March 2001 - Sinister - missprint.org

Sinister: there is a feeling you should just go home
by julia i suppose 04 Mar '01

04 Mar '01

hello. i am nervous. very nervous. as i've been on this list for a very long long time under various email addresses, but never felt brave enough to post. i just sit in the shadows and read the posts and think 'hmm, if only i could be so interesting'. but i've finally been inspired to post. i don't know what did it... my school is on break now- spring break- and i chose to stay here in my new apartment as opposed to going home. so i've been all alone and scared by the creepy noises i hear and i've been doing nothing but listening to belle and sebastian and drinking many many cups of coffee everyday from my belle and sebastian mug (the one with the twins... the fold her hands one i use for hot chocolate). i thought that if i surrounded myself with belle and sebastian i wouldn't be as scared. and it's been working. so i thought that finally posting to sinister would completely eliminate all the creepiness i feel in this apartment. hopefully it will work. intro to me: i'm julia, 18, at school for film in rochester, ny. i'm originally from new jersey, near new york city. last night i dreamt i met britney spears in nyc. her skin was amazingly soft and sweet smelling. like lightly perfumed silk. its the first positive dream i have had about her. (im sorry, i realize this isnt a britney spears list, but i have this strange strange obsession with that beautiful pop icon). so anyway, i think that dream was a sign i should have went home over break as opposed to staying here and scaring myself in this apartment. but i suppose it's too late for that now. it's alright though; i have a brand new coffee maker to keep me company. this may sound odd, but about two years ago there was something i wanted to comment about on this list, and didn't, but i still remember it. was it two years ago? oh well, something along those lines. someone had been talking about english teachers and majors liking belle and sebastian. it was some theory about english majors and b & s. i wanted to confirm it and say i had an english teacher at the time who pulled me over one day after class and said 'julia, you like british things, right'. i nodded. he said 'have you heard of this band.. umm... belle and sebastian?'. i grinned and nodded overly enthusiastic. he said, 'oh cos a friend of mine is into them, and i want to impress her. do you have anything of theirs i can borrow?' so i lent him IYFS and 369 and another ep, i don't remember which one. the day after i leant them to him, he came into class and raved about the band in front of everyone. he just talked about belle and sebastian all period. it was lovely. now that i think of it, i may have actually posted about that.. i should search through the archives. hmm oh well. --- "Laura Llew" <lleweth(a)hotmail.com> >I asked her to be donned in a blazer with gold fringes, a hat, and have a >monkey on her shoulder. Ok, so I would have settled for the monkey to be the >one in the suit. Alas, it did not matter. There was no suit! There was no >monkey! There was no Scenic New Jersey! Perhaps the "natural beauty" which >she kept referrring to was simply herself. there's natural beauty in new jersey! i lived there for 15 years, i've seen the beauty!! it's very scenic at parts. it's just yucky around nyc and philly. oh well that doesn't matter. hmm.. what else? oh yes. i had not been to the sinister web site in a long long time. and when i discovered all these picture places that now exist, that also inspired me to post. i have these pictures of my breasts (i'm wearing a bra in them) that i'm fond of. i used one on make out club and it got me many odd responses. sorry. the only reason i talked about that was because apparently the body parts page is for pictures of body parts that have been mentioned. so i thought i would mention my breasts so that they now qualify for the page. ok i babble and really have nothing significant to say. that was my attempt at a first (i believe first) post. i will go back now to the reality of the creepy apartment that lies behind my back. *shutter*. thanks to anyone who has actually read this far. xoxo julia == aim: "julia i suppose" http://www.rit.edu/~jmw9523 _____________________________________________________________ - - - SexyEmail - - - http://sexynerds.com +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

1 0

Sinister: Tenderness atones for debauchery, or so I dearly hope.
by Ruvi Simmons 04 Mar '01

