What says ‘Dutch’ to you? Hashish cafes? Clogs? Well, if you’re Milly Scott, the Netherlands’ entrant to the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest, nothing says Holland like a pair of blokes in sombreros. That’s right, her ‘Fernando en Philippo‘ is a wonky jaunt through rural latinoland and kicks off with a strange “pee pee po po” intro. Needs to be heard to be believed.
[video:sims111]

Posted by mofgimmers on Tuesday April 8th, 2008 at 2:52 pm

Remember when I showed you the (unintentionally) hilarious ‘Moskau’ by Dschinghis Khan? Well, it seems it’s a bit of an internet hit, and some clever sod who is far funnier than me has posted the video up with English subtitles. Thankfully the subs aren’t mere translation, but rather what the foreign lyrics sound like. I suggest you watch it and get ready for some serious tittering. There are moments of sublime comedy awaiting you…
[video: buffalax]

Posted by mofgimmers on Tuesday April 1st, 2008 at 3:31 pm

I don’t speak Swedish. Sometimes I wish I did. Now is one of those times, as I’d like to know exactly what the lyrics to Forbes’ Eurovision flop, ‘Beatles’ are. You can only assume it’s something like “The Beatles are really good. They’ve sold a lot of records. They had great facial hair toward the end of their career. Yeah yeah yeah.” Either way, this was the Swedish entry in ‘77 and mustered up a weedy deux points. Have a listen to discover why.
[video: sims111]

Posted by mofgimmers on Tuesday April 1st, 2008 at 2:35 pm

Singing men and women from Scandinavia, with one sat at the piano - what could go wrong? Well, if it’s a fat bloke in a sequined jacket singing a song called ‘Pump Pump’, it can all go horribly boob upward. This Eurovision horror is Fredi and Friends and, well, let’s just say we haven’t seen anything like this for a while… and oddly it’s not that bad a thing, really.
[video: Sims111]

Posted by mofgimmers on Tuesday March 25th, 2008 at 3:38 pm

The Eurovision Song Contest is coming up over the hill like a monster, so we’ve decided to make Lost in Translation distincly Eurovisioncentric in the lead-up. With that, I’m gonna kick things off with my favourite Eurovision song ever - Dschinghis Khan’s ‘Moskau’. Landing slap-bang in the middle of the German disco boom, hot on the heels of Boney M and Arabesque, Dschinghis Khan thought they’d get on the Rasputin tip by immortalising a historical figure. However, turning one of history’s most feared murderers into a jolly dancing bloke might not be the best way forward. Let’s watch and snigger together.
[video:conchomusic]

Posted by mofgimmers on Tuesday March 18th, 2008 at 1:36 pm

Stars of Jerry Springer, loved by fans of hard rock, adored by lovers of the absurd, Gwar are, in short, the most ludicrous band on the planet. Beasts, entrails, beheadings, limbs chopped off, guitars made of ham - all present at a Gwar gig. One of the oddest moments of my life was when someone took me to a Gwar gig and a giant penguin had a period on the moshpit. To whom does this make sense? That is the very reason why it’s Lost In Translation.
[video: verb765]

Posted by mofgimmers on Tuesday March 11th, 2008 at 1:16 pm

Here on Le Toilet we have a little spot for foreign music which doesn’t really make sense to our oh-so-sophisticated Brit Brains. It’s basically a chance to take cheap if affectionate shots at those crazy continentals and all that. Well, my karma-ometer tells me that it might be about time to give the Euros a little love. So I am now going to tell you about the South-East European Music Event - or SEEME. Clever, huh?
This event will take place in June in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, and will award a few South-East European dance types for their efforts.

Continue reading »

Posted by Stuart Waterman on Friday March 7th, 2008 at 11:29 am

I know very little about Thai rock. Judging from Num-Lai, some rockers from Thailand (of course), they’re not that far behind the rest of the world when it comes to commercial rock. Of course, that’s barely a compliment as commercial rock is bloody awful… but still. One thing they might want to work on is their image. I’m not sure that pink cowboy gear is gonna really take off anywhere. Anyway, here’s a video of Num-Lai with their pop-rocker, ‘Silly Fools’.
[video: RenTaker]

Posted by mofgimmers on Tuesday March 4th, 2008 at 11:56 am

It’s unbelievable that wouldn’t-use-it-even-to-line-the-budgie’s-cage rags like NME still fawn over acts that only make sense to 14 year-old girls from London. I’m looking at you, Jack Peñate. All those cock-er-ney vowels, hammed up to disguise a crushing Queen’s English in most parts of the world, is vomit-inducing. Still, with the world of pop being more London-centric than ever before, it seems that we’ll all have to put up with these pretend barrow boys and girls a bit longer. Don’t get me wrong, someone hamming up a Northern accent is just as bad. So here, watch this and be propelled into the mind of a young person yet to find what they really like.
[video: jackpenate]

Posted by mofgimmers on Tuesday February 26th, 2008 at 11:34 am

“Χορός στις παραλίες, πανικός κόσμος στις πλατείες…” You can’t teach that kind of songwriting, can you? Although, in fairness, as I ripped it off the Youtube bumf that accompanied the video for Tamta’s (Feat. A.Deiksimos) ‘Agapo Wanna Play’, it could say anything… which proves that things can indeed get lost in translation. I’m sure the Greek (?) kids lap this up. This Brit kid can’t stomach it.
[video:chrisgoulis]

Posted by mofgimmers on Tuesday February 19th, 2008 at 11:44 am