Sexiest man alive Phil Taylor, suggested we publish a post on the same day listing all the bands and singers we’ve ever seen live. I mean, my ageing memory may struggle to remember all of them, but hell yes, let’s do this! So go check out Phil’s posts too (after you’ve read mine of course). I didn’t know what order to do it in, so I decided to start small and go big.
Blessed Ethel (am I the only one on this earth that remember this band?)
The Muddiefunksters
Darlinghearts
Salad
Digable Planets
Back to the Planet
These Animal Men (so many times that I can’t remember)
Credit to the Nation
Chumbawamba
Corduroy
Kuala Shaker
Sleaford Mods
My Life Story
Huggy Bear (twice)
Spiritualized
Galliano
Stereo MCs
Roni Size
Cornershop
Menswear (twice)
Echobelly (3 times)
Divine Comedy
Imelda May
The Cribs
Noisettes
Kate Nash
Belly
Curve (twice)
Lush
The Orb
Orbital
Billy Bragg
Sam Brown
Julian Cope
Sleeper (4 times)
The Boo Radleys
L7
Elastica (twice)
The Staves
First Aid Kit
Lemonheads
Primal Scream
Garbage
Supergrass (twice)
Suede
Beverley Knight
Cypress Hill
Groove Armada
Saint Etienne
Gossip
Shakespear’s Sister (twice)
Neneh Cherry
Lenny Kravitz
James
Macy Gray
Joan Armatrading
Self Esteem
The Chemical Brothers
The Pretenders
Manic Street Preachers (twice)
PJ Harvey (4 times)
Ringo Starr
Regina Spektor
Hole
The Bangles
Tori Amos
Pulp (twice)
Oasis (twice)
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Radiohead
Blur (15 times. I quite like them)
Girls Aloud
The Kinks
Kylie Minogue
REM
Madonna (The Girlie Show tour)
And if you’ve ever been to a gig with me and I seem to have forgotten to include it here in this list, then please let me know!
Who would I still love to see and somehow never have? The Cure, Kate Bush, Bjork, the Smashing Pumpkins and Beyonce.
Just Another Blog From a Woman has been nominated for an award. If you enjoy my blog and you have a spare few seconds, would you mind voting for me HERE It’s very simple and there’s no need to register or provide an email address, just vote for Just Another Blog From a Woman under the Best Pal category. Thank you SO much.
Dolly the Sheep and her…umm Dad? (Sir Ian Wilmut the Dolly project leader). She was the only surviving lamb from 277 cloning attempts. Dolly actually helped push stem cell research forward by 20 years. Well done Dolly.
In 1996, the first genetically modified foods go on sale in the UK, the IRA end the 17-month ceasefire and bomb the docklands in London killing two people and injuring 39, Take That (the most successful British band of the 90s) announce that they are splitting up, an IRA bomb explodes on a London bus killing one and injuring eight, in a primary school in Dunblane a gunman kills 16 children and their teacher, wounds 13 others plus another teacher and then commits suicide, as a result of this tragic massacre tighter gun laws are implemented in the UK, a massive IRA bomb is detonated in Manchester city centre which devastates its retail district, Dolly the Sheep the first mammal to ever be successfully cloned from an adult cell is born, the Olympics take place in Atlanta, USA, the Prince and Princess of Wales complete their divorce proceedings after 15 years of marriage, an IRA bomb explodes at British army barracks in Northern Ireland killing one and injuring 31, 4% of the UK population now have internet access, Mad Cow Disease hits the UK, a bomb on the Paris subway kills four people, 12 minutes after leaving JFK airport a jumbo jet crashes into the sea killing all 230 people on board, the films Independence Day, Scream and Trainspotting are all released and I leave my teenage year behind me and turn 20 years old.
By 1996, I’m living in Oxford and having far too much fun. I also celebrated my Birthday exactly 22 years ago, to this day. Yes, that’s right it’s my Birthday today! I’ll extend the deadline to get all your gifts and flowers to me by Monday. I’m kind like that. You can read how I feel about getting older HERE. Whilst, this year we have Bjork and Tori making another appearance, all the other acts here appear for the first time.
