I'm not dead! + DJing, and The Selection Show (21/11/13)

Hi there, first and foremost, I'm not dead. I haven't updated this site in seven months and in those seven months I've moved house, twice, got a job permanently and, quite frankly, put freelance journalism on the back burner.

I'm not saying I won't be doing any more articles or listings ever again, not at all. I'm just mentally in a different place than where I was when I put this site together three years ago. But I've been mainly updating this site sparsely because I felt I had to, but it's just not the case. I'll have a passion for writing again in a few months or years, for sure, but not at the moment.

Which brings me to where I am at, at the moment. For the past year I've bee umming and ahhing over the idea of trying to give radio DJing a shot. Now, I'm a very tentative person when it comes to trying new things and work at a very slow pace. I wanted to wet my feet in the water, so to speak, before announcing anything.

I've worked on only my fourth ever show on Thursday and publically announced this on my Facebook and Twitter pages. I did a requests show in which people could request songs for me to play, and messed about a bit. My microphone is terrible at present and I'm still learning the ropes, but the reception of the show has been mixed to positive so far. Thanks for the support. Any feedback and constructive criticism is welcome.

So, any DJing projects I do now, I'll be promoting on this website, and if you want to listen to the show, email me, or contact me on Facebook or Twitter and I'll tell you how you can listen to it.

Please though, bear with me though, I'm not going to turn into some DJing wizard genius overnight. I'm learning how to do things and putting up with a shit microphone, I also know that I blow on the microphone at times but I'm working on it, so don't give me any shit about that okay?! Cool.

So, if you've come here for any new articles, I'm really sorry to disappoint. You're more than welcome to look around and see any of my previous work over the last 10 years but at the moment, I'm moving in a different direction. If you're interested, please support me. I appreciate it. Until next time, take care.

The Selection Show: 21/11/13

Track listing:
Jermaine Stewart - We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off
D-Train - You're the One For Me (Paul Hardcastle '85 Mix)
Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You
Chris Isaak - Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
Foo Fighters - The Pretender
Nine Inch Nails - Closer
Tom Jones and the Stereophonics - Mama Told Me Not to Come
Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Queen - Bicycle Race
Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle
Spinal Tap - Christmas with the Devil
Total show running time: 00:53:23

On info on how to listen, email me!

Other entries you might want to read:

• Mercy Licks - March 2013 - Listing
• Mixtape: Best of UK #1s 1952 - 1981 - Mixtape
• Inactivity - Personal Blog Update

For the latest updates on my work, follow me on Facebook and Twitter here!

Noughtie: My Guilty Pleasures

Overall Favourite Artists | Best of 2000 | Overall Least Favourite Artists | Best of 2001

Where Are They Now? | Best of 2002 | Best New Artists | Best of 2003 | My Guilty Pleasures

Best of 2004 | My Favourite Riffs | Best of 2005 | Underrated Artists | Best of 2006
 My Favourite Albums | Best of 2007 | Best Videos | Best of 2008 | Most Important Artists
Best of 2009 | 100 Favourite Songs of the Decade | 100 Most Important Songs of the Decade

Welcome to Part 9 of 22 of the Noughtie series. This, for me anyway, is a slightly embarassing listing as I'm going to reveal 10 songs by 10 artists I really don't like. Some of these artists were featured in my Least Favourite Artists article, yet I can't help but like some of these songs. Let's get to't.

10. "Gives You Hell" by The All-American Rejects

I don't hate this band, I'm quite non-committal about them, that's why they're #10. They're a slightly dislikable emo band, yet this song got quite popular, it definitely got played a lot. The more I listened to it the more I tolerated it, and eventually started to like it. The video, if in the right mood, is quite good to watch too.

9. "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi

Man, I can't stand Bon Jovi. My fiancee and her family love him and play him often when we travel by car, while I sulk in the corner. Well this song is an exeption. I don't even know why,  I just can tolerate it. I find myself singing it when it comes on the radio or whatever.

8. "Losing Grip" by Avril Lavigne

If you aren't a huge fan of Avril chances are this song passed you by. It was the fourth single off her debut album (after the horrendous songs like Sk8er Boi and such), and rarely got played on TV or Radio. But I actually don't mind it, I saw it on Kerrang! way back when it came out and decided to listen to it, I dunno why, and actually thought it sounded okay. It shows that she has slightly more talent than I thought she did beforehand.

7. Lonely at the Top - The Ordinary Boys

Another band I can't stand really, but this song is yet another exception. I find it quite catchy. I heard it quite regularly on the radio when it came out and thought it was a decent track. Then they followed it up with the horrendous "I Luv U" and I started hating them again.

6. Figured You Out - Nickelback

First mention of Nickleback in the series and unfortunately it won't be the last. Like them or hate them, they have had a great success in the last decade. More about that in other listings though. I hate this band, but they have done a couple of songs I don't mind, this one being one of them. I think it sounds okay. It's another one of those singles that unless you're an avid Nickleback fan, may not have heard. It's okay. That's my opinion anyway.

5. Teenagers - My Chemical Romance

Man, I hate this band so much. I fucking, hate, this, band. And I hid feelings about this song for sometime. I tried to hate it I really did. But it's really catchy. It's got a fantastic chorus, and Gerard Way's vocals aren't as frustrating to listen to as normal. I still hate that man. Why does one of the hottest women in metal have to go to him? Sigh...

4. God Put a Smile Upon Your Face - Coldplay

You can add the album "A Rush of Blood to the Head" as an album that is okay, by a band I don't like. I was in a very happy period of my life when this album came out and a good friend had a copy and played it often. This was my favourite song on it definitely, I think it's possibily their best song. It's a good little track.

3. This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race - Fall Out Boy

The only song by the band I actually think it quite good. I do also like the self-parody video, it gives the band some character, and that the band is not all about Pete Wenz after all. Seth Green being in the video is a huge plus of course. But yeah, the song is quite catchy, I like the beat in the first verse and the chorus is quite good too.

2. Harder to Breathe - Maroon 5

I heard this song before they got really big. If you haven't heard it, check it out because it's actually quite cool. This was their debut single, which didn't get anywhere because mainstream pop don't care about cool songs, then they released "This Love" afterwards and got huge. Everyone then forgot about this really cool song and not many people have looked for it since. I heard this, thought the band was quite cool, then heard everything else afterwards that they released and hated them. Oh well.

1. Superman - Stereophonics

I don't like the Stereophonics. I don't hate them, but I don't like them. This is the only song by the band I like. But I don't like it, I love it. It really kicks ass. It just sounds so cool, it's not your typical Stereophonics song which is probably why it's that good. If you haven't heard it before, check it out:

So there's my Top 10 songs that I consider are guilty pleasures. As a rule, I really don't like those bands, even hate some of them. Yet those songs are good tracks, that show that you can like songs even if you don't like the bands. I shall be back on Sunday, with the best of 2004.