Being awkward

You know I'm never awkward and/or contrary on purpose don't you? But after the last post I had an overwhelming urge to post some Radiohead. I didn't really listen to them when they were first popular (I was too lost in the world of the rave...I didn't listen to anything that slow for years!) but in recent years I have listened to some here and there and my significant other is quite keen. They have more than a whiff of Pink Floyd don't they and I've listened to that very English rock band too...on and off...over the years. As much as anything else Radiohead do have some quite lovely songs (and you know me and songs). Here's one ('High and Dry' from their 1995 album 'The Bends' ):





I always laugh because the first line 'Two jumps in a week...' makes me think of the film 'Rita, Sue and Bob too' (very Northern English and vulgar...funny and horrible...). Also watching this clip reminds me how exciting music videos were when they first came out...people still make them (I suppose) but they don't seem to have much impact any more (how much detail can a fan see watching everything via a tiny mobile phone screen for a start?). In contrast I remember being in a London nightclub/disco in about 1983 and the whole club stopping to watch the video to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. I can't say it was my favourite song or anything but the video was a big event (I was about 16...at the stage where I would go anywhere and listen to anything). This Radiohead video is quite engaging in its way...but it's fairly forgettable too.

This clip also reminds me of how I used to listen to my much older sisters' records (45s!) when I was little. One of them had got married to the sounds of Cliff Richard's 'Congratulations' and the record was still hanging about the house (mixed in with their Beatles records, I think). I remember the b side was called 'High'n'dry'' and I played that side over and over (I was about 5). I thought there was no way that would be on YouTube but what do you know...yes, way!





It seems to be a bit out of synch...but it is from 1968. And what is Cilla wearing? Pantomime clothes?

Have you lost all respect for me now? Remember the Jukebox of Cringe posts at Xmas? You thought Mariah Carey was as low as I could go...and you were wrong! In my defence it's been a bit of a twisted week...what with thinking about public performance on Sunday (see post below) and a trip here and there and reading more of Don Paterson's aphorisms. I enjoyed Paterson's 'The Book of Shadows' so much recently that I picked up 'The Blind Eye' again (that's the second book of aphorisms from 2007 – I bought them in reverse order). There are so many good ones in 'The Blind Eye' that I could, once again, quote it all day...but here's just one to chew on for now:

“Only the mad are safe from doubt. I am always bewildered by those who regard a revised opinion as a sign of weakness; it strikes me as a fine guarantee of the commentator's sanity.”

So you see...sometimes I like Radiohead and sometimes I don't! Here's another one of theirs to finish on – one of my very favourites (from 1997's 'OK Computer'). I love his voice, Thom Yorke, and that pained look he gets on his face so often. I wonder if he ever sings Cliff Richard songs or Lloyd Webber showtunes or Disney theme tunes in the shower. You never know. He's probably awkward and contrary too.