UK Watercooler Thirty-Three (and a third) : Revolutions Per Minute

HI DERE WAHT IS ALLERGENIC?

Yes, the weather is lovely! I want to just go back to the Common and look at the jugglers.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21171554@N00/2469991055/"; title="Holding Two Contradictory Ideas by Masonic Boom, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2469991055_e151993f92_o.jpg"; width="432" height="600" alt="Holding Two Contradictory Ideas" /></a>

But no, I have to go to Camden and draw a pretty prog rock boy instead. Oh woe is me. Maybe I'll stop off at the Tate on the way.

everything, stay in the shower till september.

xpost

Bah, I keep forgetting...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2469991055_e151993f92_o.jpg

Bloody plants, bloody flowers, so pretty to look at... but I go and ooh and aaah over rhododendrums and bluebells and chestnut flowers all over the common then come home awash in snot and unable to breathe. Bah.

^^^whoa awesome xpost!

Yeah, I'm more concerned with the avalanche of white...stuff..that has descended upon our building and the two streets around it. Where is it coming from? It's only in the absolutely immediate area. An area where there are no trees!

probably anthrax mixed with asbestos.

Danny and I walked through a blizzard of pink stuff on Putney Heath the other day - the culprit was a cherry tree around the corner. We were kicking it up in the air like schoolgirls in the snow.

It's probably blown down from Shoreditch Park. That bloody pollen can get SOOOO FAR. I get baby sycamore trees growing in my garden and there isn't a sycamore closer than the Common!

Kaet, I was looking at my step-brother's fbook a couple of days ago, and on the notifications list thing it said 'is now friends with M4rm4duk3 Th1ngyP3rs0n'. Small world, innit.

He's everywhere! Argh@!

i thought you would be over on Best Sloan Record
I still havent heard that band.
Its great weather here again, i got a haircut at lunchtime and im now gonna sit outside for a while.
Hi everybody!

I barely have time to post to ILE, let alone ILM!

I'm in a very PROG mood today, having had a little bit, OK, rather a lot of THIS last night...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/2472739995_cf0a467445_o.jpg

Guess everybody is out in the sunshine?

here for a bit longer till my colleague is ready to go out in the sunshine. Very nice eating lunch in Morden Hall Park.

I am so jealous! I want to go and sit in that rosegarden. Well, when the roses are out, clearly.

I suppose I could take mine lunch and go and sit in the Rookery, but it wouldn't be the same. Ah well, I shall go home and blast the Prog and draw. Why do I even need to draw them? They already look like my drawings. Tee hee hee.

I have been out in the sunshine paying my credit card bill. Damn you, money!

I'm having a shitty morning so I think the pub may beckon in a minute, assuming my drinking buddies are in today.

I really wanted to get drunk last night, but couldnt AFFORD to! #4 for a rum and coke! Bloody Camden! I'll drink shandy in the sunshine this afternoon instead. Or gin and tonic. Hmmmm.

Today is perfect gin and tonic weather.

Pink gins all round.

* note to self: when in Somerset next month, justify extended day trip to Plymouth for gin-buying.

* second note to self: remember that you are going to Somerset in two weeks, not next month.

Hello Watercoolerers. I already ate lunch in the office (what everyone else does every day, well, except when the in crowd pushes off for a 2.5-hour pub lunch) and am now seriously regretting not finding an excuse to take it outside. There are some coots nesting outside, and a heron was stealing fish from the pond yesterday... although if I had made it outside I might have felt obliged to walk to MFI and look at bookshelves, since I've just reached the point of being utterly sick of not having anywhere to put anything except the floor.

How do I make gin pink? And don't say food colouring.

Stupid headhunter said she would email me, and of course she didn't. Bah! Another wasted trip to the web cafe. Ah well.

When are we doing our booze cruise, Ed?

x-posts hello spacecadet!

I am now back from Cali, where I worked hard and played hard, unfortunately didn't get a chance to go to Great America for a ride on the rollercoaster, although I could see it from my hotel window. San Francisco was fantastic; the Golden Gate Bridge, the redwoods, Fisherman's Wharf, the crazy hills with their crazy trollies....the only disappointment was Chinatown which I thought was going to be amazing but was full of grotty shops selling tourist tat.

Doing computer training with jetlag is not funny tho :-(

Don't hate me Kate but I am actually trying to headhunt someone at the mo.

Boozecruise off because I am in Norway the weekend my sister wants dog delivery. Boo. Not to say that we couldn't go on a boozecruise anyway.

I tried to convince the missus we should move to San Francisco, but she's not having it. The mad woman actually prefers living in the UK!

xpost

GG, do you think I could live in Northern California and not go mad?

Pink gin = gin with Angostura bitters. You can add tonic too if you like.

I would have gone outside to eat my lunch, but the rotting-fish smell that this area gets is quite bad today. Tomorrow, if the weather's still nice, I think I'll make a picnic and go down to the beach.

Damn, what a shame you didn't get to ride the crazy rollercoaster. It is SCARY.

I'm only mad at headhunters when they don't do what they say they will do. Which is ALL THE TIME. You could try headhunting me if you like! What do you need done?

SF has two things I'm most afraid of in the world - EARTHQUAKES and MY FAMILY. No thank you.

I just got the invite for The Wedding yesterday. It's very purple. And no, sorry, I am not going to play golf with you.

Wedding? golf?

I guess it's my cousin's batchelor party or something. They're off to play a round of golf. ::vomits::

Forest, aren't you supposed to drink ZIDER in Somerset, not gin? Then again, what do I know?

I miss my prog MP3s. I've been listening to Yes all day because it's perfect for the sunshine.

I'd say yours is no disgrace, but my heart wouldn't be in it.

(not being a yes fan)

HOW CAN YOU NOT BE A YES FAN?!?!? IF YOU DON'T LIKE YES YOU CAN'T BE MY FRIEND!!!

Just kidding. I know lots of people that hate Yes. I know it's an acquired taste. I blame my dad for imprinting me with triple live albums when I was young. I wish I were Roger Dean.

BISHONEN!!!!!

Poor Al, I have just turned him into a manga boy.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2225/2475004345_d6c62922d6_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2234/2475004349_5eee914e2d_o.jpg

I have some yes tracks on a compilation, Alan Freeman's "By Invitation Only", and it's the first time I've listened to Yes without wanting to burst into tears and sit outside. But, I will neve rbe a yesfan, that's clear to me.

I like gin, and I could do with more. And if I'm going to be in the south-west then a detour to the Plymouth Gin distillery would therefore make sense.

But, yes, as cider is my other favourite drink, I think I'll be stocking up when we're down there. Two weeks today!

I am nearly out of gin, but I have practically a whole bottle of jenever still left. I wonder how that tastes with tonic. Or I could get some bitter lemon. Num.

What a small world! It turns out that Emsk knows the English. I wish Emsk still posed here, but I guess she too busy. :-(

Jenever is perfect with Grapefruit juice, the flavour cuts through the acidity so well.

That's a good idea, actually. It's good with very tart things.

I want jenever, and fernet branca too. Talkign of Emska and Booze I still have a bottle of Suze for her which I may claim as mine own as it remains unclaimed since I last went to belgium.

I am trying to ferret out Emsk next week.

Oh! I got the funniest email ever! Cowboy Jim wanting advice on pedals - he wanted to know "what is the pedal that makes that sound at the end of Hung With Joy" because he wants one. Ha ha ha ha, I told him that is 7 different pedals all going at once. Silly boy.

He'll get thrown out of G00blar for talk like that.

That sounds dirty!

Only in your head.

Sorry. It's the sun.

I thought "good god, that boy is quick at answering his email!" but it turned out to be an autoresponse. (English, not Cowboy Jim.)

Jim's first mistake was blabbing to K8.

Crikey. I've just been told to google an acquaintance of mine from Glasgow who, it turns out, has been outed as cross-dressing male prostitute! Funny old world. Gorblimey etc.

They're off to play a round of golf. ::vomits::

Club Med Sucks! Authority Sucks! I Hate Golf! I Wanna Play Lacrosse!

Kate, one of the things that has most impressed me about yr drawings is the way you draw hair.

I am going to a talk tonite at brookes uni by 2 current colleagues which is being sponsored by my new company and so will be attended by at least two of my new colleagues. Crazy incestuous world of online publishing....

Waht? I just like to tease Cowboy Jim. It's fun. But if he gets a POG before me, I will KEEEEEEEELL him.

I love drawing hair, it's my favourite thing to draw. I think that's why I like shaggy rock boys with the anime hair so much.

And here's a man with my favourite fun hair to draw... it's like his whole head is covered in little swhirlies! I could draw swhirley carruthershair all the doo dah day.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2290/2477337999_c98f8d251e_o.jpg

Kerr, check yr Gmail, I've sent you some PROG!!!!

Morning there. My shoulders ache ache ache today. I am hard at work, looking for train-related Flickr groups to post my train-related pictures on.

Do I want to know why yr shoulders ache or should I just not ask?

Surely there have to be loads of train groups on Flickr. (My fave Flickr group at the moment, though is The Portrait Painter.)

There are so many train groups on Flickr I am having a hard time filtering through them all. And then going through my photos and deciding which photos are relevant in which groups.

I have no idea why my shoulders ache. Either bad posture at work or bad posture sleeping, I expect.

Are we going to Spiers and Boden on tuesday do you have ticket? Review them to TZR.

It's Wednesday! And I haven't bought a ticket yet. Coz I keep forgetting to bring my wallet to the web cafe. But I am going, yes yes yes.

Trainspotting the trainspotting groups, ha ha, on that is wonderfully recursive.

Shall I buy it and you give me cash on weds?

Actually, yeah that would be great if you could!

Are you coming to the Jazz on Sunday in Covent Garden (yes, I am afeard.)

Jazz? What the...?

(Marmaduke is playing. He has threatened jazz.)

((That is, if he ever answers his email, because he did say he'd give me a guest list.))

i am camping this weekend.

I am drinking Lemsip this weekend

Bugger Sold out.

except not on see tickets

got 'em

Got the gmail Kate. I've never heard of Youthmovies

Hands up who's all going to Stockhausen Day at the Proms this year? *hand up*

... well, when they get round to selling the tickets that is

What day is it, (I prommed a lot in my youth, some great concerts but the Albert hall is a terrible thing to do to music)

Herman, can you forward to me.

I've only ever saw Ennio Morricone at the RAH and that was fan-bloody-tastic

August 2

Forwarded it on to you Ed (and Tom D too because he loves the prog)

Tempting. We should get five together for a box.

I've tried booking tickets in advance but I'm not convinced it worked

Wow, just noticed on August 22, performance of "Punkte" (which I love) alongside Mahler, Schubert, Beethoven... culture clash!

I think Tom D should go to the last night of the proms.

oh man the hot weathers ended already. It's pissing down here. Just as I had put a washing on.

Does mitya still post on ilx? I miss him.

I think maybe they banned it at his work.

damn.

Stockhausen Day at The Proms? OK, why does that sound like the punchline to a bad joke? Count me in on the box, I like the idea of going to the Proms. I could wear my new straw boater.

So you did get Spiers and Boden tickets? Ah, I hope so, as you're probably off camping and everyone else in the world is at ATP. Sigh.

I'll copy you the Youthmovies album IF YOU MAKE ME A BLOODY COPY OF THE GREAT LOST SHIMURA CURVES ALBUM!!! It is absurd, I am the only person in the band that doesn't have it. :-( Or at least, the last, good remix of it. We should put it out when the Paynes come back from Sweden.

Anyway, um....

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2381/2480441582_96bccbff11_o.jpg

I've got to stop drawing the lad. This is getting absurd.

THEY HAVE A TRUMPETER FFS!!!

I should have drawn the trumpeter. Ah well, too late now.

Draw Ed!

With clothes ON, of course.

btw cooler group emails have ended up in my gmail junk folder so you should all check yours to make sure it goes to your inbox

I've already drawn Ed! He was on a Shimuras poster!

(Kate, did you get my flickrmail? Probably not the most reliable method of communication, ah well.)

I did! Did you not get my response? I think it got sent to your hotmail. Eeep.

I had a brilliant weekend. Even the JAZZ was good. In fact, the DEMON JAZZ was actually kind of amazing. They had a double bass and everything. Though I suppose it wasn't proper jazz, it was more like... oh what was it Other Music used to call it? That section where they put all the Scott Walker and the Serge Gainsbourg. "La Decadence".

Now I'm all a-flutter over Marmaduke again. Swoon.

Good morning. Our office feels freezing cold today, because we have had the air conditioning repaired. It's strange to think it was meant to be this cold all along, if you see what I mean.

Tickets secured for wednesday, shall we do dinner before hand?

I am intrigued by the demon jazz, or lounge music or whatever it is.

Good lord, cold? It's baking hot down here. I have a terrible heat rash from walking about the embankment in the sun, even with a hat on. (Though the hat has stopped the headaches.)

yes, let's do dinner beforehand. Indian mission?

I think you would like the DEMON JAZZ. He's playing next Sunday in Camden but alas, I am going on a BAT WALK on Streatham Common:

http://www.myspace.com/marmadukedando

I am flying to norway on sunday so no demon jazz for me, but will listen to the myspace later.

It was baking hot outside, yesterday. It was cool and misty and damp this morning, but I suspect that means it is probably baking hot outside again by now.

I need a summer hat. Or a hat of any sort, indeed.

Summer hats are the way forward. My boater is just about perfect. It is straw so it's light and cool, but keeps the sun off my pale skin.

Boo hiss to Norway - well, not really. I love Norway! Or at least the idea of it. But Marmaduke is always playing around the corner from you in Clerkenwell Green, you should roll out of bed and see him some Sunday.

Kim (the girlfriend) has a black straw boater in her Summer Wardrobe. I've been told it will be making an appearance soon.

