Results tagged “nostalgia”

When I was a DM wearing teenager* I read NME religiously. It was the absolute best way of finding out who was touring, reading album reviews, and getting caught up on the "alternative music scene" in England. Since then I've promptly forgotten all about it. In fact, until today I didn't even realize NME was still around.

But around it is and they've put together what they think are the best 50 new bands of 2010. They've even created a soundcloud playlist of the artists. I was listening to some of it this morning getting ready for work and to be honest, I bailed after 5 tracks as I hadn't heard anything decent.

But I'm going to go back to it tomorrow morning. In fact I think as part of my morning ritual this week I'll probably listen to five songs every day. Just to give it a fair shot. There has to be something in there worthy of my time. Right? I'm so so out of the British music scene these days it's not even funny.

* I still wear DMs every single day by the way.

Yesterday I was listening to my less than ten playlist on my iPod. It's my way of getting caught up on songs that I haven't really listened to all that much. It's fun especially when songs by artists you didn't even remember you had soak your eardrums. If they're tracks from your childhood, the memories come flooding back and you can't help but soak up the nostalgia.

As I listened I started wondering whatever happened to some of these artists. Not in the sense of "where are they now?" because some still make music today. No. More in the sense of "whatever happened to them being good?" kind of thing. They had their golden era and their new material ranges from meh to just a little bit crap.

Prince

Remember when Prince used to be good? No? Never a Prince fan in your youth? Well I was when I was a teenager and saw him twice in concert. Now whenever songs like Raspberry Beret or Little Red Corvette come on the radio I grin and have a bit of a sing along. As you do. My iPod dutifully presented Purple Rain and Sign O' The Times yesterday. Both excellent songs. Classics that I hadn't listened to in years. A stark contrast to his latest song that I had the misfortune to catch on the radio the other day. I think I said "oh dear" out loud and changed to station about half way through.

Erasure

I used to love Erasure. Anything Vince Clarke touched in the 80s (Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure) was something special. At one point they were my favorite group. I had all the abums, singles, and posters on my wall. They were actually the first proper band I saw live when they toured The Innocents album in 1988. As I listened to Leave Me To Bleed yesterday I was like "hello, old friend" as I was instantly transported back to being a kid listening to that album in my bedroom. While they still make albums (twelve studio albums to date), nothing can compare to the first three. I've given their newer albums a try but I don't like them at all.

U2

U2 are an odd beast aren't they? They're still cranking out the albums, playing to record audiences around the world, and are arguably as popular today as they ever were. But I have such a hard time getting into their newer stuff. I've tried. But in all honesty I haven't really been all that into anything they've done since Achtung Baby. In my opinion, their last truly good album. Yesterday A Sort Of Homecoming came on which prompted me to listen to The Unforgettable Fire in it's entirety. Both that album and their followup, The Joshua Tree, are their masterpieces. Truly their golden era.

So, to conclude then.

I dunno, maybe those artists still are good. Maybe it's just that my taste in music has evolved over the years. Sure I still like the older songs but maybe that's because of the nostalgia factor. Because they represent the soundtrack to my childhood. Would I still like those classic songs if I'd never heard of the band before and they released them today? Impossible to say. Would make for an interesting test though.

Now, if you'll excuse me I've got to get back to listening to Iron Maiden's new album.

I was a huge huge fan of arcades when I was a kid. I remember going down to the seaside and there would be arcades as far as the eye could see down by the seafront. They'd have the pretty flashing lights, music, and noise. I'd be drawn to them in some kind of zombie like fugue. I dread to think how much money I conned asked my parents for over the years.

I think kids these days are missing out in a way. It's different now. Sure you can play someone halfway round the world and hear them trash talk you. But that's easy. Anyone with an ego can be a cocky little shit over the internet, you're still anonymous.

Back in my day there was no anonymous. You had the cocky kids up close, face to face. I suppose there was an aspect of bravery about challenging someone else. They were a little older, a little bigger, a little more likely to punch harder than you. You had no internet connection to hide behind.

