Friday Doesn’t Want to be Blown Up, Thank You Very Much
Whenever people discuss landmines they always show you pictures, either of the device itself, which is a harmless enough looking tin can, or they show you ‘plucky survivors’ with nicely sealed stumps and big grins – people who are presumably just happy not to be dead. You don’t see a lot of the destroyed bodies of the people who are victims to these things – which is to say that because people seem to want to show us stories of courage in the face of adversity, we seem to miss out on understanding just how many human souls we utterly destroy when we discard the rules of normal everyday life.
The results of the American and British genocide in Iraq have been bad enough, but the US still refuses to sign up to an international ban on landmines and cluster munitions. Between that and their continued insistence that they should have the right to torture people and imprison them without trial, I don’t think there’s very much argument that lobbying to try and limit the brutality represented by the picture above is needed. Press release follows:
The Plug Five Project is a new non-profit initiative to promote the work of the anti-landmine charity MAG (Mines Advisory Group). Each month, the most blogged about bands will curate a new edition of Plug Five, a secret email-blog of recommendations, which will be delivered into email inboxes around the world at exactly 1pm on the last friday of every month – Blogs Not Bombs Day.
Issue 01 of Plug Five will include band and artist recommendations from John Vanderslice, Wavves, A Hawk and Hacksaw, Om (Emil Amos), Woods, King Creosote, Crystal Stilts, Imaad Wasif and many more.
As part of an effort to clear an area the size of San Francisco of landmines, guest bloggers are also offering up their current recommendations of bands and artists. Issue 01 will include contributions from Largehearted Boy, Culture Bully, PIXELHORSE, the Culture of Me and of course Song, by Toad.
Subscribers can also look forward to some exciting new plans being developed for the Plug Five Project, including a foray into the worlds of film and literature, collecting secret recommendations from its leading lights. In addition, readers should watch this space for a unique competition to win a signed 1973 LP recording of Charles Bukowski live in San Francisco, exclusively open to Plug Five subscribers.
To obtain the secret link for Plug Five, go to http://plugfiveproject.tumblr.com where you will be instructed on the next steps.
I know that was a bit spammy, but apart from drinking beer and having fun I don’t think we really make much of a contribution to the world around here, so please sign up and help out.
And apart from that, this is the Friday Five of course. So I am either in Paris with Mrs. Toad fucking out two weeks of tension brought on by geographical deprivation, or alternatively I am sat in Edinburgh fucking airport gnashing my teeth and slowly going crazy. So delurk and introduce yourselves, and chip in with your five. Lurking is all well and good, but there’s no real point in the long run, is there.
1. What will next year’s bear/crystal/fuck/wolf band word be? Please give an example.
2. Favourite river.
3. Favourite soap opera.
4. Foreign accent you mimic far more often than you really should.
5. Favourite sandwich.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Every Night I Die at Miyagi’s
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Scout Niblett – Ruler of My Heart
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Mark Lanegan – Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Pink Mountaintops – Plastic Man, You’re the Devil
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.


