Latest Batch of Unusual Google Searches

I have decided to share a few more unusual google searches with you today.
This time, for your added entertainment, I have also shown the page on which the unknown searcher landed.
For some there is an obvious connection, others are little more obscure, but that's the nature of Google!
The 'search', in bold, is exactly as I found it.

Here goes:

1) "What was with President Bush's eyebrows last night?"

Now, I don't know what President Bush had been doing with his eyebrows that prompted this search, but here is the page they read:
'Concert Comments and George Bush's Eyebrows'

2) "Possessed by a musician"

Are they possessed by a musician or do they want to be? Who knows.
'John Dowland and a Man Possessed'

3) "Boho Dance and Consumption"

This found a post from back in 2007 which mentions the fabulous Joni Mitchell:
'Robin Hill's 'Unofficial' Desert Island Discs'

4) "Bob Dylan's trousers"

I have no idea why someone was interested in Bob Dylan's trousers but this is the page they read:
'Bob Dylan, BBC Radio 2 and the 'Wrong Trousers'

5) "The Robin Hill flower of Congo"

As the name Robin Hill actually featured in the search it isn't that surprising the visitor arrived at this blog. But here's where they landed:
'From Romanian Gipsy Music to a Latin American Wedding'

6) "Brazilian rosewood fined jailed arrested"

Although guitars can be made from Brazilian rosewood I don't think that's what they were looking up, nor do I think they expected this:
'Concert, Corruption and Recording Company Chaos'

7) "Light on a Turkish Hill"

Strange but true!
'The Clairvoyant Rabbit and the Turkish Shoeshine Scandal'

8) "Felt poodle tea cosy"

I'm assuming somebody somewhere has the desire to purchase a tea cosy in the shape of a poodle...
'Cosi Fan Tutte'

and finally for today,

9) "How many hours from Alicante to Malta by aeroplane?"

Whilst not actually answering the question I hope this visitor enjoyed the story anyway!
'Coffee in Alicante'

One thing that has become apparent whilst preparing this post is the fact that I seem to have come up with some rather strange titles over the years. No wonder Google keep sending people our way.

'A' for Albania 'B' for Bob Dylan

Crystal Serenity has been in Albania today, Sarande to be exact.
Robin did go ashore for a short time but I don't have any photographs as the camera battery was flat...
However, he did say there's currently a lot of building work being done, and the streets are lined with stalls selling shoes!
Not a great deal for me to go on...

Consequently I was quite pleased this morning when a Twitter friend inadvertently informed me about a new art exhibition.
Paintings by Bob Dylan are being exhibited, and as you know, we are great Dylan fans here.
If you want to take a look, you can watch a BBC news report here.

Bob Dylan, BBC Radio 2, and the 'Wrong Trousers'.

We are entering a busy phase just prior to Robin's next trip away from home.
So, we are frantically trying to get various projects sorted out, and jobs done, before it becomes difficult to communicate.

We are getting there though, and, today I have sent off the master tapes of the next CD to be released. So keep checking out the blog for more information over the next few weeks.

We have however relaxed a few times.
One of the most enjoyable hours was spent listening to Bob Dylan, on BBC Radio 2, the other evening.
His regular programme, 'Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan', has always been a delight. The last one we heard being on musical instruments.

Dylan hand picks an eclectic mix of music, and the show is interspersed with interviews and commentary.
It is such a refreshing change to have such an articulate and interesting host talking about some incredible music.
It's worth going to the site and listening to some playbacks.

I've also been quite amused to find that today, two separate people in Turkey, have found their way to this blog, by Google searching, 'The Wrong Trousers'.
Why Wallace and Gromit have suddenly become popular in Turkey I have no idea, but I hope they were satisfied by just one image of 'Wallace and Gromit', and not too disappointed to find all this talk of guitars!

Born To Be Wild

It's a strange coincidence that we found a CD of electric guitar music that Robin made a few years ago, especially as he is currently in that mode.
Also, we had been talking about Karl Maddison, the sound engineer on this album who sadly died last year.

The brief for the CD was cover versions of rock classics.
Karl was an inspiration as Robin tried to capture the mood of the songs, quite often during a dull, rainy day, at a studio in Rotherham. Not exactly Rock 'n' Roll!
He sat at the mixing desk whilst Robin thrashed away next to him and by all accounts they both had a great time.

This track is 'Born to be Wild', originally by Steppenwolf, and used in the 1969 classic film, 'Easy Rider'.
The film with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper captured the zeitgeist and the music featured included artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan.

Anyone wanting to hear more of this CD, which includes Blue Oyster Cult's, 'Don't Fear the Reaper', and Eric Clapton's, 'Layla' amongst others, should contact Music Factory Rotherham, and yes, they are the Jive Bunny people.

Robin's nails are now rested and he is back to preparing for his forthcoming concerts.
It amazes me how he can switch between electric and classical guitar so easily. In fact it is quite unusual for classical musicians to play other styles.
I'm sure we won't have heard the last of his electric playing though. The flame has well and truly been rekindled, and as soon as he is home again, I'm sure he'll be getting out his Fender once more.

But for now, enjoy 'Born to be Wild'.

The iPod nano and the Rehydrated Alien...

