Words & Music #1: "Lovely to see you."

As Robert Palmer told me in a dream last night, Don’t Explain. That was a Billie Holliday song originally, but for me it’ll always be by Batley Bob, because I heard him do it first, at an impressionable age.

I stopped at Morrisons last week for a few bits. Went to the self-service checkout so I didn't have to make conversation. After I'd paid, the following message flashed up on the machine...

Lovely to see you. Bye for now.

This offends me in so many way, I can't even begin to count. If a cashier said this to me, I'd think it was weird... but a machine? 

The chances of me getting around to featuring the stylistically extravagant action movie director John Woo on Celebrity Jukebox any time soon seem slim. Hopefully for him anyway, since the jukebox has become a hectic requiem in recent weeks. Anyway, here's a song with his name from new London band My Fat Pony. 

Love the home-made video.

Louise bought me some socks for Father's Day. My initial reaction was, "I'm not sure I can wear these for work..."

"Oh," she said. "Sorry. I didn't know they said that on them."

I told Ben. He replied with two words.

She knew.

Speaking of Ben, he recommended I listen to Tim Heidecker, an artist he saw on tour earlier in the year. Heidecker's an American actor and comedian, so the first half of his set is a world weary stand-up routine. Then he comes back on and does a set of upbeat, nostalgia-focussed Americana Ben figured would be right up my street. He's not wrong.

Back when I taught in college at The Bad Place, I had a student who regularly called me Brendon. When I asked why, he said it was because I looked like Brendon Urie, lead singer of Panic! At The Disco. I don’t. Brendon’s much younger and prettier than me. The most I can say is that my hair goes back in a similar way. 

Despite being named after Smiths lyrics, P!ATD are a band who have said little to me about my life since they emerged from the provincial town of Las Vegas in 2004… however, I’ve been strangely taken by their latest album, Viva Las Vengeance. It’s a tribute to the bands Urie loved when he was a kid, and on first listen the obvious influences (to me, anyway) were Queen, Costello, Thin Lizzy and Steinman. Reviewers have cited The Beatles and The Police, among others… but after repeated listens, the homages coalesce and it all starts to sound like a Panic! record. But a really good one, and a really catchy one. Shame it’s their last, as Urie has announced his retirement… at least until the inevitable comeback tour beckons.

Here's the title track, which immediately made me think of vintage Costello...

Lovely to see you. Bye for now.