Gonna Turn Into A Literature Freak

Thought I might start writing to no-one what my favourite books are. In no particular order but like 1 per day or something like that. To start:

Murakami is fantastic. He's completely up there with the great authors, as the little review thing on the front of the book says. Look-see "Murakami must already rank among the world's greatest novelists" from the lovely people at The Guardian. And they are very, very right.

It would be hard to put into words how much I enjoyed this piece of work, but it is superb, so full of emotion and deals with love in such a way you cannot help but fall in love with Murakami and his characters.

Written in the 1987s and set in the late 1960s, the book does not feel dated at all and is one of the few books read by just about everyone in Japan. Its success actually forced Murakami into reclusiveness apparently.

I bought this book on a whim, I now have a library of Murakami books in my house to work through. Very good investment, much obliged. Read it.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

After reading every night for over two weeks I finally finished this book, and I found it particularly slow and slightly boring. The 'added mayhem of zombies' didn't really add much to the story, in fact I was surprised how little the zombies, or unmentionables as they are constantly referred to in the novel, were actually mentioned. Despite this, only one part of the story stands out, and it involves Elizabeth Bennet and some ninjas. In which she eats a still beating heart. Lovely.

Still, I'm very happy to have finished this book, I can go back to reading my favourite genre, Scandinavian Crime Fiction. I read Stieg Larsson first, then Norwegian author Jo Nesbo came onto the scene described as 'the new Stieg Larsson' which is quite a good review, I guess. And I enjoyed his story The Snowman. And then I tried out Henning Mankell and decided that the whole thing was great. Still got a few authors to try out, obviously, but I'm loving what I've read so far. Next on my list is Håkan Nesser, The Return, which I have previously began and enjoyed what I read so far. It's quite an old novel, the original Swedish novel dating back from 1995, but only quite recently translated to English.

live a little lustful life

hello everyone. i've been getting quiet again, which i do not like at all. i am also very lazy today and am finding i cannot be bothered to used the caps lock at the start of sentences. let's seen what this turns into...

i recently, well in the last few months anyway, compiled a list of my favourite 10 albums of 2000-2010 but today i am unable to find the document on my laptop, i hope i haven't lost it as it was all journalistic and good as well as inspiring for my career as a shit-hot radio dj. but here is a sneak preview of the albums i remember being on there...

the datsuns - the datsuns (2002)
hurricane bar - mando diao (2004)
hot fuss - the killers (2004)
hopes and fears - keane (2004)
with love and squalor - we are scientists (2005)
waterloo to anywhere - dirty pretty things (2006)
ode to ochrasy - mando diao (2006)
first round first minute - sugarplum fairy (2006)
scars on broadway - scars on broadway (2008)
vivarium - twin atlantic (2009)

i think that's it. now at least i have them saved so i can remember to do proper mini-reviews again. coming up soon...

Quiet days

So we've had rioter's making the whole of Britain look like a bunch of cocks and before that a killing spree in Norway as well as a polar bear attack in Svalbard. Which has made the last couple of months a pile of shit. So I've been avoiding just about everything for a few weeks. But I laughed at the picture of the guy who got the wrong impression when they said they were looting Curry's.

In the time I've been away I've visited Stockholm, which is by far the best place I ever saw. It's beautiful and amazing and definitely worth a visit. It's on my list for a second visit, which will hopefully be soon, what with the riots and stuff it'll be good to get out of the UK again.

So what else has happened? Björn Dixgård cut his hair. At first it was strange, because I am used to his floppy fringe and how he waved it around. Here is a picture.
The change sprouted a massive discussion up at md.com. Now I've posted this picture I can't stop looking! Will be off, for a general stare.

J-Pop

This stuff is actually amazing. I just discovered a station called animeAMAZE which is playing sweet, sweet music. Please go to their website and donate because they could close down in November which would not be good.

What a nugget

So it seems I saw dear Peter at exactly the right time, any later and I'd be screwed.
He's been jailed for six months because he's been a bit of a tit.
That would explain why people were chucking bras at him at the gig last week.

When I entered the Academy there was a fat Glaswegian fuck doing 'stand-up'. I thought I was at the wrong show at first but then he started talking about Peter before insulting half the north east and proceeding to undo his shirt. Lucky for my eyes he had a vest on underneath.

First support proper was just a Doherty cover man with same voice and guitar. But his own songs. He came on around half 8 and was on stage for almost an hour. And then there was a long wait. I asked some girls I was stood near if Peter was always this late coming on stage, we'd been expecting him for half an hour. Apparently not, he was on time last time he visited the city. He finally shows up about 10ish, smoking fag after fag (which I thought had been outlawed or something). So it turns out it's solely Peter on stage with an acoustic guitar accompanied by backing DANCERS for the occasional song. The whole affair was so much different to the show put on by other ex-Libertine Carl Barat who had a full band going in a tiny venue (very sweaty). I imagined Peter would had suited something smaller as well, the Academy is a little pretentious, I don't care how popular someone is but they do need to suit the stage.

Most of the crowd were twats, ripping their shirts off and swinging them around viciously. What were they trying to prove? I positioned myself by the fire exit in case of a problem and ended up with a load of those drunk twats asking me if the toilet was in the corridor beyond. No, follow the signs.

Musically, Peter was great. He knows have to write, we can give him that, and that's something I respect about him. It's just a shame he's had to let himself down.

What more can I say?

Mando Diao Street Team Blog

The Mando Diao street team gets up to loads of cool stuff to promote Mando Diao. Check it out here to find out what the world gets up to in the name of Mando Diao ...