I thoroughly approve!

I need a new hat, my leather one is looking a bit tired although something similar that is both rain and sunproof is a good idea

I need a hat too, but tie myself in so many knots worrying about what sort of hat to get that I end up never buying one

The Parents bought themselves matching Tilley hats for their latest holiday; and were so impressed they bought almost entire Tilley wardrobes to go with it.

(they're doing a railtour of Switzerland)

*pose*

*other pose*

hello. yeh i am way busy...

i haven't forgotten you all though

kate and ed check yr email

EMSK!!! Hurrah for the Emsk. Yes to email. But I shall email you. Are we still on for lunch tomorrow? I want to go to the park and sit in the sun and eat sammiches and drink cider. Oh yes.

Here is Marmaduke giving it some JAZZ... (note the hands, natch.)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/2488626649_5cf45d894d_o.jpg

What if he makes me start liking jazz? No, no, no. I've been listening to Scott Walker all day.

Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus

Ah Um

I don't LIKE that kind of jazz.

If I'm going to start listening to jazz, it shall be PROPER jazz. Old jazz. Not nasty horrible free jazz.

None of that is free jazz, hard bop maybe but not free.

I'm not having it, whatever it is.

No, not free in the slightest. I'm suffering from dizzy spells, what could it be?

Gillespie?

Yep, my cheeks keep inflating to 3 times their normal size

STOP IT!!!

(Unless that is not a joke, and you are actually suffering from dizzy spells - I would put it down to the heat or overexposure to sun.)

That said, obeying mine own laws, I may not talk about jazz without posting a picture of an attractive man. So here is the real Marmaduke and his jazz band...

http://a313.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/7/l_a70d6155b8c1ea61ba6ed7edec391818.jpg

(I'm so devastated that he shaved the mustache off. I thought it suited him.)

Yes the 'stache *does* suit him. But shaving is easily remedied!

I am going for lunch with Johnny B today. It may be our last chance, as I am not going to be working on the same business park as him for much longer!

other changes:

I will be a commuter again (2 buses)

I will have to make my own lunch (on those days when I don't go for a pub lunch)

I will be working in an office with 7 other people rather than 200+

I will be using open source software instead of Microsoft

...the rest I will have to wait until I get there to find out.....

It's not a joke. I'm thinkin' it's the heat so I'm drinkin' me some fluids. Still dizzy.

Maybe time to invest in that hat.

Tell Johnny B I said hello!

Dada, I reccomend a straw boater. They are marvellous things, so light.

I'd look a right tosser in a straw boater - I'd look like I voted for Boris Johnson or sumthin'!

there are other types of hat with wide brims that'd do the job. Like the one I took on holiday to Jordan with me which makes me look like Indiana Jones.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/7398202.stm
check that out

Not neccessarily! Some boys can make straw hats look quite decadent!

http://a122.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/122/l_f84d5f09e1149c9e5196e1d57edc0881.jpg

OK, I will stop this. (Though you all know that I won't.)

I'd look a right tosser in a straw boater - I'd look like I voted for Boris Johnson or sumthin'!

http://manolomen.com/images/Tony%20Blair%20in%20boater.jpg

But that is a panama rather than a boater which is much more acceptable.

A Pork Pie may be apt.

xpost, TB is clearly wearing a boater and is a tosser.

xpost, TB is clearly wearing a boater and is a tosser.

As can clearly be seen from the enlarged image showing his lower half:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/uk_politics_enl_1172779548/img/1.jpg

I am running out of time, but Emil.y if you are reading this, I have received your Flickrmail and I am On It!

(I will tear myself away from drawing pics of Marmaduke for long enough.)

Bloke with the beard next to him is clearly a man of style and taste though, the baby blue suits him.

Prog Rock College, Oxford, 1975

lol @ the thought of Tom D in a Porkpie hat

http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/desmond/des02.jpg

A porkpie hat might be good. I'm no Thelonius Monk tho.

... I know it's Mingus but I mean that Monk could have worn a lampshade (probably did) and still looked cool

that pic is porkpie from Desmonds though.

I know I was referring to "Goodbye..." . Could I get away with one of these, do you think:

http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/s/sander_phar_thembijap_101b.jpg

A Powerful pro straw boater argument:

http://www.smirk.com/jim/bkpics/bk-flower.jpg

Would tom suit a boater? I don't know what he looks like but I picture him as a guy about Norman's age with a beard and long flowing dark locks down to his shoulders at least 70s style.
http://www.arnnewsheadlines.com/AA%20FREE%20PR%20SMALL%20new.JPG
Am I close?

About as wrong as it's possible to be

I'm more Conrad Schnitzler than Edgar Froese

http://www.empty.de/Pictures/Schnitzlerfoto.jpg?

http://www.qbicorecords.com/image_testata/q41.jpg

http://www.spex.de/gfx/image/Magazin/Artikel/2007.09/ConradSchnitzler.jpg

i doubt youre as old as that somehow

So Tom (or anyone) bought any cds or records lately?

Bollocks to buying stuff, 's all downloaded off the net now, innit

I thought you were old skool.

Gmail is still putting cooler cookie emails in my spam folder despite me saying its not spam.
Is anyone else having this problem?

I checked my gmail spam folder and couldn't find any Watercooler emails in there.

As for buying stuff, well I did get a Wolfhounds 12" for a quid in the MVE yesterday. And I just ordered these off Amazon:

Stick Men With Rayguns - Some People Deserve To Suffer CD
VA - BIPPP French Synth Wave CD

Would tom suit a boater? I don't know what he looks like but I picture him as a guy about Norman's age with a beard and long flowing dark locks down to his shoulders at least 70s style.
http://www.arnnewsheadlines.com/AA%20FREE%20PR%20SMALL%20new.JPG
Am I close?

-- Herman G. Neuname, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 12:15 (46 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

Having (too briefly) met Tom last year, all I can say is LOLOLOLOLOL RONG.

I used to imagine Tom as looking like Kevin Coyne, b/c oh his old email address.

That was the name he used in his letters to the wire wasnt it?

Does He Take Sugar?

Oh good lord... ha ha, um. No. Dada is as bald as an egg. And very thin and rather pointed and very Scottish looking.

I'm listening to lots of Scott Walker. Except for Tilt. Which confuses me.

This is my straw boater:

http://a995.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/44/l_0c5da6e8ef1fd467e357f31883ca6daa.jpg

PAINTER MAN, PAINTER MAN, WHO WOULD BE A PAINTER MAN?!?!?

Wait, that's lipstick. I'm confused.

Pointed?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YS4RXKAKL.jpg

Tom D, take a compliment where it is intended!

Nice jacket, btw!

Nice jacket.

Turmoil is afoot at my work. Our entire agent support team got made redundant yesterday. Management are trying to convince us our team is safe, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if we lose some people in the next couple of months.

If g00bs is around - say hi if you see me at the Times New Viking/Jay Reatard gig tonight!

lol jacket xpost

Did anyone see that Let's LOL @ Hippies programme on BBC4 last night? 1973 docu. about a band, and their roadies, girlfriends etc living in a commune in Norfolk somewhere? And where they are now, and what they're doing now?

Oh damn I wanted to watch that. (no, obv)

Anyone going to see Dr C on saturday?

Didn't know about that?

Yes, where's that? 1973 = horrible year + period.

I was reminded by email today. it's ANM, i still have seen them, with Thee Templars (No idea about them), the Fallen Leaves (great early 60s psych/beat outfit), and The Prellies (no idea about them either) At the Parliament Club, inn on the green Ladbroke Grove.

Have you all not seen that jacket before? I wore it constantly last summer! I love the mad paisley. I think that was why Carruthers started hanging around me, he was just entranced by the paisley.

Job turmoil is teh suck. Another nibble from a headhunter for me... they nibble but they never bite.

Ah! The Prellies is the band of Texan Chrissie's husband, Gaz! You remember him from Truck? I should go to that.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/2491214915_85d0af2b47.jpg?v=0

We're on at 9. It's a great bill actually - the Fallen Leaves are always excellent and Thee Templars are a garagey-fun combo in the style of The Sonics. The Prellies, I don't know.

Oh wait - Texan Chrissie - did I meet her at the last Parliament Club? I was talking to someone who sounds like her, and knew you, Kate.

yup, that's the girl! She messaged to say that she'd met you.

Hi there all. I am trying to write again, and I no longer smoke. This is an adjustment.

Yes, will see you tonight, CP! I may be alone, however ;_;

Yes, where's that? 1973 = horrible year + period.

Oi I was born that year!

no period, then.

I hope dada wasnt insulted by me thinking he had long hair etc, i wasnt meaning to, i really did have that picture in my head.

wtf

Why do you have pictures of me in your head? Don't answer that.

oops wrong thread. it was meant to be that Would you dote up a cat? thread

xpost

any of you agree with this? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7400109.stm

I'd agree.

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER. SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER (until I move to Brighton and start my MA.)

I am now so tired that I am actually lying on the sofa watching Trisha. Blecccccccch.

Congratulations. You should start the day with some revivifying booze, how about a bloody mary.

There is some rose in the fridge. Rose, Trisha & Ilx... what do you reckon?

(How do you get accents on letters in this bizzatch?)

& eacute; but without the space.

not sure for windows, it is alt and a series of numbers, mac it is option+e then type the letter you want accented.

Morning!

I'm a bit suspicious about that wine/music thing, because it relies on you classifying music under some bogus wine-style description. Nouvelle Vague: Zingy And Refreshing, and so on. I am dubious. And, besides, I prefer cider or gin.

Accents: does this work: é

If it did, I'll tell you how I did it. If it didn't, you'll know what not to do.

é

Hurrah! Yes! You type é

On windows tis Alt Gr + E

Congrats Emil.y!

I could do with a bloody mary myself.

hmm, I didn't know we could type escaped characters into the text box.

Oh, bugger, that's not quite what I meant. The escape code for & got converted into the character, I think.

Nouvelle Vague: Zingy And Refreshing

DAMN STRAIGHT

Olé!

I've just switched channels to some random kiddy education programme where they just revealed that Adam Smith was kidnapped by gypsies.

He also apparently fell into a tannery pit and was a slow writer.

Raggle Taggle ones? Or more respectable than that? (xp)

what, it took him ages to write a rescue note?

yeah but it is hard to write with an invisible hand.

Was he a slow writer *because* of falling into a tannery pit?

Who can say. Unless I misheard, one of the characters on this show just shouted "Neitzsche is not about laundry!"

Ah di do ah di do dah day

xpost

"Neitzsche is not about laundry!"

Also Sprach Zanussi

You misheard. They were really saying "Nietzsche is not about lingerie!" Honest.

Besides, everyone knows that Also Sprach Zarathustra was inspired by the sense of dualistic religious calm induced by transferring one's laundry to the spinner on a twin-tub washing machine.

damn, that is the whistling gypsy rover not the raggle taggle gypsies (-O)

This is the prog:

http://www.channel4learning.com/support/programmenotes/micro/kntv/index.html

This is actually really quite funny. Now they're singing a song about Adam Smith:

"Adam, Adam Smith, he rode horses,
Adam, Adam Smith, liked market forces"

"Adam, Adam Smith he fell in a tannery pit
Adam, Adam Smith, through no fault of his own, he inspired a lot of shit"

Adam, Adam Smith, surprised he didn't kark it
Adam, Adam Smith, advocated the free market

Adam, Adam Smith, hearty fellow and hale
Adam, Adam Smith, Privatise the Royal Mail

Adam, Adam Smith, a wandering minstrel, game
Adam, Adam Green, um, That's not his name..

^EJ Thribb

so, farewell.....

Um... what on earth is going on in here? Ha ha ha!

I'm having trouble with the Children from Next Door. One of them smashed up my herb garden ... the offending football still sat next to the smashed pots - but when I spoke to the mother, she said that it was her, moving things around. Which is so clearly and obviously a lie, but I don't want to accuse her of lying. I just want my poor plants not to be smashed to bits. I've confiscated the football, but don't know what else to do.

Ah, it sounds like they didn't do it on purpose, if they were just having a kick-around and it went into your pots. I wouldn't necessarily confiscate the ball, as it'll make them more antagonistic towards you (and a football is pretty easy to replace). If it *was* an accident then just ask nicely the first time if they could be more careful. If it happens again then get a big stick and kneecap them.

give the ball back but wire it with explosives first

Highly percussion-sensitive ones.

I've confiscated the football, but don't know what else to do.

I'm in a bad mood today. :-(

So, we're going off for the weekend. Lovely weather before weekend, looks like lovely weather coming up after weekend, but THIS weekend: washout, by the looks of things.

Bloody typical! I feel like sulking the whole weekend through. I don't even know if I can make it out tomorrow as I've got no money. And I'm hoping that the bat walk on Sunday doesn't get rained out.

Anyone coming for some hot rockin' tomorrow night? A watercooler posse?

Why should I go to your gigs when you never go to mine? :-P

Sorry for mentioning it then.

I'm in too foul a mood for society to have to have me inflicted on it anyway.

I might come Dr C, see how things go tomorrow

Everyone's always freaking hustling. I'm sick of the whole non reciprocal London music scene - no make that entire scene in the world. Come and look! But don't ever expect it to be reciprocated. Come be a fan, come be a fan! Come and support me! Everyone shilling all over MySpace. But god forbid you should want to participate in anything. Oh no, that's not on.

I hate everythign right now.

I'd go to your show Kate ( if you played in Hull... )

Kate, I know exactly what you're describing, and it's pretty foul. I get so worked up and guilty when I miss one of my mates' bands, and yet they *never* seem bothered about turning up and supporting us. Maybe I just have a misguided sense of loyalty, I dunno, but it does all seem very one way (or maybe I've just never infiltrated the 'in'-crowd who do have mutual admiration or support).

