Watching Music Television I

hyperdrawing
filigrane world
gay hustler
visors
dancing aliens
van lights
cowboys microphone empty room
dance routines repetition grey shirts laughter ass clapping
too pronounced
fires circling lights flying apples
the end
curtains haircuts food talking potatoes antlers
dirty grades
tie
spitting blood
stifling food adult
what is it trying to say?
t-shirt slogans
spilt milk
desired fool silhouette identity
masked surfer
walking through screens
holding the planet
green naked
watercooler in a t-shirt disco ball
dark machine
moves on a meadow
city silhouettes fake car
running though the woods
in a cross framed in four screens
autumnal scene
scratching stark tree trunks
guitars a cross victorian clothes
snow seaside forces check lips
brick wall
camouflaged hills
screaming teeth frazzled hair moral panic
tactical error
it's growing in your direction
cycling in space
spikes rhythms egghead
racing through black and white streets
beaches, lights and edges
drifting off on a motorway
autobahn
first rays of the sun
bridges into pleasant fiels
three screens of green lines
car noises blend into harmony
ideal transparent cars
nuclear families
four lanes green hills
four lights over egg heads
middle lane
distorted numbers lead
fitness session
numbers salad
fightin in a marble hallway
swords driving rhythm crashing though barriers
lucid dreaming
shades
mountains corridors doors
fake shootings white dreadlocks car speeds off
driving rhythm
worked out
flying over mountain ranges
speeding
swerving under fire
peaceful meeting
car chase
suggestive colour
fog
follow the sirens
faces distorted swapped
cars overturning
marked side doors
releasing tension stamping on the hood
smashing pieces in all directions
standing on the hood
ghosts consider a free ride
aggravation
unreal identities come to life
landing with both feet
beating against the side
shooting entities
particles
fire
speeding fire
keys collection
black biker gloves
backwards and forwards
fog spinning
walls unreal walls
speeding police cars
against the data stream
succeeding
fire

x-mas in walthamstow

two walks on Epping forest (in both directions), Little Britain Series 1 & 2, Little Britain Fridge magnets, Maltesers, the Great Dalmuti, Harry Potter, MTV2s Greatest Songs of 2005, presents, presents, presents, turkey, roast potatoes, parsnips, peas, vegetarian gravy, Gaia online x-mas carols, Simon playing the piano, two days and one long night!

np weezer unreleased sh!t

Daytrip to Brighton

once a month, a daytrip to the old hunting grounds of Brighton is not too much, no? We saw Michelle on the seafront, walked along the cold Kemptown beach, saw Alis band http://hamiltonyarns.co.uk at the Albert, had a great meal at http://terreaterre.co.uk, one of our favourite restaurants ever, and a few too many real ales and porters at the fab Evening Star pub near the station.

Date w/Ikea

buying furniture in Neeeeeeeasden

np Fall Heads Roll

All together now:

"I am quail and quasar
I pick you up on radar
I do my job each day
empties crushed and fired away

But there is nothing worse than
an undetermined person
Can I abuse please
in my subspace biographies?

Da-Da-Da- Da-Da-Da Da-Da-Da DAAAA-DAAAAA"

Just heard that 'Subspace Biographies' could be about the Dennis Cooper novel 'Guide' or inspired by it, at least that is what Pollard allegedly said to someone at Matador. Timewise it's possible, and at least the last two lines quoted above would probably fit. Mr Pollard finds inspiration in all sorts of stuff around him though, and often two or three unrelated things inspire something new, and it's often not so tangible and open to the listener. Well, I've sung along to that song many times, it's one of the very best IMO, so to have this extra layer of meaning is pretty cool. I wasn't even aware that Pollard had read the book, though his music and lyrics feature in it..