04 Mar '01

I would like to begin with the admission that I do not normally, or, indeed, ever, pay attention to current events. They are, by turn, tedious, depressing, repetitive and unimportant in the grander ebb and flow of both an individual life and that of our not so sacred species. However, I feel I really ought to write a little bit about a recent item of news, although that term doesn't really do justice to the event. What I write is, more than anything else, an epitaph. I am speaking of the destruction of two statues of Buddha by Taleban rebels in Afghanistan. Do I hear a sigh of boredom escaping from fair lips? If you bare with me, I will explain my reasons for mentionting this. When I chanced upon the news items, I do not think it would be histrionic (well, perhaps slightly, but forgive me the for the sake of dramatic effect, please) to say that it impacted on me like a blow to the stomach. I consider these treasures, which represent the life and essence of our predessesors, not only as common property, but precious treasures, almost sacred remains, symbols of life, hope, mortality - the themes that cut to the core of our being, expressed in different ways throughout the epochs. Thus, whenever one such treasure is lost, the world and our pool of human resources grows a little poorer. The Afghani Taleban now claim to have destroyed two-thirds of the Buddhist icons in what is now their territory. I do not particularly hold them accountable for this destruction, since it would be grossly hypocritical to blame a group now for committing crimes that virtually every civilisation in the world has perpetrated, and continues to do today. In fact, perhaps I am wrong - I hold all civilisations accountable, but am powerless to stem the sad tide. It is simply a waste, a senseless, tragic waste, and I wanted to write this, alas (for I had intended it to be otherwise, I promise) lengthy, obituary for some precious things now lost. Moving on from such musings, I am, quite frankly, lost for words. I have been surveying my week in search of some interesting event from which to draw inspiration, but the only two things I can come up with are reading Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night off the back of a truck to a departing crowd at a club in Camden (it didn't quite have the inspirational effects I had envisioned in my vivid imagination) and a brief encounter I had at the shops earlier today. I think the latter is of more interesting - debauchery is a bore when one isn't being debauched, and even then I wonder. If you imbibe enough alcohol, drugs or whatever else your bag may be, then you are set on a course that doesn't end until the substances wear off or you pass out, but that doesn't mean it is engaging, it is simply inexorable. My poor little analytic mind tends to observe my body reeling around drunkenly with horror, yet remains utterly powerless to do anything, and simply observes proceedings, patiently waiting in the wings for it all to end. So nothing more about debauchery. Back to the girl at Marks and Spencer's, although I don't think this anecdote is going to have any point, except, perhaps, well, we shall see. She was a cashier (is it terribly base to long for cashiers? She did work at Marks and Spencers, at least), a slight, black-haired girl with long fingers and quick movements. She contrasted sharply with the usually morose, inattentive people employed by supermarkets, so I manoeuvered my trolley to her check-out (what words to describe brief spells, for spells they are, of romance! Oh the disparity between the modern world and deep feelings!) and fumbled my items onto the conveyor belt with rather trembling fingers. As I moved over to pack, she was kind enough to help me, deluged me with a variety of different shaped bags, and, as I was leaving, having handed over a fistful of change in a feeble attempt at prolonging the entire experience, she said, instead of goodbye of the usual mutterings, "take care". I do not, however, want you to think me in any way blessed by this response, for she had said it to the previous customer. However, I was touched; what a nice, simple and unexpected thing to have said while standing on the dirty linoleum and under the fluorescent lights of a supermarket. Take care indeed. And that, I'm afraid, was that. Read into what you may - my shaking hands and taking care are the key, I think. You may be surprised to know, judging by the quality of the above, that it was written over the course of several hours. Perhaps, next time, I shall wait and restrain myself until inspiration is kind enough to alight at my side to give me guidance, and thus afford whosoever may be kind enough the pleasure of reading something more beautiful that this rather lacklustre offering. Until then, well, my fondest and best wishes go out to you one and all. Ruvi. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

1 0

Sinister: I have vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals
by Laura Llew 04 Mar '01

