#28; Nothing Futile about this Resistance

I don’t know if you guys have noticed this but… I love Muse. i absolutely adore the band. Nothing really gives it away, apart from me constantly going on about them on Twitter, messenger and other places, does it? In all seriousness though, there’s a reason to this rather than me simply going on about how much I absolutely adore the band and the music they produce. On September 14th they release their next album, The Resistance, which will be the fifth studio album following Black Holes and Revelations in 2006, and I’m not gonna dumb down any expressions here – quite simply, I am absolutely friggin’ pumped beyond all matters of measurement for this release. Before the release of Absolution, I was mega pumped. But then before the release of Black Holes and Revelations, I was even more excited than that! But this takes it to a whole new level and I just need this album. Right. Now.

In case you don’t know, us Muse fan(atic)s have already have such a sweet free taste of the album thanks to, what I feel, is an absolute genius idea from the marketing aspect of the band. Basically, the band’s lead singer Matthew Bellamy posted a message on Muse’s twitter account, Musewire, mentioning a treasure hunt. Now, to give a clearer insight into this, not long after the release of Absolution, a US tour provided setlists with new songs being played for the first time with names in anagrams that ended up being various clues leading to special Muse-branded bikes that had worked as a fantastic and quite unique treasure hunt. The band have always had a cryptic element behind their music as plenty of times have songs appeared with cryptic names in their setlists, not to mention stuff on their website and messages within interviews and whatnot. The cryptic element of the band has been revisited in a gargantuan style within the past few weeks though, as Muse quite literally got people from around the world in an absolutely huge treasure hunt which was amazing fun to watch on and read it being solved at Muselive and Muse’s official forums. It went like this…

Muse.mu was put down for a few days and a counter appeared. When the site was back, it had been completely rehauled, obviously in spirit for the upcoming release of The Resistance. However it came showing a new sub-site – ununitedeurasia.muse.mu. The website provided a map of Eurasia, and constant messages displaying the type of language you’d expect to see from a navy/army radio, constantly cryptic and almost alarming in danger concerning their language and the way everything was being expressed, for example:

“FLASH MESSAGE TO ALL USOE AGENTS: ARCHITECTS GRAN AJEDREZ NOTE THAT STATION//COLOSSUS HAS NOT BEEN ACTIVATED.
RECOGNITION OF UNITED STATES OF EURASIA BY USA IS VITAL FOR THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME OF PROJECT GRAN AJEDREZ.
ARCHITECTS HAVE AUTHORIZED A TEMPORARY EXTENSION OF THE DEADLINE TO PREVENT LOCKDOWN CRISIS LIMITATION MODE.”

Yeeep. That’s what I thought. It turned out that, in various location around the world at specific times, people had to meet up with agents to receive a USB key that would provide a code for this micro-site which, in turn and gradually from city to city, unlock 30 seconds (or more) of the song United States of Eurasia! It was a brilliant, brilliant idea and I honestly have no idea how Muse fans can even begin to be smart enough to get through some of the clues being provided, which related to references from certain books like The Grand Chessboard by Zbigniew Brzezinski. After a week or so, every location had been unlocked, including a special appearance of a USB key in the United States with a message on the site almost screaming at fans to resist this, acting as if it were a trap, that is someone gave in to the temptation of meeting the agent that fans would regret it. It was brilliant! It created paranoia, worry, and mass discussions upon message boards what to do! Eventually, as I say, the song was fully unlocked. United states of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage), at 5 minutes in length.

The first new proper Muse piece in 3 or so years was finally here!! So… what do I think of the United States of Eurasia? There’s a simple way to answer this.

WOAH!!!!!!

I will be open and say it – it was NOT what I was expecting whatsoever. It’s so much better than that!! The song opens softly, almost recognisable in comparison to the piano of Beautiful by Christina Aguilera (why do I know that?) with Bellamy’s softly spoken vocals accompanied by strings slowly sending the song along. It’s a very calm introduction, very soothing with the lyrics reminiscing the romance within 1984 by George Orwell, a struggle to overcome wars and barriers with a cause gone insane no matter what the protagonist of this song and their partner do. It’s a minute or two in where the jaw really drops though. Just as you get used to this… BAM! Why split these states, asks Bellamy, before launching out (in full Freddie Mercury falsetto) WHEN THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE? with an explosion of sound, guitars squealing away, and a massive smash of drums whilst Bellamy finally screams out! Woah! It’s for me after this where the song truly comes to life, as the band bellow out the most wonderfully arabian-nights sounding section of the song, Bellamy tinkling away on a piano with the orchestra still in full strength simply adding to this wonderful combination, a middle eastern chant of song going along with the rhythm and a snarling bassline under all these layers just add to make this wonderful and hugely unexpectedly sound. The lyrics continue the paranoia of a controlled society - “You and me fall in line//To be punished for unproven crimes” with the constant mention of 'they’ referring to the controlling state Bellamy is obviously screaming out in protest against. The verses fit wonderfully with these middle-eastern instrumental section, but once the final part of USoE arrives, boy does it arrive in fashion. Once again fully utilising the power of Freddie Mercury (why do people moan at this? The man was a legend!) this section of the full United States of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage) ends making a huge amount of attention, with the band shouting out “Eura…SIA! SIA! SIA!”, Dom smashing away on an almost rebellious-sounding anger of drums within the background, Chris’s bass jumping up and down to the simply unignorable vocal screams and it’s just a pure climax of emotion. The best thing about it is that this is only the beginning for the added on Collateral Damage, where as USoE cools down after a vicious attack of rebellion towards a controlling state, the song settles down to end with a 2 minute piano solo of simply Bellamy himself covering one of Chopin’s songs and adding his own personal touch to it to create an elegant, beautiful and simply stunning ending to a song that feels so angry and so frustrated. Accompanying the piano are the sounds of children playing, enjoying themselves and the return of those strings that make USoE so wonderfully unique, simply adding to the atmosphere of this outro, before they simply disappear in a sudden, the children begin screaming in the background and the sound of a missile rushes through your mind all whilst Bellamy’s piano simply strolls past at a snails pace, continuing it’s elegance when a state of panic is obviously occurring in the background. Collateral Damage is a beautiful, beautiful outro that really adds to a song that seems to angry and fed up of society only to be followed by a massive juxtaposition in a piano solo that seems so far away from the world that it simply ignores the troubles it is surrounded in.