I remember playing Kung-Fu Master one year in Spain at the hotel our family was staying in. There were a lot of older kids who hung around that machine as cocky as can be. It took me a while to get the nerve to brush past them, put my 25 Peseta coin in the slot, and play while they tried to intimidate. But as it turned out I wasn't actually half bad at that game and ended up beating the top score. I dunno, I think I got their respect after that.

But the whole thing was nerve wracking. Kids today are missing out on the whole crapping your pants factor that was part and parcel of arcade gaming back then. Kids today don't know how easy they've got it. And I wish they'd bloody get off my lawn.

Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that I was never a cocky little shit myself as I got a little older.

You know how you have that one moment on the internet where your sense of humor says cheerio for a bit and you post something you regret? Something that makes you seem like your head is well and truly up your own arse? You do? Oh good, because for me, that moment was yesterday on Twitter.

But I guess in a sense it's not all bad because at least I got someone whose face adorned my bedroom wall as a teenager to call me Mr Miserable. An ex-member of The Cure Mr Roger O'Donnell. That's @rogerodonnell to you Twitterers.

It went a bit like this.

Roger posted:

"OK so Im using Qwitter now, any of you losers dump me and Ill know all about it ... So watch it ! http://useqwitter.com/"

Which, while utterly hilarious, went way over my head and you could actually hear that wooosh noise. So, what else was captain spencer-no-fun to do but reply:

"@rogerodonnell bit of advice mate, insulting people that follow you is not necessarily the optimal way to ensure they stick around."

Which I kinda regretted as soon as I hit that magic send button. Don't you hate that? I hoped figured he'd just ignore it. But he didn't:

"@kevin_spencer Seems my sense of humour is lost on you, will you be my first Qwitter? Go on you know you want to, theres a prize..."

And then of course because I absolutely don't know how to quit when I'm being a douche ahead, I unfollowed:

"@rogerodonnell done. That was easy wasn't it?".

And that was that. Well, not quite, he wasn't quite done yet:

"Wow I feel like Ive just been in a fight up the pub hahaha Some people are very touchy aren't they? Oh well never mind, hope he's happy now"

And then:

"But wait, now Mr Miserable has gone I wont know where to send the prize!"

I think my life is now somewhat complete.

Oh, and the irony of someone who used to be in The Cure calling me Mr Miserable is not lost on me ;-)

Update: and in a surprise twist, Roger suggested we put this all behind us. Which is fair enough and quite unexpected actually. So I accepted. The whole thing still makes me smile though.

Say what you will about Michael Jackson's antics, and let's be honest there's plenty to say, any child of the 80s will tell you that his music forms part of the soundtrack to their childhood.

His music certainly registers in the soundtrack to my childhood. I have early memories of hearing Billie Jean and Beat It on the radio as I got ready for school as a nine year old. I remember the first time I saw the Thriller video and thought it was the best thing I'd ever seen in my whole life.

Since then, like most everyone, I hadn't really given him another thought until he passed away last year. The other night we happened to notice This Is It on Netflix and because we're the only two people on the planet who hadn't watched it yet, decided to give it a whirl. You know, a bit of nostalgic curiosity.

And you know what? It was really really good. It wasn't at all what I was expecting and as music documentaries go, this was one of the best one's I've seen. I love rehearsal and behind the scenes footage. I always have. But this stands out as something more than that because the cameras really capture what the final concert would have looked like.

When it began I had a bit of a sinking feeling in my stomach as he wasn't quite pulling it off. He didn't sing all the words to the songs and some of the moves were a little, well, off. But I realized that we were watching rehearsal footage that was never meant to be seen by the public. Sure if I were rehearsing a song and we had to do many takes to get it right, I don't think I'd want to belt it out 20 times in a row either. For six hours. For two months.

As the film progresses we see that he was certainly able to put it all together, to hit the notes, to really pull it off. He's the ultimate showman, songwriter, and perfectionist. He wanted to put on one hell of a show for his fans. He would have succeeded. What we see pieces of here would have been something special to see in person. I really think we all missed out on a great concert.

And no one was more surprised at my reaction to this film than me ;-)

I think I'm a little sad to see my local Hollywood Video closing down. They've had an "everything must go" sale for the past week or so and the staff, while putting on a brave face, are understandably somber.

