From loch at pobox.com Tue Jan 5 18:30:10 2010 From: loch at pobox.com (Lochy) Date: Tue Jan 5 18:32:30 2010 Subject: [eclectika] avatar plot summary Message-ID: http://i.imgur.com/JmRmb.jpg From jodie.taylor at griffith.edu.au Wed Jan 6 00:01:05 2010 From: jodie.taylor at griffith.edu.au (Jodie Taylor) Date: Wed Jan 6 00:01:12 2010 Subject: [eclectika] AUTO: Jodie Taylor is out of the office. (returning 11/01/2010) Message-ID: I am out of the office until 11/01/2010. During this time I will be checking my emails sporadically. Note: This is an automated response to your message "[eclectika] avatar plot summary" sent on 6/01/2010 10:30:10 AM. This is the only notification you will receive while this person is away. From liz.willis at gmail.com Fri Jan 8 16:19:41 2010 From: liz.willis at gmail.com (Liz Willis) Date: Fri Jan 8 16:19:52 2010 Subject: [eclectika] Cream cheese penguins-first documented death Message-ID: Some of you may remember being introduced to Cream cheese penguins around this time last year. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-Cheese-Penguins/Detail.aspx 106 photos later, it got ugly http://allrecipes.com/Cook/Photo.aspx?photoID=327459 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://laika.gnusto.com/pipermail/eclectika/attachments/20100108/fbecae0c/attachment.htm From loch at pobox.com Sat Jan 9 19:34:24 2010 From: loch at pobox.com (Lochy) Date: Sat Jan 9 19:37:29 2010 Subject: [eclectika] coffee perfection Message-ID: for the truly committed ;-) http://www.boingboing.net/2010/01/09/how-to-brew-a-good-c.html From loch at pobox.com Sun Jan 10 15:44:42 2010 From: loch at pobox.com (Lochy) Date: Sun Jan 10 15:48:18 2010 Subject: [eclectika] pyramids not built by slaves Message-ID: another lefty-conspiracy no doubt ;-) http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=9524840 CAIRO (Reuters) - New tombs found in Giza support the view that the Great Pyramids were built by free workers and not slaves, as widely believed, Egypt's chief archaeologist said on Sunday. Films and media have long depicted slaves toiling away in the desert to build the mammoth pyramids only to meet a miserable death at the end of their efforts. "These tombs were built beside the king's pyramid, which indicates that these people were not by any means slaves," Zahi Hawass, the chief archaeologist heading the Egyptian excavation team, said in a statement. "If they were slaves, they would not have been able to build their tombs beside their king's." He said the collection of workers' tombs, some of which were found in the 1990s, were among the most significant finds in the 20th and 21st centuries. They belonged to workers who built the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre. Hawass had earlier found graffiti on the walls from workers calling themselves "friends of Khufu" -- another sign that they were not slaves. The tombs, on the Giza plateau on the western edge of Cairo, are 4,510 years old and lie at the entrance of a one-km (half mile)-long necropolis. Hawass said evidence had been found showing that farmers in the Delta and Upper Egypt had sent 21 buffalo and 23 sheep to the plateau every day to feed the builders, believed to number around 10,000 -- or about a tenth of Greek historian Herodotus's estimate of 100,000. These farmers were exempted from paying taxes to the government of ancient Egypt -- evidence that he said underscored the fact they were participating in a national project. The first discovery of workers' tombs in 1990 came about accidentally when a horse stumbled on a brick structure 10 meters (yards) away from the burial area. (Writing by Marwa Awad; Editing by Alison Williams and Michael Roddy) Copyright 2010 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. From loch at pobox.com Wed Jan 13 15:39:09 2010 From: loch at pobox.com (Lochy) Date: Wed Jan 13 15:43:32 2010 Subject: [eclectika] rare cloud formation Message-ID: http://www.worldhum.com/travel-blog/item/photo-you-must-see-roll-cloud-over-uruguay-20100106/ cloud sponsored by Champion Ruby and Dr Pat From subs at phatpad.com.au Wed Jan 13 16:54:36 2010 From: subs at phatpad.com.au (subs@phatpad.com.au) Date: Wed Jan 13 16:54:47 2010 Subject: [eclectika] rare cloud formation In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: We also get