So… that’s the first song from The Resistance. Please watch the video at the bottom of this page, it is the full song, United States of Eurasia(+Collateral Damage), that I honestly think everyone deserves to hear. It’s a wonderful song and if you’ve known Muse for a long long time, take all expectations out of your mind and just enjoy because you’ll hear nothing like it at the moment in modern rock bands. Based on USoE, the album should be pretty incredible. Even better is the news that the opening song off the album, Uprising, will be debuted on August 3rd on the Zane Lowe show (Radio 1, 7:30pm), something that I will undoubtedly be checking out in a fit of excitement.

September 14th cannot come quick enough.

#27; F1’s Expansions into the Unknown

As a Formula 1 fan it’s been easy to notice the shift in geographical location over the years from classic Formula tracks like Montreal, Imola and others into new territories for the sport, particularly the shift in focus towards a rich Asian continent for the commercial right holders to take advantage of. Formula 1 is slowly creeping out of Europe, which still is the prominent location of fan-base for the sport. It’s a shame because some of the tracks in Europe are fantastic – look how we lost Spa Francorchamps for a few years, yet saw it return with one of it’s iconic corners trampled for a new chicane that look the fun out of the bus stop. Sadly it seems no track in the sport is safe, no matter how historic or iconic they may be, and you can consider this a rant at the shift in focus to these new locations.

Obviously I have nothing against such countries as China, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and another new locations to the Formula 1 world. The problem I do have is the soulless, barren landscapes they seem to be developed in, combining with tracks that provide no real sense of entertainment where they should be the pinnacle of motor racing. Why is it we always hear these comments from drivers that say… “So and so is a first rate facility, it’s state of the art” and so on – yes, well done, you’ve made a fantastic facility to show off the fat cats behind the curtains, now how about someone work on making tracks that actually benefit us fans? The tracks need top rate medical facilities and need to be safe, no doubt about that. To simply destroy every that Sid Watkins, Jackie Stewart and many other safety personnel over the years have created for F1 would be a catastrophe, but the fans don’t need to know about top class facilities. I feel they want a track that provides excitement, one with history, passion and commitment to the sport with fans that will come to see the race no matter the local heroes in the sport or not.

Of course can all point the finger at Hermann Tilke’s track layouts, which for me have been consistently dull minus a few exceptions in Malaysia and Turkey (more on this later though), but it would be unfair to simple point the finger at one man when he’s simply doing his job on the orders of others. The commercial rights holder that looks for these new locations is a man you may have heard of, Bernie Ecclestone. Yeah, you know that guy! Of course, these new Middle Eastern and south Asian countries have bags upon bags of wealth to throw at Bernie and his commercial rights, and there can be the argument that Formula 1 may need to open it’s arms to new markets, new audiences and expand upon it’s influence but what is these new markets of fans are simply not interested? You study the attendances of Turkey, Shanghai, Malaysia and their attendance records in races have been substantially lower than anything we would see in the main European market of Formula 1. The following diagram shows how Formula 1’s calendar has changed in nearly 20 years:

 

There is a huge difference on locality for Grand Prix in just this relatively short time span. Yes, the main European audience is still kept in mind but for how long, I ask? In the future, we’re expecting to see Grand Prix entries within the Formula 1 calendar from India, South Korea and closer to home in Europe, Bulgaria as well as rumours of United States and Canada regaining their Grand Prix events. But it just astonishes me at times that the commercial holders that negotiate the contracts seem to turn their back on loyal audiences and loved tracks simply for the hope of better money and ‘top class facilities’. Yes Formula 1 needs to be in a modern environment but why not support the locations they feel need improving? It just saddens me to see places like Montreal and Silverstone kicked off simply for stupid reasons.

