Here's a link to 57 short radio broadcasts from the '70s and '80s by renowned fingerstyle guitar player/teacher Stefan Grossman, available for free legal download (.mp3) or streaming (.mp3 or RealAudio) from his own site.

There are 4 complete series of broadcasts:
Country Blues Guitar - a 17-part series.
Contemporary Fingerpicking Guitar - a 17-part series.
Fingerpicking Guitar Workshop - a 13-part series.
Styles & Techniques of Country Blues Guitar - a 10-part series.

Each recording is just under 15 minutes in length and they all make fascinating listening.

http://guitarvideos.com/radio/00radio.htm

There's many a good song about things which are bad for us. This is one of 'em.

(Asleep At The Wheel - "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)"

The version of this that I'm most familiar with is by the excellent Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, but this is pretty good too and has some great snippets of vintage film.
Sincere apologies if you're trying to give up the evil weed and this clip tortures you (evil cackle).

.

I used to smoke cigarettes but I stopped many years ago. Used to smoke pot and take other recreational substances but I don't do that anymore either.

I do like a good drink (alcoholic drink, that is) from time to time.

I'm not a musician and know very little about "serious" music apart from what I like/don't like. This is a long-time favourite piece of orchestral music for those mellow relaxed moments. Makes me feel all warm inside and stuff.

(Frederic Delius - "On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring" performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

Anyone got any others?

It's the weekend. You've had your lie-in. Things to do, people to see, shops to be handed your disposable income...

"C'mon" - Man

A morning after followup to the "Yes, Yes Friday" thread.

Take it or leave it, some artists like to give us their viewpoint on what it's all about (alfie) along with the twanging, thumping, tinkling and shouting noises that constitute popular music in the modern age.

Some artists seem to specialise. I look back on my Hippy days and there were loads of them. Cat Stevens, The Moody Blues etc. give very mixed emotions now. It all seems a bit hollow and self-righteous. Here's a modern practitioner who doesn't seem so bad, on balance:

(Jim White - "10 Miles To Go On a 9 Mile Road")

"Bye Bye Skipper".
http://open.spotify.com/track/6ztjwuussLjALG1CBMbvEo

And for those without Spotify:

Lal & Mike Waterson - "Bright Phoebus"

Black-screen black humour. It's Opie & Anthony's Ronald Reagan prank call.

No swearing but for broad-minded not-easily-offended people only. You have been warned.

I now have a small heap of CDs compiled by various of The Massive for the recent Thames Valley and London mingles. Thank you one and all.

It occurred to me that Spotify playlists from them could be of interest to those who haven't got copies, if the original compilers didn't object.

Plain text versions could also be made available for the perusal of the non-Spotified.

Any interest / objections?

Playing Friday 15th July in that London.

Tickets are £19.50 plus booking fee of £1.95 from alt.tickets.co.uk.
A little bit pricey for me but not a bank-breaker.

Venue is Koko, 1A Camden High Street, London NW1 7JE

I've never seen them live and really fancy it. Anyone else interested?

Inspired by the "No Naming Songs" Thread.

I'll start you off with Julian Cope's "World Shut Your Mouth", which is on "Saint Julian".

I used to be able to get the podcasts as they were released, without the need for iTunes (which I have successfully kept out of my life for quite some time now). An alternative subscription method/address was given and this is what I have been using. The last one (Desert Island discs etc.) has still not yet arrived and doesn't appear to be on the server. According to the helpfiles of the software I use, MediaMonkey, I am best advised to remove the subscription in MediaMonkey and re-subscribe.
Problem is, on your podcast page there is now only a link to an iTunes podcast page for those who wish to subscribe. Does this mean that now there is no other way of subscribing except via iTunes?

When they're good, they're really good.

Here's something from WXYC's blog at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

http://www.wxyc.org/blog/2011/6/10/imaginary-interview-kate-bush

As I think I've mentioned before, I like silly music. Here's some from Thurston Harris with featured vocalist Rufus Hunter. It's called "Purple Stew".

There was a brief trend, probably initiated by The Big Bopper with his "Purple People Eater" for silly songs featuring the word Purple in their titles. Also for songs featuring The Jungle.

Anyway. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

The Library Of Congress in the USA is now streaming 10,300 songs recorded between 1901 and 1925. The collection is still being updated and even more content is being added.

http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/

First aired late last year. Repeated earlier this evening on BBC2.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00wqfl2/Dirk_Gently/

(Very) loosely based on Douglas Adams' "holistic detective" character. The method Dirk (Mangan) uses to gain access to the psychiatrist's patient files is one of the funniest scenes ever, in my opinion.