The Great 6 Music Debate: The Bestest Single Of The Last Ten Years?

If you pay a visit to Birds On A Wire Towers, you'll probably hear a lot of BBC6 Music. Don't get us wrong, we're big on full album appreciation and usually spend our evenings routing through our strangely categorised CD collection or scrolling up and down the iPod Classic. But when we're mopping the floor, or washing the dishes, or making a wall sized map of the United States of America, you're likely to find us listening to 6. Or a bit of BBC Radio 3, but that's beside the point. Sundays in particular have become sacred. We eat breakfast to Cerys, get our chores done to Huey and have dinner with Jarvis (he's not Jesus, but he has the same initials). 

Get your coat, love. You've pulled.

Anyway, 6's 10th birthday crept up on us out of nowhere and made us feel quite old. To celebrate the fact that they've been on the air for over a decade, they've launched '6 Music's 100 Greatest Singles.' The station have compiled a list of what they believe to be the best songs to have been released during their lifetime, and  have asked listeners to visit their website and vote for the best one. The choosing bit is now, but they'll reveal the listeners bestest and most favourite song after a countdown of THE WHOLE LOT on Friday 1st of February. Listening to the selection of 100 tracks, we felt nostalgic for a bit, then we had an argument. So in celebration of that argument, we thought we'd make like the 6 DJ's and let you in on our own top 5s....

Laura 

A divisive one, and the centre of our argument it's.....

What did you just say
 tastes like Pepsi Cola?!

1. Lana Del Rey- Video Games

When this single came out, it was all over 6. You couldn't put the radio on without hearing Miss Del Rey crooning "Swinging in the backyard, Pull up in your fast car..." over those sublime bells and melancholic piano chords. Then, for a lot of people, two things happened. 1) The song got really old, really fast and 2) They saw a picture of Lana, and she wasn't the slightly unkempt, serious country songstress they'd imagined. She was a slightly depressed looking Barbie with a cosmetically enhanced mouth and foot-long plastic nails. Not for me, however. Maybe it's because I listen to a lot of songs on repeat. And also because I spent my childhood  praying that one day I'd evolve into a plastic doll.  For me, Video Games sounds as emotive and haunting as it did when I first heard Huey Morgan play it, and I know it's special because I have to stop and listen (no mopping the floor or washing the dishes to this.) I think I'll love it forever. But I'll only be playing it when Liz isn't here. Or I won't be alive to listen to it for much longer. 

And the best of the rest? 

2.Johnny Cash- Hurt

Love, love, love this. I challenge you not to cry when the piano chords get as intense as his amazing voice. The best musical come back of all time? (Thanks Rick Rubin!) And as an advocate for prison reform, he was a man after my own heart.

3. Richard Hawley- Tonight The Streets are Ours

The Yorkshire Roy Orbison. Singing about why ASBOs are bad. And encouraging us to have a bit of a dance.

4. Fleet Foxes- Mykonos

If they were a fizzy drink, we'd have to market them as 'CSNY Lite.' Haight Ashbury-esque harmonies. Dressing a bit like The Band. Happiness.

5.Kelis- Milkshake

Enough Said.

Liz

1. PJ Harvey - Words that maketh murder

Why do my feathers never
 look like this?!

Ahhh Peej. I love Peej. She rules. And in this track, she really rocks the autoharp, with a giant feather headress on. Not sure anyone else could do that. What I love about this track, and PJ in general is that the music stands on it's own as brilliantly produced, thoughtful and beautiful - and then - suddenly you realise that she is writing about important shit, and making a lot of sense. I was lucky enough to see PJ at the Royal Albert Hall a little while back and she really blew me away. Welcome back PJ!

2. Johnny Cash - Hurt

Yay, we agree!

3. Gossip - Standing in the Way of Control

Less stopped me in my tracks, more smacked me between the eyes (in a good way).

4. Richard Hawley - The Streets are Ours (Live Version- Mixing It Up, Us)

It's really hard not to dance down the road when listening to this on the way home.

5. The Libertines - Time for Heroes 

Couldn't resist. Much love - always.

