Joe Cocker is in Iceland to give a concert later in the week. Consequently we the poor innocent radio-listening public are being constantly subjected to Joe’s slaughtering of various well-known tunes in his trademark growl-slash-constipated vocals. EPI and YT have had just about enough because, not that we have anything against old JC, but he just doesn’t seem to do anything creative with any of his covers except, well, growl and pretend to exert himself terribly. This evening, for instance, as we were chowing down on pizza for dinner [yes we’re imperfect, yes we eat junk food, yes yes] a song came on the radio that sounded really promising – so promising, in fact, that both EPI and myself sort of cocked an ear [haha, I kill myself!] in the general direction of the radio – until it transpired that it was in fact a rendition of Jealous Guy by – yes, you guessed it, mister JC.
At which EPI suddenly launched into a perfectly-conceived Joe Cocker impression, complete with rigid backward-leaning tactics and furiously trembling hands – like a howling Frankenstein. And had YT spewing half-chewed pizza across the table. And then topped it off by saying that He Had Heard that Joe Cocker got the idea to do the cover that made him famous – The Beatles’ ‘With a Little Help From my Friends’ – while sitting on the toilet in this outhouse he had in his backyard.
EPI swears it’s true. And YT is inclined to believe him because as a theory it computes perfectly, what with all that constipated growling.
MIND THE FAMOUS PEOPLE, DEAR!
Here’s a story: a colleague of EPI’s was driving down Reykjavík’s main drag Laugavegur on Friday night around 11 when he saw a couple of people sort of strolling along the sidewalk, joking and having a laugh. He stopped the car to let them cross the street [on Laugavegur people sort of cross the street at will anyway, meaning the cars have no choice, well unless they want to run the people over, but I digress] and saw that this carefree couple were no other than Iceland-regular Harrison Ford, with his lovely-but-skeletal squeeze Calista Flockhart clinging to the arm. Just having a boo at the nightlife, like.
ALSO HAVING A BOO
… at Iceland, these days, are: Clint Eastwood and Frau, plus daughter, plus all his Hollywood male starlets like Ryan Philippe, Adam somebodyorother, Jamie Bell [a.k.a. ‘Billy Elliott’], Paul Walker… ach, truth be told I don’t know what they’re all called but I know they hang out at ‘Prikið’ all the time. And Cameron Diaz was here last week but I think she’s left because nobody talks about seeing her any more. And Alice Cooper was here, but he’s definitely gone. And there were some other famous people here too but I… just… can’t… remember who they were now.
AND THE WEATHER WAS BETTER THAN IN THE U.S.
Thank God! Basickly it was fine. Started out with rain this morning until around noon or so and then it slowed to a trickle, then stopped. Since then it’s just sort of been nondescript, light winds [not from the north, phew!], overcast, reasonably mild. Temps now 9°C. Daybreak was at 05.06 nightfall at 21.48.