Once again the upload is proving difficult. The fact of the matter is that broadband in Ireland is a joke (to coin a very Irish moany cliche). I'm using an Apple computer. By all accounts the Wi Fi where I am is at full strenght (according to the little thingy in the corner of the screen), but the truth is that for whatever reason that is not the case. I am taking broadband from NetGear where I am. It aint working.
At home we have Clearwire. I am unappologetic in saying that is highly unreliable too. They give you broadband in a box, or so they say.
For 40/50 quid a month, they send you a crappy looking black box, with a regular looking phone line cable thingy. You plug the box in, and hey presto, you should have broadband.
Well not quite, because you have to have the box near a window to get the signal. The problem is it dosnt work near all windows, and you have to find the direction the signal is coming from. Therefore you might find you can only use broadband in your bathroom.
Even when you find the signal, its still unreliable. It comes and goes. Its strenght varies. Sometimes it dosn't work at all. When it goes at weekends you know your in trouble. You get the sense that they don't employ people to work weekends to solve such problems, and you'll have to wait till Monday morning before people are back in. Only then will they go...
'ooooh, the internet went off again...let me just press this button'
Thats such an Irish thing. Office hours, working hours, 10 - 5, except on Fridays when its 10 - 4. Have you ever noticed the way companies schedule office parties for Thursday nights aswell. Effectively excusing people from working on the Friday.
Last week I went to a pub to watch the football via the Premiership Plus package the pub has subscribed to. Same problem. No signal coming through. But they could phone nobody, because...ahh sure...can't work on weekends. Ofcoarse, most of the football is at weekends. You'd imagine they would man the stations espcially at those times.
You get the idea of what I'm getting at.
And by the way, if your at an office desk...what are you doing? Get back to work!!!
No wait, I have more of a moan.
Has anyone seen that new building opposite Thomas Reads, next to Dublin castle. They have just put strip green lighting all over it. I dunno...
Do you know I almost forgot to write this blog. There I was doing other bits and bobs, when I thought to myself...oh my god (like oh my god) I forgot the blog. How could I forget the precious blog. How? How? I dunno. But I did you know. Ok, so I know Im usually very entertaining, and you'd love to read and read and read... But I reckon you should watch this instead... As recommended by Tom. Good find Tom!!!
For whatever reason the videos not uploading...God Dammit!!!
They always say that in American films...God Dammit!!! I think I mentioned that before.
Thanks to everyone who came to The Revolts gig last night. It really was an amazing night. Filmed it all, so maybe I'll put a video up soon of it. Can't believe the guys are only 14 each. I mean oh my god like.
Speaking of filming, we have placed a Balcony Productions button on the main page. We are hoping to film gigs around town. We will have a 3 camera set up. And you'll get a cool edit in return.
So if you want a gig video you know who to call...Ghost Balcony Productions Busters something.
And now I'm honestly worrying that YouTube has gone nuts on me.
Congratulations to Paul Brady who has just become the most viewed video on BalconyTV. He has achieved 1718 views in 3 weeks!!! He is a legend afterall! Nuff said.
Further congratulations goes to Susan Bluechild who has achieved an astonishing 1353 views in just over a week. In-cred-eeee-ble!!! She has also recieved an earth shattering 207 ratings. She should change her name to Susan Blooming Amazing Child.
Other acts that have achived over 1'000 views are...
One other band who have achived high numbers are THE REVOLTS. The Revolts has achieved 1603 views. An amazing figure for a band of 3 members whos average age is 14!!!
The band are playing there first gig tonight at the Legal Eagle at 8.30. Get there!!!
My self and Tom were in the mezz last night. Bumped into Candice...or better known as the Swag Operation now. Been trying to get her to do BalconyTV for weeks now. No luck yet. Bumped into Sebastian Escalante who runs Ecouter Monday in Temple Bar Music Centre. And then we bumped into Grazer from Satyrix. Its a small small world. Pauline went to see Radiohead last night. I asked her to say hello to Thom for me. Not sure if she did. The weekend is here. Toms on his way over as we speak with a top Swedish band apparently, so if you on Dame Street between 12.30 and 1.30 now, look up, you may catch some action, with Tom and eh...a Swedish band.
Did anyone see the football last night? Man U playing great football. Chelsea losing!!! Martin O' Neill winning. And Roy Keane the manager of Sunderland. Has the world gone out of its mind. I think so. Very enjoyable all the same. Havent enjoyed Match of the Day that much in so long. Yeah, I'm sure you read this to read all about football. Well I'm excuuuuuuuuuuse me!!! I had a walnut whip and gourmet pringles for breakie. Yum Yum!!!
