Odds and sods

Haven't posted in a while (it's Christmas!), so thought I'd just post a few odds and sods that I've been listening to/watching/singing along to.

Gruff and Twrci
First up, to make you feel all warm and cosy at Christmas; a great video on Huw Roberts YouTube Channel from S4C, with Gruff singing 'Stuff Christmas, not the turkey' (but in Welsh, like). Huw's also provided a rough translation for you. To tell you the truth, I quite like it. Thanks to the SFA list on Yahoo (join it, it's great) for this little festive nugget (and Huw of course).

Stwffiwch Y Dolig, Ddim Y Twrci

A box of bleeping toys
Back in summer 2007 Gruff took part in the TrocaBrahma festival, where he played with Brazilian protest singing legend Tony Da Gatorra. Together, and with Gruff's box of musical toys, they created some DIY rhythmic Brazilian electronica. Even written down that sounds groovy. You can read the write-up and view pics at the TrocaBrahma blog. But as I'm obsessed with gathering any miscellaneous free Gruff-related media I was most interested in the TrocaBrahma podcast that you can download from the same blog.

Or cut out the middle-man and download it right here. (NOTE: Right-click or ctrl click and 'Save link as'. This link will download the podcast, which I found free on the TrocaBrahma website. They uploaded it, not me. Yada yada yada.)

Podgrams galore (well, two)
Two podcasts from two British newspapers, The Times and The Guardian, are available through iTunes. Or you can still find them through their websites if you are willing to put up with their useless search engines.

The Times
The Times podcast is from 2007 and is a Gruff and Lisa Jen affair, to help promote Candylion. The presenter is occasionally a bit embarrassing but Gruff approaches it all with his usual good humour (ahem). He also performs a couple of tracks with Lisa, too. Which is nice. You can read the journalist's write-up of the interview for his opinion on Gruff, if you so wish. The continual references to Gruff as a 'stoner' are a tad out of left-field considering it was never mentioned in the interview but, y'know, it's The Times.

The Times podcast (NOTE: Right-click or ctrl click and 'Save link as'. This link will download the podcast from The Times website.)

The Guardian
The Guardian Music Weekly podcast is also from 2007 but this time Gruff and Bunf are interviewed and play a live version of Run-Away which is my most-played Furries song at the moment ('I still recall your banking details'. Love it). This from The Guardian website;

'Ask Gruff Rhys a question and you'll have time to make a cup of tea before hearing the answer. If Gruff and his fellow Super Furry Animal Huw Bunford (aka Bunf) were a sunlounger, they would be set at the lowest notch, that's for sure, but as our special guests this week they still manage to summon up the spark and imagination that has helped to make SFA one of the continuing success stories in British rock.'

Ah, that old chestnut again. (Don't interviewers get bored of talking about how laid-back they are?)

The Guardian Podcast (NOTE: Right-click or ctrl click and 'Save link as'. This link will download the podcast from The Guardian website.)