Punk Smurf pens a bilingual blog

Sharleen Spiteri led birthday tributes to her Texas bandmate Ally McErlaine at a gig last Saturday - reassuring fans he is on his way to recovery after suffering a recent brain hemorrhage.
The guitarist collapsed suddenly in September and underwent an operation in London to relieve pressure on his brain.
He spent a month in an ICU and was finally taken off a life support machine last month. His recovery is progressing even further.
Spiteri told fans the good news at a show in Scotland last the weekend and got them to sing a chorus of Happy Birthday in honor of him, who turned 41 on Saturday.
She told the crowd, “Ally is now moving his arms and legs around, which is brilliant. I’m going to see him in hospital next week. He is still as cheeky as ever. Today is his birthday and he would love it if you could all sing Happy Birthday to him.”

Currently listening to Editors (single: Papillon)

While I was enjoying my vacation Texas guitarist Ally McErlaine suffered a brain hemorrhage and was hospitalized in critical condition. My thoughts go out to him and his family. (There’s no update as of yet.)

Singer/songwriter Dayna Kurtz has released a new album called “American Standard”. I’ve listened to the entire album and, as with her previous albums, I like what I hear. I’m not a big Americana fan, but Dayna has an amazing voice.

Skunk Anansie officially released their latest single “Because of you“, and uploaded the video of their next one (one of three new songs on their Best Of) called “Squander“. Squander is set for release on October 26th.

In the meantime Serena Ryder (who else?) and her friends spent a week in Southern California shooting a new video for “All for love”. Betcha this one’s geared at the US audience. Here’s a teaser:

OK, that one was just for me. Artworks Magzine published an interview with her recently: read it here.

And did you enjoy the Melissa Etheridge - Kelly Clarkson duet as much as I did? Very reminiscent of what Melissa did with Joan Osborne several years ago (I have their version of “Bring me some water” on CD somewhere). Heard about it, but haven’t seen it? Watch it here (bear with the ads; it’s the only video I could find that wasn’t geo blocked)!

If you’re a Sharleen Spiteri fan, it doesn’t get better than this. Word is this break at Dunblane Hydro hotel is so good… You’d better be quick.

Enjoy an intimate acoustic set at the hotel with Sharleen Spiteri and spend a whole weekend staying in luxury, dining on exquisite cuisine designed by celebrity Chef Nick Nairn and his team, and exploring some of Scotland’s top attractions.

On Friday, learn the secrets from Tullibardine Distillery’s master blender and sample the world famous whisky and enjoy a speciality dinner. On Saturday, follow up on the previous evening’s ‘tuition’ with a tour of the distilleries and choose from tickets to either Stirling Castle or the Wallace Monument.

End the weekend with a spectacular three course Gala Dinner in the newly refurbished Strathallan Suite - with a performance from Sharleen, showcasing some of her hits.

For more info and booking check http://doubletree.hilton.co.uk/sharleenspiteri.

From the Daily Record:

SHARLEEN SPITERI is jetting to Los Angeles to begin work on her second solo album.
The Texas singer stormed the charts at No3 last year with debut Melody - made closer to home in Glasgow and London. And it seems she still has a lot in the tank.
She said: “I’m off to Los Angeles to make the new record for the beginning of next year hopefully. Why LA? I’ve got so many mates out there at the moment.”
One of them is new Hollywood hunk Gerard Butler.
The pair have been pals “since I was a hairdresser in Glasgow and he was a barman. She was at the UK premiere of his new film The Ugly Truth and admitted: “It’s not easy but when Scots make it, they make it big.”
Sharleen hasn’t decided on how the follow-up will sound - whether to carry on with the sound of Melody or go back to the rock and blues of Texas.
At the moment she is sounding out producers and musicians to work with.
Sharleen is just back from a string of festivals including the Cornbury Festival, Oxfordshire, Liverpool Summer Pops Festival and the Casa Music Festival in Morocco.
At 41, Sharleen is on top of her game and has never been more popular.
Earlier this year she won the Record’s Entertaining Hero for her success in Texas, as a solo artist and her charity work.

And for something completely else - although still music related - 25 worst album covers: look at them here. And feel free to LOL!

Currently listening to Theory of a Deadman (album: Scars & Souvenirs), The Dudes (album: Blood, guts, bruises, cuts), Shinedown (album: The Sound of Madness)

I’m over my jetlag and I’ve finally finished the last of my posts on my most recent Canada trip. In case you’ve missed it: part 1 - part 2 - part 3. I recommend you have a mug of whatever beverage or drink you feel like having before sitting down and enjoying the read. AND my latest column’s published on EurOut. Read it here.

