Doctor Who schtuff

Yeah, I just watched the whole of the last series over again. It's so good. But, you know, I still think all the theme music after 1980 is pants. Can you imagine the impact the original theme must have had in the mid-60s? Hell, I distinctly remember hearing it for the first time in the mid-70s after school one day (when we actually got a TV), and I'm quite sure that's what's imprinted my love of electronica on me. And many other people my age. In fact, forget Pacman, we can blame the whole rave/house/dnb/hardcore thing on the evils of the Doctor's music, I'm sure. Think about the age cohort - how many people MY age listened to bloody Moog (bink-bink-bink bink bink bonk)? Influential, my arse (in terms of indoctrinating the youth that is. Musicians are another matter).

Anyway, getting back to post-80's theme music being pants, some of the effects and admixures are pretty good though. I have found the Radiophonatron on the Beeb website. It has lots of the groovy sound effects from the themes, with the best names. Unfortunately, it's not quite well-designed enough that you can "mix" a theme, but it's fun to play with. My favourites are the good old "Rub A Dub Dub", which is the original bassline that Ron Granier wrote (and I wish they'd leave that element alone, at least), followed by the classic Oo Ee Oo. The Diddly Dum is the 1980 version of the same bassline, which I think is a good modification of it, and horrors, I also like the guitary Wee Wah Woo from 1980 as well. For extra effects, my faves are Grind, Groan and Roar, not just because I have a lewd mind. Because then I'd also include the Mouse Organ, which is fun, but not my ideal theme music.

Anyway, the really techie-geeky site that talks about the complete history of the theme is here, and you can listen to samples (not the whole things, alas) of the major versions he rantles about here at the Beeb website. You need Real Player, but if you download it from the BBC's own link, you get the version without adware. Eee!

There was also a play written about Delia Derbyshire, who did the arranging and sequencing (well, if you can call it that) of the original themes. Both of those sites have music samples - the play site has some pieces inspired by DD's music, and the actual DD home site has some of her original pieces, including some fairly outré stuff from the 60s. It seems like she was a fascinating woman - good obit here - but another one of those women of that time who slightly slipped through the cracks in terms of career. Nice that she's been acknowleged more recently.

Well, there you go, a big geeky burble about one of my formative influences.

Ow ow ow grrr

Went to the gym, which is the first time I've been back since I went to Hawaii. I'm so slack. So now every muscle of my body is aching, but I suppose it's a "good" ache. There are, however, more fun ways of getting aching muscles, but this is what one has at present, so one has to make do.

I've got a new personal trainer, who I'll see once a fortnight. She seems pretty good, except for one slight niggle. She was asking me for my aim for working out, and my default thing is muscle tone. I said to her specifically that I'm not interested in weightloss per se: if it happens, it happens; otherwise, who the hell cares, so long as I don't get all blobbly. She said, "Oh, that's fine, one of my fittest girls is a big girl, and she's really amazing" blah de blah, for just a wee bit too long.

Hm, you know what? I don't define myself as a "big girl". I'm average. I'm just getting a little bit sick of people calling an average, size-14 woman with tits, but also a waist, "big". I mean, fuck it. Also, fuck the clothing manufacturers who stuff the shops with clothing from sizes 8-12, when, actually, it's the minority of women who are in that size range. Then fuck them for saying "but most of our sales are in those sizes" because you know what? If they actually made appealing clothing for 14-16 and up, for the majority of women who are in fact average or "big", with reasonable quality and for a reasonable price, I'm sure they would find their sales there improving no end. Fuckers.

(Yes, I tried to go shopping for a suitable summer jacket for work yesterday. Idiot me. One linen jacket might have been ok, other than the fact that only sizes 8 and 10 were available, and it was beige. Urk.)

Yet another condensed movie

Serenity in 2000 words.

*snorfle*

Feh-muh-nist!

Gacked from commodorified, here! (Go on, then!)