Hello folks,
As promised, here’s my blog on the Shortlist Music Prize, which, to my delight, was won by the brilliant Cat Power (and only a week and a half late, too!); admittedly, my delay has meant I was beaten to the subject by one of the hacks at the GU music desk, but I’m going to chip in now with my two penn’orth nonetheless.
First of all, a tribute to the award itself, which is commonly held up in this country (perhaps slightly misleadingly) as the North American answer to the Mercury prize; the main difference between the Shortlist and Mercury prizes is that the Shortlist award places no restriction on the nationality of any potential nominees (hence the fact that the winners of the inaugural prize in 2001 were Icelandic band Sigur Rós.) One of the more refreshing aspects of the Shortlist prize when compared to the Mercury award is that the winners of all the editions so far have been relatively unheralded (but no less deserving) acts; as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs on the subject, much as I quite like Franz Ferdinand and the Arctic Monkeys, I’ve never understood the logic behind awarding a prize to a band that has already made a commercial breakthrough (and therefore probably doesn’t need a cheque for £10k, or however much is paid to the winners these days), and is already well known by most of the general public (don’t get me wrong, those albums may well have been the best made by British bands/artists that year, but there must surely have been some less heralded, but nonetheless worthy, nominees.) Perusing the Shortlist award website also makes for fascinating reading in terms of the initial (rather lengthy) list of nominees, which, while not exactly perfect, still isn’t a bad barometer of the year’s best alternative sounds (sorry, that did rather sound like a promotional blurb, didn’t it?) And OK, the judging panel may have committed a grave error in awarding the 2003 prize to the lamentable Damien Rice, but then the Mercury panel made a similar aberration in awarding the 1994 prize to M People.
Secondly, a tribute to the winner herself, who in the process becomes the first female winner of the prize; I’m ashamed to say that I’m a bit of a Johnny Come Lately when it comes to Cat Power, given that her first album release was in 1996 (admittedly I was 12 at the time, and had Radio 1 as my sole source of musical information at that age) and I’ve only found out about Cat Power during the past 12 months or so following the release of her most recent album, “The Greatest” (an apt choice of name for an award-winning album.) However, I would be amazed if someone was to listen to that album and come away completely unmoved; the album’s blues-rock inspired tones and melancholy lyrics never failed to tug at the heart strings for the entire duration (particularly on the outstanding “Willie”, “Living Proof” and “Lived in Bars”) The only shame is that the success of the album (as close as Cat Power has come, or, indeed, is likely to come, to a commercial breakthrough) has led to something of a cash-in (hence the appearance of the title track from “The Greatest” appearing in Garnier ads, or Cat Power becoming the new face of Chanel, apparently on the strength that she “looks good smoking”, and I must admit, I find her quite attractive myself), but I suppose that’s the way the wind is blowing these days (and the cries of “Sell-out” from fans, bloggers and critics are probably just as tiresome, to be honest.) In spite of this, though (and the gushing tribute from KT Tunstall, but don’t let that put you off), she’s still well worth a listen; she does have a MySpace page (albeit one maintained by her record label), but, in all honesty, you’ll probably find more music at the official website (the link for which is at the top of the page.)
OK, that’s enough sycophantic groupie writings for one afternoon. See you all later, everyone (and I hope you aren’t all driven to madness by all the cries of “Come on Tim!” over the next couple of weeks.)
Prof
Monday, 25 June 2007
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Inferior products
No, not this blog (though come to think of it…), I’m referring to the recent comments made in the press by LA Galaxy supremo and Catweazle-a-like Alexi Lalas (OK, I may have taken considerable liberties in using that particular picture of Alexi Lalas; more up-to-date picture of Mr Galaxy can be found here, but I think you get my drift), where he referred to the Premiership as an “inferior product” that has been built up through “clever marketing.”
While there has been the predictable outcry from some people in England about the fact that someone involved in MLS has been making these comments about the EPL, and while he is undoubtedly slightly deluded when talking up the MLS as a competitive league (I had the dubious pleasure of watching a MLS match for the first time on cable the other day, and I can personally vouch for the poor quality of the football, and the even lower standard of the horrendous ESPN commentators), I can’t help but feel that he is absolutely right with regards to the Premiership.
Only the most one-eyed of English observers would deny that there is a significant gulf between the haves (i.e. Arsenal, Chelsea, MU Rowdies and Liverpool) and the have-nots (i.e. everyone else), and Lalas may even have a point with regards to there being a slight gap between the standards of Chelsea & United compared with Arsenal and Liverpool. What Lalas didn’t mention in his comments (though the point could still legitimately be made) is that the pitiful level of the rest of the league has duped the English football-following public (and, indeed, the many fools around the world who follow the Prem) into believing that the Big Four(TM) (and particularly United and Chelsea) are of a far better standard than they really are; one need only look at Milan’s Champions League semi-final and final ties for proof of that (by having Gattuso as a pitbull in the centre of the midfield, Scholes and Carrick were truly shackled, which not only exposed how easy it is to shut down United’s attack when the supply line to Cristiano Ronaldo and Giggs is cut off, but also highlighted how rubbish United’s defence is when they’re put under pressure, Vidic being the notable exception; meanwhile, Inzaghi’s goals in the final showcased how toothless Liverpool’s attack is at present.)
