Tunes for Tuesdays: KT Tunstall and Billy Bragg

Right. I have a narrow window to write here. And look at that, I'm posting at the brutal hour of 7:30 AM EST.

IT'S ON.

Tonight, I have the honour of attending my THIRD Billy Bragg concert. I am BEYOND EXCITED. Excited to the point of NEEDING TO KEEP THE CAPS LOCK ON. AT ALL TIMES.

In honour of his epic wonder and to also rejoice in the utter hotness (and potential gayness...?) of a certain lady he performed with, I give to you: Billy Bragg and KT Tunstall.

Marvel as they discuss the current British music scene and the influence of David Bowie:

As for reckless concerts, I think the five-song duet orchestrated by these two singer-songwriters is tops. Picture it: an HMV on Oxford Street, February 18, 2008. Tunstall and Bragg are given one hour to select AND rehearse key songs from five decades of British music. Their concert will be given to an undecided audience. What you get is a raucous, energetic, and under-rehearsed performance that I absolutely WISH I WAS AT.

Here's their hectic, free-spirited cover of The Human League's "Don't You Want Me." (I apologize for the rough recording, but it's still fantastic):

KT: "I was working as a cocktail." Yeah, I love her too much.

And now, I am off to power through my day and kick it with a strong finish at BILLY BRAGG'S 2009 CONCERT. Oh, someone pinch me now...

The Road Back Home...

Here I am -- another September without the classroom. I miss the crack of fresh, overpriced textbooks. I miss the bustle of campus life and the small hints of autumn settling across our university town. Heck, I even miss the self-important, overconfident air of academia that seemed to seep up through the ground itself.

Though, I was given the chance to return to my undergrad days this weekend with the very same gentlemen I used to live with.

Ooh, I'm sensing a list coming on....

Saturday, September 12/2009

• Hit the roads at 9:20 am. Treated myself to a calming drive with none other than disc one of Must I Paint You A Picture: The Essential Billy Bragg as a soundtrack of sorts.
• Arrived at around 10:30 am. Surprised the gents with premium chocolates (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Chocolate-Covered Cherries, aka "Creepy Cherries")
• Caught up on various odds and ends, mostly relating to films, television, and video games. Headed to the old stompin' grounds on campus including the UC, Mr. Lee's grad student headquarters, Mountain Cafe (mmm, diabetes-inducing cookies....), and Townhouse 84 (our home for third and fourth year).
• Visited the local comic book store. I get the impression the boys were surprised that I was the one to recommend the trip. What can I say, a lot can change over the course of one year. The store relocated to a larger and much more posh space -- no more crushing into a small room and dodging the War Hammer nerds. Huzzah! I poured over their manga section quite thoroughly -- managed to reign in my desire to purchase EVERYTHING.
• Subjected the gentlemen to more Japanese television -- I wish I had invented the batsu game. Serious.
• Headed out for a delicious pad thai dinner. Showed off my newly-acquired chopstick skills. Slipped into a coma of aromatic, vegetarian cuisine. Ooh, it was also a tea-infused meal which is always a good thing.
• O'Neill and I stopped in for some ice cream at a new store across from their apartment. Oh, side note -- I got my hair cut on Friday night and I get my hair dresser to straighten it, right? I was wearing the same button-up shirt I wore on the night I encountered Jessy from Boston Pizza -- O'Neill and I ordered one-scoop cones and a certain gentleman behind the counter hooked O'Neill up with a double-scoop and me with a TRIPLE-scoop cone! Honestly, that was the first time I have ever been rewarded for my appearance. Hey, no arguments here -- it was damn good ice cream.
• Had another great queer-focused conversation with O'Neill. I never realise how pent-up I am about these topics until the two of us just sit down and share all the gay gossip we've compiled between visits. I'm glad that, despite the fact we live in two different towns now, we can still be blunt and direct with one another when it comes to all things queer.
• Headed out to Club Renaissance -- I was anticipating this trek for quite some time. It was the first time I'd ever been to a gay-exclusive club and, well.... I discovered I'd built it up a tad too much. It was all shades of awkward, let me tell you. I felt disconnected from the moment we stepped into the joint. I felt old and sober and kind of creepy...? Don't know where that all came from. And it didn't have the same weight as it might have a year ago. O'Neill's already been there a few times, so there wasn't that element of, "WOW -- here we are discovering a new queer space at the same time!!1!" Nope. It was just me wishing I was ANYWHERE BUT THERE. We stayed for half an hour then booked it the hell out.

