We Blog 1, Forever Faithless

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Having never gotten the chance to see Faithless live and the fact that they’re now officially broken up, does not bode well with me. How I got to be such a big Faithless fan rather surprises me, since their hit Insomnia took off in the late 90s, I’d bought album after album and enjoyed just about every one of them! A nice added perk to Faithless is Dido’s involvement with the band as she’s Rollo’s sister, so she is always featured on at least one song and he’s been known to produce her albums as well.

Reverence starts things off quite nicely, the hooks are developed, the sound groovy and chill. Insomnia is of course the biggest track here “I can’t get no sleep” … Maxi Jazz’s rhymes so smooth like butter on a song. You just get lost in their music so easily. Don’t Leave, Salva Mea, If Lovin You Is Wrong, are all also standout tracks on this record. Very nice way to start off their collection! I’m proud to have been a follower of Faithless from the beginning, and Reverence started me off the way a Faithless fan should.

Sunday 8 PM is another Faithless classic. The cover is also amazing, that of Faithless venue/gig entrance. First released in 1998, Sunday 8 PM includes an incredible instrumental to start things off right, The Garden. While Why Go? Is an incredible track, God Is A DJ is perhaps their biggest hit here. Bring My Family Back is also classic Faithless. It may not have as classic Faithless tracks as their debut got, but Sunday 8 PM was definitely a step in the right direction!

Outrospective was released three years later in 2001, which contains probably my favorite Faithless track ever, We Come 1. To see that live would have been insane. One Step Too Far was a nice addition with Dido on the vocals as well. Tarantula is classic Faithless. Muhammad Ali always struck me as a little odd for Faithless, being more reggae sounding, but it still holds its own on this album. Maybe not my favorite Faithless album, but it’s still Faithless, and still kicks ass.

Before The Dance came out, No Roots was my all time favorite Faithless CD. Released in 2004, it includes I Want More, Miss U Less See U More, Everything Will Be All Right Tomorrow, and No Roots. As usual, Dido makes an appearance. The thing that struck me as genius about this album is the fact that they developed it to be more lyrical in the beginning and turning into more instrumental towards the end, and it works wonderfully.

Unfortunately in 2006, Faithless released the worst album in their career, To All New Arrivals. Perhaps this was the sign of an end to come soon, and it seemed as an afterthought after just having released a best of disc as well. The only good track worth mentioning is Music Matters. It was sad but true, Faithless had hit their rut, and hard, such a bad CD I couldn’t even listen to the whole thing and to this day I don’t think I ever will. I’m glad they have a saving grace on this CD though, Music Matters is indeed a great track if nothing else. It’s also where the lyrics come from that are featured on my blog page. :)

When Faithless released The Dance in 2010, it was a masterpiece. I wasn’t too upset to hear that they were splitting up after hearing The Dance. Yeah, it sucks I won’t get to see them live (I guess there’s always Faithless Soundsystem, what’s left of Faithless touring now), but The Dance is absolutely perfect in every way. Starting off with Not Going Home, and Feel Me being my favorite track, then the reggae sounding Crazy Bal’Heads. Tweak Your Nipple is classic Faithless, North Star features Dido again, and Sun To Me closes it out perfectly. I’m glad to have followed Faithless from the beginning, and I’m proud to own The Dance, having special ordered it online all the way from across the waters since it was only available in the UK.

You can’t go wrong with Faithless, but if there’s one CD I suggest you start out with…. Do yourself a favor and check out The Dance. Then backtrack and check out everything else.

It’s okay that you’re a Yankees fan Maxi Jazz…. I still love ya!

After all,

You told me that music matters.

P.S. It was cool chatting with Sister Bliss online the day you randomly held a contest online to see who would ask the most intriguing question. I think the question ended up being “which song makes you cry” or something of the sort, but the reward was for festival tickets in the UK anyway. Ah, good times!

- Dan Golden, June 2011 (email any comments to [email protected])

Why shave your balls?

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Why shave your balls?

A majority of ladies prefer men who take care of their bodies. 3 out of 4 ladies like shaved balls. A cleanly shaved scrotum will get much more attention than one that looks like a kiwi.

You’re looking for more ball play aren’t you?

Yes You Are! If you shave your balls you entice your lover to give you that little extra attention. The only thing that works better is when you lavish her with gifts because you have a big fat bank account.

It makes me feel like a real woman

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I love Below Your Belt because it makes me feel like a real woman.

We should take care about ourselves all over - all hidden areas are as much as important as the other parts of our bodies.

Name: Ulla Nyemann

Blonde Wig Skull!

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Blonde!

wig wig wig

New Canadian 100 banknote is transparent

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The new Canadian 100 bill

Its made out of plastic and has a transparent part that kinda works like the ViewMaster

Explosive Head.