04 Mar '01

My poppets, my pigsnies, my peacocks~ I've returned from my foray to the north to find you all in a fettle of frenzined friskiness. And over what? Nothing. The earth starts trembling and all of a sudden people fret. Humans. I'm beginning to not trust anyone. An example of why not: When my friend heard that I was going up North to do what I do best -drink hot chocolate in some random diner in a strange city while reading a book until I get up the energy to wander around until I find some bookstore in which to plunder- she told me to come stay with her so she could show me "scenic" New Jersey. I figured that since she was going to be performing miracles that she should at least be dressed for the part. Thus, I asked her to be donned in a blazer with gold fringes, a hat, and have a monkey on her shoulder. Ok, so I would have settled for the monkey to be the one in the suit. Alas, it did not matter. There was no suit! There was no monkey! There was no Scenic New Jersey! Perhaps the "natural beauty" which she kept referrring to was simply herself. She might qualify but since she is 9 inches shorter and all I ever see of her is the top of her head - I wouldn't know. Now, rejected and disappointed I turn to Sinister for solace. However, I suppose I should be careful about what I write since my friend admitted that this summer she looked up my name on google and came across my posts to the list. She though it was a literary book list of some sort. (It would be easy to mistake. If she read "b&s" as "BS", she probably was expecting something to do with Joseph Heller. The hack.) She then confessed that each Wednesday night when she had to work late she would read my posts because it was like having me in the room with her.* I hope hers isn't the only office I'm sneaking into late at night. I'm trying to cultivate a "reputation" here. LOVELY LISTENS FOR LAURA LLEW-A-THON 2001: Yes! I returned to find I've already received two generous donations of mix tapes in which to help me recover from my stark winter of musical starvation. What a great start (hint hint) with my first sinister mix tape ever which had a Beastie Boys song on it! Excellent. It was the lovely & sweet of heart Emily Wilska who provided that. I listened to it on my morning commute and so far it's such a wonderful mix. Thank you kindly Miss Emily. I appreciate it so!!! The second one I have yet to atune my ear for. I would thank the provider of this but the generous donor is tweaking the enigma knob by remaining anonymous. I'm still grateful though. I know you all want to participate in helping me amass a mix tape collection which will at least allow me to have new tunes to listen to on my roadtrips. (Well, that is if it doesn't end up as Pinefox's tape who got wedged beneath some books taunting me the whole trip because I couldn't reach it to listen to it. The pain!) I'm the little orphan of pop roaming aimlessly from state to state. Yes, I realize that with such past entries of *Melt In Your Mouth And Not In Your Hand Mm Mm Matthew Molnar's Disco Groove Set* and *Billzebub Harris's mix of poetry readings by Wallace Stevens & Robert Frost interdispersed by rollicking country tunes* one could be intimidated but I promise that each contribution will get the delicate and complete attention of yours truly. Act Now! (well except for Keanu Reeves. I've given up hope that he will ever be able to manage that verb.) I have a question for you Brits (Perk up now. Usually, I just have mockery and funny imitations of you). I just read that the London Underground installed new vending machines in its South Kensington station in January where for a pound you can buy a short story (including one written by Parker though I don't know which one) that is a perfect read, being under a half hour read, for a commute. Is anyone familiar with this and if it is at all successful? It seems like a cool idea anyway. Or at least less scary than the new Library Hotel in Manhattan Hotel where each floor is organized by the Dewey Decimal system. Every one is dedicated to one a major category and then each room fits into the overall theme. Evidently, the most requested one is the Erotic Literature Room. Quick, Pookie, pluck that Peacock room before its becomes unavailable! Thinking of Dorothy Parker - and really when aren't you - I recall Archel quoting her in the news flash of: Men seldom make passes At girls who wear glasses Here! Here! My recently bespectaled face can surely attest to that one. I must say that I'm getting tired of the cop out compliment of, "they make you look more intelligent." Since when did the presence of glasses make anyone look stupid? With the exception of a picture I have of my friend wearing lensless crooked glasses while licking a road in Acadia National Park in Maine, I can't really say that I've known anyone to look as a moron while wearing them. So why do people say it? Will you realize that was a rhetorical question? (Depends on if you're wearing glasses or not, I bet) Archel, more recently, commented on the book "Princess Bride." Rah! I always wished I had read that one before I had seen the book though both are delightful in a light hearted way. I still haven't replaced my copy which I gave away in exchange for a book which the other person said I would "just love." Tom Robbins' "Skinny Legs and All" which I didn't love. I didn't even like it! It was stretching to be witty and amusing and different and fell flat on its can of beans main character's butt. However, I just restocked Princess Bride & this edition has the first chapter of the long-lost sequel, Buttercup's Baby. Oooohh Aaaaahhh. If you remember seeing the movie and liking it but don't remember the movie clearly, DON'T watch it again. Simply give a shout out to me - I'll send you the book. I won't even make you send me a bad Robbins book in return. Laura 'meeting all of your laura llew needs since 1977' *Abby, if by chance you are reading this I'm merely teasing. Your home is pretty and the top of your head is one of the loveliest I've ever seen. Plus, you're an ace hostess indulging me in all the geeky literary things that only library or bookshop girls could properly appreciate. ???? - Lawerence the Milkman Milkkesen just whispered to me that he thinks the Pixies complete B-Sides are being released in the UK this week. Does anyone know if/when its coming out in the US? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

