Awesome cover!

Just wanted to share this cover version of The Stooges "I wanna be your dog" with everyone. Brilliant stuff by Admiral Freebee and Tim Van Hamel.

Topgear goes nuts.

I think their little plan worked a little too well for their liking...

Top Gear is brilliant, but didn't they go just a little too far with that? On the other hand, the reaction was far worse than even I had imagined. Looks like those people never heard of having a sense of humour...

Simon Amstell

I recently started watching "never mind the buzzcocks" again, for the first time in years. What has changed? Not much. The concept of the show and the team leaders are all still the same. What has changed, however, is the host: Simon Amstell. His mix of biting irony, and the complete lack of respect he displays towards the guests of his show are, well, refreshing. It's become fun to watch again.

One of the many youtube clips you can find of the new, improved NMTB:

“We’re in jail, dude.”

Article here

I was struck by this on several levels. Firstly, the incident in itself is shocking and nauseating. Friendly fire incidents are something of all times and all wars, unfortunately, but that something like this still happens in the age of high-technological warfare, baffles me.

Secondly, why did it take untill a tabloid posted it on its website before this tape was released to the British coroner’s court for their investigation of the incident? Friendly fire is always unfortunate, but I don't see the point in denying one of your closest allies the chance to investigate the death of one of their servicemen.

Thirdly, I can't imagine what it must be like for the family members of said soldier to hear those pilots first execute the order that killed their relative, and then hear them talk about their mistake so casually.

Iraq seems to have a very bad track record with friendly fire incidents, especially involving non-us coalition troops. It was that bad at a certain point, that foreign troops were asked to submit flags and uniforms, so that they US troops could more easily identify their allies. When you read stuff like that, it baffles the mind.

Reason n° 1268 why Jools Holland rules!

I've discovered half the bands/artists I love through Jools Holland. The man should be knighted.

As a side-note, Seasick Steve is just one in a number of older artists I've grown to like over the last year or so. It might be one of the signs that I'm turning into an old man myself?

Anyway, that video is well worth the watch. And that's about one of the most enthusiastic audience reactions I remember from all those years of Jools Holland.

Even if you don't like Seasick Steve, you really should search for some Jools Holland clips on youtube. There's great live performances to be found from Radiohead, Arcade fire, Sigur Ros, Bloc Party, and just about every other great band of the past decade or so.

Blood Diamond

So I went to see Blood Diamond last night, and it was surprisingly good. We actually decided on that movie due to lack of anything else we wanted to see, but it was actually one of the better movies I saw in the last couple of months. I usually don't like Hollywood movies about Africa, but this one, despite some flaws, was still very much watchable without turning it into a complete caricature of the continent.

Leo's was more than adequate. That's the third movie in a row where I've enjoyed his performance, if I don't watch myself, I might actually turn into a fan of his! Off course, he was played right of the screen by Djimon Gaston Hounsou. The man gave a brilliant performance, and is the beating heart of this movie.

As much as I love Jennifer Connelly, her character seemed out of place in this movie, and did not add much to the movie, except for giving Leo's character a love interest. It actually took away from the movie a little.

Regardless of that, I would warmly recommend it to anyone interested in the issues of Diamond trafficing, child soldiers, racism, and the issues that Africa faces today, and has faced for the past 50 years or so.

*** out of a possible ****

Perfume

So I decided to give Süskind's The Perfume a chance. So far, the experience is uneven. Most of the characters up to now seem flat and one-dimensional, with the possible exception of Grenouille himself. But even he is more of a caricature, a variation of Quasimodo if you will, than a real human being.

Why haven't I given up on it? Because, despite its flaws, it's actually a fairly entertaining read. I'm hard pressed to find out why this book was so hyped, especially during the 80s. But, from an entertainment point of view, there are worse efforts out there.

I believe the main problem with the book is also its main asset: the character of Grenouille is both fascinating and dissapointing, which could also sum up this book in its entirety. It won't get anywhere near my top 100 favorite books, but I won't regret devoting my time to it either. Considering its age, the narrative still feels fairly fresh. The book has aged much better than I had imagined.

yes! Another attempt at a Blog!

I know, another month, another Hervé Blog. I actually intend to at least try to update this one frequently. I just have a nasty combination of laziness and lack of inspiration. Not exactly two traits that meet well with maintaining a blog. :)