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Now that's what you call some explosive head.

Photos by Damon Loble

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Damon Loble

Via: Damon Loble

The Degradation of San Francisco

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Below Your Belt makes me smooth

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I had always problem when I was shaving, redness and more. When I heard about Below Your Belt and tried BYB Woman products the problems were gone and I feel so smooth and soft now and that makes me so happy.

I recommend all women and men to try it out; you will not be disappointed, I promise!!!

Name: Kadija Diamond Jalloh

It looks better with Below Your Belt

Posted | Views: 4,178

Name: Jógvan Høgnesen

Below Your Belt products for men makes me feel smooth and fresh!

I think women should do intimate shaving because it looks better & gives more pleasure!

Going for Broke

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The credit crunch is coming to influence every single sphere of our lives. Utility bills are up, taxes are rising to cover national debts and even the humble 99 flake will now requires a down payment of 75p upon order, just in case you become insolvent in the time it takes to make and flake it.

But the current inflation is hitting some people in the place it hurts most: board gamers. It’s not just a simple matter of having to play Connect 9 in order to achieve what was a Connect 4 in 2007, nor that the Game of Life now has squares marked “Wonga.com revokes your loan – you have three minutes to vacate your premises before the heavies come round.” Inflation has damaged some of our most beloved board games irreparably.

Scrabble has become virtually unplayable since all the vowels are now worth the same as a letter ‘K’, whilst ‘J’s, ‘X’s, ‘Q’s and ‘Z’s have all been commandeered for Bankers-Only versions of the game. There is now an illicit black market in these premium letters, with some maverick dealers offering a ‘!’ for twenty points if anyone is daring enough to use a sub-Saharan click in a championship match. Monopoly has been similarly ravaged by the economic instability of the day. Old Kent Road is now so dilapidated that once you have four houses on it, you don’t buy a hotel, you are just the owner of a dangerous council estate. Meanwhile any hotel on Pentonville Road is actually rebranded as a brothel, Free Parking isn’t any more and is patrolled by ruthless Nigerian traffic wardens and anything built on Mayfair or Park Lane is immediately populated by a homeless man slumming it in style. The pieces have also been replaced, so that instead of a top hat, a Scottie dog and an iron there’s now a beanie hat, a pit bull and a syringe.

But perhaps the game that has been hit hardest by these turbulent times is Risk. Reflecting as it does the international nature of the financial meltdown, this once much loved parlour game has fallen into disrepair as players roll the dice to see if they have enough money to move their armies beyond their borders, only to find them ill-equipped, demotivated and suffering from battle fatigue. Ultimately it just becomes a bitter war of attrition to stop your own pieces revolting against you and plunging your already pitiful empire into civil war. Roll anything less than a three and you’re Ceausescued, whilst anything between a four and a nine means that your power relies solely on intimidation by your secret police. Your only hope is to keep rolling double figures and gently spread your tendrils of doom into surrounding territories until you finally grind out a miserable North Korea-style one-party state over the entire face of the earth. If you’re losing the only real tactic is to hope for a natural disaster (luckily, this being a board game, tectonic activity is fairly easy to simulate by just picking it up, as is attack by a radioactive monster if you own a pet.)

Right, I’m now off to play Cluedo to see if it’s possible to murder a rural vicar armed with nothing more than a giro book and some broken NHS spectacles.

Written by Ben Van der Velde for LifeArcade!

24th June 2011

Twitter: @benvandervelde

Web: www.benvandervelde.com

I'll Have a Pint of Bitter and a Night of Comedy Please

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PLAY: Comedy Night

The Cabbage Patch, Twickenham

Thursday 16^th June

Adam Bloom & Robin Ince

w/ Louis Bryan and MC Ben Van Der Velde

A cold, wet evening in Twickenham is not my preference for a night out I must admit. As I sat in the Cabbage Patch pub, looking outwards watching the night draw in with only my pint for company, the first thought that entered my head was, ‘I’ve got to get home in this’. Luckily, my future torture was put on the back burner as I was treated to a night of good company and great comedy. And all for a great cause – The Richmond branch of MENCAP.

The Cabbage Patch is clearly not designed for such nights. However, they worked with the space they had and actually produced quite a nice, intimate area for comedy. The lack of stage was of no concern as the acts were right in front of you – a good view was had wherever you sat.

The night kicked off with the energetic and youthful MC Ben Van Der Velde. The role of an MC can be a tricky one, moving the evening along smoothly whilst getting your own material in the mix. Velde performed his duties effortlessly, drawing in the crowd and building up the atmosphere nicely for the rest of the evening. Banter and light hearted heckling were in abundance, as the crowd was eased into the night and became just as important to the success of the night as the talent. Once we had dealt with the North-East, dinosaurs and the number five, we were introduced to our first act of the night.

