Pilkingtonisms continued 3.5

Some more of Karl's sayings, from last week's podcast. We're all still trying to get over "foodage" from last week, and right off the bat, he hit us with another gem. He's still thinking about what can be done away with and now what body parts need to be moved to different locations. Here we go:

• We’re living in a world where everything is sort of binable.
• In ten thousand years time, when they find my story about the monkey fireman, will it gain more respect than it has now?
• Who’s looking at the fellow whose skull fell off?
• I’m busy, I’m not gonna start looking at stuff in depth.
• A motorbike: it’s like you’re an astronaut.
• We carry too much around with us now.
• Had a late night last night ‘cause I stayed up to watch a programme on monkeys.
• A slug’s life is pretty bad. The only time they come out of their den is when it’s raining, so even their days out are depressing.
• No matter what creature you are: favouritism.
• Where you are is what you eat.
• All sorts of weird stuff goes on in hospitals but we let it happen ‘cause it’s to help us out in the long run, innit?
• It was just like a blob with a face. Now, I never would’ve said, yeah I’d let that swim about. I would have killed it from day dot. I would've gone: get rid of it. That does not work. And it looked sad, it looked like it didn’t want to be about.
  

They will survive

Iceland’s Radio 2 has been playing songs from The Puppini Sisters CD Betcha Botton Dollar. The Andrews Sisters sound-alikes (or Borgardætur, for the Icelanders) began after Marcella Puppini saw the French film Belleville Rendezvous, which featured a 1940s close-harmony group. She teamed with Kate Mullins and Stephanie O’Brien, who both studied music at Trinity College of Music in London, to form such a group. They dress in 1940s glamour and perform classics like “Mr Sandman” and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" as well as revamped current rock/pop songs like "Wuthering Heights", “Heart of Glass”, and a wonderful rendition of The Smiths “Panic.” Reviews rightly call them fresh, vibrant, fun, accomplished, eccentric, original, pure genius, bright, breezy, sassy, and that’s probably enough adjectives to say you should run out and buy it. I would if it was available in the States. Until our record companies wake up, there’s always some videos to watch on You Tube and four songs they have listed on their own My Space page.

Easy to hang out with Hafdís

The first solo CD titled Dirty Paper Cup from Hafdís Huld (Hákonardóttir) is expected to be released October 2nd. One single from the album has been since around May. That’s the song “Tomoko” which is about her still fabulous best friend who was always cooler, prettier and better at everything, and subsequently, hard to hang out with. The "Tomoko" video is much like Hafdís and probably the rest of the CD according to critics: quirky, sparkly, irrepressible, fun, fresh, funny, odd, seductive and great pop. She started in the music business in the nine piece Icelandic band GusGus when she was only 15 and was lucky enough to tour the world with them. After they inexplicably released her, she worked with some other bands, made two feature films and also modeled. In making her first CD, she used the keyboard of, I believe, the producer’s little boy. In a BBC interview, she said she felt “there was no need to make it complicated” and “if there’s too much stuff going on, it’s just confusing.” Using this minimalism, she’s covered the Lou Reed song “Who Loves the Sun” using a ukulele and a radiator for percussion. There also might be a ukulele version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” on the CD so Hafdís could pretend she wrote it for a few minutes. Apparently everything is pink and sugar coated because “pink comes straight from God, like chocolate.” Do check out her blog
to see what she’s up to lately and get a glimpse into her effervescent personality.

Pilkingtonisms continued 3.4

This week Karl seemed to be back to his usual incoherent self, so he must be feeling better. Here’s some quotes from the latest podcast (the grammar is all his):

