I Can See Clearly Now

I had my eyes tested today, and apart from the looks of reproof that I hadn't had a test for 8 years, the news is that I have a severe corneal astigmatism in the right eye. Level 8, apparantly, with risk of glaucoma in middle age.

In about a week, my specs should be ready. And then I shall look like a proper intellectual, or perhaps a creepy pervert. Or both.
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The Strict Machines have a website. It's not finished yet, as Fabio the site designer (aka "Buzz" the drummer) has zero free time. It is, however, infinitely more complete than the Kapitano website.
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Stop the Cavalry is a christmas anti-war song by Jonah Louis. The Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood is a song about spirituality and, well, love, with a nativity story in the video. Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid is about death and famine at christmas.

Leaving aside Mr Blobby, There's No One Quite Like Grandma, and three utterly forgotten songs by the Spice Girls, there's Only You (Flying Pickets), Don't You Want Me? (Human League) and Another Brick in the Wall (Pink Floyd).

Okay, so for every chrismas number one pop song by the Beatles, Mud or Pet Shop Boys there's a Jimmy Osmond, Benny Hill or Rolf Harris, with Renee & Renato, Boney M and Johnny Mathis being ambigious cases. But there's some good music and intelligent songs in there amongst the dross, showing the cliche of crap crimbo copout pop isn't entirely accurate.

Except that any song that's being played in a shop simply because it was number one on December 25th one year, loses any and all meaning. I heard Stop the Cavalry, The Power of Love and Do They Know It's Christmas? played in the shopping precinct. Songs whose actual content is diametrically opposed to the saccharine window dressing it has somehow become.

It's an anti-fucking-war song! And we're at war! It's a song about thousands starving to death! And they are! Where's your sense of irony?