Chiff and Fipple Forums

Watched this a few weeks ago. Was impressed at how weak and contrived Mr Jagger seemed, after the dreadnought power-squealing and enduro-dancing of Mr Brown. Mr Wimpy Vs The Volcano. I'm not a big fan of either...now that the decades have intervened. But it was a fascinating contrast. Jagger was ne...

I saw Baraka on the big screen back in the 90s and was greatly moved. It's hard to believe that it could be even better on Blue-Ray but maybe we'll just have to find out for ourselves.

Why look backwards when we've still got Bono? Ah, the Bono. I'd have thought sui generis , sometimes sui ungenerous , occasionally just chop suey (with plenty of off-the-walnuts). But definitely sui . Something of a cross between Mother Theresa and Yoko Ono. If Bono hadn't existed it would not have...

SteveShaw wrote:We don't need any Wagners of rock, or any Wagner at all come to think of it.

Perhaps not, but we are stuck with them. As for the aesthetic, I'd bet that if it hadn't been Wagner it would have been someone else. There is something sort of inevitable about it.

Are there any depths to which rock would never sink? Perhaps ...... but striving for Wagnerian bombast sure ain't one of them. Who does the best (worst?) job of it? Here is my shortlist of contenders: Meatloaf Pete Townshend Rammstein Queen AC/DC Phil Spector As befits the topic, the list is kinda l...

This is sad news. Please accept my condolences, Walden.

Get well soon, Dale. And happy Easter to all who celebrate it. It feels odd wishing people a happy Easter. Not odd on Easter Sunday of course, but earlier. In Australia, Good Friday is the BIG DAY. More shops are closed than on any other day of the year and, for those who go to church on only one da...

It would be a disgrace not to nominate a few Richard Thompson solos. But which ones? There are dozens of very good ones. Every time I listen to an album or watch a DVD of him some guitar playing blows me away but no single song stands out.

I bought a holder way back in the 60s but it was way too flimsy. I couldn't play a harmonica which kept moving about randomly. I've never investigated whether there are better holders or whether the instability is just something you need to get used to.

s1m0n wrote:There are an awful lot of good violins in the universe.

True. And each has its own interesting story. Although many would be hard to track down these days it can be surprising what is still there to be found.

Edited to add: I noticed that one went in auction recently for c. £800

Anybody seen Jennifer Saunders' hilarious spoof on Scarlett? Greatly recommended for those of you who, like me, find it hard to dredge up sympathy for the characters.

Oh, fiddle-de-dee!

I thought they were NZ natives rather than Aussies but I really don't know. "Australis" in the Latin name just means "of the south" and doesn't necessarily link the plant to Australia. It wasn't the name really. I can't remember them being common in Victoria where I lived when i...

When I was in England, I thought that one of the nicest things about Cornwall was how little it resembled the Riviera. Tourists apart, of course, and that's how I usually like to take tourists. I'm not sure who coined the term "Cornish Riviera," but it refers to the southern coast of Corn...

This is just plain scilly, of course they have sunshine in Cornwall, heck they grow palms in Cornwall. Of course the picture is of a giant dracena not a real palm so obviously they aren't very bright in Cornwall. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/77/197841586_ab10edd571.jpg That's Cordyline australis ...

I suppose it depends on the instrument. Currently I have flutes, saxophones, whistles, guitars and amps on semi-permanent loan to friends who can't afford the instruments they deserve. Likewise, I gave a zouk to my stepdaughter and my stepson has sort of bonded with one of my strats. With guitars, b...