1. On & On by Erykah Badu
2. Underground by Ben Folds Five
3. No Diggity by Blackstreet featuring Dr Dre
4. Don’t Let Go (Love) by En Vogue
5. Hyper-ballad by Bjork (I also equally love the Brodsky Quartet Version of this song, so much so that I’ve added it as bonus track at the end of the playlist for you)
6. 2 Becomes 1 by Spice Girls (I will always stand by my opinion that this is one of the most beautiful songs ever written).
7. Ladykillers by Lush
8. Professional Widow (It’s Got To Be Big) by Tori Amos
9. Being Brave by Menswear
10. Born Slippy (NUXX) by Underworld
Bjork or Underworld? BJORK OR UNDERWORLD?! I’m not sure I can choose….oh ok, I’m going with Underworld. Probably for personal reasons. Come one then. Which one is your favourite?
As a bonus for this week only, I’m posting an extra song. I wanted to add this to this week’s playlist, but it doesn’t exist on Spotify. So, here’s a YouTube video of it instead for you to enjoy. It is an incredibly stunning song and deserves recognition.
One Night Stand by the Aloof
See you next week for 1997!
Just Another Blog From a Woman has been nominated for an award. If you enjoy my blog and you have a spare few seconds, would you might voting for me HERE It’s very simple and there’s no need to register or provide an email address, just vote for Just Another Blog From a Woman under the Best Pal category. Thank you SO much.
I’m a nostalgic person, ladies and gentlemen. This can be witnessed in my weekly music, film and news posts, which start from 1976 and will go through to 2017. However, it’s not just music and film that I’m nostalgic for. I sometimes look at celebrities who have yet again split up with someone and think “oh why didn’t you just stay with him that you once went out with in the 90s. I know your relationship was deeply flawed and you probably hate each other now, but just get back together. Just for me?”. So, here’s a little list of all those now dispersed celebrity couples that should never have split up.
Winona Ryder & Johnny Depp
Please note the tattoo.
Yes I know Johnny is clearly bit of a dick and she can do so much better than him, but 90s Winona & Johnny were so cool and so beautiful (my God Johnny was beautiful back then), but I still want them to get back together. Incidentally, this is what they both look like now. Hmmmm, now who’s aged better?
Britney Spears & Justin Timberlake
Yes, I know he’s very happily married to Jessica Biel with a kid and everything these days, but ignoring all of that- look how cute Britney & Justin were! Britin? Justney? They quite rightly didn’t have an ambigram*, did they?
*I looked this word up. I’m not clever enough to know words like this.
Julia Roberts & Kiefer Sutherland
Okay, so she did practically leave him standing at the alter (she dumped him 3 days before the wedding. Julia mate, that wasn’t cool), but they were so cute and seemed so in love. I’m still mourning the break-up of this relationship today (oh I’m fully aware that I should possibly get out more. Leave me here, I’m happy).
Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon
I absolutely loved these two. Nothing brings me more pleasure than seeing Mariah happy (seriously, this is the woman who demands puppies to play with before a show so that she can relax. I 100% relate to her) and she always seemed so happy with Nick. Also, here’s the categorically best reasons for them to still be a couple, they have two children together.
Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan
These two should NEVER have split up. It’s the biggest mistake they made in their lives. I’m still very cross about it and I won’t rest until they are back together.
Look! They still love each other, don’t they? DON’T THEY?!
Anna Faris & Chris Pratt
Why did they do this to me? WHY? Whether celebrities stay together or not is definitely based on how it will make me feel, but arrogantly Anna & Chris never consulted me before they went their separate ways. They just went ahead without any consideration for my feelings and the word that best describes how this break-up made me feel is: gutted.
Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt
Ooh, so this one might be the only one with some potential of reuniting. As you no doubt know already, Jennifer has recently split up with husband Justin Theroux and Brad ain’t with Angelina no more and apparently Jennifer and Brad have “reached out” to each other. Whatever that means. Anyway, fingers crossed, they were perfect for each other.
The Couple That Were Never a Couple, But Really Should Have Got Together as They Would Have Been So Beautiful Together and Clearly Love Each Other in My Opinion*
*yes I can come up with longer subtitles if I tried, thank you.