Lalas also made a good point about how the average development of the English player is poor (certainly, England’s performances in recent international tournaments, when compared with the likes of Italy, France, Germany, Brazil and Argentina, make for grim reading), though I disagree to some extent with the suggestion that it’s the foreign influx that’s responsible for this; youth football development in England is a joke (given the way in which creativity and flair are viewed with a level of suspicion that borders on contempt, and that far too much emphasis is placed on height and physique at a young age) and, until that situation is remedied, English football will continue to fail to produce players that are capable of forcing their way into the 1st teams of big clubs.
Most hearteningly of all, he confirms what many football fans have known for years; that English football fans routinely fail to see the footballing world outside their shores (probably the main reason why I’ve been a World Soccer reader since the age of 14) and that there are a number of leagues that are better than the Premiership; Lalas is certainly right that La Liga is one, I would argue that Serie A is another (for those that disagree with me, compare the number of Champions League titles won by Italian and English clubs over the last 10-15 years), and there is possibly a case to be made with regards to the Argentinian and Brazilian leagues being better (at the very least, they would be if they weren’t pillaged every year by European clubs.) There have certainly been more entertaining leagues than the Premiership this season (not only La Liga, but also the Bundesliga, too; I never thought I’d ever say this about the German league, or indeed German football, but the Bundesliga has been absolutely riveting this year.)
Anyway, rant over. Apologies to anyone who doesn’t care about football; I’m thinking of penning a music blog next (possibly related to the Shortlist prize, the winner of which was announced a week ago), so keep visiting.
Prof
While there has been the predictable outcry from some people in England about the fact that someone involved in MLS has been making these comments about the EPL, and while he is undoubtedly slightly deluded when talking up the MLS as a competitive league (I had the dubious pleasure of watching a MLS match for the first time on cable the other day, and I can personally vouch for the poor quality of the football, and the even lower standard of the horrendous ESPN commentators), I can’t help but feel that he is absolutely right with regards to the Premiership.
Only the most one-eyed of English observers would deny that there is a significant gulf between the haves (i.e. Arsenal, Chelsea, MU Rowdies and Liverpool) and the have-nots (i.e. everyone else), and Lalas may even have a point with regards to there being a slight gap between the standards of Chelsea & United compared with Arsenal and Liverpool. What Lalas didn’t mention in his comments (though the point could still legitimately be made) is that the pitiful level of the rest of the league has duped the English football-following public (and, indeed, the many fools around the world who follow the Prem) into believing that the Big Four(TM) (and particularly United and Chelsea) are of a far better standard than they really are; one need only look at Milan’s Champions League semi-final and final ties for proof of that (by having Gattuso as a pitbull in the centre of the midfield, Scholes and Carrick were truly shackled, which not only exposed how easy it is to shut down United’s attack when the supply line to Cristiano Ronaldo and Giggs is cut off, but also highlighted how rubbish United’s defence is when they’re put under pressure, Vidic being the notable exception; meanwhile, Inzaghi’s goals in the final showcased how toothless Liverpool’s attack is at present.)
Lalas also made a good point about how the average development of the English player is poor (certainly, England’s performances in recent international tournaments, when compared with the likes of Italy, France, Germany, Brazil and Argentina, make for grim reading), though I disagree to some extent with the suggestion that it’s the foreign influx that’s responsible for this; youth football development in England is a joke (given the way in which creativity and flair are viewed with a level of suspicion that borders on contempt, and that far too much emphasis is placed on height and physique at a young age) and, until that situation is remedied, English football will continue to fail to produce players that are capable of forcing their way into the 1st teams of big clubs.
Most hearteningly of all, he confirms what many football fans have known for years; that English football fans routinely fail to see the footballing world outside their shores (probably the main reason why I’ve been a World Soccer reader since the age of 14) and that there are a number of leagues that are better than the Premiership; Lalas is certainly right that La Liga is one, I would argue that Serie A is another (for those that disagree with me, compare the number of Champions League titles won by Italian and English clubs over the last 10-15 years), and there is possibly a case to be made with regards to the Argentinian and Brazilian leagues being better (at the very least, they would be if they weren’t pillaged every year by European clubs.) There have certainly been more entertaining leagues than the Premiership this season (not only La Liga, but also the Bundesliga, too; I never thought I’d ever say this about the German league, or indeed German football, but the Bundesliga has been absolutely riveting this year.)
Anyway, rant over. Apologies to anyone who doesn’t care about football; I’m thinking of penning a music blog next (possibly related to the Shortlist prize, the winner of which was announced a week ago), so keep visiting.
