Saturday 26 June 2010

The Farmer's Boys and Sulley Muntari

As regular readers may know, I have been obsessed with collecting Panini's World Cup 2010 stickers recently. I spend hours poring over every tiny detail in the collector's album, wheedling out pointless facts that nobody really needs to know, but keep me from going hatstand.

For example, did you know that Honduras is the only country playing in the World Cup that is spelt the same in all eight languages that Panini use in their albums?

I have much more sympathy with the teams who have smiled for the camera when they posed for their photos - Germany in particular seem like such lovely boys. I wonder what the equivalent of "say cheese!" is in German?

Some of the French team are also smiling, but their stickers are spoilt by a nasty marble effect in the background.

My latest obsession (well, since yesterday evening anyway) is to match up players' birthdates with dates of Peel session broadcasts (as found in Ken Garner's excellent The Peel Sessions book). As most of the players were born in the 1980s, and much of my favourite music was made in the 1980s, I wondered who was born on the same day that the first Yeah Yeah Noh session was broadcast, and did it give them any luck in their career?

Well, I haven't found anyone born on 7th August 1984 yet (although I'll let you know when I do!), but I've checked out a few players, and here is what I've found so far:

Yakubu Aiyegbini, who has had a largely successful career in English football, helping the mighty Pompey to promotion eight years ago, before big money moves to puny Middlesbrough and Everton, but who will now be mostly remembered for his unbelievable miss in Nigeria's match with South Korea this week...was born on the same day that the fourth Birthday Party session was broadcast. The session did not include their song Figure Of Fun, which is unfortunately what Yakubu may have become. However, for his performances in Pompey's early Premiership years, he'll always be a hero to me.

Sulley Muntari, another ex-Pompey player, who recently argued with his coach and went off in a strop before being recalled to the Ghana squad, was born the night the final Farmer's Boys session was broadcast. This session included the song Sport For All, and also Walkabout, which seems appropriate for what he did last week. His coach may also have been thinking "whatever is he like?" during their argument (The Farmer's Boys' most well-known song). See if you can spot Sulley hiding in a tree in the illustration above.

David James, yet another Pompey player (if you've been paying attention, you may have spotted a theme with which players I've been checking out first)...was born on the same day that sessions by Fairport Convention and Osibisa were broadcast by the BBC. Hey, weren't Osibisa performing at the World Cup's opening ceremony? Have I inadvertently found an omen here? David James to lift the World Cup trophy in two weeks time? Yes? Yes? No?

Saturday 19 June 2010

Pop Quiz Number Two: The Magnetic Fields

It's Pop Quiz time again! This time it's a Magnetic Fields Special.

Play the quiz in the player below. You will hear intros from ten Magnetic Fields songs (NB there are no other Stephin Merritt projects included, such as The 6ths). The intros range in length from 15 seconds to just under 30 seconds. There are five second thinking-gaps in between each piece of music. The player can be paused at any time.

Some of the songs are better-known than others. If you score more than five out of ten, you can consider yourself a True Magnetic Fields Fan!

Good luck!



Saturday 12 June 2010

Four Johan Vonlanthens, there's only...



Well, I'm collecting the Panini South Africa 2010 football stickers set, and I need people to swap with! This seems like as good a place as any to advertise my swaps, so here's my current list (new swaps will be added in separate lists as and when...):

12 42 43 47 63 75 83 94 109 117 129 143 148 150 155 166 176 177 186 201 209 222 231 232 235 239 251 264 278 298 300 322 327 328 340 343 344 361 366 376 377 403 411 424 425 437 452 473 488 499 503 529 534 537 542 545 549 555 564 573 581 583 588 593 596 606 629 631 636

New as of Saturday 12th June: 39 45 141 216 237 252 305 325 338 355 443 496 590 608

New on Tuesday 15th June: 56 193 214 224 259 299 304 357 368 371 384 409 432 484 515 526 528 580 604 607

New on Monday 21st June: 30 35 57 65 73 78 88 116 126 134 187 215 234 241 248 261 276 311 318 349 354 365 369 370 391 392 413 421 423 439 450 455 463 465 467 485 489 496 501 530 547 586 591 594 602 622 625 632 638

New as of Saturday 26th June: 14 32 37 85 105 120 149 152 157 162 163 168 178 208 212 269 277 287 303 314 462 506 527 563 584 609 619 623 626

New on Thursday 8th July: 3 90 132 139 167 172 188 221 262 265 348 364 388 394 400 404 420 427 448 453 502 511 521 525 533 548 554 566 578 585 634

Contact me via the comments, forum PMs, or even real-life! And I'll send some to you in exchange for your own swapsies.

Tuesday 8 June 2010

Pop Quiz Number One

It's Pop Quiz time!

Press Play on the player below. You will hear ten introductions to songs of between 15 and 30 seconds in length, separated by 5 second gaps (thinking time!). Press Pause at any time, and the player will stop and then restart from the same point when Play is chosen again.

All the songs are by artists beginning with the letter C. Most, if not all, were recorded and released in the 1980s. All are independently-spirited; most were Not Big Hits.

Go!