What was the best thing you wrote this year?

This.

a couple of poems , they are rather long and if i have permisson i would like to post them ?

post, post, post!

ans: a LURVE letter. which i shall NOT post.

Best in terms of what pleased me most was that letter to Hot Press about the Revs, they deserved it. Both hot press and the revs.

Real best was probably another thing I wrote for Losing Today but it's kind of shite really so I'd rather not link it or anything. I tend to think most stuff I write is shite about the tenth time I read it. i will write some stuff next year provided my whole time isnt taken up by this pesky journalism course. how stupid does that sound.

Laura's funeral oration.

Also counts as the worst thing I wrote this year, because I didn't ever think I'd have to write one. Not for another 50 or 60 years anyway.

Anthony, post away.

I've been trying to think of my answer to this and I honestly can't - I don't feel I've written anything particularly outstanding. So pass.

My phd thesis.

'I See Stars'; 'Incurable'; 'MGM'; 'Anita O'Day'; 'The Rest'; 'I Loved You Once'; 'Fire Engines'; 'Pole Star'; 'Oh My'; 'A11'; 'She Threw It All Away'; 'Sober As A Drunk'; 'United States Postal Service'; 'Route 52164'.

Robert was handsome and kind someone you wished you could dismiss as a jock so your cynicism remained protective Someone who was so genuine you thought it was mockery

it was years since i had though of him and here he was standing next to me in the gym

me with my grimy denims threedaysworn denims and him with his khakis freshpressed me with my t shirt slightly too small him with a starched white shirt almost tailored i had a crimson mohawk he had a blonde thatch

and in the shower his belly was as smooth as riverstone my paunch had yet to disappear his shoulders were wide mine were hunched his spine was prarie straight mine was knarled even his prick was more elegant then mine ********************************************************************** he broke apart organically

i wanted to think his mind dissipated like milk weed in june

but his brain was thick as bramble and a clot like a spark laid waste

There was no harbinger we clutch at reason seek haven in the shadowed comforts (cliche euphemism missing detail inaction)

The providence of a loving G-d failed you The skills of Doctors in two countries failed you

look through the scriptures look through the medical texts

which one can you trust ? can you find cause in this chaos ? Because Randomness has no comfort .... ********************************************************************* that morning i went alone followed concrete to wooden stairs

that evening we went to the woods together followed the crick and saw wonders

bracken ferns splitting then toppling firs

delicate chinese landscape lichen that crumbled granite until it nourished thick moss carpets

we saw an owl with a harliquin mask swoop and devour a mole

and then the final wonder the creek widened and we smelt salt

in the distance a breaking off of land islands tailing off into ellipses

everything so faint and grey the ocean almost a phantasma ***********************************************************************

fuckign formatting. let me try that again .

Robert was handsome and kind
someone you wished you could dismiss as a jock
so your cynicism remained protective
Someone who was so genuine
you thought it was mockery

it was years since i had though of him
and here he was standing next to me in the gym

me with my grimy denims threedaysworn denims
and him with his khakis freshpressed
me with my t shirt slightly too small
him with a starched white shirt almost tailored
i had a crimson mohawk
he had a blonde thatch

and in the shower
his belly was as smooth as riverstone
my paunch had yet to disappear
his shoulders were wide
mine were hunched
his spine was prarie straight
mine was knarled

even his prick was more elegant then mine

he broke apart organically
i wanted to think his mind dissipated
like milk weed in june

but his brain was thick as bramble
and a clot
like a spark
laid waste

There was no harbinger
we clutch at reason
seek haven in the shadowed comforts
(cliche euphemism missing detail inaction)

The providence of a loving G-d failed you
The skills of Doctors in two countries failed you

look through the scriptures
look through the medical texts

which one can you trust ?
can you find cause in this chaos ?
Because Randomness has no comfort ....

Peter Clarke Died August 23 2001

that morning
i went alone
followed concrete to wooden stairs

that evening
we went to the woods together
followed the crick and saw wonders

bracken ferns
splitting
then
toppling firs

delicate chinese landscape
lichen that
crumbled granite
until it nourished thick moss carpets

we saw an owl
with a harliquin mask
swoop and devour a mole

and then the final wonder
the creek widened
and we smelt salt

in the distance
a breaking off of land
islands tailing off
into ellipses

everything so faint and grey
the ocean
almost a phantasma

I've written nothing this year, so I'm very proud of that.

