It doesn't matter - vote!

There's a major ad campaign going on over here at the moment urging voters to learn as much as they can about the Lisbon Treaty before deciding which way they want to vote in June.. All to be encouraged, of course, and I don't want to seem a grouch, but the ads are terrible. The tv ad features people walking around the city without either the upper or lower halves of their body while the voiceover tells us about how important it is to get the full picture before voting. As the ad goes on, more and more peoples' legs and bodies meet and join up as they get the full picture.. It's pants - you it looks like it could be an ad for a multivitamin drink or Actimel or something like that..

There's posters all round town for the same thing. They've got 3 people in each one - a housewife! a farmer! a businessman! Look - it's a student! And that's a bloke in trainers! Hey - it's a pretty girl! Wow - it's all of us, do you see? Brilliant.. They reckon it's costing 5million quid..

All this is before anyone even tells us how they want us to vote.. The agenda posters are a whole other bag of crazy! Would you buy a Lisbon Treaty from this man?
Me neither. And who thought it was a good time to bring monkeys into the equation?

Still, it's not all bad. There's a Lisbon poster around the corner from work. An enterprising individual with an eye for an opportunity has gotten out his paint brush and a tin of paint and embellished the poster. Frankly, I think it's genius..

Radio Days

Well, after my initial foray into co-presenting on Dublin City's Retrospective Perspective, I've now sat in the squeaky chair opposite Alf another 4 times. I really enjoy doing it - although I flatter myself by suggesting it's co-presenting. It's no such thing. Alf runs the show, calls the shots and does the responsible things like cueing the music, talking to the guests and keeping an eye on time. Usually all at once. I, on the other hand, have the slightly less challenging role of keeping my trap shut until I'm asked something and then waffling on for an indeterminate length of time, ending either when I run out of something to say or Alf gives me a look that tells me to wrap it up pronto!

It looks like Liz who normally hosts the show is going to be taking a bit of a back swat for a while and Alf asked me last week if I fancied doing it on a more regular basis. Do I?! Obviously I said yes, but I think in a strange way if affected the show on Saturday. For one thing I was only drafted in at the last minute to replace Liz on Saturday's show but for another I'm beginning to realise that while it's fun and games to come on for an hour, joke about the news, spar a little with the guests and go home, there's actually a lot more to it that I need to start thinking about. I guess you'd say there's an amount of discipline required and at the moment I'm extremely rough around the edges. Which is fine - rough around the edges has gotten me this far but I began to to notice a week ago that I was winging it too much and if anybody was listening this week I think it would have been clear to them too.. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail and all that stuff..

On a whole other level, last week Simon Mayo won a Sony Award for his 5Live show. I listen to his show most days and he really is terrific. I know he probably has fabulous researchers who are doing a lot of work for him, but he really seems to be engaged and prepared for whatever or whoever is pout in front of him. David Hepworth, on his blog last week, described how Mayo can interview anyone from a prime minister to an actor or musician to, well, anybody and let the interviewee be the story. In Hepworth's words, he doesn't try to make himself the centre of everything. Even when Mark kermode is on doing the film reviews on a Friday, he never responds to Kermode's frequents rants and goading. It might be good to remember that! Actually perhaps that's what Alf is doing when she lets me off the leash once in a while to rage about some burning topic like chickflicks or Brian Cowen's public relations people.. I'm the fool standing proud on high ground and she's the smart one keeping it all together.

Anyway, hopefully this will lead to more frequent and better appearances on Saturday mornings. I realise it's not exactly Terry Gross on npr but with Alf behind the wheel and me (hopefully) learning when to speak and when to shut up who knows what might happen!

Dancing Fool

Michael in Prague sent me this link of the Czech Elvis, Karel Gott (I think he's still touring now). You never got choreography like this from Boyzone. I just wish I knew what he was saying!

Young Adam

Couple of things that Adam Buxton has posted on youtube. There's lots more there if you like these. I've been sitting here this afternoon with ice on my sore foot watching all of them. Funny man. And his 6music podcast with Joe Cornish is still essential listening.

Mind the Gap

I've mentioned once or twice the difficulties facing the taller man in modern society. For every pro, such as being able to see above people at concerts there's several cons (being abused and pushed by people standing behind you at a concert which kinda takes the good out of it all, having to squeeze yourself into tight spots on buses, airplanes and concert venues, banging your head off light fixtures and doorways etc.).

Something else that's always bothered me is just how hard it's always been to find trousers and jeans that are long enough for my legs.. Most stores only stock up to a 34" leg which just about gets to my ankles. Sometimes though you're left with the unfortunate appearance of (to use one of Helen's expressions) looking like I'm waiting for a flood - a situation that occurs when the ends of my trousers don't quite meet the tops of my shoes. Not a good look. In fairness that's not just the plight of the tall man - I see it around a lot with shorter men too. I don't know what their problem is but mine has always come back to the same problem that a) it's hard to find 34" leg jeans and b) even when you do, sometimes they're not really 34" at all. But now it seems my days of worry are over because we (which is to say Helen) recently discovered that The Gap sell 36" jeans (see above). I can't tell how much difference it's made... Well, actually I can - it's made 2 inches difference, but you know what I mean. I was in there last week and bought a bunch of things. All of which make it down to the floor and, as a result, make me feel as though I look a bit more like a normal punter!

So, all credit to Gap for thinking of the tall people. They've made a tall man very happy.

All that you need

Because I was away last week and have been rather busy since I haven't managed to put anything up here for a little while. In an attempt to push Chris de Burgh off the top of the page, I'm putting up this pic of a typo I spotted at a funfair in Prague the other week. Imagine going to the trouble of getting a big colourful sign for your bungee machine only to make a grammatical error. Fos shame! I love this sort of thing..

And just for a little added value, here's my favourite funfair joke.

Did you hear about the bumper car attendant who lost his job?
He sued for funfair dismissal!

Normal service will resume soon..