8ball Tshirts Podcast

Just a quick pointer that we have launched a new 80s T-shirts Section on the website. We’ve always sold 80s related t-shirts but we have introduced more and more over the last few years as us children of the decade of decadence have grown up and grown misty eyed over our youth. We will be introducing loads more T-shirts from our era in the coming weeks so keep checking the site for updates.
Current favourites are Rocky, A-Team, Adam Ant, Bon Jovi, Crossroads, Diffr’nt Strokes, Dogtanian, Dukes of Hazzard, E.T, The Goonies, Karate Kid,.

In a related 80s theme, The News of The World Sunday Magazine featured our Frankie Says Relax Tshirt last weekend, you can see the feature here.

In bits of music news, ex-Beatles Paul McCartney has endeavoured to get over his pending divorce with ‘Mucca’ by selling his soul to Starbucks. He’s releasing his next album through the Starbuck record label, to attract their coffee slurping 44 Million customers. “For me, the great thing is the commitment and the passion and the love of music, which as an artist is good to see,” he said. Maybe Paul, but its all WRONG!

The new Dr Who series is imminent, with confirmation that a 4th is in the pipeline, but ‘best Dr Who ever’ David Tennant has not yet been confirmed. The new series promises another encounter with the Daleks, and introduces new Dr’s assistant Martha Jones, who confusingly is also a Doctor, but in the proper sense. Expect much comedy moments round that then.

The Reading/Leeds festival headliners have been announced this week, and if you have been lving in a box, here it is:

Main stage:
Kings of Leon ,Interpol, Maximo Park, The Gossip, Gogol Bordello, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Panic at the Disco, Angels and Airwaves, Nine Inch Nails, Lost Prophets, Fall Out Boy, Funeral for a Friend, +44.

Radio 1/NME stage:
Ash
Brand New
The Subways
Enter Shikari
The View
We Are Scientists
Biffy Clyro
The Twang
Klaxons
LCD Soundsystem
CSS

Quick round up this week with lots of tit bits for you to digest.

With this year seeing the release of the new Simpsons movie, 16 US cities called Springfield have been asked to fight it out Itchy & Scratchy style (not really) to host the movie world premiere. 20th Centruy Fox will choose the best short film by the citizens about their real life communities. Wonder if any similarities will swing the voting? I for one would be propping up the bar in the real Moe’s Tavern.

Richard Madeley of Richard & Judy fame has lived up to his name (DICK) by interrupting his Channel 4 show to warn off his daughters mugger. Chloe Madeley was talking on her cell phone when a girl (read chavette) ran up and swiped it from her. In typical ‘down with the kids’ speak, Richard said “she got jacked on the street” and “had her hair pulled”, he then prompted to shake his fist at the camera, in a gesture to the would be mugger.

Movie fans were salivating at the prospect of getting their hands on some classic movie costumes & props last week, with the sale of the contents of costumiers Angels rather large store cupboard. Items on sale included Monty Pythons the knights helmets from The Holy Grail (Terry Jones’ went for £11,000), Tom Baker’s Doctor Who costume (which went for 12 times the expected price for £24,600), and the piece de resitance, Alex Guinness’ Obi Wan Kenobi Jedi Cloak from the original Star Wars, A New Hope, which went for a whopping £54,000. Man alive!

In music news, just before being inducted into the US hall of fame, veteran 80s rockster Eddie Van Halen has gone into rehab to fix his booze problem. Looks like this will delay the bands return to tour with the mighty Dave Lee Roth.

Also UK mod-rockers The Jam are all set to reform, but without ubiquitous frontman Paul Weller. They’re set for a 20 date UK tour in May, having not toured together for 25 years after their 1982 split. The Jam without The Modfather? Surely some mistake!

The Good, The Bad and The Queen take their roadshow to the last ever gig at the legendary Hammersmith Palais. The band line up consists of a whos-who of great British bands with Ex-Blur Damon Albarn, ex-Clash bassist Paul Simonon, ex-Verve guitarist Simon Tong are complemented by afro beat pioneer Tony Allen. The gig will mark the closing weekend of the Hammersmith Palais, immortalised in The Clash’s (White Man) In The Hammersmith Palais, when bulldozers move in on Monday April 1st to demolish the venue, making way for yet more office blocks. The flea pit venue has seen some of Britain’s great musical events, hosting performances from The Sex Pistols, The Rolling Stones and U2 not to mention The Clash. Its music credentials today were still being proved by the recent billing of My Chemical Romance, Idlewild, & The Fall. Another embodiment of Great British music quite literally bites the dust. RIP.

In other news, Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has flown a charter flight for Glasgow Rangers for their UEFA cup game aginst Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv. Bruce is qualified as a commercial pilot and flies for UK-based charter firm Astraeus, between Maidens tours and albums. He specifically asked to fly the Ibrox team to the Israeli city when he learned that his charter firm had got the contract. Rangers manager Walter Smith told the club’s website: “I know their stuff quite well. I remember going to meet the band when they played in Edinburgh a few years ago.”