2 1

Sinister: Blind Ambition (or, The Bad Photographer)
by Will Salt 04 Mar '01

04 Mar '01

Look, I *know* this post doesn't have any content. Don't read it if you don't want to. If you don't like it, let me know; I want people to tell me when I'm not liked. Ambition's a strange thing. I got thinking the other day about all the ambitions I've had, and how they're all contradictory and I'll probably never fulfil all of them. The first was to be a train driver. The second was to read the Shipping Forecast on Radio 4. I love its monotone rendering of the seas of Europe. It's poetry, you know. South Utsire, Forties, Cromarty, Forth. South-West or South 5 to 7. Snow Showers. Good. We had lots of snow in Scotland this week. After it had stopped, but whilst i knew it would still be lying thick on the ground, i went out for a walk with my camera. I walked up the hill by the Royal Observatory and crunched about in it. There was an icy crust on top, but in places it had drifted and was still powdery-soft and feet deep. I took photos of the snowy city; i took photos of people walking their dogs, and i took photos of the snow itself, its surface all iced over and churned up. After that, I walked down into the wooded glen behind the hill, and old women walking their dogs said hello to me. German Bight, Humber. East or South-East backing North-East 4 or 5. Fair. Good. I want to take more photographs. I suddenly had this urge, which i've not had for a few years, to go and take pictures of beautiful things. I want to travel all round Scotland with my camera, and take photos of the little things which nobody looks at but which are amazing every day. To my mind, the most photogenic building in Glasgow is the ticket booth of Kelvinhall underground station. Take a detour next time you're in Partick. Then, I want to photograph a girl standing outside Hillhead station, waiting to bump into a song writer. You never know, they could be in a band someday. Thames, Dover, Wight, Portland, Plymouth. East backing northeast 5 to 7. Rain, then showers. Moderate or good. The third ambition is a bit bizarre, but would be so great. I want to make the *first* commercial for "feminine hygiene products" that features lots and lots and lots and lots of red liquid everywhere, in a horror-film type way. Seeping from the walls, and everything. The Chosen Product would make it all go away, of course. I get *so* irritated by all those adverts with little vials of blue liquid, and I'm a boy. I hate to think what all the girls out there must think. I mean, it looks like mouthwash. Or the stuff you used to see in big glass bottles in the front windows of chemists. I'd like to see a bit of reality advertising some day, even if it does put me off my fish fingers. Sole. Cyclonic becoming northerly 5 to 7, occasionally Gale 8, becoming variable 3 or 4. Rain then showers. Moderate, becoming good. Sometimes, I make ink polaroids of photos i never took. Like the old man who talked to me in a cemetary in the Outer Hebrides overlooking the ocean; he was old, weatherbeaten, and told me he was just visiting a friend. You can see the smile on his face, the glint in his eye, which could be happiness or sadness. Fog banks are coming off the Atlantic behind him. Malin. Westerly 3 or 4 backing southerly 7, perhaps Gale 8 later. Snow. Moderate. I don't know if everywhere will look good in a photograph. I've not seen everywhere. But I want to try, at least. It's an ambition I can at least have a go at. x will -- "one day, everything will be grate, as long as you are willing to make it to be..." -- John Maxwell ICQ 66321009 +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

1 0

Sinister: Why Is This Happening? You've Too Much On Your Mind
by David Moore 04 Mar '01