With the Blockbuster closing down the street, there will be no video stores near me whatsoever. None. If you want instant gratification now, your options are to go and buy the movie or go find one of those Redbox machines.

I think it's a shame as I can remember going into my first video store back in England as a kid, seeing a copy of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, and The Black Hole, and thinking it was the most amazing fantastic store ever.

"You mean we can borrow these, take them home, and watch them?"

Being able to wander around the store looking at all the titles was mesmerizing and just think that generations from this point will grow up never experiencing that. It's the same thing I felt when I found out that Circles was closing. An end of an era, the walk through the store chatting to people looking at titles era.

Of course, I'm part of the problem mind you. I'm a Netflix user...

A few years back I created a Facebook account. It was fun as I added people I'd known 20 years ago back in School, got to say hello and catch up. For the most part it was good, well, as long as you ignored all the bloody invitations, pokes, quizzes, "are you a vampire", "what tree does your leg look like" type stuff.

But something else happened along the way.

Recently I think I've become uncomfortable with Facebook in general. With their ever changing privacy policy, the muddy rules on what data of yours they own, and their new found desire to be the web for all people, I realized I kinda disliked the the idea of Facebook's walled garden in principle.

So just over a week ago I deleted my account. Not the deactivate account thingy in your settings (that does nothing). The actual permanently delete your account, wait two weeks, and it's gone thingy.

To be honest this isn't really that big of a deal. I rarely used it anyway. In fact in the past 12 months, I think I've probably only really logged in twice. If that.

Happy St George's Day everyone. What? Never heard of it? Oh come on now, he's only the patron saint of England.

And do you know what we do in England on St George's Day? Party like the Irish do on St Patrick's day? Give each other presents? Have the day off from work?

Nope. We do absolutely nothing. In fact there's no possible way the population could give any less of a shit if they tried.

We're good like that.

It's Friday, been a long week, so obviously there's really only one thing to do. Show you some Englishy things in Uncle Kev's kitchen that made him smile and remember Blighty. As you do.

First up that bastion of "ugh, what the hell is that?", my old friend Marmite.

Was really quite amusing to see my better half's reaction as she ate some. Classic would be an understatement. One thing is certain, she won't be going back for more.

Next, it's the crumbliest, flakiest milk chocolate in the world. Those in England will know that back in the day (I don't know if they still do it), Cadbury's ran some rather suggestive ads that basically showed a woman going down on a Flake. I kid you not.

Right, and last of all, two chocolate bars that I ate copious amounts of as a kid. So nice to see that they still make them. Crunchie, and Yorkie. Note: Yorkie bars are clearly not for girls, because it says so right there on the wrapper.

You're welcome.

Why is it that vacations go by so very quickly? Too bloody quickly in fact. When you say goodbye at the airport it really drills it home that living so far away from your family is far from a perfect situation. Still, it makes for good trips across the pond with lots of catching up to do.

So for the past 10 days we all had a really good time. My parents got to meet my better half and her little one, we toured around Arizona in a seven person minivan, pictures were taken, beer drank, stories told, and embarrassing photos from my youth were passed around.

(honestly I swear it was ok in Europe to wear speedos as a teenager, it was, it really was)

It's going to take me more than a few days to wade through all the pictures I took, some have already trickled onto Flickr and more will be there soonish.

In which I flap on about things I like about America. Today? Plugs mate.

Simple thing plugs. You... (wait for it) ...plug them in and behold, the magic and brilliance of electricity can be yours for the use thereof. But not all plugs are created equally. Some are, in fact, better than others.

In America, plugs are really quite tiny. Which is good. I like that. The kind you get is entirely dependent on whether your gadget requires grounding. If it doesn't then a simple two prong whatsit is all that you'll need.

If it does require grounding then you'll get a slightly larger plug with a third grounding prong thingy. Both plug into the same wall socket. Which is nice.

So let's recap. American plugs are small. And I like small. So that works out rather well doesn't it.

Now, the British design is somewhat different. Somewhat larger lets say. In fact, compared to its American counterpart, it's an absolute giant among plugs. A giant I tell you.

Just look at that thing. Three giant prong doodlies, so large you could have someone's eye out with those things. I believe the British plugs are closely modeled on medieval battlefield weapons.

