[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Black Grape and Reverend Black Grape

Today's Transcript:

N-Trance Set You Free - N-Trance were also the band responsible for the 1995 cover of Stayin' Alive, which featured the vocal talents of Ricardo Da Force - If you remove the “Da Force” bit of Ricardo Da Force you’re left with Ricardo, the Brazilian heshe who achieved fame on The Salon and looks a bit like Louise Redknapp on steroids - If you add an A to the front of steroids you get asteroids, which can be a hazard to those navigating through space - Space shares many of the same letters as the word “spice” - The plural of spice is spices, which are kept in a rack - “Rack” is a word associated with lamb, as is shank - Shank rhymes with Hank, as in Hank Marvin who is “in The Shadows” - In The Shadows was a recent hit for The Rasmus, who I think are from Finland - Finland gets very cold and is an ideal habitat for reindeers - The word “reindeers” begins with the letter R, as does Romania, raccoon and Rhyl in North Wales - and it was in Rhyl many years ago that we first met Shaun Ryder, former leader of The Happy Mondays and the brief but brilliant Black Grape - Which links us to Black Grape and Reverend Black Grape.

Tedious Facts:

Released - June 1995
Peak Chart Position - 9
Album - Taken from their August 95 number one album “It's Great When You're Straight…Yeah”

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

The Spice Girls and Wannabe

Today's Transcript:

Black Grape Reverend Black Grape - One of the members of Black Grape was called Kermit, although he was a rapper not a frog - If you remove the R from “frog” you get fog, which is something you might find on the Tyne - Tyne Daly co starred with Sharon Gless in the popular American series Cagney & Lacey - “Lacey” is a word often associated with doilies - Doilies rhymes with oilies, as in “oily rags” which is * rhyming slang for fags - Fags have been banned in all public places in the Republic Of Ireland - The Republic Of Ireland football team are managed by Brian Kerr - Brian Kerr shares the same surname as Jim Kerr, who has a son with Patsy Kensit - Patsy Kensit was the lead singer in the band Eighth Wonder - The greatest band to feature the word “wonder” in their name were The Wonderstuff, who hail from the Black Country - The Black Country is also the home of Slade - Slade’s frontman Noddy Holder has curly hair, as does Mel B - and Mel B first made her name as Scary Spice in a band called the Spice Girls - Which links us predictably to the Spice Girls and Wannabe.

Tedious Facts:

Released - July 1996
Peak Chart Position - 1
Album - Taken from their debut number one album Spice, released in November 1996

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Groove Armada and At The River

Today's Transcript:

Spice Girls Wannabe - The video for the Spice Girls' Wannabe was shot inside London’s St Pancras station - If you add the letters A, R and Y to station you get “stationary”, which is a word associated with static vehicles, pens and paper - Paper comes from trees - Trees produce carbon dioxide during the process of photosynthesis - Photosynthesis is one of the longest words in the English language, capable of netting you mega points in scrabble - If you swap the first B of scrabble for an M you get “scramble”, which is probably my favourite type of eggs - Eggs are produced when a chicken mates with a * - “*” is a word that precedes Robin in the word of fictional characters and follows shuttle in the world of badminton - Badminton the place is famous for it’s horse trials - Horse trials are now an Olympic event, a bit like rowing - and rowing is a sport which can only be staged somewhere with a river, as rowing quite obviously has to be done “at the river” - Which links us to Groove Armada and At The River

Tedious Facts:

Released - August 1999
Peak Chart Position - 19
Album - You will be able to find it on their new Best Of album, which is released a week on Monday (June 28th 2004)

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Robbie Williams and Strong

Today's Transcript:

Groove Armada At The River - The word “armada” is synonymous with the Spanish, who are also famous for making omelettes - Omelettes are what we all had for lunch yesterday, which were really nice - The word “nice” shares exactly the same word construction as Nice, which is a city in France - France narrowly beat England on Sunday which means three points are required tonight against the Swiss - The Swiss are skilled in the art of making watches - Watches are worn by referees - The word “referee” rhymes with Geoffrey, who was a character in Rainbow - Rainbows are created by the refraction of light within water particles - Water particles are the main components of clouds - Clouds are less common in Portugal than they are in say somewhere like Manchester - Manchester was the birthplace of our guest on Monday, who was Mr Noel Gallagher - and when Noel Gallagher has a cup of tea, he likes to have two teabags in it rather than just one, because he likes his tea to be strong - Which links us predictably to Robbie Williams and Strong.

