Have spent longer than strictly necessary watching this today...

Lovefoxxx doing some kind of dance ritual/aerobics workout to the sound of the Bloodhound Gang - I mean, it doesn't get much better for us, really...

Black Mountain

Currently loving the new Black Mountain, off of the Spiderman soundtrack (in what crazed world, etc etc)... anyways, in the absence of a new record, thought it was worth putting this druganaut of a record up... come on smell the rock...

"If Everybody Had An Ocean"

We here at Socialism towers aren’t adverse to a bit of culture from time to time, despite outward appearances. This week we were beyond privileged to get an very early viewing of the Brian Wilson exhibition down at the Tate in St Ives (they were still hanging the thing when we saw it), which made a nice change from our usual Bukowski-esque barfly behaviour in the Smoke (sitting and talking crap in the back booth of the Social until they turf us out in the cold, miserable night). So, on Thursday morning, we cut work, and, in the company of fellow Beach Boys obsessive and Socialism contributor Sean Rowley, headed west towards perfect weather, the rolling beaches of the Cornish coast and the West Coast's pop art experiment.

Much like the Jeremy Deller curated exhibition “Unconvention” did with the music of Manic Street Preachers back at the turn of the millennium in Cardiff, “If Everybody Had An Ocean” takes it's inspiration from the life and work of Brian Wilson, finding artworks that reflect four distinct periods of the songwriter’s life (from the early ‘60s through to the mid ‘70s). Lovingly put together by Alex Farquharson, the exhibition takes a journey from Brian’s optimistic musical beginnings, where the Hawthorne, California quintet’s primary cares were girls, cars, staying out late and worrying about parental disapproval through to the paranoid, acid fried period where Charles Manson was a good friend of the family, in each case using pieces that evoke the prevailing moods of the times. Here, mainstay artists like Peter Blake and Bridget Riley sit alongside ( less famous Californians (to me anyway...) such as Sister Corita Kent (an LA based nun whose pop art graphic work was an inspiration to Charles Eames and Saul Bass) and Ed Ruscha (whose exhaustive work documenting every building on Sunset Strip reflect the gasoline dreams of teenagers in the Sunshine state in the ‘60s). In room two, all begins to surrealistically drift as details from the sleeve of “Smile” are disembodied and blown up and giant cartoon doors lie propped against walls, leading us to nowhere. One room, reflecting Brian’s meltdown and Dennis’ relationship with Manson, appears to be modelled on the “Black Classroom” from the drugs episode of Brass Eye - a badly looped, crazily warped piano line plays somewhere in the darkness while a projection of reel to reel tape recorder made entirely out of paper goes round and round on a screen. Needless to say it’s absolutely brilliant.

It’s an odd thing but what could have so easily have been a sterile exercise in trying to transpose ‘highbrow’ concepts onto what could be seen to be a ‘lowbrow’ form of entertainment, “If Everybody Had An Ocean” is actually far more inspirational, far warmer and less cynical than recent Wilson shows (trying to get a Glastonbury audience at the last festival to sing a Christmas song whilst knee deep in mud was not one of my Brian highlights, it must be said). The overall effect is to send the visitor scurrying back to “Pet Sounds”, to “Surf’s Up”; to “In My Room” and “Til I Die” (two of the songs whose lyrics are highlighted on the walls). As we leave the quant English seaside town the next day, with it’s beach full of surfers and cool cool water, we’re struck by Cornwall’s transformation into California and the fact that the Tate is currently home to the perfect mix of Pop and Art. Essential viewing – one tip, just make sure you load up the ipod with surf music before you hit the seaside for the full experience on the walkthrough...

So Sue Us...

Our math rock obsession just went public - what a record! Sounds like "Mechanical Animals" era Manson meets the Sweet meets Four Tet meets my demented bomb-headed dreams. Great stuff...

Andrew Loog Oldham by Pete Fowler

Next issue of Socialism will feature an exclusive interview with one of the all time greats, Mr Andrew Loog Oldham. Now seems like as good a time as any to run Pete Fowler's portrait of A Lo that ran in Time Out a year or two back. Issue 5 of the 'Ism is due in the Summer, promise it's worth waiting for!

Hawkins Watch week 2

We're still reeling from this - The Darkness's Justin Hawkins return to the the world of lunatic heavy rock - out and out one of the best things we've heard all year...

Something For The Weekend...

Back in the day, I used to be obsessed with this programme - Chris Needham's video diary. Must have watched it 500 times. Still quote it all the time now. Thankfully, some helpful soul has posted the whole thing on YouTube in 7 parts (Christ, it's the gift that just keeps on giving!) - sit back, strap yourself in, enjoy...
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven

Socialism most played record of year so far...

Great video too...

Oh come on, we've all been there...

Yeah, man...

HAWKINS IS GOD... NOT STEPHEN, THE OTHER ONE!!

In the wake of last Saturday's Eurovision fiasco, ex-Darkness singer Justin Hawkins has again proved himself to be a man of untold wisdom. Having failed in his bid to provide the nation with a decent song for the event (performed dressed up as a Cavalier), he has passed judgment on the dismal efforts of Scooch, who ended up second last, and that only because the Irish took pity on us. "I think Scooch lost because they were rubbish" he said, correctly. "The BBC shouldn't have put it forward. It was supposed to be different this year. The clues in the title, Eurovision Song Contest. It should have been a song".

The winner? Serbia. Nuff said. Second? Ukraine, with what looked like Sue Pollard dressed up as one of the Clangers, whilst two blokes in silver lederhosen did impersonations of Richard, the 'Sexual Terrorist' from last year's Big Brother. Are these places even real countries? On this evidence, they shouldn't be.

And to think we could have had the man behind coke-addicts anthem 'One Way Ticket To Hell' on there, bringing the erm, trophy home. All together now: "It was a dusty old night/ And I'm the first to admit it/ I am sure I upset someone/But my memory has chosen to omit it..." - watch it and think what could have been, brothers and sisters...

By the way, it's worth pointing out that Justin Hawkins, doin' it for the kids light years before Mika, was one of only two people to ever turn down an interview with Socialism - his press officer brushed us off with the words "I think Justin is a little big for this, don't you?" The other one was Andrew Neil. Hmmm.

Socialism Salutes...

some wise words from Bill Drummond, interviewed back in the KLF days...

Bernard Manning Sings The Smiths

Obviously genius.

We're feeling Rush today...

...though any explanation of the lyrics would be appreciated... worried it's some crazed call to arms for hillbilly crazies and psycho loners... i.e. Socialism staff...

Socialism favourite Jeremy Deller...

...talks Holloway Road, Huggy Bear, The Sunday Social, The Chemical Brothers and cycling... we salute the genius of Deller...

The Mooch part III

Give Mooch a chance!!!

Been watching Look Around You all weekend...

Reh Dogg - mofuckin' Original Gangsta

Thanks to Thomas/Risky Dazzle for this work of utter genius.

Been listening to...

"Another Green World" by Brian Eno - such a brilliant record... someone wacked one of the tracks on YouTube with a video so minimal it deserves a 'good attitude'... worth digging this record out, it gets better with age (yours and its).

Admit it, we've all been there...

Thanks to Rolling Stone for putting this our way...

No reason needed...

Harden the fuck up!

When Bondage Goes Wrong

Oh dear, poor old Boy George (old Boy - possibly Man George now) - "I bring a bloke back from the pub and all this happens..." - anyways, here he is, in happier times, laughing and funning and Krishna-ing like everything is hunky dory.