They're full of fuses, wires, nooks for small animals to live in, and a place where electricians like to keep their bacon. Which I feel is bordering on the ridiculous. Electricians don't even eat bacon.

So, size does matter kids. Smaller is better. After having used both types of plugs for many years, the American plug is far easier to carry around. Just a little less handy for beating up a burglar with.

Well, I must really live in a cave as I had no idea another Ghostbusters movie was even being considered. Not only is it being considered, it's being made. With Ivan Reitman at the helm once again.

I loved the first two movies so much and I was even completely addicted to the Commodore 64 Ghostbusters game as a kid. That was the one when you pressed the spacebar on the home screen, the little C-64 speech engine happily shouted "Ghostbusters". Which at the time was the coolest thing ever invented.

I might, er, even have a couple of Ghostbusters t-shirts in my closet. Maybe. Or not. Anyway, the more exciting news, is that Reitman isn't the only one returning; all the old cast are back.

With this news it looks like what was once assumed to be Ghostbusters for a new generation is instead a reunion for the principals involved with the first two films. Reitman, of course, produced and directed both the 1984 original and it's 1989 sequel, so it's comforting to know that he is now returning over twenty years later for the new film. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Sigourney Weaver are all, barring some kind of cataclysmic, joy-hating turn of events, returning as well (I haven't seen confirmation on Ernie Hudson). And if that's not good enough news, even Rick Moranis is said to be willing to leave retirement to reprise his role as their accountant, Louis Tully!

Of course, as with all remakes & sequels of late, I'm muttering please don't suck, please don't suck.

Watch

I think I was one of the few people left on the plant who hadn't seen District 9 yet. And if you're also one of those few, I heartily recommend that you watch it forthwith. One of the best films I've seen in a long time and so well done. Innovative and gripping. One thing is for sure, I'll be on the lookout for anything with Neil Bloomkamp's name on it after this impressive debut.

Listen

You remember the death of my favorite gadget back in September. Since then I've tried to live an iPod-less existence. Which actually meant lugging my laptop around just so I could listen to music. Including some rather dodgy set the laptop on the front seat of the car and connect it to the car stereo shenanigans. (shudder).

Rejoice, for the circle of gadgets is now complete. I have a new trusty iPod. And it goes with me everywhere.

Read

I'm currently juggling two books. You know, as you do.

First up, Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. Some people love to lambaste Brown's writing style. And sure, he's not going to win any awards, but his books keep me entertained. And that's why I read books in the first place.

I'm also laughing and edumacating myself on the finer points of beer by reading The Naked Pint. A thoroughly entertaining read.

Smile

I love getting blast from the past photos. This one is a rather younger me posing (top row, third from the left) for the Cambridgeshire county Rubgy team many many moons ago. Nice facial expression Spencer.

Bless you Mr Kipling and bless you World Market for giving me a little taste of home at this time of the year.

First up, delicious Christmas Cake.

And who can resist a quick Mince Pie before work eh?

I'm not sure how many years it's been since I last had either of those two delights so to say I have a smile on my face right now would be an understatement.

One of my favorite films from my childhood has to be The Black Hole. I must have watched it about 50 times and even taped the audio onto cassette to listen to before I went to bed. I remember wishing I had my own V.I.N.CENT. Who didn't?

Today I'm simultaneously excited and nervous to read that a remake might be in the works. How exciting is that?

Joseph Kosinski and Sean Bailey, the director and producer of Disney's new "Tron: Legacy," and screenwriter Travis Beacham are teaming up for what is being labeled a reinvention of the 1979 sci-fi film, which at the time was the most expensive movie Disney had ever produced.

The details of the update are being kept secret, but it's known that the take will ground the story in the science of a black hole, much more so than in the original. The character Maximilian will return.

Good lord I can't wait to watch that. I'm already saying it out loud please don't suck, please don't suck.

Remember kids the remake of V airs tomorrow night.

I loved watching the original when I was a kid. So I'm simultaneously excited and worried. Please don't suck, please don't suck, please don't suck.

When I was younger I remember how excited I used to get when the fair came to town. I'd be in my Mum & Dad's car and we'd drive by the the guys setting it up and I would jump for joy. "When can we go? When can we go?". Candyfloss was eaten, fish were won, rides were ridden, arcade games were played. Good times they were.