Yep, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio would have made a fantastic couple. I love their loyal friendship which has remained strong over the past 21 years since they made Titanic together. Kate’s currently married to someone called Ned Rocknroll, so that’s reason enough for her to split up with him and get together with Leo.
Maturing has worked well for both of them
The Couple That Must Never Ever Split Up
If Chrissy Teigen and John Legend ever DARED to split up, I would give up on love and the idea of soulmates and leave my husband immediately*. They’re hot, they have a very cute kid together and another on the way and I love how much fun they clearly have together. In fact, my favourite thing about them as a couple is how much Chrissy trolls her own husband online. I mean that’s inspirational relationship goals right there.
*ok I may have gone a bit too far there. Possibly.
So which famous couples do you wish were still together, but aren’t anymore?
Just Another Blog From a Woman has been nominated for an award. If you enjoy my blog and you have a spare few seconds, would you mind voting for me HERE It’s very simple and there’s no need to register or provide an email address, just vote for Just Another Blog From a Womanunder the Best Pal category. Thank you SO much.
Eric Cantona’s Kung Fu Kick. I love this photo mainly for the spectators’ reactions. A lot are in shock, but one bloke is having the time of his life.
So, at the beginning of 1995, serial killer Fred West takes his own life in prison, French footballer Eric Cantona assaults a spectator when he is sent off whilst playing for Manchester United and he is banned from playing football for 8 months, the first female chief constable in the UK is appointed, Essex student Leah Betts, 18, dies after four days in a coma as a result of taking an ecstasy tablet, this sparks a media campaign against the drugs and its suppliers, Princes Diana gives a candid TV interview detailing her adultery, her depression, bulimia, the media and the future of the monarchy- it becomes the most watched current affairs programme on record, Rose West is found guilty of murdering 10 women and children including her 16-year-old daughter and her 10-year-old stepdaughter- she is sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that she is never released, head teacher Philip Lawrence is stabbed death outside his school whilst trying to protect a pupil who was being attacked by a gang, race riots break out in Brixton, 168 people are killed and 680 are injured during a domestic terrorist attack on a federal building in Oklahoma, an earthquake in Japan kills 6,433 people, broker Nick Leeson loses $1.4billion which results in the collapse of the UK’s oldest investment banking firm (the klutz), an earthquake in Russia kills 2000 people, an unprecedented heatwave in the US kills at least 830 people (the majority of which were in Chicago), Isreali Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated and OJ Simpson is found innocent.
The films Toy Story, Braveheart, the Usual Suspects and Heat are released and yours truly turns 19 years old. Aren’t I growing up?
So, here we are in the deepest, darkest “Brit Pop” era. I was going to say that only one act isn’t British this week, but then I remembered that Bjork wasn’t British either. We did kind of adopt her though, but I don’t think the Icelandic would ever let us claim her as one of us. Quite rightly. 1995 saw me hop on a plane and travel around Australia all by myself because -well- I quite I fancied it. It was one of the best experiences of my life. My obsession with music and seeing bands live continued on, so much so that yet again, I really struggled trying to narrow this list down to just 10 songs. Here they are, nevertheless, in no particular order.
WARNING: the first bit of the first song is a bit sweary- just in case you’re listening to the playlist near young ears.
1. Reverend Black Grape by Black Grape
2. Yes by McAlmont and Butler
3. The Universal by Blur
Blur winning 4 Brit awards in one night in 1995
4. Inbetweener by Sleeper
5. C’mon Billy by PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey giving very few fucks at Glastonbury Festival ’95. As I was there right at the front for this performance, I can confirm she was indeed fucking glorious.
6. Common People by Pulp
7. Isobel by Bjork
It’s just a suggestion from Bjork, not an instruction.
8. Human Nature by Madonna
9. Missing by Everything but the Girl
10. Never Forget by Take That (no, you sat with your best mate watching Take That perform on Top of the Pops for the first time without Robbie and cried throughout. Shut up)
Black Grape is a very close second, but I have to go for Pulp as my favourite, for so many reasons. So, pray tell me, which one is your top choice?
See you next week for 1996!