(Note:
I bought my first GBV album ("Under the Bushes Under the Stars") shortly after reading 'Guide', and the rest is history... I thought it sounded alright at first, a bit hazy, as if from far away, I liked 'the Official Ironmen Rally Song' on the first listen. Two weeks or so later I played it and realized that a lot of the songs had found their way into my head in a way that was very striking. I soon got obsessed with GBV and started buying their entire catalogue as well as most of the side projects, joined the notorious 'postal blowfish' GBV email fan club (or whatever) and later the equally notorious Disarm The Settlers board (DTS) , met A LOT of great people, got introduced to all sorts of music through the amazing music tastes of fellow fans and went to see a lot of GBV shows in the UK, Europe and the States, some of which were the most euphoric, out-there concert experiences i've ever been lucky enough to witness (and I've seen a lot). It's changed my life, at least a little bit. I was already in my early thirties when i first heard this and maybe a little jaded about music and it made me realize what music can really do. It's really opened my eyes in many ways. I'm maybe a little less enthusiastic these days and I don't love everything equally that comes my way from Dayton, but every once in a while, about once every week I'm still listening to a bootleg or an album and really get into it. )

...

my little nephew

Blair gives up fight over smoking ban

http://http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/12/22/nsmoke22.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/12/22/ixportal.html

yo!


maybe we'll get a complete ban on smoking after all. I'm so fed up with it, too many x-mas drinks in smokefilled places that otherwise have been really good fun, really brought it home to me this week that this needs to happen here. Or i need to move to New York, Dublin, Italy or, errm, Wales. the Must Destroy x-mas party at the Windmill was especially good, the mighty Sludgefeast and super-group Ghouls Aloud (featuring IAn, members of Sludgefeast and Do Me Bad Things in Halloween costumes playing Misfits covers) headlining a great rock'nroll party with a ton of great people in the house. unfortunately far too smokey for me too, even with frequent visits to the weird eerie Brixton council street outside of the venue...

np Olivia Tremor Control

Your Hazy Fist

Take the tablet and slip down the lane
for time has given you a place to rest.
you run inside the channel to find a better view
but what was now has sunk beneath the table.
You clear the screen but I can't see
what you've raised in front of my eyes,
the gesture seems alien,
and this violence will never hit me just the way you thought.

I could never describe what hit me
just the way it approached and slapped me hard.
When the alarm goes off
you proceed without protection,
the screen's gone blank and the afterlife
smiled down, but still
there's only so much I want to do
before I stop to shake.

Cold table cracks in front of you,
a wedding march divided into fractions,
gossiping about the aftermath
of actions long since remembered useless.
I want to hold you there
but you disappeared inside the fog
so I slip from the ledge
remembering your arms

come on

honey instruments delay the path when I strike closer
for other prizes to be won one day and little wonders to achieve
to spit a little and forget my treason
the spit hangs dirty in the air but it leads further
than you ever thought
a promised land for you
so come on

coughing tricks for architects of misery to inspect
all the degrees of hate
swirling in your violent steam room
to build and protect
another bridge across this slimy divide
to decide a certain passage
through the night
so come on

When I break the bread and feel it sighing
on the other side as you open your mouth
the thought arrives
that this has all been here before all the way back
to the dark old ages
but I try again to make it sound fresh
when the bite reverberates inside your head
amplified for all to see
the show must go on
so come on

Where the bodies lead you a silent cross appears
i saw it before on your back
Why did i lean on it though the barren days?
Why did it matter to me when you spoke of it
in incessant wonder?
Does it lead you out of the circle?
Will we go further today?
Did the shepherd give you his commands
to follow the herd
and the laughing dogs today?
Is this where we're headed?
then just say the word
and we're off
so come on

I'm sitting on a chair
looking out of the window
my loss is before me
traded into hills
and slowly moving rivers going nowhere
but just where you started
this fieldtrip
for me
I felt treason raging against me
in my head
Will I resist it and see you again?
Will it come closer?
If it's worth trying
then come on

My ship is sailing away
through the violent sounds
as night awakes from its dirty old dreams
I rage and toss and turn
just to escape a certain wish
my tools are scattered all over the garden
leading outside for all to see
I did it
and I'll do it again
so come on