It's certainly not everyone who does it, though, and I wouldn't accuse Dr. C of doing so.

I get so worked up and guilty when I miss one of my mates' bands

me too, and I'm not even *in* a band! I fear that when I start my new job I will be less well placed to go to London to see bands, esp. during the week, as I will be working longer hours and travelling more so will have less time and will be more knackered. It's so tricky...I wanted a better job with more responsibility and I wanted to escape the strong arm of our Hoboken overlords (who today have told us we can't have a summer party and must have paintball and other team building events instead, to everyone's disgust). Life, eh?

or maybe I've just never infiltrated the 'in'-crowd who do have mutual admiration or support

Having live in Glasgow thru the ascendancy of The Pastels' generation, I can assure there is nothing worse than a bunch of people all going to one another's gigs and slapping each other on the back all the time

Serves you right for going to see The Pastels ! ;)

I know, tell me about it

The thing is, I'm sure some people think I am part of that in-crowd. I'm certainly known in the various circles of DIY musician-ship in this area, but I think that's simply from my relentless presence at every good gig over the years (although even that slipped over the last couple as I've been enmired in uni work). I certainly don't feel like anyone *cares* about me or my bands.

Bah humbug.

I saw The Pastels support Pavement @ the garage on the tour for the 2nd last pavement album.
Stephens a nice guy, he part owns Monorailmusic and works there too. You ever been in it , Tom?

Anyone interested in

KLUSTER - Vulcano 1971 - CD
imprec180

Vulcano is limited to 1000 copies and is packaged in a deluxe embossed gatefold jacket made to emulate the embossed packaging for Kluster's album Klopfzeichen.
Very deluxe.

Vulcano is sourced from original master recordings recently discovered by Kluster member, and Tangerine Dream engineer, Klaus Freudigmann. Along with Admira, also being released at the same time on Important, Vulcano is presented here for the first time in this deluxe package. These intense sessions were made with Schnitzler at the helm, as always, after the departure of Mobius and Roedelius from the group.

Conrad Schnitzler founded Kluster in 1969 along with Roedelius, Mobius and often Klaus Freudigmann who had multiple roles within the group as a player, engineer
and instrument inventor. Eventually Roedelius and Mobius left Kluster and continued on as Cluster while Schnitzler and Freudigmann continued as Kluster often exploring the communal aspects of music by bringing new people into the group.

Summer of Love? Kluster was formed in West-Berlin – much closer to Siberia than to San Francisco, Haight Ashbury and Golden Gate Park. What came to Berlin with a two years delay were only the outer fringes of the “Summer of Love”. Its blossom would have died soon in the Cold War breeze. And 1970 a lot of the optimism of the mid 60ies had already ceased. It became obvious that creating a better world needs more than flowers in your hair. But the political movements of the late sixties were a child of the same optimism that fuelled the rapid developments changing not only the material side of life but also arts, music and the way people interacted. The new left and the hippie movement where all these ideas concentrated wasn’t the result of poverty but build on the belief that with modern technology there is enough for everybody. It’s only a question of a fair distribution.

That optimism had a soundtrack that was based on the same technology. From the electric guitar, reverb and echo units to the first synthesizers, everything was welcome that sounded as if it came from the future. Future meant space travel – so it’s quite natural that the first effects wildly used where those who send you to a space you’ve never been before: artificial reverb and echo. A lot of people had their first encounter with this new music at the movies – watching scifi-film like Forbidden Planet with the electronic tonalities of Louis and Bebe Barron (1956 – and their work wasn’t called music to avoid paying royalties and having to quarrel with the conservative musicians trade unions). For a few years rock music was the most popular of new sounds and for a lot of people the door opener. It was one of the rare moments when you could be at the same time avant-garde and mainstream. But this did not last long. Pop music quickly became old music with new instruments when it turned into highly standardized entertainment. And the use of the electric guitar developed rules like any other traditional instrument.

Amongst that people that met to form Kluster were Klaus Freudigmann and Wolfgang Seidel, who both grew disenchanted with pop music and Conrad Schnitzler who came from a complete different direction as sculptor. While the others discovered the new territories of sound via psychedelic music Schnitzler was a fan of Stockhausen, Cage etc. but was distracted by the highbrowed elite attitude with which this music surrounded itself in Germany. What met was the self empowerment of early rock music with the search for new sounds and structures of 20th century avant-garde music.

That Kluster made simple music on DIY instruments, droning and banging on one note for half an hour, did not mean we were into any kind of primitivism. We hated the bongo playing hippie and his backward dreams of tribal ‘healthy’ societies (forgetting that hunger, war and oppression were not invented this year). To us the longing for sweet melodies was a regressive refuge from a world that isn’t sweet. We did not want to go back. If the future
was inevitable, we wanted to shape it – at least sonically. That we preferred slow tempos sometimes gets mistaken as ‘dark’. We just gave every sound enough time to be listened to. And we wanted to draw a line between us and the ‘look I am the fastest‘ guitar heroes that began to rule the stages. What we did was getting rid of the schemes of pop and popular classic and find out, what else we can do with our tools, polishing and lubricating them
for a future music.

But no matter how far your mind is in the future – your stomach is still on earth and demands feeding. When things got tougher in the 70ies, the people that met under the labels Kluster and Eruption had to look for ways to earn their living. Conrad Schnitzler started his long solo voyage, Klaus Freudigmann took part in the squatters movement, others took ordinary jobs and surfaced now and then with some new piece of music. What’s left are some tapes and a few minutes of film documenting an installation Conrad Schnitzler sat up at Galerie Block (1970)
reflecting the ideas behind Kluster. Violins that had bought cheap from the flea market were equipped with contact microphones and plugged into radios that had been mounted to the wall as amplifiers. The visitors (hopefully no musicians) experimented collective with the sounds from the violins hearing themselves in the radio.
- Wolfgang Seidel

I founded the music group Kluster after my exit 1969 from the group GERÄUSCHE (Zodiak with A.Roedelius and Boris Schak).Between 1969 to 1972 I worked with different friends,with TD among others.With them I tried to perform the music of my imagination .
Finally Klaus Freudigmann and Wolfgang Seidel remained at the work continuously over the years. In addition there were several actions with A.Roedelius and D.Möbius where the LPs KLUSTER Klopfzeichen,Osterei and Eruption were made. Instruments, amplifyer and effects I gave D.Moebius because he had had no own equipment.
I dindn't want the music to remind of the normal. My criterias were not folk music, not rock music, not pop songs and not dance music. The idea for "Cluster" later "Kluster" (I wanted to avoid americanisms) is not only a name for a group but a form of music.
I had amplifier,instruments ,contact mikes and effects, that could used by the others,too.Klaus had tape machines and microphones.In addition he constructed instruments and electronical sound generators,which made the most undescribable sounds. Wolfgang had everything connected with drum and base and in addition amplifier and effects.
Klaus had rooms where we could work out our music performances.The tapes "Electric Meditation" with TD were made in one of that spaces.Most of the performances happened with friends who took part in the actions;
therefore Conrad,Klaus,Wolfgang and friends.I `ve got all rights at that music. The numberings of the single CDRs have nothing to do with the date of the creation of the music.I`ve numbered them, because I`ve dubbed them.
That was difficult and I tried to do it as best as possible on CDR.
A special date for the creation of the single tapes couldn`t be find out,therefore the date of the creation- years 1969-1973. After that there were only sporadical actions with KLUSTER,no money for place to play, only cold winter.

-- Conrad Schnitzer

Stephens a nice guy, he part owns Monorailmusic and works there too.

All true

Trying to keep track of Conrad Schnitzler's recordings is virtually a full time job

I bet emil.y wants it

Looks cool, but - only on CD?

Kate, have you advertised any of your gigs on here lately? I haven't seen any, although I know you're in a new band now.

Dr C - I may come tomorrow but it's not looking that likely at the moment. My wife's ill, but this either means I will be home looking after her or she'll be in bed the whole time sleeping - in which case I probably will come out to your gig as I have nothing else to do! :)

only cd it seems
x-post

I'll have a look a the important mailing list i get but im sure it was only cd

Theres 2 cds

KLUSTER - Admira 1971 - CD
imprec179 - CD - $12.99

Admira is limited to 1000 copies and is packaged in a deluxe embossed gatefold jacket made to emulate the original die stamped embossed packaging for Kluster's album Klopfzeichen.
Very deluxe.

Admira is sourced from original master recordings discovered by Kluster member, and Tangerine Dream engineer, Klaus Freudigmann. Along with Vulcano, also being released at the same time on Important, Admira is presented here for the first time in this deluxe package. These intense sessions were made with Schnitzler at the helm, as always, after the departure of Mobius and Roedelius from the group.

Conrad Schnitzler founded Kluster in 1969 along with Roedelius, Mobius and often Klaus Freudigmann who had multiple roles within the group as a player, engineer
and instrument inventor. Eventually Roedelius and Mobius left Kluster and continued on as Cluster while Schnitzler and Freudigmann continued as Kluster often exploring the communal aspects of music by bringing new people into the group.

I founded the music group Kluster after my exit 1969 from the group GERÄUSCHE (Zodiak with A.Roedelius and Boris Schak).Between 1969 to 1972 I worked with different friends,with TD among others.With them I tried to perform the music of my imagination .
Finally Klaus Freudigmann and Wolfgang Seidel remained at the work continuously over the years. In addition there were several actions with A.Roedelius and D.Möbius where the LPs KLUSTER Klopfzeichen,Osterei and Eruption were made. Instruments, amplifyer and effects I gave D.Moebius because he had had no own equipment.
I dindn't want the music to remind of the normal. My criterias were not folk music, not rock music, not pop songs and not dance music. The idea for "Cluster" later "Kluster" (I wanted to avoid americanisms) is not only a name for a group but a form of music.
I had amplifier,instruments ,contact mikes and effects, that could used by the others,too.Klaus had tape machines and microphones.In addition he constructed instruments and electronical sound generators,which made the most undescribable sounds. Wolfgang had everything connected with drum and base and in addition amplifier and effects.
Klaus had rooms where we could work out our music performances.The tapes "Electric Meditation" with TD were made in one of that spaces.Most of the performances happened with friends who took part in the actions;
therefore Conrad,Klaus,Wolfgang and friends.I `ve got all rights at that music. The numberings of the single CDRs have nothing to do with the date of the creation of the music.I`ve numbered them, because I`ve dubbed them.
That was difficult and I tried to do it as best as possible on CDR.
A special date for the creation of the single tapes couldn`t be find out,therefore the date of the creation- years 1969-1973. After that there were only sporadical actions with KLUSTER,no money for place to play, only cold winter.

-- Conrad Schnitzer

When you look at documentaries from the late sixties, it looks like California was everywhere. Endless summer. Or a never ending Woodstock. What we did not know then was that the Woodstock movie showed the pictures people wanted to see. The guys who made the film knew that and the success at the box office was their reward for not
disappointing their audience’s expectations. Berlin was quite different – West-Berlin, the half of the city where Kluster was founded. When my mind wanders back it was always winter. These winters were bitter cold. We lived in old houses with little coal ovens. Keeping them working and finding the money for coal was a task that could consume half of your day. No wander that in German the word ‘Kohle’ (= coal) stands for money.

Two years ago I visited Klaus Freudigmann, member of Kluster and sound engineer for a lot of other bands from those early days of what eventually was coined ‘Krautrock’ (a term I did not like because it puts totally different people and music under one label that do not fit together). The reason for this visit was a planned book on one
of these bands. It turned out that Klaus Freudigmann still kept some of their recordings in a suitcase, mainly the intermediate stages of the recording process. Multi-track still lay in the future. He worked with two tape recorders playing ping pong between them (for Kluster he’d made long tape loops we used in our sessions). To our surprise
out of that suitcase that hadn’t been opened for twenty years popped a bundle of tapes from the Kluster sessions (1970 – 1973). They had stood the time quite well and the sound wasn’t so bad either because we had amplifiers with direct recording outputs, which was an unusual feature at that time.

Two of these recording had been chosen as bonus tracks for the Captain Trip re-releases of the first two Kluster-lps. For that purpose we had to give names to them, something Conrad Schnitzler had abandoned years ago and from then on only numbering his work. When we had to think about names for ‘songs’ the first memories that sprung to our minds were: ‘cold winter’ and ‘black spring’. As the winters were cold, spring was black. Over the
months of the cold season the snow got drenched with the ingredients of the smoke pouring out of a million chimneys (plus the product of Berlin’s largest population: dogs). And while the snow melted away the cinder stayed and covered the streets with a black mud. What made things worse – in the eastern half of the city they fuelled their ovens with cheap brown coal. Its smoke smelled like rotten eggs. Not only to the nose the socialist
paradise was more like brimstone from hell. And the poisonous exhaust wasn’t stopped by the wall, the East had built to keep their share of the people happily flocked under what they mistook as socialism. The wall was not high enough to stop the smoke going from east to west. And it was not high enough either to stop rock and roll and Coca Cola from transmitting their message from west to east. Something were the east could not compete.
The reason was that their country christened as ‘German Democratic Republic’ was not much democratic but very, very German letting their army parade with the same goose step that the neighbouring countries had learned to fear.

Rock and roll and its most adventurous sibling pychedelia were effective remedies against climatic, political and mental cold. To perform our brand of music from an outside world, we sat up a little tent in a ballroom that went out of business years before. We built it from transparent plastic and heated it with electric fans. The room was painted completely black except for one wall that was covered with aluminium foil – a novelty in those days – reflecting and warping the lights from our tent. I still wonder who paid the bill for the electricity we’d consumed. Nobody – that was one of the reasons why we had to find another place. The next stop was one floor of an abandoned factory were Klaus Freudigmann lived and recorded. Downstairs was a print shop where a large portion of the posters, newspapers and books of the radical left had been printed. The rata-ta-clac of the printing machines mixed with our music. For me that connection led to a twenty years engagement, earning my living in print shops, until I decided to switch, finding myself a job with a television company. It turned out to be a wise decision in times where fewer and fewer people read books.

