Mark’s Soap Box

The Dukes Box at Glastonbury Festival

I was browsing the BBC News site, and ran across this story. See Glastonbury’s surreal side (pic 9). How could I not look into this?

No not that Dukes Box

The Dukebox, in the offbeat Shangri-La section, is a human jukebox, with a live Texan band playing whichever songs the punters select, with the songs ranging from Bo Diddley to The Prodigy.

So I did a little research and found out what the hell they were talking about. Seems this 3 piece band — The Dukes Box — takes popular songs and reworks them into the so-called 3 chord country style. Seems in the UK “Texan band” means country.

They play them out of a trailer converted to a human jukebox. The Dukes Box is for hire, just in case you wondered.

In this video they are interviewed and explain the idea behind all of this.

Interesting.

Here they play a song.

You just have to love festivals, they are always such a freak show. The Dukes Box is playing at the Glastonbury Fair, clearly a don’t miss event. Even a band from the US — who I have never heard of — Kings of Leon — from Tennessee — is playing at the festival.

Hey it rains here

I do find it funny that people who live in the UK, seem to be amazed when it rains there. Umm, helloooooo!

“We’ve been lost so many times,” she said, adding she was “a little bit wet” and was “praying for sun”.

Well that is desperate, they are praying. Glad she clarified the wet statement, it sounded really bad at first.

So hippies and Rap don’t mix?

This is the funniest of all the parts of the story.

Saturday’s headliner will be New York rap giant Jay-Z, whose appearance has caused controversy after some said a hip-hop star was not right for the top slot.

He is expected to be preceded by Amy Winehouse, who appeared at a concert to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday in London on Friday.

Yea, OK, Jay-Z is not right for a crowd of freaks, who no doubt love Amy Winehouse. I just can’t understand why they would feel that way! *lmao* Unreal.

Jay-Z is not helping things.

But Jay-Z said: “It’s ridiculous, if we don’t embrace what is new, then how do we progress?”

New? Rap was new in 1980 when Blondie sang Rapture.

“It’s 2008, what is that about? That’s such old school thinking, that’s not even how the world thinks anymore. So I was really taken aback (by the criticism).”

Huh?

Can I eat them

The highlight of the event will no doubt be …

There was some criticism of the biodegradable tent pegs, made from potato starch, which have been offered to fans and are designed to rot so they do not harm the cows that normally roam the fields.

“Everyone felt the same - they were banging them in and hey were snapping”

One Glastonbury reveller says the biodegradable tent pegs did not work as planned

Yep, the hippies can now sleep snugly knowing they are not polluting the world with those damn metal spikes — which will last and don’t snap, thus be useful for far longer — ; just pointing out the obvious to make a point.

In 2007, the cost of clearing up 30,000 tents and 180,000 tent pegs was £800k.

Oh and they don’t hurt the cows when losers act like adults and be responsible by removing them when they leave. But hey! It’s all about feeling good, not doing good.

I wonder if the spikes smell like hippies as they rot?

I wouldn’t pay to see them, but I did

I think this woman has it right.

She said there was “a lot more diversity” than at events such as the Reading Festival, with “bands you wouldn’t normally pay money to see”.

Nothing like paying money to see acts you would not pay money to see — like Jay-Z maybe? — ; and then pay more money for food, beer — oh come on, how can you not drink –, and to pretend to be eco-friendly. Yes, it’s a feel good moment. Group hug!

Now let’s get to the Doctor to cure the “trench foot” we picked up .

Tags: glastonbury, festival, the dukes box, human jukebox, jukebox, music