The Continuing Denegration Of Fathers

If you have heard of Fathers4Justice, and are curious as to why they are so loud, and so angry as a protest group, you need go no further than the following BBC News report to find out why...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7109774.stm

This is the country we are living in, just about the only place in the world where the state officially sanctions the notion, the idea, the ideological belief that fathers are irrelevant to their children and have no rights, only responsibilities towards those children. There is no relationship anymore between case law regarding the rights of fathers and the natural law governing the rights (and of course, responsibilities) of fathers. I ask you, what have we become as a society, when we allow secret courts to make decisions about children and parents, and we allow open courts to inform the nation that fathers are meaningless entities, just cash machines for mothers?

Feel free to comment as always - this is one place where open debate is most welcome. But please, no insults and no abuse - i.e., keep it civilised please.

Rilo Kiley Live At The Cockpit - 20.11.2007

Onwards with my all-consuming musical theme, and onto one of my all-time favourite bands - Rilo Kiley...


Suffice to say, having seen this band 4 times now, and Jenny Lewis 6 times in total, I know what to expect. A Californian oddysey of indie-country-rock. They were as on fire as I've ever seen them, with Blake in particular really raising his game with some stunning solo work and all-round passion. Jenny was happier than I've ever seen her on a stage as well, laughing and having a lot of fun. Oh and thank you very much Blake's brother, Snowball, who kindly passed me one of Blake's guitar picks - a Dunlop .88mm. Cheers Snowball!!!

I won't bother with a 37 page dissemination of a gig that was great to the people who were there; I'll just say, if you weren't there, or you weren't at The New Pornographers in Manchester, then you're square. Square I tell you!!! Like this: 日 lol

I must also add that Rilo Kiley have one hell of a support band with them - Grand Ole Party who dazzled the bujeebers out of me!

Can't wait to see these guys in Manchester - Sunday night!!!

Finally - more photos to follow as I text them to Thunderfrogs very own Andy, who e-mails them to me! Sincere thanks to Andy and his teams of Indonesian midget slaves over at his place...

WE LOVE YOU JENNY LEWIS!!!

Great Bands Of The Here & Now, And The Yesteryear

Like millions of you around the world, I have an unflinching passion for real music. You know the kind of thing - The Arcade Fire (not The Spice Girls), The Decemberists (not Take That), The Doors (not Bananarama), and The Shins (not Generic Boy/Girl Band # 34). So, a sample of bands that I like (the band names and pictures link to videos):

The Great Bands Of The Here & Now

1. The Shins

2. The Decemberists

3. The Arcade Fire

The Great Bands Of Yesteryear

1. The Doors

2. Neil Young

3. Donovan

Welcome To Generic Blog # 34!

Hello, and welcome to Generic Blog # 34. Why Generic Blog # 34 as a name? Well, it had to do with alcohol (as all good things do), a recent night out at a gig in Manchester, and an ongoing competition between my friends to come up with an ever better band name for a band that doesn't exist yet. We were watching The Duke Spirit at the Night & Date Cafe on Thursday, 15th November 2007, and as is the norm at these things, there was a support band on. No-one remarkable, but they weren't crap either. Of course, no-one knew who the hell they were, so when my friend asked me who the band was, I sarcastically replied "Oh, it's Generic Band Number 34" and thus a legendary concept was born - the Generic Number 34. This is the first incarnation of it, and it seems appropriate to name it so as we are apparently being drowned by self-indulgant western imperialist pig-dogs like me, flooding the internet with self-indulgent mush like this. So welcome, and pardon my apathy. Leave your will to be weird at the front door, as I will need it later. Thanks!