Wednesday 21 April 2010

Nice while it lasted

Actually, I like planes. Here's Alain de Botton, via Stuart Jeffries in this week's Guardian:

"How we would admire planes if they were no longer there to frighten and bore us. We would stroke their steel dolphin-like bodies in museums, and honour them as symbols of a daunting technical intelligence and a prodigious wealth."

Full article here.

De Botton's quote (which I agree with) also reminds me of a rather lovely lyric from a song by The Church, The Dead Man's Dream:


Once I had a name, forgotten now
I breathed the air in a century of wonder
I can hear it now in the darkness of the earth
Gorgeous machines, the sound they made like thunder


And here's a gorgeous machine that flew over my house earlier today:


 

5 comments:

  1. Wow! A really obscure reference from one of The Church's most intriguing albums. You certainly know your music. I saw them here in Seattle 2 weeks ago on their 30th anniversary tour. They played one song from every album, in reverse chronological order - a real treat.

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  2. I remember when Kennedy(then called Idlewild) was first opened. I could see it from my roof, which was about 6 US miles away. The sight of those first commercial jets passing right over my parental home on flights from Europe thrilled me.

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  3. I love planes too,but prop planes rather than jets which dont seem as,err, interesting I guess.

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  4. Anthony - lucky you, sounds like a great show. I like their music very much.

    George: yes, and I think there's still something quite thrilling in the mere fact that we have intercontinental air travel.

    Larry: prop planes rule.

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  5. wow a church reference, my fave band and im proud to say friends, i'll pass on a copy of pushing ice to steve, i think he'd like it a lot.
    they still play a lot, really great live act.
    and their new material is well worth listening to.

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