Elvis Costello - Waiting for the End of the World

In the late 80's me and a friend Oddie used to go busking on Dublin's Grafton Street most Fridays.
If I can remember the story correctly:
One day Oddie, who at the time was taking a six week course – an introduction to music production, went for a cheap lunch in a Dublin Buddhist café. As he was finishing up, in walks Elvis Costello for his own cheap lunch. Dublin is like that - musicians and film stars can usually walk around unimpeded etc. Oddie left, and started walking back to his production course, but it was bothering him that he had just walked away from Mr Costello. So, breaking a Dublin tradition, he went back to the café and interrupted Mr Costello, introduced himself, told him about the music production course, and asked whether Mr Costello would somehow consider popping in for five minutes to say hello. "Hang on a minute" said Elvis. He finished his lunch and went with Oddie back to the school. Where upon Mr Elvis Costello gave the class a two-hour talk on all things music and music production.

Love it! 

Vince Guaraldi Trio - Cast Your Fate to the Wind

Can't believe I never saw this! 

and a proper use of comic sans!

Vince Guaraldi Trio - Cast Your Fate to the Wind

Can't believe I never saw this! 

Kula Shaker - Tattva

Ginger Baker made a taco
Ginger Baker made a taco
Ginger Baker made a taco 

I wasn't a huge JM fan in the 80s—though some of his super early songs are really great—just not played very often. I have a few of his albums from the 90s.

When I was 19, we were on the same flight to Atlanta in 1987. Afterward, as we were both waiting for our respective rides, I said hello to him. He asked me where I was from, how college was going, and what was I doing in Georgia, etc. I told him about the old couple in coach that saw his long hair and "Canadian tuxedo" in First Class who said, "I guess they'll let anybody fly First Class!"

JM was very polite and interested in talking to me. A total mensch! He signed a rolling paper because that was the only piece of paper I had on me. I still have it—I think in the jewel case of one of his albums.

After we went our separate ways, I realized I hadn't even asked him what he was doing in town or how he was doing. D'OH!

Not sure what he's talking about because the lyrics have been correct and complete forever.

James McMurtry - Choctaw Bingo

The lyrics posted here are missing one verse, near the end:


Ruth Ann and Lynn, they wear them cut-off britches
And them skinny little halters
And they're second cousins to me
Man, I don't care, I want to get between 'em
With a great big ol' hard-on like a old Bois d'Arc fence post
You could hang a pipe rail gate from
Do some sister twisters 'til the cows come home
And we’ll be havin' us a time
Uh-huh

Begin rant: 

I find listeners' dismissal of pop music to be mystifying. Is there something about estotericism that makes music more "legitimate"? The RP audience creams themselves for Vivaldi who was, *gasp*, the pop star of his time. Pop artists of today utilize the technologies of today to make music that appeal to listeners with today's tastes. If Vivaldi were alive today, you seriously think he wouldn't be dabbling with a mixing board? Most of the songs on RP were, at some point, popular in their time, and many pop songs now will become classics soon enough. This song may or may not be one of them, but it is a zeitgeist. 

For all that everyone is perfectly happy to classify Gen Z as vacuous, superficial and lazy, this song shows a highly popular (and very hardworking) artist who is serving a few of the most important functions of art: chronicling this moment, expressing a profound and broad human anxiety and making us all feel a little less alone in our deep fears for the future, all packaged into an inoffensive and catchy tune. I don't know what the methodology of William & Co. are, but they very obviously carefully select pop songs with more cerebral messages. She's not singing about drugs, fucking or even the timeless topic of love. Shouldn't we old folks be celebrating (or at least reassured) that her generation looks to her as an idol, and to this song as the anthem for 2026? 

I expected more open-mindedness from RP listeners. I hope the pop-hate is just old folks and misanthropes being curmudgeonly. I'd hate to think the pop-hate has anything to do with the artist being a young woman with a nice body she's not afraid to show off. That'd be even more disappointing. 

Drums make the same sound as when my wife puts shoes in the dryer.....

