Bits and Pieces

So I turn on my computer this morning and after checking the soccer results (Holland 3 - 0 Italy - AWWW YEAH) I went to check on the news. Up comes a traditionally disgusting picture of Amy Winehouse with the headline 'I'm Not A Racist'. Why? Because she was off chops singing a lyrically altered childrens song with a friend. Have a look.



Now there are a few things about this video that annoy me - Its from last year, first and foremost, so for it to come out now and cause 'outrage' is stupid. Second of all they are obviously HIGH AS A FREAKING KITE which is no excuse, some of you might say. Well I think it is. If every fucking photo or video that the media showed the world contained you at times when you drunk, high, upset or just not at your best people would quickly begin to think this was how you had conducted yourself your entire life. THIRD point of order is that, whilst high, they are obviously singing a CHILDRENS song which you will no doubt find has alot to do with where she was brought up and the people she hung around. FOURTH point of order is that Gooks and Nips are the same. Thats not really in her defence, I just wanted to clarify. (Apologies to the Gooks and Nips out there who may think they are different).

What everyone sadly forgets these days, due to the incessant hounding of the press and the continual publishing of horrible photos and bad stories, is that Amy Winehouse is a fucking AMAZING singer. She has more talent than all these Lily Allen/Kate Nash/we all sound the same, sing the same, look the same AND act the same bitches that are coming out of MySpace put together. She takes drugs, SO FUCKING WHAT!? So do 75% of the bands in your record collection! If you had a friend you cared about on drugs, ruining their life would you constantly put them under public scrutiny? Would you make them feel bad about themselves? Defenceless? Or would you do what you could to nurture them and help them recover? Maybe Winehouse should employ the Lily Allen method and have a miscarriage so everyone feels sorry for her instead of thinking shes a drunken loser (which, sadly, Lily Allen is). Then again if Winehouse DID employ such a method people would probably think she killed it. Do you see the amazing double standards here? Argh. Maybe people will never understand. Everyones entitled to an opinion and thats mine.



In other news from that part of the world my favourite Scottish trio The Fratellis have brought out a new album and thanks to the wonders of the internet and Imeem you can hear a nice montage of samples from all the tracks (including the full length new single 'Miss Mabel' right here. What do I think about it? It certainly sounds much more polished than Costello Music, but it's kept the drunken swagger that these guys have made their own. There don't seem to be the hooks that made 'Flathead' and 'Chelsea Dagger' such amazing songs though. Then again these are opinions based on 30 second samples, so I'm still leaving my disappointment or amazement for when I hear the entire thing. Make your own mind up though. Either way I'll be seeing them at Splendour.

Until next time