Birthday Blog

That’s right, today is the first anniversary of my 21st birthday. You’d think I’d have something better to do than write a blog, and you’d be right, but not until later. Right now Vicki is packing for Cyprus and I’m sitting in the front room in one of my new teeshirts feeling like a real man and like I want to share it with the world (or the one person who reads this anyway).

Why do I feel so good? Because today I have had a proper shave.

Last year at around Christmas time, I decided to try and grow a beard for the first time in my life. Here’s the result:



Can you see it? That little smudge on my chin that looks like I haven’t washed properly? That’s my “beard of defiance”, and it’s pretty poor, partly because of two patches either side of my chin that REFUSE to grow hair, but mostly because I’m simply not manly enough in the facial hair department.

Disheartened I gave up on the idea of growing a beard but stuck with the idea of being a real man choosing to adopt the opposite method: to shave properly.

I had recently read an article on Ben Weasel’s blog titled “Old-School Shaving” and decided that was going to have to be the kind of manly man I was: the type that dances with death every time he shaves.

So just before Christmas I got myself a safety razor and some disposable blades and shaved that smudge right off of my chin and boy did it feel good! Not only that but in the months afterwards I realised how much my skin had improved. Now I’m not one of those guys that thinks men should moisturise or any crazy stuff like that, but I do suggest that anyone who suffers from shaving rash bins their four-bladed plastic razor and spends the money on a decent double-edged safety razor, because you’ll notice the difference instantly.

Anyway this morning I woke up and opened Vicki’s presents to me. To my absolute pleasure I found that she had completed my shaving kit for me by getting me a real badger-hair shaving brush (before I was using a cheap thing from Body Shop) and proper “Art Of Shaving” cream, pre-shave gel and aftershave. Having forgotten to shave the entire week before today, my face was prime for breaking these new tools in, which I have just done. Again, it’s amazing how different it feels to use the proper stuff when shaving. I believe today I had the closest and most comfortable shave I’ve ever had, and certainly the most satisfying. It’s like there’s a party in my pores and everyone’s invited!

So the point I’m trying to make is that real shaving needs to be brought back into bathrooms everywhere. If you are a red-blooded male and have a birthday coming up, start yourself on the road to smooth-faced Utopia by putting the following things on your wish list: a double-edged safety razor, a badger-hair shaving brush, a decent shaving foam (in a pot, not a can), and any pre or post shave gels and tonics. You can thank me later.

I am a shameless hypocrite

Last time I wrote on here I said that the last thing I wanted when I signed up to BlogSpot was to become a blogger. I was actually wrong: the last thing I wanted was to become a blogger who writes about his own life as if people are interested. Yet again I’m going to prove that I am a shameless hypocrite though, but just because it’s been a pretty good week. Also, I wanted an excuse to post this:



This time last week Vicki and I were in a hotel in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Our reason for being there that night was to get up early the next morning to queue for two of the ten tickets to Trevor Nunn’s production of King Lear at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre that they sell on the door. Sure enough we got there at 7.30am and were the first in the queue, and boy was it worth it. Sir Ian McKellen played the title role and he was amazing; the entire thing was such a good performance.

Vicki went to Rome on Sunday night so I’ve had to entertain myself so I don’t miss her too much. I started yesterday by going out and buying the new Beastie Boys album, which is superb. It was the first album that I’ve been excited about in a long time and is everything I wanted it to be: nice and funky summer tunes.

I also went to Brighton yesterday for the evening and most of today, which was excellent. Though whilst wandering around today, a bird pooped near me and I suffered from some splash back. The worst part is I keep forgetting and thus still haven’t changed my tee-shirt.

I also picked up a good book today: Mr Blue by Edward Bunker. You may recognise him as the man who played Mr Blue in Reservoir Dogs. It turns out that he’s actually a real badass criminal and an excellent crime writer, and this is his autobiography. Now I’m debating whether to start reading it right away or wait ‘til I finish Frank Portman's King Dork first.

However it hasn’t all been good news: whilst at my good friend Matt’s house today we learnt the terrible news that Chris Benoit had taken his own life and the lives of his wife and child this weekend. The weird thing is that I would not normally have a clue who this guy was had Matt and I not spent most of yesterday afternoon playing WWF Smackdown on the Xbox. Crazy, crazy world. I’m currently downloading a demo of Smackdown vs Raw 2007 on the 360 as my way of a tribute to Benoit.