Tedious Facts:

Released - March 1999
Peak Chart Position - 4
Album - Taken from Robbie’s November 98 number one album “I’ve Been Expecting You” (Track 1)

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Livin' Joy and Dreamer

Today's Transcript:

Robbie Williams Strong - Robbie Williams lives in LA and likes dogs, which are two things that he shares in common with Ozzy Osbourne - Ozzy Osbourne has a daughter called Kelly - Kelly rhymes with wellie, which is something you would wear on a foot - A foot is also a unit of measurement, commonly used for the calculation of human height - Height and weight often go together, which is interesting because they also share all but one of their letters in common - The word “common” can also be used to describe a small patch of grassy park land - Park land shouldn’t be mistaken for Parklife, which was a single for Blur - Blur rhymes with buerre, which is the French word for butter - Butter is regarded as being a dairy product, as is milk - Milk comes from cows - Cows were promised to the Swiss team if they beat England last night, which they obviously won’t be getting cos they didn’t, and all that crazy Swiss talk of a cow a man win bonus meant that they must have been living in a dreamland - and somebody who lives in a dreamland and dreams a lot about stuff would be referred to as being a “dreamer” - Which links us to Livin' Joy and Dreamer.

Tedious Facts:

Released - May 1995
Peak Chart Position - 1
Album - Available on numerous dance compilations, including “Dave Pearce Presents 40 Classic Dance Anthems Vol. 1” (I know...)

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Nirvana and Smells Like Teen Spirit

Today's Transcript:

Livin' Joy Dreamer - A dreamer is someone who probably spends a lot of time asleep - The opposite of asleep is awake - A wake is something that takes place after a funeral - Funeral For A Friend are a band from Wales - Whales are related to dolphins - Dolphins in the world of American football come from Miami - Miami Sound Machine were fronted by Gloria Estefan - Gloria Estefan shares the same first name as Gloria Gaynor - Gaynor Goodman is a famous name in the world of vintage page 3 models - Page 3 models are traditionally top heavy - Heavy rhymes with both chevy and levee, which were the subject of the song American Pie by Don McLean - Don McLean is a famous American singer who is now sadly dead, a bit like Kurt Cobain from Nirvana - Which links us to Nirvana and Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Tedious Facts:

Released - November 1991
Peak Chart Position - 7
Album - Can be found on both the 1991 album Nevermind and their Best Of CD, which was released in 2002. As you also may have gathered, there was plenty of critical flaws in today’s link - for more details check the reviews page.

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Zero 7 and Destiny

Today's Transcript:

Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl now fronts his own band and they’re called the Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters is a US air force term for UFO’s - UFO’s come from space - Space the band once did a roadshow with us in the pouring rain in Rhyl - “Rhyl” is one of the few words in the English language not to contain any vowels, another one of course being rhythm - Rhythm is a quality required by all drummers - Drummers in the world of Bernard Matthews are actually drumstick shaped bits of turkey - Turkey the country sadly didn’t qualify for this years European Championships in Portugal - Portugal is who we will play in the quarter finals on Thursday - Thursday is the only day of the week to begin with the letters “Th” - The initials TH in the world of Premiership football stand for Tottenham Hotspur - Tottenham Hotspur are a London club - London, or more precisely the London borough of Stockwell, was the birthplace of the actor Roger Moore, who starred as James Bond 007 - and if you remove the first zero from the numbers 007, you’re left simply with zero seven - Which links us to Zero 7 and Destiny.

Tedious Facts:

Released - August 2001
Peak Chart Position - 30
Album - Taken from their top 30 debut album Simple Things, also released in August 2001

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Madonna and Into The Groove

Today's Transcript:

Zero 7 Destiny - If you add an apostrophe, “s” and “child” to the end of the word “destiny” you get Destiny’s Child, the band that launched the careers of Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland - Roland Rat on the other hand had his career launched by former BBC Director General Greg Dyke - A dyke is a type of river feature, as is a weir - “We’re not going home” was a popular chant in Lisbon after England’s 4-2 thumping of Croatia - Someone from Croatia is called a Croat - The word “Croat” shares many of the same letters as the words “goat”, “boat” and “coat” - A coat is what you wear when you’re cold - Cold rhymes with gold, which is measured in carrots - Carrots are a favourite food of rabbits, which in turn are a popular dish of the Spanish - The Spanish were beaten by the Portuguese the other night, who now face England in the quarter finals - The number of teams in the quarter finals is eight - Eight divided by four is two - and two is the exact number of children that Madonna has - Which links us to Madonna and Into The Groove

Tedious Facts:

Released - July 1985
Peak Chart Position - 1
Album - Available on Madonna’s number one Best Of CD “The Immaculate Collection”, released back in 1990 but still available via amazon.co.uk.

