Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly!

Help me out: is this epoch-making genius, or twee nonsense that I'm going to hate in two weeks?

The Dog Up and Died

My favourite YouTube video (of many)...



A seriously talented individual. And when he died, the Las Vegas Strip dimmed its lights for ten minutes as a mark of respect, a thing that had happened only twice in its history, once when John F Kennedy had died, and once when Martin Luther King had died.

This video here is from the 80s.

America didn't speak when the news of his death was read out on the teatime news in 1990- he was 64 when he died.

Men becoming Bhoys

There you go- what a night- and when the penalty was saved (see below), I swear that something unhinged in the old place- I have never seen Celtic Park like that before.

We are SO proud of those boys tonight- to step out there and do it when NOT ONE member of the Scottish media (or any former player working in the mainstream press, to my knowledge) had given them the slightest chance...

An amazing effort- God bless them, every single one, on this night when men became Bhoys.

Forever Changes- The Beatles, Love

Good title, great album- how come I didn't know about this 'eagerly awaited' new Beatles album? Anyway- moments like the intro to 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', 'I Am the Walrus'or a sublime stripped back 'Come Together' that remind you of what you're dealing with here. Haven't seen the dvd yet, but that'll be sensational too.

Love it, and read about it here...

Fill Your Heart With Ecstasy

The celebrations continue with the Flaming Lips at the SECC- the band consistently make us feel glad to be alive, and last night was a continuation of a glorious series of life-enhancing concerts over the last twelve years.

Do we love them? Indeed we do.

Get a taste of the atmosphere below- hundreds of beach balls floating in ecstatic animation to one of the finest songs of recent times...

Fun For A While

At the risk of posting slight variations on the same picture until we all die. I did think this shot of Celtic Park on Saturday was pretty dreamy.

Also- Virginia Plains by Roxy Music is indeed a cracking song. To continue this pretty random theme, here's my fave, better than Bill Murray's version, with hilarious eighties video symbolism...

The Information

Got the Beck album, The Infor- mation. I think it's ok- surely his best since Sea Change. It was described as being like a cross between The Postal Service and The Beta band. I'm not sure where the Postal Service comparisons are coming from (although it got my attention), but certainly the Beta Band are important here.

As always, the melodies in Beck's songs are his weakest area- his lyrics are always interesting though, and I agree the record sounds great- the production is excellent throughout.

I fast forwarded a couple of songs, but on the whole I listened to it, and enjoyed it. I'll give it a 6 (very high for me, for any Beck album apart from Sea Change). Good work.

And here's some more Casiotone live at Tuts:

Heaven, a gateway, a hope...

Johnny, this one's for you- I hope everything's good, and goes well...

CFTPA in Tuts- Video

Give it a minute- takes a while to load- this could be the start of a whole new side to Walking on Snow if this works.

Linger at the Twinkle Lights

Celtic Park looking all cold, v Copenhagan 26/9/06.

Celtic Park looking lovely and warm (and some Rangers players looking slightly scared), three days earlier.

Anyway- this new camera- Sony Ericsson k800i. Cool piece of kit. Here's Casiotone at King Tut's on 27/9/06, setting up his big keyboard:


And here's him playing his lovely music:


And here's the lad walking off stage, job done, audience floored by full-band show, comparisons to Dylan at Royal Albert Hall ringing round the venue, smiles and tears, and gratitude lying in his wake:


When I get round to it, there will be world exclusive video clips here of Casiotone's moment of greatness...

...call that versatile...

See Kenny Miller find out what it's really like to be a footballer at the best club in the world here...

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

Gorgeous Can't Be Ordinary

This is the trailer for the really cool American indie film Brick- I recommend it.

The guy who directed it, directed the new Mountain Goats video, Woke Up New, as previously recommended on here.

Wake Up New

Good news all round- Gravesen in (he is a sensation!!!), Petrov goes with good riddance after his display when Celtic won the league last year- what a way to lose the affection of 60 000 people in one go. So, we get a better player, plus £6m- sounds like decent business.



As if Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink wasn't enough- it took him less than 35 minutes to win the man of the match award on Saturday in a cracking game at Celtic Park- see the highlights here...

As the Mountain Goats would say, we're waking up new- see John Darnielle's very beautiful new video here.