The smoking ban

is being debated today

It looks like the government is going back to a partial ban on smoking (BOOOO!), meaning bars and clubs that don't serve food will be exempted. While I realize that things will be a lot better than they are and there will be a lot more smokefree places, i can't help wondering:

1) 'Concert halls' are supposed to be completely smokefree. What is a concert hall? Does that include live rock venues? At least bigger venues, say, Brixton Academy, are definitely halls where concerts take place, however the wording worries me. An extensive websearch so far has not brought clarification. Okay, I love going to gigs but I find that a good live show has nothing to do with cigarettes and in my case it often spoils my evening. A lot of venues are extremely smoky as they're packed and people seem to think it's okay to smoke in spaces like these. The air is really thick with smoke wafting through the air once the headlining act does its thing. Trying to avoid smokers at gigs makes enjoying gigs quite difficult for me these days. It's been a nightmare for me for years, and a weekly dilemma, as I tell my music loving friends I'm not into going to see Melt Banana (for instance) at the Garage, not because I wouldn't want to see Melt Banana, but simply because I hate the Garage, and I hate the Garage simply because I hate the fact it's too fucking smokey in there for me. I'm too old for this shit! I make exceptions once or twice a week and often regret it. There are a few smokefree places in London now for live music, and some places have okay ventilation, but the majority of the venues are really bad. Even a partial ban in live venues, say just an area where no smoking would be permitted in a large space like Brixton (right now even on the balcony people smoke like no tomorrow), or halls that are smokefree but allow smoking in a separate bar area would be better. Again, for me live music and a good rock'n'roll show has nothing to do with cigarette smoke.

2. Gay bars and clubs don't usually serve food, do they? Hmmm. They are usually no - go areas for me these days. Gay guys smoke far too much!

3. Why stop with food? Sure, if you sit down at a restaurant and someone lights up next to you it's difficult to just change tables, but apart from that i never understood why the presence of food should go less with smoke than just a drink.

Oh well, at least something is happening. I'm looking forward to it, and in the meantime keep watching the changing landscape here in London, where more and more smokefree places exist already.

rant over!

The Faint at the Dour Festival

Dour is a great festival in the Belgian countryside. The Faint only played for about ten minutes, they were really late to start with and there were major problems with the sound, so they argued with people at the side of the stage for about half of their short set. It was a really hot day and the tent was packed with people who wanted to see them. Still, the 4 songs or so they managed to play sounded fantastic. Fuck soundchecks!!

np Kingdom Without

Bright Eyes at the Dour festival

A *very drunk* show but a good show, featuring members of The Faint...it was intense in the front!

np 50 Year Old Baby

raise a glass to Dil!

We received a very sad text message today from Chris:
'Raise a glass to dill tonight november 1990 - november 18th 2005. God rest his hairy soul'

He was a great dog, we've known him for years, he was always around Chris. When I was a kid I was very afraid of dogs and it was knowing Dil (in my head i always spelled his name like this!) and other dogs, but Dil particularly, that made me appreciate and love dogs. I managed to find some photos taken in the last few years when he was already getting a little bit tired and grumpy. God rest his hairy soul indeed!

np robert pollard - from a compound eye

ugh got a cold

it's finally upon me, Simon and various other people had it all week, went out to a pub for the first time in a while, and the incessant smoking that went on in there probably did its bit to kick me over the edge, i could feel the cold coming on, congestion, coughing, feeling queasy. the day started alright with the sunlight streaming into the front room, reading and playing some music, rearranging the plants. The rest of the flat is pretty cold right now, difficult to heat properly since it's large and a bit too open plan. most of it is also a bit too dark for the plants, so they are all huddled in the front room by the window. Fortunately it was a very sunny day and it felt quite warm in there for a while. Having a sick day is sometimes a blessing in disguise for me so i can hang out, do nothing and recharge, though this cold winter weather is getting to me right now.

