"I did it to impress a girl"

Of all the things to blog about, I never saw myself blogging on a papal theme more than once... In fact, I'm not the only one with a wholly Holy hang-up - Kippers has also plugged the pontiff on this blog.

Anyway, ahead of the Pope's visit to the UK (I can barely contain my excitement, can you?), here's a warning from Norway's most tuneful master criminal, Arne Hansen, to Benedict XVI to remember to use the central locking.



Arne Hansen and the Guitarspellers - Popemobile mp3 (available for 7 days)

The featured mp3 can be purchased alongside many other corkers on the album 'So Happy I Could Pop (Volume 2)' on CD or as a download.
While you're at it, I can thoroughly recommend Arne Hansen and the Guitarspellers' entire back catalogue. (The Christmas album 'Reindeer Can Fly!' is one of the best Christmas albums I own.)

In the meantime please remember that the best way to pay for anything in Vatican City is with Papal Paypal. I thank you.

I'm always on the lookout for a rerun on TV

Despite making some of the jauntiest pop music you're ever likely to hear, Arne Hansen & the Guitarspellers have somehow only gained 927 plays in the history of Last FM (approximately a hundred of which have come from yours truly). To filch a bit of Private Eye vernacular - shome mishtake shorely?

But no, it seems the band really are that obscure, even at home in Norway, where they formed back in 1986. During the subsequent two decades they've released six albums full of songs which bridge the gap between Jilted John and the multi-talented and versatile Sheffield singer-songwriter John Shuttleworth.

To illustrate this comparison, here are some random Arne Hansen song titles: Brand New Parka, Dr. Hansen Goes Pop!, No Fish On Christmas Eve, Internet Girl, Has Anybody Seen My Girlfriend?, Thank You For Rewinding Me, and Iris In Short(s) - to name but several. Not bad for someone for whom English isn't even his first language!

The AHATG songs I've included today are a real pair of gems: (Iris Is) Drop Dead Gorgeous and Barbara Eden, a paean to the star of legendary 60s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. If you like what you hear here (hey, who let that echo in here here?) then there are another 10 of Arne Hansen's personal favourite songs available for free download at the Perfect Pop website, the link to which you can find at the bottom of this 'ere ('ere) entry.

Arne Hansen & The Guitarspellers - Barbara Eden mp3 (right click and 'Save Target As' to download)

Arne Hansen & The Guitarspellers - (Iris Is) Drop Dead Gorgeous mp3 (right click and 'Save Target As' to download)

Perfect Pop's Arne Hansen Page

Buy Arne Hansen & The Guitarspellers stuff
here (CDs/records) or here (downloads)