The Thommys 2011
Every December, my great friend Thom does The Thommys.
It’s been running for 10 years, i joined about 5 years ago. There are now 155 people on the email list.
The premise is: Thom asks 40 questions, and everyone replies all with the answers.
This year has been a particularly enjoyable year for 4 reasons:
-Smartphones: reading them on the commute is complete JOY
-Good year of music: I’ve listened to more new music this year than for years and years, completely down to Spotify.
-Interesting choices from everyone: lots of hat-tips, not just Les Savy Fav on every answer.
-Scale: there are so many people on it this year! Thom actively recruits people’s emails during the year, it’s an eclectic mix from around the GLOBE
Here are my answers, i didn’t fill in all of them as is my wont.
If you want to be included on this year’s (or next year’s) reply with your email and you can get added!
Hi friends,
Welcome to the eleventh annual Thommys. Please make yourself at home. There’s a little bit of money behind the bar and I’ve made a plate of cheese and pineapple cocktail sticks.
So 2011, then. A year of disturbing news: global economic meltdown 2.0; natural disasters; newspaper closures; Arabic upheaval; and R.E.M splitting up.
And yet still no 2011-only version of Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start The Fire! Come on YouTube, get your act together.
There have also been a record amount of records produced.
Did you know that in the first month of 2011 alone more music was created, sung and thought about than in the entire 1950s?
That’s not true, but I believe that it says something extremely unfalse about the state of our lives and portable MP3 devices in this era of uncertainty.
It is time to quantify and order your reactions to this music in the form of a questionnaire.
If you are new to the Thommys please listen carefully. Even if you are a regular Thommys participant I do ask that you pay close attention to these instructions, and familiarise yourself with the pamphlet in the seat pocket in front of you.
- Please read and respond to the questions below.
- When you are satisfied with your responses, or bored of thinking of snappy answers to stupid questions, please press “reply all” so we can all revel in your powerful opinions.
- Please feel free to ignore / alter / add questions.
- Please feel free to add friends to the list when you reply.
- …but please ensure that when you submit your answers you’re replying to the most recent response, so that everyone new is included.
As ever do let me know if you want the Thommys to arrive at a different email address next year, or if you want out.
Thank you, have a great Christmas / New Year / December 27th watching Swansea v QPRlive on Sky Sports 2.
Thom
IT BEGINS
1.) What are your favourite albums of 2011?
Milk Maid - Yucca
Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow
Kuedo - Severant
Katy B - Katy On A Mission
2.) What are your favourite songs of 2011?
********I Took A Little Something - Florrie********
Super Bass - Nicki Minaj
The Doldrums - Paul White
Reckless With Your Love - Azari and III
3.) What were your favourite live performances of 2011?
Taylor Swift at O2
Ikonika at Bloc
4.) Who are your favourite band of 2011?
A year of no stand-out bands
5.) Who is your favourite solo artist of 2011?
Kate Bush
6.) What are your favourite compilations / re-issues / live albums / mixes released in 2011?
Kate Bush - Director’s Cut
7.) Who is your favourite new band or artist to emerge in 2011?
Kuedo
8.) What is your favourite album cover of 2011?
50 Words For Snow
9.) What is your favourite music video of 2011?
My Fan Video For Steven Fletcher (1m35s)
10.) Who were your favourite inactive band / artist of 2011?
11.) What non-2011 songs / albums / artists will you forever associate with this year?
Pow - Lethal Bizzle
Rhythm Is Gonna Get You - Gloria Estefan
Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Barbara Dickson
Million Dollar Bill - Whitney Houston
12.) Who is your hero of 2011?
Helen!
13.) There is no question 13.
What are the catchiest songs of 2011?
She Makes Me Wanna - JLS
Jealousy - Will Young
I Need A Dollar - Aloe Baac
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera
Listen to more here Catchy 2011 made by Hannah Gibbs
14.) Who is your villain of 2011?
Dave Hartnett, a man who is responsible for £25B uncollected tax from BIG BUSINESS
Andrew Lansley
15.) What was the worst album you heard in 2011?