• If everyone liked what you did, then you’re not doing the right thing.
• It’s all about getting people thinking.
• Now you’ve remembered me what I said.
• Just show me the good stuff (re: museums)
• If you keep everything, sometimes there’ll be good stuff.
• The fellow who found Tutankhamen, he was pocketin’ all sorts of fingers and stuff in his pockets on the way out.
• It’s just like a bit of weird art. (re: Steve’s dancing)
• If it’s a potato or a nut, it’s a foodage.
• Who’d have thought the Frisbee would’ve caught on?
• When I was younger, I never saw flies sort of hanging about in gangs.
• Flies used to be happy, on their own, the sun’s out, have a little fly-about.
• The man with the Frisbee, what if he had a mate who said rubbish that? He wouldn’t have done it.
• What’s the plate that’s above a saucer but below a plate?
• I don’t know if I mentioned the squirrel eating a mars bars.
• It’s mental out there.
• You need oldness…they might have a solution, they’ve been on the earth longer.
• You need to have people who look old, otherwise who would be in charge?
• He was one of them doctors who didn’t open his eyes much.
• Some people know so much, they don’t even need to look at it.

Purrsonality predictor

The kitten chow site has a quiz to take to find out what your kitten’s personality (or purrsonality) will be when he or she grows up. I have two 5 month old kittens, May and Gus. In the too dark picture at left, May is the black & white and Gus is the brown tabby. Here are the rather accurate results of their quizzes:

May: We've determined that May is developing a Boss Cat purrsonality. She is dominant and strong-willed, always on the lookout for her next conquest.
• If you have other pets, make sure your budding Boss Cat isn't causing them undue stress.
• The Boss Cat will eat whatever food is available. If you have multiple cats,
consider multiple feeding stations.
• Boss Cats are stoics. Careful observation may be required to detect illness.

Gus: We've have determined that Gus is developing a Go-Go purrsonality. He can be excessively curious and rarely slows down. Go-Go cats are often described as acting like kittens, no matter what their age.
• Don't leave potentially dangerous objects around.
• Don't use your hands or feet as toys. The Go-Go kitten might bite or scratch.
• Engage Gus in play at least twice daily.
• The Go-Go kitten doesn't mind change, seeing it as a chance to explore.

Do you wanna dance with me?

Movie: Take the Lead. I watched this a couple weeks ago with no anticipation of liking it but merely to enjoy Antonio Banderas’ looks and reminisce about the days when he was a husband of mine. (Those were the days when MCI was convinced I was Melanie Griffith, even though I time and again assured them the only similarity could possibly be our phone numbers.) So I was surprised when the movie turned out to be quite good and at times even charming. The only negative things I have to say about it are slight: it was a little lengthy, which could have been easily fixed with some early on editing, and there is a moment in all films of this sort where the viewer has to suspend disbelief and say, yes, a bunch of school kids could indeed become not just good dancers, but great dancers who can win competitions. Not a new story for the movies, but it was well done here and Antonio can teach me to ballroom dance any day. For the definitive movie on ballroom dancing, do check out the Australian classic Strictly Ballroom.

Pilkingtonisms continued 3.3

I’ve been meaning to add some more of Karl’s crazy and/or inspired sayings. So here are some from the latest podcast. The past few weeks he’s had troubles with kidney stones, so he’d drinking water to help that out. His hatred of jellyfish lives on.

• If there’s a water shortage in London, that’s why.
• Whatever it is that’s in your head that tells you you should have a drink, I don’t have one.
• If I was dying, don’t go swimming with dolphins ‘cause you’ll love it and time will fly by.
• Ants should always be alert.
• That’s what’s weird with an insect – there’s never any down time.
• He got so hot, his lips fell off.
• It would be spiteful to put jellyfish in a trifle.
• A dog has got human eyes.
• A jellyfish: what you’re looking at is a snidey thing.
• Learning can be frustrating.

Place the states game

For the geography buffs: Place the States. I scored 96% with an average error of 4 miles and 48 perfect out of 50 turns.

Ástardúett

A nice person recently posted the video of the song Ástardúett from the 1982 Icelandic movie Með Allt á Hreinu. Considered by many to be one of the best Icelandic films ever, it’s a musical comedy that follows two bands, one male and one female, whose leaders are romantically involved and plan to tour together. The couple has a fight and the bands decide to compete to see who can get a recording contract and/or the most attention. At least, I think that’s the plot. I’ve never seen the film, but would love to. And if Amazon would ever care to offer it, I’d buy it in a second.