Karlheinz Stockhausen – Helikopter-Streichquartett, for string quartet and 4 helicopters

If you liked the metronome symphony then you’ll love this charming composition from Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Here’s a tip if you ever happen to go to a Stockhausen gig. You may find yourself in a situation where you want to sit beside your mates but there aren’t enough seats together. Solution: try to persuade a fellow Stockhausen fan in a seat with an inferor view to swap. They will be more than happy to get a better line of sight to the stage. Don’t worry you haven’t sacrificed your prime spot in vain! In fact the view of the stage is totally irrelevant as the performance will take place in complete and total darkness. Then you and your pals can trance out to Stockhausen’s abstract octophonic genius while your brains melt.  

György Ligeti – Poème Symphonique For 100 Metronomes

Haven’t done a music-related post in a while. I’m not entirely sure that this counts. Here’s a blast of György Ligeti’s  Symphony for 100 Metronomes. (It doesn’t really get going until around the 1:00 mark, then brace yourself for some serious excitement.)

It seems almost impossible to describe this piece without the use of ‘sarcastic quotation marks’, but I think it’s ‘great’. If you happen to have 100 metronomes lying around why not have a go yourself with the score.

 

Of all the Deathstars, in all the Planetary Systems, in all the Galaxy she walks into mine!

This is one of the funniest Star Wars parodies I’ve ever seen. Interesting side note: Peter Serafinowicz Vadar’s voice is voiced by the guy who did thevoice for Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace.

Vader in Love from the Peter Serafinowicz Show:

Disappointing Toy Bulletin

I hope you’re sitting down, I’ve got some terrible news.

The new Subbuteo men are now made out of shiny cardboard with pictures of real footballers printed on them. Also, they come in packs that you’re supposed to swap with your mates in the school playground. You can’t even buy full teams anymore!

Everyone knows Subbuteo men should look like this:

 

This Optimus Prime doesn’t even Transform into anything. It’s just a robot with wheels on its legs!

No wonder kids today are so jaded and cynical.

That’s why múm’s gone to Iceland

 I’m putting this forward as a contentder for Single of the Year. Might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it. Catch múm on tour now!  I think they play Dublin on the 13 December. Other tour dates are here. I also hear they’re having a Chistmas party with Vashti Bunyan and others at the Arches in Glasgow on 20th.

 múm – They made frogs smoke ’til they exploded

Yu Ming is anim dom

This is one of my all time favourite Irish short films. It clocks in at 13 minutes so you might want to get comfy before clicking play. It’s pure genius and the music is outstanding. It’s got a scene in the best pub and best Chinese on Dame Street, perfect for pre- and post-Olympia monkeyshines! Oh, and Frank Kelly is in it too. 

Jape – Floating

The video and song are both ace! Great to see someone from Dublin doing something so good!

 

All the slow motion throwing and man made of vegetables really reminded me of the video for Peter Gabriel’s ‘Digging in the Dirt’, which used to give me nightmares.

Frank Zappa – Peaches en Regalia

Nothing says ‘Wa-hey, it’s Friday’ like a Frank Zappa Freak Out. I love this tune, no matter how often I listen to it I hear something different every time. Let’s hear it for Sheik Yerbouti!