Anyway the main reason I’m writing all of this is because I had some inspiration for some creative writing whilst on the drive to Brighton yesterday, and so I needed an excuse to warm up my fingers. Maybe I’ll post some of what I’ve written on here if I’m happy with it – stay tuned to find out!

Six Months Later...

It’s been nearly six months since I last wrote on this page. When I signed up to BlogSpot I tried to convince myself that I wasn’t going to become a “blogger” but that I would just use this website to showcase my fictional and non-fictional writings. Unfortunately since I finished my Journalism course in January I haven’t had much inspiration to write reviews or interviews, hence the lack of updates.

This update is what I would consider to be my first “blog” – a personal diary kept on a public webpage for all who care to see – so please be gentle. Why the change of heart? This last semester at University I studied Web Culture and Communication as an option. I use the term “option” in its most loose sense here: the choice was between that and something even more boring like “intertextual studies” or whatever.

The course did turn out to be quite interesting though, and I studied the idea of blogging as a form of citizen journalism – something I had been partaking in for many years in one form or another without even realising. I also came to realise that in hundreds of years time historians are going to have such an easy time working out what life was like in the 21st century because every person and their mother has a blog, and it got me to thinking: I would love to appear in a GCSE History textbook from the future.

So here I am: James George at your service. I don’t know how often I will update or how long it will take me to get bored of this, but please enjoy it while you can.

Here’s to the future!

Top 5 Albums Of 2006

The end of the year is almost upon us and around this time all the people who think we care will be writing their "Top ... Of 2006" feature. I am one of those people.

I write this not to show off about how cool my music collection is or how much better my taste in music is to yours, but rather to hopefully open people's eyes to bands who might quite easily have slipped by you but who shouldn't have.

It was a lot of hard work putting this list together, but not for the right reasons: this year hasn't been too great for me in terms of music. My original plan was to do a "Top 10", but anything good I could write about albums other than the five below would have been a lie.

And so on that pessimistic note, please enjoy, comment and link people to:

"JayGee's Top 5 Albums Of 2006"



5) Tenacious D – ‘The Pick Of Destiny’
(Epic Records, November ’06)
website: http://www.tenaciousd.com

It might seem strange to start off my Top 5 Albums Of 2006 with the new Tenacious D album because a) it’s a soundtrack, b) they’re a comedy band and c) I really didn’t like ‘The Pick Of Destiny’ when I first listened to it. However, it was a slow year.

I’m kidding. Anyone who passes off the D as a comedy band and their new album as just a soundtrack is a damn fool. Sure it takes the whole package to really appreciate it, but so what if you’ve got to go watch the film? You will be a better person for it anyway.

I read recently that “the funniest thing about Jack Black and Kyle Gass is that they’re actually good” and this person was spot on. Anyone who’s seen ‘School Of Rock’ (or, to a lesser extent, ‘Nacho Libre’) will know that JB is an amazing singer; and KG’s not just good on the guitar for a fat guy – he’s really good full stop!

‘The Pick Of Destiny’ shows Tenacious D progressing from their last album by writing more epic songs that aren’t lost in the sound of a big electric backing band this time; now the electricity compliments them perfectly. It also has an awesome guest performance by Meat Loaf, and it takes a lot for me to write “awesome” and “Meat Loaf” in the same sentence.

Tenacious D in 2007:
Give them a break: they’ve made a film and a new album, and are busy touring with a fantastic show! Remember that if Jack and Kyle want to record a new album they have to wait for Dave Grohl to finish whatever crazy project he’s working on to come drum for them too, so I think we can expect another long break before the next D album. However, watch out for the movie on DVD (including a lot of previously cut material, so I hear), and I’m pretty sure I saw people with cameras when we went to see them in Brighton this month…



4) Sick Of It All – ‘Death To Tyrants’
(Century Media Records, May ‘06)
website: http://www.sickofitall.com

I heavily contemplated leaving this album out of my Top 5, but when compared to the competition it hit me: this is one of the few releases this year that I’ve liked since the first listen. It managed to just beat Tenacious D because you don’t need to have watched a film to understand this album, you just need to have been angry with someone at some point in your life.

I was going to leave it out because it’s hard to find the right time to listen to hardcore punk, especially when it’s as heavy as this. When you can find the time to clear some space in your front room and run in circles doing windmills, though, this is the album you want to be doing it to.

