So this is what redundancy feels like. Hmmm.

So thats that, yesterday at 10:15am my shop and all the other shops in the chain were closed forever. I'm an unemployed bum again. I've never been made redundant before. I stood there watching my boss looking visibly upset,trying desperately to feel something...anything. But I couldn't. I just thought oh well, thats that and got to the pub for 10:30am and drank guinness all day with my former music zone co-workers.
So I guess its back to bartending. Oh and if everything works out just right maybe I can be back working in the soap factory in a few days. I can only cross my fingers and hope. It is pretty glamourous in there. I joke but really I'll take anything right now that pays money. Whatever crap job it is will be worth it when I'm riding the train through Europe.
Anyway, I really think anyone who has not yet done so, should run straight out to their nearest record shop(no longer MusicZone) and purchase Joanna Newsom's new record Ys. Trust me it'll be worth it. There's only five songs, each one roughly 8-15 minutes long and she plays the harp and sings in a small high voice kind of like I imagine a pixie might, but goddamn she is one magical girl. She writes lyrics, well stories really that other songwriters can only dream about. She takes you away to another strange captivating world. It is something you have to sit down and listen to though. It's also funnily enough the most complained about record ever played in our shop. A typical exchange: Do you guys get to choose what gets played here? Yes. And you choose this? This is crap. Actually I think its the best record of the year. Its horrible. That'll be £14.97.
Or: Do you guys choose the music thats played here? yes we do. And you choose this? Yes. I'm glad I don't work here.(In my head: yeah, me too.)Out loud: thats £9.97.
The new Amy Winehouse is fantastic too. If you close your eyes and listen to her sing you instantly think 1960's Motown. Her voice really is a force to be reckoned with.
Oh well, I can no longer think of myself as a John Cusack type record shop geek, although to be fair the shop I worked in was closer to Walmart than a proper record shop, now I'll just have to settle for geek. A geek who now tends bar and works in a horrible soap factory that destroys his spirit day by horrible day. Until I fly off to Europe and whole new world of adventure.
Hope your all well!
p.s Ryans greeting card company is rolling full steam ahead! He now has over 700 corby cards in circulation! How friggin great is that?!!! He's kickin ass and takin names. God bless him. He is my hero.

Oh and the last record ever played in my shop was TV on the Radio-Return to Cookie Mountain.

So.... how ya'll doin?

Lets see, I've been listening to the first Apostle of hustle album, its superb and grows on you more and more with each listen. I'm also fallin deeper and deeper into old school hip hop. I finally got my hands on some Kool G Rap. The first and best Gangster rapper. Its like all that 50 cent and the game garbage only with these beautiful prestine funky drums, great funny tongue in cheek lyrics and absolutely none of this guns, bitches and money nonsense at least not the way you think. I also got MC Shan's second full length Down by Law. Its got this f'ing brilliant song called Jane,stop this crazy thing. Man its good. Listening to these dudes opens your eyes and ears to how inept and sad these gangster rappers operating today really are. There's no creativity anymore. Just anger and violence.
I also came across a great album by the Analog Brothers called Pimp to eat. The Analog Brothers are Ice T and Kool Keith. Kool Keith for those who don't know is probably the most talented mc of the last 18 years. He also goes by the name Doctor Octagon and under that name made Dr Octagonecologist. One of the greatest hip hop records of all time. Getting back to the Analog bros though, Pimp to eat is a far less serious record but a great great record none the less. Basically Ice T curses and swears while Keith lays down these bizarre surreal rhymes over sparse funky beats.
What else? Oh Edan. Edan is a one man hip hop record makin machine. He produces,dj's and rhymes all by himself at the sametime. He put out a great record last year, that I just got, called Beauty and the beat that sounds like some lost psychedelic hip hop masterpiece from 1987. His live shows are meant to be spellbounding.
On a much lighter, more small town in the middle of Saskatchewan, note, I discovered this heartbreakingly gorgeous record just put out by a Canadian band called Great Aunt Ida. Its all very alt/country/indie. The vocals are beautiful and there's one song on it called Fisherman's Blues that may be the most devastatingly beautiful song I've ever heard.
I've also been listening to a lot of Hank Williams. Particularly the song Lost Highway. And just two days ago at work I put on this astounding record by an old blues guy named JB Lenoir for the first time. He died in 1968 from bad hospital care basically. He was in a bad car accident and the hospital sent him home too early. He died of a heart attack two weeks later. Sadly he left this planet before he had a chance to really make an impact. But his voice was incredible. It really grabs you by the heart. One song Moonshine Blues was especially great. And what about that name? JB Lenoir. Man alive. Thats a great handle.
Ali Farka Toure's last album Savane is devastating as well. He died just after he made it and its considered his masterpiece. He sings in a mixture of french and another African language and mixes this great blues sound with this haunting old African sound, singing old African folk songs. It has to be heard to be believed. If it doesn't move you in some way deep deep down than maybe your the machine.
I think thats all for now. I just felt like talkin bout some of the music I love.