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

LL Cool J and Phenomenon

Today's Transcript:

Madonna Into The Groove - Into The Groove was a big hit in July 1985, three months before the birth of Wayne Rooney - Wayne Rooney is without doubt the player of the tournament for Euro 2004 in Portugal - Portugal will be beaten by England tonight - Tonight was a top 3 hit in 1990 for New Kids On The Block - New Kids On The Block star Donnie Wahlberg is the brother of Marky Mark Wahlberg, who himself scored a top 14 hit with Good Vibrations in 1991, along with his group The Funky Bunch - The Funky Bunch shouldn’t be mistaken for the munch bunch, which are a type of children’s book and yoghurt - Yoghurt contains live bacteria, as does Aled’s room in the villa - Villa first name Ricky is a famous footballer from Argentina - Argentina is a large country in South America and in that respect shares something in common with Brazil - Brazil is a country that’s given it’s name to brazil nuts - Nuts can be colloquial slang for testicles, which are anatomically located outside of the main body of the human body, in order to keep them cool - and when you think of the word “cool” in the context of American urban artists that have two initials at the start of their name, you think of LL Cool J - Which links us to LL Cool J and Phenomenon.

Tedious Facts:

Released - November 1997
Peak Chart Position - 9
Album - Taken from his October 97 album of the same name

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

James and Come Home

Today's Transcript:

LL Cool J Phenomenon - The word “phenomenon” is an F sounding word that begins with the letters PH, like the name Philip - Prince Philip is the husband of the Queen - Queen Elizabeth II is the name of a famous ship - Ship Of Fools was a hit for Erasure - Erasure keyboardist Vince Clark was also in Yazoo, along with Alison Moyet - If you swap the last letter of “Moyet” for an S you get Moyes, who is the manager of Everton - Everton entertain title holders Arsenal on the opening day of the new season, while Leeds United play host to the mighty Derby County - Derby County are nicknamed the rams, which are the male equivalent of sheep - Sheep are the primary source of wool - Wool is sold in balls, unlike hay which is sold in bails - If you remove the S from bails you get bail, which is often paired with the word “out” - and out is sadly what England are this morning after losing their Euro 2004 quarter final match on penalties last night to the host nation Portugal, which means that for England another tournament is over and for us, it’s time to come home - Which links us to James and Come Home.

Tedious Facts:

Released - July 1990
Peak Chart Position - 32
Album - Taken from their 1998 number one best of compilation, The Best Of James

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

The Cult and She Sells Sanctuary

Today's Transcript:

James Come Home - Come home is what we’ve done after our two and a half week exile in a Portuguese villa - Villa in the world of football are managed by David O’Leary - David O’Leary shares the same surname as Dermot O’Leary - Dermot O’Leary shaves his head - Head & Shoulders is a famous brand of shampoo - Shampoo had a 1994 hit with Trouble - Trouble rhymes with rubble, which is the surname of Flintstones characters Barney and Betty - If you swap the E in Betty for a U you get butty, as in bacon butty which was a breakfast treat for us this morning and something that we’ve been missing - Missing You was a 1984 hit for John Waite - John Waite shares the same surname as Terry Waite the former hostage - The word “hostage” nearly rhymes with ostrich, which is the fastest of all running birds - Birds that are in danger might be kept in a sanctuary - and if the sanctuary was run by a woman on a commercial basis, I suppose you could say that she would be selling sanctuary - Which links us to The Cult and She Sells Sanctuary

Tedious Facts:

Released - May 1985
Peak Chart Position - 15
Album - Found on their February 93 Best Of Compilation, entitled “Pure Cult”

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Basement Jaxx and Rendez-Vu

Today's Transcript:

The Cult She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult are led by frontman Ian Astbury - Ian Astbury shares the same christian name as Ian McCaskill the weatherman - The only song I can think of that features the word “weatherman” in the title is Blame It On The Weatherman by B*Witched - B*Witched are Irish, as are the Corrs - Corrs is also a type of beer - Beer is brewed from hops - Hops is a word also associated with rabbits and BMX bandits - If you add the words “one” and “arm” to the front of the word “bandits” you get “one arm bandits”, which is another word for fruit machines - Fruit machines are found in pubs, as are pool tables - Pool tables have pockets and in that respect share something in common with trousers - Trousers are one of the few things that can be worn by men, women and children - and children are more likely to get lost at airports and sporting events, and in these circumstances can normally be found at the meeting point - and meeting point when said in French is pronounced “Rendez-Vu” - Which links us predictably to Basement Jaxx and Rendez-Vu.

