The Judist

I've been in my mind, it's such a fine line

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:57:00 UT

This guy's a rarity, a doctor I can almost trust. When I watched one of his otther videos I thought it was quite useful, a bit showy, loud and American, but overall something to think about. Then I saw this one and when he gets you to do the hand thing I thought I'd play along even though it would probably be lame. I couldn't believe it! I was like OMG, it worked. That's some voodoo there or something. Yeah, or witchcraft. Throw him in a lake and see if he floats.
Heck, I should talk to myself more often. It's not like people don't think I'm crazy as it is, lol. "Be amazing at guitar. Be capable of sub-12 minute laps of the Nurburgring. Be less than 95kg." And so on and so forth.
While you're here, if you can be bothered with filling in a little form, I would like it if you clicked the below.

NY, NY

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:51:00 UT

I'm getting a guitar strap like that
There is a film out about what happens in 2012. It's a load of doom-and-gloom nonsense. The actuality is a lot more pleasant! Fortunately, in late 2012 the world will be rid of people who don't like Neil Young, and thank goodness.
Here are the top ten reasons why Neil Young is awesome:
1. He's been writing and performing great music since the late 60s to the present day from Buffalo Springfield to his solo career to being part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and is still going strong at the age of 64.
2. He is considered on a par with Bob Dylan in his critical acclaim; hence he is one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time.
3. With his awesome rock 'n' roll guitar music he invented grunge before the genre of 'alternative rock' was even coined.
4. His lyrical dexterity is such that he wrote a protest album, Living With War, and took up the task of challenging the evil, criminal government in the White House. He then toured this material with Crosby, Stills & Nash which caused upset and furore amongst rednecks and pro-Bush/war idiots.
5. He wrote Rocking In The Free World which just kicks arse! It was the highlight of the entire 2009 Glastonbury festival, and the whole festival season.
6. The musical greats appreciate his music and have covered his work too. This includes Bob Dylan who even made a pilgrimage to visit NY's childhood home to see where he got his inspiration. In Bob's words: "There's nobody in his category." The guys in Led Zeppelin were fans too, and there was a time they played together!
7. The mix of musicians he's worked with in his career is impressive and have always added a newness to his sounds, such as the Stray Gators and Crazy Horse. His wife Pegi is pretty and sings backing vocals in his recent band too. And of course his solo acoustic playing with a harmonica pretty much owns that scene.
8. Such is the magnitude of his legacy, his lyrics were quoted in Kurt Cobain's suicide note. They were from Hey Hey My My: "It's better to burn out than to fade away."
9. His tenor voice is amazing and like no other. That's why when anyone covers the immense Heart of Gold, it just sounds off. (This is why Tori Amos' version is the best cover because it's a completely different arrangement).
10. He set up Farm Aid and does charity work for his Bridge School foundation. His mental strength over matter in overcoming his epilepsy is an inspiration to sufferers everywhere.

It's worse than 'godlessness', it's a level of being so depraved of any spirituality or having any appreciation of beauty that must make people not like his music. In fact, 'people' is too kind a term, they're like computer programs just going around following their banal programming from the rest of society, getting in the way of people who actually do want positive change in the world. Those lemmings clearly don't deserve to live. However, there is time for some of them to change their ways. Much like this guy, Mark Kermode, in the below video. He's one of those talking heads on telly on Newsnight or The Culture Show, normally reviewing books or films. I'm glad he more than came to his senses. I have the DVD mentioned if anyone would like to borrow it. He actually plays in a skiffle band, the Dodge Brothers, and they'll be playing near me in early December, so I think I will have to go so I can speak to him. Although he is a bass player, so in mid-conversation he might just walk off, or suddenly announce he can't continue.

What's (the) matter? There is no spoon!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:17:00 UT

I really like this video. It features some of the most forward thinking minds around today.
It's true, an expanded consciousness means you can take in more. Like when you see a Simpsons episode now that you saw originally ten years ago. You take in more and have a deeper understanding.
I had a summer job in an office where I was sat in a room with the main printer. A woman walked in and was trying to get something to print on what could be at times an erratic printer. She was like "please print, please be nice to me, come on". Then she realised I was in the room. "Oh, you probably think I'm some sort of crazy person now." And at the time, she woulda been right. However, since we know now that nothing is actually solid, and that everything is just a form of energy and part of some sort of consciousness, talking to a printer is a valid course of action because your thoughts project out into the matrix and can affect it. And if you get really good you can be like a Tibetan monk who can meditate on a freezing mountain top, or like Neo.

the merry-Mercedes-go-round

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:33:00 UT

Some big news in Formula 1 this week. Mercedes-Benz have taken over what was Brawn GP, the 2009 constructors champions, and will head it as their own Mercedes GP team, with silver cars. They will still supply McLaren with engines for a long time still. The world champion driver Jenson Button has signed with McLaren for 2010 onwards and will be teammate to 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton. Whilst Jenson's good, Lewis is more talented and McLaren is his team, in that he's been associated with them since he was a pre-teen. Therefore, you can expect to hear Jenson saying this in many a press conference after a GP next season: "I couldn't get the car to work as well as Lewis could..."
The Mereceds team's driver lineup is not confirmed yet, but it's a badly kept secret they've signed Nico Rosberg, and that he may be joined by another German in Nick Heidfled, or even M. Schumbagger.
Having been bought out of his contract at Ferrari and with a breakdown in talks with McLaren, the Ice Man, Kimi Raikkonen, will be taking a sabbatical from F1 for 2010, joining great company like me on our career breaks. It's a shame for the viewers, but good for him to be free of the bondage of employment and to be free to drink loads of vodka.
In 2011 Mercedes will have their replacement for the CLS on the market. It will look a bit different at the rear compared to the current model (bottom), if you can use your imagination to ignore the black disguise tape, but still similarly swoopy. Click the pic below for more.

firstly, the bad news...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:10:00 UT

This is not even funny anymore!!! Max, the bass player in my band, has said he can't continue. Something about his degree and needing to do well or something lame like that. And where did a maths degree get anyone? I know people who didn't even finish theirs and they still earn more than I ever did and are still employed! Fair enough, he does travel a fair distance on a train to practices, but he was aware of this eventuality and said it would be no problem. While drummerboy tries to change his mind, I'm starting the recruitment process. Again! What is wrong with bass players??? Something fishy going on.