04 Mar '01

Hi Fragrant Ones, I don't think this has appeared on Sinister before but there are realaudio files of Looper's 18.05.00 Radio Scotland session here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/djs/session_scotland/audio_and_video/live_sessio n/livesession_looper.shtml One of the 2 songs is called Peacock Johnson. Its hard to make out what STuD is whispering about on my crappy old pooter but it doesn't sound very sweary. How is he going to manage being both himself and Peacock at his Borders appearances? He'll have to keep dashing behind the bookshelves to pop his Hawaiian shirt & 70's pornstar moustache on. I want to hear Big John Shaft & Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It. <sigh> Come to that I want to hear Marx & Engels & all those other unreleased songs, too. Lucy's been pondering her impending ATP experience too much recently, for she wrote: "I had a weird dream last night. I went to a seventies rock festival with David Moore, who lent me a load of seventies clothes for the occasion: denim flares, a crocheted waistcoat and a nice tan leather belt with tasselly bits on. I was sitting on the grass, soaking up the sunshine when I noticed Liam Gallagher was nearby and he was giving me the eye and then the seventies rock guitarist on the stage winked at me. Then my alarm went off, which is a shame because I'd love to know what was going to happen next ..." Aaah, burgundy brushed denim flares with those V seams on the knees :) Did the guitarist have long black hair parted on the left & a black Gibson SG? If so it was John Cipollina and at the end of the gig he pointed you out to his roadies & they took you backstage to be his laydee. Whereas Geneviève's obviously been eating too much cheese late at night, as she dreamed: "I went to Mr. Moore's house where he was kind enough to feed me lots of good food, but for some reason there was lots of stairs in the house, certain ones were designated for going up and certain ones for going down. I was wandering around, and I almost picked the wrong one, I tried to go down an UP. But David shouted out just in time and everything was ok." This just has me baffled. Visitors to our house are allowed one stair direction error per stay. Sally & I went to see Arab Strap on Monday. Like Carsmile we stepped carefully over the sleeping students to stand a metre in front of Aidan & Malcolm. I met Malcolm's gaze once but he didn't smile. I never dare to even look in Adele's general direction in case she picks on me, as I'm terrified of her. Sally was bored & would rather have seen Evan again but I think they were good, & half the set excellent. (Rocket, Take Your Turn/Infrared/Blackness/Turbulence) However I still don't have a clue what Aidan sings about even when I know the words & can read his lips, so mostly I just listen to the guitar. Hmm. Students sitting on the floor at gigs - that's pretty 70's. Maybe your dream was prophetic, Lucy. Red Thread (or at least the second half of it) is pretty good, too. I'd still rather listen to a new Belle And Sebastian record, though. What do you think of the new Tortoise album? It doesn't sound much like them to me - I can hear bits of rock, Mouse On Mars, the Chemical Brothers, even the soundtrack to Sonic The Hedgehog. Strange. It'll be interesting to see what they play live at Camber Sands. That's it for the other one. Every young girl's dream it seems, David Moore Chelmsford, UK +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

1 0

Sinister: What makes snow white when rain is clear?
by Dairy Fairy 03 Mar '01

03 Mar '01

Hello, This evening I am quite tired. And cold. It is exactly the same temperature inside my house as it is outside. where it is snowing. brrr. I have had no money for quite a while now, so I thought I should show at least some commitment towards paying my debts and go to work. It was quite fun really. I found a c.d player which I never really knew existed. I guess nobody else did either, because despite having worked at Dobson and Robinsons sports shop for over six months, every shift has been accompanied by the sound of silence. and people talking obviously. It was especially good because I had IYFS in my rucksack so I fitted trainers to Stars of Track and Field. Which was appropriate. And sold sledges in time to Fox in the Snow. Lovely. Isn't it nice when you can soundtrack your life. The easy way to do it is to make themed mix tapes, a habit I have got into lately. I sometimes make them then give them to someone and see if they can guess the theme. Grate fun. Of course by the end of the day i was indeed wishing to get away from the sporty atmosphere. Most of our customers are slapers buying fluorescent green zip tops and silly trousers with splits down the sides. They give me funny looks, obviously wondering why, with my staff discount, I am wearing scratty cord flares and even more scratty trainers. Ah well. Such is life. I like saying 'such is life'. It stops me having to consider things for too long. In my last post i said about how I was going to see Arab Strap. They were indeed very good, although, being a band you watch in a stationary, arms folded way, I felt all dizzy by the end, which somewhat impeded my enjoyment. Odd that, how it's more tiring to stand still at a gig than to dance around. Tomorrow I am going to see Terris. Or rather I am going to see Mull Historical Society and Life Without Buildings, and Terris happen to be the headliners. should be good. which rhymes. Anyway, my fingers are too cold to be typing. They need to be wrapped up warmly in a tea towel. That's been put in the microwave. A handy tip for keeping warm there. And cheaper than a hot water battle. Cheerio, Grace --- And she spent the rest of the day separating the bits from the marmalade, or, if you prefer, the marmalade from the bits. Who needs Cupid? Matchmaker.com is the place to meet somebody. FREE Two-week Trial Membership at http://www.matchmaker.com/home?rs=200015 +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

