Celtic Connections 2011: Day 6 (18/1/10)

It is a miracle. I appear to be on time. I even have time to work on this blog while I'm waiting on the train. I'm sort of finished my tax return. I have moved onto phase three: locating and neutralising all the receipts hidden in bags, guitar cases, behind the sofa and at the back of the freezer. I have already struck gold under the bed this morning where I found two months worth of train tickets and a guitar repair.

While I'm waiting on Gillian to head out to the Late Night Session I make good use of my time by searching for weird things on Google Maps. I've heard there's loads of pictures of people sunbathing in the nude. I think that's an urban myth as I can't find them anywhere. I've searched all over Iceland and everyone appears to be full clothed.

I fire up spotify to help me return the tax. The first thing I spot is a Bobby Bare album. I have never heard of him but he's wearing a denim jacket and a cowboy hat. In my mind nothing lifts the spirit more than a good dose of cheesy country tunes.

Returning tax is like driving. You've got to have the correct music to do it right and 98% of the time it works all of the time. (to misquote San Diego's own Brian Fantana)

Bobby Bare is a god like genius dropkicking me through the goal posts of life... come on folks sing along...

Loudon Wainwright III

I listened to this again on the train today. I was playing it to Calum McCrimmon last night and had forgot what a powerful piece of music it is. He's playing in Glasgow and Perth in May... if I'm feeling rich I might go to both.

The dishes are fairly starting to pile up. A sure sign Celtic Connections is beginning to take hold. If anyone manages to break into our flat we are likely to find their crumpled corpse in the kitchenburried beneath a mountain of soup pans and furry coffee cups.

Unaccompanied singers of the world. Why are people not singing along with you? Perhaps they're all bastards.  Or maybe, just maybe, you sing too fast, pitch too high and phrase each line in a weird way. Maybe that's why we don't join. Have you thought of that?

I know I'm being offensive but this photo actually makes my skin crawl.