Posts from 22nd November 2007
22
Nov 07
CARL DOUGLAS – “Kung Fu Fighting”
Lightning-fast moves, uncanny tricks, kids picking up on a craze hip-first and sparking a frisson of establishment fear – no surprise that the song cashing in on the Kung Fu fad was a disco one. Of course Carl Douglas in his headband looks like a big jolly bear, and the track’s been long embraced as a beloved novelty, but it wouldn’t have got that far if there hadn’t been a genuine sense of wonder – and kinship – in the famous chorus. You could argue that “Kung Fu Fighting”, more than the Kung Fu series itself, set a long-term tone for Western reception of martial arts – less a mix of spirituality and violence, more the wide-eyed (though still enormously impressive) foolery of Jackie Chan. “It’s an ancient Chinese art”, handwaves Douglas before getting down to boogie-ing business. The balance has recently tipped back, of course – for my tastes there is not enough disco in the beauty-soaked Crouching Tiger school of Serious Fu, though as long as Stephen Chow films are finding an audience here the spirit of Carl Douglas lives on.
Poptimism – Lesson Forty Eight
Fling – Girls Aloud
Sweaty – Muscles
Guilty Pleasures – Cobra Starship
Clumsy – Fergie
Dat Girl Right There – Usher ft. Ludacris
This Summer Night – Bertrand Burgalat w/ Robert Wyatt
The Question Is What Is The Question – Scooter
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The Sponge Fear Of Fearne Cotton
Its true you know, Fearne Cotton is afraid of sponges.
But that is nothing compared to the complexity of the Cluedo characters fictional history. Material gathered for last nights Lollards, but unused, uncovered the following salient facts: which may be useful in your future sleuthing in the house with no toilet:
The murder of Dr Black (Mr Boddy / Snr Caddaver) took place on Saturday June 5th, 1926.
Miss Scarlett studied at Madame Puce’s School For Girls (like a badly painted Chalet School one assumes)
Mrs White’s real name is Blanche Chaulkley.
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How To Rig A Taste Test
Imagine you are an unscrupulous Market Research* company who enjoys both Pepsi and Coke as clients. They both ask you independently to conduct a taste test** on consumers, each in the knowledge and expectation that their superior product will win. How can you run tests that will keep both of them happy?
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overgrown doorways 2: “his dark materials” no spoilers update
so this is about semi-unintended portals, and this is one — because at one point will and lyra run for safety to a BELVEDERE and this explodes a bunch of ideas in my head PP maybe didn’t mean bcz
i. belvedere just means a place that is good to gaze from
ii. belvedere is a suburb of shrewsbury where i grew up, where my school (aged 8-12) was, and the art college my sister went to, and my dad’s current GP, and the place i had my first grown-up job — i don’t know why, as it is NOT a good place to gaze from
iii. this escher picture is called BELVEDERE (click for full size)
iv. the only lectures i went to in my third year maths at oxford were by ROGER PENROSE = the guy (with HIS dad) who developed the optical illusions escher turned into these (to me) utterly evocative lithographs
v. my great friend dr vick is related to escher which is awesome!
vi. all of which amplifies PP’s precise intention only glancingly, to be sure, except that it’s about travel between worlds, and the power (and mortal peril) of imagination, and our own ability to connect
vii. and plus also THREE WORLDS dude, which is an even better escher picture (also click)
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