them here in Australia off the Gulf of Carpentaria: it's known as the Morning Glory cloud http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_Glory_cloud On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 07:39:09 +1000 (EST), Lochy wrote: > http://www.worldhum.com/travel-blog/item/photo-you-must-see-roll-cloud-over-uruguay-20100106/ > > cloud sponsored by Champion Ruby and Dr Pat > > _______________________________________________ > eclectika mailing list > eclectika@wudee.net > http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika From woody at wudee.net Fri Jan 15 15:53:50 2010 From: woody at wudee.net (Andrew Wood) Date: Fri Jan 15 15:54:06 2010 Subject: [eclectika] Best soccer fan evah... Message-ID: <3c2c94741001151353p52af1de0se1c581e35a1c699@mail.gmail.com> For the Ivory Coast: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/15/ivory-coast-ghana-live-updates -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://laika.gnusto.com/pipermail/eclectika/attachments/20100115/280bb799/attachment.htm From loch at pobox.com Sun Jan 24 17:26:09 2010 From: loch at pobox.com (Lochy) Date: Sun Jan 24 17:27:47 2010 Subject: [eclectika] happy aussie day Message-ID: Blue singlet patriotism gets a little off-colour http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/25/2800086.htm From keith.duddy at gmail.com Sun Jan 24 17:49:27 2010 From: keith.duddy at gmail.com (Keith Duddy) Date: Sun Jan 24 17:50:01 2010 Subject: [eclectika] happy aussie day In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: If I get my shit together today, I'm gonna find one of those car-window flags that are sprouting everywhere right now, and replace the flag with a little banner that reads FLAG WAVING IS *SO * AMERICAN And then put it on my car.... |< 2010/1/25 Lochy > Blue singlet patriotism gets a little off-colour > > > > http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/25/2800086.htm > > > _______________________________________________ > eclectika mailing list > eclectika@wudee.net > http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://laika.gnusto.com/pipermail/eclectika/attachments/20100125/6d01180c/attachment.htm From davemonkey at gmail.com Sun Jan 24 18:23:13 2010 From: davemonkey at gmail.com (David Humphreys) Date: Sun Jan 24 18:23:31 2010 Subject: [eclectika] happy aussie day In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I was thinking of getting little Indian flags. -- Cheers and beers David and or Dave http://twitter.com/davemonkey http://davemonkey.tumblr.com/ http://davemonkey.vox.com/ On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 9:49 AM, Keith Duddy wrote: > If I get my shit together today, I'm gonna find one of those car-window > flags that are sprouting everywhere right now, and replace the flag with a > little banner that reads > > FLAG WAVING > IS *SO > * AMERICAN > > And then put it on my car.... > > |< > > 2010/1/25 Lochy > > Blue singlet patriotism gets a little off-colour >> >> >> >> http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/25/2800086.htm >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> eclectika mailing list >> eclectika@wudee.net >> http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika >> > > > _______________________________________________ > eclectika mailing list > eclectika@wudee.net > http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://laika.gnusto.com/pipermail/eclectika/attachments/20100125/4ff28539/attachment.htm From loch at pobox.com Sun Jan 24 18:31:25 2010 From: loch at pobox.com (Andrew Loch) Date: Sun Jan 24 18:33:02 2010 Subject: [eclectika] happy aussie day In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I'd use an Australian flag but change the union jack for the stars and stripes. On Mon, 25 Jan 2010, David Humphreys wrote: I was thinking of getting little Indian flags. -- Cheers and beers David and or Dave http://twitter.com/davemonkey http://davemonkey.tumblr.com/ http://davemonkey.vox.com/ On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 9:49 AM, Keith Duddy wrote: If I get my shit together today, I'm gonna find one of those car-window flags that are sprouting everywhere right now, and replace the flag with a little banner that reads FLAG WAVING ? ?? IS SO ?AMERICAN And then put it on my car.... |< 2010/1/25 Lochy Blue singlet patriotism gets a little off-colour http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/25/2800086.htm ?