FinishMySong Blog

Absolute genius!! :)

Today, the Prince of Wales asked a nutritionist in the United Arab Emirates, "Have you got anywhere with McDonald's, have you tried getting it banned? That's the key."

What on earth is he on about? Only a few days ago I was chatting with friends about highs and lows of our British royal family and, despite very mixed views on their role as a whole for the future of the UK, we were pretty unanimous that Charles seems to be one of the only members of the house of Windsor to make any sense; to have real concerns about real issues in modern day Europe. Then he comes out with some tripe about banning a fast food restaurant!

I'm not suggesting that the practises of McDonald's are good any more than I would advocate that the food they produce has a valuable place in any healthy diet. Certainly, the advertising methods they use to attract children to their brands, and so encourage young people to eat food that is high in sugar, salt and fat, are nothing short of abhorrent and it is up to advertising standards to deal with this on a case-by-case basis. But, for Prince Charles to suggest to someone - someone outside the UK - that the 'key' (presumably to a healthier society) is to ban the chain outright is utter rubbish. I for one don't want to live in a nanny state where we're forced to eat what the government decides is best for us. But, then, neither do I want to live in a society that elevates people to the level of the head of state, bestowing upon them all power to dissolve a politically elected parliament, based entirely on who their mother happens to be.

To the left, to the left...
To the left, to the left...
Mmm.. to the left, to the left -
Everything you own in the box to the left!
In the closet, that's my stuff.
Yes, if I bought it then please don't touch.

And keep talkin' that mess, that's fine,
But could you walk and talk at the same time?
And, it's my name that's on that Jag
So go move your bags - let me call you a cab.

Standing in the front yard tellin' me how I'm such a fool,
Talkin' 'bout how I'll never ever find a man like you,
You got me twisted.

You must not know 'bout me.
You must not know 'bout me.
I could have another you in a minute.
Matter fact he'll be here in a minute, baby.
You must not know 'bout me.
You must not know 'bout me.
I can have another you by tomorrow.
So, don't you ever for a second get to thinkin'
You're irreplaceable.

So go ahead and get gone.
Call up that chick and see if she's home.
Oops, I bet you thought that I didn't know.
What did you think I was putting you out for?

Because you was untrue,
Rollin' her around in the car that I bought you.
Baby, drop them keys.
Hurry up before your taxi leaves.

Standing in the front yard tellin' me how im such a fool,
Talkin' 'bout how I'll never ever find a man like you,
You got me twisted.

You must not know 'bout me.
You must not know 'bout me.
I could have another you in a minute.
Matter fact he'll be here in a minute, baby.
You must not know 'bout me.
You must not know 'bout me.
I will have another you by tomorrow.
So, don't you ever for a second get to thinkin'
You're irreplaceable.

So, since I'm not your everything
How about I'll be nothing -
Nothing at all to you?
Baby I won't shed a tear for you;
I won't lose a wink of sleep
Cause the truth of the matter is
Replacing you is so easy.

To the left, to the left...
To the left, to the left...
Mmm.. to the left, to the left -
Everything you own in the box to the left!
To the left, to the left...

Don't you ever for a second get to thinkin'
You're irreplaceable.

You must not know 'bout me.
You must not know 'bout me.
I could have another you in a minute.
Matter fact he'll be here in a minute, baby.
You must not know 'bout me.
You must not know 'bout me.
I can have another you by tomorrow.
So, don't you ever for a second get to thinkin'...

You must not know 'bout me.
You must not know 'bout me.
I could have another you in a minute.
Matter fact he'll be here in a minute, baby.
You can pack all your bags, we finished
Cause you made your bed now lay in it.
I can have another you by tomorrow.

So don't you ever for a second get to thinking
You're irreplaceable.

I love the way this song is delivered on the 'single' recording of it, although it seems a bit strained compared to some of her live performances that were given in the key a semitone lower. Perhaps it's partly this strain on the voice that accounts for the way that Beyonce falls off of some of the ends of the lines but I also feel that it's perhaps to demonstrate a sense of desperation: certainly it comes across as a cry out loud. It's also worth mentioning that the band that performs both on the live performances Beyonce has given around the world of this song and on the video are exclusively female - a nice touch to get the point of the song across. In terms of it's feminist guts, this song rivals the Gloria Gaynor dancefloor classic I Will Survive and walks all over anything self-proclaimed 'girl powered' Spice Girls ever produced.

Wonderful stuff - as I said, I've never really been into this style of music but one or two of the gems from this genre have been penned and performed by Beyonce Knowles, another notable example being Crazy Right Now.

Funeral services can be strained, particularly when the grieving family is, like ours, made up of people who have wildly differing views about the nature of life and death. The funeral we had for my Granddad at the end of last week was a source of some anxiety because some members of my family are deeply religious where others represent the agnostic and atheist sections of society. And, to make matters worse, there was some confusion over just how 'Christian' my Granddad was, and so simply carrying out a funeral according to his wishes would be easier said than done.

As it happens, we managed to organise a service that seemed to satisfy the wishes of the majority of family members while also doing great honour to the life of my Grandfather. The reverend who conducted the service understood that some of Jack's relatives had very strong feelings about these matters, and he did a grand job of getting through the minefield without causing any casualties, sorta speak. The service was mainly Christian but also acknowledged more secular angles, for example with poems like the one below that he read and that I personally thought nicely captured the mood. It is called The Dash and was written by Linda Ellis.

Well, I managed to sell my digital piano last week and have replaced it with a lovely Korg SP-200: effectively the same kit but much more transportable so that I can use it for rehearsals and gigs with The First Few, and as my accompanying instrument for the various singing classes I give at schools and theatre academies, like the Northern Academy of Performing Arts.

