Only human

3/4/2008 5:52:00 AM

I hate to advertise an individual DVD but "The Human League Live at the Dome" really stands out. It shows that synthpop can be truly live. There is a human touch on everything, even camerawork.

And the Brighton Dome sure brings back some fond memories from 1981. I was the guy with the Manchester City shirt which was a mistake. I didn't even know they had a football team in Brighton.

Thou shalt travel

2/29/2008 11:07:00 AM

With the holidays approaching, here's another list of tips for those who are into knights, maidens, and dragons:

Kutná Hora, Czech Republic

A paradise for medievalists. An amazing gothic cathedral.

Bormes-les-Mimosas, France

A breathtaking medieval village by the seaside.

La Roche-en-Ardenne, Belgium

An imposing castle and a great carnival.

Environmental torture

2/26/2008 10:32:00 AM

There are certain jobs that can easily get you to an international tribunal for crimes against humanity such as warlord, dictator, tyrant and despot.

I hereby propose that we add another profession to this list: architect.

http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&handle=luisfrps&number=376

No more apologies

2/15/2008 5:11:00 PM

Do you remember that strange guy in your class? The one who didn't really speak to anyone and who seemed to be on another planet.

Google him. He might be world-famous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0TZZZcC9l4

The Power and the Glory II

2/13/2008 1:38:00 PM

Oh, sorry, there is another exception: Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts of Australia. Yes, that bold ex-singer of Midnight Oil.

I'm so proud of you. Keep saving those whales.

The Power and the Glory

2/12/2008 2:54:00 PM

As a rule, musicians should steer clear of politics. It's hard to give advice when you can't tell the difference between the GDP, the GNI and the gin.

The sight of Bono makes me squirm these days.

There's only one exception: Imaginary Kingdoms are always welcome at my doorstep.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymn_(Ultravox_song)

Music the machines make

2/7/2008 2:33:00 AM

Here are the best drum machines of all time:

Linn LM-1

Sounds incredibly up to date 27 years after its release. Used on almost every good pop record in the early '80s. Impossible to get these days.

Roland TR-808/909

This is what you hear in early techno and a lot of Japanese pop. That computer-like sound.

Boss DR-808

Pretty difficult to use but worth it. Unbelievable samples.

La vie en rose

1/28/2008 3:40:00 PM

Is it just me or are the major newspapers getting worse? Why do I have the feeling they are destined for high school dropouts these days?

There is one major exception: The Financial Times, especially the weekend edition. It's great they have the guts to cover all walks of life despite their relatively small circulation.

Where would the Brussels spin doctors be without their weekly leaks to the Purple Bible.

What the hell am I doing here?

1/17/2008 9:12:00 PM

Great lyrics work in many contexts. That's why they stand the test of time.

I was just trying to go through my Facebook profile and couldn't make any sense of it.

That's when an old friend came to my rescue:

http://www.metrolyrics.com/creep-lyrics-radiohead.html

A Feeny tale

1/15/2008 11:38:00 AM

Great voice, great face and a lot of good, old-fashioned song-writing.

And a great website:

http://www.catherinefeeny.com/

Thanks, Catherine, for keeping up the Brussels connection. See you soon.

Worst of 2007

1/4/2008 7:52:00 AM

I tried to resist the temptation but I couldn't. So here we go:

Kanye West vs. 50 Cent rivalry

Please tell me this is some sort of a joke.

Mika

Another breakthrough we didn't need. One more falsetto singer in the charts and I'll find a desert island.

"Always" by Johnny Hallyday

Don't tell me I'm the only one who noticed that this is a shameless rip-off of Tracy Chapman's "Baby Can I Hold You".

Madonna's song for Live Earth (Hey You or something)

She's great but didn't anyone have the guts to tell her that this song was rubbish?

Pharrell Williams, Will.i.am, Timbaland etc.

I curse the day when the word 'guest producer' was uttered for the first time.

Best of 2007

12/21/2007 10:14:00 AM

Here's the definitive list of the best gigs in 2007:

The Church, Paradiso, 20 April

One of the few existing bands that can fill two hours with great songs.

Editors, Halles de Schaerbeek, 28 October

The perfect venue for this act. Next year they will probably do stadiums, I'm afraid.

The Waterboys, Ancienne Belgique, 13 March

Mike Scott ages well. He just gets wilder and crazier.

Indochine, Forest National, 3 March

Grand, majestic, monumental.

Evanescence, Antwerps Sportpaleis, 3 June

Same as above.

The way it really went

12/14/2007 10:00:00 AM

Autobiographies are usually pathetic. You get to know that the writer was a hero all along and the rest were just crooks and idiots.

"Madam Secretary: A Memoir" by Madeleine Albright is an unexpected exception. No excuses, no whitewash and no magniloquence. Just the bare facts and some emotion.

Can't wait to read the story of Condoleezza Rice.

Why walk away in silence?

11/29/2007 12:34:00 PM

It was nice to see Interpol live at Forest National.

There's just this one thing I don't get. Why do you guys have to play for half an hour without saying anything to the audience? Something like "Hi, we're Interpol" would have been nice.

No, it won't spoil the atmosphere. You don't have to smile or anything.