_______________________________________________ eclectika mailing list eclectika@wudee.net http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika ?_______________________________________________ eclectika mailing list eclectika@wudee.net http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika From liz.willis at gmail.com Sun Jan 24 18:51:07 2010 From: liz.willis at gmail.com (Liz Willis) Date: Sun Jan 24 18:51:19 2010 Subject: [eclectika] happy aussie day In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Do it Keith do it keith do it keith do it keith. Last year I hung my fuck off big aboriginal flag out the window of the car while driving ( well actually being driven, me holding flag). On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 4:23 PM, David Humphreys wrote: > I was thinking of getting little Indian flags. > -- > Cheers and beers > David and or Dave > http://twitter.com/davemonkey > http://davemonkey.tumblr.com/ > http://davemonkey.vox.com/ > > > > On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 9:49 AM, Keith Duddy wrote: > >> If I get my shit together today, I'm gonna find one of those car-window >> flags that are sprouting everywhere right now, and replace the flag with a >> little banner that reads >> >> FLAG WAVING >> IS *SO >> * AMERICAN >> >> And then put it on my car.... >> >> |< >> >> 2010/1/25 Lochy >> >> Blue singlet patriotism gets a little off-colour >>> >>> >>> >>> http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/25/2800086.htm >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> eclectika mailing list >>> eclectika@wudee.net >>> http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika >>> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> eclectika mailing list >> eclectika@wudee.net >> http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > eclectika mailing list > eclectika@wudee.net > http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://laika.gnusto.com/pipermail/eclectika/attachments/20100124/6079e107/attachment.htm From andynehl at optusnet.com.au Mon Jan 25 00:04:56 2010 From: andynehl at optusnet.com.au (andynehl@optusnet.com.au) Date: Mon Jan 25 00:13:45 2010 Subject: [eclectika] happy aussie day Message-ID: <201001250604.o0P64uLc027198@mail01.syd.optusnet.com.au> Great idea, and great slogan. I'll do the same. > Keith Duddy wrote: > > If I get my shit together today, I'm gonna find one of those car-window > flags that are sprouting everywhere right now, and replace the flag with > a > little banner that reads > > FLAG WAVING > IS *SO > * AMERICAN > > And then put it on my car.... > > |< > > 2010/1/25 Lochy > > > Blue singlet patriotism gets a little off-colour > > > > > > > > http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/25/2800086.htm > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > eclectika mailing list > > eclectika@wudee.net > > http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika > > From simon at rumble.net Tue Jan 26 05:28:14 2010 From: simon at rumble.net (Simon Rumble) Date: Tue Jan 26 05:28:50 2010 Subject: [eclectika] happy aussie day In-Reply-To: <201001250604.o0P64uLc027198@mail01.syd.optusnet.com.au> References: <201001250604.o0P64uLc027198@mail01.syd.optusnet.com.au> Message-ID: <1234ca4a1001260328l1209e962v8e730df6eb7baeed@mail.gmail.com> Birmo has a rant about this: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/blogs/blunt-instrument/since-when-did-dumbarsed-nationalism-become-compulsory/20100125-mu9x.html -- Simon Rumble -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://laika.gnusto.com/pipermail/eclectika/attachments/20100126/c832cbcf/attachment.htm From justien at gmail.com Fri Jan 29 11:40:47 2010 From: justien at gmail.com (jstn) Date: Fri Jan 29 11:40:58 2010 Subject: [eclectika] Logo short film Message-ID: http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/logorama-a-hard-boiled-heist-flick-with-an-earth-shattering-twist/ Logorama is an award-winning, provocative and daring animated short film from the French H5 design collective, directed by Fran?ois Alaux. The film screened last week as an Official Selection at The Sundance Festival, and it?s on the 2010 Oscar Nominee