The factory at Admiralstrasse housed us for a year or so. Things changed quickly at the end of the 60ies / early 70ies. Everybody was on the move, experimenting with live without long discussions over the possible risks involved. Behind us was a prosperous decade and everybody lived in the belief that things can only get better. The only thing people feared, was stagnation. West Berlin was the last place the German ‘Wirtschaftswunder’ had arrived, but the optimism that ruled these years was felt there, too. And we had chosen this backyard of prospering West Germany, because living was cheap and it was easy to find a place to stay in a city where lots of people and a large portion of the companies had left heading west. We moved back to the ballroom. This time to a smaller room under the roof. Conrad had painted it completely white – walls, ceiling and floor. And he tagged white fabric to large frames. Behind these frames went the speakers, other stuff we did not need at hand and neon lights. As a result we found ourselves with our instruments in a white, featureless place that appeared much larger than it actual was. It looked a bit like the interior of the space ship in Kubrick’s 2001. And as experienced space travellers we knew ways to achieve weightlessness.

Our wallets could have done better with some weight. You could not easily starve in West Berlin’s ghost economy that ran mostly on state subsidies to keep it functioning as showcase of the free west. But getting rich was difficult either. Not with a normal nine to five job – and that was definitely not what we were after. So the white room was another short lived episode. Earning sufficient amounts of money with music proved to be difficult, too. What we did was only for a small audience – and we knew it. But even if you aimed at a larger market, things were not easy.
Rock music and what went with it was largely believed as critical against capitalism. This involved that your audience expected that culture is something that has to be accessible to everybody without any profits involved. I still believe that these ideas are worth thinking about. But it doesn’t make the life of artists or musicians easier. You end up understanding whatt Adorno meant when he wrote: "there is no right life within wrong life". But what we could do was getting our little whiff of a life outside that ‘wrong’. A lot of what is written about the term ‘Krautrock’ circles around esoteric believes, a search for your inner self. That’s one of the reasons why I dislike that label. You’re a product of the society you are living in. What you see reflected when you look into you is that society.
But you are no robot either. You can make decisions. But to change your inner self, you have to change society, too. That implies that your fantasy steps as far outside this society as possible instead of huddle in your self like a child. That’s why I remember that transparent plastic tent at the old ballroom that floated like a little bubble of light in the darkness of space. It seemed to come out of one of the science fiction novels I’ve read during my school years. At that time such stories had been my vehicle to get ‘outside’. In later years music did this job.

- - Wolfgang Seidel

Cluster Berlin 2007
http://www.importantrecords.com/releases/imprec191_release_page.htm

Well it would nice to see you Tom and Col.Poo if you can make it.

Everyone's always freaking hustling. I'm sick of the whole non reciprocal London music scene - no make that entire scene in the world. Come and look! But don't ever expect it to be reciprocated. Come be a fan, come be a fan! Come and support me! Everyone shilling all over MySpace. But god forbid you should want to participate in anything. Oh no, that's not on.

I don't go to many gigs at all as I just have too many calls on my time, work, family - that's just the way it is. When we play, which isn't very often, I try not to spam everyone under the sun, but just mention it to people who I think might be interested, and who I would be pleased to see at the gig. I don't have any interest in 'scenes'.

Kate, - I will remove your name from the e-mail distribution list and I will also not bother mentioning gigs on here again. Or probably anything else for that matter, if you're going to be so bloody rude.

Dr C dont go!

He has to, he's playing

hah

watercooler.

to the tune of War

The annoyance was directed at Dr.C for standing on the one nerve I had left that day, though probably not deserving of it. I'm feeling the frustration described by Emil.y with, well, an entire scene.

I'm also bad tempered and cross because the truth is, I simply couldn't *afford* to go to the gig - yes, a travelcard to get all the way across town and £5 or £6 on the door and then a drink on top of it... I cannot afford it. And felt intensely left out and pissed off. Why should I spend all that money I can't afford, and time, to support someone who does not support me in the same way? There are loads of bands asking me every bloody day on MySpace to go to their gigs. It's not like I'm keeping an account or anything, but I don't like to be asked for support which is not reciprocated. If I like a band, I'll see them regardless. But not if I feel... *obligated*.

My feeling on self promotion is such... if you are going to participate in a forum (or this thread, which seems to have become a forum in and of itself) it's totally fine to mention what you're up to and invite your friends. But when one starts to feel that one only comes on to advertise, well... then I have a kneejerk reaction.

The depression of joblessness and loneliness has hit hard, and I probably shouldn't go on ILX when I feel like this. :-(

...and yes, I have no demands on my time from jobs or family or friends, I'm lonely and bored. So thanks for rubbing it in my face just how BUSY and IMPORTANT you are. Because I'm not. And clearly not worthy of your time, because my depression and unhappiness are just so boring and annoying and such a drag. So go and make your judgements about my rudeness while feeling smug and superior.

DrC was pissed off, because he obviously cares about your reaction.

Heck, a few come here on this thread and talk about what's goin on.

I'd like to think that if on the actually unbelievable chain of circumstances, it meant that I actually had a gig on, or I dunno, Alice/Amber did, sure I'd come here and say about it. And beng in the far off town of Readign, I'd not expect anyone to actually be there. Such is my trouble.

Dr C = not smug and superior

xpost x 2

Kate - you really are a piece of work sometimes. I mentioned the gig generally just to see if anyone would want to come - as people in bands do. I did not, in any way, hassle you personally about coming. I can see why you might think I only come on here to advertise, as I rarely post any more. It's actually nothing to do with the watercooler - just busyness and a desire to scale down my ILX posting in these zing-happy times.

I explain why I don't go to very many gigs - anybody's gigs. You then, in your inimitable fashion, twist that around to make out that I am deliberately trying to make you feel worthless. That's pretty poor of you. I wouldn't do that, as you well know, and I am extremely pissed off at the suggestion that I would. I am genuinely sorry if you're down, Kate, but there's no excuse for such self-centred, paranoid nastiness. I am not discussing this any further.

I've been trying to stay off ILX as it tends to make my bad tempered. But now bloody MySpace is down, and I feel like I've wasted my pound.

Waiting to hear back on this bloody job I interviewed for last week. On tenterhooks, etc.

hello. That Cluster live Berlin 2007 album is bloody awesome.

Ah. I only just managed to d/l Spectrum before I ran out of time at the web cafe, and barely managed to get that. That said, it is pretty darn awesome. Not what I was expecting at all, but still great.

I'm contemplating going to The Jazz on Thursday, but not unless I can find someone to go with me, because I am starting to feel really pathetic.

People do seem really pleased with the Spectrum album.
But you gotta hear Cluster. Anyone got any thoughts on the 2 Kluster albums?

Hah for a min I thought Kate did this Ride 'Nowhere' Poll

I don't have time to even vote in polls, let alone make them.

Self portrait, yesterday...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/2530886066_1f6b3c7967_o.jpg

4 the sake of art..

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/2530886066_7974145035.jpg

oh. First time I cicked here, that link was a bunch of html code, now suddenly it works.

Pash made a fool of you Mark!

Thanks for fixing that. i am a dummy, i keep forgetting html doesn't work here.

no wanted to know who i was for ages, now i've got two interviews in a row next week. i only actually want one of the jobs, so lucky it's the one i'm already in the second round of interviews for.

no takers for jazz tonight?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2194/2085374202_86ea396a47.jpg

(please work, please work...)

phew, that worked.

next week, for the first time in my life, I will be interviewing someone for a job!

(my one, incidentally, since I'm leaving)

What a strange thing to do, to interview someone for your own job!

The jazz last night was fantastic. You all missed something really special!

kate loves jazz!

(I think it's more along the lines of "Kate loves Marmaduke" but that's OK, I'm in love with the Asteroid #4 today!)

Got vintage photog. of old movie star:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180242088030&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=008

It arrived today, & looks great. I note that as long as one avoids Lillian, Greta and Brooksie, genuine vintage promo photogs of movie stars are ridiculously cheap. This one is dated 1944 and cost just over a tenner inc P&P from the st8s. Uh-oh.

My mum had loads of those "Film Fun" annuals,basically famous movie stars in 'comic strips', the like of which you couldn't do nowadays as get sued heavily for appropriation of character or something.

Bah, back from holiday, bah.

Oooh, she is beautiful! I'd be tempted to wallpaper my room with those, if they're only a tenner.

I'M SO NERVOUS!!! Job interview this afternoon, then meeting 'Duke for drinks (business not pleasure) this evening and I don't know which I'm more nervous about! Eep!

Ed, come and see some Jazz in Deptford this Saturday. That same place that we played. You know you want to.

I would come but I am camping. Good luck on the job interview though, is this contract or permanent?

I spoke to tissp today on last fm!

Permanent. Private Equity Fund Management. Spent a lot of time pouring over databases with bouncey Canadians, and had to do a conference call, argh, but ohmigod, I want that job, it looks so interesting!

Oooh, that could be very interesting they do very exciting mathematical gymnastics.

Yes, yes they do. It's down to what the competition is like, but the maths is very gymnastical!

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... just spoke to my agent and the job is actually offering #10k more than I asked for. Now I'm really scared and convinced that I won't get it.

I may have done a giant stupid. I may have introduced Marmaduke to ILX. Oh well, be nice to him if he turns up here.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8d/Marmaduke.gif

That's right, Kate! Chuck him in the deep end!

nah. i dunno. i'm feeling pretty weird about the whole thing right now. like i need to back the fuck off - partly because i'm so not sure about mine own motivations and partly because i feel like i'm violating mine own politics (feminist principles and all that) in trying to help him out.

oh well. Ed, he's playing in yr hood next week, I think, though. i'll go if you want to go, but am feeling weird about going to any more gigs by myself.

Should be on for next week, nothing planned so far apart from possible russian bar naughtiness.

Looks like my next trip will be to Accra, Ghana. I am going to have o get a course of shots and psycho-active malaria pills.

Dude, what would your mates in plane stupid say? just drink loads of gin and tonic, that's how the british empire was run.

13th June for Marmaduke.

Problem is, this job I want does involve a bit of travel - they want to send me to Nyc to train (well, if i get it!) and lots of trips back and forth to the channel islands to analyse the tax havens.

Wheeeeee NYC - your mum could meet you.

Ed, for tips on what to do in the off-hours in Accra, mail Barima.

Channel Islands, opportunities for lovely boat rides over there. As for NYC well, you can see that as work and someone would end up doing it is it wasn't you. It being a hedge fund they may send you posh class which will make guilt a little more comfortable.

As for my environmental concerns, I am set to go to CMU to work on sustainable technologies and start atoning.

like my mum would come down to the devil city itself!

yeah, the bloke who interviewed me was boasting about going virgin upper class all the way. i hate videoconferencing so much, but might have to get over that instead of flying all the time.

argh argh argh i am so bloody nervous, i hate this feeling of tenterhooks, it's worse than having a crush!

When will you find out?

I hope you get it. The maths will be way more interesting than mortgages.

2hrs 40 from Poole to Guernsey on the ferry.

Catameran!

i don't know......!!!!!!!

I don't want this job in bloody acton. it's an hour to get there, even via the back route!

they're talking about paying me enough that i could buy mine own boat! how about that? sail power!

Get freddie flintoff to take you on a pedalo!

Is this job in Acton or another one?

the one today is in acton - one i don't want. the one i want is at london bridge - i could totally cycle there! (yes i have made a promise to god that i will get a bicycle if i get this job and learn how to drive it.)

Use this one as practice!

I am crossing my fingers for you!

Waiting to find out whether the job at ILX' fave newspaper that they asked me to apply for will in fact be offered...

At least, they are *this* way round.

I got made redund from one job and was able to get a WOW interview that same week for Friday, at Baker Street. If I got it, I got to keep the 3 month money and get paid also!

Suff to say, hadn't actually done interviews for 2.5 years, and fluffed it. At least, this job I have now is local even if the money didn't compare..

i've already done my THREE interviews for the job i want. but now i'm going obsessively over every detail wtih the kind of neurosis usually reserved for dates and going all "argh, they're going to think i'm stupid because i mixed up an if then else statement with an iif statement, arrrrgggghhhhh!!!"

i'm about ten times as nervous over this as i've ver been over a date, but maybe coz it's about ten times more important!

Three interviews is a good sign, it shows they like you and want to make sure.

I hope you get the job!

Oooh, she is beautiful! I'd be tempted to wallpaper my room with those, if they're only a tenner.

I have one film with her in it, and the director deploys her looks like some kind of military weapon throughout the movie:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2054/2432691802_4df1f86db4.jpg

Ka-boom.

I got this:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2550171911_8444802290.jpg
and this:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3139/2550172271_ce7740e5ea.jpg
..for next to nowt, missed this:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2550172107_3fb4dbe43e.jpg

because I went to the lav at the wrong time (a bit pissed of w/myself because of this coz it's a great pic) and got beat out ridiculously on this one:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2550993338_27440b2a83.jpg

This one is the prize, it's up in a couple of days:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3088/2551000458_6bf5bee7f7.jpg

I really, really want this one. It's gorgeous. I keep looking for stills of Colleen Moore in flapper attire, but nothing's shown up yet.

You really need auctionsniper then,pash. Never miss one!

Norman, check out my distant rellie Violet M3rs3r3au and her sis Claire for yr silent film needs! This is Violet:

http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/content/images/frohman/frprogram03.jpg

She seems to have been a leading lady in a few films, I can't find much about her though. Very edwardian for sure, the pair of them:

http://silentladies.com/annex/MerserV.jpghttp://silentladies.com/annex/MerserC.jpg

I wonder if any of their oeuvre survives/is available on DVD?