The only trouble is, the Korg I bought cost me more than the Technics I sold, so I need to make some of the difference back by getting rid of some other bits and bobs. First to go will be another keyboard I've had around the house for a couple of years - my Yamaha PSR-630 (the same model as the one on this Ebay auction at the moment). This is a nice piece of kit with a fully touch-sensitive 5-octave keyboard, hundreds of sounds and rhythms etc, and an onboard multi-track sequencer (with floppy disk drive), allowing an enormous degree of flexibility.

Certainly, this instrument will suit a musician of any level, either as a performance keyboard or as part of a studio set-up. I'm going to be looking for ÂŁ100 for it, so if you know anyone who might want one then point them in my direction. Otherwise, as with everything else, it will be winging its way to an Ebay auction near you!

I just heard that I got accepted onto the teacher training course for this September, eventually to become a full time secondary school music teacher. On hearing about this, one of my mates sent me the below picture:




I'm not quite sure what he's trying to get at with this...! Hehe...

I did write about the 419 Scam in this blog a few months ago - the old one where unscrupulous people try to coax personal information out of unsuspecting internet dwellers that they then use for fraudulent purposes. Self-employed people like myself are particularly susceptible to these kinds of things because trying to maintain a decent income through activities such as giving music lessons is pretty tough: you need to accept any work that presents itself.

However, the scammers don't stop trying to rip you off and recently another warning has been released about this problem by the good people of musiclessonsonline.co.uk:

Lately we have had a couple of people who appear to be scammers sending out emails to our members. One person yesterday sent out the same 'scam like' email to 25 music teachers.

Whilst we do protect our members by requesting a human email verification and never exposing your email address the emails yesterday were sent manually.

Basically, what the scammer will do is ask to pay you in advance by say cheque or Western Union. They'll overpay you and then request you transfer the overpayment back immediately. Your repayment goes through OK but their payment to you 'bounces'.

You can make yourself aware of how this works by reading our overview at www.musiclessonsonline.co.uk/MusicLessonScam.html

For details on other scams see our sister site www.safefromscams.co.uk

It's hard to believe that anyone would have such a lack of common decency that they would be willing to rip people off in this way. The sad truth, however, is that there are plenty of such individuals so be aware and if you need any more info perhaps visit the sites quoted above.

Back in July, I wrote a blog from the heart about the horrific way that we treat the older people in our society: those who are often too sick in body or mind to make choices about the most basic things in their lives. Specifically, I was referring to the condition that my Granddad had been left in for over 10 years - a shadow of his former self due to repeated strokes. It beggars belief, I thought, that we let people cling onto life in this way, stripping them of the only thing they have left: their dignity.

It was frankly harrowing to see my Granddad 'Jack' in this state, especially having known him before he was struck by illness. He was an incredibly proud man, even to the point of being pig-headed sometimes, and yet always watched out for us all in the family. His traditional values were at the core of his being and he was quick to give an opinion on any matter you care to name. This is the person we have known as our Granddad for our entire lives and, in my view, when he had his first stroke it was this - his personality - that he was primarily stripped of. Following strokes continued to make life harder for him, eventually reducing him to a person who was wholly depend on nursing staff at the home to do those things that just keep him alive, such as eating and using the bathroom, and someone who was not even capable of vocalising anything more complicated than 'yes' and 'no'. In terms of the way he dealt with people, a softer side of his personality gradually began to show but I maintain that this was not the person we grew up to know and love and it was cruel to allow Granddad to lose the one thing that is most precious: himself.

In the early hours of yesterday morning, during a clear moonlit night, Granddad Jack died in the Bradford Royal Infirmary. At last, he has been spared and allowed to return to the earth as the strong, intelligent and passionate individual we have all missed for over a decade. Life is all we have and it should be valued but Granddad's case highlights to me that, for me, life only matters if you are free to live it as you see fit. I will continue to miss Granddad in days to come. I will look back with fondness to days spent playing on the street where he and my Grandma lived, interrupting the tinkering he always seemed to be doing on some car or other and constantly rushing in and out of their house to get cakes and ice lollies. And I will mourn Granddad's death while feeling relieved that he can finally be at peace.

Midnight last night marked the moment when the people of France officially turned their back on the beloved cigarette.

As of today, as reported in Le Monde, smoking is banned in public places across France, including places of work, colleges, commercial centres, airports, hospitals, stations and sports facilities. However, the 'fumeur interdit' signs will largely remain undisplayed in bars and cafes, where proprietors have a further 11 months before they will be forced by the authorities to ban smoking on their premises.

The surprising thing about all this, though, is how well the French seem to be dealing with the heavy handed tactics of a government that has decide enough is enough on this issue, thanks to escalating public health costs due to smoking related diseases such as cancer of the lung: despite smoking in cafes over a coffee or beer being viewed very much as a legitimate pastime, 70% of French people agree with the ban - quite astonishing considering their usual belief in liberté for all to do as they desire.

I've personally got mixed feelings on this issue - I agree that it is not fair that non-smokers should be forced to passively smoke when they enter bars and restaurants. However, there are alternatives to an out and out ban on the practise, such as putting together legislation to force premises to be properly ventilated. Or, perhaps, a bar could be licensed as either smoking or non-smoking premises, giving the consumer the choice as to whether they want to visit a place that allows smoking or not. Certainly, the idea of having smoking and non-smoking areas has been tested and found wanting - unless there is a good degree of separation between the sections, including walls and doors, this system simply doesn't work.

Anyway, no doubt we in the UK will be waking up to a similar ban on smoking in the near future so, even as a non-smoker, I will enjoy these last evenings in crowded, smoky pubs: cancer or not, the hanging fumes give a place that certain je ne sais quai.