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Archive for June, 2008

26 Jun

Here I am at my desk in Dublin only a few hundred miles from Glastonbury. The weather outside is wet and quite cool. The forecast is for more rain, but is that some sunlight I can see on the horizon? Here’s hoping! (Although the weather here in Dublin is no guarantee of what it’s like in Glastonbury, of course). I’ve just checked Google Maps, and according to that it would take about nine hours for me to drive to Glastonbury if I left now – which I have no intention of doing! (I don’t even drive.)

Neil Young! No way! That was just Neil Young on my MP3 player there. Followed by The Strokes and Elvis Costello and the original line-up of the Attractions. This really is an all star line-up! (I have no idea who’s playing Glastonbury though… um… a mash-up between Jay-Z and Noel Gallagher?)

Where are you watching the Euro semi-final tonight? I’m torn between watching its faint flicker on a big-screen through a rainstorm while standing in a muddy field surrounded by twat-hatted revellers in Somerset (maybe it’s dry there – I haven’t checked the reports) or watching it in my house in Dublin with a nice cup of tea and easy access to numerous academic textbooks. I’ll let you know which I choose in later ‘live from Glastonbury’ posts on this site!

 
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23 Jun

There’s an interview with David Byrne about his ‘Playing the Building’ project in New York in today’s Guardian here.

 

20 Jun

My interview with genial Police drummer Stewart Copeland is here.

 

06 Jun

Actor Rip Torn, of the Larry Sanders Show:

- Dennis Hopper pulled a knife on him just before the filming of the film Easy Rider; Torn left the movie, and his role went to Jack Nicholson.

- Later, Hopper claimed that it was Torn who had actually pulled the knife on Hopper. Torn sued, and won $475,000 in damages, Hopper appealed the decision, and subsequently had to pay another $475,000.

- Has had a couple of drunk-driving charges against him, but has only been convicted once.

- During the filming of Norman Mailer’s movie Maidstone, Torn hit Mailer three times on the head with a hammer. Then Mailer bit Torn’s ear. In the background, Mailer’s children could be heard screaming at Torn to stop. Unbelievable. You can watch the footage here. Be warned – it’s quite insane, and, perhaps more shockingly, contains some hep-cat-isms from Torn.