It is a bit late I apologise. While uploading this morning I had the good fortune to meet Thom York of RadioHead. I couldn't control myself; had to say hello, and tell him briefly about BalconyTV. Probably sounded like I was trying to sell him something. If you by anychance are reading this Thom, sorry for the plug, wasn't trying to sell you anything, hope you enjoy the site!!! Was at the Improv Comedy last night in the Capital Hotel next to the Exchequer Bar. I was surprised and delighted by a very entertaining show. I highly recommend it. Hopefully we will have some improv comedy on the balcony very soon. After the show we darted over to Bankers where Pauline was playing with Alan Alda. Dermot of Alan Alda tells me that I should be putting the two names together, as in ALANALDA, but I told him that I reckoned Alan Alda will come up more in search engines, so there is a better chance of them being discovered and being shot to worldwide fame. If you havnt heard Alan Alda listen to the in the archives. Thats about it for today. Until tomorrow, stay cool, but don't freeze. HI LAR I OUS!!!
So just to clarify, in yesterdays blog I said I got a taxi early yesterday morning. Some people have suggested this was a smug way for me to say I was out all night. (Wink wink, nudge nudge) Well infact I was, but not for that reason. Pauline slipped on a banana skin in the middle of the night. I awoke to find her screaming in the hallway. Had to take her to casualty. Thats why I was up all night. Turns out she was just fine. Doctors gave her a lollipop, and she was grand. Expect to see her modeling the new BalconyTV thong very soon. Lovely. I was at the Temple Bar Music Centre last night filming a gig Lauren Guillery was playing. We felt we owed it to her after our bad quality taping for BalconyTV. We are going to set up Balcony Productions very soon. We will be filming gigs and what not around town. You heard it here first. Watch this by the way. Amazing YouTube once again. Scroll forward to 2.50 to hear all about BalconyTV. Thank you John McQuilkin!!!
I wonder, I wonder will the bloody video upload today. Cos it aint workin!!! How is everyone? Sorry for not posting yesterday. My head is void of creative anything on Sundays. Pauline have you uploaded a BalconyTV photo yet? Its your job you know!!! I got a BalconyTV shirt delivered today. Quite cool. Get one!!! I'm going to be in Temple Bar Music Centre tonight filming Lauren Guillery. Anybody out there who liked her sound when she played BalconyTV should get there. Im losing faith... UPLOAD!!!! God damnit!! They always say that in American films. God damnit. This website is officially PG or Parental Guidence for those who havn't been in a Xtra Vision since 1921. I was in a taxi early this morning. Best not ask why. The taxi driver, who was a very nice man was telling me how hes drove the top Hollywood stars including Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson. I was very impressed with his stories. Then he told me that a very famous film director died. Being a movie lover I was very curious. Who? I said. 'I can't remember his name, he directed Saving Private Ryan' Spielberg is dead according to one Irish taxi driver. True story. UPLOAD GOD DAMNIT!!!
If your reading this your a good person. A very good person. I commend you on your taste. I commend you alot so I do. Its Saturday morning and your reading this. I mean really. You really are amazing. Amazingly cool!!! Your so cool your going to freeze. Your the coolest cats this side of the somewhere reletable. Yes I must say I like you. I do. I like you as a person and a reader of interesting blogs. And more so than anything, I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Enjoy this short film I made.
Yo ho world. Its Friday!!! That means a few things TFI Friday, Cheers, The Late Late Show, late night Fantasy Football League. Yeah, right, if it was 1996 maybe. 1994 even. I need to quit living in the past. But you can't beat that Friday feeling. Remember that add for CrispnDry. That always makes me think of Friday. That and that ad for Crunchie. Maybe I'm getting confused. I'm probably getting confused.
We are trying to arrange a cool canope for the Balcony. With the weather changing infront of our eyes, we risk getting rained out. Bands risk getting fryed. Electricuted. Wowzer. Anybody have any ideas? We are talking to a good company now, but apparently they have nothing to attach a canope to on our Balcony. We need solutions and we need them now.
Tom is officially back from Malmo. He recounted the stories of his adventures to us yesterday. Although I can't repest them here, but it involves him and and his friend chatting up two deaf girls via text.
Congratulations to Desert Inn who were on BalconyTV yesterday. Check them out in the archive. They achieved two YouTube Honors Yesterday. Apparently they were #41 - Top Rated - In the Music category and they were #84 - Most Linked In the Music category. I think they are the first act to achieve this type of YouTube status. Kudos to Desert Inn. Kudos.
