2007 — 16 Mar: My ears are still ringing
Well, as I admitted to my companions last night, I have never seen or heard anything quite like the Genesis tribute band — aka The Musical Box. The five French-Canadians have made a career since 1993 by re-creating, as authentically as possible, the look and sound of shows such as the 1973 "Selling England by the Pound". But the whole concept of such tribute bands has passed me by until now. I remember seeing a few minutes about these guys on a fairly recent BBC4 TV programme, but I was largely unaware of the extent of this activity.
Of course, had the sound mix in the Portsmouth Guildhall1 been better, I might even have understood a higher percentage of the doubtless profound lyrics. Heck, as a sort-of fan, I may even now go back to revisit the original album.2 I still consider myself something of a Genesis fan, after all, though I haven't sat down to listen to any of their music for a very long time.
The encore (which I was assured they never performed) proved they could really play, too. But the warmup is 30 minutes of my life gone forever. Though studying the audience was fascinating.
Today's musical adventure
Exercising my Audacity3 skills (in part) by recording and cutting a CD of Mr Waits'4 recent fine performance in Akron for a fan in Romsey who missed the original broadcast in favour of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band in London. My, what a small, intricate world we inhabit, to be sure!
Today's mathematical adventure
Remember my one-time predeliction for multiplication? I let it out on a lead today. The Guardian made the mistake of catching my eye with its item on glaciers melting and the effect on sea level: "As the glaciers flow into the surrounding ocean, they begin to melt, together accounting for around 12% of global sea level rises, or 0.35mm per year." Setting aside the ambiguity, I decided to work out the volume of water that a 0.35mm rise in sea level represents...
How does 1,232 cubic kilometres sound? Now, what's that in cups of tea?
Today's DVD haul
Good ol' Mr Postie managed my IBM bonus (not, funnily enough, needing a wheelbarrow to help him carry it) and the following three DVDs:
- Pan's Labyrinth — about which IMDB informs me that the town (ruined during the Spanish Civil War) of the opening sequence was also used by young Mr Gilliam for his epic on Baron Munchausen
- Performance — finally available, and not even cut to ribbons. Mick Jagger as few have ever seen him.
- The Queen — "Charles, dear, use the royal flight. They5 keep one plane on permanent stand-by, in case I should kick the bucket."
Tonight's A/V experiment
Hook up the Helios DVD player to Mike P's multi-thousand-pound Sony projection TV system to see what the deinterlaced, upscaled output looks like on a real telly.
Tomorrow's gaseous excitement
Find somewhere to put the new "plasma" gas fire after B&Q deliver it but before young Mr Power Flush (remember him?) turns up to wire? plumb? fit? it into the living room. Thinks: must take a picture of the existing fire so we can remind ourselves, in years to come, of the astonishingly ugly thing that has shared our lives for over quarter of a century. Now, how does that lens cap come off?