Shortlist for Best Animated Short Film. link to the whole 16min film here: http://www.garagetv.be/video-galerij/buzzing_bees/De_kortfilm_der_logo_s.aspx cheers, justine -- the connotation depends on the beacon, as usual From woody at wudee.net Fri Jan 29 12:44:52 2010 From: woody at wudee.net (Andrew Wood) Date: Fri Jan 29 12:45:19 2010 Subject: [eclectika] Mamy Rock: silver-haired DJ sensation Message-ID: <3c2c94741001291044h57ea1c37he67b9619017a5efc@mail.gmail.com> "I'm not a superstar DJ," she said, before donning her diamante-encrusted headphones and starting her set. "I'm just a DJ." http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/29/mamy-rock-dj-sensation Mamy Rock: silver-haired DJ sensation In trademark giant sunglasses, Ruth Flowers, a 69-year-old from Bristol, is wowing the youth on the dancefloors of Paris [image: Mamy Rock] Mamy Rock at Queen club in Paris: 'I've got no intention of retiring - unless I drop dead. And I'd much rather go out with a bang than linger.' Photograph: Joe Ray Behind the decks at Queen, the biggest and brashest nightclub in Paris, the DJ lifts her arms to the heavens. White ticker tape falls on to the crowd below, who hurl themselves around to the throbbing bass, intermittently yelling their approval. They push to get to the booth, taking photos on their phones as the hottest star of the moment lines up the next tune. But Ruth Flowers is not your average DJ. Coming up to her 70th birthday, when many are well settled into retirement, the grandmother from Bristol has become an international sensation, in demand in clubs throughout Europe. With spiky silver hair and scarlet lipstick, gold bomber jacket, baggy tracksuit bottoms, bling jewellery, and trademark giant black sunglasses, Flowers plays down the new-found fame of her twilight years. "I'm not a superstar DJ," she said, before donning her diamante-encrusted headphones and starting her set. "I'm just a DJ." Mamy Rock, as she is known on the circuit, came to the wheels of steel later than most. She fell in love with dance music after accompanying her grandson to a London nightclub. "The bouncers didn't want to let me in at first, I was quite a lot older than the usual clientele, but once I got inside I hugely enjoyed it. I thought 'I can do this.' My husband had died, I was retired, I had the time, so why not?" Her grandson, who she says is "smitten" with the idea of his gran as an international DJ, put her in touch with a young French producer, who helped her develop her sound and image. "I like to mix the old and the new, so I might put electro alongside an old favourite like the Rolling Stones," she said. Aurelien Simon, the 28-year-old producer behind the DJ, said he helps Flowers interject modern music through her set. "But Ruth always has the last word," he insisted. Still, there is no sign of her favourite band, Queen, in tonight's playlist. "Freddie Mercury ? what a voice," she said, playing with the huge skulls and crossbones ring on her finger. "But I like to please the crowds, I give them what they want." There were few complaints on the dancefloor where Flowers received intense, and somewhat bizarre, adulation from the assembled sweaty Parisian youth. "Mamy Rock! Mamy Rock!" shouted Pauline Robert, a 23-year-old student, over the relentless thud of the music. "We adore Mamy Rock. She loves to make us dance. We all want her as our grandmother." For Alexandra Ledys, 21, the appeal lies in her originality. "It's so cool, I've never seen a DJ that old before," he said. "Music brings together all generations." For now, Flowers is more popular across the channel than in the UK, but hopes to bring her brand of mamy rock back home, ideally to the Ministry of Sound. But what the French call her traditional British eccentricity is part of the charm for these Parisians. Idir Igoudjil, a 19-year-old student at Paris's prestigious Sciences Po, complimented her mixing as a pair of barely pubescent girls ground away alongside him. "English women are fantastic," he said. "They are much less uptight than French girls." After playing a residency at a jetset villa at the Cannes film festival, Flowers' popularity has snowballed. "I can't believe the type of reaction I have got so far. People seem to adore me, they say they want to be like me, when they should