To the untrained ear it may not sound any different from the rest of the hardcore on the market/the back of everyone’s hoodies, but if you’ve listened to Sick Of It All before this album then you’re already familiar with how much effort goes into every aspect of their songs, and how much they love doing it despite what the current trends are.

‘Death To Tyrants’ is a step into the darker divisions of Sick Of It All, and it depends on your point of view whether that’s a good thing or not. In mine, it’s a great thing.

Sick Of It All in 2007:
Initial promotion of this album has finished in the UK, however if you’re familiar with Sick Of It All’s touring history you know to expect them back before 2007 is over.



3) The Mountain Goats – ‘Babylon Springs EP’
(4ad Records, April ’06)
website: http://www.mountain-goats.com

As is so often the case with bands, I remained completely unaware of The Mountain Goats for most of their career (which has spanned fifteen years so far), but then why should I have heard them? They’re a relatively unknown folk/rock band that didn’t release an album in the UK until 2002’s ‘Tallahassee’.

When I did hear them though I was instantly hooked and they became one of my favourite bands after Vicki and I went to see them play at the Bush Hall in London just after the release of ‘The Sunset Tree’ last year.

This EP may seem like a strange choice for my Top Albums list (especially since it’s not technically an album) because soon after it was released, their tenth full length ‘Get Lonely’ hit the shelves. I feel, though, that ‘Babylon Springs’ better demonstrates who the Mountain Goats are and the music that they play: it has a much larger range of sound within just five tracks than the entire ‘Get Lonely’ album. This is not to put down ‘Get Lonely’ at all – it’s another wonderful album, just not quite Top 5 material.

The Mountain Goats in 2007:
If you’ve ever seen their full discography then I think you’ll agree with me when I say we can expect a lot more from The Mountain Goats next year.



2) The Draft – ‘In A Million Pieces’
(Epitaph Records, September ‘06)
website: http://www.thedraftband.com

This has been one of my favourite release of 2006 for many reasons: first because the Draft are three-quarters of Hot Water Music, second because they put on an awesome gig at the Underworld earlier this year, and third because I had such high expectations for this band, and ‘In A Million Pieces’ met them.

If you were a fan of Hot Water Music and liked the direction they were going with ‘The New What Next’ then this album will not disappoint you. If you haven’t heard Hot Water Music (what are you, dead?) but are intrigued by the Draft, then you should check ‘In A Million Pieces’ out anyway because it seems to appeal to anyone who likes their rock hard. ‘Nuff said.

The Draft in 2007:
The Draft will be returning to tour the UK in February supporting The Bouncing Souls. I highly recommend attending your local gig. A split EP with Samiam has also been announced for next year.



1) Bomb The Music Industry! – ‘Goodbye Cool World’
(Quote Unquote Records, June ‘06)
website: http://www.bombthemusicindustry.com

When I first downloaded Bomb The Music Industry!’s albums ‘To Leave Or Die In Long Island’ and ‘Album Minus The Band’ (for free from the band’s website, not through methods that would promote piracy!) I have to admit that I wasn’t too keen.

I blame a spate of temporary ignorance, however, because I went back to these albums a few months later and I suddenly got it: this is what music (more specifically ska punk) sounds like when your passion for it is completely unrestrained – songs so tightly packed with imagination and technique that they are fit to burst right out of your speakers and all over your lap.

It was a toss-up between this album and ‘Album Minus The Band’ (January ‘06) for my number one spot – so much so that I re-wrote this section three times – but ‘Goodbye Cool World’ won by a hair’s width. It was tracks like ‘King Of Minneapolis Pts. I & II’ and ‘Side Projects Are Never Successful’ that tipped the scales, not to mention that brilliant Tom Waits cover ‘Anywhere I Lay My Head’.

If you’re into anything fast I suggest going to Bomb The Music Industry!’s website and downloading their entire discography right now. If you’re not a ska fan, don’t let that put you off because if you don’t own at least one album featuring Jeff Rosenstock then your life is seriously lacking. Besides, half the time you can’t hear the horns over the thrash guitar and drum machine.