Happy 6-2 Day!

Six years ago to the very minute (as I write this, the second half would have been kicking off)! Relive that day of days here...

Everyone remembers Larsson's sublime chip ('THAT... IS... SENSATIONAL!!!!!'- great commentary from Ian Crocker- and Davie Provan came back with the excellent 'A very special goal, from a very special player!')- anyway, everyone remembers that goal, but watching the highlights, it was Moravcik, of course, who detroyed Rangers in the first fiteen minutes- two unstoppable corners, then a wee moment of magic where he spun 180 degrees in the box to set up Lambert's screamer.


Anyway- so much to say about it- just watch the highlights, and love it, love it, love it...

Jandek- The Cell

As you've never heard him before- this is surely the most beautiful windfall in recent music memory- recorded at the CCA in Glasgow in May 2005, Jandek with quiet, contemplative Sati-like delicacy. Please enjoy it here.

If you want something a bit more poppy, check out the lovely I'm From Barcelona; or if you want to stay weird, look at the vaguely-threatening-in- a-middle-class-sort-of-way Daddy and the Husband: as they say, only in the West End of Glasgow...

The Predictor

Belated congratulations to Hungry Roy for his runaway victory in last season's SPL Fantasy Football league- a special Walking On Snow compilation cd is his prize, which he will receive shortly...

This year- something different: can you predict the results in each of the six games in the SPL every week? I know, I know, it'll be a hassle to do it every week, but it could be good fun too, with each week the possibility of getting zero or full points.

Right- go here, register, then click on the bit 'Join a Minileague' in the left hand column- the title of the league is Walking on Snow, and the password is gpdv7gwz.

This is the blurb from the BBC site as to how it works:

The Predictor is a season-long game - each week, simply enter your score predictions, top the overall Predictor season league table and win the end of season prize.

You receive one point for a correctly predicted result (win, lose or draw) and three points for an exact scoreline. You can also double points for an individual match by clicking on the JOKER. Jokers double points in the SPL game you choose. If you don't enter any predictions in a given series of fixtures, then your scores are automatically entered as 0-0. You'll still get some points if the game ends 0-0 or in a score draw.

The player with the highest points at the end of the season is the Overall Winner.

Best of luck- try to get registered before next weekend, 5th August!

In other news- check out this little diamond from US unknowns Say Hi To Your Mom- cool indie pop. If that's your thing, you can find a load more of their stuff here.

Speaking of MySpace- anybody else a member? Believe me, that is an interesting world you enter when you start having a look round that site. Enough said about that for now, though...

Last- season 5 of 24 is available soon- and the good news is that that gives us the excuse to print a picture of Elisha in the same article as Roy Aitken, because she's back for a couple of episodes in the middle of this season- the pairing of Roy and Elisha does, I think, make us record breakers, never before have this couple been paired.

Life's good...



Enjoy the sunshine...

...we are, we are ,we are the mods...

Go here, comrades, enter the site, and see the the Who paying tribute to themselves- personally, I'd watch the bit "Watch the Who", the Who playing a strange tribute to the real good lood lookin' boy pictured beneath...

Il Mondo Nostro

'The world is ours...'

See the highlights of the best World Cup Final since 1978 here.

So what happened with Zidane and Matterazi? The best one I heard was that the conversation went something like this:

Matterazi- Hey, I heard you were signing for the Huns next year!
Zidane- What? Shut up...
Matterazi- Naw, Hun-lover...
Zidane- *Nuts him*

Anyway- I thought it was great. Highlights were Grosso's almost catatonic calmness before taking the last and winning penalty, Zidane's nut (admit it- you loved it), and the expression on Buffon's face when he was 'sorting out' the linesman to make sure something happened to Zidane. And so it ends- as a tournament, 7/10, as a final, 8/10. It wasn't all we hoped for, but it was more than I expected, and I'll take that...

Italia 2 Germany 0 (aet)

Now that is what we want from a football tournament. The only sad thing is that it wasn't the final. Both teams were worthy finalists, the Germans have made a fine contribution to the tournament, but that Italian display tonight gives the lie to the cliche of Italian negativity. Forza, forza, azzuri- Peronis all round...

Click here and follow the link at the top of the page for the highlights.

Boa Sorte, Portugal...

Fingers crossed...