I reached 21 in Brain Training this morning. I'm getting close Pauline, watch out!!!
Buy a t-shirt folks, they are cooooooooooooool!!! Oh and check out Paulines Photos!!!
Toms back from Malmo. Expect to see him on BalconyTV again in the very near future.
I tryed to get BalconyTV media access to the Ireland game last night. I thought it would be cool to get a after match interview with Stan Staunton (Manager of the Irish Team ladies...eh.eh..eh)...It would have been a coup, if you will. Yes that would have been good. No such luck ofcoarse. A disasterous game though. I was sitting behind the goal with my brothers. Trying to convert them to football. Not much help from the Irish team. What with their new unique brand of non playing football. Not like when I was young. Things were alot better. Wheres the passion? Wheres the pride? Put 'em under pressure and all that nonsense. Whats the beeswax.
Oh yeah, Pauline is 20 in Dr. Kashiwamas Brain Trainging. Shes well chuffed. Im 26, and Tom is 78!!!. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, your not cool).
Congrats to Ruth whats her name, what with he book, her 8A1s, her TV career, and her successful love life. Hey Ruth your good, but are you good enough to sing and dance on BalconyTV? Well are you? Are you?
I was on Grafton Street last night at about 11.30 with a friend. I noticed two Gardai stopping two buskars from playing. The buskars where both playing guitars, sitting on their small amps infront of that card shop. Can't remember its name. I was very upset to see that the Gardai didnt just walk by. They gave the buskars a patronizing 5 second countdown to stop playing. I couldn't help myself from approaching the the Gards. I asked them why they had stopped the buskars from playing, who clearly were causing no trouble to anyone. Many people walked by and could see the Gardai closing down the buskars, and were similarly dismayed, tutting and shaking their heads. The officer informed me that playing with amps was illegal, and they had been instructed to stop all criminal activity. They said they has had complaints from residence. On Grafton Street? Give me a break. The irony was that just around the corner, the music from Bruxelles was very loud on the street, Significantly louder that two buskars with a couple of acoustic guitars. I told the officers they were being petty, and could have thrown a blind eye, to this particular 'crime'. One officer just looked away as I was talking to him. I asked him to look at me when I was talking to him and listen to my complaint. I wanted to lodge a complaint. He said I could do it with his super intendent. I asked would he accompany me back to his super intendent at that moment so we could discuss the issue. Not a chance. I told him about BalconyTV. I told him we have live music daily on our small balcony. I told him we use amps from time to time. I invited him to come and close us down. I'm sure what we are doing could be viewed as illegal. When people get a degree of power in this country they go nuts. I hate it. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! This country! The buskars weren't from this country mind.
Changes today on BalconyTV. We have changed a number of bits and bobs and added a few new features to the site. We hope you like them!!! First up we have added BalconyShopping. Here you can buy all manner of BalconyTV merchandise. At the moment we have just shirts, but over the next few days we hope to add lots of other stuff. Its a great way to support BalconyTV. Also considering we are the new MTV, wearing a BalconyTV shirt is the coolest statement you can make about yourself. We have also added Paulines photo corner where you can view Paulines snapshots of randomness. Nothings up yet...should be in the next day or so. Pauline is having trouble using the technology. Give her time folks. We have changed the podcast button. Its a bit of a funkier design now. You may notice that the podcasting has been down in recent days. That should be rectified by friday. And we have also removed the pixel advertising space space. It was a huge failure. :-( But I wont be detered god dammit! The Balcony will live on.
Myself, Pauline and our good friend Maghnus went to see Nacho Libre last night. Directed by Napoleon Dynamite Jared Hess, the movie is great fun. I challenged anybody not to like it. Apart from Maghnus, who didn't like it, virtually everybody else did!!! Maghnus felt Jack Black over acted. Jack Black does usually go to far, and he often irritates me, but I think his casting here was perfect. I think his over acting in this case was the whole joke.
The guys as the front desk in the UGC were tough work though. They could do with watching a funny film.
Stephen - 3 tickets to Nacho Libre please. Ticket Seller - What time? Stephen - Eh 9.20 Ticket Seller - Back or Front? Stephen - Middle?
Black expression on ticket sellers face.
Stephen - Eh...just kidding.
Stephen leans forward so he can see the map of the cinema.
Stephen - Howabout five rows from the front there?
Ticket Seller - Please don't lean over the desk.
Stephen - Sorry.
Handed the tickets.
Ticket Seller - Next?
Pauline - Power hungry bastard. You should write about that in your blog tomorrow.
Stephen - Pauline thats a bit mean. (EUREKA!!!)