Just Another Blog From a Woman has been nominated for an award. If you enjoy my blog and you have a spare few seconds, would you mind voting for me HERE It’s very simple and there’s no need to register or provide an email address, just vote for Just Another Blog From a Woman under the Best Pal category. Thank you SO much.
Please leave your comments below or within the appropriate post on my Facebook page. Please feel free to peruse other people’s comments and respond to them.
***Please be aware this is a book club discussion, so there is the possibility that my review or the comments left by others will contain spoilers***
Slade House
by
David Mitchell
Synopsis
Slade House is set between 1979 and 2015. There are five sections of the book and each section is set in a different time period. The location of each section always remains the same. As you may have already guessed, it is always set at the spooky Slade House. The book details the mysterious circumstances that a variety of characters are drawn towards Slade House.
My Review
I should probably be honest with you and provide a disclaimer that, I am a huge David Mitchell fan. From reading Cloud Atlas to number9dream to the Bone Clocks. I’ve adored everything of his that I’ve read. Slade House is no exception.
Slade House some how manages to be hilarious, thrilling, haunting, historical and clever all at the same time. The first section (The Right Sort) surrounding young Nathan and his mum is particularly witty and had me laughing out loud. A fine example of Mitchell’s humour in this book would be the line: “he was handsome in a sort of gay model Hitler Youth way”. I’m going to remember that line, so that I can refer to someone as that one day (I might be mindful of my audience though).
This book mainly leaves me reeling. Reeling that someone can be so talented and so clever and have such a vivid imagination to write such a book. As I’ve mentioned before, I generally don’t like fantasy books, but for me Mitchell is the right side of fantasy for me. It’s the backbone of this story, but it doesn’t dominate so much that it is the whole entire book.
Each section has it’s merits, but I particularly enjoyed the first section and the You Dark HorseYou section with journalist Sally Timms. That section left me astonished and had me rereading it as soon as I’d finished it.
Most of the time you liked the main character in most of the sections and had a lot of sympathy for them (even before they learn their fate). Detective Gordon Edmonds from the The Shining Armour section, is probably the least likeable character, but you still somehow feel sorry for him. Inevitably, it’s the characters that continue through each section, siblings Norah and Jonah Grayer, that you despise the most and root for their demise throughout the book.
In conclusion, if you’re a fan of David Mitchell (and in particular The Bone Clocks), you will not be disappointed. It is a short read, that will keep you gripped and interested until it’s harrowing conclusion. Think Stranger Things mixed with a little bit of Black Mirror.
Questions to Consider
1. Slade House is broken up into five parts and is narrated by five different characters, all in the first person. Which of their voices were you most drawn to and why?
2. Despite their differences, the narrators are all “engifted” and therefore targets of the Grayer twins. What do you think “engifted” means? What might qualify someone as “engifted”?
3. Did you notice any recurring patterns in the storytelling across all five parts?
4. With each new “guest” you learn more and more about Slade House and the Grayer twins. What about their abilities and story was most unsettling to you?
5. On page 146, Freya Timms thinks “Grief is an amputation, but hope is incurable hemophilia: you bleed and bleed and bleed.” Do you agree? In what way is this true for characters in the novel?
6. On page 175, Fred Pink counters Freya’s argument for why immortality wouldn’t be kept a secret. What does Fred’s explanation say about human nature? Do you agree?
7. Throughout his life, many people dismiss Fred and his beliefs and research. What might his experiences say about the way society treats those who are labeled as mentally ill?
8. Norah and Jonah’s history is extraordinary, but also marked by loss. Did you ever find them sympathetic? When and why?
9. You don’t learn much about what Norah and Jonah do in–between each nine–year cycle, but we do know that they have a great degree of freedom and many resources at their disposal. Would you be tempted by their nomadic but gifted existence?
10. Were you surprised by Norah’s actions at the end of the novel?
11. What’s the most frightening book you’ve ever read, and what is the most spine–chilling movie you’ve seen? Are there differences between literary fear and cinematic fear?
April’s book is Animal by Sara Pascoe. I’ll be starting the conversation for this on Tuesday 1st May.
A list of all the books we’ll be reading for the first half of 2018 can be found here
I’ve finally sorted out my Goodreads page, so as a few people have asked, you can view it here
Just for you (yes you), I give you not one, but two playlists today. This morning you had the usual weekly music series playlist (this week it was 1994 and can be found here) and now here’s another one!
