Darth Vader being a Smartass

I had tears rolling down my face last night. Try and watch this without laughing.

Darth Vader being a smartass...

Youtube Rocks

Youtube - how did we live without it? You could spend all day on Youtube. It rocks! I just recently noticed that if you are looking for your favourite song, chances are you can find a YouTube video. I never realised there was so much music on here. I just did a search for "Stayin' Alive" - for some reason I was looking for the lyrics - hard to hear what Barry was singing with that squealing voice. The Bee Gees rock. Stayin' Alive is surely one of the best pop songs ever... Life Going Nowhere, Somebody Help Me.



Then I start clicking... How Deep is Your Love...



We're living in a world of fools.

So I wonder if I can find some Kate Rusby... What a voice. Who will sing me lullabies?



Kind of reminds me of Suzanne Vega who I loved when I was about 18. I went to see her in concert at Leeds University in about 1988. Great. I am perfectly round. I am watching you.



You can also find classic music clips such as Bob Dylans "Subterranean Homesick Blues". Watch the Parking Metaws!



And Youtube is right up to date too... See below - "Falling Slowly" winner of the best song at the 2008 Oscars.. Great song. Take this sinking boat and point it home.



I could do this all night. Wanna see some Thai music - well, how about Jonas and Kristy - most famous farangs in Thailand...?



Damn, I can even find some of the Spanish language music I used to listen to when I was over in Centro America - try "Zoom" by Soda Stereo...todos somos adictos a estos juegos de artificio.



Or "Lamento Boliviano" by Los Enanitos Verdes - I used to sing this rather loudly and slightly drunkenly when I was studying Spanish in Guatemala in 1996...

Y yo estoy aquí
Borracho y loco!



And The Monk says good night! Booiiing! Said Zebedee! Lordy you can even find the Magic Roundabout on Youtube... Ermintrude is one crazy cow



Not Good Night yet! Damn - I keep surfing - here's Bowie's "Heroes".



There's things I have never seen - George Harrison Tribute Concert - Paul McCartney starts playing "Something" on the ukelele before being joined by the band.



And Clapton sings "While My Guitar gently weeps" with Macca on piano and harmonies. Damn that guitar is good.



And so we must end. All things must pass.



Well, one more...

We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
But the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray...



Mind you, talking of trays... a final video - my wife and I find this very funny. Eddie Izzard..



Good night!

Gazza needs help

There is something sad about seeing a talent go to waste. Fame can destroy. So much pressure to perform and be a superstar forever. It happened to George Best, happened to Maradona, is certainly happening to Britney Spears and may have tipped actor Heath Ledger over the edge. Some people can't handle all the attention and all the money and all the chances to do anything they want. It can go to your head. Fame. The ultimate drug.

Paul Gascoigne was a very talented footballer, one of the best. Magic, and an entertainer too, but right now he needs help. He's been in trouble with the bottle, he's been arrested for assault and now he has been detained under the Mental Health Act after an "incident" at the Gateshead Hilton Hotel.

I remember very clearly Gazzas tears at the World Cup 1990 and I remember sitting in a hotel room in Colombia in 1996 watching him score a cracker of a goal against Scotland in the European Championship. I recall the Fog on the Tyne and would like to send these happy memories of Gazza over the internet. Chin up Gazza. Maybe Vinnie Jones should pay him a visit?

Wayne Rooney Arrested in Phuket. Not!

When is a Rooney not a Rooney?

Following the Phuket Gazette’s report “Wayne Rooney arrested in Patong”, in which an Englishman was involved in an accident in which a Thai motorcyclist died on Sunday, police have now confirmed that the Englishman’s name is Wayne Robert Washbourn.

The Englishman was initially named by Lt Col Serm Kwannimit of Kathu Police as Wayne Rooney, the same name as the England national squad player and Manchester United star footballer.

The Gazette understands the pressures local police are under and how such a simple mistake could be made.

Striker Rooney is in Manchester United’s starting lineup for their UEFA Champions League clash against Lyon, which will be televised live from 2:30 am tomorrow on Channel 7.

C'mon the Reds!

Not sure if Rooney has ever been in Phuket, but I will happily buy him a beer if he shows up at my door :)


(above) Wayne Rooney


(above) Not Wayne Rooney at all

• Phuket Gazette - our local rag

Is Roy Keane a Spartan?

The Monk in Thailand is having a quiet Sunday. The calm before the storm. His mind catches sight of a photo of Roy Keane, the mild mannered manager of Sunderland FC. The mind of the Monk works in mysterious ways and compares Keane to King Leonidas, leader of the 300... maybe grow that beard a bit more...

Happy Valentines Day

As I understand it, Valentines Day is an old festival, dating back nearly 2000 years but was not originally anything to do with romantic love. It was reborn in the modern age as another great way of making people spend money and making them feel guilty if they don't. Cards, flowers, gifts, holy cow we just had Christmas and now we have to spend more?

Thailand goes Valentine crazy. Hearts and flowers everywhere. Another good excuse for a party, to eat out, to drink whisky ... oh and to show someone that you care.

Today we closed our shop early to be with loved ones. My wife was shocked to see me home so early! We have been out for dinner at Laem Hin Seafood, had a nice evening.



My daughter made a us heart at school. Lovely. That's what it's about. None of this be my Valentine rubbish, or "I love you and to prove it I have spent lots of money on flowers". Family. Love them. Cherish them.

Sexy Sadie Dies age (about) 91

The Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who is credited with setting the Beatles and other stars on the path to spiritual enlightenment, has died. The Maharishi, thought to have been 91 years old, died in his sleep on Tuesday evening at his home in the Netherlands.

He introduced the Transcendental Meditation movement to the West in 1959, with the intention of creating individual peace and enlightenment.

By the time of his death, it had grown into a multi-million dollar empire.

• News from the BBC

He became famous largely due to his meeting with the Beatles, who traveled to India in 1968 to his retreat at Rishikesh along with other stars such as Mia Farrow, Donovan and some of the Beach Boys. They had a nice time and wrote lots of songs, though Ringo said he had to take lots of Heinz Beans with him.

The song Sexy Sadie was said to be about the Maharishi, written by John Lennon who felt rather let down after the Maharishi alledegedly tried it on with a female member of his followers. Sexy Sadie, what have you done? You made a fool of everyone.

Anyway, Rest in Peace.

Beatles song "Across the Universe" to be played in space

Across the Universe by the Beatles will become the first song ever to be beamed directly into space next week, US space agency Nasa has announced.
The track will be transmitted through the Deep Space Network - a network of antennas - on the 40th anniversary of the song being recorded.

It will be aimed at the North Star, Polaris, 431 light-years from Earth.

In a message to Nasa, the former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney said the project was an "amazing" feat.

"Well done, Nasa," he added. "Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul."

Meanwhile John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, said: "I see this as the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the Universe."

Fans have been asked to get involved by playing the song at midnight GMT on Monday night, the same time as the space transmission.

The event will also mark 50 years of Nasa.

News from the BBC

Right, so midnight will be about 7am here - must remember to dig out my Let It Be CD...