Tedious Facts:

Released - August 1999
Peak Chart Position - 4
Album - Track one on their debut album Remedy, released back in May 99

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Zoe and Sunshine On A Rainy Day

Today's Transcript:

Basement Jaxx Rendez-Vu - “Rendez-Vu” is a French word, as are poisson, baguette and beret - The plural of beret is berets, which shouldn’t be mistaken for berries, which you might find in a fruit salad - Fruit salad is often served with cream - Cream Of Mushroom is a type of soup - Soup is best eaten with a spoon - Spoons are the cutlery of choice for high profile bender Uri Geller - Uri Geller shares the same surname as both Monica and Ross Geller, who were characters in the now defunct series Friends - Friends was set in New York, even though secretly it was filmed in LA - LA stands for Los Angeles, the city of angels - Angels was a big hit for Robbie Williams and featured on the album Life Thru A Lens - The plural of lens is lenses, as in contact lenses which I can’t wear until I clear up my rare and serious eye condition called conjunctivitis - Conjunctivitis affects the eye area around the eyeball - Ball is a popular surname for celebrities with first names such as Alan, Bobby, Johnny and of course Zoe - and when you think of the name Zoe in the context of early 90’s one hit wonders who sung about changeable weather in the form of sunshine on rainy days, you think of Zoe and Sunshine On A Rainy Day - Which links us predictably to Zoe and Sunshine On A Rainy Day.

Tedious Facts:

Released - August 1991
Peak Chart Position - 4
Album - Available on the dance compilation “Back To Love Vol. 1”

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Impression That I Get

Today's Transcript:

Zoe Sunshine On A Rainy Day - Sunshine on a rainy day weather wise is the most probable cause of a rainbow - Rainbow had a big hit with Since You’ve Been Gone - Gone With The Wind was a 1939 film starring Vivian Lee - Leigh is a town in Lancashire, as is Chorley - Chorley rhymes with poorly, which is one way of describing my eye - “I” the letter is a vowel - Vowel rhymes with Cowell, who’s first name is Simon - Simon was the name of a strange electronic game in the 80’s, the same decade that gave us the Rubik’s cube and Johnny Hates Jazz - Jazzman was the lead singer of Babylon Zoo, who topped the charts in 1996 with Spaceman - A spaceman might also be considered an alien - Alien Life Form was abbreviated to ALF in the series of the same name - The word “name” is often associated with the word “address” - A dress is a type of clothing unique to women, as is a nightie - Nightie rhymes with mighty - and if you take the word “mighty”, double it and then add the word “bosstones”, you get The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Which links us to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Impression That I Get.

Tedious Facts:

Released - April 1998
Peak Chart Position - 12
Album - Taken from their top 40 album Let’s Face It, released in May 1998

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

KLF and 3AM Eternal

Today's Transcript:

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Impression That I Get - The Impression That I Get was a top 12 hit in April 1998, the year and month that I turned 18 - 18 is the age at which you’re allowed to vote in general elections in the UK - If you replace the U of UK with an O you get “OK”, which kind of means the same as alright - Alright was a big hit for Supergrass - Supergrass is what you might get if you added artificial fertilisers to some regular turf - Turf rhymes with Surf, which is a popular type of washing powder - Washing powder is normally white, as is flour - Flour is used in the process of cake baking - Cake baking is what you might do prior to a child’s birthday - Birthdays are celebrated annually every year and in that respect share something in common with Easter - Easter Road is the home of Hibernian FC - Hibs are located in Edinburgh, which is the capital of Scotland - and Scotland is the country that gave us Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, who together made up the KLF - Which links us to KLF and 3AM Eternal.