Sunday, September 13/2009

• Defined the term "Lazy Sunday" -- Slept in until 9:30 am; Ate a delicious breakfast of eggs, toast, and chamomile/spearmint tea; Watched random clips on YouTube and sat around in our pajamas talking until 4 pm. I know, I passed my, "It's still worthwhile for me to shower" threshold. So, I got to extend the number of days I could maintain my lovely, flat-ironed hair.
• Headed out for an early dinner at the local Japanese restaurant. OH MAN -- VEGGIE BENTO. If you were curious to know the definition of "love," look no further than the bento box. It starts with miso soup and a salad; it continues with a sampling of veggie teriyaki, spring rolls, tempura, fried tofu, rice, and a veggie maki roll; and this one ended with a scoop of green tea ice cream -- all for $11.29. LOVE, I tell you -- it is love at its most fundamental level.
• Headed home at around 7 pm, accompanied yet again by Billy Bragg's vocals. O'Neill gave me the rest of the chamomile/spearmint tea (it's a nighttime brew that's supposed to help with insomnia which I am in sore need of) and Mr. Lee provided me with a disc containing all of the current Batwoman comics as well as some ample background information for her character. Will definitely have to dedicate a post to Batwoman. Serious.

All in all, it was a refreshing weekend. It was surreal to return to the campus after a full year away, but I can't deny the connection I have with the place. So, here's to all the kids out there who are headed back for another school season -- may your GPAs hold strong and your social scene expand even further.

Songs I Would Like to Date: Part One

Print by K. Zukowski

As regular readers will note, I am a hot-blooded music aficionado. Serious. I'm fairly certain there are treble clefs curled around my platelets and bass lines fused into my DNA. 

It comes with the territory of being a Moffatt. Especially the Miz of the Moffatts.

What you may NOT know about me is my penchant for inventing/pursuing random, list-oriented games to amuse myself with.

Surveys? I'm on it. 

Harems? Just check out my posts from the month of June.

I even created a popular series titled "Fun Fakts" based on uncommon observations of the common world. (I'm thinking of bringing that series back -- I re-read the old ones with my Cousin and I have established I am a crazy one).

To summarize: Music obsession + Tireless drive to create bizarre list games = Songs I Would Like to Date.

What if a song could become tangible and then moulded into a human form available for single gals everywhere? Would she be a classic, compelling woman or would she be another flash in the pan? Would she inspire your creative, self-reflexive side or would would she help you to lose yourself in the moment? 

.... Is it strange to entertain yourself with such abstract ideas? 

Anyway.

To start, I would like to offer you: "Greetings To The New Brunette" by Billy Bragg. I will preface you with this statement first -- Billy Bragg tends to inspire strong reactions to his music. You either love him and would walk to the ends of the Earth to see him in concert, or you despise him with every ounce of your being. 

I would belong to first group, naturally.

Regardless, I think it's worth the effort to read the lyrics to this track. It captures the spontaneous, energetic, and optimistic start to any romantic relationship and offers itself as the perfect travel companion for summer road trips. I think what I like most about this song is the idea that it shows both sides to a perfect relationship -- even while there's passion and fun, there's also the disagreements and the differences. All I know is that this song quite possibly embodies the most ideal connection between two people that I can imagine.

And, on that note:

Billy Bragg -- Greetings to the New Brunette

Billy Bragg: "Greetings To The New Brunette"

Shirley, it's quite exciting to sleep in here in this new room.

Shirley, you're my reason to get out of bed before noon.

Shirley, you know when we sat out on the fire escape talking --

Shirley, what did you say about running before we were walking?

Sometimes when we're as close as this

It's like we're in a dream

How can you lie there and think of England

When you don't even know who's in the team?

Shirley, your sexual politics has left me all of a muddle.

Shirley, we are joined in the ideological cuddle.

I'm celebrating my love for you

With a pint of beer and a new tattoo

And, if you haven't noticed yet,

I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet.

Politics and pregnancies are debated as we empty our glasses --

How I love those evening classes.

Shirley, you really know how to make a young man angry.

Shirley, can we get through the night without mentioning family?

The people from your church agree

It's not much of a career

Trying the handles of parked cars --

Oops, there goes another year,

Oops, there goes another pint of beer.

Here we are in our summer years

Living on ice cream and chocolate kisses.

And would the leaves fall from the trees

If I was your old man and you was my Missus?

Give my greetings to the new brunette!