Celebrity Jukebox #75: Gerry Conway

Who killed Gwen Stacy?

Was it Norman Osborn, the criminally insane businessman who liked to fly around on a motorised bat, dressed in a green and purple Goblin costume? He was the one who tossed her off the Brooklyn Bridge, laughing maniacally as she plunged towards the icy waters of the East river.

The Daily Bugle, of course, would immediately claim that Gwen was killed by Spider-Man... and for a while, the evidence did point towards him. Grief stricken, the young man behind the mask appeared to admit his culpability to police before fleeing the scene. And there are still those who believe it wasn't the fall that killed Gwen, but the sudden jolt of being caught by Spider-Man's web as he desperately tried to save her.

Professor Caffeine & The Insecurities - You're My Mary Jane, Not My Gwen Stacy (I Won't Accidentally Kill You)

In truth though, Gwen's killer was neither of the above. It was 21 year old comic book writer Gerry Conway, the young man given the daunting responsibility of taking over from Stan Lee on the Amazing Spider-Man comic back in 1972, when he was still a teenager. Some say comics grew up when Gwen Stacy died, and while that's a little too dismissive of the work that preceded this issue, it's certainly true that they were never the same again.

Gerry Conway went on to create The Punisher, Ms. / Captain Marvel, and many other important characters for both Marvel and DC, before moving on to work in TV. The Spider-Man stories he wrote, both in the 70s, and when he returned to the character in the late 80s, are such a big part of my life, it's hard to express their impact. Thank you, Gerry... and I've forgiven you for killing Gwen, even if some people still hold it against you.

Modern Life Is Rubbish #4: Teenage Lobotomy

We're having a training session tonight about the use of AI in education. Prior to that, I was sent a questionnaire probing my thoughts on the subject. The last question was, "What is one task you would like AI to help you with?" 

My answer?

"Making AI go away."

Gary Numan - Are 'Friends' Electric?

There was a big article in The Grauniad earlier this week in which academics relayed horror stories on the effect AI is already having on university education. You can read the whole thing, or if you can't handle the horror / your brain can't handle long-form information any more... here are a few choice quotes...

“I now talk about AI with my students not under the framework of cheating or academic honesty but in terms that are frankly existential,” said Dora Zhang, a literature professor at the University of California, Berkeley. “What is it doing to us as a species?”

Phoebe Bridgers - I Know The End

Michael Clune, a literature professor and novelist, said that, already, many students have been left “incapable of reading and analyzing, synthesizing data, all kinds of skills”. In a recent essay, he warned that colleges and universities rushing to embrace the technology were preparing to “self-lobotomize”.

The Ramones - Teenage Lobotomy

...several professors spoke about concerns that AI will exacerbate a widening divide in US higher education and that small numbers of elite students will have access to a more traditional, largely tech-free liberal arts education, while everyone else has a “degraded, soulless form of vocational training administered by AI instructors”.

REM - Losing My Religion

...when it comes to its impact on students, early studies point to potentially catastrophic effects on cognitive abilities and critical thinking skills.

Manic Street Preachers - Critical Thinking

I asked the AI Overlords, "How can we make AI go away?" and they responded with lots of suggestions about how to "reduce AI’s influence on daily life", "advocate for regulation" or "limit AI access to your data". 

Underneath all that, it added:

If you’re asking something deeper like:

“Can we stop the development of AI entirely?”

“Can society reverse the AI trend?”

…then the honest answer is: probably not, at least not completely. Once a technology is widespread globally, it behaves like the internet, electricity, or cars — we can regulate and restrict it, but we can’t make it disappear.

But you absolutely can control how much AI is part of your world, and even influence the broader conversation about its role in society.

So I'm writing this blog post. Because that's all I've got left.

People like to say that we're insane

But AI will reward us when it reigns

Pledge allegiance to the world's most powerful computer

Simulation: it's the future

What will it take to make you capitulate?

We appreciate power

We appreciate power

Elevate the human race, putting makeup on my face

We appreciate power

We appreciate power, power

Snapshots #190: A Top Ten Sick Songs

Perhaps not the nicest subject matter I've ever used to connect songs, but not a bad set of tunes.

When I think of sick, I think of our cats puking up furballs... any excuse for a cat camera pic!

Answers... sorry if they get a bit heavy this week!

10. Count Ferdinand was a heavy metal pioneer.

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, that would be.