Tedious Facts:

Released - January 1991
Peak Chart Position - 1
Album - Taken from their top 3 album “The White Room”, released in March 1991

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

The Jam and A Town Called Malice

Today's Transcript:

KLF 3AM Eternal - KLF stars Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty were not technically born in Scotland but are actually Scottish men, in the same way that a dog born in a stable is still a dog and not a horse - Horse hair is used to make violin bows - Bows of a different type are commonly found in the hair of girls - Girls Girls Girls was a 1987 hit for The Motley Crue, who’s drummer Tommy Lee is probably most famous for his relationship with Pamela Anderson - Pamela Anderson is mates with David Hasselhoff, who’s a big star in Germany - Germany will host the next World Cup in 2006 - If you add up the individual numbers that make up the numerical representation of 2006 you get 8 - 8 multiplied by 10 is 80, the amount of days it took Phileas Fogg to circumnavigate the world in a balloon - Another famous balloonist is Richard Branson, who also owns Virgin - The most famous virgin in the world is Mary, who apparently had a virgin birth even though this is medically very impossible - Mission Impossible was a film starring Tom Cruise, the former husband of Nicole Kidman, who is from Australia - Australia was the setting for the TV series A Town Called Alice - and if you add an “M” to A Town Called Alice you get “A Town Called Malice” - Which links us to The Jam and A Town Called Malice.

Tedious Facts:

Released - February 1982
Peak Chart Position - 1
Album - From The Jam’s Best Of compilation “The Sound Of The Jam”

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

SWV and Right Here

Today's Transcript:

The Jam A Town Called Malice - The Jam were fronted by Paul Weller, who’s mates with Ocean Colour Scene - Ocean Colour Scene’s Riverboat Song provided the theme tune to TFI Friday - Friday I’m In Love was a 1992 hit for The Cure - The Cure’s Robert Smith is famous for being a singer with big hair, and in that respect shares something in common with Tina Turner - Turner & Hooch was a film starring Tom Hanks and a dog - The plural of dog is dogs - Dogs naturally have wet noses, while wet noses in the world of humans would normally indicate a cold or similar mucus problem - Problems need to be solved, as do puzzles - Puzzles rhymes with muzzles, which are fixed to the jaws of dangerous animals to stop them biting people - People Are People was a top 4 hit in 1984 for Depeche Mode - Depeche Mode literally translated is French for “fast fashion” - If you remove the “fashion” bit of “fast fashion” you’re left simply with fast, which is not the way to drive during a driving test - and during a driving test your examiner will give you various different instructions including “Stop”, “Left Here” or indeed “Right Here” - Which links us to SWV and Right Here.

Tedious Facts:

Released - August 1993
Peak Chart Position - 3
Album - Taken from their debut top 20 album It’s About Time, released in July 93

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Beats International and Dub Be Good To Me

Today's Transcript:

SWV Right Here - If you add “Right Now” to the end of “Right Here” you get “Right Here Right Now”, which was a hit for Fatboy Slim - The word “slim” shares many of the same letters as the word “skin”, which is often associated with milk and small round stones sitting by a smooth glassy lake - Lake first name Ricki is a chat show host in America, as is Jerry Springer - The word “springer” in the world of dogs is a type of spaniel - Spaniel’s ears is a derogatory term for saggy boobs - “Saggy boobs” sounds a bit like “sag aloo”, which is something you might find on an Indian menu - Indian menus are normally coated in plastic to stop drunks spilling Kingfisher all over them - Kingfisher is also a type of bird that feeds on fish, and in that respect shares something in common with a herron - If you replace the N of herron for a D you get herrod, as in King Herod who was a famous baddie in the bible - The bible is something you’ll always find in a hotel room, thanks to the Gideons - and hotels like airports, often have the word “International” in the title - and when you think of the word “international” in the context of one hit wonders from the year 1990 who topped the charts, you think of Beats International - Which links us to Beats International and Dub Be Good To Me.

