Time’s Up

Well, that’s it then. After 2 years, 172 posts, 281 comments and 32,714 visits, Goldfish & Paracetamol is closing down.

It’s been fun but I need a change. A fresh start. I will be back, but not here.   The G&P archive will stay up for anyone who wants to wander through my uncoordinated ramblings but there will be no more posts. (I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that collective sigh of relief…)

Thanks to everyone who’s come here and commented - apart from the two trolls who have persistently left unpleasant messages for no obvious reason other than they have nothing better to do. I’m glad I can moderate comments so you don’t get the oxygen of publicity.

I hope that when I re-surface all the nice people will find me again. Blogging can be great and I’ve actually made some really good friends through it (no, honestly, actually MET them and everything…).

Have fun and hopefully I’ll see you again soon…

P

Now That’s What I Call Unexpected…

I checked my Comments Awaiting Moderation file this morning, and discovered that someone I haven’t spoken to in almost 8 years has left a comment for me. I haven’t put it up on here because it’s personal. However, I’d like to get back in touch and do some catching up.

So, if the person who left the comment is reading this (which I guess they will be as they’re leaving comments), please send me your email address - it’s been a long time…

Five Get Garishly Animated

No, it’s not Scooby Doo (apparently)…

Remember me posting about this last year? Well, it’s finally arrived. Starting on  the 5th of May on the Disney Channel (God help us) the offspring of the original Famous Five get stuck into their 26 multi-cultural, PC adventures.

Adding insult to injury we get 13 TV tie-in books (obviously not written by Blyton) and The Famous Five Adventure Survival Guide. Yet another childhood pleasure branded, packaged, homogenised and castrated for money-making purposes. What’s the betting we get a lunchbox, Nintendo DS game and bloody ringtone?

This may sound like an over-reaction to some people - but as someone who grew  up with just the 21 stories and the 70s TV series - and is currently reading the original books to an enraptured 6 year-old, I can’t think about this anymore, it’s too depressing. If you want some proof, take a look at this:

Famous Five On the Case clip

That is NOT the Famous Five. What’s worse is that I bet it’ll be massive…

Worth the Wait?

Back in the day (it seems some time ago now) I was a massive fan of Portishead. Over a decade later and Dummy is still an awesome record and  it’s 1997 follow-up, Portishead, was also extraordinary. One thing you could guarantee was that they never followed the fashion of the day. They made the music they wanted to, how they wanted to and, more importantly, when they wanted to.

So… Ten years on and their third album, cunningly titled Third,  is finally due out on the 28th of April. The first single is called Machine Gun and is, as would be expected, pretty uncompromising. It seems to be dividing the fans as a bit of a Marmite track. On first listen I was bemused, second listen slightly disappointed, third listen - completely hooked.

It sounds like nothing around at the moment and reminds me, in a way, of the sort of experimental stuff we got from Art of Noise in the early-80s…

It certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste of course, and some people are going to loathe it but I think its a grower. The synths in the last 30 seconds make quite a difference and you do wish they could go on a bit longer - even if I do keep expecting it to break into the theme from The Terminator…

Forgotten Classics #8

Now here’s an interesting band. I’ve never been a huge fan of The Cardigans but it was hard to miss their big hit single LoveFool (from Romeo + Juliet) or My Favourite Game.

However, the follow up to the latter track is less well remembered but, for my money, is a far better song.  The phenomenal success of the 1998 album Gran Turismo from which this track and it’s predecessor came from almost destroyed the band and, as a consequence, they turned their back on the spotlight and are now label-less, releasing albums as and when it suits them.

For me though, Erase/Rewind is a great, but forgotten, single. Nina has a beautiful voice - and I love the video. A touch of Star Wars I think…

Another Nail in the Coffin…

…of musical taste? Or shining examples of musical genius? The first 5 tracks that my iPod threw at me on ’shuffle’ today were…

1.  Comfortably Numb - Scissor Sisters  (from the album Scissor Sisters)

2.  Paper and Glue - Emma Pollock  (from the album Watch the Fireworks)

3.  Roads - Portishead  (from the album Portishead)

4.  Cool Kids of Death - Saint Etienne  (from the album Tiger Bay)

5.  I’ve Changed My Address - Diana Krall  (from the album The Girl in the Other Room)

Hmm, not too shabby. Although the Scissor Sisters track gets a bit wearing after a while. I’d forgotten it was on there to be honest.

And thanks to the brilliant Word magazine for the iPod pic. I loved it so much I stole it shamelessly…

Money (That’s What I Want)

Maybe now this is technically all over, we’ll see the back of the demented woman.  I love an optimist but did she honestly think she’d get £125 million? When she’s representing herself? £24 million might not be what she was after but I’d settle for less than half of that!

I love the idea that these kind of ludicrous sums are considered normal. She says she’s happy with the settlement. I should bloody well think so. What’s she bringing that child up on anyway? Gold-plated Rice Krispies?

The woman’s as mad as a box of frogs.

(gotta love that screen capture though)