‘Welcome to the club of states who don't turn their back on the sick and the poor.’

I must now eat my hat as I never thought I’d say this but thank god for President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Whist delivering a speech at the prestigious Columbia University in New York a few days ago, the visiting French President let it rip.

"Welcome to the club of states who don't turn their back on the sick and the poor," Sarkozy said, referring to the US health care bill signed by President Barack Obama last week.

From the European perspective, he said, "when we look at the American debate on reforming health care, it's difficult to believe".

"The very fact that there should have been such a violent debate simply on the fact that the poorest of Americans should not be left out in the streets without a cent to look after them... is something astonishing to us."

He added after a huge applause: "If you come to France and something happens to you, you won't be asked for your credit card before you're rushed to the hospital."

Hear hear!

Rolling Down The Hills

Glass Candy are a dream, a big fluffy disco electro infused dream with bubbles.

I first came across Glass Candy whilst watching the Charles Bronson film way back. I then heard their song, 'Digital Versicolor' in the film and had to find out who made it. Seeing as the film soundtrack relied heavily on classical music, once I goggled the soundtrack and saw a group called Glass Candy, I knew it was them.

Ida No and Johnny Jewel make up Glass Candy, they formed in 1996 in the cultural hub town of Portland, Oregon. Ida who is, unbelievably forty, sings and Johnny is the Producer/Drummer. They have released a good 7 albums including EP's and LP's. Their new song, 'Feeling Without Touching' is a disco groover reliant heavily on synch beats. Older songs such as 'Sugar and Whitebread' move away from there usual electronic up beat tunes to a chilled dreamy vibe worthy of the most music muso ears.

Due to me discovering them whilst they launched the album B/E/A/T/B/O/X via record label, Italians Do It Better, I am obviously going to say it is my favourite album and it is! Their Kraftwerk cover of 'Computer Love' is addictive and even better than the original. All hail Kraftwork....Ok. The opener of 'Candy Castles' oozes coolness and the sexy beat in 'Digital Versicolour' make them amazing, glittery and exciting.

Playing live is another story, Ida brings the tunes to life in a unique way, not only by her doing yoga on stage as she gets ready to perform but also in her African inspired dance moves which entrance the audience.

Glass Candy are constantly touring and visit only London within the UK on the 8th of May. Their most recent album, Deep Gems was out in 2008 and one is due out this year… Fingers crossed!

Fav: Beatific

Stereolabia

Yesterday I read Paul Morley's Observer article about jazz and Polar Bear (pretty ace) and Brad Meldau (also ace apparently, I haven't checked yet).

In the article Morley refers to a band called Ovary Lodge - something I noted with happiness, not because I'm familiar with them but because I enjoy any reference to the female productive organs in popular (or, in this case, leftfield) culture.

So, what other bands could we add to this list? Help please. I'll start you off with a few:

The Slits
The Muff Medways
Bush
Stereolabia
Popol Vulva
Fallopian Out Boy
Uterusty Egan
Boyz II Menstruation

What I have learned from wine tasting...

The more wine you drink..the less you can score efficiently. Also, conversation is imperative. If conversation is saturated and continually falsified by opinions that do not match your own, then the wine tastes a little more sour. If conversation takes a turn for the worse, then it becomes dry. In certain circles this dryness is dourly referred to as 'Gandhi's flip-flop,' a term I do not condone. The red wine later in the evening, followed the white, and the red was wonderful but I can't very well discern one from the other. All Chilean red wine is excellent and bodacious. I also learned about the welting of shoes. I'd rather sleep than go into that one though.

I love 6 Music because...

they just played Salad Days by Minor Threat....followed by... Don't Worry Baby by The Beach Boys!

Awesome.

I would've blogged sooner but...

I was visiting the Mummies in the British Museum. It's true! My favourite fact I have taken with me from the mummification exhibit is that after being wrapped up, an amulet in the shape of a scarab beetle was often placed with them over their heart. This is because the heart scarab is not able to speak against the character of its owner on judgement day. So am I to assume that the bigger the heart scarab, the shadier the character? Hmm.