I’ve done it. I can’t actually believe I’ve done it, but I’ve done it anyway. Here’s a playlist to accompany your Easter weekend and Spring-like feels. My proudest moment is when the playlist goes from Vivaldi straight into Chas ‘n’ Dave #playlistgoals. Enjoy and eat chocolate until you want to vomit.
For seasonal playlists for other times of the year, click below:
Police chase OJ Simpson and his driver on the 91 Freeway in California
In 1994, British Coal confirm the closure of 4 more pits, Stephen Milligan, a Conservative MP, is found dead at home, his death was due to autoerotic asphyxiation, police in Gloucester begin excavations at 25 Cromwell Road- the home of Fred & Rosemary West– they were later convicted of the murder of 12 young women, the IRA release three successful mortar attacks at Heathrow airport, women are ordained as priests in England for the first time, Ayrton Senna dies at 34 when he crashes at the San Marino Grand Prix, the Channel Tunnel officially opens, Love is All Around by Wet Wet Wet remains at number one in the charts for 15 weeks– the longest a British act has ever consecutively stayed at no.1, leader of the Labour party- John Smith dies unexpectedly of a heart attack, Tony Blair wins the Labour party leadership election, the IRA declares a ceasefire, the first UK National Lottery takes place, 0.5% of the UK population now have access to the internet, new Sunday trading laws allow shops to open on a Sunday in the UK, intermittent civil wars take place in Rwanda after the assignation of President Habyarimana, Nelson Mandela becomes president of South Africa, Brazil wins 1994 World Cup in America, OJ Simpson flees police in his car, Lisa Marie Presley marries Michael Jackson and Kurt Cobain commits suicide. The films Pulp Fiction, Four Weddings and a Funeral and the Shawshank Redemption are all released. I turn 18 years old and I guess, I officially became an adult (still waiting to actually become one though).
Oh my God, this has to be another of my favourite years this week. There were so many good tunes this year and I had to narrow this list down from about 30 songs. It was quite the impossible task. Regulars such as Blur, Tori and Kylie appear again, but there’s quite a few first appearances too. Here’s my 10 favourite songs from 1994 in no particular order.
1. Sure Shot by Beastie Boys
2. Loser by Beck
3. Creep by TLC
4. Babies by Pulp
5. Supersonic by Oasis
6. Girls & Boys by Blur
7. Confide in Me by Kylie Minogue
8. Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos
9. Stay Another Day by East 17 (this song was released around the time I split up with a boyfriend, so it had me crying every time I heard it. Years down the line I found out that Tony Mortimer wrote it about his brother’s death, so now I still have problems listening to it without feeling emotional. On a lighter note, the video is worth watching just for the lads’ earnest performance in it)
10. Disarm by Smashing Pumpkins
Whilst Tori and Kylie are close runners up, it’s the Smashing Pumpkins* that are my favourites this week. Which is yours?
See you next week for 1995!
*I chose the Smashing Pumpkins as not only is it a fantastic song, but it also profoundly reminds me of a friend who I sadly lost in 1994 around the time of the song’s release. I just wanted to mention this as a loving tribute to her.
Just Another Blog From a Woman has been nominated for an award. If you enjoy my blog and you have a spare few seconds, would you mind voting for me HERE It’s very simple and there’s no need to register or provide an email address, just vote for Just Another Blog From a Woman under the Best Pal category. Thank you SO much.
A while a ago I wrote a post on my top 10 British sitcoms, so it only seems fair that I do one on my favourite American sitcoms. I think it’s safe to say that Americans are a funny lot (I’m referring to their humour here). I even know a few and they’ve made me laugh more than once. Sure, they’re not as funny as us hilarious Brits, but they certainly can crack a joke or two. So, it’s of no surprise that they know how to create a sitcom with admirable skill. I’ve always loved an American sitcom. As a child, I remember watching Taxi and then as I got older, as a family we all sat down together and watched the Cosby Show and Rosanne every week (ummmm, can I mention the Cosby Show?). My Dad was obsessed with both Cheers and Frasier, so much so that when I had to write an essay on a TV programme for my GCSE English project, he literally sat me down and forced me to write it about Cheers. Then, when I left home my taste in American sitcoms developed further. So much so, that some of my favourite TV programmes of all time are in fact American sitcoms. And I whole heartedly thank all those clever Americans for providing me with such joy over the years.
