Posted in Idle Thoughts on May 3rd, 2010 10 Comments »
Gil Scott-Heron played in Tripod last night - a very bluesy, relaxed affair heavily featuring his band Amnesia Express - a trio on congos, harmonica, and various wind instruments. The gig was brief, with a feeling that the man had just stopped off to play a few tunes for you and tell a few jokes. […]
Posted in Idle Thoughts on Feb 15th, 2010 1 Comment »
On Wednesday next (February 17), the IFI is showing the classic 1982 sci-fi movie, Tron. Consider this post a public-service announcement: if you haven’t seen Tron yet, here’s your chance.
This was one of the first films I saw in the cinema, back in the day. I saw it again last year at the IFI as […]
Posted in Idle Thoughts on Feb 4th, 2010 6 Comments »
My choice for album of the year for 2009, Merriweather Post Pavilion from Animal Collective, was released fairly early in the proceedings; January, in fact. I had thought that the music industry wisdom was not to make new offerings in that month, as nobody is buying after Christmas. Perhaps that memo was rescinded and now, […]
Posted in Idle Thoughts on Dec 31st, 2009 13 Comments »
I waited until the last day of the decade to post this just in case someone released the album of the decade at the last minute, but with no signs of that happening, I’m going to publish and be damned. The purpose of publishing lists like this is, of course, precisely that - to be […]
Posted in Idle Thoughts on Dec 10th, 2009 5 Comments »
Although it has been in situ for a few months now, the Sam Beckett Bridge was officially opened today. According to the spokesman on the telly, it will allow access for southsiders heading to the new conference center on the north quays and equally allow access for the northsiders heading to the new opera house […]
Posted in Idle Thoughts on Dec 7th, 2009 8 Comments »
I’ve discovered the best cure for a Galway stag-weekend hangover. It’s not strong coffee or a fry-up on Shop Street, it’s nothing you can get at the pharmacy store, it’s not a bracing walk on the beach at Salthill. No, to clear the cobwebs and cotton wool out of your cranial cavity, you have to […]
Posted in Idle Thoughts on Dec 1st, 2009 2 Comments »
There’s a newish group blog called Come Here To Me which involves some of the people behind the UCD Hidden History.
Well worth checking out. Today it has a great little piece on Dublin Punk, 1977-1983.
Posted in Idle Thoughts on Nov 6th, 2009 9 Comments »
In fairness to Yo La Tengo, they showed up on time and ready to go; it was just me who was late - late enough for the bouncers, in a venue not noted for friendly bouncers, to chide us for our tardiness. I read elsewhere that the gig started with Pass The Hatchet, I Think […]
Posted in Idle Thoughts, Bastards, Banks on Nov 6th, 2009 2 Comments »
Here’s Brian Lenihan discussing a point made by Michael D. Higgins about ‘political economy’ verses ‘economics’ during the NAMA bill debate last week
The orthodox economists have been much preoccupied with elegant elaborations of minor problems, which distract the attention of their pupils from the uncongenial realities of the modern world, and the development of abstract […]
Posted in Idle Thoughts on Sep 2nd, 2009 No Comments »
While coming to work on my high-nelly, wibbling down the motorway, knees sticking out and a bunch of gardenias and sweet pea in the front wicker basket, the thought struck me that the best thing that ever happened to Garrett Fitzgerald, politically, not personally, was Charlie Haughey.
But that may be because I don’t hold […]
