At one of the hospitals where I work, we get a monthly delivery of books to hand out to children on the ward.
This arrived the other day.
Nobody wants to go anywhere near it...
Showing posts with label Guided By Voices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guided By Voices. Show all posts
Friday, 7 November 2025
Monday, 20 October 2025
Celebrity Jukebox #57: Drew Struzan
Drew Struzan might not have been a household name, certainly in comparison with Robert Redford and Diane Keaton, most recently featured here... but even if you don't recognise the name, I can guarantee you will know his work.
Struzan was surely the leading movie poster artist of his generation, and many of his designs are arguably even more famous than the films they promoted. In fact, Steven Spielberg once remarked (about his "favourite movie artist") that “I had to almost live up to the art that we later were going to ask Drew to create for the poster.” It could probably be argued that certain film-makers were unable to live up to that promise, and the best thing about some of those flicks was the poster promoting it.
Below is the one I had on my bedroom wall. Why the poster for the sequel, rather than the original movie? Because I wanted both Marty and the Doc done by Mr. Struzan, not just Michael J. Fox on his own.
Rest in peace, Drew. Your art will live forever.
Steely Dan - Everyone's Gone To The Movies
Wreckless Eric - Let's Got To The Pictures
Guided By Voices - Short On Posters
Andy Roberts - I've Seen The Movie
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Pictures On My Wall
Monday, 1 September 2025
Snapshots Spillover: More Reasons To Call The Doctor!
The doctor will see you now!
If you ever think that some of the tracks I choose for Saturday Snapshots are a little on the obscure side... you should see the ones I leave out!
Here are a few more reasons to call your GP, starting with the original version of a song made into a hit by Robert Palmer...
Angie & the Citations - Headache
Splodgenessabounds - Nausea Vomiting Diahorea
The Trashcan Sinatras - Hay Fever
Los Capesinos! - A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; or, Letters from Me to Charlotte
We Were Promised Jetpacks - Sore Thumb
Galaxie 500 - Temperature's Rising
Reverend & The Makers - Warts N All
Guided By Voices - An Earful Of Wax
(That one was from Ben.)
The Flaming Lips - Guy Who Got a Headache and Accidentally Saves the World
Take two paracetamol and call me in the morning.
Sunday, 6 October 2019
Saturday Snapshots #104 - The Answers
Or at least if you want the answers to yesterday's Saturday Snapshots...
Hasta la vista, baby!
10. Fiery gal comes of age.
A fiery gal might be a Burn-ette.
9. Norman painter gets paranoid.
Norman Rockwell was the painter.
8. A magnum crown... pity.
A magnum of champagne for a king?
7. Scooters make me itch.
Lambretta makes scooters.
Poison Ivy leaves you in need of an ocean of calamine lotion...
6. A mini roll gets chewed up by an air freshener.
"A mini roll" was an anagram.
5. "They told me to do it!" I explained to the junior Feds.
"They told me to do it!" Who? The voices in your head?
4. Directions to the French court maze, please?
Hampton Court Maze? FR is France, so that must make it the Frampton court maze? No? Non?
I don't mind a bit of Peter Frampton, but this sold far more copies than it should have done.
3. Party pooper DJ wouldn't play 50s hits... and his eyeliner stank.
"Eyeliner stank" was another anagram. (Just count yourself lucky I didn't have to do a third for Peter Frampton: Pope TNT Farmer was very close.)
2. Eager nobility wants to hear a song.
A keen earl?
1. Allied forces found on a zebra crossing.
There probably were more than seven nations in the allied forces, but I claim artistic license.
That's it from me for this week, but guess what? Next week?
I'll be back.
Monday, 20 May 2013
My Top Ten Avalanche Songs
Be very, very quiet... we're in avalanche country.
Special mention to The Avalanches and I Am The Avalanche.
10. Manafest - Avalanche
Not sure what I make of Manafest - I may just be too old. Still, points for mentioning Ghost Rider in the lyrics.
9. Matthew Good - Avalanche
No, not the bloke who played Ozymandias in Watchmen. (I did wonder, for a second.)
8. Folks - Avalanche
Cool northern indie band who aren't getting the airplay they deserve.
7. Guided By Voices - Avalanche Aminos
Noisy nonsense, as are all the best Guided By Voices records.
6. Shawn Colvin - Shotgun Down The Avalanche
Lovely. Haunting. Special.
5. Ryan Adams - Avalanche
Like most of the songs on Love Is Hell, this sounds like a man clinging on by his fingernails.
4. Epica - Avalanche
Epica are described as a "Dutch Goth Metal Band", but for the first 2 and a bit minutes they just sound like Kate Bush fans. Then the devil voice kicks in... although only in short doses. I quite like this: it is sufficiently mental to maintain my interest for nearly 7 minutes. Jim Steinman would be proud. Plus, lead singer Simone Simons is a very pretty lady with the voice of angel. Also, unlike most of the songs on this Top Ten, this one sounds like an ACTUAL AVALANCHE!
3. James - Avalanche
James's stupid record company don't want you to hear this song, so they've blocked it from youtube. Thank god for Grooveshark.
2. Thea Gilmore - Avalanche
New Thea Gilmore album just out - good to see it getting so much attention. I haven't got my copy yet, but only because I'm skint. Thea's long been one of my favourite female singer-songwriters.
1. Leonard Cohen - Avalanche
We need more songs about hunchbacks in love. No, really, we do.
I myself am the pedestalSee also Nick Cave's excellent cover.
for this ugly hump at which you stare.
Which one buries you?
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
My Top Ten Robot Songs
10. Arling & Cameron - Dirty Robot
Covered by The Lemonheads featuring Kate Moss, which might have worked... had it come without the "featuring Kate Moss" bit.
9. The Aliens - Robot Man
The artists formerly known as The Beta Band with their anthem to robot dancing.
8. Go Kart Mozart - I Talk With Robot Voice
Lawrence (of Felt & Denim fame) returned earlier this year with a new album from his third band, including this wonderful hymn to alienation which has him bemoaning his uselessness at humanoid relationships before guiltily confessing: "Yet I admit I'm still susceptible to vaginas." When was the last time Gary Barlow wrote a lyric like that?
7. Guided By Voices - Tropical Robots
It's only 52 seconds long, but it's still quite lovely.
6. Kraftwerk - The Robots
The track which inspired this...
5. Daft Punk - Robot Rock,
...which in turn inspired this...
4. Flight Of The Conchords - Robots
Finally, robotic beings rule the world! The humans are dead...
Binary solo - 000000100001110000111000111111100001010!
3. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
Those evil-natured robots
they're programmed to destroy us
she's gotta be strong to fight them
so she's taking lots of vitamins
2. Robyn - Fembot
Once you gone tech you ain't never going back
Robyn's got robots on the brain. See also Robotboy and The Girl And The Robot (featuring Röyksopp).
1. Radiohead - Paranoid Android
I remember when this was released, the record company promoted it as Radiohead's answer to Bohemian Rhapsody. I still think that comparison holds true. Like Bo Rap, there's far more going on here than one song can usually hold... and yet, it works.
Back in my Championship Hearts playing days, I went by the moniker 'Marvin': the original Paranoid Android. Life - don't talk to me about life...
Those were the songs that get me robot-dancing... which one gives you a binary solo?
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