FLAKE RECORDINGS, THE FIRST IN ABOUT 35 YEARS.
IT IS THE BAND'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR OF IT'S FORMATION, SO I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE RECORDING PROJECT. WE ARE STARTING OF WITH A TRACK WRITTEN BY MY FRIEND STEVE MAHER. LINDAY ASKEW, THE BAND'S FIRST GUITARIST, HAS PROVIDED A MIDI DRUM TRACK, AND ROB ASKEW, THE BAND'S LAST BASS PLAYER, HAS LAID BASS AND ACOUSTIC GUITAR TRACKS. LINZ IS NOW HAVING A QUICK HOLIDAY AND WHEN HE GETS BACK, WILL PUT DOWN SOME LEAD GUITAR. i CAN TEN PUT ON SOME SAX, MAYBE BARITONE, AND THEN OLLIE THE SINGER WILL LAY SOME VOCALS. WE ALL HAVE HOME STUDIOS, AND ARE EXCHANGING MUSIC FILES VIA STEVE'S SERVER. LIVE DRUMS WILL EVENTUALLY REPLACE THE MIDI DRUMS.

JIMI HENDLIX?

AS I HAVE MENTIONED BEFORE, I WORK IN A NEW LABORATORY WHERE ALL THE MEETING ROOMS ARE ROCK MUSICIAN THEMED. OBVIOUSLY CONCEIVED BY A BABY BOOMER, OUR CEO PERHAPS, THEY LOOK TERRIFIC. THERE'S ONLY ONE SMALL PROBLEM. SO MANY OF OUR STAFF ARE YOUNG AND FROM NON EUROPEAN CULTURES. A 20 YEAR OLD FROM INDIA OR CHINA LOOKS AT THE ETCHED IMAGE ON THE DOOR AND WOULDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS HENDRIX OR MARLEY, SO, SOMEONE HAS GONE AROUND WITH STICK ON LETTERS TO LABEL EACH ROOM. AT LEAST THEY WILL NOW KNOW WHAT MANY OF OUR DEAD ROCK HEROS LOOKED LIKE!

I USED TO LIKE MARK STIVER'S CARTOONS

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

THE AMERICAN SPACE AGENCY, NASA, IS TO BEAM THE BEATLES SONG "ACROSS THE UNIVERSE" INTO SPACE NEXT WEEK, MARKING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SONG BEING WRITTEN. IT WILL BE AIMED AT POLARIS, THE NORTH STAR, 431 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.
DEAR OLD YOKO DESCRIBED THE EVENT AS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW AGE.
SIR PAUL, BEING AS ECONOMICAL WITH WORDS AS HE IS WITH MONEY, SAID IT WAS "AMAZING".
JOHN'S LAST WORDS IN THE SONG ARE, "LIMITLESS UNDYING LOVE WHICH SHINES AROUND ME LIKE A MILLION SUNS IT CALLS ME ON AND ON ACROSS THE UNIVERSE".
I REMEMBER WHEN THEY LAUNCHED "VOYAGER" BACK IN 70'S, INCLUDED ABOARD WAS AN LP. IF AN ALIEN EVER FINDS IT, HOW WILL HE PLAY IT? DO THEY HAVE RECORD PLAYERS?.
THIS IS A PIC OF AN ALIEN GROUP CALLED "ZZARDNAP GNUP" WHO ARE A MINIMALIST POST SPACE HIP HOP OUTFIT. IS THIS WHERE OUR MUSIC IS HEADING?
"ZZARDNAP GNUP" USED TO HAVE A MUCH MORE CONSERVATIVE IMAGE BUT WERE INSPIRED BY OUR VERY OWN MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, PETER GARRETT.
HE HAS BEEN POPULAR IN THE OUTER LIMITS FOR LIGHT YEARS.

COITUS INTERUPTUS !

ONLY IN MELBOURNE COULD 94000 PEOPLE THINK CRICKET WAS SEX. LAST NIGHT A 20-20 MATCH, WHICH IS THE WHAM BAM THANKYOU MAM OF CRICKET WAS PLAYED OUT IN FRONT OF 94000 EXCITED FANS. THE FIRST HALF WAS THE FOREPLAY, WITH THE INDIAN BATSMEN ALL OUT FOR SEVENTY ODD RUNS. THE HALF TIME ENTERTAINMENT WAS THE ROGUE TRADERS PLAYING A FRENZIED 10 MINUTE SET, PERCHED UP IN FRONT OF A BIG SCREEN. THE SINGER LOOKED VERY SEXY, DOING A SORT OF WENDY JAMES POST PUNK/POP NUMBER, AND THEN, OUT CAME THE AUSTRALIANS, BELTING THE BALL TO ALL CORNERS OF THE GROUND, EQUALLING THE INDIA SCORE QUICKLY. THE CROWD WAS IN A FRENZY, WAITING FOR THE WINNING RUNS TO BE HIT FOR SIX, BUT THE INDIAN BOWLER DELIVERED A "NO BALL", AND THE GAME WAS SUDDENLY OVER, AND THEY WANDERED OFF THE GROUND.
TALK ABOUT AN ANTI-CLIMAX!