The Real Fooking Deal

Had read about this blokey by the name of Seasick Steve who's been making quite a name fer himself among music aficionados. Born Steve Wold, this guy left home at age 14 & lived the life of a train-hopping hobo.

Busking, performing at honky tonk bars & generally just bashing the life out of his unique home made instruments (eg three-string guitar christened the Diddley Bo!), Steve came to prominence after his raucous performance on Jool's Holland New Year's Eve extravaganza a few years back.

So while you enjoy the long Raya break, me fooking urge you to check this video out of that performance. Raw, gritty & most definitely the real fooking deal. Am sorry but anyone who fails to be fooking moved by this has just got no soul . . .


ps: Selamat Hari Raya & Happy Holidays to all!

pps: To download Seasick Steve's Doghouse Music, please click on http://rapidshare.com/files/89684529/jk_wbb_M_SS-DHM.part1.rar & http://rapidshare.com/files/89683281/jk_wbb_M_SS-DHM.part2.rar . (Please note password is: joeykins)

The Good, The Bad & The Referees!

Am sure lotsa of yer had a great weekend of EPL footie. Here's me two cents worth:

The Good:
1) Hull Fooking City! No one, and me means abso-fooking-lutely no one, gave em a snow flakes chance in hell of getting anything out of the Emirates. Given the Gooners red hot form & the scintillating footie they were playing, the ultra-unfashionable new boys were expected to be on the wrong end of a butt fook. "Five-fooking-nil," said Macca on Football Forecast! Well, the Tigers showed em & proved that there is some semblance of romanticism & unpredictability yet in the EPL.

2) Reds triumph in Merseyside derby. Crap game with stoppages every two minutes. Senseless sending off but great result fer us & great to see Torres end his barren spell. To all Kopites looking fer a Bluenose to taunt, here you go, please leave yer comments at Evertonian Amir's blog: http://puterabatu.blogspot.com/ . (Do feel free to drop a comment or two, me already has!)

The Bad:
The Spurs - Poor start continues fer big spending Spurs as loss to Pompey see them firmly rooted to the fooking bottom of the table. Selling more than half the squad just prior to window closing means Ramos has a huge task of gelling the new arrivals into cohesive unit. Poor start means qualification (via league position) fer Europe is more or less out the window fer Spurs. To Moz & Anand, hang in there. We feel yer pain.

The Referees:
Am sorry. But these fooking bastards in black are fooking hijacking the game we love. Last week, there was the fiasco of Gerard's 100th "goal" v Stoke. Then there was the phantom goal @ Vicarage Road. This week? Cahill's sending off in the Merseyside derby, Wigan's dubious penalty winner & Rob Fooking Styles awful penalty decision against Bolton. Totally changed the complexion of the game. Perfect tackle but chose to award mancs a pen. And yes, me would be just as pissed off if it was us who benefited. Why? Coz we're football fans first . . .

ps: Look forward to yer comments on what you think can be done to minimise the impact of refs making shite decisions. Me is all in favour of vid replays. What say you?

Fer Fart's Sake

As we head off fer the weekend, me leaves you with this cautionary tale. Beware the next time you feel the need to expel yer noxious fumes in the company of others lest you get slapped with a fooking writ!

Read on . . . & hope you have an "assault"-free weekend!

Man charged with ‘assault’ for passing gas
NEW YORK, Sept 25 — A West Virginia man who police said passed gas and fanned it towards a patrolman has been charged with battery on a police officer.

Jose A. Cruz, 34, of Clarksburg, was pulled over on Tuesday for driving without headlights, police said. According to the criminal complaint, Cruz smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and failed three field sobriety tests before he was handcuffed and taken to a police station for a breathalyser test.

As Patrolman T.E. Parsons prepared the machine, Cruz scooted his chair towards Parsons, lifted his leg and "passed gas loudly," the complaint said.

Cruz, according to complaint, then fanned the gas towards the officer.

"The gas was very odorous and created contact of an insulting or provoking nature with Patrolman Parsons," the complaint alleged.

He was also charged with driving under the influence, driving without headlights and two counts of obstruction.

Cruz acknowledged passing gas, but said he didn't move his chair towards the officer nor aim gas at the patrolman. He said he had an upset stomach at the time, but police denied his request to go to the bathroom when he first arrived at the station.