The fisrt 10 films I looked at were "presumed lost". This one is the first survivor I found. "Print exists" but the PSFL doesn't give any more info out:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014228/

My friend G did an installation/performance called THEDA about guess who? and if you go to the Artprojix site there is stuff about it, you'd LOVE it.

Here's a Wiki with some flickis:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Mersereau

Note: my branch of family spelled surname with the original C, not an S. It's kind of perfect that the films are lost; people plenty mo' famous have also suffered celluloid decay!

Theda herself I think is the most striking one for lost films, I think there's about 3 survivors, and all of her big roles - Cleopatra, Camille etc, got burned in this massive MGM vault fire back in the fifties or sixties, I forget. Of Theda's "Cleopatra" there remains a 20 second fragment. Corinne Griffith, the one I got a pic of last week, she made over fifty films, and there are 10 survivors. The one I have, "the Garden of Eden" is great, hugely entertaining. I find it all very sad.

I went through all of the Violet M titles that sounded intriguing, and the one listed is the only survivor I found. What a bummer, eh.

tenterhooks, tenterhooks!

I ended up using the interview yesterday as practise and accidentally dazzled them. The agent rang back and said they were so impressed with me they wanted me to meet with the global vice president of something or other and perhaps would create a new role for me to progress into. Second interview on Monday! ARGH!

It really is freaking FAR, though. An hour's commute, even by the back way through Wimbledon, and in the middle of nowhere. I thought, when I got off the train, "this is GRIM."

I want my other agent to pull his finger out... but am no good at playing politics like that.

The pics on yr Flicr are gorgeous, Pash!

Suzy are you still on tenterhooks, too, or have you heard anything?

I am still on tenterhooks. Have a good excuse to contact the last ed I worked with in the department 'cos something I wrote went live yesterday and I need a linky, so great opportunity to ask the nice man if I'm just being neurotic. Suspect not, as I imagine they have been busy busy.

K, my friend who lives in Clapham said she had a 20 minute tops commute to Gunnersbury if using the Clapham/Willesden line. Does that help you shave off time for Acton?

Remember, Clapham is already 20 minutes away for me! Best option is Thameslink reverse loop to Wimbledon, then up to Notting Hell on the District Line, and then Central Line. It's the wrong Acton station to use the overground, which really sucks.

Best of luck with editor. I hate pestering people, but sometimes... dude, I need to know! Pull yr finger out!

Best if those sorts of questions come in the midst of necessary admin questions so it's a good thing I had them. I can also mail a higher-up who encouraged the application in the first place so the dynamics for hassling are in my favour.

You're lucky you're working through this agy on the job that you want so it's totally OK to ring the agent to see about progress same as with estate agents, they make money on this too and prob want to close the deal.

OMG HOW MANY Acton stations are there and you missed all overground opportunities? How is that even possible? Black Hole of Acton is location of company, yes?

No harm in hassling the recruiter, particularly if you are interviewing through another one. He/She is going to earn several thousand quid out of you so you may as well make them work for it.

yeah, other agent, if he does not pull finger out, aint gonna get commission offa yours.

Uness he's supplying the other candidates as well.

In which case, hassling other agent is URGENT AND KEY.

Mailed my comm ed and found out that interview subject he had to podcast went out of his way to say I knew my shit. He knows nothing and suggests to mail the guy that hooked us up. So I will before the weekend.

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. It seems so dishonest to say "well, I'm getting hassled by my other agent, so..." except well, it is the truth! I'll drop him an email and ask when he expects to hear, and say that another role is keen enough to be bringing me in to meet their VP however I would RATHER have the job he is headhunting.

ARGH ARGH ARGH.

had first band rehearsal in ages yesterday. Our guitarist has just quit. We're kind of thinking "oh god, where are we going to find a Green, Feminist, multi-national guitarist who loves MBV and Stereolab? Maybe we should just give up and carry on having two basses."

Also, has anyone heard from Emsk? We were supposed to have lunch this week but she not answering her email. Bah!

well, I'm getting hassled by my other agent, so..." except well, it is the truth! I'll drop him an email and ask when he expects to hear, and say that another role is keen enough to be bringing me in to meet their VP however I would RATHER have the job he is headhunting.

I would do this even if it is dishonest. The fact that it is honest gives even more reason to do it. I would also do it by phone, my experience is that recruiters are crap at email. Besides, it is a summer friday he is far less likely to have meetings today. Call before lunch though or you may not get him till monday.

I need some new krautrock records any recommends?

HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! I've just been warned off Marmaduke by his friends! How hilarious!

for whose 'benefit'?

I've had the 'you really don't know what yr getting into' warnoff before (back in the day, naturally)

If they've 'been there' it's one thing, if they've seen carnage and insanity, it's quite another. Liiiiisten to the frieennnnnnds...liiiisten to the freinnnnnnnds....

Ed is absolutely right, non-manufactured reasons for escalating this are totally honest and totally reasonable.

wrong thread methinks

Yeah, I think it's a "we've had experience his... ungentlemanness and we don't want you to get hurt" rather than anything suspect. When the LAST thing I want in this world is to have an actual, real relationship with him - or indeed, anyone! I want to just have a fun fantasy, nice if he participates in it. But my emotions are not engaged beyond play. Not at this point. And now I know not to go beyond that point.

(yeah, mine was "I have no intention, just frenz" sort of similarness, but hey why should *I* tell damn buzzbods so?)

Kate, that's how I read it too.

Ed, 'escalation' comment was about employment opportunities!

I though the 'been there' was in response to a future leader having been at a fatboy slim beach party, my mistake

Just found out that I didn't get the job I wanted. GUTTED. Absolutely gutted. And now, typically, the other agent isn't answering my calls. If I don't have a job by the end of the month, then I'm freaking homeless.

:-((((((((((((((

I'm going to have to drown my sorrows in boys and booze. Wait, I can't afford booze any more. Going to have to settle for boys...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3038/2563636215_1263b4d0aa_o.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/2563636201_bc7154e480_o.jpg

Next gig is in Clerkenwell, you lot - this Friday so you have NO EXCUSE not to go.

Well, you gave it yr best shot, and at least you know you gave the other one yr best shot also.

Sucks about the job.

Friday, excellent, was looking for something to do on friday, however the doctor has told me not to drink for two months so I may be a little grumpy surrounded by lovely booze. I am going to try and make beer flavoured kombucha.

NO BOOZE FOR TWO MONTHS?!?!?!? HOW WILL YOU COPE!??!?!

I need to cut down on the booze anyway as I am broke. And my hangovers are something awful.

Trying to find out where it is, but the internet here is SOOO SLOW. Willmington Arms. Is that the place that we saw Gooblar?

Where is Goobs, anyway? Surely he can't STILL be being married!

Yes it was, I am telling myself that I remember the beer being rubbish there.

It was. I can vouch for that.

excellent, how was their lime cordial?

Don't think I drank it. Need to find an adequate non-drinking substitute. I tend to like tonic water as I can pretend there's gin in it.

Oh, if you're looking for something to listen to, have a listen to Citizen Helene - she's definitely in the comments section of my MySpaz. Definitely the best 4-part girl harmony since, well, Shimura Curves, ha ha ha.

Is WilArms a fairly schemey pub on a main road? You can always have some nice food at the pub just around the corner from Wilmington Square.

Oh that sucketh, Kate. If you want some company I've still heard nothing.

It's on Roseberry Avenue, I'm pretty sure it's the place we saw Goobs. Do you want a guest list, Suzy? Ed, you have a job, you can pay! ;-)

Though ha ha, Duke may not allow me on the guest list any more after the ultimatum I just gave him - told him he had to pose for me or I wouldn't shill for him ever again. Ha ha ha.

Kate, it's JAZZ ;-).

Sorry you didn't get the job, Kate.

It isn't, really. I have his complete demos now - the boy has BRET ANDERSON WANNABEE written all over him. The jazz thing is totally an affectation. He's a Suede casualty who discoverd a Divine Comedy record.

x-post thanks!

OK now that sounds a little bit better. Or like he's the new 4nth0ny r3yn0lds (former singer of Jack).

Brother in being totally decent for the second time in a year shocker. Life is weird. Stereolab at the Windmill (!!!!!!!) tonight.

Blimey on both counts, maybe marriage is mellowing him. I would come to stereolab but I really need to do some work on the GRE.

Hello, there.

Advice needed. If you visit a random city, and start thinking: hmm, that's a really nice city, why don't we move there? - what's the best way to go about doing it?

Pack things in van, go, call back later to cancel the milk.

I take it you mean bristol, it is a lovely city, i have lots of friends there, very pleasant, very liveable.

I guess first stop is to check work is available in your field and to work out how long you can afford to be out of work.

Ah, you've been looking at my flickr stream!

I suppose Step One will be: find friendly recruiters. I'm uneasy at the thought of jumping ship here without a definite source of income post-move.

Probably wise in this climate, but worth looking on monster to see exactly what is there even before doing that.

(the Bristolian photos are something of a coincidence - I am behind on my uploading by a few weeks)

The show was totally sold out, you wouldn't have got in! Wow, it was amazing. Best I've seen them in 10 years!

And for the ultimate Stereolab geek, here's Tim Gane's autograph on one of their guitar pedal boxes... (how happy does this make me?)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/2569429621_71f0696973.jpg

Oh awes. He is so damned nice and I wish I'd known about it. There was also a secret Franz Ferdinand gig on Monday night which I missed because a) unknown and b) I was at a free booze party at the other end of Shoreditch; I'm pretty sure I won't miss future ones.

I only found out about it by accident! Coz my friend had a spare ticket to it. It was packed, ram-full, I never saw so much greying indie hair in my life. And they have the cutest little French DDB playing keyboards for them now. Rowr! I wish I had my camera, I'd have got him to pose for me on the spot. Missed me chance, now. Damn.

La la la la la, I'm seeing the violin-playing child prodigy tonight, then can't wait until Friday!

I only found out about the Franz because Franz Singer PR Sister is FOF; we left the free booze party about five seconds after she invited us down to the venue to finish off the rider booze and chat bollocks with her bro.

I have to swear off booze for Friday, as my mate poured 3 bottles of wine down our necks last night (it was so bloody hot, drinking it like water coz we was thirsty). So you are not to be evil temptress!

I think it's going to be crawling with schmindie on Friday in the Farringdon area due to Comet Gain at Apple Tree shenanigans. Oh and confidential to K8 do not be alarmed if you are out in St Reatham and unexpectedly espy Franzman in the charity shops.

I do not like FF so I probably would not notice! ha ha. Keep those buggers away from our brilliant local chazzers. (They've just opened another, even better one!)

I have no control over this! Pretty sure he is a world-class thrifter who will find all by self (I recommended Kastoori though). But I am keen to get to that chazzer if it's so damned good.

I do not like FF either

They're no Yummy Fur. And please to not be dissing Comet Gain (who are also much better than FF).

I am antsy today as I *might* be getting my degree classification this afternoon, argh.

Also, I don't think I have said commiserations to Kate about the job yet. Boo, 'tis rubbish, they don't understand yr genius, etc.

I never said I disliked any of those bands! Especially not thee fecking Comet Gain which has contained good friends of long standing.

Sorry, suzy. As I say, antsy antsy antsy today. I want to go onto campus now, but they only said 'hopefully late afternoon' so I think it'll be pointless for a couple of hours.

I have also only just noticed your excellent use of the word 'fecking' there.

Did I spend most of 92/93 running around north London and B Right On with riot kids? I found a lot of bad, bad photos (in sense of awful camera letting in extra light) of various artists getting fecked and slade the other day.

Heh, Slade is pretty much the only person I know in Brighton, so lord help me when we move down there this September.

I found a lot of bad, bad photos (in sense of awful camera letting in extra light)

Shush - pretend you meant them to look like that and you'll get away with it. Claim you were anticipating the Lomo craze.

Eau de Slade: the perfume that smells like ozone and yesterday's beer. My mother thinks fully half of UK males smell of Eau de Slade.

Good luck with the degree classification, Emily! I have become convinced it just wasn't the right job for me anyway, they wnated someone corporate, really. And I am not corporate.

I have been suffering from terrible insomnia and drawing all night. And reading lots of Germaine Greer. Oh dear, oh dear.

Oh you indie mafia you. You will behave on Friday, won't you, Suze? (OK, you can tell Duke about the time you sicced Bret Anderson on me, but that's it.)

I hate when I'm the only person online in the morning! Wah!

OH GOD DOUBLE BOOKED

Have a conundrum in that I'm invited to a leaving drink for a webslingah I worked for, in bloody Chis Wick. I am picking up other friend bound for same bouzeup in Soho at 6/6.30 and can feasibly leave drinks before drunked/overspend.

Band is on when?

Trying to figure out when, waiting to hear from 'Duke. I've told him to text me - is yr mobile number still the same, I'll text you when I hear from him. Also plus one for friend?

Argh! This managing stuff is hard. But I'm really pleased in that I've just done my first successful calling in a favour at a (really good) record company to get an A&R to listen to him.

It's somehow so much easier when you're doing it for someone other than yourself, because there's nothing personal in getting rejected or ignored.

just call you svengali.

Pizza beforehand?

That's a distinct possibility though I'm really broke and can NOT get drunked. (I have promised 'Duke that I will be sober and not pinch his delectable bullfighter's bum.) What time will you be in?

I might drop by the Plan B office beforehand, but have to figure out first if F is still talking to me or not, as I've no idea any more.

Hey Kate, yesterday when you were complaining about no-one being online the same time as you, I wasn't looking at this coz I was emailing you! Later on I met up with Johnney B for lunch and he said he's interested in coming to the Lolrus festival with Liz.