Michael_Dean wrote:  Oh glad, I found you, an Expert of Pretentiousness. 

Would it not be handy to have a quick reference chart, seeing that we have so many citations of pretentiousness here in the comments section.  Please arrange the following in order of pretentiousness.  If you will do this work, I promise to post the chart every time I see an offense registered.  We can call it the MrsTom Pretentiousness Gradient, MTPG for short.  Not to be confused with Empty Peter Gabriel, of course, THAT'S a whole other chapter, let's just handle these one at a time and in order.  (Was that too Pretentious?).  ah... wait... we were talking about something...... THE LIST ! ! ! I  I'll have it made like a mountain range, with a snow-white pillow for my big fat head, And my heaven will be a big heaven, And I will walk through the front door.  Big time. (I love me!) (Now, I think that WAS pretentious).

 
Pretentiousness of the Highest Level
Indubitably Pretentious
Certainly Pretentiousness
Moderately Pretentiousness
Twinkie Defense Pretentiousness
Barely Pretentious
Criminally Pretentious
Chewbacca Defense Pretentious
Almost Pretentiousness
MTPG Pretentious

Michael_Dean wrote:
 

The MrsTom Pretentiousness Gradient - M.T.P.G. (Not to be confused with Empty Peter Gabriel, of course).

 

10.)  MTPG Pretentious - Pretentiousness that precedes all other Pretentiousness, the Pretentiousness from which all Pretentiousness is borne. Big Bang MTPG some have named it - BBMTPG.

09.)  Pretentiousness of the Highest Level - The inflationary epoch occurred at approximately  10−36 seconds after the Big Bang.  Following the inflationary period, The Pretentiousness continues to expand, but at a less rapid rate.  This is why some "Good" music actually can exist.

08.)  Criminally Pretentious - deliberate, willful, malicious, spiteful, wicked, cruel or violent Pretentiousness.

07.)  Certainly Pretentiousness - deliberate, but not violent Pretentiousness.

06.)  Indubitably Pretentious - Pretentiousness Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, you will do the Time for this one.

05.)  Twinkie Defense Pretentiousness - Pretentiousness attributed to insanity AND is defensible in a Court of Law.  These offenses are often "Settled Out of Court".

04.)  Moderately Pretentiousness - A level of Pretentiousness that is still defensible, but does not oblige insanity.

03.)  Barely Pretentious - This is Pretentiousness that just made it over the line.

02.)  Almost Pretentiousness - This is Pretentiousness so feeble that it doesn't really count.

01.)  Anomalous Pretentiousness  - Sometimes it's there, sometimes not.  Physicists are baffled, naming it  a non-zero vacuum energy Pretentiousness.  In the special case of vacuum energy, general relativity stipulates that the gravitational field is proportional to ρ+3p (where ρ is the mass-energy density, and p is the Pretentiousness).

00.)  Chewbacca Defense Pretentious - Red Herring Pretentiousness, not actually pretentiousness at all, 'tis a strategy, should not be listed here. 

Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke - The Spirit

How much garbage can Yorke put out in one year? Will no labels just say "no"?

Thom lives not far from me so I assume his situation is similar.  The maximum a household can put out is regulated by the collection rota which alternates on a weekly basis between green bins (standard waste) on week one then blue (recycling) and brown (garden waste) on week two.   Assuming that Thom has the same standard 360 litre bins as us he would have a maximum of just over 28,000 litres per year.  The garden waste collection is optional though so if he doesn't have a garden or manages his own composting that would exclude a third of the potential output.
On the subject of labelling; only the garden waste involves a label which is generally applied to the lid of the bin to verify the subscription payment.  If you don't opt in for this collection you don't get a label that says "no", you just don't get a label at all.
Since January it is now possible to put glass in the recycling and whilst this is more convenient the glass takes up some space so some of that 28,000 litre capacity will now have to include glass that would previously have been taken to the local bottle banks.  That would indicate a reduction in what can be put out so hopefully that is good news for you but it does depend on how much glass Thom's household is consuming - it could be considerably less than we do.