Thoroughly Modern Milli

The Hippie spirit lives on in the resolutely independent artist Milli Moonstone! This post has been a long time coming, because I first mentioned Milli two years ago, when I spotted her MySpace page.

Milli Moonstone is Emily Edmonstone, a British singer-songwriter and environmental activist. Milli is an eclectic chameleon, and she defies conventional description. Here, in the intro video to her site, she’s Emily, down-to-earth and matter-of-fact…

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2010/JAN/MilliWelcome.flv 512 384]

… and in this video for her song “Lose Myself,” she’s the playful, free-spirited Milli.

A few months ago, Milli Moonstone put out an EP CD that I ordered, but I can’t imagine she made any money off of me, shipping it to Boston from London. Now Milli has an 11-song album you can download from Amazon.com. Listen to the samples, and you’ll know Milli’s her own genre of music. “Lotsa Money” would go well with belly dancing, and “Good Goodbye” is about the end of a romance, but it could almost be taken as a death scene, saying goodbye to life itself. For contrast, there’s “Over,” which is lovely and powerful. My favorite track is the wild “Flashbacks.”

Last September, Milli was interviewed by Nikki Bedi on BBC Asia.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2010/JAN/MilliMoonstoneBBC.mp3]

During the interview Nikki plays Milli’s song “New Day,” which prominently features a sarongi. I’ll embed the song here, down-converted, so it won’t sound as good as the original, because I want you to buy it.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2010/JAN/NewDay.mp3]

I think there’s a CD version coming of “Lose Myself,” but it can be downloaded right now, so why wait? I realize that a lot of people are sending their extra money to help provide relief to Haiti, but if you have $9 US to spare, please buy Milli’s album. (Note: I make no money at all from anything related to DogRat.com. This site is a hobby and an expense, and that’s the way I want it.)

I know where she’s leaping!

It’s not a leap year, but it’s Rom-Com season, so there’s a new movie called “Leap Year,” featuring Amy Adams, who was so charming in “Enchanted.”

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2010/JAN/LeapYear.flv 600 254]

The 30-second commercials for “Leap Year” that I saw on “The Colbert Report” were all I needed to know it’s a reworking of “I Know Where I’m Going!”, which features the one and only Petula Clark, when she was a child star in England.

The new movie isn’t getting very good reviews, but that isn’t the fault of the original, which is but one of the quirky, unique, and unforgettable productions of The Archers — as Michael Powell and Emerick Pressburger called their collaborations. Give this scene a try, and see what you think of the interplay between these eccentric characters and their ad hoc family.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2010/JAN/IKnowWhereImGoing.flv 512 384]

If you found that clip at all intriguing, you should try the other samples from The Archers that I’ve posted:

Ringo’s starr still shines

Good old Ringo, the eldest Beatle, born three months before John, turns 70 this year. Back in ’08 Eric and I saw Ringo in Boston, and now he’s out plugging his new record — that I downloaded from Amazon last night, after seeing him on the Daily Show.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Ringo Starr – With a Little Help From My Friends
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A Freed man

BBC Radio 2 has a Listen Again (podcast) documentary about pioneering Rock and Roll DJ Alan Freed. I was going to listen to just a few minutes and finish it later, but instead sat through the whole show in one sitting. I think it should be available until next week.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00pqb52/The_Inventor_of_Rock_and_Roll_The_Alan_Freed_Story/