Today is my last day in my current job. I have been with this employer for over seven and a half years, doing 2 different jobs, in 2 different buildings, under 5 different bosses and sitting at 6 different desks! All the while I have always been working in a building with 200+ people and as of Monday I will be working with 6!

very exciting.

I won't be getting drunked either. I should be back up round my way by 7ish.

Oh Ed, I had some Malletti on Tuesday. The meat was some variety of round Parma-like plus mozzarella and fresh spinach. BEST PIZZA AL TAVOLE IN LONDON PEOPLE.

K8 I will probably be leaving O with our friends in Chis Wick, as they are more her old colleagues than mine. Saturday I have to do farmer's market and then I have won something on Freecycle that needs picking up from Broadway Market which basically means up at 7am, eurgh. Ed, I am wondering if you have car access and time to help apres le market? I am happy to grab you something from a stall for thanking you.

Good luck wtih new job, Mark - argh, sorry, I am being a bad friend, I've been so busy emailing people about Marmaduke that I haven't replied to your email. I am really pleased that you are coming to the festival, that should be awesome - even moreso if Johnney B brings Liz, she is awesome.

I can't imagine working for an employer for that long. But can still imagine your relief/fear to be leaving!

Suzy and Ed - M says 9pm, but that might be PR time. I've told the poor sweet thing to put you on the industry list - he didn't even know there was such a thing! So much for this boy to learn!

thanks Kate, it is exactly that - a mixture of relief and fear!

I HAS A FIRST

(didn't find out until today, as the two departments were having an FITE about some other students)

Hurrah, congratulations, WOOOO! etc.

Wow, well done, Emily.

Really wasn't sure that it was going to happen, as I've pretty much been a 2:1 student all the way through, but it was getting closer, and now... now I HAS IT! Yesssssss.

YAY
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa299/yupko/here-have-a-cake-o-u-shoodent-hav.jpg

Hehehe, why thank you. Right, I am off to the Philosophy department drinkies, where I shall talk lots about continental philosophy to analytic philosophers, and they shall scorn me, but I shall not care. Hussar!

I love how filosoof drinks start at 1.

It takes a while to drink enough to get philosophical.

congratulations on yr first emil.y! Enjoy yr philosophical drinks.

HOORAY FOR EMILY'S FIRST!!!!!

(I resisted the urge to ask "first *what*?" heh heh heh.)

Tee hee hee, I converted Ed to the cult of Duke last night. I'll let him explain for himself when he wakes up, but he was enjoying the jazz. Oh yes. (Though I will not forgive him that Northern Lounge Singer crack! I mean, isn't that just what Bryan Ferry is, at heart?)

Anyone around today?

God, I really want to go to the Gooblar gig tonight but am just not sure I can afford it. I hate being poor. :-(

yeah

Some talk about the 2 hour "Shoegazing" special on Radio 1, Rob Ing Banks...

Oh god. It's all over, innit? I remember Nat saying something about it. God, no!

Just woke up, am still on NJ time.

Goobs, will you hate me if I can't come out tonight? I really really want to go, but am scraping bus fare together until I squeeze some money out of my brother. (I know how awful this sounds.)

Nah, of course not; I know what that's like! (But would it make a difference if I could put you on a get-in-free list?)

There's a 'play it again' link on here...

Rob Da Bank 2 hour 'Shoegazing' Special (radio 1 uk)

Gahhhhh, I'm not going to listen to that, I just know it will be awful.

Anyone having Bloomsday fun today?

I wish! I always feel like I should *do* something. Maybe I'll just wander around aimlessly.

Today: yellow fever jab, tech support at the beeb, sitting around in the sun in the courtyard of tvc, lunch with tracer hand, music with g00blar tonight. Not very joyce, but heh.

Kate, am so sorry I didn't make it to Dukeness, in Chis Wick there were complications due to friend's BF inviting obnoxious drunken friend to join us (more like intercept us at the end of our dinner) provoking one of those tedious situations that seems like it's never gonna end. Guy was creepy 40-something Brit in Africa type and he was very floridly pished by the time he found us. You know how I love loud drunk ugly men. Although I think my friend has now finished with the BF on account of the company he keeps...

Ed, wrench and Whos later? There is a futon in disarray here and I've no idea what to do next. I would come to all this G00blar but the writing is going well.

Hmmm, not sure there's a yellow chapter.... okay, just looked up the Linati schema and I think the most fitting is Calypso, which is the first Bloom chapter, 4th actual chapter - the colour is Orange, the meaning is 'the departing wayfarer'.

Tech support at beeb should be Aeolus, which is set in the newspaper office. Sitting around in the sun probably going to be Lotus Eaters. Lunch = Lestrygonians (pretty sure that's when Bloom has lunch, and one of its symbols is food). G00blar = Sirens, obv.

xpost to Ed (took me a while)

Also trying to fit in a visit to the fulbright comission.

Suzy, come round about 7 for wrenches.

And Whos! I will be there; Fulbright Commission is near the Little Duke BTW.

(also if you are in proper London in the day you have to do a Malletti).

lol at emily (and ooh, congrats on yr first! that's awesome!)

I read that as Ed has 7 wenches.

and here they are
http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/35099u1.jpg

What year is this from, Pash?

http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/00603u.jpg

October 10, 1902. Kitty Hawk, N.C. "Wilbur gliding in level flight, moving to right near bottom of Big Hill." Glass negative by Orville Wright.

Kate , check out http://www.shorpy.com/

http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/24667u.jpg

http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/27833u_0.jpg

Norman and Tom D doing national Service
http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/24672u2_0.jpg

HMV Auditions 1920
http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/20061u.jpg

my favourite
Heat wave in New York. July 6, 1911. "Licking blocks of ice on a hot day."
http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/09814u.jpg

OOPS
http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/06506u.jpg

http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/8a40875u.jpg

I can see none of these pictures.

hmmm they were all there a min ago, and now theyve gone here too. weird.

Oh well go to http://www.shorpy.com/image/tid/30

Shorpy is powered by Microsoft Windows Vista, Dell Precision workstations,

lol get a mac

I am looking at a bunch of red X's. What's that about? Is this coz I texted you about the Julian Barrett pictures? (Ohmigod, posing on the cover of the NME playing a bass and wearing a MONOCOLE, what is he trying to do to me? I'am going to have to tell Duke he's nicked his look.)

I have discovered the trick to dealing with boys. Go off the radar due to your own business and stuff going on, and suddenly they will start bombarding you with emails and texts and phone calls. I'm starting to feel a bit... um, over-chased?

Oh god, I need a job I need a job I need a job.

Good news for one member of my family, though - my brother has just signed a book deal! Hurrah!

Damn, thanks for the offer of guest list, Goobs - I wish I'd seen that before I logged off. But oh well, I blew my bus fare on laundry anyway. How did it go? Reports from anyone who was there? Ed?

Oh, what is up with this web cafe? The connection keeps coming and going!

Was great, new songs sounding good. Nearly fell over many times due to the stupid stupid disco ball in there making me dizzy. I was the only spectator who manage to stand up the whole way through the set. I feel nauseous just thinking about it.

However, great set, Looking forward to seeing it with the brother's C.

You'll be pleased to know that Jim has bough an effects pedal.

OHMIGOD!!! The heavens have split, and hell has frozen over. What did he buy?

he couldn't remember but from what he was describing it was a EH Holy Stain.

Can't remember. A nonsense! For a PhD student, he sure can be dumb!

He bought it mail order, Vey!

lol

Oh god. I spoke too soon. I uploaded my cover of his song and went to tease him about it, and then saw that he posted the weirdest blog about love and passion. Oh god, he's in love with someone. I don't know if I'm relieved to be off the hook, or stricken with jealousy and angst.

I don't want to go through this again. Time to find another muse? I'm photographing girls tonight.

And oh god, I got suckered into writing for Plan B again. They asked me to write about STEREOLAB, how could I resist?

Every time you run away the music press sends out it's suckery tentacle.

I always suspected Plan B was secretly edited by The Dark Elder God Azathoth

(NB: have not actually read any Lovecraft and am making up something that sounds roughly right)

Weirdly, having applied so far for 1 (one) job, I have already got something approaching an interview invite. It's a vague "we'd like to see you" rather than a definite appointment, but still!

Kate it was pics from http://www.shorpy.com/ have a look

Bloody tentacles, yes. Though I have given up on anything personal ever again. "let's have lunch and talk about it next week" = "I will go back to ignoring you and pretending you don't exist." I'm done with that, seriously.

Overreacted WRT Duke. As I always do.

God, I need a job!

Thats an interesting find Herman. Lots of good stuff. Someone should do a UK version.

He haaaaaaates me now. I'm convinced of it. :-(

I have so much work to do and none of it paid. Why can't I get paid for the things that take up all my time? Oh yeah, cause I enjoy them. Sucks to be me. Ah well.

I need a new crush, this one is starting to be boring and painful.

I need new friends. The ones I've got are bored with me. :-(

I don't blame them, I'm bored with myself right now. :-((((

Hey Kate!!!!

Just got back here, after far too long an absence! Just been getting used to the new workplace, &c. The journey to work is far quicker and less of a chore than I expected. I have been given the world's heaviest laptop (a Dell they assure me is 18 months old, but looks older) rather than the Mac I wanted but otherwise everything's fine. I am looking forward to MBV tomorrow night at the Roundhouse, Charlbury Festival on Saturday and of course the Lolrus on Sunday!!

ohhh hi guize I had to go to A&E last night with a very upset tummy; out of hours doctor thought it might be a hernia. It wasn't but still cannot keep water down. And my pirate connection's out, argh.

Were they impressed with your staples?

Kate, I like the AR band pics.

Mark! Hooray! Are you seated or standing at MBV tonight? We've got seats upstairs, we're posh we are. Looking forward to seeing you at the LOLrus - Emsk says she's coming, hooray - and will be happy to see you and Johnney and wants to meet Liz.

Ugh, hernia sounds awful, Suzy. I've pulled a muscle in my leg this morning and don't even know how.

I'm trying to teach AR ILX catchphrases for the LOLrus on Sunday, but they don't really get it. "No, no, my *puppy* is a bit of a liar - fuck washing a *hat*!!!" Oh dear. They can not has cheeseburger.

Not one of those awful phantom middle of the night legg muscle puling jobbies (haven't had one of those in a while).

Yes, one of those! I was having this wonderful dream - I got this email from Duke where he was complaining about how his email server wouldn't mail me, and wrote "argh, I hate it when bloody technology interferes with my crushes" and I nearly jumped out of my skin... and then literally jumped out of my skin as shooting pains went through my leg.

BEWARE MBV SPOILERS BELOW....

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http://a926.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/39/l_21bbecad47bf07b27b50dfb4fe104795.jpg

oh noe, a red cross!

I think you might have to be logged in to MySpace to see it. It's the setlist from the secret warmup gig. Oh boy oh boy it looks really good!

Ah right, I think I saw that before.

Yeah, tried logging into myspace, get a big red "noentry" from the nsh potrtal..

Try this...

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=23375667&albumID=49308&imageID=33724865

Access to 'social networking' websites and 'streaming media' websites are prohibited.

Thanks anyway, I'll see it when I'm 'awa frae heor'

Ah, your fault, not mine then. Eeep, excited about tonight!

Hello there. My job interview is definitely on, it seems!

JESUS H. CHRIST, WHAT A SHOW!!!

OK, I'm upset because they had the most awful, awful support band last night, and SPECTRUM are supporting tonight (though not with Will, I had to message him to find you - you ARE in Denmark, right?) and I'm so jealous.

But wow. That was truly a religious experience.

Two day hangover. Ouch.

Ouch indeed, would that I could have a hangover.

I'm not going to have another for a few months, I hope. Enough of that, it's too much.

Anything that does not suck right now, please let me know a list?

Seems like B@rcl@y$ are the only company in financial services right now that are hiring, and they don't even want to know me. :-(

What have they done to the Museum of the City of London? It used to be a cute little museum. Now it's been Nu Mediafied, and it's all full of television screens and interactive exhibits. Dude, if I wanted to watch a television program about London, I would have stayed home and watched television. I want to look at artefacts and maps and cool stuff! Not watch it on TV. :-(

I'm still getting over MOMI closing for removations, and then never opening again!

But you don't have a TV!
x-post

renovations! Althought removeations is prabably more apt.

I have a DVD player, I can watch docus!

I just don't like going to a museum to look at TV. It feels so very wrong to me.

yeah, TVs are things to walk past in museums, unless you are retired and have all day to stand very still and in the way, dammit!

Marmaduke is now completely ignoring my emails so I've told him to get out of my life. I hate everything and everyone right now. I'm just feeling used and sorry for myself. I hate my brain. Why does everything always have to go so wrong?

It doesn't matter, it was always totally one-sided projection, but if that's the case, why does it feel so bloody awful now it's over?

Oh, no one ever pays attention to me when I get like this anyway.

I don't think it's a case of nobody paying you any attention, more like they probly don't have anything helpful to suggest.

I was out getting some shopping. I miss not having a record shop in Hamilton as I would've liked to have picked up the Dennis Wilson 2xcd. I didn't even bother checking Woolies as I knew they were unlikely to have it. And I wasn't walking down to Asda.

Woolies might well, it's a number 12 hit, or thereabouts, right now.

Yeah but woolies is expensive. I might just order it from play.com as its only £8.95 ppd. I still cant believe i paid £16.99 for the ltd spiritualized from HMV when I was in East Kilbride the other week.

Yeah, Wool's online it's £11.99

We have about 5 or 6 games shops, countless coffee shops, dozens of mobile phone and sports shops, BHS, Marks N Spencers etc. But no record shops.
Are there any local record shops left outside of the big cities?
x-post.