just try and be like themselves, the dear things," she said, suddenly sounding like the grandmother she is. With an electro-rock EP, MamyRock, on the horizon and more offers to play famous nightclubs throughout the world, she has no desire to slow down just yet. "I've got no intention of retiring," she said. "Well, unless I drop dead. And I'd much rather go out with a bang than linger." Flowers worked as a singer and singing teacher in Portugal for 14 years, and returned to the UK after the death of her husband. She has little time for those who think she should grow old gracefully. "I think you have to accept the challenges that come your way. You can stay at home, and do nothing but go to an old people's club and to church for a cup of tea once a week. But you don't have to do that. If you want to do something then you really can," she said, before setting out to play to her fans. "I just hope I can work that machine." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://laika.gnusto.com/pipermail/eclectika/attachments/20100129/56125f97/attachment.htm From keith.duddy at gmail.com Fri Jan 29 18:59:41 2010 From: keith.duddy at gmail.com (Keith Duddy) Date: Fri Jan 29 19:00:13 2010 Subject: [eclectika] Mamy Rock: silver-haired DJ sensation In-Reply-To: <3c2c94741001291044h57ea1c37he67b9619017a5efc@mail.gmail.com> References: <3c2c94741001291044h57ea1c37he67b9619017a5efc@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Hey! Isn't that a picture of Morrabbin in the Kasbah from last year? |< On 30 January 2010 04:44, Andrew Wood wrote: > "I'm not a superstar DJ," she said, before donning her diamante-encrusted > headphones and starting her set. "I'm just a DJ." > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/29/mamy-rock-dj-sensation > Mamy Rock: silver-haired DJ sensation > > In trademark giant sunglasses, Ruth Flowers, a 69-year-old from Bristol, is > wowing the youth on the dancefloors of Paris > > [image: Mamy Rock] > > Mamy Rock at Queen club in Paris: 'I've got no intention of retiring - > unless I drop dead. And I'd much rather go out with a bang than linger.' > Photograph: Joe Ray > > Behind the decks at Queen, the biggest and brashest nightclub in Paris, the > DJ lifts her arms to the heavens. > > White ticker tape falls on to the crowd below, who hurl themselves around > to the throbbing bass, intermittently yelling their approval. > > They push to get to the booth, taking photos on their phones as the hottest > star of the moment lines up the next tune. > > But Ruth Flowers is not your average DJ. Coming up to her 70th birthday, > when many are well settled into retirement, the grandmother from Bristol has > become an international sensation, in demand in clubs throughout Europe. > > With spiky silver hair and scarlet lipstick, gold bomber jacket, baggy > tracksuit bottoms, bling jewellery, and trademark giant black sunglasses, > Flowers plays down the new-found fame of her twilight years. > > "I'm not a superstar DJ," she said, before donning her diamante-encrusted > headphones and starting her set. "I'm just a DJ." > > Mamy Rock, as she is known on the circuit, came to the wheels of steel > later than most. She fell in love with dance music after accompanying her > grandson to a London nightclub. > > "The bouncers didn't want to let me in at first, I was quite a lot older > than the usual clientele, but once I got inside I hugely enjoyed it. I > thought 'I can do this.' My husband had died, I was retired, I had the time, > so why not?" > > Her grandson, who she says is "smitten" with the idea of his gran as an > international DJ, put her in touch with a young French producer, who helped > her develop her sound and image. > > "I like to mix the old and the new, so I might put electro alongside an old > favourite like the Rolling Stones," she said. > > Aurelien Simon, the 28-year-old producer behind the DJ, said he helps > Flowers interject modern music through her set. "But Ruth always has the > last word," he insisted. > > Still, there is no sign of her favourite band, Queen, in tonight's > playlist. > > "Freddie Mercury ? what a voice," she said, playing with the huge skulls > and crossbones ring on her finger. "But I like to please the crowds, I give > them what they want." > > There were few complaints on the dancefloor where