Posts by Robyn Gallagher
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Speaking of Lolita:
Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.
This is, I reckon, the most pleasurable opening paragraph of a novel to read aloud.
Go on, take your tongue on the journey.
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You know, there are really two books that have defined my life.
When I was five, my favourite book was "The Outsider" by Albert Camus. My mum used to read it to me before bed.
Once I was staying with my gran and she had to ring mum to find out what was "the one where the funny man feels alienated and kills the Arab and is jailed for his lack of remorse".
Lol, those were good times. When I have kids, I will make them read it.
Then when I was 19 I was hitch-hiking around Europe. I was stuck at a train station in Brussels for a few hours, so I went into a bookshop and bought the paperback version of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".
By the time the train arrived, my world view had changed. How could I have been so blind? I was the leaf on which the egg sat, only there was no moonlight.
Lol, those were good times. Oh, to be young again, etc.
But as it is the new millennium and reading is now uncool, I try not to do it any more.
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Before anyone finalises judgment on Allanis Morisette
Hating on Alanis is sooo '90s, anyway.
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Slarty said:
I read an article in Salon or The Economist (can't remember) years ago, where they opened with a paragraph from an article written in the 20's. It was explaining how gramophones would be the death of the sheet music industry (and it was...)
This intrigued me. I tried googling, but couldn't find anything like that, but I did find this related article at the NY Times.
In particular, this paragraph stood out:
Recorded music shifted the balance of power from sheet music publishers, which dominated the early music business, to record producers. But the reaction to technical innovation -- whether radio in the 1920's, cassette recorders in the 1960's or MP3 players in the 1990's -- has been consistent. ''It's nothing new to say the recording companies are scared,'' Professor Schoenherr said. ''They've always been scared.''
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Spare a thought for the rats of Raglan (and my mum). One of my parents' cats not only brings the gift of rats inside, but thoughtfully disembowels them, saving my mum the trouble.
I'm sure there's a political metaphor in there somewhere.
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The piece on thorium was good (and, really, how could you not love an element named after THOR, GOD OF THUNDER?), but I demand more podcast goodness!
I have to start work at 7am this week, so I want something to look forward to on my way into work.
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When I was a teenager I stole my mum's 1963 edition of Sex and the Single Girl, complete with her maiden name written on the inside page.
I thought it might be a rude book (after all, it had SEX in the title), but it turned out to be surprisingly informative.
Famously, author Helen Gurley Brown went on to be appointed editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine (turning it into what is is today), but, really, if you have Sex and the Single Girl, you don't need a single issue of Cosmo.
Historically, it was pretty much the first book that took the modern, single employed girl (i.e. woman) seriously. That while having a fellow was kind of fun, it was also just as much fun being unattached, and fun having - gasp - casual sex.
The book is pretty much a how-to on standard girly topics - fellows, sexiness, food, decorating, make-up - but doing it within that magical era between the uptight '50s and the liberation that was to come in the later '60s.
It probably wouldn't have passed for feminist in the '70s, but looking back at it now, it is almost a blueprint for the modern woman of today.
I've read it so many times I practically know bits off by heart. I can't say I've followed all the advice or that it's worked for me - in fact, maybe the biggest influence has been Brown's cheerful writing style - but I'm sure the book has been a positive influence on my life in many ways.
And remember, girls, if you're having an affair with a married man, he'll never leave his wife, but ultimately you have the upper hand.
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We don't feel too good about stealing NZ music so we're more likely to buy it.
There's always been this "support NZ music!" attitude, but that only goes so far.
If a local band is rubbish, they shouldn't expect an audience just because they're local. Likewise, a good band shouldn't feel like they're only popular because they're Kiwis.
While I'm sure FFD's popularity here was helped by them being from around the way, but their raw talent and hard work counted for more, and earned them success overseas.
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Robyn: I don't think everyone fits into one of your three categories, nosiree, not by a long shot. I think there are an absolute shitload of people -in fact I'd say a majority- who illegally download music they want, because they'd rather have it for free than pay for it. Simple.
Oh, um, I meant apart from that.
But it'll be interesting to see what the teenage downloaders and burners grow up to do. Will they buy or will they continue to download?
Having said that, now that I'm a grown-up with money to spend on music, I no longer make C90 dubs off my friends.
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If there was some sort of technologicay breakthrough and it were somehow made absolutely impossibly to illegally download music, would people start buying more CDs and/or legal downloads?
I don't think so.
I reckon people illegally download music they're curious about ("Hmm... I hear the new Bloc Party CD is awesome"), as a sort of preview system, music they can't buy locally ("Japan only?! WTF?!), and music that they wouldn't consider worth buying ("Meh. Fall Out Boy sucks, but that one song is OK, I s'pose")
And here's something else to consider - how much revenue is being lost because with iTunes people are now able to buy any album track for a mere $1.79, rather than shelling out $35 for the whole album?