Stephen - What do you think Maghnus?
Maghnus - Jack Black is an over acting bastard. You should write about that in your blog tomorrow.
Stephen - I don't think hes that bad. (EUREKA!!!)
Tom if your back from Malmo can you please give me a call, we need you to present BalconyTV tonight!!!
Reading the Sunday Independent yesterday, I couldn't help but notice how much space Brendan O' Connor takes up with his musings. He's everywhere. There is at least four pictures of him throughout the paper, not to mention at least five articles that he has written - He has an article on the terrorism treat, a front page picture, and huge article about John Aldridge and another huge picture, a restaurant review, and article about Anna Nolan, another picture and a log of his weekly musings, and a big cartoon of him in a monk suit. I wonder why the editorial department of the Sindo have allowd this. It seems a bit ridiculous. O' Connor is a good yet unspectacular writer. I don't know why he has been allowd so much copy. It makes the paper look more than a bit tacky. They should employ some new writers. Apart from the fact that O' Connor was on Your A Star everynight, he was also on Mirriam O' Callaghan last week. Tis crazy I say. Anybody feel the same. I just wanted to vent that. Good article about Michelle Smith though. Can you believe it was ten years ago?! I walked by her on Dame Street just the other day. Very sad. So sad, I can't find the races on YOUTUBE.
Don't you just hate it when you decide to have a nice quiet night in, and your flatmate (to go un-named) decides to go on a sixty foot bendy bus. Comes banging in through the doors at 3.30am, with all her mates revelling in the joys of life. Laughter, banter, banging, clashing, shrieking. Pots and pans. So funny. Then at six am she finally decides thats enough fun for one night but her mates continue the party. I think i'll calm down and watch some ALAN ALDA!!!
Yo yo, it's Friday folks...Friday. Isn't that great!!! And Pauline has insisted that I spell correctly today.
We have a very special show today. Charlie McGettigan!!! A legend in his own life. Who can forget RocknRoll kids!!! Eurotastic. Im just trying to try find the performance on YouTube now.
Pauline was out of the town last night. She is fearful that if her job finds out about her hobby that is BalconyTV, she will be slandered and disgraced and kicked out of her job. I tell her it's not true.
Shes treatening legal action against me if I out her. I would never.
As you see Tom didn't get away to Sweden in the end. When he heard Charlie McGettigan was playing, he cancelled everything!!! What a pro!
God Bless YouTube, just found RocknRoll kids. Enjoy!!!
Hello all. So Toms off to Malmo today. He wanted to record a video of him pleading for random Swedish women to meet him at the airport. Unfortunaltly we didnt get to do it in time. But heres what I think the transcript would have been. TOM - Eh, em, hello Sweden. I - Tom will be coming to Sweden tomorrow, and I think It would great if some of you could meet me at the airport. When I say some, I mean hot blondes only. Something like that I'd say. Apart from that Pauline wants me to go to San Francisco with her in September. We'd need to come up with some pretty unique ways of keeping BalconyTV running then. BalconyTV on tour. Made some script progress today. Its slow, but progress nevertheless. Oh, and announcing a special guest on BalconyTV tomorrow. Tune in!!!
Yes, its true we I watched the film again last night. But otherwise Pauline might not have. There has been rumours in some quarters that myself and Pauline are having some kind of affair. Ofcoarse you can't have an affair unless one or the other is seeing someone properly. And right now that is unclear whether either of us are. Thats still not saying we are having an affair mind you. These selacous rumours wont stand. Pauline has just brought me a cup of tea in a string bikini. (LIE) Anyway. I need to get a grip on writing this film today. Tom has been busy recently. Hes shaved for the first time in months it seems. He also informs me that he has begun managing the young hip Dublin band THE REVOLTS. The Revolts only have an average age of 13, but sound great. They played on BalconyTV a while back. You can watch them again, just play the clip below. Tom has arranged there first gig to be in Slatterys on Capel Street on Monday the 28th of August. Tickets are 5EURO. You can contact Tom at 0870560388. Or you can try www.myspace.com/3revolts. Tom also informs me he is going to Malmo very soon. And he wants to find a Malmoese women. Good luck to him I say. Cool folks, cool. THE REVOLTS on BALCONYTV 30/06/2006
Pauline and myself went to see Miami Vice yesterday. Have you noticed in the UGC that when you get nachos you get fake melted cheese and fake salsa now. I know obviously (from time working in a cinema), that the melted cheese was never the best, but now they are not even trying to fake it. Instead they come in they little airplane food style tubs (the type you get that teeny tiny mineral water sample in). Not only that but you have to pay extra for them. 70 cents each. Do you remember they used to scoop the salsa and cheese on. The salsa now tastes like jam. The standards are falling. Big time!! When we went to see The Break Up, the ice machine wasnt working. Bear in mind it was one of the recent freakishly hot days. No ice!!!! I asked at the counter could I get a discount, and he looked at me as if I was mad. (Got the discount in the end). Yeah, anywho, Miami Vice wasnt the best, and pretty much everybody I know whos seen it (which is most people, because the trailer was one of the coolest trailers ever!!!) felt the same. I felt it was ok. Colin Farrell was less bad than usual. (That was like some dialogue in the film by the way). He was give a few more things to say, than in other films he has been in recently. I've noticed it looks like directors cut his dialogue down to a minimun, or at least very very short bites. He never has more than 3-4 lines at a time. The film looks really cool, lots of speedboat shots which I think the crowd liked. But at the end of the day the whole film is shot on digital...just like BalconyTV. But we are never 2 and a half hours long!!! Its ok though. 3 stars. You really wanted a movie review didnt you. We you got it. Internal monolgue getting the better of me again.