Bomb The Music Industry! in 2007:
If you just missed them on the ‘Ska Is Dead’ UK tour in December then you should be kicking yourself really, really hard. It’s not often a friend brings Jeff here for free, so I think it’s very unlikely you’ll get to see Bomb The Music Industry! in 2007. However Jeff and Rick will be recording a lot of music this year to make up for it – expect a fourth album very early on, and then the infamous split EP with O Pioneers!!! on which Bomb The Music Industry! will be playing as many Regina Spektor covers they can without being sued.

Tenacious D

17.12.06
The Brighton Centre, Brighton

The D’s third visit to the UK is to promote their new movie and the soundtrack to it. The last time they were here it was just Jack Black and Kyle Gass and their acoustic guitars (and a massive inflatable dragon). This time they brought with them a backing band, Lee, and an awesome set made up first to look like Kyle’s apartment, then like Hell.

The show was closer to a musical than a conventional gig: we were told a tale about JB and KG taking the band to the next level by going electric. It consisted of a mix of their greatest songs from both their albums, starting with acoustic renditions of earlier tracks like ‘Keilbasa’, ‘Wonderboy’ and ‘Dio’, then moving on to heavy, full band versions of newer tracks like ‘Kickapoo’, ‘The Metal’ and ‘Beelzeboss’.

It’s hard to make up my mind about what I enjoyed more: seeing just Jack and Kyle rocking out on their acoustic guitars while Lee danced in the background, or the massive sound of the band (Charlie Chaplin on bass, the Anti-Christ on electric guitar and Colonel Sanders on drums) providing a tight backup to Jack’s powerful vocals and Kyle’s face-melting solos. Both halves of the show were full of consistent highlights preventing the joy from fading at any point.

Anyone going to one of the gigs on the rest of the tour is going to have such a good time; I guarantee it!

Propagandhi

08.12.06
The Forum, Tunbridge Wells

The Forum in Tunbridge Wells is a public toilet that was renovated to be the only place in town to go see decent live music. In the last thirteen years they've hosted everything from small gigs for local bands to warm up gigs for acts like Oasis and the Libertines.

Tonight Canadian leftist thrash-punk bank Propagandhi are heading the bill and before going in I overhear that it's a sold out show, which comes as no surprise: even though their extreme politics may not appeal to everyone, they are label mates with NoFX, Lagwagon, and other leading names in modern punk rock, and this must be the smallest venue on their winter UK tour.

The band is on twenty minutes late thanks to a pompously long support set by Pot Kettle Black, but when they do step on stage it's worth it as they launch straight into a set mixing songs mostly from their last two albums.

After every three or four songs guitarist Chris Hannah and bassist Todd Kowalski take it in turns to talk to the audience about politics and the meanings of the songs. Unfortunately the majority of the crowd don't want to hear stories about refugees and police brutality and chants of "play a song" start. Hannah and Kowalski ignore them and finish what they have to say before carrying on with the rest of the set.

Forty minutes in and a staff member from the Forum jumps on stage and tells the guys they've got to wrap up for the eleven o'clock curfew. "This is the shortest set we've played in three years," says Hannah. "We'll have to play this next one extra fast". So they blow us away with a double speed rendition of "Iteration", and it's fast enough for them to fit in my favourite track "Purina Hall of Fame" before they go.

The Draft

19.10.06
The Underworld, Camden

It's impossible to talk about the Draft without mentioning Hot Water Music: after Hot Water Music called an indefinite hiatus earlier this year, the band, minus Chuck Ragan, kept writing songs, recruiting Todd Rockhill as a stand in guitarist. When the hiatus turned to a definite split in March, the Draft was formed and these songs were released on their Epitaph Records debut "In A Million Pieces" in September.

When they take the stage at about quarter to nine, guitarist and singer George Rebello acts like he's never seen us before, despite the sea of Hot Water Music t-shirts and hoodies. "This is our first time in England, thanks for coming out," he says before exploding into "New Eyes Open", and there's no doubt that the fans are getting their money's worth: the huge crowd make the most of their tiny space in front of the stage as they dance, fight and shout along with the music.

The band is comfortable with the riot at their feet and fuel the fire with all of their most upbeat songs: "Wired", "Alive or Dead" and "The Tide Is Out" are among the repertoire.

About half an hour later they pause. "You know it's going to get good when we down-tune," laughs Rebello and they finish us off with "Lo Zee Rose", and it's as powerful as the first song of the evening.

When they finish, the band applauds each other and the crowd: a job well done on all accounts.