"I couldn't hold it no more," he said.

He also denied being drunk and uncooperative as the police complaint alleged. He added he was upset at being prepared for a breathalyser test while having an asthma attack. The police statement said he later resisted being secured for a trip to a hospital that he requested for asthma treatment.

Cruz said the officers thought the gas incident was funny when it happened and laughed about it with him.

"This is ridiculous," he said. "I could be facing time." — AP

ps: "RE: "The gas was very odorous and created contact of an insulting or provoking nature with Patrolman Parsons," the complaint alleged." Ha ha ha! Me fooking wonders how a court will determine whether the fumes were offensive enough to constitute assault? Get the defendant to let one fly? Now that's what me calls a fooking vulgar diplay of power! Ahh ahhhhh hhaa haa ha hahrg!

Play It Again, Sam! (Sam Gopal: Escalator)

Ok, Anba piqued me curiousity when he started babbling about some obscure psychedelic band from 60s London fronted by a Malaysian dude by the name of Sam Gopal.

A quick dip in cyberspace revealed that the band did indeed exist & played alongside some seriously BIG names of that decade - Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Soft Machine - and even featured a certain Ian Kilminster (ie Lemmy of Hawkwind & Motorhead fame) in its line up.

From what me gathers, Sam Gopal played the tablas & they managed to produce ONE album Escalator. And lo & behold, me found the download link to the album.

To download Sam Gopal's Escalator, please click here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/69829417/Sam_Gopal_-_Escalator__1968_.rar

Have not heard this meself yet, but me has got the feeling this is gonna be mystical, whimsical & downright weird & fooking wonderful!

What me wants to know now is what has happened to good old Uncle Sam & why the govt has not made him a 'Datuk' yet?!!? Anyone who has played with Jimi deserves a Datukship!

ps: As usual me looks forward to reading yer comments on this album.

pps: Check out the "ferocious" facial hair on the album cover . . . dashyat . . .

Bodohwi you dumbkopf!!!

In case any of you have yet to catch this, here it is fer yer viewing pleasure. Kudos to whoever wrote the script & match it to this clip. Fooking brilliant.

Wonder if Bodohwi & his cabinet has seen this? Laugh out loud or sent old botak to track the creator of this video down fer "threatening national security"?

ps: Thanx to Becky fer the link.

pps: Fer those who canna access the vid here, please go to: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_7XCRpRwz1s

What can we do fer RPK? (ref Malaysiakini)

"Even alleged mass murderers like Radovan Karadzic gets a trial . . ." (Moz via sms)

How fooking tragic is that? (fer those who haven't heard, please read: http://malaysiakini.com/news/90208)

Now, me is no rabid fan of Raja Petra & have always taken his "reports" with a pinch of salt. But me was constantly delighted by his ability to produce statutory declarations by witnesses such as Dr Othman which were a constant thorn in fooking Barisan's backside.

We must NOT give in to this oppression. Even if some of you say RPK had it coming with his reckless blogging, please note that if we let this slide it would be a clear sign of weakness on the part of the rakyat on the issue of civil liberties.

Question now is what can we do to free this blogger? Or at the very least get the authorities to fooking let him have his day in (kangaroo?) court.

The Yanks are always very fond of saying "freedom is not free". But right now, it would appear only a very small group of people are willing to pay the price . . .

ps: In the meantime, "controversial" rapper Namewee has been summoned to police HQ this morning regarding his cyber-smash Negaraku. Fer more on this, please go to: http://malaysiakini.com/news/90215. Another one to pay the price fer speaking his mind on behalf of other Malaysians . . . ?

Fooking Ace Ads!

Its the fooking start of the week & me has got a terrible case of them Monday fooking blues. Anyone else similarly afflicted is advised to watch these two BRILLIANT COMMERCIALS. Am pretty sure the first one never made it to the telly . . .


Do tell which of the two you prefer (actually me has a pretty good idea which one is gonna garner more votes!).

ps: Me thinks the first one was quite possibly directed by Kerp! Watch it & you'll see what me means . . .

pps: Thanx Kevo fer the first ad & Leona fer the second. Cheers!