I don’t like Hermann Tilke’s tracks, I’ll be honest. Bahrain is one of the most dull experience on a Formula 1 calendar ever created I feel and it’s very harsh to criticise anything for me, but it’s simply just a dire environment. There are a few tracks that Tilke has created that create a fantastic spectacle – Turkey has that infamous turn 8 that goes on, and on and is a huge challenge for the drivers, and the track itself has it’s great moment. I also have a soft spot for Malaysia as it’s a good track personally, not an amazing track but one of Tilke’s better designs. The problem is, these tracks still remain in countries that just don’t have the passion you see in the main European audience and it definitely shows on television, as watching a Grand Prix with empty stands at times can be disheartening. It happens in European tracks at times too, for example Valencia and Hungary stand out for me as usually disinteresting tracks with audiences nowhere near maximum capacity (although Valencia has only been around for 1 year, I really can’t see an improvement in 4 weeks time). We shall see what the future brings though.

Formula 1 is ever changing, there is no doubt about it. Rules change from year to year it seems, drivers swap about teams and both leave and exit the sport, and as you can see, tracks come and go. I’m a very traditional, possibly old fashioned, person as I’m sure you can tell from this and for me I just want to see the sport, the pinnacle of motorsport as they say, at the best tracks because that’s where the fans want them to be, and I’m sure the teams do too. What atmosphere can a sport achieve in a desert environment with no relief, landscape changes, atmosphere and relative support? It may seem a little greedy to be annoyed at these additions to the calendar but it’s something I can’t ignore. Hopefully I’m not the only Formula 1 fan who can’t help but wonder at these sort of things as time goes on.

#26; Music Review (Muse, Absolution)

With just a few more weeks to go until Muse unleash their fifth studio album The Resistance upon the world and their adoring fans, I decided to review my favourite Muse album ‘Absolution’. Released in September 2003, it explores Muse’s fear of the world ending, areas of atheism and romance as well as bringing in genres of classical music, jazz and various other surprises along the way. If you know me well, you will know I absolutely adore Muse but I have approached this review with the upmost feeling of non-bias towards the band and enjoyed/reviewed the album for the music it contains rather than the music that I like. Hopefully it’ll be up to your standards, so… enjoy”

1) Apocalypse Please - Opening with a drumming beat of footsteps gradually progressing in their volume, a striking piano riff storms upon the listener into the song. “Declare this an  emergency” screams Bellamy, and you can definitely feel the sense of urgency not only being sang out in despair but from the song itself musically. Whereas the title takes reference to the classic film Apocalypse Now, this song feels in a different world – it almost screams in pain that the end is nigh, an apocalyptic cry from Bellamy on vocals accompanied with the piano works wonders for the song personally. It opens the album with a taste of what to expect in the next 50 minutes or so – loud, brash messages thrown through bass lines, drum-riffs, pianos, synth, the likes. As an individual song, it works. As an opener it works even better. Excellent! 84%

2) Time is Running Out – Arguably one of the poppiest songs on the album, it remains to this day as one of the Muse’s most loved from the fans. Created by a fantastic backing bassline and the clicking of fingers creating the tempo, the song continues the ‘end of the world’ feel originating from Apocalypse Please. It’s certainly a massive distance away from the riffs and distortion of Muse’s previous album, but TIRO will get stuck in your head when you hear it. The bass and the drums are what make the song so fantastically addictive – you hear those notes shoot out at you from the bass as soon as the song starts and it runs the entire length. A little overplayed since the release of Absolution but still a definite highlight and one song that has stayed in Muse’s back catalogue of excellence with the fans for a long, long time since it’s first play. 90%

3) Sing for Absolution – After two electrifyingly momentous songs to introduce fans to Absolution, the record gets it’s first slower song in Sing for Absolution. A dreamy, almost galactic feeling cry of forgiveness that contributed to the album title obviously hears the trio back on piano with very little guitar, much in the same way Apocalypse Please did, but in a far slower, softer context. Bellamy’s vocals works wonderfully with the piano and synth in the background in keeping the pace of the song interesting enough to work but not dull enough to simply see the song getting skipped. Lyrically, it’s a highlight for me because of how strangely well it works as a love song - “There's nowhere left to hide, In no one to confide, the truth burns deep inside, and will never die” – yes it’s simple, but it just goes beautifully with what the song is expressing musically. By the end, after a calm, relaxed intro, the song ends on a louder, angrier tone with heavier guitars and Bellamy almost screaming his way into the outro. Underrated but not brilliant. 82%

4) Stockholm Syndrome – Heavy guitar. Huge bass riff. Gargantuan drums. I can’t think of enough expressions to sum up how massive, how wonderfully huge, how expansive Stockholm Syndrome truly is. The lyrics are nothing to write home about (although ‘This is the last time I’ll forget you!'' makes me want to scream it out in sheer delight"!) but for a song that prides itself on heavy guitar riffs and a bassline that could crack a safe, it’s easily one of the angriest romantic songs you’ll hear. Stockholm Syndrome really is completely brilliant though. From the moment the guitar opens the song to that massive outro of sheer headbanging glee for you rockers, I simply cannot criticise the song in any way or any form. Even the length is perfect, as I personally dislike songs that are less than 3 minutes in length and anything in 4/5 minutes length, for me, is just about right and the criteria matches for Stockholm Syndrome. Plus the guitar riff is up there with Muse’s best. Is this Muse’s best song ever? Arguable. Is this the best song on Absolution? Oh Yes. 97%

5) Falling Away with You – Wow. What a comedown after the mountainous reaches of screaming caused from Stockholm Syndrome. FAWY can fit into the category of romance once more, expressing the deprecation of the world around a person in love from the feeling of falling away with them, obviously. It’s a lovely song – the chorus is simple but works well enough. Musically, its simply guitars and drum tapping that take the song by it’s hand but it’s surprising to hear how non-existent Wolstenholme sounds on the bass, a shame for a man of his talent. I would probably say that this isn’t the correct genre for Muse as whilst the song does work, you just feel like it’s kind of feels like filler. 70%

6) Hysteria – In much the same was as Time is Running out, the bassline absolutely helps make this song a classic Muse tune. It has snarling guitar bashing throughout and cymbals crashing like a menacing ocean but that bassline you hear nonstop just absolutely makes Hysteria. It’s surprising how short the song is, especially whilst listening – time absolutely flies through it’s 3 minute length but it’s short and very sweet, with a gorgeously paradisical guitar solo towards the end. The solo actually feels contradictory to the general frustration portrayed through Bellamy’s lyrics and vocals - “I want you now!” he screams out, yet the guitar solo sounds as if the song reaches a complete different level of pleasure once it finishes. Definitely a highlight of Absolution and of Muse’s complete portfolio. Excellent bass. Excellent sound. Excellent Hysteria. 95%

7) Blackout – This is a strange one to analyse. It sounds like a song drifting down the Venetian canals on a summer afternoon with an orchestra guiding you along, with the song consisting of a string orchestra creating the main ballad whilst Bellamy softly sings along to simple cymbal taping. Being a love song, it ticks the boxes of a romantic cliche but it’s a lovely song without a doubt – just feels at times as if it lacks a little pace. It could be argued that the slow pace of the song makes it better to the context in which it’s sang, which it definitely adds to, but it’s a little out of Muse’s comfort zone. Although the solo with the electric synthesized guitar is the true highlight of the song alongside a cascading choir of violins and other strings. Lovely, but perhaps a little too lovely. 76%

8) Butterflies and Hurricanes – I can’t stress enough how epic this song feels. Really, an absolute epic. It slowly builds up from simply vocals and orchestra, but begins building into this gargantuan sounding of modern classical music, as completely contradictory as that sounds. The pace of the song runs beautifully, with a Formula 1 racing-style pace as it rushes along building more and more noise with piano, bass, drums, more orchestra, backing vocals, brilliant!! In contrast to other songs, with their apocalyptic or romantic message, B&H is incredibly optimistic and upbeat - “Best!! You’ve got to be the Best”! – again going in tandem with the pace of the song fantastically. The entire song is broken into two parts, if you will, by a piano solo by Matt Bellamy that could be confused with such composers as Chopin or Rachmaninov. The solo is elegant, managing to keep that pace that the song build up to towards this climax but adding a modern twist upon the world of classical music. It’s a very brave song, considering how much it mixes Muse’s modern sound with traditional classical music, but my god does it work. 94%

9) The Small Print – We jump from the inspirations of classical music to a sudden in-your-face classic rock song that goes back to the lyrical bias of desperation and anger that has been seen earlier in the album. The Small Print’s musical foundations are built from Bellamy’s heavy guitar and a crunching bassline from Wolstenholme that see TSP simply scream into your mind. We also get a bit more insight into the atheist beliefs of Bellamy and the band through the Small Print, something that goes into deeper thought later in the album. However the Small Print is a pretty good song – nothing hugely memorable but loud, brash and heavier than anything else on Absolution minus Stockholm Syndrome. 80%

10) Fury – To this day I’m incredibly upset about Fury. Basically, the song only appeared on the Japanese version of Absolution, and was scheduled to replace The Small Print worldwide until Dom/Chris outvoted Matt to keep TSP on, and leave Fury off for Japan. The reason why it upsets me so much is that Fury is simply sensational – and yet millions of fans worldwide may not get to hear it because it was simply released as a B-side to a single rather than on the full album. Fury has such an exotic feel about it for me, with the rhythm screaming out arabian nights-style themes with that gorgeously epic bassline that stands above Bellamy’s softly spoken vocals. At just under 5 minutes, it’s reasonably lengthy but, for me, has one of Muse’s must genius choruses. Again Bellamy almost innocently sings out against a song that creates so much power in it’s sound, with the chorus hearing the guitar run back and forth through notes, whilst Bellamy himself sings out against his sins in the hope of no God hurting him for his actions. If it were on the full album worldwide, it would rival Stockholm Syndrome for me. It’s an absolutely mind-blowing song I feel, it creates such an incredible aura and sense of powerful in the way the song conveys it’s message of sin, and just such a highlight that every Muse fan should hunt down. 96%

11) Endlessly – Absolution takes a turn towards the genre of Jazz as endlessly is a calm romantic entry towards the album. It’s an extremely simple song in comparison to some of it’s neighbours alongside it in the album, sounding something you’d hear in a jazz club on a Friday night from a small band rather than the over the top, apocalyptic end of the world paranoia that Muse have achieved in various other songs on the album. It’s quite conceptual in that aspect for the band because it’s so different to a lot of their other stuff – the bass feels so non-existant and the drums sound so stripped down, but it has this wonderful synth in the chorus that mixes with these aspects to create the chilled atmosphere the song is obviously striving for. Bellamy’s vocals work once more with the romantic message being conveyed and it’s a lovely little song, just feels kind of out of place on the album. The mini-solo with the organ is absolutely lovely though but again, sounds very out of place. 69%

12) Thoughts of a Dying Atheist – The song that inspired the name of this blog, huzzah! ToaDA is another fast paced entry into the album based off the guitars and bassline more than anything that, as previously described, seen to absolutely fly by in terms of time. It explores once more the religious aspect of the band’s beliefs in terms of their fear of death and the afterlife that so many religions describe, as the title of the song so easily describes. It’s a great little song though, again just being a typical rock song rather than falling into a particular genre of music elsewhere. Once more we get a guitar solo from Bellamy that adds to the length and breaks the pace in which the verses and choruses seem to come out at, and the fear of death and being an atheist in wonder combined with the constantly moving pace helps makes the song a valuable addition to the album. 83%

13) Ruled by Secrecy - Sadly even the best things in life have to end, and closing Absolution is the truly magnificent Ruled by Secrecy. Opening with a sombre piano and the exasperated vocals of Bellamy almost nasally singing about change in the air alongside a basic bassline and simple drum tapping. The opening minute or two makes it seem as if this loud album, constantly screaming out in frustration then switching to a more personal level at times, is ending on a low key with RbS but just as it feels the song loses all kind of pace musically, it crashes into a sea of piano, cymbals and basslines smashing together to create a hugely effective dramatic exit. Once the song turns into this huge song, it really adds to the atmosphere and cries of despair that previous songs had done so well to create and makes Ruled by Secrecy such a sweetly beautiful and yet screamingly desperate song to end with. It slowly builds down after the crash back to a sudden ending and echo to leave Absolution in the memory of it’s listeners. Fantastic outro for the album and a fantastically beautiful song in it’s own right. 91%.

So that’s Absolution by Muse. If you’re wondering, the average percentage turned out to be 85% (with Fury) or 84% (without Fury), which are both in general is a very fair scores I feel considering how much I love the band, and how totally unfair and biased it could have been! Hopefully the review was fine to read too as if this turned out to be moderately successful, I will indeed other music albums from other bands in the future. Concerning Absolution, it’s still easily my favourite album but nothing is perfect – everything is bound to have flaws. Perhaps you will feel I have been too easy going on some songs, or perhaps not critical enough but that’s the thing about opinions - you can never make everyone happy! I do absolutely recommend this to any real fan of music with an open mind that appreciates all areas of rock – whether it be slower, more romantically biased, general rock or those who prefer an over the top symphonic approach to music, it accommodates to all audiences and the entire albums flows so beautifully well. Muse’s next album, The Resistance, is out on 14th September and is already being called Muse’s ‘biggest and bravest masterpiece’ by different media outlets, so it does make me wonder… how excellent must it be to beat Absolution? Only time will tell my friends.

#25; It’s not quite Autumn but it’s more than Spring

So it’s the typical British summertime rolling out once more it would seem – in a season that should bring sunshine, warmth, colour and clichés of a summer variety, we once more seem to put up with the usual stuff.  I’ll admit we’ve had some beautiful days so far this summer but that’s the thing – I’m having to say ‘some’' rather than mostly! See, our summer seems to be full of cloudy clouds, showery showers and generally generic weather, 3 descriptions that I’m sure will blow you away with sheer visual oomph. To get myself out of this non-descriptive summer we seem to be experiencing once more, I’ve decided to remind myself of everything that makes me look forward to the summer and gets me back in the mood of the lovely few months they should bring…

• Cornettos! OK not necessarily Cornettos’ themselves but ice cream in general. yes we’ve had the massively inflated prices of 99 Flakes contradict their actual name but Ice Creams and summer go together like peas in a pod! Whilst at Goodwood with that beautiful blue sky horizon I can’t even begin to tell you how many Ice creams I treated myself to, pure heaven. You just simply can’t go a summer without ice cream. Yum. Also, you all know secretly Strawberry Cornettos’ are the best ones. 
• Blue! No, not that absolute drivel of a band. No, not the Blue Man Group although they are kind of cool. I mean those glorious blue skies that stretch for miles and miles with the whispers of clouds stroking through their gentle views. Bliss! Absolute bliss! It’s not something us British folk tend to get treated with so often throughout the year it feels. Plus it means lovely weather of course which is always welcome. Just the colour blue itself looks so relaxing in the sky. I almost put tasty there, but I think that’s the though of Cornettos’ getting to my mind. Blue Cornetto sounds wrong.
• Relaxing! It does feel like the summer is the time of the year when everyone seems to take a step back and just chill for a bit, or so in my experience. I have no uni work to necessarily worry about, it’s a fantastic opportunity to travel and go see people and laces, books to read and catch up with, there’s lots of good music to look forward to and listen, again with the ice cream, and it’s just such a relaxing time compared to the new education beginnings of the Autumn, the Christmas stresses of winter  and the general springyness of Spring. Actually Spring’s quite nice too… but Summer is more Springier. If you get what I mean.

It’s quite wierd really because despite all this loving for the Summer, I do prefer the winter. I love the cold and the festivity and, as I am completely wierd, I find rain very relaxing. But the summer, when we get it, is absolutely brilliant because it is just relaxation central with the surrounding of bright, wonderful colours, that gorgeous breeze that brushes past and just a few months of chilling out to a cold drink and good music. When we get it, of course. I think I’ll just remind myself of this entry when the skies go grey over the next month or two…

#24; Rorschach’s F1 Diary/Journal

This blog entry may not necessarily be my own opinions (to an extent) but I thought I’d do a bit writing in a similar style of the Rorschach character from the graphic novel Watchmen. Just imagine it over the course of the various news updates we’ve had in formula one’s politics mayhem over the past few months and perhaps try and immerse yourself in the dystopian context that Rorschach speaks from. It may be utter crap, it may be quite interesting, but I thought Id try something different. Do read on…

…

Tabloids don’t shut up. Newsreaders spew out the crap. Frustration at it all. Everything is awful. Stories supposed to be kept hidden, words supposed to be shared privately, ideas no-one wants. What is Formula 1? Is it the pinnacle of motorsport? or is it a pawn’s game of manipulation, greed and the desperate human cockroaches in charge demanding their spotlight? I don’t know anymore. I don’t care anymore.

….

Peace. Pease is merely a word intended to show neutrality, calmness, to be pure. Nothing’s pure in this. They say peace has been agreed, the smiles on the fat cats and the handshakes of the uneasy. Millions study their despicable words, spoken without an honest molecule of truth. Will it end, they ask. Will it finally be over? It can never be over unless changes are made. And I shall watch on with a dagger inside me turning at the progress of chaos being tortured upon the fans that make Formula 1. Sat there. Angry. Light flickering over my head at the lies. Constant lies. Regret everything? No. They regret nothing.

…

A day is all it takes. Mosley stands out from the crowd and declares ‘They got it wrong.’ You got it wrong. Admit it. The problem is no-one wants to admit it. It’s all wrong and all we can do is look on at those that have made it wrong. They say anger is simply the last of our patience, the final emotion of our sanity. Anger is no emotion. Anger is everything the politics stands for within Formula 1. Frustration. Non-entities. Is it fate that we suffer for their crimes? Nothing we can say. Nothing we can do. Simply watching on whilst the leaders kill our sport. Despicable.

…

Rorschach’s Diary, Wednesday 8th July 2009; A meeting occurs between the good and the bad. The teams from FOTA, the bosses from the FIA, the new guys in between. Words are said. Things are discussed. Opinions are clashed. The teams walks out, disgust, anger, revolt. The dust finally settled, they say? Not a chance. Looking on, I just see greed, I see injustice, I see many individuals crying out for their attention starved egos to be tendered for once more. Step aside, they tell him. Stand down, bring in the new blood. He simply laughs in secret, I know it. Power mad? Power hungry. There is nothing left. The words, the threats, the walkouts, constantly gouging away at that physical connection once adored and loved with everyone that loves the sport. Going. Going. Gone? They threaten a new born child to sprout from the polluted veins that choke behind the curtains of F1. Do we need it? Everything is wrong. Still.

…

The future? I pay my respects. Formula 1. Established 1950, Guiseppe Farina being the first victor. The motorsport lives a life for 59 years. Senna. Fangio. Lauda. Schumacher. Moss. All those lives, all that success, souls destroyed and revived. Is this it? Is this where it ends? Conflict never ends until conflict is resolved. How can conflict end when resolution is beyond the horizon… compromise is impossible. So why is it impossible compromising? Perhaps it is time to admit it. The end is the beginning is the end.

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#23; The Goodwood Experience

Everybody has various experiences within their lifetime that remain in their memory throughout their life, whether this be their first times, their passes and failures, their achievements, just the things that make up the way their life has evolved. This weekend I had the privilege of spending my first experience of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, as I mentioned in a blog entry just before leaving last week, and a weekend that will absolutely remain in my min for a very long time to come. Simply put, the many things I managed to encounter, absorb, gawp at and loved at the festival was like a motorsport utopia; hearing the roar of those vicious engines, staring down at the blindingly gorgeous liveries of cars that have made up their own history in various sports, and just so much more. Of course I realise that for an onlooker reading this, the language I’m using to describe everything is extremely extravagant, but it’s hard to dumb down the descriptions of how much I enjoyed the Festival of Speed. Hopefully, by the end of this entry, you will understand a bit better why the Festival of Speed is just a treat for motor racing fans everywhere.

Approaching the format of this blog entry has taken various forms and lots of consideration – do I talk to you guys reading in the form of a recap of every single day? Simply mention the most special moments of the weekend? Or just discuss and look at the highlights from the various areas of the Festival of Speed? Based on everything, and considering the amount of content that could end up being posted, it seems best to be to simply take a pinch of each option to keep the word count down from a gargantuan essay as well as hopefully keeping you readers interested! There is so much for me to mention concerning Goodwood – boredom is simply not an option I feel when you are at the festival due to the fact there is always something going on, something to see, and somewhere to go. As motorsport fans, we are all treated to viewing some of the world’s most beautiful cars whether that be from the luxurious world of modern Formula 1, the historical evolution of the Silver Arrow Mercedes, superbikes, NASCAR, Le mans, I really could go on and on! Seeing these motorcars and bikes and hearing the electrifying scream of their engines rushing through the Goodwood circuit at an electrifying speed though is simply indescribable. The added bonus of being able to chat to the heroes that risk their lives for our entertainment and their desire to race makes the opportunities even more special to me. Even after the first day, walking out of the event back to the bus, I was quite simply emotionally drained from the sheer brilliance of it all. My first day of the festival was jaw dropping, awe inspiring, just stunning. It absolutely blew me away.

The wonderful thing about going to such events for the first time, without any previous experience of such a race meeting (so to speak), is that it really does add a massive new level of appreciation for everything that makes up motorsport. Whilst I prepared myself as much as I thought I could for Goodwood, so many things opened my eyes and shocked  me in different ways. You grow up watching these cars, these men and women forming the cars into the brilliance you see on track, and managing to stand there with such cars as that gorgeous Rothmans Williams car that won Damon Hill’s world championship in 1996 did feel a little surreal at first. Seeing the aerodynamic perfection on these cars curved and angled to achieve their upmost potential and seeing those striking liveries that made up the times where I grew to love Formula 1, then watching then fly past with the menace of their engines screaming past at a ridiculously fast speed for the first time within my life just made me fall in love with everything motor racing related even more. They have a huge part of history that they hold proud of, but with these classic cars, still seeing the modern and even future concept cars manages to amaze just as much. Perhaps it’s the concept of being surrounded by all these incredible motors continually, despite seeing the same cars over the few days perhaps, never ceased to amaze me. The drivers standing proud and discussing with their crew whilst setting them up to go out on track, for example, just adds to the magic that is Goodwood.

It still stuns me now thinking back over the weekend how normal it seems to simply walk up to these personalities, whether they be the drivers themselves, the crew, managers or PA’s, and simply talk Formula 1 to them. They are there for the exact same reason as everyone else though – because of their love for motor racing,enjoying everything it should stand for. Over the course of the weekend I had the pleasure of speaking to some fantastic people from within the paddock, which seems incredibly bizarre to myself going to such an event for the first time and witnessing these people in front of me that I had seen shape the sport and create their legacy within whatever sport they has come from. It simply was beyond surreal. Some examples to share with you, on the first day I managed to have the pleasure to see Adrian Newey in the Rothman Williams overalls standing outside the Williams garage. After quickly saying hello, and getting a photo of him, he seemed more than happy to talk and I mentioned to him how it must be fantastic to see Red Bull’s achievements this year finally coming to fruition, especially at Silverstone. He seemed delighted enough, smiled back and said ‘It really does never gets old’. With that I shook his hand and wished him luck for the future, and got a quick photo as he went off back to his busy schedule. Things like this really make me appreciate what makes the humble people within the paddock give you, the fans, the time you deserve for being dedicated to Formula 1 especially in the rough times of politics we have had to endure as of late. Other names that popped up in my autograph book and camera were the wonderfully welcoming Jackie Stewart, speaking to fans about little stories and answering their questions politely, David Brabham who had recently just won Le Mans with Peugeot spending a lot of time with the fans over the weekend (including coming out of the drivers paddock to attend to a disabled woman for a lengthy amount of time), Timo Glock, Eddie Irvine, Allan McNish, even Steve Ryder and Tony Jardine spent time with the fans that I witnessed at points despite not exactly being big A-list names amongst the autograph hunters. It is just an extremely humbling experience and a pleasure to meet such people when they give the time back.

So over the course of the few days within this wonderful environment, what stands out as the big highlights for myself? They were without a doubt a few days of blissful paradise, and I hope mentioning certain things will not annoy you with name dropping but simply enlighten you into just how much I enjoyed the times…

• As previous mentioned, getting the opportunity to get up close and talk (even briefly) with such names as Damon Hill, Jenson Button and a big highlight for me asides from the world of motor racing, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. Very surreal to see these guys. Easily the most memorable moment was watching John Button pass by Lou, Chris and myself until Chris stopped Mr Button, tapped him and asked “Do you mind having a photo with your friend?”. No complaints, John was more than happy to comply, wrapped his arm around Lou’s squeals of excitement and we got a wonderful photo of the two with John smiling throughout. Needless to say, it took Lou ages to recover after what had just happened… but what a moment!! Another memorable moment for me was seeing Adrian Newey drawing a quick F1 car for charity with the McLaren crew, and as he did it with the guys walking off thanking him, they turned and jokingly exclaimed “This’ll be our 2010 car!” to much laughter from Newey and the crowd of fans watching on. Brilliance!
• Hearing those engines in person for the first time. That menacingly beautiful scream of a modern Formula 1 engine racing by, or standing right next to it as it warms up before setting off to the track was beyond description. It absolutely blew me away, and left me speechless as there are no words to justify and compare the loudness of those wonderful pieces of machinery. I mean, I see them every fortnight or so on TV and we all know what an F1 car sounds like no doubt, but until you hear one yourself, it seems you can’t appreciate just how magnificent they do sound. Plus it really is true; blink and you miss them. 
• The festival of speed does create the most fantastic atmosphere, and I adored being part of it all. You’re there with thousands upon thousands of fanatics, enjoying the company of these historical cars, these wonderful people, all showing their appreciation, hard work and skill from the many years they will have taken part in their sport. Sunday for me in particular was a truly wonderful day – getting the chance to meet up and explore with some amazing people and having a hilarious times whilst watching on with the events going on around us, not to mention seeing the names that have made up motor racing and continue to do so in the most beautiful weather is all just a blissful combination. The whole weekend felt like a dream come true to be honest, and after this weekend, I really cannot wait to attend again in 2010!
• The photo opportunities were fabulous. Over the weekend I myself managed to get several hundred photos from allsorts of areas, whether it have been in the Cartier et Luxe or simply trying to keep up with cars on track, it has provided myself with lots of visual memories to gain much delight from remembering. The photos accompanying this entry are the photos I managed to take myself, and you can find the full set over at my Flickr account. It’s definitely worth having a look even if you think my photography is awful, just to see how many wonderful different things were were on offer to keep up with!  It is pretty special how many photographic opportunities are available should you be willing to give the time to study everything that makes the cars such a beauty to look at.  
• Just to name drop a little, the full list of people I managed to say hello, stand next to (don’t think wierd of me!) or talk to this weekend were… Timo Glock, Pedro De la Rosa, Jay Leno, Jackie Stewart, Mike Skinner, Randy Wallace, David Brabham, Allan McNish, Alex Wurz, Jenson Button/Team Jenson (Jules, John, etc), Tony Jardine, Adam Carroll, Nick Mason, Mark Webber, Damon Hill, Kazuki Nakajima, Sam Bird, Christian Horner, Mario Theissen, Adrian Newey, Eddie Irvine, Steve Ryder, Bruno Senna, Jochen Mass, Jesse James, Derek Bell, Patrick Head, Jodie Kidd, and one or two others I’ve probably shamefully forgotten. Not too bad though for a first time, I think!

So that for me was everything Goodwood. It really was a special few days and I appreciate everyone who encouraged me to go because beforehand, there was much apprehension for various areas concerning accomadation, travel, money and whatnot. From my point of view, I cannot stress enough how much it is worth visiting for if you have the opportunity. Everything about it everything motor racing should be and it’s just the pure brilliance about it that has made me fall for Goodwood completely. It was simply incredible though. Hopefully you guys will have gained a better insight into my first experiences of this wonderful event, and if you’ve never visited before, hopefully this will encourage you to do one thing… GO IN 2010! Think I’ll end this with a few photographic memories…

#22; Full steam ahead, Goodwood

If you’re a big fan of your motorsport and know the various events around the calendar, then you should know that this weekend is the illustrious Festival of Speed held at Goodwood. Occurring over the 3rd, 4th and 5th of July, the festival celebrated everything that is motorsport, the thrill of the chase, the roar of the hundreds of horsepower screaming towards onlookers, and just something that, or so I have been told, every motorsport fan should attend at least once. This weekend, as you can probably guess by now, I shall be attended all 3 days!! Woohoo!!

For those not in the know, the event’s website explains it better than me… here is the official blurb from the Goodwood website states…

“The Festival of Speed is far more than just a hill climb – it is a celebration of the history of motor sport and can justifiably claim to be the world’s biggest and most diverse classic motor sports event. Taking place outside Goodwood House, using the main road through the Park as the track, it’s the only occasion where you’ll see in action the greatest competition cars and star drivers from the entire history of motor sport. Famous drivers and riders have attended such as Sir Stirling Moss, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Nigel Mansell, Mika Hakkinen, Johnny Herbert, Juan Pablo Montoya, Richard Petty, Carl Fogarty, Giacomo Agostini, Troy Corser, Troy Bayliss, Jean Alesi, Jacky Ickx, Marcus Gronholm, Petter Solberg, Hannu Mikkola and Alan Jones to name just a few. The Festival is an unrivalled social and sporting occasion in the motor racing calendar.”

Festival of Speed FAQs

I’m very much excited about seeing everything that the festival holds and you lucky guys will get the pleasure of myself reporting back to you all on Tuesday with a blog detailing my experiences. Originally I was wondering creating a day by day account of my experiences but sadly, due to a lack of internet access for myself over the days, it will not be an option. In fact, you won’t hear from me now until Tuesday – how will I survive for so long without my internets?! Going to the world of ‘outside’ for such a period of time should come with a warning me thinks.

So, wish me luck I suppose. This is the first time I’ll be attending Goodwood and as excited as I am, there’s an obvious anxiety to going somewhere new and different, as I’m sure you guys can understand. It’ll all be excellent though, I can just tell, and hopefully I’ll be able to bring back some lovely photos to share, discuss and enjoy! If any of you guys reading are going, do shout over and come and say hello if you see me – I hope to see you there!

Camera? Check.
Tickets for train and event? Check.
Earplugs? Check.

…well then, let’s go!