Le blog du Baron

FOOTBALL & POLITICS: FRENCH COACH TACKLES FAR-RIGHT LEADER

Last Monday, far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen declared that "maybe, there are too many coloured players in ther French football team; people don't feel that it really represents them and that's the reason why their support is not as massive as in 1998".

Here is the answer the French coach Raymond Domenech gave on Wednesday: "There are too many stupid politicians, especially this one. The players are proud to wear the French shirt and defend their country. He can sort out his personal problems himself or shove them up you know where [...] Stupidity makes me angry, particularly at that level".

And I can't resist giving you the original version: "Il y a trop de cons dans la politique, et surtout lui d'ailleurs [...] Ses problemes persos, qu'il les regle et qu'il se les mette ou je pense [...] La connerie me met souvent en colere, notamment a ce niveau la".

As they say in the land of football: grosse Respekt, Herr Domenech !

technorati tags: Le Pen football World Cup Raymond Domenech
del.icio.us tags: Le Pen football World Cup Raymond Domenech

HOW TO BE UNIQUE: BECK AND THE RESIDENTS GO FOR DIY MARKETING

Between 2 football games, I came across these 2 great examples of creative music marketing:

The Residents and e-label Cordless will issue in June "River of crimes" (a 1940-style radio-serial for which the band wrote the music) as a double-CD package for $ 14.99. "So what ?" do you ask. Well, the CDs themselves are blank, with a unique code allowing the buyers to download all 5 episodes once the last one has been aired and burn it down - more details at Music Business Marketing here.

Beck's new album is coming out soon and will also be a do-it-yourself affair: the album will be sold with  a completly blank cover and a sheet of stickers that each person will be able to lay-out as he sees fit.

technorati tags: DIY marketing Beck the Residents Cordless
del.icio.us tags: DIY marketing Beck the Residents Cordless

WORLD CUP 06: EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL (3)

And this time, we really mean it !

technorati tags: Football World Cup 06 France Zidane
del.icio.us tags: Football World Cup 06 France Zidane

THE FAN & THE MIGHTY: RADIOHEAD BEATING AROUND THE BUSH ?

Halleluiah, Radiohead are back on tour. And apparently their fan-base even includes one of the daughters of George W. Bush who came to their NY show last week: check what Thom Yorke has to say about the whole story on Dead Air Space here.

And if like me you don't have the opportunity to fly to the US to catch them live, you can download some fresh live tracks here.

technorati tags: Radiohead concert George W Bush download
del.icio.us tags: Radiohead concert George W Bush download

CRANK IT UP TO 11: GUITAR HERO ON PS2

Here I am again, back from a week-end in the south of France and a little "benefit concert" at a friend's party (some photos coming soon).

Otherwise, I just had a try playing the video-game "Guitar hero", available on the PS2. Terrific fun ! The best part is that it includes a controller in the shape of a Gibson SG (my very own Cry Baby as some of you may know) featuring a strummer and a whammy bar. Respect to the guys at Red Octane who designed it: it incorporates most of the tricks a real guitarist would pull out such as up/down strummings, hammer-ons and pull-offs. GH2 is coming out soon.

Definitely a close second to the real thing !

technorati tags: Guitar Hero Playstation 2 Gibson SG videogame
del.icio.us tags: Guitar Hero Playstation 2 Gibson SG videogame

WORLD CUP 06: EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL (2)

You can only marvel at the sheer brilliance of France's masterplan.

While so-called favourites exhaust  themselves with useless displays of bravado (did the Argentinians really need to get 6 goals passed  Serbia ?), the French know better and control their natural all-attacking tendencies. And with a bit of luck, playing like this they will avoid any of the media pressure potential winners are bound to get. Now you see that Napoleon played football.

Look at Zidane for instance: while others might spend another 90 minutes running around in the German heat, he will be watching the game, having a bud ... That's experience for you.

Of course, we will only need to beat Togo 2-0 but scoring two goals should be child play (for a team who has scored only 1 in the last 2 World Cups this one included) ... And the South Koreans are laughing ...

technorati tags: Football World Cup 06 France Zidane
del.icio.us tags: Football World Cup 06 France Zidane

A HUMANIST LEFT US: COLUCHE, 20 YEARS TODAY

technorati tags: Coluche 20 years Restos du Coeur France
del.icio.us tags: Coluche 20 years Restos du Coeur France

ONE MORE STEP TOWARDS SUPER-STARDOM: COMPILATION CDs AND PODCASTS

I have really gotten into liking Fridays lately. And this one is turning up to be as enjoyable as last  week's.

First I faxed the contract back to VH1 to feature No Easy Way on their "Best song ever" podcast; and trust me, I will let the world know when and where it is available.

And second, I just receive 50 compilation CD of the "Battle of the Band II" with No easy Way as track No.10. Quite a nice feeling to hold this in my hands but what I'm going to do with all these CDs ? Anybody got an idea ?

technorati tags: VH1 best song ever No easy way Battle of the Bands
del.icio.us tags: VH1 best song ever No easy way Battle of the Bands

ADAPT TO YOUR TARGET: CADILLAC ON PROJECT GOTHAM RACING

Clever bit of marketing by US car manufacturer Cadillac to attract a younger audience .

Rather than  producing their own video-game (like Volkswagen in the past), they are teaming up with Microsoft for the launch of Project Gotham Racing 3. A special pack featuring the 3 Cadilliac V-series will be available for free through Xbox live: just download and get ready to hit the gas pedal.

But here is where this is getting really clever: players who score among the top 100 in one of the Cadillacs on the famous Nurburgring F1 track will receive a special tag. This will allow them to be identified by all other players as part of the Cadillac Elite - more details here.

technorati tags: Cadillac video-game Project Gotham Racing 3
del.icio.us tags: Cadillac video-game Project Gotham Racing 3

WORLD CUP 06: EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL

Don't start me on Tuesday's game ...

It is enough that I have to cope with the smug way La Contessa is smiling at me since. Let's just say that it was a case of "hopp Schweiz, flop Frankreich" as a Swiss friend puts it. Another way to look at it is to remember that all the big favourites won their first games ... except Switzerland !

Moving on swiftly, I came across 2 interesting pieces of news related to the WC:

- tomorrow at 6 pm the Ivory Coast-Netherland game will be broadcasted on a giant screen in the POP Bercy (one of Paris biggest sport/concert arenas). Entrance is free for anybody bringing along an old pair of shoes which will be then given to young African players by the association "Les Souliers du Coeur" (supported by IC top striker Didier Drogba).

- apparently the UK consultancy firm Grant Thornton estimates that England's qualification to the quarter finals would cost the country 1.8 bn Euro ! Do they actually factor in the sea of beer which would be downed in such as case ?

technorati tags: Football World Cup impact economy charity
del.icio.us tags: Football World Cup impact economy charity