Music | Just Another Blog From a Woman

Top Ten Tunes- 2002

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 2002.

For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

The Queen celebrates her Golden Jubilee by having dinner with current British Prime Minister Tony Blair and 4 former British Prime Ministers. I mean….I could probably think of better ways to have a knees up.

In 2002, Princess Margaret- the Queen’s sister- dies, 13yr old Amanda Dowler goes missing on her way home from school- her body is later found in woodlands and a murder investigation is launched, The Queen Mother dies aged 101, Potters Bar rail crash in London kills 7 people, the Commonwealth Games is hosted in Manchester, the Queen celebrates her Golden Jubilee, in Soham, Cambridgeshire 10yr old girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman go missing and later their bodies are found– the caretaker at their school Ian Huntley is charged with their murder and his girlfriend Maxine Carr is arrested for perverting the course of justice, two nightclubs in Bali are bombed and kill 202 people (26 of which were British), Moors murderer Myra Hindley dies at 60 of a heart attack, Girls Aloud is formed as five female contestants win TV talent show Popstars the Rivals, over 50% of the UK population now have access to the internet, Chechen rebels take 800 theatregoers hostage in Moscow and threaten to blow up the theatre- 3 days later special forces storm the theatre which results in the deaths of 128 hostages and 41 rebels, two snipers in Washington DC kill 10 people and injure 3, East Timor gains independence from Indonesia, expelled student goes on shooting rampage and kills 13 teachers in Germany, the films The Pianist, Chicago, The Bourne Identity, About Schmidt, Gangs of New York, City of God and 8 Mile are all released and I turn 26 years old.

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2002 was exciting for me as not only did I get to see our Kylie live in concert this year, I also worked very hard in my first professional musical stage show. 10 weeks of 4 hour performances of non-stop dancing and singing 8 times a week plus struggling to eat properly is one way of exhausting yourself in a way that I could never imagine. And I loved every minute of it. Anyway, lots of new faces this as week and a few old (Tori is back). So, here’s my favourite top ten tunes from 2002, in no particular order.

1. Hot in Herre by Nelly

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2. Freak Like Me by Sugababes

3. Just a Little by Liberty X

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4. Just Like a Pill by P!nk

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5. The Zephyr Song by Red Hot Chili Peppers

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6. A Sorta Fairytale by Tori Amos

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7. It Takes More by Ms. Dynamite

8. Lose Yourself by Eminem

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9. Beautiful by Christina Aguilera

10. Gold by Beverley Knight

Ms. Dynamite is my favourite this week. What happened to her? She was absolutely fantastic. You know the score by now, tell me your favourite out of that lot now please.

See you next week for 2003!

Top Ten Tunes- 2001

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 2001.

For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

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Within the whole of this weekly series of posts, I have been trying to avoid putting any distressing photos here in the news section, but whatever “upbeat” or “non-stressful” photo I tried to choose for 2001, it just felt like I was making a mockery of the biggest event that took place this year.

In 2001, GP Harold Shipman is still making news as it’s reported that he could have actually killed up to 300 patients, the age of consent for male homosexual acts is reduced to the same as heterosexual and lesbian acts (16yrs), Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed Al Mergrahi is convicted of the Pan Am flight bombing back in 1988, Foot and Mouth crisis begins in the UK, a rail crash near Selby kills 10 people, Donald Campbell’s body and speedboat are recovered from the bottom of Coniston Water in Cumbria 34 years after he tried to break the water speed record, the Eden Project opens in Cornwall, a Dutch lorry driver is sentenced to 14yrs in prison after 56 Chinese immigrants were found suffocated in the back of his lorry, an anti-capitalist riot n London turns violent, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott punches a protester who throws an egg at him, Labour wins a second consecutive election and Tony Blair remains Prime Minister, William Hague resigns as Conservative party leader, race riots take place in both Burnley and Bradford, the first episode of The Office airs on British TV, riots breaks out in Brixton in London over the fatal shooting of Derek Bennett by police, Conservative MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine Hamilton are arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, Iain Duncan Smith becomes leader of the Conservative party, the IRA announce that they are beginning to decommission their weapons, Beatle George Harrison dies.