My brother leaves tomorrow morn!

Growing up, everyone has that sibling who grates on them and mine is my 15 year old brother.

The age gap is not only the issue but also because we are very much the same at times.

My brother is leaving the UK for 6 months to reside in Jamaica after being kicked out of school. This is a desperate bid by mardre to sort him out and I do hope it works.

He'll be sunning it and attending classes in Ocho Rios which is a stunning town on the north coast of Jamaica.

Throughout this week I've been thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to miss him so much,' I then go and visit him and he says something rude and I then think, 'Oh thank god he's going'.

It will be tough, as you can see from the picture.

Anyway, He will be missed.

Kurt Vonnegut explains why Hamlet is a masterpiece, and Cinderella isn't

I am already familiar with some of his books, some of his philosophies, and even some of his rules for writing. But today I saw graphs Kurt Vonnegut drew and read the lecture he gave to help explain the writing of a great story. It also explains (I think, something like) how good and bad are sometimes indistinguishable, and how the tendency we have to think of our lives as a story with a beginning and a middle and an end, a narrative arc that might possibly make some sense, is a bit of a con. So, along with Barack, Joe and Cary, today I am feeling love for Kurt.

On a Prog note...

It seems as if progressive psychedelic rock is back and I know this is a contentious issue but I am on side!

Aussie Land is where is it all happening and the remnants of the explosion lands firmly on Tame Impala's door.

They formed in Perth in 2007 and cite Cream and CAN as influences. These three scruffy 20 year olds signed to Oz label Modular Recordings (home to The Presets, Wolfmother and Yeah Yeah Yeah's) back in 2008 and have, consequently, been given time to develop and grow.

Tame Impala consists of Kevin Parker on lead guitar and vox, Dominic Simper on bass guitar and Jay Watson who drums and does backing vox. Kevin's dreamy delivery and image induced lyrics are held together by Dominic's cool basslines and Jay's drumming (especially in Half a Glass Full of Wine). An this makes Tame Impala exciting and, dare I say it… Fresh.

Tunes such as 'Sundown Syndrome' make me want to run through a field with daisies in my hair to then climb a tree to over look a luscious sunset… I then wake up from my daydream at my desk in drizzly London. 'Half a Glass Full of Wine' gained spot plays on BBC 6 Music and was their only song released from their EP in the UK.

After gaining support from Oz's biggest alternative radio station Triple J and with their self titled EP charting at number 1 on the Australian Independent Record Labels Association chart, so far, they've had a good run. They've supported The Black Keys, Yeasayer and MGMT and are gradually cracking the festival circuit.

Their album titled Innerspeaker is due for release in early June and with a few UK dates thrown in, it looks as if they're finally taking off.

Fav: 'Desire Be Desire Go'

Wednesday Week

While the people at the top forget to put on their hearing aids, support for 6 music is gaining momentum.

Not just supported by artists, listeners and the media, the under threat radio station is also gaining fans else where and the unlikely force comes from radio 4.

Don't you just love The Undertones classic much more now?

To fight for 6 there are a few things you can do. Email the trust at: srconsultation@bbc.co.uk, join the facebook group, attend the demo outside Broadcasting House London on Saturday 27 March at midday, but most importantly, listen to the iconic station. It needs you.

Cary Tennis is amazing

Finally, for the sake of argument, let us look at your life history not as a series of tragic difficulties or mishaps, but as an intelligent portrayal, as a drama with great truth in it. That is, imagine that there was some intelligence, or guiding principle, behind these repeating events. Imagine that the world was trying to tell you something, but it could only make itself known through events and patterns, expressing itself as though through a magnetic field of dramatic events. What would it be trying to tell you?

Obama and Biden are fucking brilliant

There's a right old hoo-ha in the more conservative US media about Joe Biden, vice president, happily telling Obama that "this is a big fucking deal" as the pair pass historic reforms that extend healthcare to 32 million Americans. These reforms are a glorious example of good winning out over reactionary bullshit, and that IS a big fucking deal. Whoop!