This really shouldn’t be funny. But it is.

(Filmed at the Turtle Pond, Central Park, NY)

Last night was the launch party for the new album by Rev Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping (appropriately titled Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping). Not a lot can prepare you for the Rev and his unique brand of evangelism, nor can words amply describe the Rev’s persona, so I have included a couple of brief video clips here and here. Read More→

Where I came from (and probably much further afield) Jonathan Sillers is a legend. (Un)fortunately I can’t divulge 99.9 per cent of the reasons why. But in a moment of sheer stupidity, Jonny agreed to let me post this clip of him dancing.

The glitz, the glamor…the total boredom. Admittedly, I arrived at yesterday’s St Patrick’s Day parade about three hours too late. The festivities began at about 11am and when I arrived at the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 3.15pm there was a big gap in the sidewalk where hours earlier about 1,000 fireman (or so I was told by a museum security guard) had booed Mayor Bloomberg as he marched past.

The parade itself was nothing much. Although I have since wondered exactly what I expected from a parade, apart from marching band after marching band traipsing up the street playing everything from this rendition of God Bless America to a painful version of Waltzing Matilda, which I failed to capture (I was too busy trying to shut out the noise). Some of the bands and uniforms were impressive but there was also an awful lot that reminded an Englishman in New York of a cross between Dad’s Army and Grange Hill (there were quite a few school bands too).

But I’m probably missing the point. The parade wasn’t so much about having fun or entertaining people like me, it was a celebration of the Irish roots of thousands of New Yorkers. So just ignore me…