I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying the lull before the New Year festivities get under way.
We have had a great time and enjoyed a relaxing break, spending time with the family, and playing with all the new toys that have accumulated around the house.
Son number one is now the proud owner of an iPod nano, and I must say that I have been delighted with his choice of music.

As you would expect he has added the soundtrack for 'Doctor Who' and 'The Simpsons Movie', but, there are also many fantastic tracks, that I'm proud to say he has chosen.
The artists are diverse, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Cecilia Bartoli, Genesis, Green day, Santana, Tower of Power, Van Morrison and John Rutter, to name a few.
But I happened to notice one piece that has found its way on to the iPod, much to son's amusement, John Cooper Clarke, 'Evidently Chickentown', which, whilst not particularly suitable for a boy of 10, (although it is the cut version) it is an incredible poetic accomplishment.

Today alone he has requested 'Walton: Crown Imperial', oh, and of course, not only his Dad's 'Virtuoso', but, also his 'Concerto Primavera', but then it was composed for him.

We have also been enjoying a very generous gift of a voucher for iTunes. So far, Flora Purim has made her way to our collection, and we are enjoying the sound immensely.

Whilst we listen to 'the beats' as son number one now refers to his music..., I can also report that son number two received a triangle, which he did request on his Christmas list, and is now practicing daily...for lengthy periods.....

But now, I have to rehydrate an alien that we are currently growing in a test tube, another Christmas gift....

The Times They are a Changin'

One thing I miss when Robin is away are the debates and discussions that occur, usually triggered by a simple thought, or newspaper article.
So I was very pleased today when he announced gleefully that Bob Dylan's lyrics are to be studied in secondary schools.
Yes, we debated and discussed, and Robin's overriding view was, that Dylan is a poet and a musician, and it's an ideal way to teach children.
He then went off to practice and I continued to ponder the situation.
There was an interesting article by Sam Leith in the paper today, which has many good points, and you can read it here.

Eventually, I found myself on Bob Dylan's site, reading through some of his lyrics.
Here's one verse from, The Times They Are A-Changin', you can read the whole song here.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old roads is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

I feel sure that most teenagers will relate to this one verse alone.
If any child becomes interested in the use of language, and the power that goes with it, then this can only be positive.
Also, Robin has a hidden agenda when it comes to Bob Dylan, he does an excellent impression which actually sounds more like Dylan than Dylan does!

Bob Dylan to Bach

We decided to take a little time out yesterday and do a few family things.
It was great and we had a lovely day.
Some of that time, was spent in a car, and anyone with small children will realise that the two don't necessarily sit comfortably together.
We had prepared for this.
Robin had downloaded the music from 'The Simpsons Movie', which kept them amused for a while, guessing which part of the film was being depicted. 'Spiderpig' proved the most popular.

By the time we'd heard that a few times it was our turn.
We had a good sing-a-long to Bob Dylan's, 'Mr. Tambourine Man', and I must say that Robin sounds more like Bob Dylan than Bob Dylan does...

Then there was the recently purchased book for just these occasions.
'I'm Bored!' by Suzy Barratt and Polly Beard is a great book packed with ideas for most situations.
Whilst sons fell asleep in the back of the car Robin and I had a great time playing all the games for car journeys! (This was as much to distract Robin from thoughts of the guitar he was missing as anything else...)

I hadn't realised quite how much time I spend dealing with the computer over the day.
When I went to blog last night, I thought I'd check the emails first, only to find that there were 198 waiting.....
Some were spam and some needed dealing with but consequently I never got around to blogging last night.
Still, it's good to keep you all guessing!

Meanwhile, Robin is now back behind his guitar, and relishing playing through some Bach.

Who Are You?

As requested, I did tape, 'The Seven Ages of Rock', on BBC2 last night, and when Robin got home, we settled down to watch.
It was great, full of fantastic vintage Hendrix footage, with comments from various musicians, journalists, biographers and the late Chas Chandler, Jimi's manager and former member of the Animals.
There were also some great clips of Cream, the Who, the Stones, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and many more.

By the time we had finished watching it was gone 1 am, so, Robin was banned from getting out his Stratocaster and blasting out 'Purple Haze', for fear of waking children and neighbours.
However, his sub-conscious must have been dwelling on all this as he slept, because this is a poem he wrote on waking this morning:

WHO ARE YOU?*

Messrs. Entwistle, Daltrey, Townsend and Moon,

Turn down a side street - the time is mid-June,

The 16 year old with huge head of hair,

Is calming himself with a pint of foam beer,

His heroes have finally come into town,

In a Ford Transit van of mighty renown,

In less than an hour they will be live on the stage,

At the end of their set they give vent to their rage,

Drum kits will fly, guitars they will splinter,

Is this in fact an artistic winter?

Not in the least - these guys are on top,

They're zeitgeist, their muse is unlikely to stop,

There's no substitute for my generation,

No wonder we hold them in great veneration.

ROBIN HILL May 2007

* When Robin was 16 the Who performed at what was then the Casino Club (it's currently a Quick Save supermarket....) on Crompton Way in Bolton. He still occasionally drives past the side street they would have taken to get to the stage door, and always looks, and remembers, their concert.