Two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl . . . (Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here)

As me said, wifey & meself would be having a little tribute to the recently departed Richard Wright by playing the entire Floyd discography this weekend.

Me would like to invite the rest of you to follow suit. Those who don't own any Floyd &/or are not familiar with the works of this great British band, me proudly presents to you what me considers its all time masterpiece - Wish You Were Here (1975).

To download, please click: http://www.mediafire.com/?ad12syxgm11

Trust me on this, this is one super chill out album which is perfect to enjoy a quiet drink to & fer some self-indulgent navel gazing . . . and even better fer nursing a hangover.

Compelling, beautiful & utterly tragic all at the same time. Me gets goosebumps every single fooking time me listens to this . . . honest.

ps: A little trivia - Pink Floyd take their name form two Delta Bluesmen - Pink Henderson & Floyd Council. So there, now you know.

pps: Look forward to reading yer comments on this absolute classic of an album. Here's to a Floyd weekend!

Mission: Impossible fer Anwar?

Fer those trenchant critics of Anwar Ibrahim & the many disappointed souls who felt betrayed by the former DPM's failure to SEIZE power on Sep16, please read the article below.

It outlines the mammoth size of the task facing Anwar & the Herculean efforts he has already put in by getting this far. So a little patience is perhaps in order. What worries me though is how will Anwar convince the monolith institutions of the Malay Rulers, Armed Forces & (worse of all) the fooking civil service to accept a government led by him.

Fer those who counter by saying that Anwar should have bid his time & waited fer BN to capsize on its own accord & walk into power at the next GE, just look at the constant sabotage caused by BN & its fooking leaches in the civil service. BN has emptied the Treasury in (four of the five) opposition controlled states as well as placing Federal obstacles in its path (eg delayed Monorail project in Penang). The civil service meanwhile has resorted to subterfuge in the form of ass-dragging to hamper whatever projects Pakatan have tried to put in place.

Yes, Anwar may be power hungry but the unworkable scenario in those states also necessitated a snatch fer the PM's crown. Otherwise, we'd be in an even fooking bigger mess.

23psi said to me yesterday,"People don't seem to realise what a difficult task this is. And fer them to lose patience so quickly shows that they don't quite fully realise the size of the undertaking. Anwar has been tirelessly canvassing support from all quarters since his release & fer him to make such inroads since Mar8 its quite incredible."

Me fully agrees. No one, not PAS, not DAP & certainly not Semangat 46, has managed to so effectively destroy BN's myth of invincibility as Anwar has done. Does anyone remember a time when the govt was on such shaky ground?

Even if you are somewhat disappointed with the delay tactics of Anwar, bear in mind he is just going thru the democratic motions of asking fer an emergency sitting of parliament. He wants to be seen as giving PM the democratic route out. Besides, if BN are so sure Anwar does NOT have the numbers, call his bluff & end this fooking charade once & fer all. Fact that the PM has refused to meet Anwar or agree to an emergency session of parliament show he knows his grip on power is tenous at best.

Do read the article below to gain some perspective as to what is trying to be achieved. Also do understand how one man is standing up to the collosal might of govt almost singlehandedly. He needs yer support.

This is how me sees it - If you are against selective prosecution & the abuse of process, support Anwar. If you are against racial politics & bigots like Ahmad Ismail & Khir Toyo (but a reporter & an opposition MP is detained fer their crimes), support Anwar. If you believe in free speech & is abhorred by the detention of Raja Petra & Kickdefella, support Anwar.

It really is that simple. Support the one person who can bring an end to the corrupt & morally-bankrupt regime that is BN, or be prepared to be stuck with them fer another fifty fooking years.

Please do take a few minutes to digest the article below & me hopes all Malaysians will find the resolve needed to sees us thru this crisis. Like me said, things will get a lot fooking worse before they are gonna get better . . .

The entrenched forces still in Anwar's way
By Baradan Kuppusamy (From The Malaysian Insider)
SEPT 17 - Opposition leader and PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has failed to keep his promise to topple the government and become prime minister by Sept 16. But it is not for want of trying.

He has been working day and night since March 8, meeting Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs secretly to persuade them to defect. He offered them almost anything they asked.

He also secretly met top civil servants, ministers and even tried to contact senior police officers and the army's top brass to help "clear the line" for him to make the change happen.