16.) What is the most overrated album, artist or song of 2011?
212
Robyn
17.) What was the worst live performance you saw in 2011?
18.) What was your musical disappointment of 2011?
19.) What is your least favourite album cover of 2011?
20.) What is your least favourite venue?
Outdoor festivals in the middle of London
21.) What is your favourite venue?
Bloc at Minehead
22.) What are your favourite lyrics of 2011?
“Put on your shades/because i’ll be dancing in the flames.”
23.) What are your favourite music websites / magazines / writers?
Alex Macpherson on The Weeknd
Tom Ewing on 3AM Eternal
The Singles Jukebox
24.) What were your favourite films seen during 2011?
25.) What were your favourite books read during 2011?
26.) What were your favourite television programmes watched in 2011?
Xtra Factor - notably for The Risk’s awkward acapella moment. But in all seriousness it’s been brilliant, i think they’ve got the old Big Breakfast producers to run it, and it’s been hilarious.
Pointless (good luck Nick!)
TV Burp
Eastenders
27.) What were your favourite comedy / spoken word / theatre / symposia / competitive eating performances of 2011?
28.) What are your favourite videogames of 2011?
29.) Whose musical re-appearance are you most excited about in 2012?
30.) Who has recommended you music you’ve enjoyed this year and what was it?
Jamie, Barny, Roachey and Gibby
31.) Do you listen to podcasts? Which do you like most?
Today in Parliament - might sound dull but is anything but.
What The Papers Say
Great Lives
A History Of The World In 100 Objects
Guardian Politics Weekly
Guardian Football Weekly - in the most recent one, listen out for a very funny aside James Richardson makes about his short trousers.
32.) What is your karaoke go-to song?
Black Velvet Band
33.) What is your favourite pre-gig drinking venue?
King Charles 1, Caledonian Road
Pub opposite Koko
34.) Which musician is worst on Twitter?
@StereoMcs_Rob_b
35.) If you had to swap lives with a musician who would it be?
36.) Which musician would you vote for if they ran for office in your constituency?
37.) If you had to only wear clothes from one musician’s wardrobe whose would it be?
38.) Describe your relationship with music in 2011 in five words or fewer.
Music is better than reading
39.) 2011 Personally: How many out of 10?
40.) 2011 Musically: How many out of 10?
I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and 2012 is less eventful than 2011
Welcome to the eleventh annual Thommys. Please make yourself at home. There’s a little bit of money behind the bar and I’ve made a plate of cheese and pineapple cocktail sticks.
So 2011, then. A year of disturbing news: global economic meltdown 2.0; natural disasters; newspaper closures; Arabic upheaval; and R.E.M splitting up.
And yet still no 2011-only version of Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start The Fire! Come on YouTube, get your act together.
There have also been a record amount of records produced.
Did you know that in the first month of 2011 alone more music was created, sung and thought about than in the entire 1950s?
That’s not true, but I believe that it says something extremely unfalse about the state of our lives and portable MP3 devices in this era of uncertainty.
It is time to quantify and order your reactions to this music in the form of a questionnaire.
If you are new to the Thommys please listen carefully. Even if you are a regular Thommys participant I do ask that you pay close attention to these instructions, and familiarise yourself with the pamphlet in the seat pocket in front of you.
- Please read and respond to the questions below.
- When you are satisfied with your responses, or bored of thinking of snappy answers to stupid questions, please press “reply all” so we can all revel in your powerful opinions.
- Please feel free to ignore / alter / add questions.
- Please feel free to add friends to the list when you reply.
- …but please ensure that when you submit your answers you’re replying to the most recent response, so that everyone new is included.
As ever do let me know if you want the Thommys to arrive at a different email address next year, or if you want out.
Thank you, have a great Christmas / New Year / December 27th watching Swansea v QPRlive on Sky Sports 2.
Thom
IT BEGINS
1.) What are your favourite albums of 2011?
