Riffing off other people. (Startling similarity goalmouth scramble)

[hirez]

There's some advert or other, presumably for an expensive airline, that's cobbled up a bunch of noises into a tune. The sort of thing people thought was way cool when Emulators and Fairlights were shiny new tech (cf. Singing sheep, 'Just buggin' et al).

It features a 'bong' noise which surely must belong to the Boeing Corporation, because whenever I hear it I feel tired, dehydrated, bad tempered due to queueing and start patting pockets in order to find my passport.

Romance of the international jet-set, my arse.



Eurovision: does anyone really, honestly care? I mean, I shall be rather pleased if a lesbian torch-song manages to effect a change in the repulsively nationalistic, reasonably fascist and unsurprisingly corrupt Balkan nation of Serbia. However, I'm not holding my breath. Neither am I going to pretend surprise at the state of the voting. It's always been like that. It's just that the power-base has shifted east. Jayzus.

Comments

[mr-tom.livejournal.com]

I'm quite fond of Eurovision. It's a warm echo of the Grand Project of joining nations together in a sense of brotherhood[1]. The idea of 700 million people gathering together for a big of a sing-song is somewhat quaint and charming. That having been said, I don't think it needs to have a tedious and pointless voting thing at the end.

Voting: It doesn't seem extreme to suggest that peoples of similar languages and cultures will enjoy similar songs. I can't imagine Bosnians voting up the Serbian entries because they're secretly pining to be part of Greater Serbia, f'rinstance.





[1] I've always wanted to be in Psueds Corner

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Exactly so. We've never understood French rock&roll and the only time other furrin records ever seemed to chart was because people heard the damn things on holiday. (The birdie song, Sabrina, Baltimora, Spagna, etc)

Of course, when you're caned on E everything all sounds lovely, which explains eurotrance. Dunno about g*th, mind. Beyond my limited powers of explanation, that one.

[reddragdiva]

Add "Blue Monday" to that list.

[miss-soap.livejournal.com]

I can't stand Eurovision. I can't imagine why people sit through it. It seems like a giant waste of effort and money to me.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I understand it is/was a technology showcase for the European broadcasters:

"Look! We've got some equipment that fits into a small pantechnicon that can standards-convert between Picture Always Lousy and System Essentially Contrary to American Method! Bosh! Hola! Etc!"

You're right though.

[quercus.livejournal.com]

The voting was apparently rigged because all the friendly nations of the Balkans voted for each other in a spirit of post-Tito comradeship.

As opposed to vote-rigging in Croatia merely being a local-rate call from Serbia, that is.

[cj-23.livejournal.com]

Like Arsenij Avraamov's Concerto for Factory Sirens (1922) or Russolo's The Art of Noise manifesto (1913)? Sounds rather splendid to me! I found The Art of Noise online actually at http://www.ubu.com/historical/gb/russolo_noise.pdf

I was always a Futurist :)
cj x

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Yes, whatever did happen to Aviator Dro?

(Answer. Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_Hrz3QHL1Q )
(And here. Spanish Devo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsETsMS33PM )

I think there's a substantial difference between the tiresome BA jingle rendered out of comedy bongs and things like the Car-horn Organ. But then I would say that.


(I should also mention Test Dept's fine New World Order (crusader mix) which features howling off-key air-raid sirens.)

[cj-23.livejournal.com]

Excellent! So now there is an Aviator Dro? (Well in Italian) How odd! I'll have to show the lads, and we will have to think of a new name. We still occasionally make things: music is rarely among them. Nowadays I'm more likely to be found amusing myself by talking to such fun folks as Transhumanist Latter Day Saints (http://transfigurism.org/community/) - you can just bet they love the Utah Saints can't you? and chatting to married catholic priests. (http://atheism.about.com/od/romancatholicism/a/celibacy_3.htm) All jolly. Have fun!
j x