A bio for one of Hank's bands.

Nice to see Pete reviving my hilarious (but very PROFOUND) gag of 7/12/00.

I've written sod-all this year.

I really liked parts of Anthony's poetry.

Things the Pinefox omitted: 'Let's Just Go Out', 'Long Island', 'Hurricane Alison'. 'Milk Bar'? Perhaps not.

I don't believe I have written anything very worthwhile this year. In fact I'm almost sure I haven't.

Steady Mike: s-s-so you also said 'This', a year ago?

Best thing you've written to me was probably the FANTASTIC verbal gag about how a darts champion from the 1980s was supposed to be making a point for you about the relation between railway timetables and modernist writing, but had failed to turn up.

I think everyone will agree from this summary alone - it was tremendous.

Cookie: 'Milk Bar' is c.January or February 2000. On the other titles, you do have a point.

I am proud of the part I played in furthering the cause of interactive graffiti in the toilets in the lRC at college. I wrote stuff, then returned to find replies. This began a few months ago and still continues. I am thinking af launching another topic. At the moment it is a FITE between those who think people (me) who write rather juvenile things on toilet walls are pathetic and those who can see the humour and slag off those who think toilet wall humour is pathetic. Plus someone who has written 'it is an anomaly of nature that mountain goats are always born in twins' I don't think they understood the thread.

My Hannah Marcus Piece -- that needs to go back up in the f/t archives. Also, a thang on in review about the girl to whom I once wrote the best love letter in the world. Which was clearly the best thing I wrote last year. (the love letter, that is).

I want to hear these songs of yours Pinefox. Can I? How?

Sterling - I'll bang it up tonight, apologies for the neglect.

Doc - just mail me and I'll sort it out.

I *still* want to hear the Pinefox's songs. I wonder whether he'd want to hear mine ...

A lot of my best stuff from this year hasn't been published anywhere, yet, but two that have:

http://www.elidor.freeserve.co.uk/avalanches.htm

and

http://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/halcyon/hugh/index.htm

I was quite proud of my dissertation..."Exposed Nerve: Virtual Community, Identity and Youth"

The 4 chapters I wrote of my novel

My chickenbear history post.

(ps I'm using best subjectively)

The story I wrote in May about Atlas (nothing to do with Ayn Rand) and the short essay I wrote in October.

I'll mail you, PF.

Robin - are we still in a Euro-pop duo - Captain Swing and Dr. C, IIRC? Perhaps we should write some songs. You write them - I'll be the one who doesn't do anything, but looks good on the TV . All bands should have one. All my stuff sounds like The Electric Prunes anyway, not very Europop.

*struggles to imagine his songs working in a Eurodance style*

"Best thing you've written to me was probably the FANTASTIC verbal gag about how a darts champion from the 1980s was supposed to be making a point for you about the relation between railway timetables and modernist writing, but had failed to turn up."

Not for the first or last time, I have absolutely no idea what you're on about son. I'm sure it must have been terrific, though.

I guess that novel thing of mine. I've been sending it around to friends and gotten some nice reactions. :-)

I haven't been particularly happy with anything I've written this year, academically or music-wise. I'm too prone to just rushing something at the last minute. Last year = much better year creatively.

The Pinefox also omitted 'You Don't Say'. I like it esp. cos it's the rare song of his that seems thoroughly masculine in a lazy, slack, sprawling, loose-limbed kind of way.

"You Don't Say" = sounds like a so solid crew song. heh.

Hooray!

Tim F: you saying you won Best ILM poster for nuttin'? And Skykicking is so essential it's painful!

'You Don't Say' = Classic as well of course. I could have named others. Lazy masculinity, it's the new rock n roll!

I still reckon we need horns on "You Don't Say", Pinefox. To bolster the lazy masculinity and at least get it up the stairs to bed. I'm thinking Entwistle's "My Wife".

Mitch: I was going to say that I feel this way despite ILM (though thanx again everyone - honestly did not expect that!). What I should say is that I probably feel this way because of ILM

Tom, FWIW I really really liked your piece on vocals in pop.

The only thing that I am even remotely proud of this year ended up on a newsletter to campus/community station in Canada about why I love radio. I dont have a copy cause it was a drunken email at god knows what hour of the morning but it was better then I remebered. I guess they must have runa spell check on it though.