Tedious Facts:

Released - February 1990
Peak Chart Position - 1
Album - Available on their number 17 UK album “Let Them Eat Bingo”, and numerous other hits compilations such as “The Greatest Hits Of The Nineties”

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Kylie Minogue and Put Yourself In My Place

Today's Transcript:

Beats International Dub Be Good To Me - Dub Be Good To Me was a number one in February 1990, the same month and year that “Shine On” was a top 20 hit for House Of Love - House Of Love was also the title of a song by East 17 - East 17 featured the vocal talents of singer/songwriter Tony Mortimer - Tony Mortimer shares the same surname as Bob Mortimer, who’s mates with Vic Reeves, who’s real name is actually Jim - Jim McDonald is the father of Steve McDonald in Corrie - Corrie rhymes with lorry, which is the British equivalent of a truck - The plural of truck is trucks, which is also something you’d find on a skateboard - Skateboarding requires elbow pads - Pads of a different type are what you might have to get replaced on your brakes - Breaks are what you should take every 20 minutes or something to stop your eyes getting fatigued by overuse of computer screens - Screens in the world of visual entertainment can consist of the big screen (i.e the movies) or the small screen, which is a term referring to TV programmes such as Countdown or Neighbours - and when you think of Neighbours and the stars it’s created who’ve gone on to become female global music stars, you think of Kylie Minogue - Which links us to Kylie Minogue and Put Yourself In My Place.

Tedious Facts:

Released - November 1994
Peak Chart Position - 11
Album - Available on “Confide In Me”, Kylie’s top 4 album from 1994

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Nomad and (I Wanna Give You) Devotion

Today's Transcript:

Kylie Minogue Put Yourself In My Place - Kylie Minogue has a sister called Dannii who used to go out with Jacques Villeneuve - The literal translation of “ville neuve” is new town, a bit like Milton Keynes - Milton Keynes is the home of MK Dons, who used to be Wimbledon - Wimbledon beat Liverpool in the FA Cup Final of 1988, the same year that Phil Collins topped the charts with “A Groovy Kind Of Love”, which was taken from the film Buster - Buster was all about the great train robbery of 1963, which made famous real life crook Ronnie Biggs - Ronnie Biggs used to live in Rio - Rio was the title of a 1982 album by Duran Duran - Duran Duran were formed in Birmingham - Birmingham is the home of Jasper Carrott - Carrots help you see in the dark, along with the light from the moon and the stars - and the stars are used as a navigational tool by African tribes who wander across deserts on camels and stuff in search of somewhere new to live, and are known as “Nomads” - Which links us to Nomad and (I Wanna Give You) Devotion

Tedious Facts:

Released - February 1991
Peak Chart Position - 2
Album - Available on the 90’s club classics CD “Kisstory” (and a top album it is too)

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Foo Fighters and Breakout

Today's Transcript:

Nomad (I Wanna Give You) Devotion - A nomad is normally a wanderer of Arabic descent - A descent of a different kind is something that a pilot will begin prior to a landing, while a landing of a different kind is commonly found at the top of the stairs - Stairs need to be climbed, as do ladders and mountains - Mountains can be made out of mole hills - Mole hills are created in the ground - Ground Force is the programme that launched the career of Charlie Dimmock - The word “Dimmock” shares many of the same letters as the word “hammock”, which is something you’d normally string between two trees - If you add two trees to a forest consisting of exactly 998 trees you get “A Thousand Trees”, which was a hit for Stereophonics - Stereophonics are led by founder member Kelly Jones - Kelly Jones shares the same christian name as Kelly LeBrock, who starred in Weird Science - Science is a general term which traditionally involves the three main subjects of Chemistry, Biology and Physics - Physics is one of the subjects I failed at school - School is somewhere you’re not allowed to show a rented video, along with oil rigs and prison - and if you were in prison and you didn’t like it very much, you might be tempted to “breakout” - Which links us to the Foo Fighters and Breakout.

Tedious Facts:

Released - September 2000
Peak Chart Position - 29
Album - From the November 1999 number 10 album “There Is Nothing Left To Lose”

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

De La Soul and The Magic Number

Today's Transcript:

Foo Fighters Breakout - Breakout was also a hit for Swing Out Sister, whose narky lead singer (that Chris doesn’t like) used to have a crap pudding-bowl haircut a bit like Clint Boon from The Inspiral Carpets - The Inspiral Carpets used to have a roadie called Noel Gallagher - Noel Gallagher supports Manchester City, who’ve just bought Danny Mills from Leeds - Leeds is the home of Jimmy Saville - Saville Row in London is famous for making suits - Suits of a different type are integral to any game of cards - Cards are kept in a pack, as are wolves - Wolves are managed by Dave Jones, who used to manage Stockport County - County rhymes with Bounty, which is a taste of paradise - “Paradise” shares many of the same letters as “parasite”, which is something that lives on board and sucks the blood from another animal - Other things famous for sucking blood are vampires - Vampires come from Transylvania, which is also the home of The Cheeky Girls - and The Cheeky Girls had two major hits in 2003, with “Take Your Shoes Off” and “Hooray Hooray It’s A Cheeky Holiday”, which both amazingly charted at number 3, so for them I suppose you could say that 3 was their magic number - Which links us (thankfully not to The Cheeky Girls but) to De La Soul and The Magic Number