This is what you call a BAND http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2JChnwv2Ws

Are there any local record shops left outside of the big cities? p

I am guessing that Hamilton is smaller than Oxford. Here in Oxford in the last few years we have lost all of our independent record shops - Chalkys, Massive (which became a FOPP, which then shut), Polar Bear (part of a small chain, but it still went), Vinyl Frontier and AVID. A local video rental store, Videosyncratic, recently started selling a few cds by local bands and also sells tickets to local gigs and festivals sometimes, but their stock is extremely limited as you might expect seeing as it isn't their core product line.

I have just seen my work travel schedule for next month:

Washington, DC--July 21
Columbus, OH--July 22
New York City--July 23
Chicago--July 25

rock, and indeed, roll!

I sincerely hope they are flying you business class for such a tight schedule. (this is a vain hope I know)

Life is bloody shit. There's nothing anyone really can say, except hello, I see you, I hear you.

Things with Duke are over, completely over, everything blew up, always crashing in the same car and I can't stop it.

Stupid bloody agencies... I was supposed to have an interview this morning. This was booked a WEEK ago. I never got any email telling me who it was with, or where to go - suddenly they rang up yesterday afternoon in a panic, going "are you still on for that interview?" Well, I would be if you would tell me where it is! "We'll email it right over!"

I went down to the web cafe at 4pm, stayed online until I ran out of money - nothing turned up. Web cafe doesn't open until 10am - this morning, it's there. I'm supposed to be in Croydon at 10.30 to fill out forms.

I told them that was totally unacceptable, that there was no way I could make it on that short notice - especially considering they'd had a week to get it to me. Said that I didn't want to work for anyone that unreliable - if they're this way about getting the job, how are they going to be about timesheets and PAYING me?

back to the sodding drawing board.

And to make life worse, I've run out of meds and don't have an appointment until Monday. It's going to be a hell of a bumpy ride this weekend.

I hate myself so much right now, I wish I could just NOT DO these things - life doesn't come with an undo button. But I somehow can't seem to STOP MYSELF when that horrible black mood comes over me.

how are they going to be about timesheets and PAYING me?

It's one thing being generally crap and disorganised.

It's another not processing timesheets and invoices. That leaves them wide open for being sued and/or open to "cease trading" notifications.

Any way the GP can give you a limited emergency prescription. Surely they must be able to help in some way?

My wife was working for an agency earlier this year who I might as well name - Jonathan Wren - who at one point owed her 3 weeks' pay (and not consecutive weeks either, one of them was from several weeks previously, they'd just pay her sporadically). We got it sorted out eventually but it took weeks. They also took over a month to pay her last week. Fucking wankers.

I am guessing that Hamilton is smaller than Oxford.

Aye. It is one of the biggest towns in Scotland though population 70,000 approx.
Our Price renamed itself "Sanity Entertainment" but even that closed down about 4 years ago. Our local Indie "Impulse" shut about 10 years ago.
I can jump on a train into Glasgow for £4, but I dont like doing that as I always see more that I want but cant afford. So I just end up buying from play.com.
Tbh most of the music i buy tends to be imported from America from the actual labels, but it is frustrating that I cant buy semi-big releases from a record shop in my own town.

Kate, hang in there!

Colonel Poo, was your MBV setlist the same as the one up above?

No, they didn't start with Only Shallow, I think it was I Only Said. When You Sleep was the 2nd song tho. They played a lot of the same songs but different order. And they didn't play Lose My Breath (unless they did when I went to the bog).

Did they play Only Shallow though?

Yeah, about 5 songs in

whew

It didn't get really really loud until (When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream. Before that it was just normal loud.

Ear plug loud?

btw where do all you watercooler folk buy your cds/records/tapes from?

Boomkat, Amazon, Freak Boutique, Fopp

I toyed with putting the free ear plugs in at one point but I was quite far back so didn't bother. Wasn't deaf afterwards, just slight ringing yesterday. It was amazingly loud but the venue's so big.

ATM mostly Ebay or Soho MVE, can't afford new CDs :(

What record shops are near where you guys live?

There's Cavern Records on Walthamstow High St in which I occasionally find cheap 90s indie stuff I didn't know I wanted. Apart from that just charity shops and HMV/Woolworths.

One of my favourite old punk labels Small Wonder was run out of a shop that was right round the corner from my flat. Course it's not there any more.

what 90s stuff?

Big Cat/Fire/City Slang type stuff

Ahh. Get anything good?

Got a Simple Machines singles comp, Fitz Of Depression, Magic Hour, uhh probably a couple more I can't think of right now...

I got a couple of Salaryman cds for £5 from avalanche but that was like 8 years ago.

FP, if you're around, any record shops in the town of the Grim?

Only Zavvi and HMV. Back when I was a teenager there was also an Andy's and a couple of specialist dance vinyl shops.

That you never went into? ;)

Yep - how did you guess!

Morning there.

I made a stupid mistake last night. I went to a My Bloody Valentine gig. I made two stupid mistakes: the second was not walking out when everyone else started to. Does anyone know any friendly no-win-no-fee lawyers? I'm seriously thinking of demanding compensation.

In other news, Sonic Boom - I'm *told* it was Sonic Boom, I couldn't hear a word of the inter-song mumbling - was quite good as the support.

What was wrong with the gig that made people walk out?

What was the first mistake?

Oh wait I understand now.

Kerr: 15-20 minutes of white noise at ear-bleeding volume. Well, not literally ear-bleeding, but literally making my entire body and clothes vibrate volume. Most people had hands over their ears despite already wearing earplugs. It wasn't just painfully loud, permanent-damage-causing loud, it was also incredibly dull, because it was just continuous undifferentiated noise, no rhythm, no change, nothing at all. Completely worthless. I wish I'd walked out two minutes into it, but I stayed partly out of sheer "they must do *something* soon"*, and partly because of the impossibility of explaining to Kim that we were leaving, now, right away (I'd left my phone in the car). If I could have borrowed a lighter easily, I'd have nipped into the loo and tried to trigger the fire alarm, in the hope of cutting stage power.

* the same feeling that made me listen to the first Polyphonic Spree album all the way through. Once, never again.

Were you standing at the back?

Yep, as far back as you could go

They're doing festivals, aren't they?

How's that going to go?

I can't afford to buy CDs. So no shops for me.

FP, I'm not being funny, but have you not been reading the reviews and descriptions of the recent MBV shows? Although I can understand that it's not your thing, I find it kind of hard to believe that you didn't know at all what to expect.

I remain utterly shit. I have a new script, but I've been off anti-depressants for long enough that they are making my head go funny. And I've got the flu. I have no idea how. Totally blew a job interview yesterday through being too sick to even understand the questions. Had to cancel an interviwe this morning, but am going to stick through one this afternoon. I feel grim, in every conceivable way.

I might as well not exist, eh?

have you not been reading the reviews and descriptions of the recent MBV shows?

Er, no. I tend not to read reviews of gigs until after I've been to them.

Had to cancel an interview this morning, but am going to stick through one this afternoon

srsly, Kate, do not do this! Ring them up or ring the agency up and tell them you are unwell today and ask them to reschedule. If you are not 100% then you are not presenting yrself at yr best and you are wasting their and your time.

There isn't any point either way. Maybe I'll have some epiphany on the way to the interview or something. Maybe I'll get hit by a bus. I don't know.

Talking of interviews: what's the point at which, not hearing from someone who's interviewed you, you should poke them and say "hey, have you made your mind up?" Given that, in this case, they did say that they wanted to take a while over things to try to get more candidates in.

for my current job, I sent an email the day after when I got back into the office for the job I was doing at the time saying "Thank for your time yesterday. It was good to meet you and I look forward to hearing from you again soon". I had never done this before, and I think it was the right thing to do -- courteous, not too pushy and providing the necessary "poke".

The poke is definately a good thing to do, I always try and get a business card. A little bit of sucking up never hurt. Also, as an added bonus, the recruitment agents hate this kind of short circuiting.

I poked the agent, and he responded to tell me he's been out of the office so hasn't had time to find out what's going on - but when he does, which he's definitely going to do, my sucking-up will definitely get passed on.

I just don't know. I never think of that kind of thing - the agents are just so proprietary.

I just don't know about that interview yesterday. It was bloody weird. The test... it was just off the wall, he was looking for very specific things 1) which I didn't know technically - I cannot code by hand and I made this clear beforehand and 2) he was asking for information from example tables that just wasn't specified.

I did the best I could with it, I answered most of the questions "well, in Crystal I would do this..." to prove that I could think logically in regards to databases. Later, the agent told me that the test had utterly flummoxed experienced SQL programmers, so I didn't feel so bad.

The interview got off on a wrong foot because the first question they asked was "what do you know about the company?" Absolutely nothing. I've read the job spec and had a look at the website. I know, poor research, but given it was the third interview in three days - well, I was honest and said, well you tell me what it's all about.

After that it went OK. I liked the guy, I liked the company, but he seems really confused about what he actually *wants* to hire - a SQL Developer or a Systems Analyst or a Data Analyst or *what*.

I'm off to Northampton tonight. I'm looking forward to getting out of London way more than any gig.

Hang on - do you mean he was asking questions like "what query would you use to get X, Y and Z from our example tables" without telling you what the tables actually were? That's bloody stupid.

No, it was more like... there was a table holding exam results - first column subject, second column student name, third column score. He wanted me to group and average the scores by student name - when no student had taken more than one test! I could have averaged them by subject, no problem, which I put down. But there wasn't enough information in the table to group and average by student name.

Stuff like *that*.

And another question asking what was the name of the kind of join used in a query when there was no join specified at all!

Bonkers!

That does seem rather obtuse, and why are they even recruiting if they don't know what they want?

"implicit inner join"?

OK, you would have got the job. I clearly didn't.

Ha ha ha ha, I've FINALLY found a life model who OFFERED to get naked for me. OK, yes, it's one of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, but still.

I managed to get almost home before I got Anton-ed. it's like being buttonholed by your drunk uncle. even ten years later, he *still* can't get his head around my accent. |Sigh.

OK, I'm in Northampton until further notice. What is good to do in Northampton?

Do they have a shoe museum?

they do. I can't remember if I've been there or not, but a shoegazer like me should definitely go to the shoe museum.

Northampton, so I hear, is a load of old cobblers.

I might be right, I might not be. If you're SELECTing from more than one table, but you don't JOIN them yourself - you do it with WHERE clauses instead - then it's an implicit inner join. Or, in other words...

SELECT a.col1, b.col2 FROM a, b WHERE a.foreign_key = b.key

is the same as doing

SELECT a.col1, b.col2 FROM a INNER JOIN b ON (a.foreign_key = b.key)

but the join is implicit. Not entirely sure about my syntax in that second example.

If you were SELECTing from a single table, then there's no joining and therefore it's a dumb question.

Having said that: I have just got a rejection email from the job interview I had last week. So, I'm useless at getting jobs anyway and am not really to be used as an exemplar.

In other news, a fork-lift truck has just driven into the wall of my office (the other side of it). I'm feeling a bit jumpy.

MBV tonight.

Runaway Palestinian or industrial accident?

OK, I clearly just didn't know any of that, and had no business even being put forward for the job. I SAID I was a Crystal reports designer, NOT a SQL developer, but they still saw me anyways. I don't get it.

Yay for MBV! Don't forget your earplugs, Kerr. Seriously.

In Northampton you say? Go here...
http://www.78derngate.org.uk/

oooh, that looks good! going to ring up tomorrow and see if I can get an appointment for Saturday! love Mackintosh, so it will be lovely. good and central, too.

(Did not get to the shoe museum?)

I couldnt find my earplugs so bought new ones

We chatted by the WATERCOOLER at the gig!

Industrial accident. We train people to drive fork lifts - it was bound to happen eventually.

I went to a gig last night and all three bands were brilliant. Not a duff tune between them, more of an FP kind of a night than a kerr one. Stanley; Piney Gir and Dexter Bentley. (There was also a nordic bob dillon impersonator but the less said about him the better).

Kate, we should go to the next one which seems a little more straight up folky, but its three pounds in, and upstairs at the betsey which is has been nicely done up and is full of tables and chairs.

Ha ha, Kerr - sorry I got your texts so late, we were listening to the Viv Stanshaw concept album about Henry Rawlinson. Um. What a trip.

That does sound good. Piney Gir is ace, we played with her at Truck.

I'm going to the Labour Club tonight - that place we went to last time.

I'm wondering about going to see Duke on Tuesday. I really want to go to the club - it looks very Victorian and steam punk and ace, but I'm still worried about how he would react if I turned up. Like, he said things were fine and I said things were fine, but what boys say, and what they do are two very different things.

It looks really ace, though...

http://a87.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/96/l_b0ff713caeef89e007e01ad147ab0b66.jpg

Fancy coming so I don't feel like a berk going on mine own?

Possibly, need to see what I am up to next week, but would see marmaduke again as I enjoyed the last one.

Seen on the wall of the Betsey was a poster for a festival promising to combine jousting and rock and roll. Unfortunately Emsk said it had been canceled due to lack of interest.

Say hi to northamptoners and drink an oyster stout for me.

You know when yr in a charity shop, and the cheap homemade CDr albums are in the corner, and you know it's a waste of time even looking at them?

One of them was "Sir Henry at Rawlinson End"

yup. Hoving that!

(having that, that is)

Some good display fonts on that poster.

How can a jousting and rock combo not attract the punters? I understandeth not, my liege.

lack of interest? lack of PROMOTION, more like - I'd be totally up for a jousting and rock concert if I'd KNOWN about it.

I do love the fonts on that poster - I've heard things about this Kitchener band, which is the main reason I want to go. It would be bad, though, if I turned up late, and missed Duke and was all "oh, are you playing here?" that would be disingenous.

Would it even be worth asking Emsk if she wants to come? Getting her out of the office is like pulling teeth! We can all wear our tweed and twiddle our mustaches.

Sir Henry is one of those things that I have no idea why I didn't know about it before, but I think needs to form the basis for a large part of my life from now on. It's utterly wonderful. "I'm in my 40s and still unusual!"