Disclaimer before we start: there’ll be plenty of sitcoms (yes that includes Seinfeld) that you’ll be surprised aren’t here in my personal top 10, but in all likelihood they’d probably all feature in my top 15, if that helps. So, here goes and just like my top 10 British sitcoms list, I found this so tough to do.
10. Rick and Morty
So let’s get this straight. Rick and Morty is disturbing, disgusting, confusing, ridiculous, completely over the top, surreal, harrowing and I absolutely love it. It may be all those things, but it is also intensely clever and not to mention- fucking funny.
9. Cheers
Cheers was a master class in how to create and build up characters in a sitcom. We have seen the character of Woody repeated in so many other sitcoms ever since, it’s quite the tribute to the genius of Cheers.
8. 30 Rock
Ok so from about halfway through season 4 and onwards 30 Rock went downhill slightly. However, Tina Fey’s multi-award-winning sitcom never failed to constantly make me laugh out loud before that. I adore the character of goofy, but lovable Liz Lemon, partly because I can relate to her obsession with food of course. However, it’s Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of the conceited Jack Donaghy and his unlikely friendship with Liz that really steals the show.
7. Arrested Development
Like many of my favourite sitcoms, Arrested Development is just silly. Whilst, I wasn’t so keen on the fourth “return” season. The first three seasons are sitcom perfection. Picking a favourite character on this would be pretty tricky as like all good sitcoms each character is so strong. Poor old George Michael (the name alone is hilarious), Tobias Funke, Buster and my life role model Lucille are probably up there. Although, obviously I have to give a shoutout to Annyong Bluth and the characters played by Liza Minelli (Lucille’s vertigo suffering chief social rival) and Henry Winkler (their terrible family lawyer). And let us not forget that the whole thing is narrated by Ron Howard.
6. Brooklyn 99
From one wonderfully silly sitcom to another. Brooklyn 99 follows the misadventures and blundering antics of a Brooklyn detective department. Jake Peralta is our whimsical protagonist and despite all of his and his colleague’s questionable approaches to solving crime, they always get the job done. Brooklyn 99 is laugh out loud stupidity and watching an episode of it cheers my day up endlessly. P.S. I am #teamCaptainRayHolt
5. Parks and Recreation
There is something about Parks and Recreation that makes me so happy. I mean, apart from the fact that it’s absolutely hilarious that is. It just always leaves me with a nice, warm glowing feeling after watching an episode. I think it’s mainly down to our protagonist, Leslie Knope. Leslie is one of the best female TV characters ever written. She is a hero. Her optimism, vibrant energy, hard working ethics, caring nature and warmth leap out at you from the TV screen without ever being saccharine. If we all made the effort to be a little more Leslie Knope then the world would be a better place. Seriously. We might all have a worrying waffle addiction, but there’d undoubtedly be a lot less war and internet trolls. But it’s not just Leslie that blesses us with her presence in this gem of a TV programme. There’s the adorable, but beautifully simple Andy, super cool April, idiotic and lovable Tom, poor, stupid Jerry, another TV role model of mine- Donna (treat yo self!) and then there’s Ron Swanson. Oh Ron with your hefty dose of testosterone, your love of meat and carving wood and your sexy moustache. I won’t lie to you, he is my ideal man. Just writing about this programme makes me realise how much I miss it and Leslie.
4. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
And on the opposite end of the spectrum from the lovely and fluffy Parks & Rec, we have It’s Always Sunny. A TV show with the most hatable TV characters possible. Similar to Rick & Morty, this is not a pleasant sitcom. It is grotesque, is borderline offensive and it is outrageous. Right up my street, in other words. The characters are idiots. Not even in a sort of likeable way. You have absolutely no sympathy for them, but thank God they exist. However you’re feeling or whatever you’ve done in your life, you can just reassure yourself and thank your lucky stars that you are neither Dennis, Dee, Charlie, Mac or Frank. Those guys are the worst (I love them obvs).