Led Zeppelin - Sick Again

9. Welsh bays.

Cardigan Bay.

The Cardigans - Sick And Tired

8. The last ding dong. 

Ding Dong, Avon calling. The last time they call would presumably be Z-von.

Warren Zevon - Don't Let Us Get Sick

7. Found in a dirty, wet hive.

Mudhoney - Touch Me, I'm Sick

6. Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile.

Three towns in Alabama.

The Alabama 3 - Too Sick To Pray

5. Thank Robbie for teeing off.

Take the T off thank and you get Hank, with Robbie Williams...

Hank Williams - Lovesick Blues

4. Bothered?

Disturbed - Down With The Sickness

If that's too loud for you, may I suggest this version instead...?

Richard Cheese - Down With The Sickness

3. Bee, birds, gopher.

It's an anagram!

Phoebe Bridgers - Motion Sickness

2. Disc knitters.

And another one!

Tindersticks - City Sickness

1. Guitar playing rabbit floats up and down.

Cue the first ever lyric video...

You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, but it'll blow more Snapshots your way next Saturday...

2019 Contenders: A Lush Tribute

The latest Mercury Rev album is a bit of a curiosity. A reworking of Bobbie Gentry's second album, The Delta Sweete, it sees regular Rev vocalist Jonathan Donohue hand over his mic to a stellar range of guests, including Norah Jones, Phoebe Bridgers, Beth Orton, Margo Price, Vashti Bunyan and Lucinda Williams. This patchwork quilt of a tribute album shouldn't really work, and I half-expected to be grumbling that "none of them (even Lucinda) can hold a torch to Bobbie's originals", yet I've found myself getting sucked in with progressive listens.

As you'd expect from a Mercury Rev record, the arrangements are lush and sparkly and trippy, like something out of a dream, a hallucination, or a David Lynch film. For the most part, the guest vocalists rise to the occasion, either by being faithful to Bobbie's interpretations... or, particularly in Lucinda's case, being true to themselves. Actually, Lucinda is given the toughest draw - a cover of Ode To Billy Joe, which wasn't even on the original album but... well, it's Ode To Billie Joe. How could they resist?

Only occasionally does the odd vocalist betray her more contemporary roots by indulging in the kind of histrionics favoured by modern chart divas and X-Factor contestants... but I won't name names. Bobbie wouldn't approve. For the most part though, I think she'd be pretty chuffed with this tribute. We may never know, since she's shunned the celebrity life for over 40 years now. But let's at least hope she earns a few pennies towards her retirement from this...

Saturday Snapshots #85 - The Answers

Thank you for Stayin' Alive long enough to come back and check out the answers to yesterday's Saturday Snapshots. Here's hoping You Win Again, without any Tragedy.

Lynchie just took the prize this week, with Rigid Digit failing to nail a draw by not working out the Happy Mondays song. If in doubt, go for the obvious one! Chris and Charity Chic shared out the rest of the points, although CC needed a little prompting.

Enough of my Jive Talkin'...


10. Lost kangaroo perplexes one-handed table tennis rulers.

Sultans of Ping FC - Where's Me Jumper?

"Dancing at the disco, bumper to bumper... wait a minute: where's me jumper!?"

One of Sam's favourites at the moment.

9. Thorny roller gets the full valet.

Rose Royce - Car Wash

8. Triceratots share the hurt.

"Triceratots". Geddit?

Dinosaur Jr. - Feel The Pain

7. Vulcan legend handles the crockery.

You can look up where T'Pau got their name from if you don't already know.

T'Pau - China In Your Hand

Wishing to dodge the shame of spotting this one, Rigid Digit revealed he'd seen them on an old TOTP repeat the night before. Alyson, ashamed to have not spotted them, replied, "I thought to myself, the only band I can think of with a long curly-haired female singer is T’Pau but it’s not a picture of Carol Decker. I was wrong!"

It did take me a while to find a photo of T'Pau where Carol Decker was not immediately recognisable. Then again, not everybody had quite the same teenage interest in that lady that I did.

6. Chimney struck by Murdoch / Hawke co-pilots.

Finally! One I get to explain!

Howling Mad Murdoch was the pilot in The A-Team.

Stringfellow Hawke flew Airwolf.

(Child of the 80s ahoy!)

Put them together and you get...

Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightning

Apparently that was "a b**tard of a clue!", according to Lynchie. I just didn't want to go down the obvious "wild dog" route.

5. Amazon? Nestle? McDonalds? Never satisfied.

Bad Company - Can't Get Enough

4. Queasy, dizzy, teary... how much does the honeymaker charge to get across the river?

C wondered, "Is no. 4 the lovely Bee Bridgetoll with 'Pre-menstrual'? Sorry... but it should be, I'm sure it'd be great."

It would be great, though if that were an actual song, I'd have been more likely to go with a clue about stabbing your other half with a bread-knife because they'd slightly burnt the toast. Not that I'm talking from personal experience or anything.

With an extra clue about this lady also working in a Community Centre, Charity Chic was able to solve this one.

What's the bee's fee? To take you across the bridge?

Phoebe Bridgers - Motion Sickness

3. Flatulation coalition.

The Association - Windy

2. Join the escalator and think about what the Boomtown Rats never had.

The Boomtown Rats never had a happy Monday, obviously.

You're twisting my melon, man!

The Happy Mondays - Step On

Call the cops!

1. Explain to your mum how you boil jelly.

Boil jelly was an anagram.

How has it taken me 85 weeks to get to this gent? Doesn't he look a smart young man? I wish I could have found a photo of him in the boxing ring.



I've Gotta Get A Message To You... Saturday Snapshots will return next week.

2019 Contenders: Better Oblivion Community Centre

Better Oblivion Community Centre* continue that fine old rock 'n' roll tradition of pairing an angelic-voiced female singer with a bloke who sounds like a rusty gate. Like Nancy & Lee. Sonny & Cher. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan. Dawn Landes & Bobby Bare.

This time, the angelica-voiced female is Phoebe Bridgers, the lady who produced one of my favourite debut albums of recent years, 2017's Stranger In The Alps. The creaky gate is (as you'd expect) a little longer in the tooth: Conor Oberst (not as Bright Eyed as he once was, now at the grand old age of 39). Together they make an irresistibly quirky racket, though as with the recent collaboration between Kurt Vile & Courtney Barnett, the young lady rather shows up the old bloke when it comes to songwriting - I can make a good guess at the lyrics Bridgers has contributed to this coupling, and they stand out more than Conor's contributions. Of course, I may be completely wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. (But this one certainly sounds like Bridgers to me...)

I'm getting used to these dizzy spells

I'm taking a shower at the Bates Motel

I'm getting greedy with this private hell

I'll go it alone, but that's just as well

*Yes, I'm going to spell it the (correct) English way rather than the (incorrect) American way, even if they don't. Because I'm an English teacher. For now, anyway.

My Top 17 Albums of 2017 #10

10. Angsty, Lebowski-loving millennial hits singer-songwriter gold channeling Vega*, Mann* and O'Connor***. Young people also cry****.

*Suzanne, not Alan.

** Aimee, not Michael.

***Sinead, not Des.

**** "Strong men also cry," is another quote from the greatest film ever made.

10. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger In The Alps

More here.

Jesus Christ, I'm so blue all the time / And that's just how I feel / Always have and I always will / I always have and I always will.

(And let's face it, a certain Mancunian miserablist would be pretty happy with that chorus too.)




Next: Argonauts not needed.

New Entry: This Is What Happens When You Find A Stranger In The Alps

My favourite movie is The Big Lebowski. It contains the following hilarious scene (one of many: the whole film is a blast from start to finish) in which The Dude (Jeff Bridges) and Walter (John Goodman) question a teenager who they believe has broken into The Dude's car and stolen a bag of money. Their evidence for this is largely based on the flashy car parked outside said teenager's house...

(There is bad language in this clip: BUT THAT'S THE POINT!)



When shown on TV, this sequence has been edited to cut the bad language down, substituting some ridiculous nonsense for the original swearwords...



I'm guessing Phoebe Bridgers must be a Lebowski fan also, since she's named her excellent debut album after the nonsense above. It's called A Stranger In The Alps.

Bridgers has a gorgeous voice that reminds me of Sinead O'Connor crossed with Aimee Mann. And like both those artists, she's not afraid to paint her songs with gallons of neurosis as in the track below, one of many listen again & again moments from A Stranger In The Alps. Her songwriting is reminiscent of both E and John Grant, and apparently she's mates with Ryan Adams also... well, you get the picture. Enjoy the cynical, world-weary loveliness...