Fast Cars

Dear Readers, allow me to gripe a wee bit. This week I am suffering acute and painful music withdrawal pangs. You see, Dearest Wife has (quite justifiably) commandeered the family car this week to facilitate our move and as a result I have been driving my father-in-law's car. It is, of course, very kind of him to lend me said vehicle, and I am accordingly grateful. However, his jalopy (a vintage 1990 Volvo 740 sedan, for all you carspotters out there) is rather aged and its vacuum-tube radio does not go low enough on the FM spectrum to talk with my mp3 player and its transmitter. Poo. Bollox. Damn.

What my chosen local radio station, CiTR, has on offer during my commute does not slake my craving, so I've been reduced to wandering the dial in search of a fix. Alas, in the past three days the only bit of relief I've found has been a Bloc Party track around 7:08 this morning - slim pickings, would you not say? Otherwise it's been a torrent of corporate rawk, puffed-up DJ sound and fury signifying SWEET F**K ALL (as Willie Shakespeare once wrote, kinda sorta maybe), and commercials for Thrifty Foods (Island Farm vanilla ice cream is on special this week at $3.98 for a 1.65 litre carton - happy to pick some up if y'all want). Hardly methadone for my addiction. Have I yet your sympathy?? I'm lobbying hard to get the car back on Friday, but am facing righteous resistance...

Apart from the radio, driving the car-in-law has been quite amusing. It's very front-heavy with rather wheezy acceleration, and the best way to operate it seems to be according to the principles of inertia: pedal to the metal, get up (eventually) to speed, then let the weight of the engine block pull you down road and around corner. Add on the facts it's beige and the brakes squeal like the proverbial stuck pig, and you have a real head turner. At least the seat warmers work, though they are somewhat fierce - nearly scorched me bum the other morning...

And while I'm ranting, Porsche SUVs: I don't get it. What next? Lamborghini pickups?? Ferrari dumptrucks??? Tsk tsk...

Heartfelt thanks for indulging me. And in return:

Cars - Gary Numan (buy here)
Roadrunner - Johnathan Richman & The Modern Lovers (buy here)
Interesting Drug - Morrissey (buy here)
Fast Cars - Buzzcocks (buy here)
Max Wedge - Dijits (buy here, find out more here)
Warm Leatherette - The Normal (buy here, find out more here)