Side note: they were going to originally make Dee the “straight character”, but thankfully they thought better of it and made her just as despicable and hopeless as the rest of the cast. Could you imagine a straight Dee? What a waste of a brilliant comedic actor that would’ve been.
3. Friends
Of course Friends is in this list. Of COURSE it is. The influence that Friends had on our culture is phenomenal. I mean, could it BE anymore influential? I don’t need to tell you much about Friends because you know it all anyway. Such is the legacy of Friends. Which Friend are you anyway? I’m a perfect combination of Phoebe, Monica and Joey (I don’t share food). PIVOT!
2. The Simpsons
You probably haven’t heard of this animated sitcom before, so let me summarise it for you. It’s based around a family of yellow people who only have four digits on each hand. The Dad is a lazy beer and doughnut addict, the Mum has blue hair almost the same height as herself, the son is a little shit that the Dad regularly strangles, the sister is clearly full of existential angst and the baby sister hasn’t uttered a word (or has she?)* for the whole 31 years that this cartoon has been running. Trust me on this one, it is absolutely brilliant and you will love each and every one of these characters as if they are your own family members. Especially the Dad. You will love him and all his relatable failings the most. He is all of us.
[Please note my daughter’s favourite TV programs is the Simpsons and she helped me choose this clip. She also wants me to tell you all that her name is Bessie]
So here it is , my all time favourite American sitcom ever….
And it is….
1. The Office (or as it’s known over here in the UK The American Office)
God I love this programme, so very much. It’s not just my number one American sitcom, but it is one of my all time favourite TV programmes ever. A warmer, more sentimental version of it’s British cousin, watching this programme is the comedy equivalent of wrapping a cosy blanket around yourself and putting your feet up, but you know, in a funny way. Steve Carrell as Michael Scott was comedy mastery. Pam and Jim were perfect and yes adorable. Dwight was a fabulous twat. The supporting cast had to be the best collection of supporting actors ever. Stanley, Kevin, Angela, Phyllis, Meredith, Oscar, Creed, Andy, poor, poor Toby, Daryl, Erin, Gabe, the brilliant Jan and my favourite couple ever Ryan & Kelly were just sublime. All of them were such strong characters. You loved them like you would your own work colleagues- fully aware of all their flaws, yet you have a strange affection for them all anyway. Unless you’re Toby and your boss is Michael, then he’ll just irrationally hate you despite the fact you’re the nicest person in existence. I could actually write a whole blog solely on my love for this multi-award-winning sitcom. It’s incredibly worthy of my number one slot….that’s what she said.
The one that almost made it:Broad City. These girls are basically me and my best friend 20 years ago in a different city.
You know what I’m going to ask next, which is your favourite American sitcom? It will be interesting seeing the varying answers between Americans and non-Americans too.
*she actually has and was voiced by both Elizabeth Taylor and Jodie Foster. However, these are brief moments and the running gag is that she never speaks.
In 1993, James Bulger a 2-year-old is murdered by two 10-year-old boys, unemployment reaches 3,000,000, IRA bombs are planted and explode at gas holders in Warrington, the IRA bomb Warrington again this time in the town centre and kill a 3-year-old and a 12-year-old and injure 50, black London teenager Stephen Lawrence is stabbed to death in London in a racially motivated attack, massive IRA bombs explode in London destroying a medieval church, badly damaging the NatWest tower and Liverpool Street tube station and killing one person, the government declare the end of the recession, the Queen opens Buckingham Palace to the public for the first time, Bill Clinton becomes the president of the United States, Islamic Fundamentalists bomb the World Trade Centre killing 6 and injuring over a thousand, tennis player Monica Seles is stabbed by a spectator– an obsessed Steffi Graff fan, Slovakia gains independence when Czechoslovakia divides into Slovakia and the Czech Republic, the films Schindler’s List, Groundhog Day, Jurassic Park and Mrs Doubtfirewere all released and I turned 17-years-old.
1993 is another fantastic year for music. And oh yes, there’s Blur again, there’s REM again and there’s Queen Bjork again. Here, in no particular order are the top ten tunes from 1993 (Spotify playlist at the end).
