One Lump or Two?

My favourite part of this week’s Centrelinked came during our first community announcement break. On a sugar-themed show, and having just played the Archies’ most famous number a somber voice came on to warn North West FM listeners of the perils of diabetes. This was swiftly followed by the Four Tops’ Sugar Pie Honey Bunch which, when I was a kid was used in an advert for Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, one of the most sugary cereals on the market. You couldn’t make it up etc.

The other spoonfuls of sugar helping the Centrelinked medicine go down were…     

Brown Sugar – the Rolling Stones

Hit – the Sugarcubes

Spin Spin Sugar – Sneaker Pimps

Sugar Sugar – the Archies

I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) – the Four Tops

Rappers Delight – the Sugarhill Gang

Sugarman – Rodriguez

I Want Some Sugar in My Bowl – Nina Simone

If I Can’t Change Your Mind – Sugar

Lips Like Sugar – Echo and the Bunnymen

Sugartown – Nancy Sinatra

Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard

Things I ran out of time for included Beth Orton’s Sugar Boy, Neil Young’s Sugar Mountain and something by the Sugababes. Thanks to whoever texted in for Def Leppard after 30 seconds. You and I are now related.

Fans of Rodriguez should keep an eye out for Searching for Sugar Man, a 2012 documentary film about two South Africans who go looking for the man who provided the background music to their youth during apartheid. It looks rather splendid. Check out Rodriguez’ website www.sugarman.org for more on the film and the man himself.

Centrelinked is on 98.9 North West FM every Saturday morning here in Melbourne. You can listen where’er you may be via www.northwestfm.org or via Tune In radio. 


Next week: anxiety attack!

Follicular Spectacular

"I don't advise a haircut, man. All hairdressers are in the employment of the government. Hairs are your aerials. They pick up signals from the cosmos, and transmit them directly into the brain. This is the reason bald-headed men are uptight." 

Danny the dealer, Withnail and I 

Hair. You've either got it or you haven't. This week on Centrelinked we spent 45 hirsute minutes whipping our hair back and forth across your radio dial in celebration of hair dos and don'ts. This is what got played...


Devils Haircut - Beck
Jesus Hairdo - the Charlatans
Greetings to the New Brunette - Billy Bragg
Bernice Bobs Her Hair - the Divine Comedy
Cut Your Hair - Pavement
Almost Cut My Hair - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Hair - the Cowsills
Ice Hockey Hair - Super Furry Animals
Diana's Hair - Let's Wrestle
Take the Skinheads Bowling - Campervan Beethoven
Wig in a Box - Hedwig and the Angry Inch


And here's some more songs about hair we didn't have time for:


Black Hair - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Let it Down - George Harrison
Hair - Finishing School
Hairdresser on Fire - Morrissey
La Jeune Fille aux Cheveux Blancs - Camille
Freda (with the Naturally Curly Hair) - Vince Guaraldi 
Oh! Mr Hairdresser - Vic Reeves 


and lest we forget the combined works of the Long Blondes, Blondie and the Hair Bear Bunch.  Not their total combined works obviously. That's a small Venn diagram.


Any additions then? Feel free to posit your tuppenceworth in the comments box. Ta.


Centrelinked, every Saturday from 11am on 98.9 North West FM (www.northwestm.org). Play along each week via @mintcustard and #centrelinked

Grinning Myself to Death

In news that has left me vulnerable to feather related knock-downs, Paul Heaton has announced that he will be touring Australia in October 2012 for what I think is the first ever time. 

I had long assumed our shared passion for not dying in aeroplanes ruled out any chance of me ever seeing Paul on these shores, and yet here we are. Clearly he has faith that his lucky pixie and Simon le Bon calling card (previously used as inflight lucky charms) are working well. Whatever the reason, it is ace news.

Anyone who has ever had a casual glance at these pages would know my appreciation for all things Heaton - the pop star against which all others should be judged. It's been 23 years since my first concert - a Christmas night out at Bridlington Spa with the Beautiful South. The newly formed band went to such lengths not to play Housemartins songs that they did You Keep It All In twice and offered covers of Pebbles' Girlfriend and the Bee Gees' You Should be Dancing. 

Thankfully Paul seems to have reconciled himself with his extensive back catalogue and the Australian gigs are promising a greatest hits set covering all of his career - Housemartins, the South and solo. I can hardly believe I'm typing those words.

Despite having turned 50 this month, Heaton is fresh from writing and performing The 8th (the longest pop song ever) at the Manchester International Festival and undertaking another of his cycling pub tours of the UK, so it sounds like we're going to see an energised and engaged PD. I can't help but feel it will have been worth every minute of the long wait.



• Wednesday 17 October – Jive Bar, Adelaide (http://www.jivevenue.com/)
• Thursday 18 October – Corner Hotel,Melbourne (http://cornerhotel.com/)
• Saturday 20 October – The Factory, Sydney (http://www.factorytheatre.com.au/)Sunday 21 October – Fly By Night, Perth (http://www.flybynight.org/)

So, Australian fans, let's get up off our knees and start compiling that dream set list... form an orderly queue in the comments section below. 

Douze Points

In case you hadn't noticed, it was Eurovision weekend. Whilst most people couldn't give nul points, in some corners of Australia (including this one) dedicated Eurovististas were turning off the internet, avoiding the news and trying to get through the day Likely Lads-style without hearing the result. 


