this is probably the most amazing thing I've seen this year

It's an animation but done on walls and the pavement. Lasts 7 mins but is soooo worth your time.

Whilst picking over the carcass of the outgoing issue I spotted an error.That's Buffin (Dale Griffin), not Ariel Bender that you have circled in the Music Journo quiz feature. Mr Bender isn't in that pic as it predates his arrival.
When you sack Mark Ellen for this schoolboy error, please can Peaches Geldof take his place. She seems to know her onions.

so Ross's show is being replaced by George Lamb. Is Radio 2 run by complete f*ckwits?

An article in yesterday's Guardian which said that AC/DC's Back in Black was the second best selling album of all time led me to this list of best sellers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_worldwide and I was surprised by a lot of them. Maybe you already know, but if not, just try and guess the biggies before looking.

Something I read here reminded me of a visit to my brother's the Christmas before last. His little girl had got a Dance Mat from Santa. It was one of those where you connect it to the telly - maybe via a PS2 - and follow basic instructions/directions with your feet.

As we were looking through the tunes that a player could dance to - cheesy bontempi versions of Brown Girl in the Ring, Dancing Queen and so on - we were surprised to discover Tsunami by the Manic Street Preachers - ok so it wasn't Little Black Flowers that Grow in the Sky but a surprising inclusion nonetheless. We carved '4 Real' into our fore arms with holly and stomped away the post-turkey torpor.

Anyone else got any similar tales of incongruity to share?

I don't think anyone has mentioned this - and I guess a lot of you know already, but Randy Newman is the guest on Desert Island Discs this week (Sunday).

A little below this entry, Futurenoir bemoans the lack of originality in Glasvegas' debut album saying 'it's a pleasant enough listen, but it's really just another indie album. Some nice tunes, a good lead singer, but nothing I've not heard before.'
If the journos he mentions earlier in his post are correct and Glasvegas are 'A cross between the best bits of early Oasis and the Jesus and Mary Chain as if produced by Phil Spector' then it's hardly surprising that he (and we) will have heard it all before, though it may well be new to the teens and thereabouts that are the band's primary target audience.
My question is this. Is it possible to produce something original or has everything been done before?
I forget where I read it (possibly here) but someone said that everything is now a cover version. Are those of us who are of a certain age destined to be mildly disappointed by every new cd we purchase?
Personally, I'm wondering if I've given up on new music. I've bought two cds this year - one as a gift, one was a few years old bought for a quid off ebay.

Q: Do you ever relax and just watch television?
A: Selectively, mostly on DVD. The absolute pinnacle of anything I've seen recently has got to be The Wire. It's the most stunning piece of television that has ever come out of America, possibly the most stunning piece of television full-stop.

Full interview here:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20213004,00.html
Moore on movies, his novels, life after death, LOEG and more.

Forgive me if this has been done elsewhere. If it has, feel free to link me to the appropriate thread.

I was reading Archie's post about the lack of good singers on the cd, which in turn led to the suggestion that the two decent tracks were rather wishy-washy numbers by the respected artists.

This led me to thinking about the cd in general and a comment made by Mark Ellen on a previous podcast that the cd isn't free -as the cost of it is factored into the cover price of the magazine.

Well, frankly, I don't want it. I enjoy the magazine very much, but the cd just adds to the landfill in my case. I 'pod it and chuck it away - and I only 'pod it because I have to have it - not because I want any of the tracks. I usually find the cds mediocre when listened to in full.

Am I alone in this? I don't recall any threads about how great the cd from a particular month was - there's been loads about the mag, the podcast, but not the cd.

If I'm intrigued by an article I can go online to listen to music by the artist in question. The free - sorry- 'cover mounted' cd seems rather old fashioned too. Links from this site have led me to find lots of interesting stuff

Given the choice, I would prefer a cheaper mag with no cd.

Hmmm - hope I'm doing this right...

on page 108 of this month's Word mag is an ad for Turn The Water On Boy - the latest release from The Coal Porters featuring Sid Griffin. The ad includes the testimonial: "...it's the Appalachians by way of Kilburn High Road ...." - Word **** and yet The Word doesn't give starred reviews as elaborated upon in recent issues and podcasts. Seems a little fishy.