Flowers received intense, > and somewhat bizarre, adulation from the assembled sweaty Parisian youth. > > "Mamy Rock! Mamy Rock!" shouted Pauline Robert, a 23-year-old student, over > the relentless thud of the music. > > "We adore Mamy Rock. She loves to make us dance. We all want her as our > grandmother." > > For Alexandra Ledys, 21, the appeal lies in her originality. "It's so cool, > I've never seen a DJ that old before," he said. "Music brings together all > generations." > > For now, Flowers is more popular across the channel than in the UK, but > hopes to bring her brand of mamy rock back home, ideally to the Ministry of > Sound. > > But what the French call her traditional British eccentricity is part of > the charm for these Parisians. > > Idir Igoudjil, a 19-year-old student at Paris's prestigious Sciences Po, > complimented her mixing as a pair of barely pubescent girls ground away > alongside him. "English women are fantastic," he said. "They are much less > uptight than French girls." > > After playing a residency at a jetset villa at the Cannes film festival, > Flowers' popularity has snowballed. > > "I can't believe the type of reaction I have got so far. People seem to > adore me, they say they want to be like me, when they should just try and be > like themselves, the dear things," she said, suddenly sounding like the > grandmother she is. > > With an electro-rock EP, MamyRock, on the horizon and more offers to play > famous nightclubs throughout the world, she has no desire to slow down just > yet. > > "I've got no intention of retiring," she said. "Well, unless I drop dead. > And I'd much rather go out with a bang than linger." > > Flowers worked as a singer and singing teacher in Portugal for 14 years, > and returned to the UK after the death of her husband. > > She has little time for those who think she should grow old gracefully. > > "I think you have to accept the challenges that come your way. You can stay > at home, and do nothing but go to an old people's club and to church for a > cup of tea once a week. But you don't have to do that. If you want to do > something then you really can," she said, before setting out to play to her > fans. > > "I just hope I can work that machine." > > > _______________________________________________ > eclectika mailing list > eclectika@wudee.net > http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://laika.gnusto.com/pipermail/eclectika/attachments/20100130/766b6c10/attachment.htm From woody at wudee.net Fri Jan 29 20:26:49 2010 From: woody at wudee.net (Andrew Wood) Date: Fri Jan 29 20:27:01 2010 Subject: [eclectika] Mamy Rock: silver-haired DJ sensation In-Reply-To: References: <3c2c94741001291044h57ea1c37he67b9619017a5efc@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <3c2c94741001291826p567ed16cof33a1f4a733e0f7f@mail.gmail.com> Nice! Hmm... now that you mention, a lot like B10M3TRYK too... doppelgangers??? http://www.flickr.com/photos/wudee/2156854583/in/set-72157603604021852/ On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 4:59 PM, Keith Duddy wrote: > Hey! Isn't that a picture of Morrabbin in the Kasbah from last year? > > |< > > On 30 January 2010 04:44, Andrew Wood wrote: > >> "I'm not a superstar DJ," she said, before donning her diamante-encrusted >> headphones and starting her set. "I'm just a DJ." >> >> http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/29/mamy-rock-dj-sensation >> Mamy Rock: silver-haired DJ sensation >> >> In trademark giant sunglasses, Ruth Flowers, a 69-year-old from Bristol, >> is wowing the youth on the dancefloors of Paris >> >> [image: Mamy Rock] >> >> Mamy Rock at Queen club in Paris: 'I've got no intention of retiring - >> unless I drop dead. And I'd much rather go out with a bang than linger.' >> Photograph: Joe Ray >> >> Behind the decks at Queen, the biggest and brashest nightclub in Paris, >> the DJ lifts her arms to the heavens. >> >> White ticker tape falls on to the crowd below, who hurl themselves around >> to the throbbing bass, intermittently yelling their approval. >> >> They push to get to the booth, taking photos on their phones as the >> hottest star of the moment lines up the next tune. >> >> But Ruth Flowers is not your average DJ. Coming up to her 70th birthday, >> when many are well settled into retirement, the