Plus in action

...hiding behind the micstand as usual while the psychedelic orange lights swirl and weave their patterns, hardly anything to see here really, it's all in the sound!!! this is from a gig at the pleasure unit last year. we've played there four times now, it's a small venue run by some friendly people with a bit of an edgier East End vibe. the soundguy is wonderful, he knows he's invited to fuck around with the sound with us, last time we didn't even do a soundcheck, just told him to fuck it up a bit, so he added all sorts of reverb, wish he could add some tape loops a la Mission of Burma ;-)

that evening we played with Amy Blue, two nerdy guys with all sorts of equipment who made a strange, vaguely MBV-sounding, electronic pop soup. it was their first ever gig and their soundcheck was the funniest thing, they were driving everyone nuts. however they ended up sounding really great, and i would love to know what they're doing at the moment. i love being friendly with other bands we play with. at the pleasure unit they usually have a more or less random combination of four or five bands playing in one evening so when you come in before the show the whole room is full of equipment and nervous looking guys in black leather jackets, it's a beautiful chaos.

codula di luna

oh maan!

np boards of canada _the campfire headphase_ really loud!

By the Orientale Sarde,

an amazing panoramic route, on the way to the Codula di Luna, a steep isolated gorge that runs through miles of bizarre rocky scenery all the way to the Calle di Luna, a very famous beach that you can only reach on foor or by boat... (getting carried away here... keep running)

Simon hiking

i wish he would do a bit more of this ;-)) (though we did a lot of hiking on our trip to sardinia)

this is on our walk around the Monte Rasu, near the oldest Franciscan monastery on the island, which we could only catch a glimpse of since it was private property. It's nicely situated though on an isolated woody hill, the medieval castle of Burgos looming somewhere below in the mist. i saw an old man picking mushrooms underneath the big old trees...

hot white trash in sardinia

in a big motel style hotel on the edge of Macomer, a dusty sleepy town and, uh, transport hub, in Sardinia, during the mad roadtrip part of our holiday. we were hiking in the Goceano area, a gorgeous but slightly weird mountainous old area inland, and decided to stay around there only to find there were no hotels around (well apart from the weird one we had stayed in the night before :-)and we had to drive for miles to this nowhere town just to find a bed. it was kinda fun in the end...


(np guided by voices, irving plaza, nyc 15.06.96, disc 2 'don't stop now'

what keeps big daddy happy what makes the buzzard buzz??)

my band Plus

is playing a show tomorrow night. We're on a bill with my friend Trev's band Lunar Jet Man and we'll be playing mostly new material from our newly recorded album 'Hairy' (well, i think this is what it's going to be called - together with a hairy cover, front and back, we already have some willing subjects). It sounds dark, messy and playful as usual, but this time there's more lyrics (which I'm trying to remember right now) and the whole thing has a pleasingly off-kilter slightly Cure-ish vibe that works reasonably well overall. The last song 'Teenager' is the best thing we've ever done i think, it sounds like a description/transcript of a nightmare and it drives right into full on Lost Highway mode. It was good before but now it rules, well, in my book anyway. The rest hangs together fairly well too. It's even got some Thomas Pynchon lyrics, straight from Gravity's Rainbow. The way Plus works, we're a threepiece, Chris plays guitars and comes up with guitar themes, then John, the drummer and drum machine operator, and me, the warbler and voicemaker, try to make something with it. A lot of is improvised, with interesting textures, moods and melodies. We never play a song exactly the same way, so it's kinda interesting in which way it goes, especially live. Some songs work live unexpectedly while others have been known to fall on their faces. It's not about perfection or even coherence. It's been a lot of fun for the last 7, almost 8 years, we've got this weird chemistry and just keep doing it. When it falls together it's totally intense and I love it. Well, that's just about it for now.



Pleasure Unit, Bethnal Green, Tuesday, tomorrow, 22.40 <<<<