Didn't write yesterday. You have my apologies. I need to find a new angle on these Blogs. I think to begin with I thaught it may be intertesting to write about the day to days of BalconyTV. But as we are now very much in the run of things, and operation is smooth, there are not to many odd moments. Not that many. Pauline is working in a job, shes afraid her employers will find out about her Balcony gig. She seems to think they'd give her her P45 if they found out. I tell her shes being silly. Tom is gigging around town, and managing and up and coming band (THE REVOLTS - you may have seen them on BalconyTV). And I'm trying to write a film script which is a bloody nightmare. I watched THE LIFE AQUATIC a couple of times in recent days. The writing in it is absolutely amazing. Very depressing. Very amazing how far away my writing is from that in THE LIFE AQUATIC. But like the Jamaican bobsleigh team realise in Cool Running...'I gotta find my own styyyyyyle' " I can't be stealin no styles from the Swiss team' (Or in this case from the legend that is Wes Anderson.) So thats what we are up to. You?
Yeah, anyways, went to see Vertigo play in the temple bar music centre last night. Brilliant gig. The crowd really got into it. Lots of crooning all around.
Pauline had a great time.
The night went on late, hence this post going on short.
so we have designed a new balconytv ident. what do you think? its simple and clean... the moment i showed it to pauline she said it was an MTV rip off... well shes damn right!!! now we just need to get some crazy animators out there to do crazy claymations and the likes of it... like back in the day when mtv actually was quite cool...
by the way, for those of you who dont know what an ident is, its that logo in the top right hand corner of the screen... not to belittle or patranize you ofcourse... by the way to patranize means to talk down on someone...
Great gig! Pauline and Alan Alda put on a great show, great to see so many BalconyTV fans there. What was supposed to be a couple of drinks and some live music turned into something alot longer... Always the case in this city. Ended up in Abra Kebabra late in the night. You know you've stayed out too late when you end up in Abra Kebabra. Although I want to say I am in no way critising Abra Kebabra...(eh, eh, eh) Actually met a girl very late there, gave her a BalconyTV card. Just remembering that now. Oh dear. Dear oh dear. Have to give a big shout out to our viewers in London. I've learned recently that we have a few. So hello to Kate and Tim!!!!
if anybody wants to meet the amazing pauline...shes playing in sinE tonight with her band alan alda tonight. she wants to meet you all. she really does. she has dreams of stardom...and she wants to see whats shes achieved so far. she will do autographs. and photos...as long as she can make sure her head dosnt look fat in them... shes always worried about that. so sinE tonight yall... see you tonight bye bye bye bye bye
I taught it might be interesting to see what the top ten balcony videos are to this point...so going through the vid counting down from ten to one (since top of the pops is finished!!!)
at 10...
10/ Kieron Black and the Amazing Few - 08/07/2006 9/ Robotnik - 06/07/2006 8/ Waif - 20/06/2006 7/ The Movement - 15/06/2006 6/ Alan Alda - 12/06/2006 5/ Riona Hartman - 16/06/2006 4/ The Revolts - 30/06/2006 3/ Black Orchid - 10/06/2006 2/ Gay Pride Special 24/06/2006
and still at number one...
1/ Starturtle 29/06/2006
So there you have it.
You may have noticed Alan Alda is at number six there. They have returned for todays BalconyTV. Pauline wanted to get a plug in for their gig in SinE tomorrow night. Who am I to say no?
Anyways...here is there past performance from the very early days of BalconyTV.
