Me Plus One

The Fratellis
Notoriously one of Britain's most rabble-rousing bands, the tipple-friendly Glaswegians' rollicking anthems should go down a storm at Glasters. If you fancy drowning your mates in lager or dancing with underwear on your head, this is the band to provide the soundtrack.*
Where to see them: Friday, Pyramid Stage, 7.45pm

Kasabian
Before they were famous, Britain's "people's band" read about Altamont and staged their own mini-festivals on a Leicestershire farm. Now they're living out their fantasies for real,** and with festival-slaying anthems like Empire and bosom buddies like Oasis, you never know who (or what) might join them onstage.
Where to see them: Friday, Pyramid Stage, 9.15pm

With the announcement of the official lineup for Glasto yesterday, Queen Bee, Kazza and I have been talking a LOT about said lineup.

With QB, we've been mourning her inability to obtain tickets, despite making it into the ticket lottery.

(and I'm not sure she knows Dirty Pretty Things have been added to Saturday's bill. The same day as Babyshambles. Shhhhhh.....)

With Kaz, we've been speculating on potential backstage activities of the Friday bands. Because that's what we do.

I'm sure that all bands will go home early, for church (or synagogue).

Because, it's not like-

- Fratellis videos frequently feature half-dressed Vargas-type girls

- Kasabian- well, I'm sure the Lads from Leicester would never do anything naughty, despite Serge's resemblance to the Prince Of Darkness

- Amy Winehouse likes a drink or ten

- Young Alex Turner has ever dropped his trousers (while massively drunk) and urinated in front of Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. Allegedly.

-Wee The View Lads have ever-

• drank 2 grand worth of booze (all of them) & knocked people over whilst doing running handstands (Kyle)

• been arrested driving the wrong way on a one-way street with one Peter Doherty (Steven)

• been banned from all Travelodge hotels after leaving the bathtub on while at the pub (Kieren)

• had a makeup artist cover up their zits and hickies before opening for Big Brother at the Prince's Trust concert series (all of them)

So, I'm not thinking much mischief will be made backstage.

*"If you fancy drowning your mates in lager or dancing with underwear on your head, this is the band to provide the soundtrack."

If I knew nothing else about the Fratellis, this sentence would make me buy their album.

**"Now they're living out their fantasies for real..."

Kasabian. Fantasies. Bet Thomas's involve Star Wars.

*falls over dead*

That Bloody Mary's lacking in Tabasco

Oh, the boy's a slag......

Arctic Monkeys are set to release 'Fluorescent Adolescent' as their next single on July 9. The single will be released on CD, seven-inch and 10-inch versions. The CD and 10-inch will feature the tracks 'The Bakery', 'Plastic Tramp' and 'Too Much To Ask'. The video of the track was made by 'Nathan Barley' director Richard Ayoade, and stars Stephen Graham, who acted in the 1998 gangster movie 'Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels'.

Mark my words, this song is going to be HUGE.

Stormy Weather

Today, a tornado hit to the north of us. No one was killed, but there's quite a bit of damage.

Around noon, we saw two State Troopers hauling ass up Highway 61 (Iowa's Coolest Flower Shop is right on the highway)- we knew something was up.

Unlike some of our local deputies, the troopers don't turn on their lights and floor it because they're late for lunch.

Growing up in the Midwest, you get used to tornado season, but it's always scary when one hits 20 fucking miles from your house.

They're slightly unusual round here, though. The Mississippi River generally causes them to skip over us and nail Illinois or stops them altogether.

Boy, wouldn't it be nice if the Iowa National Guard were stateside?

Go boys!

Sting may annoy the hell out of me, but this is huge for Jon, Barry and Mince. Go Fratellis!

Wow, Fratellis at Giants Stadium. That's just mind-boggling! Check below for all The Fratellis' summer coliseum/stadium dates with Sting & the gang.

Crazy times down at Costello Music, indeed.