On 9/11- hijackers simultaneously take control of four US commercial airliners, two of the planes are crashed into the World Trade Center in NYC, within 2hrs both towers collapse, the third plane is crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia and the fourth crashed into a rural field in Pensylvania, almost 3000 people lost their lives and over 6000 were injured. 67 of the victims who lost their lives were British, the highest number of victims from another country other than America. 412 of the people that lost their lives were emergency workers who responded to the attacks.

The films Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Moulin Rouge, Shrek, Donnie Darko and Bridget Jones’s Diary are all released. I celebrated my 25th Birthday.

This year saw me graduate from university. I would put my official graduation photo up here for you, but it’s my parents’ house. Does anyone hang up their graduation photos in their own home? Anyway, 2001 is a much better year for music than last year. As you can see my taste in music was definitely migrating more towards soul and neo-soul than guitar bands. I got very bored of the guitar bands that were on offer during the noughties. Whilst I know they have big fan bases, I am personally not a fan of bands like Coldplay, Travis, Stereophonics, Keane and all of those other male guitar bands that were around at the time. My taste in music was definitely more female and soulful in the noughties. So, here’s the best 10 songs from 2001, in no particular order.

1. Family Affair by Mary J Blige

2. Video by India Arie

3. Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus

4. Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz

5. Survivor by Destiny’s Child

6. Fallin’ by Alicia Keys

7. A Long Walk by Jill Scott

8. Get Ur Freak On by Missy Elliot

9. Can’t Get You Out of My Head by Kylie Minogue

10. Lady (Hear Me Tonight) by Modjo

This week my favourite track is our Kylie followed closely by India. So, tell me, which one is your favourite?

See you next week for 2002!

Top Ten Tunes- 2000

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 2000. I welcome you to the Noughties!

For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Still so angry that Anna didn’t win Big Brother tbh.

New year, new decade, new millennium! The start of the millennium looked like this, GP Harold Shipman is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of 15 female patients, the UK deport Pinochet to Chile to face trial, an Enigma machine is stolen from Bletchely Park Museum, May Day riots take place in London by anti-capitalists, Ken Livingstone is elected as mayor of London, the Millennium bridge is opened across the River Thames in London, but is closed again a few days later due to it swaying as people walked over it, reality TV show Big Brother first airs on British TV, 8 year old Sarah Payne is murdered and the campaign for Sarah’s Law is started, The Queen Mother celebrates her 100th Birthday, the Olympics take place in Sydney, notorious London criminal Reggie Kray dies, Wembley Stadium closes after 77 years, Swedish coach Sven-Goran Erikisson takes over as manager of the England national football team, 10 yr-old Damiola Taylor is stabbed to death on his way home from school in London, Madonna marries British director Guy Ritchie, TV presenter Paula Yates dies of an overdose, singer Kirsty MacColl dies whilst saving her son’s life in the sea on holiday in Mexico, a Concorde plane crashes just after take-off in Paris and kills all 109 people on board and 5 on the ground, less than 600 votes separate George W Bush and Al Gore– the US Supreme court ruled to end the vote recount, which therefore gave the presidency to Bush, a fire in a backpackers hostel in Australia leave 15 backpackers dead- the majority of who were British, the UK is hit with the worst snow storm for over 50 years and brings public transport to a halt, a cable car in Austria catches fire in a tunnel and kills 156 people, the films Gladiator, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, O’ Brother Where Art Thou?, Erin Brockovich and Billy Elliot are all released and I turn 24 years old.

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Hmmmm, so I don’t think this millennium started off that strongly musically. However, I still managed to find 10 songs that I loved. And oh yes Madonna is in there again (will she be my most featured artist when we come to the end of this music series, I wonder).