1 0

Sinister: like glass shattering in a clean break,
by adevens＠antioch-college.edu 03 Mar '01

03 Mar '01

this is the art of a mistake Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2001 04:35:34 US/Eastern X-Mailer: Endymion MailMan Standard Edition v3.0.22 hey all, still rambling and haven't quite got the hang of actually writing to the list, still mostly lurking and reading all the cool posts. i have a folder of saved ones but i'm not going to reveal who is in it lest be thought that i didn't like some people. anyway i don't have any actual b&s content except that i ordered some shirts from the website and it told me i would have them in 28 days. so now i am waiting, although i did get an email from someone at their shop company that said they would be shipped tomorrow if they have them so who knows. i have been going to shows and what not lately. saw 764-HERO as part of this nifty noise pop festival here in SF which was cool. got to go up to john and say "the last time i saw you was in colombus, ohio, and the time before that was in seattle" i think i scared him a bit with that actually. "no i'm not a stalker i just move alot i promise" ;-) been listen to lots and lots of ida lately which has been consoling the fact that i don't really know anyone here at all. arik +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

1 0

Sinister: World Tour of Five Songs
by David Howie 02 Mar '01

02 Mar '01

Before the tour begins, Id like to address the audience and make a few announcements. Or, rather, one very big Thank You. Thats for everybody who has e-mailed. It all counts; every word chisels a little inch of pain from its holding; a lyrical suture closing the exposed wounds. So, yeh, basically thanks. Thank you. Anyway, I suppose I should commence on my World Tour of Americana songs, which nestle comfortably in my upper echelons of Songs Which Evoke Extreme Emotion. Anyways: Jim White, Christmas Day. Taken from the album No Such Place. A breaking down motorcycle pulls up into the drive, the wrong-eyed Jesus troubadour sits on the backdoor porch. Stepping off the motorcycle, the bruised lover yields to the front door: no-ones in. Jims on the back-porch, picking his favourite notes in sequence: lilting acoustic guitar wanes under the bursting sun as it splits the clouds, sharing its heat with a V of swans. White launches into a love song, and is able to hit the feeling of love right on the head; Bang: Mallet. Simple Things adopts a jealous look. The burden of love is the fuel of bad grammar. You stutter and stammer what a bitch to convey the crux of the matter, when the words you must utter are hopelessly tangled in the memories and scars you show no one. My hearts slow-ache crescendos into consummate yearning. White recognises that, as is the case with most things in life, as regards Love the devils in the detail. Amen. Willard Grant Conspiracy, The Beautiful Song. Taken from the album Everythings Fine. The Conspiracy are miserable buggers; finding solace in the little things in life. The minutiae of existence over-looked by the self-serving glamour of the famous and the general populace as a whole. Chasing the next dollar, no-one cares for the skewed beauty of the rusted cars, the battle scars a twisted fence, a swinging gate The overarching philosophy of this song is: Hey, slow down, smell the fuchsia. But theyre minging. Yeh, mebbe, but think about