NiallOK’s Blog

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This is Australian singer, Gabriella Cilmi. Not a bad looking young woman, I think you’ll agree. I believe her second name is pronounced “Kill Me” - which seems kind-of appropriate as I can’t get her song “Sweet About Me” out of my head, and it tends to drive me a bit nutty.

Oh, and what about that band all the radio stations seem to be banking on right now, - the Ting Tings? They get a lot of airplay and are seen as ‘quirky’ and ‘eclectic’ and perhaps even ‘the new CSS‘! (I’ve read that the new CSS album, “Donkey” isn’t all that great in fairness). They create some supremely head-wrecking tracks too (ever get “That’s not my Name”, or it’s B-Side “Great DJ” - the song used on the RTÉ 2fm TV ads - stuck in your head?).

Their new single “Shut up and Let Me Go” sort of epitomises their style - a repetitive pouty, shouty, grouchy female lead “telling it like it is” over an electro-rock/pop backing with a cheeky feel to it… like a modern day Transvision Vamp (well… ALMOST), except again, it has that insidious beat and infectious lyrics that grab hold of your mind and set up residence there, like a fungus on a tree, getting - as I say - stuck in your head. I’m not saying it’s BAD, per se- it’s fairly simple music, stripped back to it’s basics in some ways, … but it CAN be head-wrecking, and it’s difficult to explain why.

Actually, is it a sign of a good song when it’s stuck in your head, or just a sign of a “so bad it’s good” song, cleverly constructed in such a way that you can’t help but hum it and keep having it repeat on you like a bad cup of tea? I’m tending to lean towards the second definition/explanation to be honest.

These are the thoughts that occupy my mind when I wake up too early… must stop doing that.

Can’t believe I never saw this before… The Aprés Match crew doing Weebl’s Badger Badger Badger” during RTÉ Sport’s Euro 2008 coverage.

RTÉ’s new “News Now” streaming video service service (as discussed on Mulley’s site, here) is pretty good - it provides rolling news from the state broadcaster with repeats of the latest bulletins and special live events… except, of course, when they go and do this:

This evenings episode of that hilarious home grown comedy Killinaskully was streamed on the news service.

They followed it up by leading up to the 9 O’Clock news with “Disasters”, an RTÉ Factual department production. It’s a documentary about the loss of life on trawlers off the Donegal coast and so clearly fits the “news channel” bill.

No explanation for Killinaskully though… It would appear though that either they somehow consider it to fit that bill too, or someone was just asleep at the wheel this evening in RTÉ…

I’m a fan of good radio and good radio presenters, and I was appalled to see that RTÉ 2FM DJ Nikki Hayes was hospitalised after being attacked by a stalker.

Nikki presents the “All Request Lunch” show, weekdays from 12-2pm on the national station but Jenny Greene had been filling in for her recently, while she recovered.

Well today - a month after the incident, and after much speculation (including the rumour that RTÉ had let her go), she returned to the national airwaves with her popular show straight after the mid-day news. It would seem she’s recovered fully and is eager to put the horrible incident as far behind her as possible.

It’s great to hear her back and I’m glad that these rumours turned out to be just that. Fair play to ya, Nikki!