I'm two days late puttin it up but Happy Birthday,Nan!!!!!

Hope you had a great day, Sheila told me your cake was delicious. Hope you received your birthday card by now.
Talk to you Sunday:)

So thats it! Finally all the pics are up, and I'm up to date!

So yeah, hope everyone enjoys the pictures. I want to thank everyone for a brilliant New Years! I had an amazing time, but then again I always have an amazing time on the emerald isle. And let me tell ya it couldn't have started off any better than having breakfast at Ciara's lovely moms Friday morning. She makes the best sausages in the world. God bless her.
Anyway, hope your all well, and ya, lets get the ball rolling on our next reunion in Prague! And Tom you better be there! Remember me and you are both in the same boat,pal.
And my fine Scottish brother Ryan,you lucky lucky bastard. Off to Melbourne tomorrow. Damn you. But seriously, hope you have a superb trip,mate. Not that I have any doubts about that. Oh and thanks for the letter, whenever I feel down now I can pull out that clipping and read Lovefoxxxs new years advice and feel better. Your a champion,mate.
Bye for now:)

p.s that new Spank Rock album is brilliant. Chilly Will is a friggin great tune. I'm also digging Six finger satellite right now as well.

The day after.

1. Our meal at Max...uhhh...Max somethings.I can't remember the last bit.

2. Look at that. Man alive. Have you ever see a more beautiful pint? The answer is no you have not.

3. Cecelia,Tomas,Nic and I spent a very very relaxed afternoon/early evening in this brilliant pub called Mossimo's. We had a seat right next to the fireplace and the Guinness was outstanding(see above). The music was good too, and the conversation even better. One of the best times I had all weekend. We had to leave after 3 pints though otherwise we would have fallen asleep.

The New Years comedown ,after a trip to Supermacs!

More New Years celebrations!

1. Party,party,party!

2. Its Chris Martin the giant, dancing with all the tiny villagers.

3. The crowd on the floor below us.

4,5. Back in the apartment in the early hours of 2007.

Ringing in the new year in Buskers in Galway!!!!

1. Nic and Cecelia.

2. Lee and Louise.

3,4: Happy New Year!!!

5. Ciaran and me in the early seconds of 2007!

1,2: Once this man gets moving,just stand back and watch the show. He's massive in South Korea.

3. Alma enjoyin herself.

4. Anne Marie,Alma and Keith havin a blast.

5. Me,Nic and Keith rockin the Quays.

New Years eve eve in the Quays in Galway!

1. The Tomkats!

2. Nic,Louise,Lee and me.

3. the seediest man in Galway.

4. The ladies.

5. Gay Keit'!

1. Nic.
2. Ciaran,legendary air drummer for the groundbreaking 3-piece The Tomkats.
3. Thats Lee on the stand up air bass.
4. It looks like we're about to fight but thats just how intensely we lay it down. You don't wanna f with us in mid jam.Take my word for it.I'm on air guitar by the way.

5. Me and Nic in between songs. Man we destroyed that place.

1. Man,thats one juicy hunk of Canadian bacon.

2. You don't wanna mess with us.

3. Lee and Ciaran in Buskers. Galways finest lounge bar.

4. I think this dudes hittin on my woman.

5. Chris Martin and Cecelia. I think he's about to break into song.

1. Louise,Lee's lovely lady.

2. Look its Chris Martin!!!!

3. Chris Martins cousin.

4. Chris Martins swedish girlfriend Cecelia...your breakin my heart!

5. Me.

1. You better be here to party.

2. The ladies.

3. Rock n roll.

4. Me and Chris Martin. Can you believe it?!

5. Nic and me.

Its Christmas time!

1. Christmas eve in the railway pub with Nic,her bro Mark,and her bro's girlfriend(and her best friend),Haley.
2. Christmas dinner at home.
3. My liverpool shirt,a gift from sweet Nic.
4. Blackburn stadium. 5. Me at the Blackburn v liverpool match. Yeah,laugh it up Kev.