it. How much time has went into the simple fuchsia; yet you race past it, every morning, cleansed and suited. The deftness of the petals etc. It all looks beautiful to me. Essentially, a paean to being alive; and, thus, exactly the kinda song I need right now. Brimful with mordant optimism (An avalanche couldnt keep me down.) The Pernice Brothers Chicken Wire. Taken from the album Overcome by Happiness. The guitars filter through the speakers cautiously, one chord, a second One fret in front of the other, the protagonist fades away from our sight. Her fate compounded by the opening line: With a drink in her hand, she will start her car and then seal herself for good in the garage. Shes never leaving. The moribund spinster, locked away, beyond the listeners reach in the garage; carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxide slowly asphyxiating her. Why is she there, shes come so far. However, her path has not been exhausted, shes left too many things undone. Her love, sour, now leaves her thinking of another. Bereft of her lover; she undoes all the work; the struggles won, dissipate and rest meaningless. And all the walls they fade to black. This gripping vignette of Love gone wrong expresses all that is required in order to get a grasp of how powerful Love may be. The meaning of some peoples lives. Mogadon power-pop at its best. Ron Sexsmith Feel For You. Taken from the album Whereabouts. The criminally ignored cherub of a mind, that provides us with these songs of wanderlust, supplies me with an epochal song: a running commentary on how I fell right now. Im sorry, Kathryn. How I hate to see you in this way Is there nothing I can say, to cheer you up. A letter to a lover torn apart by the others anguish, distress, heartache, and emotional displeasure. The emotion asserted by the verses, aching with regret and forlorn hope, is reversed by the reassuring, rhetorical chorus: is it too late in the game, to change anything? Today, I heard a boy argue that Marriage between gays should not be allowed. His argument sat on the predilection that marriage is the plinth upon which society rests, and the purpose of marriage is procreation. Thus, a marriage which is unable to contribute to the human race is somehow invalid by virtue of the parties non-fecundity. Songs like this make me believe; that marriage is not the fundamental building block of society but: Love. The Shazam Sparkleroom. Taken from the album Godspeed The Shazam. Now, it has been a rather sombre affair up until now. However, a guaranteed heart-starter this gem of a track takes in the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Byrds etc. You name all the great power-pop acts. Those who could carve four-part harmonies out of the ethos. Give them some more sunshine; blistered green leaves, tunnelling waves cascading over dopey surfers, picnics in Kelvingrove This is a song to hum to. A straightforward love song. And thus harder to write about in awkward prose: treat your subjects in the way they treat you. Straightforward equates with straightforward. Its just a dumb ol pop song. That grabs you by the nipples and drags you into the blazing heat of the California sunshine. Come on surfer [dudes] check out my world Please. Thanks, David. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

1 0

Sinister: goose bumps, fits, malaria. These things she gives me.
by Lawrence Mikkelsen 02 Mar '01

