the UK home for americana music
Our political take on the week’s news with an accompanying Americana song
In the green and pleasant fields of the People’s Republic of Liverpudlia no one is unhappy and no one goes hungry. At least that’s the vibe we get from within Americana-UK Towers although of course it can be a challenge to hear stuff properly from down within our bunker being as it is reinforced with our arrogance and soundproofed against dissent. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Wilco “If I Ever Was A Child””
King of the Pops Mr Villers is currently away holidaying while observing social distancing in his back garden, and while his normal eloquence will return next week, in his absence we briefly turn to Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly who has featured in more than one of our writers’ best americana albums of all time lists which we have been publishing in recent months. His ‘Words and Music’ album from 1998 begins with the line: “I’m so afraid for my country, There’s an ill wind blowing no good, So many lies in the name of history” which feels like as good a description of how many people are feeling this year for all kinds of different reasons, not all of them Covid-related. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Paul Kelly “Little Kings””
Here in the Independent People’s Republic of Liverpudlia we often wonder why other sister/brother independent republics don’t get along. Obviously we are surrounded by land and sea with places that aren’t republics (could, woulda, shoulda between 30th January 1649 and 29th May 1660 but…whatever) and the nations that do surround us seem to dislike one another with a smouldering intensity. We don’t get that either but hey-ho. We have been intrigued these past few weeks with talk of a ‘war’ between a couple of places that we were hard pressed to pinpoint on the map. Turns out the South Caucuses was the place and that Armenia and Azerbaijan were the places that had beef with one another. So we got that in a geographical sense but beyond that…? No – clueless. Naturally, our interest piqued, we dug a little further. We sort of wish we hadn’t because it’s complicated to the point that even falling down a rabbit hole would have been preferable. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: They Might Be Giants “Boss Of Me””
It’s been a grim week here at Americana-UK Towers. Firstly it pissed it down like an incontinent Colossus bestride Rhodes. Secondly – in order to get him to sleep after throwing a tantrum – some American Secret Service agents strapped Donny John into a car seat and drove him around for a bit (accidentally infecting anyone in the hermetically sealed vehicle with a potentially deadly virus which will be a scenario familiar to exasperated parents everywhere). And thirdly it was revealed that a populist right-wing government’s outsourcing of vital public works to the private sector was, as suspected, a monumental fuck up proportionate to befriending rats during the Bubonic plague, deciding that due to his height/weight ratio Goliath was the better bet and agreeing that Greek horses couldn’t be that bad. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Alabama “20th Century””
This weeks televisual highlight at Americana-UK Towers came as tuned in to watch the American presidential debate. We say debate but it was more like a primary school spat between spoiled brats except worse. No one came out of it covered in glory particularly (although we are loathe to take sides) the incumbent and the moderator. This is the most powerful country in the world we are talking about and one expects them to be able to at least have a sensible discussion, lay out some policy detail and debate the pros and cons of each’s position. Perhaps we expect too much. It is also worth pointing out that this web magazine is not American but rather exists due to a love of that country and more particularly its music. We just thought that they could do better. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Warren Zevon “Lawyers, Guns and Money””
This week at Americana-UK Towers we have been mostly practising at being Shroedinger’s Worker – a concept where we are simultaneously both working from home and working from the office. It seemed the only sensible thing to do given the current government advice. Likewise we have been eating at Old McDonnell’s – the local ethical eatery where they pay you to consume the stuff and they have a terrific free broadband connection – but sadly that has now come to an end given that we don’t usually get up until three in the afternoon so a ten o’clock curfew badly impacts on our lunch. On the upside we have now taken to wearing our masks 24/7 which is handy when you need to mouth “You fucking wanker” at a colleague or passing musician and not be heard. This does mean that we are no longer able to play songs by Van Morrison, Ian Brown or Noel Gallagher (being anti-maskers) but only two of them won’t be sadly missed. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: George Strait “The Weight Of The Badge””
Recently at Americana UK Towers we set up the cine projector and had our weekly ‘film night’ where we come together as one and enjoy a movie. We had a high old time each with their bottle of over strength spirit in one hand and vegan snack of meadow grass flavoured chickpea crisps in the other. It was truly remarkable – holding hands and disavowing the existence of an interventionist god as a precursor to the main event, smelling each other’s hands to check for ‘that’ hand sanitizer aroma and knowing therefore that we were free from virus spreading guilt and promising to love one another regardless of what we had said about our fellows via private messaging in the preceding days of the week. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Steve Earle “Amerika v6.0 (The Best We Can Do)””
Here at Americana-UK Towers we have unaccountably found ourselves in a new season and are ready to embrace all that this change in the meteorological world has to throw at us. Thank heavens that the madness of the spring and summer months is behind us we thought and that we can finally raise a glass of harvest punch on a reflective, calm and peaceful time. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Yo La Tengo “Autumn Sweater””
Here in Americana-UK Towers we have recently renewed our television licence. It cost us a grand sum of fifty-three quid since The Editor is too tight to let us have a colour TV and we make do with a 66-inch curved screen surround sound job (set to black and white). The £157.50 demand for colour was beyond his ken and since several of our members have lied about their age none of us are seventy-five or over and hence (currently) eligible for a ‘free pass’. Also since we are only visually impaired when blind drunk this applies infrequently (ish). We don’t feel guilty about this. And we don’t see why the right-wing press should feel guilty either in blaming the BBC for their outrageous demand that the frail and elderly stump up out of their paltry state pension for something that should clearly be funded by sacking the lot of the left-wing shower and making them employ small children in the fabrication of fashion garments as a means of income generation. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Robyn Hitchcock “Television””
This week we’ve been made aware of some interesting facts and figures. Apparently net migration to the UK (year ending March 2020) was 313,000 – up on 221,000 on last year. Xenophobes and Brexiteers must be wailing and gnashing their teeth. In fact 715,000 people moved to the UK but 403,000 left hence the ‘net’ figure. Of that net figure the vast majority were non-EU nationals. Indeed an estimated 257,000 of those people arrived for study/university and the vast majority of those were from China or India. The remainder were for work and family reasons. That’s a lot of money generated for the economy. Then Covid-19 hit. After that there was a 97% reduction in passenger journeys. Also – and here’s the economy killer – study visa applications are down 99%. And of course the Brexit transition period will end pretty soon with no deal or agreement in sight. And the country is in debt to the tune of something like two trillion pounds. Best start looking for change down the back of the sofa…