Liz xXx and Laura X

New shit that came to light

More of the stuff that our eyes have seen:

From top left: 

Some purchases of the week; OVEN; view from a boardroom central London; collection of shiz that will become an iPhone case; coffee with Beryl (neither the Queen nor Bryn were present, but it was necessary); Mexican cocktails; The Soft Pack (young David Crosby, right?!); Lucky Charms; werking; Ben with his normal face, Little Bird Gin at Maltby Street Market.

Liz xXx and Laura X

Those lazy hazy crazy days of summer

Brrrrr. It's cold. It's snowing. Don't worry, there will be no pictures of snow/ snowmen/ sledges/ snow angels etc here. No sir.

How did this get here?!

Ahem. Apparently yesterday was the most depressing day of the year. So we thought what better time to reminisce about the seemingly long gone spectacular summer of 2012?

Highlights of the summer 

Giving a presentation to Glenn Close in Ottawa. This was somewhat of a surprise....neither of us work in fields that usually attract such names. Note to self: a good way to add that extra bit of pressure to stressful work situations.....plonk a celeb in the middle of it.

Canadian delicacy - Poutine
(chips, cheese and gravy)!

Beaver Tails - an Ottawa must eat

Touring the Laurentians and Montreal with the wonderful Estelle. Here we met an interesting tour guide who tried to convince us that Montreal is JUST LIKE Britain (despite having never been to Britain). 

Botanical gardens in Montreal

Estelle hanging out with the locals

Sunshine and extreme relaxation in Ibiza - again, somewhat surprising but just what was needed!

Home sweet home

Sequin shorts were optional

Great place to spend a lunch time

Seeing Leonard Cohen in Amsterdam. This was the week in which we discovered that Bryn likes his chips with sugar; Dutch men are HOT; drag bars are the only place to hang out and Leonard Cohen has a fantastic sense of humour. This week also saw the birth of The List (much, much more of this to follow).

Check out the Cohen shirt!

Bryn at home

Bols museum 

Exploring San Francisco and Nappa Valley with the also wonderful Lisa. Hurrah - lifelong dream to go to San Francisco achieved! This was the first time we used Air bnb - which was AWESOME; don't think we will ever stay in a hotel again! In addition to the fun touristy aspects, I  also spent two weeks working for the Veterans Association in SF.....amazing. 

Sigh

Amoeba Haight Street

And of course the Birds embarked on our mission to transform an SE London flat into the most stylish place on earth!

We don't actually live in a cave

Woah. Remembering is exhausting. Is it time for another holiday yet?

Liz xXx and Laura x

Shit that came to light

Some of the stuff we saw with our eyes this week:

From top left: amazing hot chocolate; Robot that will rule the world; birthday celebrations; Scratty shampoo; pretty lights at Somerset House; something at the Science Museum; best road name ever; lights in the snowy ground; mid week dinner and drinks; light up dance floor; milk in a bag; curvy bench; THE EARTH.

Liz xXx

Don't be a drag

Serious girl crush alert. After watching back to back re-runs of Ru Paul's Drag race on New Years Day, we have developed slight obsessions with drag. Yes, we know, we were already verging on the brink of obsession, but our latest Ru-Fest really tipped us over the edge. Luckily, that edge is bejewelled, padded and FIERCE.

You better work

In particular, I think I am actually slightly in love with Sharon Needles. Like, really. It's starting to disrupt my work, I'm not sleeping and the self-styled punk-rock sex-clown is dominating my conversational choices. Some of this, I am sure is pure envy - why can't I get away with a white contact lenses/ octopus tentacles/ killer heels combo?!

Sharon Needles - Super Star!

Previous seasons served us plenty of Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent. Willam, Raja and, Laura's girl crush Pandora Boxx are all firm favourites for their intelligence, humour and grace.

Lick my Boxx - Pandora Boxx

What is it about the art of drag that keeps us hooked? Aside from the obvious aesthetic attractions (shoes, big hair, glitter, make up, hot glue guns), what else are we getting from the hours (and hours and hours - hey, we don't actually have a TV, remember?!) of viewing?

I'm sure the girls would approve of these -
I can even bust moves in these bad boys

Surprisingly (or maybe not), there are a LOT of positive messages in Drag Race. At its essence it is a show that celebrates people expressing who they are and the love they have for themselves and their work. These qualities are rarely celebrated in the mainstream 'talent'- you're not good enough so let's laugh at you-shows that seem to be more popular. This suggests that there are a lot of people out there who would rather sit and judge from the comfort of their armchairs than actually go and do something creative/courageous/ wonderful. What a waste.