This week BMW released a teaser picture of their next, new 5-series saloon. Here it is.

I'm sure that's removed any doubt you had on how it will look. Really, what was the point in that? Judging by that 5-series GT crossover model thingy, it will be ugly anyway.
Here's another teaser pic, from a while back, from Audi in regards to the next A8 luxury saloon.

That's slightly more revealing. Maybe a guy in a suit comes as standard equipment.
Despite their coyness, they've been rumbled. Here's a clip of it prowling around in a bit less disguise:

I had the email from my contact in New York this week. My new guitar is ready! Current conservative ETA is Monday 23rd. So I think in the days or weekend after this, a visit from the 3 wise men to see the new baby would be quite appropriate. In their case, wisdom being inversely proportional to how much income tax is paid! In the spirit of this minimalist revelation trend, here is a teaser picture of my new six string!

That's a million times better than a car manufacturer's press photos!
I was going to get a Neil Young replica guitar strap, but now I think I'll try and customise one myself. Today (in my time zone, JMT, still) was NY's birthday, with many happy returns and best birthday wishes from all at freewebs.com/djimipaij to the great man.

Running in the shadows

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:03:00 UT

Friday night I saw Fleetwood Mac. It was amazing. Just wonderful.
The line-up these days is the long standing rhythm section in the name of the band of Mick Fleetwood (drums) and John McVie (bass), and up front the 1970s onwards duo of Lindsey Buckingham on guitar and Stevie Nicks singing and being all Stevie-ish. Christine McVie left the band after 2000-ish, but she was in the audience somewhere we were told. The song Landslide was dedicated to her.
It was quite something to hear the second song in, The Chain, also known as the Grand Prix music, played in anger with that famous bass riff. Images of starting grids, green lights and chequered flags... from a song about keeping together as a band despite everyone's relationship breaking down. Other highlights were Dreams, Second Hand News, Go Insane, Rhiannon, Oh Well (a song from the bluesy Peter Green line-up days), I'm So Afraid and Go Your Own Way, which was astonishing. What a song it is in the first place. I mean, if I were to write a song like that it would be titled "We're Breaking Up??! F**k Off and Die You B**ch!!", but he puts it so poetically, sigh, it's been a tough year hehe. And it was played with such energy and the guitar solo at the end was god-like. In fact, I'm pretty sure Lindsey is an alien, cos some of the stuff he was doing just ain't humanly possible. See below. To play that AND sing at the same time? And belt it out like that?

Definitely a rock 'n' roll musician; yes it's very technical but it's justified by the passion it emotes. It was interesting to hear on that documentary how it's not about looking for love, it's looking out for love, i.e. trying to avoid it and all it's baggage.
I got some videos on my UToob channel, unfortunately my battery died trying to get the above song, but I captured the little anecdote before he starts playing.
I tried hanging round to see if I could meet Stevie afterwards, but no luck. The closest we got was a wave from who we think was John McVie from the back of a blacked-out Mercedes S-Class.
Good news is, it sounds like they'll be back.

consider it curbed

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:50:00 UT

Hello! I have been up to a reasonable amount. However, the first rule of Fight Club is... you know the rest.
The band thing is going well I think. Huge potential. At times I feel like I'm the least proficient and/or technical, which is probably true anyway. But what you can't teach is passion and soul - and hence the long conversations with the others about the difference between a rock band and a rock 'n' roll band. It's subtle but important. A rock musician has slighthly more emphasis on technique, arrangement and 'design ideas' if you will. A rock 'n' roller is more about feel, and getting something out. Examples would be Queen v. Guns'n'Roses, Steve Vai v. Keith Richards, Van Halen v. Jimi, Pink Floyd v. Led Zeppelin. See the pattern? And then there's the subject of Neil Young. I've told them, if you don't like him, you don't really deserve to live.
For a couple of months we've had a girl live in our house. When I first met her I just got that feeling she'd be trouble. And this turned out to be the case. Firstly, it's a non-smoking house. She smokes in her room. The landlord told her that regular guests aren't allowed. Her boyfriend is pretty much round all the time. Enough was enough so the slumlord has given her her notice ( I hate sentences like that). If I could tell she'd be trouble, I guess he could as well, but no, the lure of money was too much. See, the infliction of commerce on people is a major cause of all suffering on the planet.
Anyone see the Fleetwood Mac documentary on the British Brainwashing Corporation's channel on Monday night? Very interesting wasn't it??? I am excited about seeing them tonight! I will of course report on that. I might try and see if I can meet Stevie Nicks... that would make some people soooooo jealous if I could pull that off.
I did have a spare ticket, but have since sold it without much trouble on eBay. To those who turned down the offer, you're missing out...
Saw another hilarious episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm tonight. It is the funniest of all current sitcoms at the moment without question. The people who don't watch it tend to resemble Larry David's character the most. Here's a lesson in social ettiquette! Susie cracks me up...

I hope he can get his wife Cheryl back, she's what they technically term a cougar...