Tedious Facts:

Released - December 1989
Peak Chart Position - 7
Album - Available on their 1989 debut album “3 Feet And Rising”

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

Chic and Good Times

Today's Transcript:

De La Soul The Magic Number - The Magic Number was taken from the album “3 Feet And Rising”, which is a phrase that would apply to a flooded basement if the water was rising so fast that the trapped occupants only had seconds to escape before they lost their air supply - Air Supply were an Australian soft rock combo from Sydney - Sidney Poitier is a famous actor born in Miami, which interestingly was also the setting for The Golden Girls and Miami Vice - Miami Vice starred Don Johnson, who used to be married to Melanie Griffiths - Melanie Griffiths is now with Antonio Banderas, who is one of the worlds most famous Spaniards - The Spaniards were also great sailors and discovered most of South America - South America is a continent, much like Asia, Africa and Europe - Europe the band have been justifiably voted the worst rock act in living history for their laughable rock racket The Final Countdown - The Final Countdown is something that takes place before the launch of a journey into space - Space is the final frontier, and is also a nightclub in Ibiza - Ibiza is known as “The White Isle” and has for years been a hedonists paradise famed for it’s beauty, club culture and as somewhere devoted to the enjoyment of “good times” - Which links us predictably to Chic and Good Times.

Tedious Facts:

Released - June 1979
Peak Chart Position - 5
Album - Available on “The Best Of Chic”, a top 30 UK hit in December 79

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

The Cure and Friday I'm In Love

Today's Transcript:

Chic Good Times - Good times is the opposite of bad times or indeed “sour times”, which was a hit for Portishead - Portishead the band are named after a small seaside town near Bristol - Bristol is the city that gave us both Massive Attack and Tricky - If you add Dickie to Tricky you get “Tricky Dickie”, who was a former baddie in EastEnders - EastEnders is a soap that made famous Pauline Fowler, who is played by the actress Wendy Richard - Wendy Richard shares the same surname as Little Richard, who is famous for being a pianist - Pianists tend to have long fingers which allow them to reach the keys - Keys first name Richard is a Sky Sports anchor - An anchor of a different type is something used to stop ships drifting, like Driftwood which was a hit for Travis - Travis have a bassist called Dougie Payne - and a pain is something that you might need to alleviate with the help of medicine, which in this case could provide “the cure” - Which links us predictably to The Cure and Friday I'm In Love.

Tedious Facts:

Released - May 1992
Peak Chart Position - 6
Album - Taken from their recent Top 40 Best Of compilation entitled “The Cure: Greatest Hits” (genius)

[MC]

Today's Tedious Link:

The Shamen and Move Any Mountain

Today's Transcript:

The Cure Friday I'm In Love - If you remove the last letter of Cure and replace it with an A, T, O and an R you get “curator”, which is somebody who works in a museum - Museums are a good place for seeing old stuff - Stuffing is not found in a museum, it’s found in a supermarket like Safeways or Asda - The word “Asda” is a palindrome, as are the words “kayak” and “racecar” - A racecar is something you might find in the pits, while pits of a different type might instead contain miners and coal - Cole first name Andy plays for Blackburn Rovers - Blackburn Rovers are managed by Graeme Souness, who used to be one of the worlds most famous moustachioed men - “Moustachio” rhymes with pistachio, which is a type of nut - Nuts are eaten by squirrels - Squirrels can be considered vermin - The word “vermin” shouldn’t be mistaken for Vernon, as in Vernon Kay who is actually a nice guy and certainly not a horrible rodent - Rodents are commonly caught with the help of cheese - Cheese can be made from goats - Goats like to live on mountains - and when you think of the word “mountain” in the context of early 90’s dance classics by bands beginning with the letter S, you think of Move Any Mountain by The Shamen - Which links us predictably to this Friday fun filled Tedious Link, The Shamen and Move Any Mountain.

Tedious Facts:

Released - July 1991
Peak Chart Position - 4
Album - Available on the 1998 compilation “The Shamen Collection”