Every year, Phoenix hosts the Arizona State Fair at the permanent fairgrounds by the Veterens Memorial Coliseum. So on Saturday afternoon we decided we'd take the little one down there to have a wander around.

It's quite a big fair, far larger than the ones I went to when I was younger. And you know what, it turns out I still love them almost as much as I did back then. Something about the smell of the food, the sound of the rides, the loud music.

Did I mention the smell of the food?

As afternoon turned to evening, the fairgrounds came alive with even more people arriving to ride the rides.

The night ended as all nights should end, eating deep fried brownie.

Alas we didn't get to see John Michael Montgomery & The Honky Tonk Tailgate Party. So disappointed. Ahem.

[Moozik: Depeche Mode - Ghost]

Tonight it seems the insomnia fairy is visiting so I've been thinking about music formats. You know, like you do. Since becoming well and truly addicted to music at a young age, there have been a number of music formats that have come and gone. Some lasted for a while, others made but a fleeting appearance before disappearing completely.

In the early days I'd buy an album on vinyl unless I needed instant gratification. In which case I'd buy the cassette so I could listen to it on my walkman as I left the shop. For a time I also remember record shops briefly stocking one or two albums on MiniDisc, DAT, and Digital Compact Cassette. But absolutely no one bought those and they disappeared from the shelves almost as quickly as they arrived.

Then of course, along with the population of the planet, I moved over to CDs. And it was all CDs all the time for years. Until the new fangled technology appeared. The internets, MP3s, iPods. It's gotten to the point now where I really don't remember the last time I actually bought an album on CD. I don't even keep my old CDs in a rack in my house anymore. They're all boxed up in the garage.

Digital music files aren't going anywhere for a while but I wonder what the next music format will be? I wonder if in twenty years we'll be looking back and laughing that we used to buy & download music online? I wonder how many different music formats there will be in the next twenty years? As many as we've seen in the past twenty years? Doesn't seem possible. But who knows?

[Moozik: VNV Nation - Solitary]

When I was younger I played an enormous amount of video games. I dread to think how much money I managed to con out of my parents to go to arcades to play Gorf, Bubble Bobble, Star Wars, Galaga, 1942. You name it, I played it.

At home I grew up with the Commodore 64 before eventually migrating to the SNES some ten years later. It was there that my addiction to all things Mario Bros truly began. I played every Mario game for every Nintendo console thereafter. If it involved that plumber bloke, I owned it.

So, fast forward to today, I got all excited to see the new Mario game for the Wii.

Drooling much? I can't wait. Now, first obstacle to overcome is the fact that we don't actually own a Wii. A minor inconvenience I feel. That will be remedied forthwith.

[Moozik: Front Line Assembly - Torched]

Recently I've seen Songkick mentioned a few times and thought it might be fun to check out. Basically Songkick allows you to keep track of all the concerts you've ever been to but in a social networky kind of way. They call it your gigography. Now, I'm really not all that interested in joining yet another social network site but thought it might be somewhat interesting for about 10 minutes to have a gander at past gigs I've been to so I signed up.

And that's where I ran into my first problem. I'm incredibly crap at keeping old concert ticket stubs. So while I vaguely remember that I saw Iggy Pop at the Cambridge Corn Exchange some time in 1993 (?), I don't have a clue what the actual date was. Songkick allows you to search for artists, cities, and venues in the hope some kind soul has already entered the info for you. If they have, you just click "I was there" and you're done. If they haven't then you're kind of buggered without your ticket stub.

So all my initial enthusiasm bit the dust rather quickly as there are so many gigs that I won't be able to add unless someone does all the legwork for me. Oh and then I still have to actually, you know, remember that I was there and manage to get the right year - was it the gig they did in 1991 or 1992? Hmm...

Still, I did manage to remember and find the first ever concert I went to. Erasure at the Birmingham NEC, 15th November 1988. I was 14.

Do you remember your first concert?

Update: see what I mean about remembering? Shakin' Stevens seems to have preempted Erasure by a couple of years. Cambridge Corn Exchange, I was 12.