Milk Maid - Yucca
Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow
Kuedo - Severant
Katy B - Katy On A Mission
2.) What are your favourite songs of 2011?
********I Took A Little Something - Florrie********
Super Bass - Nicki Minaj
The Doldrums - Paul White
Reckless With Your Love - Azari and III
3.) What were your favourite live performances of 2011?
Taylor Swift at O2
Ikonika at Bloc
4.) Who are your favourite band of 2011?
A year of no stand-out bands
5.) Who is your favourite solo artist of 2011?
Kate Bush
6.) What are your favourite compilations / re-issues / live albums / mixes released in 2011?
Kate Bush - Director’s Cut
7.) Who is your favourite new band or artist to emerge in 2011?
Kuedo
8.) What is your favourite album cover of 2011?
50 Words For Snow
9.) What is your favourite music video of 2011?
My Fan Video For Steven Fletcher (1m35s)
10.) Who were your favourite inactive band / artist of 2011?
11.) What non-2011 songs / albums / artists will you forever associate with this year?
Pow - Lethal Bizzle
Rhythm Is Gonna Get You - Gloria Estefan
Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Barbara Dickson
Million Dollar Bill - Whitney Houston
12.) Who is your hero of 2011?
Helen!
13.) There is no question 13.
What are the catchiest songs of 2011?
She Makes Me Wanna - JLS
Jealousy - Will Young
I Need A Dollar - Aloe Baac
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera
Listen to more here Catchy 2011 made by Hannah Gibbs
14.) Who is your villain of 2011?
Dave Hartnett, a man who is responsible for £25B uncollected tax from BIG BUSINESS
Andrew Lansley
15.) What was the worst album you heard in 2011?
16.) What is the most overrated album, artist or song of 2011?
212
Robyn
17.) What was the worst live performance you saw in 2011?
18.) What was your musical disappointment of 2011?
19.) What is your least favourite album cover of 2011?
20.) What is your least favourite venue?
Outdoor festivals in the middle of London
21.) What is your favourite venue?
Bloc at Minehead
22.) What are your favourite lyrics of 2011?
“Put on your shades/because i’ll be dancing in the flames.”
23.) What are your favourite music websites / magazines / writers?
Alex Macpherson on The Weeknd
Tom Ewing on 3AM Eternal
The Singles Jukebox
24.) What were your favourite films seen during 2011?
25.) What were your favourite books read during 2011?
26.) What were your favourite television programmes watched in 2011?
Xtra Factor - notably for The Risk’s awkward acapella moment. But in all seriousness it’s been brilliant, i think they’ve got the old Big Breakfast producers to run it, and it’s been hilarious.
Pointless (good luck Nick!)
TV Burp
Eastenders
27.) What were your favourite comedy / spoken word / theatre / symposia / competitive eating performances of 2011?
28.) What are your favourite videogames of 2011?
29.) Whose musical re-appearance are you most excited about in 2012?
30.) Who has recommended you music you’ve enjoyed this year and what was it?
Jamie, Barny, Roachey and Gibby
31.) Do you listen to podcasts? Which do you like most?
Today in Parliament - might sound dull but is anything but.
What The Papers Say
Great Lives
A History Of The World In 100 Objects
Guardian Politics Weekly
Guardian Football Weekly - in the most recent one, listen out for a very funny aside James Richardson makes about his short trousers.
32.) What is your karaoke go-to song?
Black Velvet Band
33.) What is your favourite pre-gig drinking venue?
King Charles 1, Caledonian Road
Pub opposite Koko
34.) Which musician is worst on Twitter?
@StereoMcs_Rob_b
35.) If you had to swap lives with a musician who would it be?
36.) Which musician would you vote for if they ran for office in your constituency?
37.) If you had to only wear clothes from one musician’s wardrobe whose would it be?
38.) Describe your relationship with music in 2011 in five words or fewer.
Music is better than reading
39.) 2011 Personally: How many out of 10?
40.) 2011 Musically: How many out of 10?
I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and 2012 is less eventful than 2011