1. Music by Madonna

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2. Caught Out There by Kelis

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3. Overload by Sugababes

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The original and the best line-up

4. Pure Shores by All Saints

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5. The Time is Now by Moloko

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6. Stan by Eminem featuring Dido

7. Independent Women Part I by Destiny’s Child

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8. Your Disco Needs You by Kylie Minogue

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9. Good Fortune by PJ Harvey (Peej demonstrating for you how I walk home from the pub at night)

10. The Great Beyond by REM

REM in 2000 with their new replacement band member

Now then, it’s between All Saints, Moloko, Eminem and PJ Harvey, but I’m going to go for PJ Harvey this week. One of the best gig moments I’ve ever seen was when she played Good Fortune and the whole crowd sang along to it word perfectly. Lovely.

See you next week for 2001!

Top Ten Tunes- 1999

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 1999.

For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Solar Eclipse in the middle of the day in Newcastle, UK

In 1999, the Euro currency is released, unemployment in the UK is at its lowest for 20 years, Harold Shipman a former GP is accused of murdering at least 15 female patients, director Stanley Kubrick, singer Dusty Springfield, actor Oliver Reed, child entertainer Rod Hull and comedian Ernie Wise all die, nail bombs explode in Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho killing 2 people (one of them is a pregnant woman) and injurs hundreds- a man is arrested and charged, TV presenter Jill Dando is murdered on her front door step, Prince Edward marries Sophie Rhys-Jones, the Solar Eclipse occurs across Europe, farmer Tony Martin is charged with murder after shooting dead an unarmed 16yr-old burglar on his property, the Ladbroke Grove rail crash kills 31 people, rock singer Gary Glitter is jailed for 4 months for downloading child pornography, Beatle George Harrison is stabbed 40 times in his own home by a man who is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, the Millennium Dome and the London Eye are opened, 20% of the UK population has internet access, Hurricane Floyd hits North Carolina in the US and 3 million people have to evacuate their homes, Helen Clark becomes the first female elected Prime Minister of New Zealand, Boris Yeltsin resigns as the President of Russia and is replaced by Vladimir Putin, the Queen opens the first Scottish parliament in 300 years, two boys aged 17 and 18 go on a rampage at Columbine High School in the US- shooting dead 13 people and injuring 21, the new US gun control bill is rejected, millennium celebrations take place across the world, the films The Matrix, Fight Club, The Blair Witch Project, The Sixth Sense, American Beauty, Being John Malkovich and the Green Mile (what a year for film!) are released and I turn 23 years old.

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So, not only do we come to the end of the nineties today, we come to the end of the millennium. I spent New Year/Century/Millennium’s Eve in London watching fireworks fail on the River Thames, then getting crushed in the crowd, losing my bag of booze and more importantly losing my best friend (we found her again, randomly on some other street of London). 1999 is pretty special for me. I was now living in Leeds. I had finally got round to going to university and it was this year that I met my poor unsuspecting future husband. We had bought tickets with some other friends to go and see Macy Gray and I remember saying to myself “By the time we go to see her, we will be a couple” and do know what Reader, we were. Lots of new artists this week as well as some favourites, but most importantly- our George is back!

1. Hey Boy Hey Girl by Chemical Brothers

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2. No Scrubs by TLC

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3. Everything is Everything by Lauryn Hill

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4. As by George Michael & Mary J Blige

5. I Try by Macy Gray

6. Coffee & TV by Blur

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7. Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers

8. At the River by Groove Armada

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9. Back Together by Babybird

Brit Awards Nominations Launch Party 1997

10. Right Here, Right Now by Fatboy Slim

Me at university in 1999. Sorry Sarah.

This week, it’s easily Groove Armada that’s my favourite. What about you?

See you next week for the start of the Noughties- 2000!

Top Ten Tunes- 1998

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 1998.