Although Anwar had substantial public support to make the crossovers happen, major hurdles stood in his way.

Up to now, he has been unable to surmount the hurdles and that is why he failed on Sept 16 and will fail again. He is unlikely to see the inside of the prime minister's office in Putra Jaya unless he successfully clears these hurdles.

This is the case even if he has the numbers. Depending on who you talk to, he is said to have 31 to 42 MPs behind him. This is the reality of politics here and anywhere where democracy is weak and personalities dominate national politics.

While, theoretically, the public will is paramount, entrenched institutions have a big say on who becomes prime minister. One instance is the King, who, although he is a constitutional monarch, still has a big say on who governs the country.

Not only is the King's support crucial for Anwar to achieve his aims but support from the Rulers as an entrenched institution is essential.

The backing of the Rulers is essential, not just for the technicalities of convening parliament, taking a vote of confidence or the swearing in of a new government, but more as an integral part of the political establishment of Malaysia.

Anwar's image as a rabble-rouser, earned from his days as an Islamic firebrand, stands in his way now as he battles from the outside to change the government. The worry is he is seeking to rewrite the rules and change the status quo.

Is he just replacing the leadership or rewriting the rules? Is he a republican or a monarchist?

He has not yet convinced the country's monarchs, who are also, crucially, the heads of Islam in their domains, that he will defend the status-quo including their positions.

Another entrenched institution that needs convincing is the army, and, by extension, the police force which sees him as an agitator who will potentially destabilise the status quo.

The recent statement by the armed forces chief that the military is worried race and religious disputes are destabilising the country should be taken in the context of the constant refrain from Anwar that he would topple the government.

Any armed forces would worry about what is really being toppled?

By voicing their concern, the armed forces signalled that they will defend the status quo - meaning the institutions of the Raja Raja Melayu, Islam and the related political establishment - including current structures i.e. bureaucracy, state government structures, the established economic policies and the open investment climate - all of which together makes up the status quo.

Any established military, and ours is one such force, is for the status quo. It will defend the status quo against any grab for power from a leader considered "outside" the political establishment.

Originally, Anwar came in from the outside as a radical student leader in the 1970s and rose rapidly up the ranks in Umno only to be thrown out again. Now that he is trying to come back again from the "outside," it is natural for the "insiders" to be cautious and apprehensive of his motives.

What does he really want to change? That is a natural question entrenched stakeholders would ask. Anwar has to explain and convince, not just collect the numbers and head to the palace.

The door will not open otherwise.

Although he may have a majority of the public behind him, he has a lot of convincing to do to put powerful institutions at ease. No easy task for a man with an agitator's image.

Anwar's aides go to great lengths to say that he has already met the King or is going to meet him to clear the way. But that is not enough; he has to find a tactful way to assure not just the King, but also the Rulers as an institution and the many royalists who populate Malay society, that the change is benign not malignant.

The third hurdle Anwar faces is the one million-strong bureaucracy, 90 per cent of whom are Malay and Muslim, without whose support his chances of competently running the country is near zero.

In fact, it would ruin the country if he wins power and the civil service drags its feet.

Unlike in other countries where governments are frequently changed and the civil servants soldier on, here the bureaucracy has had only one master - the Barisan Nasional.

In fact, one of the key issues in the Pakatan Rakyat-ruled states of Selangor and Perak is a disobedient bureaucracy. This problem is minimal in the "Muslim" states of Kelantan and Kedah with the civil servants accepting their new masters as one of their own.

Anwar had attempted to meet senior civil servants, with some success his aides say, to assure them that basic policies will remain and institutional interest would be protected against encroachment i.e. a more racially balanced civil service.

Nevertheless, an obedient, helpful and functioning bureaucracy is a major factor and Anwar has to win them over in a manner convincing enough that investors and stakesholders are satisfied that the elephant in the room would cooperate proactively.

The last major hurdle is the divisions and diverging interests in his own Pakatan Rakyat coalition, with ally PAS having radically different views of how the country should be governed from that held by another ally, the DAP.

Up to now, Anwar and his people are "closing an eye" to the differences without actually working to resolve major issues.

The thinking, for now, is that the main struggle is to capture power and they believe everything else would fall in place after that.