Louis Bryan does not seem like a happy man. Yet he is funny, very funny in fact. His somewhat pessimistic outlook on life has an element of charm that you automatically warm too. There are aspects of Jack Dee and Ricky Gervais which come through, particularly when discussing his personal life.Bryan’s dry wit and sarcasm shone through and made up for any lack of physical movement on stage (that some feel is necessary in stand-up today). Some may say thatBryanwas a risky choice in being the opening act of the night, but I believe it was a risk that paid off. The laughs began to increase as his set picked up pace, and as the rest of the night panned out, it turned out to be the perfect beginning to the structure of the evening.Bryandealt with the amusing heckles well and incorporated them into his set with ease, hiding any frustration he may have had impeccably. A thoroughly enjoyable start to events.

After the interval we were introduced to the two headline acts. Up first was Robin Ince. Finding just enough time to step away from Twitter for 20 minutes, Ince arrives on stage with his beer and proceeds to have the audience in stitches from the off. Having only seen a few glimpses of his work before, I was very surprised, and highly entertained by his high energy, high pace and rather physical routine. Despite some of his pessimistic viewpoints, you can easily relate to him – I particularly enjoyed his rant on the tediousness of parties. Ince comes across as negative, yet I have rarely seen such pessimism performed in such a positive way. He is almost joyous in his rants, jumping around the stage like an excited child, wanting to tell his tales to anyone who will listen. Of course, his vocabulary is a lot more advanced than a child. In fact he is very concise, witty and not afraid to throw his knowledge upon an audience. His charisma is such that you do not feel aggravated by his intellect, but instead feel drawn to him. You want to listen and laugh, but with Robin Ince you feel like you are also learning, and that is in no way meant to sound derogatory. I highly recommend seeing Robin Ince. A good laugh will be had – as the audience showed – and you will go away wanting to know more.

Once Robin Ince had left the stage, and indeed the venue, we were left thinking that it would take some beating to top that. Then Adam Bloom appears on stage and from the moment he rushes on and explodes with enthusiasm for the crowd and the laughs, you have no time to sit back and compare. After 25 minutes of pure, raw energy that fills the room, you are left with your hair standing as if you had just watched a nuclear explosion from 30 feet away. Bloom packs a punch and then some. Instantly attaching himself to the audience and what they have to say, the feel of improvisation is a constant and adds to the unpredictability of the set. I cannot really compare Adam Bloom to any other comedian because I have literally not seen anyone like him on stage before. He is warm and affectionate, with a natural ability to get the audience on side, sympathise and relate to his stories. With Robin Ince you felt like you were learning, but with Adam Bloom it feels like you are being told something that this guy has just found out for himself. The way he grabs the audience is akin to a child grabbing a parent and urging them on to a ride. It is just a phenomenal experience to behold, with Bloom never stopping and the audience around you in fits of laughter. The heckles are thrown back, not with anger, but with joy a genuine sense of listening to what the audience has to say. Have you ever left a comedy gig where you laughed and laughed, yet when you try to recite a joke, you cannot think of a single joke? This is what happened to me on this night. I was too busy laughing. Bloom commented that this was one of the best gigs he had done in 17 years – and I can certainly believe him.

And so the night came to a close. Ben Van Der Velde ends the proceedings nicely with thanking one of the stars of the night – the audience and all those that took part. The comedians’ names were received with increasing cheers and I headed to the bar for another drink – not worrying about the rain and the journey – but thinking, ‘how am I going to put this night into words’.

William Evans

PLAY was supported by Richmond MENCAP. For more information go to www.mencap.org.uk

Freckles, Red Lips. Julia Mint

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photo by Julia Mint

David Hasselhoff's "The Hoffsicle."

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Just in time for National Ice Cream Month, Del Monte Iced Refreshments has inexplicably launched a popsicle in the likeness of former Baywatch star and resident douche David Hasselhoff.

Naturally titled the ‘Hoffsicle’, it’s available in raspberry flavor, and is unsurprisingly rendered bare-chested, collar-up. Hopefully they enjoy ice lollies in Germany.

THE HOFFSICLE

Via: Food Diggity

Happy Hotdogs, make food more fun?

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WTF? HAPPY WIENER'S

I thought this a joke. Now you can make your hotdog's happy!

Lara Stone Modeling for Self Service Magazine

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Lara Stone gets seductive in the spring collections for the most recent issue of Self Service. Photographed by Alasdair McLellan and styled by Jane How, Lara is swathed in elegant yet revealing styles from the likes of Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent.