Question of the Day

Guys I got a new job! In Social Media of all things. I think I have fallen in love tbh. So I want to ask you all this question. What is your favourite thing about Social Media? And sure while we are at it why not throw in your least favourite thing too?

New posts soon :-)

GBM

Oh Joyous Love of Joy

What was I thinking with my previous post? Why sure as long as I love things with absolute boyish wonderment then there will always be a place for GBM in my life and my writing. Thanks to all my Blog friends for the lovely comments and help whilst I had my mid-blog-life breakdown, especially my Fairy Blog Mother, Mynx for her truly inspiring email. Much appreciated.

GBM will be going through a redesign and I plan to come back stronger than ever and even resurrect my Hot Ginger of the Week section and maybe throw in a few new ones.

So I found this song on the net and that's what made me realise that I don't need to walk away from GBM even if I was feeling I wanted to write about different things. I love this song, love love love it. I love the video, it's fantastic, shot in Iceland, oh my god wow. The styling is amazing, some kind of hipster meets pikey fashion statement, oh feels so right to me. An that up skirt shot just as a plane flys overhead, Wowsers!

A fantastic video and song from an emerging new talent. Here's hoping she will follow through with a great album. I am counting down the days.

GBM

We Made an Art

Look what Husband and I made today. Our very own piece of artwork to hang above our couch. Finally our living room is complete. Now we only need to finalise the hall and our bedroom (Husband has plans). Gotta say we were inspired by Mynx who is always out creating great paintings and encouraging her fellow bloggers to release their inner artist. Thanks a mill Mynx.

Husband and I, over the years seem to becoming more and more crafty and creative. In fact we realised all the framed pieces on our wall are our own creations, be it a triage of sun light themed photos or a tasteful nudie men collage.

Yay. Go art go!

Hope you guys like it.

GBM

Oh Joy

Three days in to my new job and I've already  created and edited my first communication video. It's such a big change to be doing a job you truly enjoy. So I shall give myself and you guys too, a celebratory Tommy Bowe (attractive Irish Rugby player for those not in the know) as a reward. Yay work!

So far so awesome :-D

GBM

Happy Halloween Everybody

So this is the bad boy I am reusing this year. I may have peaked with this creation.

Now to find a party.

GBM

Zurich Open Air Day 4: And They Chilled on Sunday

By Day 4 you could see that the bounce was lost from the majority of the weary festival goers, tiredness from the days before and the caked on mud was beginning to take it's tole. Luckily I had a secret weapon up my sleeves to give me some renewed energy to make it through Day 4.

Husband was unable to attend Day 4 so his pass for the day went to fellow Blogger Cecily (check out her Blog here). Her enthusiasm for the festival, seeing how it was her first day in attendance was exactly what I needed to make it through the last day, it was contagious.

I was glad of it, as there was a moment when I was sitting down on the benches eating some food where I was thinking you know what, sod this I am just going to pack it in and skip 'Hot Chip' as I had seen them before but I managed to hold on until their set.

So glad I did as it was spectacular and the highlight of the day. The band has evolved since I last saw them and the addition of the live drummer is a welcome surprise (I never thought they needed one but the enthusiasm and joy former 'New Young Pony Club' member Sarah Jones brings to the ensemble is electric).

I was expecting the second best of the day to be Yann Tierson and yes whilst very good indeed he did not play any of the score to the movie 'Ameile' for which he first came to my attention so that kinda made me a little sad. So the honors go to an adorable sister duo from Sweden called 'First Aid Kit'. They're early afternoon set did not wrangle a large crowd but was delight to the ears for any who managed to see it.

So that's it then, I did it, I survived, not too dehydrated and I didn't lose my voice from shouting along to the music. All and all a fantastic few days was had.

Bring on next year.

GBM   

Zurich Open Air Day 3: The Muddening

So after the rain of the night before came the inevitable drenching of mud, that field near Zurich airport may never look the same again. It's difficult to spot a single blade of grass any more but Husband and I had learned from our mistake previous and wellies were the fashion of the day for us.

There were a lot of great performances today and some I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did but I will give the honor of best of the day to 'Bloc Party' on the basis of them making me flashback to my college days. Their set was heavy with tracks from their new album 'Four' and only one track was played off 'Intimacy' but it was still a blinder. Yes yes yes.

There are a good few of Honorable mentions, 'Kraftwerk's' 3D show was a sight to behold but at time ventured between being inspired to tiresome. It was hard to get a rhythm going. 'Boy' probably gave one of the more adorable performances of the entire festival with the lead singer just so gosh darn excited to be playing her home city. But I think second best of the night went to Nero, a dubstep trio from the UK. Really did not expect to like these guys so much but they sure knew how to get me up off that floor and dancing my ass off. Props given where props are deserved.

I'm tired, my bones ache, my lips are like sandpaper but I am ready for the final day. 'Yann Tiersen' and 'Hot Chip' are a calling and we still need to spend the last of our fake festival money. Bring it on and then followed by some much needed rest.

GBM

Zurich Open Air Day 2: Washout

So there seems to be a pattern forming here, I have to say that 'Soulwax' were the best of the fest for day two, again did not expect this because again I have seen them so many times but on the day they were the best. For a multitude of reasons, in particular they were the only dry full set I managed to take in that day seeing how the heavens opened during 'The White Lies'. I expected 'The Prodigy' to maybe be the best of the night but they didn't play some of my fav songs (no 'Out of Space', criminal). Then 'The Chemical Brothers' I thought would steal the night but alas it was not to be, it was a DJ set so none of their hits. It was a pretty fantastic set once it got going but I think there was a problem with the lighting in the dance tent, there were none in the end so it really could have been anyone up on that stage, couldn't see nowt.

Of honrorable mention was 'The Whitest Boy Alive' who is literally really the whitest boy alive and managed to spread some funk in the early hours of the day, a lot of shoulder bopping for his set indeed.

Yesterday was a bit of wet disaster, very chubby rain and Husband was wearing White Converse Hi-Tops (the horror) but it did feel like I was back home at a festival in Ireland. Plus day one has given me serious farmer tan so I truly look like an Irish Festival attendee.

So day 3 beckons, I'm a little fragile after the two days previous but ready to see 'Boy', 'Bloc Party', 'Mogwai' and a 3D spectacular show provided by 'Kraftwerk'. Bound to be interesting.

Noice.

GBM

Zurich Open Air Day 1: Best of the Fest

Surprisingly Lykke Li was the best of the night, now I mean surprisingly because I've seen Lykke Li five times live so I was going in thinking yeah whatever, but damn girl does know how to put on a good show. I do wish she wouldn't wear as much black as she does but I guess that is her look.

Close second was Simian Mobile Disco, nom nom, dancy pants.

Bring on day two, Prodigy, 2manydjs and Chemical Brothers. Yes I will be dancing, oh yes.

GBM

GBM loves Music: Grimes again!

Sorry to repeat like a bad tuna melt but Grimes has just released a video for the track Genesis and I want to share it with you guys. I reviewed her album Visions way back when on my Blog and Genesis is one of my favorite tracks from the album.

The video is all kinds of cool and full of bad ass chicks so I thought you guys might like.

I cannot wait to see this girl in November when she plays Abart here in Zurich. Already got my tickets.

Yay.

GBM

GBM loves Music: Angels by the The xx

The 10th of September feels like an age away, that's the date The xx's new album 'Coexist' is due to drop. I can barely contain myself with excitement. In the meantime whilst we wait, the albums lead single 'Angels' has surfaced online and it does not disappoint. A simple, pure, understated beauty of a track.  


Check it out below if you haven't yet.

GBM

No Posts Today

No posts today as it's Husband's birthday. Although technically this is a post, I'm so confused. It's a pretty important birthday so I'm off to show him a spectacular time.

Talk soon.

GBM

GBM is off to Berlin

It's my birthday on Sunday and Husband, darling flower that he is is taking me to Berlin for it. I fly out to meet him there today. I've been once before and cannot wait to experience the city in the summer (when we were last there it was so cold).

No posts from me I'm afraid till I get back on Monday or Tuesday. So until then have a little bit of Bloc Party in Berlin's honor. Love you Kele.

See y'all soon

GBM

Musings from my Mammy

Not my Mammy, my one is less criey

Actual conversation with my mother when I was back in Ireland. The subject of my abilities on the soccer pitch came up.

Mammy: 'I remember watching you out in that field playing football when you were just a wee boy'


GBM: 'Oh yeah Ma?


Mammy: 'Oh yes, I used see you run in the opposite direction of the ball'


GBM: 'And you were surprised when you found out I was gay'


Mammy: 'Ah now, you were too young then to know yourself, how was I to know. I just thought you'd grow out of it'


GBM: 'Never did, did I'


Mammy: 'I guess not'


Irish mammies, you gotta love em. I know I do mine

GBM

Friends like These

First wine of many consumed that day

When you have particular sense of humor, repetitive, juvenile, filled with vulgarity and just verging on slightly off kilter, there is a potential risk of you not finding common ground with people and finding friends that actually get you, especially if you come from a very small town like I did. That's why I feel so fortunate to have quite a large group of friends the majority of which I had met when I was still in secondary school (High School for my North American readers).  When I think back on it now what bonded us together was our differences, we were all a little weird, a little strange, with that same dark, off kilter, slightly juvenile sense of humor. We shared a love of music and alternative lifestyles, of not following the path expected of us and of getting together to just laugh our asses off, with, at and because of each other. It was hard to leave them behind but what I know and love about this mutually appreciating band of merry weirdos is the fact that we can go for days, months, years even, without seeing each other and pick up exactly where we left off. Let us meet and let us laugh. I tend not to name names or talk about anyone on my Blog without their express permission so the rest of this post will be focused on Blog Bomb but I just want the rest of my gang to know how much they mean to me and that I couldn't ask for a better group of friends to be fartarded with.

Blog Bomb and I met about 6 years ago and there was an instant connection, we could spend periods of almost 24 hours in one go in each others presence laughing at each others stupidity and childish behavior. No one else shares my love of making up terrible dance moves to even more terrible pop tunes. We share a love of absolute repetition, of playing our new most favorite you tube video or cheesy song du jour 150 times in a period of 7 hours. Our song of the weekend this time was 'Move This' by Technotronic.

  Not original video, fan made one with people doing silly dancing, feels more fitting:

We actually played this song in a hotel when they stopped playing their own tunes and began dancing around our phones with enjoyment, much to the general disapproval of the hotel guests. Who were we hurting? It takes a true kindred to enjoy a silly hat montage with a giant  Man-Boy with absolutely no shame or embarrassment, in fact with absolute gusto.

Our joy and excitement at being back in each others (and the rest of my posse) presence lead to maybe one too many drinks being consumed. It takes a true friend to get you out of a nightclub early on in the night before you lose your last shred of dignity (the key indicator being that we kept ending up in a giggling pile on the floor whilst practicing our dance moves, got the knee bruises to prove it). Time to leave, home to bed and asleep before 12 o'clock. And moreover it takes a true friend to let you know that whilst an outfit maybe be sliming it ultimately clashes with your hair (actually Husband's words but he's a true friend too and one of the best).

I didn't buy it in the end

Ahh precious memories.

GBM

Back to my Shire

Bit of Sparch, anyone?

Back to the homestead this weekend, back to my green isle. It's a funny one, my mother decided to text me a bit of a warning the other day.

Ma Text: 'Just to let you know, it is lashing here, hope you are prepared for it'


Ominous yesh? Lashing, for those not in the know would be akin to 'raining like a mother fucker' however my mother delicate flower that she is, would never say any such vulgarity. So where did I come from then eh?

I wasn't thinking about it much before she texted me but I guess I wouldn't have been prepared, no. It might come as a bit of a shock to the system given the great weather here. That said Zurich isn't always sunny but after it rains it does tend to clear for a couple of scorchers of days. It's doesn't matter as I'm not coming back for the weather, I'm homeward to see my rag-tag bag of weirdo friends who are ah-mah-zing and my lovely family. Ain't no rain-showers are going to dampen my spirits.

My guest contributor Blog Bomb will be putting me up for the few nights in my old homestead of Galway. No doubt we will come up with some increasingly juvenile crapulence for the Blog together, post on my return.

Us as kids, you'll be happy to know that the wristbands
are no longer part of my wardrobe, thank Husband

Can't wait, let the madness begin.

GBM

GBM love Music: Here by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Just got the new Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros album 'Here'. Literally just listening to it now for the first time, so as a whole I don't have an opinion formed yet on the album (love the first 6 tracks so far).

I tend to consume a large amount of music, a lot of the happiest memories I have tend to revolve around music in some way. I mean, my favourite place to be in the world is the Electric Picnic music festival in Ireland. That said I tend to consume a lot of my music on the go, on my iPod or iPhone and at times this can mean with some artists I miss out on the visual connection to their music. I'll know their album back to front, sound and lyric wise but may have absolutely no idea what this artist I've been obsessing over actually looks like. I'm very pro this current digital consumption that exists today but maybe with music there's still a lot to be said for being able to hold an album in your hand and look through the album artwork. I'm too far gone to change now however and at Swiss prices?!? I think not. Well this is what happened to me with Edward Sharpe, loved their first album but had no idea what the band looked like.

So this morning when I started playing 'Here', I saw Husband flittering away at my laptop, he turns the screen around and asks if I had seen the video for 'Man on Fire'. I had not.

Wow, I was blown away, it was a beautiful visual accompaniment to an alluring piece of music. This video, not to sound sappy, filled my heart with joyous wonderment. I'd been listening to a lot of dance music lately because hell I love to dance but I guess I forgotten about this feeling. About connecting emotionally with a piece of music, when it comes out of nowhere and suddenly you feel happiest you felt in along time. Flashback to the last silly piece of music that made you feel this way and then you are elated even more because you know that no matter how much music you listen to ultimately you will feel this way again in the future.  Some new artist will come along with something else and this wave of happiness will crash around you again.

And I look forward to that day knowing that this will be the moment that I will flashback to.

GBM

A Wondrous Purchase

I freaking love my new cordless Dyson vacuum I christened Trevor. Terrifically awesome.

That is all

GBM

GBM Loves Music: Instinct by Niki & the Dove

Just got Niki & the Dove's debut Instinct and I'm really enjoying it at the moment so I thought I'd share. The band's sound is very reminiscent of early Kate Bush but with that current contemporary electropop sound (that said no one does Kate Bush better than Kate Bush herself). It's a fluid album and an uplifting listen. If you like weird sounding female singers and your Pop/Dance to have that added layer do check them out.

GBM likes Art: Le Palais de Tokyo - Paris

GBM loves Modern Art but doesn't have a clue about it. I don't know many of the artists name, why they do what they do, if one piece is an expression of someone's femininity or just a ridiculous amount of drawings of vaginas. That said when we stopped through Paris recently, we popped into the modern art museum Le Palais de Tokyo and I basically took a few pics of all my favourite installations. I was going to do some research on all the pieces and wow you with extensive knowledge of modern art but in the end I found that this wouldn't be me being true to myself. Anyone who knows me would be all 'I'm not buying it GBM' so in the end I've decided just post the images of the ones I like and give a reason why. For any actual modern art aficionados I apologise in advance.

This installation was four pianists playing the same song yet all slightly out of sync. It was nauseating like something out of a horror movie. I loved it.



This GIF is of an installation that was just a load of outfits being blown about by floor fans like my Ryan Gosling. Look, ooh pretty, reminds me of that movie Return to Oz (weirdly enough not the original Wizard of Oz).

This I thought was cool because in the photo I actually get to become part of the art (bit of shameless self promotion) and look also I Instagrammed the photo to make it look worse better, you're welcome.

Finally we have the best for last. This was actually a video installation and I managed to find this image online (I didn't make a video, that said not sure if the artist would have appreciated if I did). When myself, Husband and our friend Celeste stumbled upon this video it had us in absolute hysterics. It's called 'Some objects blackened and a body too' by Lilli Reynaud-Dewar (did my research on this one as it was so awesome) and it's basically a video of the aforementioned blackened body dancing around the room of blackened objects. We appeared to be the only people laughing at the video and I was feeling inappropriate but Celeste (who works in the Modern Art World) assured us that the artist was probably trying to be humorous when she created this installation. I want more of this please, art that makes me so happy I literally cannot stop laughing. We spent the duration of the weekend imitating all the dance moves albeit not nude or blackened. Worth the trip alone for the experience.

Thank you art, you are funny.

GBM