Such a rationale has not convinced the entrenched stakeholders who believe differences should be resolved now to show that PR is a viable alternative to the BN.

PAS has repeated numerous times that they will not back a new government that is "not Islamic". They have proposed that PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is the "best person" to be prime minister of the new Malaysia.

Up to now nobody in the PR - neither PKR nor DAP - is taking the PAS position seriously.

It is also not clear which of the parties - PKR, DAP or PAS - any potential defecting BN MPs will cross over to. Are they crossing over as individuals or as political parties joining Pakatan? Will everybody in a political party cross or only some?

Anwar has worked to show, in a convincing manner, the future shape of the political structure he will be heading. Is it a grand coalition or a collection of adventurous individuals?

There is a lot for work ahead for Anwar before he can confidently walk up to and knock on the palace gates. If he has the entrenched players behind him, the gates will be open when he arrives. Otherwise it will never open, even if he has the numbers.

Up to now, he has only succeeded in getting the people talking and thinking and accepting that a change of government is possible. That's about all.

The ISA detentions last Friday, roundly condemned by all, show how thin the line is between fair play and foul play, between acceptance and coercion.

It gives a glimpse into the powerful entrenched forces that are arrayed against Anwar in his bid for power.

ps: Sorry fer the long posting. Please leave a comment on what you think of the current impasse.

RIP - Richard Wright

LONDON, Sept 16 - Richard Wright, a founding member of Pink Floyd, died yesterday. He was 65.

The rock group’s spokesman, Doug Wright, who’s unrelated, said Wright died after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. He said the band member’s family did not want to give more details about his death.

Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason in college and joined their early band, Sigma 6. Along with the late Syd Barrett, the four formed Pink Floyd in 1965.

The group’s jazz-infused rock and drug-laced multimedia “happenings” made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene, and their 1967 album, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”, was a hit.

In the early days of Pink Floyd, Wright, along with Barrett, was seen as the group’s dominant musical force. The London-born musician and son of a biochemist wrote songs and played the keyboard.

“Rick’s keyboards were an integral part of the Pink Floyd sound,” said Joe Boyd, a prominent record producer who worked with Pink Floyd early in its career.

The band released a series of commercially and critically successful albums including 1973’s “The Dark Side of the Moon”, which has sold more than 40 million copies. Wright wrote “The Great Gig in the Sky” and “Us and Them” for that album, and worked on the group’s epic compositions such as “Atom Heart Mother”, “Echoes” and “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”.

But tensions grew among Waters, Wright and fellow band member David Gilmour. The tensions came to a head during the making of “The Wall” when Waters insisted Wright be fired. As a result, Wright was relegated to the status of session musician on the tour of “The Wall”, and did not perform on Pink Floyd’s 1983 album, “The Final Cut”.

Wright formed a new band Zee with Dave Harris from the band Fashion, and released one album, “Identity”, with Atlantic Records.

Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and Wright began recording with Mason and Gilmour again, releasing the albums “The Division Bell” and “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” as Pink Floyd. Wright also released the solo albums “Wet Dream” (1978) and “Broken China” (1996).

In July 2005, Wright, Waters, Mason and Gilmour reunited to perform at the “Live 8” charity concert in London - the first time in 25 years they had been onstage together.

Wright also worked on Gilmour’s solo projects, most recently playing on the 2006 album “On an Island” and the accompanying world tour.

Gilmour paid tribute to Wright yesterday, saying his input was often forgotten.

“He was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound,” he said. “I have never played with anyone quite like him.” - AP


Sigh . . . Having been so caught up with the state of political flux here, me completely missed this piece of news. Like millions of music lovers, the Floyd was a constant on our turntable/CD player/ipod & gave many pleasurable & guilt-free hours of self-absorption.

Thanks fer the music Rick Wright . . . may yer journey onwards be as trippy & wonderful as the incredible music you made.

ps: Who can forget the mood set by Richard Wright's synth intro to Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Understated, sombre & yet bursting with emotion . . .

pps: pix caption (above): In this file photo dated March 3, 1967, members of the rock band Pink Floyd, Roger Waters (left), Nick Mason (second from left), Syd Barrett (second from right) and Richard Wright (right). - AP pic