grandmother from Bristol has >> become an international sensation, in demand in clubs throughout Europe. >> >> With spiky silver hair and scarlet lipstick, gold bomber jacket, baggy >> tracksuit bottoms, bling jewellery, and trademark giant black sunglasses, >> Flowers plays down the new-found fame of her twilight years. >> >> "I'm not a superstar DJ," she said, before donning her diamante-encrusted >> headphones and starting her set. "I'm just a DJ." >> >> Mamy Rock, as she is known on the circuit, came to the wheels of steel >> later than most. She fell in love with dance music after accompanying her >> grandson to a London nightclub. >> >> "The bouncers didn't want to let me in at first, I was quite a lot older >> than the usual clientele, but once I got inside I hugely enjoyed it. I >> thought 'I can do this.' My husband had died, I was retired, I had the time, >> so why not?" >> >> Her grandson, who she says is "smitten" with the idea of his gran as an >> international DJ, put her in touch with a young French producer, who helped >> her develop her sound and image. >> >> "I like to mix the old and the new, so I might put electro alongside an >> old favourite like the Rolling Stones," she said. >> >> Aurelien Simon, the 28-year-old producer behind the DJ, said he helps >> Flowers interject modern music through her set. "But Ruth always has the >> last word," he insisted. >> >> Still, there is no sign of her favourite band, Queen, in tonight's >> playlist. >> >> "Freddie Mercury ? what a voice," she said, playing with the huge skulls >> and crossbones ring on her finger. "But I like to please the crowds, I give >> them what they want." >> >> There were few complaints on the dancefloor where Flowers received >> intense, and somewhat bizarre, adulation from the assembled sweaty Parisian >> youth. >> >> "Mamy Rock! Mamy Rock!" shouted Pauline Robert, a 23-year-old student, >> over the relentless thud of the music. >> >> "We adore Mamy Rock. She loves to make us dance. We all want her as our >> grandmother." >> >> For Alexandra Ledys, 21, the appeal lies in her originality. "It's so >> cool, I've never seen a DJ that old before," he said. "Music brings together >> all generations." >> >> For now, Flowers is more popular across the channel than in the UK, but >> hopes to bring her brand of mamy rock back home, ideally to the Ministry of >> Sound. >> >> But what the French call her traditional British eccentricity is part of >> the charm for these Parisians. >> >> Idir Igoudjil, a 19-year-old student at Paris's prestigious Sciences Po, >> complimented her mixing as a pair of barely pubescent girls ground away >> alongside him. "English women are fantastic," he said. "They are much less >> uptight than French girls." >> >> After playing a residency at a jetset villa at the Cannes film festival, >> Flowers' popularity has snowballed. >> >> "I can't believe the type of reaction I have got so far. People seem to >> adore me, they say they want to be like me, when they should just try and be >> like themselves, the dear things," she said, suddenly sounding like the >> grandmother she is. >> >> With an electro-rock EP, MamyRock, on the horizon and more offers to play >> famous nightclubs throughout the world, she has no desire to slow down just >> yet. >> >> "I've got no intention of retiring," she said. "Well, unless I drop dead. >> And I'd much rather go out with a bang than linger." >> >> Flowers worked as a singer and singing teacher in Portugal for 14 years, >> and returned to the UK after the death of her husband. >> >> She has little time for those who think she should grow old gracefully. >> >> "I think you have to accept the challenges that come your way. You can >> stay at home, and do nothing but go to an old people's club and to church >> for a cup of tea once a week. But you don't have to do that. If you want to >> do something then you really can," she said, before setting out to play to >> her fans. >> >> "I just hope I can work that machine." >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> eclectika mailing list >> eclectika@wudee.net >> http://laika.gnusto.com/mailman/listinfo/eclectika >> >> > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://laika.gnusto.com/pipermail/eclectika/attachments/20100129/8e74f2b4/attachment-0001.htm