To celebrate Centrelinked decided to go on a quick Contiki-style jaunt around Europe in our musical combi-van, cramming as many countries and cities into 45 minutes as we could. Here's where we went:


Berlin Chair - You Am I
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might be Giants
Do the Whirlwind - Architecture in Helsinki
Amsterdam - Peter, Bjorn and John
Barcelona - Giulia y los Tellarini
Roam - the B-52s
Young Parisians - Adam and the Ants
Ask - The Smiths
Vienna - Ultravox
Norwegian Wood - Cornershop
Dukla Prague Away Kit - Half Man Half Biscuit
Miss Sarajevo - Passengers


We ran out of time for the Reindeer Section's Budapest and the Beautiful South's Rotterdam which was a shame. Maybe next time. Thanks to my first caller too for ringing up and suggesting We're Going to Ibiza by the Vengaboys. You have no idea how happy your request for that terrible song made me. If I could pay for you to go to Ibiza just for ringing I would...  

Silent and Grey

Sunday Bloody Sunday. What a great song. It really encapsulates the frustration of a Sunday, doesn't it? You wake up in the morning, you've got to read all the Sunday papers, the kids are running round, you've got to mow the lawn, wash the car, and you think "Sunday, bloody Sunday!"

Alan Partridge - I’m Alan Partridge – To Kill A Mocking Alan

According to Morrissey, everyday is like Sunday. This is just as well because this week Centrelinked chose to pay tribute to the week's sleepiest day 24 hours early with 90 minutes of songs about Sunday. There were Sundays lazy, bloody and blue and all these in-between...

• Lazy Sunday – Small Faces
• Sunday Girl – Blondie
• Better than Sunday – Ladyhawke
• Sunday’s Pretty Icons – Belle and Sebastian
• Sunday Morning – Aluminum Group
• Sunday Morning – James
• Grandma’s Hands – Bill Withers
• Sunday Kind of Love – Etta James
• Sunday Sun – Beck
• Blue Sunday – the Doors
• Sunday Sunday – Blur
• It Always Rains on Sunday – The Groove Farm
• Pleasant Valley Sunday – The Monkees
• Summertime – the Sundays
• Everyday is like Sunday – Morrissey
• A Sunday Smile – Beirut
• Sunday Bloody Sunday (live) – U2
• Field Day for the Sundays – Wire
• Sunday to Saturday – the June Brides
• Sunday Morning Coming Down – Johnny Cash
• Where Do I Begin? – Chemical Brothers with Beth Orton
• Sunday Morning – Velvet Underground
• Stars on Sunday – All Seeing Eye

As always feel free to add to the list using the comments below...  Centrelinked will be back on your wireless next Saturday from 11am on 98.9 North West FM 

Making Your Mind Up

As those Eurovision legends and fans of primary colours, Bucks Fizz once said, ‘don’t let your indecision take you from behind.’ Fair advice for the fence sitters out there – folks paralysed by fear of making a decision, happy to tinker round the edges without making a plunge. Yes I’m talking about you, politicians…

This week Centrelinked tried to help listeners to make their minds up with songs about indecision. This is what got played:

• Should I Stay or Should I Go – The Clash
• I Don’t Know What I Want us to Do – Peter, Bjorn and John
• I Don’t Know What to Do With My Life – The Buzzcocks
• I Can’t Decide – Scissor Sisters
• Making Your Mind Up – Bucks Fizz
• Rise – Public Image Limited
• I Changed My Mind - Quanuum
• I Don’t Know – Bill Withers
• I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself – Dusty Springfield
• Dawn Can’t Decide – the Lemonheads
• Just When You’re Thinking Things Over – The Charlatans
• Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) – Doris Day


Requested and Also Rans
• Possibly Maybe – Bjork
• Keep an Open Mind or Else – Mccarthy
• If I Can’t Change Your Mind – Sugar
• Have You Made up Your Mind – Paul Weller
• Can’t Be Sure – the Sundays

Centrelinked - Saturday mornings from 11am on 98.9 North West FM Listen live on your wireless or stream at www.northwestfm.org

You can join in by texting the studio on 0 44 77 77 989 or on Twitter using @mintcustard or @northwestfmmelb and the hastag #centrelinked.

MCA RIP

'I Want To Say a Little Something That's Long Overdue
The Disrespect To Women Has Got To Be Through
To All The Mothers And The Sisters And The Wives And Friends
I Want To Offer My Love And Respect To The End'
The Beastie Boys - Sure Shot

Normal Centrelinked service was suspended this week as we learned about the sad passing of Adam Yauch from the Beastie Boys about an hour before going on air. 

  
It seemed only right that we ditch our usual rubbish and use our time more wisely, paying tribute to the man better known as MCA by devoting the show to the genius of Brooklyn's finest. This was our kit bag, and this is what got played:


- The Biz v the Nuge (Check Your Head)
- Sabotage (Ill Communication) 
- Shadrach (Paul's Boutique)
- 3 MCs and 1 DJ (Hello Nasty)
- Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2) 
- Ch-Ch-Check It Out (To the Five Boroughs)
- Body Movin' (Fat Boy Slim Remix)
- Girls (Licenced to Ill)
- Sure Shot (Ill Communication)
- Song for the Man (Hello Nasty) 
- So Whatcha Want (feat Cypress Hill)


Vale, MCA. Love and respect to the end.