I was watching both 'Music & Lyrics' and ' End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones' in quick succession recently. In the former, the female pop superstar Cora is seen during one scene wearing a figure hugging, grey Ramones t-shirt and in the latter Richie Ramone is heard complaining that he never got a cut of 'the t-shirt' money during his time on the band. It got me thinking that perhaps the lasting legacy of The Ramones might just be a sartorial look which can be yours for just €24.99 in all good record stores. Along with the "CBGBs" t-shirt that I have seen many an aging Irish music industry guest judge on "You're A Star' wearing around Dublin it seems to be the most popular mass produced garment at present for those who want to be seen expressing their individuality and their belief in a personal freedom. The Ramones were famous for having a 'uniform' that remained as rigid and unchanging as their music and one which Dee Dee railed against but I do wonder from time to time if their onstage look and the logo which is the motif of the t-shirt was the pinnacle of their creativity, whether their lasting influence is not on music but on casual fashion and brand awareness. Hey, I love "Cretin Hop" but maybe it was Gap and not Green Day that learned the most from them. After all, there's no stoppin' the cretins from shoppin'.

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On Sunday 15th July, Dublin will see the first Irish performance of Glen Branca's "Hallucination City: Symphony for 100 Guitars". Below is a taster of what you are likely to hear on the night. Personally, I think it is great but then I also dig Lou Reed's 'Metal Machine Music' and Steve Reich.

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First off, the man who in my opinion is, along with his cousin Jack, one of the two lost fathers of country music, Woody Guthrie.

Now, the man who first tuned me into Woody, the Boss himself, performing a Johnny Cash favourite.

Now, the Man in Black, performing one of his greatest and darkest songs.

Next, a guy who is one of America's greatest songwriters, John Hiatt.

Finally, a guy who became a hero to me at 14 and remains so decades later, Steve Earle.

Until next time; ride hard, die hard, and keep on twangin'

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Until I saw Karen Taylor on BBC3, I thought that casting Renee Zellweger as Bridget Jones could not be bettered, now I'm not so sure. Taylor is the first English comedienne in recent years to emerge from the British club comedy scene who looks like she could steal the crown of Victoria Woods or Dawn French. The second episode of her series for BBC3, "Touch me, I'm Karen Taylor" saw her turn the Arctic Monkey's hit "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" into the sort of glitzy, big band ITV dance extravanganza that Morecombe and Wise used to lampoon so memorably. Karen Taylor is funny and sexy, one to watch, and here is a taste of her smart, modern and ribald humour courtesy of YouTube.

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I turned on the radio this morning to Phantom FM, a station I normally don't get to listen to, and what did I hear ? A surf report giving surf conditions for Ireland! Hey, all I can say is that Sound Waves has caught the zeitgeist.

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The Live Earth concerts are on 7/7/2007. This is about the event, this is the full lineup of artists performing, and this is how you can take action to help.

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Cllr Rotimi Adebari first came to Ireland with his family in 2000 fleeing religious persecution in Nigeria. After a few weeks the family settled in Portlaoise. Seven years later the people of Portlaoise have elected him mayor. You can read the full story in The Irish Times Online.

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On Friday night, one note popsters Arctic Monkeys played the Pyramid Stage of Glastonbury and were so dull they had to bring on fellow scallywag Dizzee Rascal to liven things up, which he didn't really. On Saturday night, The Killers upped the pace in dullness thanks to a performance by Brandon Flowers who decided to impersonate Damien Rice doing Freddie Mercury at an Elvis convention. The fact that they sounded like they played the same song repeatedly for the entire length of their set didn't help matters. On Sunday night, The Who went all out by being as exciting to watch as a group of labourers mixing cement by the side of the road. Am I missing something ?

Putting aside the obvious humiliation of running around in the rain for three days on farmland awash with mud, why would you then subject yourself to some of the absolute worst music on earth? I don't understand this festival, just as I don't understand the appeal of that dull little prog rocker DJ John Peel who now has a stage named after him at the very same Glastonbury or the music of Mark E. Smith for that matter or why Elvis Costello, who can't sing a note to save his life, keeps on recording jazz records. Nor do I understand why 'Later with Jools Holland' keeps on be talked about in reverential, hushed tones as being at the forefront of music television when they limit soul legend Smokey Robinson to thirty seconds at the piano talking about his life and music then allow Damien Rice free reign to wail his tuneless dirges throughout the same programme, not to mention the fact that Tom Jones seems to have a cut on every 'Later With' DVD that the BBC puts out.

Dont' get me wrong, the BBC makes the best music programmes on Earth. 'Seven Ages of Rock' has been wonderful to watch, 'Jazz Britannia', 'Folk Britannia' and 'Folk Hibernia' were all excellent, their annual coverage of the Cambridge Folk Festival is second to none, 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' continues to be a laugh and they pulled out all the stops for both LiveAid and Live8 but, man, Glastonbury, what a sad excuse for entertainment. To paraphrase the punky girl in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', I think it's dull as sh*t.

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COIS FHARRAIGE 2007 Ireland's First Surf & Music Festival
SEPTEMBER 7TH, 8TH, 9TH

A weekend of live music from the best of Irish and International acts
will be staged in a Kayham Tent, with a capacity of 4,500 each night,
over looking the Atlantic Coast in Kilkee Co. Clare.

Friday September 7th
Fun Lovin' Criminals, The Blizzards, Roisin Murphy, Majella Murphy

Sunday September 8th
Ocean Colour Scene, Republic of Loose, THE ENEMY, 28 Costumes

Sunday September 9th
Kila, Tom Baxter, Buffalo Souljah, Delerontos, THE WOMBATS, Amy MacDonald

Further acts to be announced.

A carnival of watersport activities will kick off across Kilkee bay
over the three day weekend and an official Surfing Event on the
breathtaking Doughmore beach in Doonbeg on Saturday the 8th in
association with the West Coast Surf Club.

Tickets for Cois Fharraige Surf Festival go on sale on Friday June 29th at 9am.
In person: From 99 Ticketmaster outlets Nationwide
24hr hotlines: Tel: ( ROI ) 0818 719 300 / 0818 719 330 ( NI ) 0870
243 4455 Buy online: www.ticketmaster.ie

Tickets for each individual day 29.50 euro
Early Bird Three day Festival Ticket 69.50 euro
( Available to purchase until August 18th 2007 only )

Three day Festival Ticket 84.50 euro
( Available to purchase from August 19th 2007 )

All tickets include booking fee

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I was having a few quiet beers with one of my mates the other night and the conversation turned to music, and shortly after, to heated argument as we struggled to agree who was and who was not a rock and roll star. It all started when I dissed Gary Lightbody and, for good measure, Chris Martin. My friend reacted badly to this as they are two of his favourite musicians and before we knew it we were citing record sales, critical reviews, respective fanbases, brands of endorsed musical instruments, favoured pastimes and anything else we could think of to attack or defend the general thesis. Finally, I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation and said, "Sweet Jesus, would Chris Martin look good in a black leather jacket ?" at which my mate froze, mouth open, pint in mid air and then exclaimed, "Say that again". "Ok mate, would any of your heroes look good in a black leather jacket?" "That's it, that's the acid test, isn't it?". he responded.

You see, you can talk all you like about popularity but when it comes down the wire, the real test, the black leather jacket test, is whether you look good in one and if you do then, regardless of whether you are a musician or even a dolphin trainer, then you are, without question, a rock and roll star. So, take a bow, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Bono and The Ramones, you all look great in the cowhide.

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