Prof
Saturday, 16 June 2007
Exam results
Hello folks,
Well, it’s that time of year. After 3 weeks of unremitting tedium following the end of exam season, my final results for my degree are now in. Happily, I got a 1st overall, which I’m obviously very pleased with; what was particularly pleasing was that the breakdown of marks for the final exam modules I sat, which are as follows:
• Stereoselective and Asymmetric Synthesis = 75%
• Atmospheric Chemistry = 85%
• Bodily Functions: The Inorganic Workings of the Body = 83%
• Oscillations and Waves in Chemical Biology = 75%
In each case, I scored the highest mark out of anyone sitting that exam (as in the case of all the January exams, with the exception of the Chemical Biology module), which was mystifying in the case of the Atmospheric Chemistry exam (which I thought I’d struggled with) and extremely gratifying in the case of the Asymmetric Synthesis module (as this module is frequently held up as the most difficult module in the entire department, for any year; it was also a very interesting and challenging module as well, though, which makes me doubly proud to have done well in this module.)
However, lest anyone think that I’m just blowing sunshine up my own nether regions, there were a couple of downers to contend with; firstly, my mark for the research project portion of the course was pretty lamentable (57%; a pass, yes, but a far from convincing one) which, for someone keen to pursue a career in chemistry research (though still undecided on whether to go into academia or industry), is a slight concern (that said, I think that the bloke who won the Med Chem prize only scored 4 marks more than me for the research project, which is somewhat reassuring.)
More concerning than that, though (after all, I’ll get over that mark for the project, and no-one will see it on my CV!), is just the continuing difficulties I’m having in resolving my future plans (while most of the people in my year seem to be sorted); it remains my fervent desire to do a PhD, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get the type of project I want at this late stage. As a result, I’ve been looking to get hold of some work for 12 months before going through the application process again in the next academic year; one or two positions have looked particularly appealing (one is a 12 month Organic Synthesis position at GSK in Verona, while there is another similar job going at Novartis in Basle/Basel/Barrrl.) The only problem is that I applied for these jobs not long after finishing my exams (ca. 3 weeks ago) and, to paraphrase Football Weekly’s James Richardson, “Like resting actors, it’s the waiting I can’t stand.”
Anyway, as ever, I’ll keep you posted on any news I get regarding those jobs, or if there’s any last minute developments on the PhD front.
Ciao for now,
Il Prof
(P.S. On the Blogspot site, I’ve finally got round to adding a Blog Rollcall; it only has 4 links at the moment, but if someone has a link they want me to post up on the site, just let me know.)
Well, it’s that time of year. After 3 weeks of unremitting tedium following the end of exam season, my final results for my degree are now in. Happily, I got a 1st overall, which I’m obviously very pleased with; what was particularly pleasing was that the breakdown of marks for the final exam modules I sat, which are as follows:
• Stereoselective and Asymmetric Synthesis = 75%
• Atmospheric Chemistry = 85%
• Bodily Functions: The Inorganic Workings of the Body = 83%
• Oscillations and Waves in Chemical Biology = 75%
In each case, I scored the highest mark out of anyone sitting that exam (as in the case of all the January exams, with the exception of the Chemical Biology module), which was mystifying in the case of the Atmospheric Chemistry exam (which I thought I’d struggled with) and extremely gratifying in the case of the Asymmetric Synthesis module (as this module is frequently held up as the most difficult module in the entire department, for any year; it was also a very interesting and challenging module as well, though, which makes me doubly proud to have done well in this module.)
However, lest anyone think that I’m just blowing sunshine up my own nether regions, there were a couple of downers to contend with; firstly, my mark for the research project portion of the course was pretty lamentable (57%; a pass, yes, but a far from convincing one) which, for someone keen to pursue a career in chemistry research (though still undecided on whether to go into academia or industry), is a slight concern (that said, I think that the bloke who won the Med Chem prize only scored 4 marks more than me for the research project, which is somewhat reassuring.)
More concerning than that, though (after all, I’ll get over that mark for the project, and no-one will see it on my CV!), is just the continuing difficulties I’m having in resolving my future plans (while most of the people in my year seem to be sorted); it remains my fervent desire to do a PhD, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get the type of project I want at this late stage. As a result, I’ve been looking to get hold of some work for 12 months before going through the application process again in the next academic year; one or two positions have looked particularly appealing (one is a 12 month Organic Synthesis position at GSK in Verona, while there is another similar job going at Novartis in Basle/Basel/Barrrl.) The only problem is that I applied for these jobs not long after finishing my exams (ca. 3 weeks ago) and, to paraphrase Football Weekly’s James Richardson, “Like resting actors, it’s the waiting I can’t stand.”
Anyway, as ever, I’ll keep you posted on any news I get regarding those jobs, or if there’s any last minute developments on the PhD front.
Ciao for now,
Il Prof
(P.S. On the Blogspot site, I’ve finally got round to adding a Blog Rollcall; it only has 4 links at the moment, but if someone has a link they want me to post up on the site, just let me know.)
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