Circulus headlining as well, pretty decent lineup all round. I was saying that this year is like that year in the 90s when the phoenix festival and a bunch of others went titsup due to oversupply. We couldn't agree what year that was (I say 96 Emsk says 94)

But but... Circulus! And jousting! Why didn't I know about this? I just told Mark about it, and he would totally have been up for going. It's not oversupply, it's that people just don't find out about that cool stuff that is going on.

Wow, the world is really small. I've just been contacted by a friend of Will's who's seen my art online, and he is now working for a publisher that does cards and art books and things - he wants to meet up to see if they can publish something of mine! How amazing would that be?

Brilliant (I still thing you should write or illustrate a children's book)
Actually on that idea, how about you illustrate a folk song and make it into a book, Bold Sir Rylas or Child Morris would be good.

I will actually suggest that in the meeting! Bold Sir Rylas would make a great illustrated book. All those boars and piglets and witches.

FP band Kerr band
Hey i finally got my own stereotype!

Kate, it was always just a matter of time!

i should lend you my 'folk songs of the Northern Border' some good yarns in there.

I just wanted to pop on to say thanks again to the Kerrminator for help with tickets yesterday, and how good it was to meet him last night.

Now I'm popping off again.

What was just a matter of time?

Getting a job is just a matter of time, and I still don't have one of those. Bah. Would be great if I could make a living drawing paisley and not have to bother with a dayjob. Doubt it will happen soon, though.

Accentmonkey! Hurrah!

i would also like to thank Kerr for the heads up on the tickets. You're a lifesaver. That was one fraught afternoon there until GF texted me! I think we'd have been alright had we left it until we got to outside the gig, but with three of us it was better to be safe than sorry, and relax in advance of the gig, allowing us to eat and drink elsewhere in the knowledge it was sorted.

And I, too, am off again.

I'm glad it all worked out well. Was really nice meeting you all!
It was just good luck that i read ILE and happened to look at the MBV forum and saw 3 tickets on sale.

btw i know you know what Stephen Pastel looks like, I was just trying to explain no one could miss him with that bright yellow anorak haha.

I cant remember what the setlist was last night. I never can, and I dont even drink. Can anyone remember it?

I am waiting for Kath to hurry up and get dressed so we can go out carousing and bothering the rock boys of Northampton again tonight!

Note to self: do NOT snog the same singer songwriter as last time.

I am too old for carousing. Had a pint and a half of Tom Fool Ale and nearly fell asleep in my booth. Didn't snog anyone. Disappointed in myself, terribly.

Will the bus back to London be any cheaper than the train, do you think?

Undoubtedly.

Also drops you back at victoria which is better than Euston.

14:30 or 17:30 £7 or £9

Although, £11.50 if bought offline.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/

Victoria isn't better than Euston! That only takes me to Streatham Hill! I can get a bus back from Euston.

Also, the bus takes two and a half hours to the train's one hour! I think I'm going to spend the extra cash.

Did you not get a return when you went up?

No, I got a ride in a Merc!

I went to the Hollowell Steam Fair today! And got very rained on. But saw lots of steam engines! Nearly got run over by steam rollers on parade, argh!

I hate aniversaries.

Can someone think of a reason for me not to have to go back to London? Like, Stat? Sigh. I don't want to wear out my welcome but I don't want to go home.

Every time I'm left in this house, to mine own devices, ex Spacemen drop by. Is it any wonder I don't want to leave? Ha ha.

Eh, back online again. Big pile of emails to sift through.

How are you doing Pash? Hope you're alright. x

I'm OK, keeping busy mainly. Mornings on repairs & stuff in the shop, afternoons on probate shit. Funeral was on Thurs, it was simultaneously awesome (cortege of veteran cyclists & sustrans rangers made me feel really proud of my dad) and grim, obv because of the circumstances. Really sorry I missed Ken's ILX fest, but what could I do.

We missed you, but obviously, totally understood. Sounds like it was an amazing tribute, even under such sad circumstances. Keeping busy is probably the best thing you can be doing right now.

OK, I have got to get out of this house and on the road or I'm going to be coming into rush hour in London!

I demand some rolling walking!!! Real soon! Possibly near here...

I now have a friend who can provide DOGS who need lots of walking so we need some country to do some walking in. Where is Ed and Mark H and JB and Emsk and the rest of the PRS?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/2700299687_e04b7bc167_o.jpg

I like your grass and pebbles.

I tried searching for this thread the other day, so I could tell you all that I've lost my job. Couldn't find it, though.

Ed is here but going away for a month soon. I shall email later and organise drinks.

Suck FP. Does this give you the push you need to strike out for Bristol?

Argh! Oh, I' so sorry! That is rubbish. What happened? Did they at least give you a decent payoff package?

I still haven't found another job, in fact, had a massive disappointment earlier this week through not getting a job I really wanted. :-(

Ed, you are always away these days. We should walk before you go.

Oh, also to add to the general chorus of misery, I got sacked from my band on Wednesday.

To those of you who couldn't figure it out from their arrogant tosser routine at the ILX Fest, um, Autorotation turned out to be arrogant tossers.

Let me work out diary but yes walking sounds good.

Eh, sorry to hear about it, Kate. Bands can be such a pain in the ass.

Indeed, Ed. I've been tarting up and sending out my CV, and registering for everything I can see. Next step should be to phone round places I've registered and say "hello, I've registered, but I always think it's a good idea to meet recruiters in person; I'll be in your area on [date x] so I'd like to pop in and meet someone if possible".

Payoff will be 4 weeks; I got 7 weeks notice, too, so I can't start a new job until September.

xpost: any good news, anyone? If you ever fancy an ILX day out in the Yorkshire Dales, by the way, you should go to The Forbidden Corner. Went there last week and it's bizarre and fab: http://www.flickr.com/photos/forest_pines/sets/72157606327889751/detail/

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/David-Camerons-Mountain-Bike_W0QQitemZ150274987872QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item150274987872

!!!!!

Very true words, Pash. How are you doing?

There really is no such thing as a low-stress, low-pressure band.

After a certain age, one accepts that one is never going to "make it" in the music biz. After this point, the only point to playing music is for fun, because you enjoy it. I think I'm going to take some time off being in bands for a while, while I sort my life out. But after that, I'm only playing with mates who just want to have some fun and make some music.

Ed, are you still around next weekend, i.e. the 2nd of August? FMM and I were talking about going to Northampton to see Je Suis Animal - you'd certainly be welcome to join us for adventures and walking in the midlands as well as good music and good times and good people at the Labour Club.

FP I was just looking at yr photos on Flickr and thinking that looked amazing, and wondered where it was!

x-post, that's hilarious, Pash!

I am still around next weekend and like that idea, although probably can't come up for the whole weekend and I am running around like a blue arsed fly trying to get things ready to go away, (Also finish application essay). Labour club, oyster stout and Je Suis Animal sounds like a quality evening.

Hi UKers! Sorry to hear about sackings and futile job-searchings and ex-bands. I'm in Montenegro for the summer, unemployed as well, but waiting to hear about the one job prospect for the fall I have. Should hear within the next week, but the uncertainty is killing me at the moment.

Hi all. Sorry FP, that's rubbish about the job, good that you're getting some nice cash tho.

Kate, I like your trees. If I was trolling I would mention the dailymailness of the title, but I would only be playing devil's advocate! ;) Very pretty. I'm sorry 'bout your job too, I guess the job market isn't terrific for analyst-types at the mo.

Were your band playing arrogant-tosser at the winmill? I don't remember that, must have missed that bit.

I'm all for some kind of walking-style action. Preferably in the country, rolling hills and all that. Maybe up by Stratford? That way Liz would be able to join us! I'm easy tho.

Is this the one you were telling me about? (Understand if you don't want any of the details talked about)

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Well, Kath and Mark are actually away that weekend, so we don't exactly have a place to stay, so we might have to make it an up and back in one day thing. But I think this is a very good idea!

Good luck, Goobs - at least you've picked a beautiful place to be unemployed.

Isn't stratford full of Dr Who fans and trekkies at the moment?

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Forbidden Corner's quite expensive for a public garden, (over 8 quid a ticket) but it's a really good visit. It's effectively a big labyrinth; a bit like Portmeirion without the buildings; a bit like a slightly odd dream.

If you want to go, I think there are local buses, but it's quite remote. It's in Wensleydale, a few miles outside Leyburn.

If we do move to Bristol, I will have to persuade you lot to go walking in the Cotswolds or the Mendips at some point. Kim has a job interview there on Monday, and I'm going down with her to offer support and politely harangue recruiters.

Yeah, Ed, the very one. I'm on a shortlist of two.

Also, it very much looks like I'm soon going to be a father.

Sounds like a good plan, also persuading us to go walking in the cotswolds is very easy.

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Wow! congratulations.

Congratulations!

Thanks! We're scared!

This isn't a dissertation procrastination technique, I hope.

Yeh, Stratford is full of trekkies. I was keen on seeing PS in Hamlet, but it seems a bit tacky to go now. It's lovely round there tho, and I'm sure Liz can rustle up some kind of interesting walk for us.

Congratulations, G00blar! SERIOUS BUSINESS, THIS.

Hi all, just popping my head in for a minute - for some reason ILX is unblocked at work at the moment.

Sorry about...
a) arrogant tossers
b) layoffs

Happy about...
a) babies
b) seeing the backside of arrogant tossers

Photos look totally amazing, FP. Will definitely add to my to visit list.
May be back in London for my birthday this year (falls on a weekend at the same time as Forever Heavenly Doves, Beth Orton, St. Etienne woo woo sep 12-14)

xpost hi Mitya!

Yeah, you're telling me. We're sort of holed up here, isolated from much of the world, getting our heads around it. Excited! Anxious! Excited! Anxious!

Hi Mitya - and thanks!

I should have added, if any of you does want to go to the Forbidden Corner, you have to prebook tickets.

Kate, I'm keeping busy, basically. Mornings I'm doing shop repairs and ordering/paying bills, all that. Afternoons, if Helen's up, we're dealing w/probate, which is slightly complex, though not too bad. Helen is doing most of the clearance of Dad's flat, she's got the shitty end of the stick there, because it's pretty sad.

Among old bike collectors, we're told, the price of my dad's frames has doubled since he got killed which is a bit pathetic a/on general principles b/because the guy who was my dad's main framebuilder is still alive. Fukcing people.

I'm probably the same w/r/t bands, The thing that amaze/d me was the egotism in the local covers pub band scene, all these old guys playing whitesnake & black sabbath covers to 35 people in a pub, the way they'd go on, you'd thing they actually were david coverdale or ozzy. I'd actually like to get something together, stereolab mixed with warren/dubin, maybe. My playing skills have atrophied somewhat. After the last couple though I'll probably put on the ad "no alpha-males, no sociopaths, no couples, no covers bands" haha

Whoa! Congrats Goobs! Best dissertation procrastination technique evah!

JB, it's Country LIfe, not Daily Mail. At least get the correct right wing rag.

And Pash, I hear ya. No couples, that may have to be a new rule now...

That's weird how vulture-like collectors are, bah. Fucking people indeed.

Mitya in London, double woo-woo to that!

Oh hey, it lives. Sorry to hear about job problems and other assorted downers.

The thing that amaze/d me was the egotism in the local covers pub band scene, all these old guys playing whitesnake & black sabbath covers to 35 people in a pub, the way they'd go on, you'd thing they actually were david coverdale or ozzy.

Heh, I live somewhere small enough that all we get is covers pub bands, and this seems pretty OTM. I quite liked one of the local covers guys because he played different stuff to the rest of them, but then he got himself a website full of self-important blurb, extended galleries of foot-on-monitor pictures from every possible angle, mp3s of his covers but only 30 seconds of each otherwise you wouldn't buy his CDs at a tenner each... and he still seems better than some of the ones I've heard chatting at the bar.

There's a building I always go past on the way into Bristol and I always wonder what it is. If we end up with a Bristol walking crew, I'll have to ask here about it, with crude half-remembered MS Paint pictures or something.

That forbidden corner place looks great.

Sorry to hear about the band thing, MB - even if they turned out not to be nice people I did like the music.

Pash - I just found out that you know my friend from Newcastle, R1ch4rd (unless my source is completely wrong).

In other news, me and the mister have found a flat and (barring unforeseen catastrophe) I will definitely be moving to Brighton in the last weekend of August. Eek!

eeek, indeed but september in Brighton should be lovely. I assume Archel is still around somewhere and possibly manning a library desk in the august institution you are destined for.

Kate is no1 Scott Walker fan on Last FM these days since she started scrobbling. Kate you tried last fm personal radio yet?

Oh, that would be brilliant - I posted on one of the Brighton threads a while ago but only upt0eleven replied (quite usefully, mind you). We're right in the city centre, which I'm hoping will be a blessing rather than a curse. It's certainly a good location: halfway between the station and the sea.

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Nice location. (good for late night returns from london) Will you be out at Falmer for studies?

Yep, at Uni of Sussex rather than the Brighton one (which I believe has part of its campus out there too). I've heard it's surrounded by really nice downland, but it'll struggle to beat the Notts campus, which I absolutely adore.

It is pretty out there, near ditchling beacon, which is a nice walk. You get up high for great views of the town and the sea.

Will I get vertigo and fall off a hill, though? That is the question.

Pash - I just found out that you know my friend from Newcastle, R1ch4rd (unless my source is completely wrong).

Yes! Your source is completely right, Richard H is a great guy, one of the nicest people I've ever met. I shared a flat with him, and Keith R, who died a couple of months ago, for a few years in the nineties, probably the happiest time of my life TBH. Played in bands with him a couple of times as well.

One quick flickr search later:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/91/251267307_0df8ed9cbc.jpg?v=0