The other day I had a genuine WTF?! moment when I stumbled across an article on how British laws makes children book authors who visit schools to submit their names to a national database that aims to protect children from paedophiles. That includes J.K. Rowling and Philip Pullman. And speaking of J.K. Rowling, the premiere of the latest Harry Potter movie probably hasn’t escaped you either. I admit I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m waiting till the Potter fans have seen it and then it’s my turn. Don’t get me wrong, I’m crazy about the books, but I can’t stand the massive throngs of people well. Anyhoo, apparently actor Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t mind being mistaken for a gay dude. He’s laughing it off like the good sport he is and continues to repeat he’s grown up around gay people. Sounds as if he’s been around normal, wholesome queers. Oh, and let’s not forget his parents; yay for parents who don’t discriminate against gays.

On the subject of movies… I’ve seen the trailer to “Whip it” (directorial debut of Drew Barrymore) and it has Ellen Page and kick ass chicas in it. I want to see WHIP IT! (Doesn’t that remind you of that 80s Devo song?)

A while ago I reported about how an elementary schooler in California got barred from doing her presentation on Harvey Milk. That school was forced to appologize. Isn’t it funny how kids are sometimes more mature than adults?

It’s no secret homophobia runs rampant in soccer (or any other “manly” sports for that matter). In Turkey a referee claimed he was dismissed from his duties because he’s gay. And next season, a 25-year-old trans man will become the first to play competitive football in a men’s team in Australia. Wow.

In the meantime, to my pleasant surprise, a Pakistan court orders equal benefits for trans people. Again: wow.

Pride is up next. Are you attending? Dutch bookstore American Bookcenter (you’ll find a lot of American expats there) is doing their thing to show their support to the gay community:

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Organisers of Scotland’s Outsider Festival have scrapped the event after struggling to find funds during the global economic crisis.
Texas singer Sharleen Spiteri was set to headline the third annual concert in June (09), which was billed as an eco-friendly event combining live music with outdoor activities like mountain biking and running.
But the festival has now been called off, with organisers promising a full refund to all ticketholders.
A message on the official Outsider Festival website reads: “Due to the unremitting economic downturn and audience numbers now projected, we feel that we cannot produce an event that provides you with a festival experience at the level that is expected and deserved.
“Clearly a recession is not the time to realise this bold new concept but we still believe the Outsider was right for its time and perfect for its place and are hugely disappointed that it is not going ahead.”

Catch Sara Bareilles on 30 Rock. Tune in to the 30 Rock season finale for a special surprise appearance by Sara.
The episode will air on Thursday - May 14th at 9:30PM EST on NBC.

Check out http://www.nbc.com/30_Rock/ for more details as they become available!

My friend Wendy and I share our love for Sharleen Spiteri (Texas) and Sarah Bettens (K’s Choice). Last week (or maybe it was the week before that) I noticed Sharleen’s got a haircut and is now sporting a new ‘do:

Today I noticed Sarah sporting another ‘do as well (a more natural color, instead of the bleached blonde):

My friend Michael alerted me to ann interview with Sarah on Studio Brussel. Unfortunately for me, I went to get shopping for groceries after work and didn’t see his E-mail till after the interview had aired. BUT I managed to find the podcast

Currently listening to A Perfect Circle (album: Mer de noms)

It’s been a while since I last blogged about the Scottish singer, but between writing two articles for EurOut (they were due today) I surfed the innerweb and found a couple of clips I hadn’t seen before

First up Sharleen singing a Marvin Gaye cover with Berlin based British talent Jamie Lidell on French television. Watch it *here* Pretty good, eh?

Then Sharleen gets a simple lesson in self defense by a martial art expert. *Here* is the clip. (Sharleen’s suggestion actually isn’t bad at all. In case of emergency make sure you hit that person over the head with the heel. I assure that’ll do some seeerious damage!)

Finally, a flashback to younger days in “When we are together“. The conditions were certainly not the best: the pool hadn’t been used in a while - paint was peeling off (which caused nausea with the folks who were in the water, and Sharleen herself), the water apparently was cold, and the producer wanted Sharleen to put on a bikini - which she vehemently refused. She wanted more gay and lesbian couples, but only two lesbian couples get their fifteen seconds of fame in the video.