6/13 Oakland, CA - McAfee Coliseum
*7/19 Philadelphia, PA - Citizens Bank Park
*8/5 East Rutherford, NJ - Giants Stadium*

Random Ten

1. Ride a White Horse- Goldfrapp
2. Saturday's Kids- The Jam
3. Miss Lucifer (album version)- Primal Scream
4. Gett Off- Prince
5. Time Has Come Today- The Chambers Brothers
6. The Don- The View
7. It's Tricky- Run-DMC
8. The Girl From Ipanema- Astrud Gilberto
9. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out (live in Moscow)- Noel Gallagher
10. Surrender- Cheap Trick

Bonus-
11. Reach Out (I'll Be There)- Four Tops
12. Where Angels Play- The Stone Roses

Darlene Love on Letterman May 2007 River Deep Mountain High

This was just on a repeat of Dave. Love Darlene. Love Dave. Love Dave loving Darlene.

OMFG! OMFG! OMFG! OMFG!

Fuck me, the Friday (pending) lineup is SPECTACULAR!

Friday (June 22)
Arctic Monkeys
Kasabian
The Fratellis
Bloc Party
The Magic Numbers
Amy Winehouse
Gogol Bordello
The Earlies
The View
Adjagas

Saturday (June 23)
The Killers
The Kooks
Paul Weller
Paolo Nutini
Lily Allen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Guillemots
The Pipettes
Seasick Steve
Liz Green

Sunday (June 24)
The Who
Kaiser Chiefs
Manic Street Preachers
Shirley Bassey
James Morrison
Damien Marley
Stephen Marley
The Waterboys
National Youth Orchestra (with Goldfrapp)
Glastonbury Town Band

AMY!

Girlfriend is on the cover of the Rolling Stone and Spin!

Get down with your bad self, Miz Amy Jade Winehouse!

Though I do have a small bone to pick-

why must media types refer to all female singers as "divas?"

While I adore Amy, Amy, Amy, the girl is 23, which is not nearly old enough to qualify for diva status. In my eyes, anyway.

35-36, then we're talking!

She may be many things,

but DAMN, La Moss is one cool bitch*. As is La Ditto. And I say that in the most respectful of tones.

The Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto has declared new best pal Kate Moss "amazing." The unlikely pair have bonded in recent months and, speaking in this week's NME, Ditto has revealed that they are in agreement about one major issue.

"Kate is amazing. I spent one night talking to her and she just said the most amazing things about bodies," explained Ditto. At first I didn't think I was going to like her, but she just turned up to one of our shows and said, 'Do you know what I hate, Beth? I hate it when people tell my big girlfriends, 'You have a beautiful face...' I mean, that's a really radical concept."

She added: "You can't hate a person for dieting, and you can't blame a person for feeling shit about themselves. You have to blame the machine that feeds it, the thing that makes people feel like that. There are lots of things that are part of that machine, and it's too easy to lay the blame at the feet of women - men don't know what it feels like to be a woman and be expected to look a particular way all the time.

I had those conversations with Kate, and Kate agreed with me about it. She's a smart person."

*and also really, really, really good at spotting trends.

God, I love them

Them being Messieurs Brand and Gallagher. This is just hilarious....

The celeb swordsman quipped: “Happy 40th birthday, eternal rebel, poet laureate of the yob, scribbler of anthems, with the eyebrows of a neanderthal but the soul of NEIL YOUNG.

Now for God’s sake, hand over SARA MacDONALD. You’ve had a good run but you’re a very old man now. Give her and the baby a chance of a better life.

I’ll even raise it to be a lout, unless tests prove that it is, after all, mine.”

Mississippi River at Lansing, Iowa

Florida to Alaska on Bicycle (#55) June 12, 1997: Mississippi River, from Iowa, originally uploaded by worldwidewandering.

One of the prettiest spots in north Iowa.

What Cygirl Did

Had a smashing evening last night- my girl, Casey, celebrated her 29th (wink) birthday with a huge rave-up at her dad's dairy farm in north Iowa.

The morning? Well, I felt like smashing my head against the wall to make the blinding headache go away. I'm 29. (again, wink) When will I learn that Jagermeister is not, repeat not, my friend?

But I digress.

As I was driving through northern Iowa and southern Minnesota (on my way to get some quality time in with my niece), I was very amused by the contrast of the pastoral scenes and the occasional Amish horse and buggy, and with what I was listening to.

Which was? 'Dance Into the Night,' by Wee The View lads, ''Fluorescent Adolescent' by Arctic Monkeys, 'Fuck Forever' by Babyshambles and 'Country Girl' by Primal Scream.

Okay, that last one made sense, but seriously, it was really funny. Maybe that's Jager talking still.....