For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Parisians celebrate France winning the World Cup on the Champs Elysses

in 1998, Mohammed Al Fayed, the father of Dodi Fayed who was killed in the Paris car crash alongside Princess Diana, claims that the crash was a conspiracy to kill rather than an accident instigated by the Queen and Tony Blair, the Good Friday agreement between the UK and Ireland/Northern Ireland is signed, the USA reveal that they have arrested British footballer Justin Fashanu over an alleged sexual assault of a 17yr-old male, he shortly afterwards commits suicide, both the DVD format and the £2 coin are released in the UK, three young children are killed in a loyalist arson attack in Northern Ireland, Anti-Social Behaviours Orders are introduced in the UK or ASBOs as they become known, a terrorist attack occurs in Omagh in Northern Ireland by the IRA which kills 29 in a bomb explosion, General Pinochet the former dictator of Chile is placed under house arrest in the UK while he receives medical treatment, Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister of the UK to address the Irish government, 3 British tourists are killed in Yemen, the IRA announce a ceasefire, Google is founded, 250 people are killed in terrorist attacks on 2 US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the football World Cup take place in France and France wins, Bill Clinton denies he had “sexual relations with that woman” (Monica Lewinsky), the official famine of Sudan is declared, the Yangtze river in China breaks through the main bank and kills more than 12,000 people, the films the Big Lebowski, Saving Private Ryan, The Truman Show and Shakespeare in Love are released and I turn 22 years old.

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1998 gave me lots of fun (too much fun) memories of living in London. I remember the World Cup dominated my summer as myself and my French friend became obsessed with it. Obviously, her World Cup journey had a happier ending than mine. So, this week Madge is back and so are the Spice Girls, but everyone else is making a first time appearance. So, in no particular order, here’s the best of 1998.

1. Brimful of Asha- the Norman Cook remix by Cornershop

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2. Ray of Light by Madonna

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3.…Baby One More Time by Britney Spears

4. It’s Like That by Run DMC vs Jason Nevins

5. Tragedy by Steps

British culture at its finest.

6. Celebrity Skin by Hole

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7. Concrete Schoolyard by Jurassic 5

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8. Doo Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill

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9. Get Myself Arrested by Gomez

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10. Goodbye by the Spice Girls

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Well, this week my favourite is either Madonna, Britney or Run DMC….so very close, but I think I have to go with Britney. You know the score, let me know your favourite below in the comments.

See you next week for the last of the nineties- 1999!

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The Representation of Brits in American Culture

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Hayley Beasley Dye

As you know, all of us Brits are incredibly posh, very wealthy, extremely intelligent, we’re all white and we all speak in the same posh southern accent (or RP = received pronunciation as it’s known). Yes, we are all a walking/talking everyday version of Four Weddings and a Funeral. All my male friends are just like Hugh Grant and I’m *exactly* like Kristin Scott-Thomas. Now, excuse me whilst I visit my pal at his beautiful large country house and chortle away the hours whilst quaffing* champagne.

Except, as you may have discerned from my tone or if indeed you in fact, like me, hail from the British Isles then you will realise this is not the case at all. It is in fact a grossly stereotyped idea of what Britain and the British are like. Don’t get me wrong, some people do live their lives like they’ve stepped straight out of a Richard Curtis movie, but this proportion of the British people is very, very small. For a small island, we are a varied breed. However, the representation of us Brits is never more strongly stereotyped than it is within American culture.

Now, please realise, I LOVE American culture. I’ve already praised it’s comedy HERE and have mentioned my love of American films, books and music throughout many of my posts. However, I can’t help but roll my eyes when a British character is introduced on American TV and film. Here we go, I think to myself, they’ll be posh, well spoken, a snob, white and no doubt probably quite dull. Or they’ll be plotting to destroy the world. One or the other. Either way, it’s never that pleasing and rarely accurate.

So here’s a few pointers about how American culture get their representation of British people wrong. Before I start though, none of the below is a dig at Americans, it is a dig at the people who make their TV shows and films. Americans can’t be blamed for thinking the British are only a certain way if that’s all they see of us:

We are all posh snobs. Trust me on this one, we are NOT like this. Most of us are not posh (I’m speaking from a personal perspective here) and most of us are very down-to-earth, genuine and self-deprecating. We are nice people who just like a good laugh. The worst example of this representation is bloody Emily (great, classic British name there. Really used your imagination coming up with that name, didn’t you?) from Friends. She was indeed very posh, spoke with the so-called classic British accent (more on this is in a moment), was a complete snob, uptight, showed no sense of humour and most of all was very unlikable. The most annoying thing about Emily is that the writers of Friends created her and the episodes that took place in London as a way to thank the British fans of Friends, but in actual fact all it did was insult us. It’s ok, we got over it once they got rid of the character of Emily as that’s the kind of easy going people we are (we are rarely represented as being easy going either). Interestingly, well respected British actor Helen Baxendale who played Emily was asked to return for the final season of Friends, but she declined. She says that playing Emily was the biggest regret of her career.

We all speak with the same RP accent. We are a small country, a lot smaller than America anyway, BUT we have so many different accents for such a small country. Geordie (Newcastle), Scouse (Liverpool), Brummie (Birmingham), Manchester, a variety of Yorkshire accents, Bristolian (Bristol), the west country accent, Essex, Suffolk, Home Counties, and at least 4 different London based accents…to name, but a few. Also, that is just England. There is also a wide range of Scottish and Welsh accents too. So, it is safe to say, we do NOT all speak the same. This has been made very apparent to me when I have spent time in the US. Too many times Americans have mistaken me as Australian when they meet me and hear me talk (I am rolling my eyes so hard right now, I’ve almost given myself an eye hernia). During a trip to Vegas, I came across a guy on the street that said he could guess what state someone was from and if they weren’t American, he’d be able to at least guess what country. He seemed pretty sure of himself. We had to pay, but if he guessed wrong we’d get our money back plus a prize. I confidently handed him my dollars. I spoke and his answer was….Australian? Nah mate. Not quite. You’re just a whole hemisphere away. For the record, I come from the same part of the UK as both Kate Winslet and Ricky Gervais are from. My accent is half way between the two. Interestingly, the vast difference between Ricky & Kate’s accents is an example in itself of how varied British accents are as they are both from the same town. Occasionally, a “cockney” accent will be portrayed within American culture, but a) it’s usually done badly b) it’s not that often and c) it’s the same area of the UK as the RP accent. Therefore, yet again that British character with the token “cockney” accent is still only representing the same area of the UK.
We are all white. Whilst I’m probably not the best person to speak on this subject, being a white Brit myself, it is such a painfully important point, it needs raising. Plus it’s something that properly gets on my tits. Once, I was at a music festival in Coney Island, NYC. The British band the Noisettes came on stage and immediately performed their first song. The lead singer happens to be black. When they finished the song, the lead singer said in her broad London accent “ALRIGHT NEW YORK?”. I was then astounded when surrounding me, everyone turned to each other and questioned “oh my God is she British?” or….”is that singer…you know…British?! I’m so surprised”. They were clearly shocked, but not as shocked as I was that they couldn’t quite believe this black person had a British accent. That some British people could in fact be black. However, we can’t blame these shocked American gig goers. How often when a British character is introduced on American TV or in film are they black? Or Asian or anything other than white? The issue is whenever a black British actor gets work in America they play an American or an African. Never or very rarely do they get to play their own nationality. As I’ve already talked about in a previous post of mine, many Brits play Americans on American TV and if you look at my list HERE you will see that many of them are not white. It is seemingly the only way non-white Brits can get work over there. Idris Elba had to use his well-practiced Baltimore accent when speaking to The Wire fans at it would freak them out if he spoke in his own London accent. This might partly be that they couldn’t handle that this Baltimore character was played by a Brit, but am I too bold to suggest it might also have freaked them out hearing a British accent coming from a black person? After witnessing the reaction of those particular Americans at the Noisettes gig, it could also be a possibility.

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Gratuitous Idris Elba photo because…oh my God just look at the man.

The British are just English. I also feel American culture forget about the Scottish and the Welsh. If an Irish person does appear in American culture they are usually from the Republic of Ireland and very rarely from Northern Ireland. Out of these three nationalities the Scottish are probably represented the most. Yet, as you can guess they are largely stereotyped too. I’m thinking about the school caretaker in the Simpsons right now (maybe not the best example because as much as I love the Simpsons, they do like to stereotype- hello Apu). Welsh characters never appear within American culture. I’m struggling to think of one. Can you?
If we’re not uptight posh snobs then we are evil villains. We just don’t come across well to Americans, do we? If we did, then maybe just maybe we’d be represented more favourably. However, playing evil Brits has done/did wonders for the careers of Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Jeremy Irons et al. Whilst it’s not altogether pleasant, this stereotype doesn’t bother me as much (perhaps it should) as at least these villainous characters are quite fun unlike the boring, haughty British characters. I love this car advert starring Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong that sends up the stereotype of the British being evil villains.

We can’t rap. Admittedly, if I did a rap for you right now, you would be well within your rights to point and laugh at me until I walked off in shame. Nonetheless, there is a strong animosity towards British rappers in general. Last year, Drake released his new album and a few tracks featured British rappers Giggs and Skepta (as well as British singers Jorja Smith and Sampha). The reaction on the internet was not positive. Many Americans claimed that the album was ruined by the British rappers. People even created memes to show how angry they were about it (granted, the memes were actually quite funny. You can find some examples HERE). It seems that Americans don’t seem to appreciate our rap/grime music. Again, is this because British rappers don’t fit the only British representation that Americans are exposed to? Possibly, they hear the accent and think that a British person cannot relate to what rap music is about because all we do is drink tea and discuss the merits of Shakespeare over here? I get it to a certain extent. Americans are bound to prefer American music as it represents their culture more. However, to have no tolerance of other countries producing the same genre of music is hardly inclusive and thoroughly audacious. There is one thing that I cannot stand and that is music snobbery. A particular genre of music should never be limited to just one continent.

British rapper Giggs

It rains all the time. So this is more of a stereotype about our country rather than its people. Every time an American TV show or film relocates to the UK, this is typically signified by rain pouring down on the streets of the UK somewhere. Yes, it does like to rain over here. That’s why our countryside is so luscious and green. I appreciate the rain for this reason, but here’s the thing, we also get other weather. We even get hot, sunny days. Only recently, America has been experiencing spring time snow and we on the other hand, have been sunbathing in our back gardens. We get weather that allows us to enjoys days at the beach, allows us to have BBQs in our gardens, picnics in parks and even swim in outdoor swimming pools. The problem being, that it will be like this one week and then a lot cooler and rainy the following week. Our weather is “interestingly” unpredictable over here.
We have bad teeth. Yes, some of us have bad teeth, but also lots of us have good teeth. We just like to keep things a bit more “natural” across the Atlantic.

An excellent example of a natural British smile.

The one stereotype about the British that is 100% correct. We drink a lot of tea. First thing in the morning? Yup tea please. Just finished breakfast? Better have another cup of tea. Mid morning break? Tea. Just had lunch? More tea. Mid-afternoon, just got home from work, after dinner, after doing the washing up, after having a bath, someone’s just popped round, someone’s having a crisis, just broken your leg, just had your car stolen, someone’s died, TEA TEA TEA AND MORE TEA. According to us Brits, there is literally nothing that can’t be cured by popping on the kettle and having a nice cup of tea. The Americans have this stereotype on the nose.

I am sure there are the odd occasions when the British haven’t been stereotyped within American culture, but it’s safe to say these occasions are few and far between. Why should it bother me that we so often get misrepresented? American culture is huge and dominates across the world. Therefore, this stereotype of the British (and indeed other countries. Did you know that all Russians are also evil villains? Only when the British are too busy drinking tea to take over the world that is) is constantly being seen and compounded across the world. With the worldwide influence American culture has, comes great responsibility. Just to reiterate, I don’t blame Americans at all for thinking the British are all of the above. Also, I realise there will be many Americans that won’t think any of this about the British at all, as they’ll know that a whole nation of people won’t have the same personality and background. It’s just a touch annoying that American culture can’t sometimes broaden its horizons when it comes to representing us Brits. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to put the kettle on and make myself a nice cup of tea. Cheers.

*WHAT THE FUCK IS QUAFFING?!

Top Ten Tunes- 1997

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 1997.

For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

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In 1997, Princess Diana calls for an international ban on landmines, 160 vehicles are involved in a motorway pile-up on the M42 which kills three and injures 60, Channel 5 the UK’s 5th TV channel is launched, the Labour party defeat the Conservatives in the general election with a landslide result and Tony Blair becomes the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the UK wins the Eurovision Song Contest, the first Harry Potter novel is published, the IRA declares a ceasefire, 58 tourists are killed by terrorists in the Valley of Kings in Egypt- 6 of them were Brits, Mother Teresa dies in Calcutta, Scotland vote to create its own parliament after a 290 years union with England, Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield’s ear during a match and is suspended from boxing, a civil jury panel find OJ Simpson guilty, Australian rock star Michael Hutchence dies, Gianni Versace is murdered and the Notorious B.I.G. is shot dead in a drive-by shooting.

Princess Diana is killed in a car crash whilst being chased by paparazzi in Paris, a week later Diana’s funeral takes place which is watched by 1.5 billion people across the world.

The films Titanic, The Full Monty and Life is Beautiful are released and I celebrate my 21st Birthday.

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This week is a special week as we are now officially at the half way point of this weekly music series. So, I just wanted to thank everyone who tunes in every week. Discussing our music memories is the highlight of doing this music series, so I hope I still see you all every week for the second half of this series. Anyway, back to ME. In 1997, I’m living in London and generally getting up to mischief. I remember getting the news that Princess Diana had died. At the time, I was living at my cousin’s flat, sleeping on his sofa. He got a phone call at 3am from his girlfriend crying on the phone. Her flatmate worked for Tokyo TV (yes really) and she’d been called in to cover the story, so his girlfriend then immediately called us to tell us the news. It was a surreal time to be living in London. I remember visiting Buckingham Palace and seeing the sea of flowers laid down by the gates. I moved out of my cousin’s place and into my own flat on the day of Princess Diana’s funeral (yes excellent timing, I know) and I have never known London transport to be so quiet and deserted. It was like 28 Days Later. And I’ve never seen London like that again since.

So anyway, here we go. My top ten tunes from 1997, in no particular order (sorry yes more Blur, Bjork & Kylie).

1. I Am the Black Gold of the Sun by Nuyorican Soul

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2. Some Kind of Bliss by Kylie Minogue

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3. Someone’s Daughter by Beth Orton

Beth Orton press shot June 2012

4. Song 2 By Blur

5. Late in the Day by Supergrass

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6. Never Ever by All Saints

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7. Bachelorette by Bjork

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8. You’re Not Alone by Olive

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9. Into My Arms by Nick Cave

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10. Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve

Oh look what I found- a very rare photo of me at 21. We didn’t really take photos of ourselves or each other much back then. I didn’t even own a camera when I was 21, but here I am all baby faced and full of youth.

You have no idea how close it is between Nick Cave and Blur. I think it’s the closest two songs have ever been for me, BUT Into My Arms is probably one of the most beautiful songs ever written and never fails to make me tearful, so by a hair- it’s my favourite this week. Soooooo, which one is yours? And do you remember where you were when you found out about Princess Diana’s death?

See you next week for 1998!

Every Live Act I Have Ever Seen #MusicMonday

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Hayley Beasley Dye

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

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.

Top Ten Tunes- 1996

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Hayley Beasley Dye

Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 1996.

For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

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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

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2. Underground by Ben Folds Five

3. No Diggity by Blackstreet featuring Dr Dre

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4. Don’t Let Go (Love) by En Vogue

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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)

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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

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8. Professional Widow (It’s Got To Be Big) by Tori Amos

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9. Being Brave by Menswear

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10. Born Slippy (NUXX) by Underworld

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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.

Celebrities That Should Just Get Back Together

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Hayley Beasley Dye

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?

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Britney Spears & Justin Timberlake

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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.

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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).

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Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon

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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

Kylie and Jason

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

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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

PITT AND ANISTON GETTING MARRIED

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.

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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

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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.

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So which famous couples do you wish were still together, but aren’t anymore?

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