Monday, March 28, 2005

If Holland ever had a band to equal the live-dynamics of the Fleshtones or Untamed Youth it must be the Firebirds. No idea what their current status is, but it looks like at least one ex-member has joined Das Aldi Combo. They're on tour with King Kahn this week, and if you need convinsin' on why you should check 'm out, just dig their crazed take on Human Fly that's available as MP3 from their site...
Details are very sketchy, but it looks like there is a Sire Records Box Set in the works.
Amy brought over the pilot episode of NBC’s remake of The Office which aired there last Friday night. Words cannot express what a waste of time, effort, resource and whatever else this is and has and always will have been. One would imagine that it’ll surely be put out of its misery after one “season”.

People stateside who were interested, presumably saw the original. Nobody else out there probably cares or will recognise the enormity of the folly associated with it but heads oughtta roll. All of the characters have been re-named and even the approximation of “Keith” is beyond all reasonable ken, y'ken?. The show lasts for 25 minutes(ish) and is hard going. Much has been made about it not having a “laugh track” and how this will confuse the American viewer. No it sodding won’t, because the channel will have been flipped well before they notice that it ain’t there - such is the chasm between the appropriation of what was formerly comedy gold and this travesty. Where much of the success lay in the uncomfortable familiarity and realistic nature of the material, this is a flat, dull atrocity. And, when they try to americanise the fare, then it slips another couple of rungs. Whoever sanctioned this could use a shot of “downsizing” themselves. Far as I know, the US AbFab was aborted due to the fact that it quite obviously didn’t work. I have no idea if the same people or indeed network was/were involved or who did the decent thing on that score but the culprits here require a loan of the radar that arrived at that decision.

I am still somewhat aghast and it took three episodes of The Honeymooners to restore my faith in how American comedy once, and very often still does, tower over the occasional (accidental) UK hit show.