1. Jump Around by House of Pain
2. Cannonball by the Breeders
3. Stutter by Elastica
And as a bonus, here’s a photo of peak Justine (Elastica) and Damon (Blur). Gawd bless ’em.
4. Regret by New Order
5. It Was a Good Day by Ice Cube
6. Venus as a Boy by Bjork
7. Animal Nitrate by Suede
8. For Tomorrow by Blur
9. La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh) by Manic Street Preachers
10. Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.
Tell me fam, which is your favourite from this week’s list? For me, it’s the Breeders. Oh, but also, try and keep me off the dance floor when House of Pain come on.
See you next week for 1994!
Just Another Blog From a Woman has been nominated for an award. If you enjoy my blog and you have a spare few seconds, would you mind voting for me HERE It’s very simple and there’s no need to register or provide an email address, just vote for Just Another Blog From a Woman under the Best Pal category. Thank you SO much.
Oh my God, please don’t make me go out on a night out. Don’t make me go out out. I’m very almost 42 year of age and I’ve finally come to the conclusion, I fucking hate going out. Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an anti-social piece. I love socialising. I love my friends. I love getting together with them for a gossip discussion about world politics and down bucket loads of pinot grigio enjoy a tipple or two with them, BUT going out into the outside world and rubbing shoulders with strangers just isn’t my ideal way to spend my spare time anymore.
I’ve been thinking about my favourite social appointments that I’ve had over the last year and which ones I’ve enjoyed the most. Every single one of them has involved being inside a home rather than actually being out.
1) A Halloween party- at a friend’s HOUSE
2) A 50th Birthday party- at my cousin’s HOUSE
3) A wedding anniversary party- at my aunt’s HOUSE
4) My Mum’s 70th- at my brother’s HOUSE
5) Drinks with all my Mum friends- at one of their HOUSES
6) A dinner party- at a friend’s HOUSE
7) A New Year’s Eve party- at a friend’s HOUSE
You get the idea. Love socialising. Hate being in the real world.
Advantages to socialising in homes rather than the real world:
don’t have to queue to get a drink
economically pleasing
nice and cosy. Ooh I do like cosy
much more comfortable. Call me boring, but I like a seat and a comfortable seat at that
I can actually hear what people are saying
not as much pressure to dress up. I think I’m done with dressing up. I can’t wear heels anyway and I’ve no interest in anyone else finding me sexually attractive and quite frankly, I just can’t be arsed.
you get to stay in one place the whole evening. No faffing about, walking from bar to bar and as this is the UK- usually in the rain.
don’t have to contend with being felt up at the bar. Some people might actually miss this special feature of going out out though.
free snacks
warmer. Your evening begins inside. You stay inside.
More potential to have control over what music is played.
Advantages of going out out:
I like pub quizzes. I don’t mind going out for a pub quiz. And just staying in that pub all evening. You know, a nice cosy pub with comfortable seats and an open fire and music not too loud. Like a home from home kind of pub.
And I like eating out because you know- food. However, not too often. And I prefer eating out during the day really to be honest. A boozy lunch. I’m up for that.
Going out in the evening is good if you like going out in the evening. I don’t.
Now please understand, when I have gone out out with friends, I’ve had plenty of excellent nights. It’s just that as I get older and let’s be completely honest here more boring and much, much more lazy, I like these nights out to be few and far between. Unless you’re inviting me to your gaff for a knees up, then I’d be there in a shot. In all seriousness, I really struggle to hear what’s being said when I go out out, so increasingly it’s just not that much fun for me. The best nights I’ve had out out in recent years have been nights out with just one other person and that’s probably because everything they say is directed towards me at close proximity i.e. I get to hear most of what they say. However, hearing problems aside, I do also feel like I’m a lazy arse when it comes to going out out, so I still don’t think I could be bothered to go to the effort of going out even if I could hear perfectly.
In conclusion, going out is shit and I’m surprised it’s still a thing. Staying in is everything.
What about you? Are you team going out or team staying in?
Here’s a recent picture of me going out whilst remaining inside a house. I thoroughly recommend it.
Just Another Blog From a Woman 