Bird's on a wire are all about letting our freak flags fly - it's the freaks that keep us going, and if those freaks happen to be wearing the biggest bad-ass heels available, all the better. 

(St) Ru Paul puts this far more eloquently than I, "If you can't love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love anyone else? - Can I get an AMEN up in here?!" Now, where did I leave my eyelash glue....

Liz xXx

Glitter in Their Eyes: A Saturday Photo Story

All dressed up with somewhere to go. 

In the run up to Christmas, all that the Birds On A Wire did was graft. In an effort to do enough work to have a guilt-free holiday season, we got into work early, left late and quite frequently put our heads around the door during the weekend as well. 

When we returned to London from Up North (just in time for NYE) we made the decision to free up as many weekends as possible. January is depressing enough without carting around a sackful of papers, and what's the point of having a wardrobe full of frivolous dresses if you never give yourself the opportunity to wear them? So today was all about Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair at the National Portrait Gallery. 

National Portrait Gallery: Room 33

Hi!

A selection of Marilyn's British magazine covers.

The exhibition is small (but perfectly formed) so we were out of the NPG with plenty of time left for a bit of a stroll around Covent Garden. The plan? Stare longingly at the Chanel window display, sniff our way around Lush and L'Occitane (where Liz kindly sprayed me in the eye with Cherry Blossom Eau de Toilette) then head for a sugar rush at the Primrose Bakery....

Pink Neon = True Happiness

Red velvet cupcake and flourless chocolate cake.

Sweets for giants.

Cybercandy goodness.

On the way home, we couldn't resist popping into Fopp for a final bit of window shopping. Which inevitably turned into actually shopping. We did, however, feel justified in making our CD and book purchases, as the music is nearly free, and I'm definitely going to finish my Philip Roth novel before the journey to work on Monday...

Liz brings back happy memories of seeing
Patti Smith at last year's
 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival
 in San Francisco.

Following up Roth with a bit of Bob Dylan and the
surprisingly literary Steve Martin.

Laura X

We (try to) party like it's 1999

Guess the songs....

It's official. We are getting old. "Where is the evidence?" I hear you cry, "would this statement stand up in a court of law?!" Well. At our NYE party no-one vommed in a corner (or anywhere else), no-one smashed anything and no-one had sex in our bathroom (at least we don't think they did). Yep. Told you. OLD.

Bring on 2013

Instead, everyone made a fantastic effort with our 'Come As A Song' theme, appreciated all the effort we went to providing games and food (well, Laura made food. I ate food. Thanks Laura!) and rang in the New Year courtesy of Rod Stewart.

State that Song

This got me thinking. As we are staring down the barrel of the dreaded three-o, has the time come to start being *whispers* grown up? Some may say that this process has begun, after all we:

• Have jobs
• Pay bills
• Drink booze
• Live far away from 'home'

But that feeling of control that is promised with the package of adulthood is still elusive. Back home, old school friends are married. Have babies. Have MORTGAGES. Does the lack of achievement of these milestones some how imply our relative immaturity and irresponsibility? After giving this a few seconds thought, I decided that the answer is..... Nah. 

Over the last year we have started to create lives for ourselves that truly reflect who we are and what we are passionate about. This journey affects every aspect of our lives from interior design to careers and relationships. And the journey is not short, nor should it be - the journey, and the mistakes we make are all part of the fun. 

We have achieved a happy equilibrium in which we are old and responsible enough to pay rent and bills, start to forge out careers and recycle. However, we also have the freedom to decide that we want to have glass robots and heart lamps in our living room, not get dressed all day and not come home at night. Which is ACE.

Our new flatmates

So, although our parties may be slightly tamer and our goals may differ to those of our old friends, we still have our life long road trip to figure out. Which is exciting. One thing is for sure: we will figure it out (or muddle through) in FABULOUS shoes. And who wants to party likes it's 1999 anyway? Get with the programme baby, it's 2013 and it's waiting to be explored.

Liz xXx