02 Mar '01

Hello list, Sorry in advance is this is a little incoherent and ranty. I'm feeling funny (for reasons which may become apparent) and don't really have any way of getting a lot of this stuff off my chest (for other reasons which may also become apparent) But firstly, good news re: ***BELLE AND SEBASTIAN*** If David H's little story is true (and I have no reason to doubt this, unless he is a compulsive liar or something) we will finally get an official release of what is (IMHO) the best (so far) B&S track ever written, "The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner". Which makes me happy. The other thing which made my ears prick up was Mick McMick's (I think) comment that Jeepster were paying for the recording of the film score B&S have been recording, which means there is a *reasonable* likelihood it may be released. I mean, they wouldn't hurl all that money away if they weren't expecting to gain something from it, right? I love film scores. Air's "The Virgin Suicides" was one of my albums of the year, and the news that old faves Suede (remember '93 anyone?) are also writing/recording a film score makes for exciting possibilities in 2001. And still on the B&S thing, what the hell ever happened to the book of sheet music, illustrated by Alaisdair Gray which was promised, like, at least 18 months ago? ***RECTOR*** I'm really surprised Stuart didn't win, or for that matter that he *didn't* win by so many votes. I really thought he'd be the obvious choice. Still, I remember when I was a student, and I thought when I got to uni it would be this land of cool, well read indie people who liked good music. And then discovered I was *still* an outcast, and that most of the students were into Dire Straits or Rage Against The Machine or something. I started uni in '93, and "Killing In The Name Of" was a big hit. Everytime you walked past the student pub you were almost assured of hearing "fuck you I won't do what you tell me" blaring from the balcony. Hideous stuff. And then this Christian band started covering it, changing the lyrics to "bless you I'll do what you tell me" which was very funny. This is the same band who used to cover Hot Chocolate's "Everyone's a Winner" and change the lyrics to "Everyone's a winner baby that's no lie making love to you is such a thrill when you're married" And who said Christian rock was crap? ***PEACOCK JOHNSON*** Had an abusive mail, and then a matey matey e-mail from the fine fellow. Am *extremely* sorry for the offence I caused him by stating he didn't exist. He most clearly does, and I am sorry for all the harm Stuart D has caused him. Hope he gets his comeuppance. And knowing Mr Johnson, I think he will. ***MY EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS*** ------------------skippable------------------------------- My grandfather is dying, and its really screwing me up. I am his only grandson, and my mum is his only child, and I feel really really horrible. I have a very small, (I guess you could say nuclear) family, and we're all very close, and I'm just not coping very well. I feel sick all the time, and can't work properly, and just find myself dwelling on it all the time. Vanessa (my girlfriend) is, however, going through crap stuff with her family, and is also really strung out, and I don't think either of us are being terribly supportive of each other, and the whole situation is horrible. Don't know what to do, and I just find myself callously wishing he'd just die, because he's miserable and suffering, and I hate how our whole family has to just live with the fact that we *know* he'll die soon, but just have to wait and wait. My poor grandmother, they've been married for 62 years. --------------readable again----------------------------------- Back to lighter stuff. ***POP*** Got the new Lucksmiths album, "Why That Doesn't Surprise Me", which is very good. For anyone who doesn't know who they are, they're an Australian folky-pop three piece who (I think) supported B&S on a European tour a few years ago. Anyway, the new album is great ... a lot more produced with horns, strings, melodica etc. Highly recommended, and available (cheaply) from http://www.candlerecords.com.au Was glad to see that Stuart Murdoch was getting back into Television and The Smiths, because they are two bands I've been rediscovering a lot lately. The Smiths have been my favourite band for nine years now, and every six months or so I go through a big revival. I also just got the Television live album "The Blow-Up", which is fantastic, especially for the 15 minute versions of "Little Johnny Jewel" and "Marquee Moon". I'm not normally into self-indulgent guitar playing, but Tom Verlaine is amazing. Would love to be in the UK at the moment. B&S live, and those two Hefner gigs last week. Man ... I love Hefner so much. They were one of those bands (like The Go-Betweens, The Smiths and B&S before them) who I fell in love with instantly, and had all the albums and most of the singles in a matter of months. Just got "Half a Life" 7", but can't listen to it because I don't have a record player. (sigh) ***SILLUSTRATIONS*** They are BRILLIANT! Thanks everyone. I will have to think of some lies I can tell on the list, so that I will be the subject of one. OH PLEASE CAN SOMEONE DO A SILLUSTRATION OF ME? (Man that's sad ..... I just love the idea of being immortalised in cartoon form.) Umm ... if you do, there is a picture of me on my site (URL below) Anyway, this is super long, so will go. Sorry for ranting, and take care everyone. Lawrence Mikkelsen http://www.akn.quik.co.nz/mikelsen/aboutme +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

1 0

Sinister: Sounds of The New North-West: The continuing adventures of The Yogurt Disaster
by Alasdair Cook 02 Mar '01

02 Mar '01

Hello. How are you all? I haven't written for a while. Most of you probably didn't notice, which means that Joni Mitchell was lying all along. However, The Pinefox was heard to mutter; >Ally96Cook said: >>> Point taken. Was there a point? Is there still? If there was, rest assured it will be gone by the end of this post. Nevertheless... It snowed. Then it blowed. Now it's frozed. What I'm trying to say is that it's cold. Spring has yet to, er, spring. But at least my cockles were warmed by David Howie's beautiful attention to details. Details are important. Did someone once say that? I felt I could almost have been seeing the band myself. Perhaps I could have been. I was in the city at the time (I usually am) but am ashamed to admit that I didn't even know the gig was going on. I was too distracted with dashing into coffee-shops (houses?) looking for Nu-Yoikers. Which Nu-Yoikers? ANY Nu-Yoikers. It didn't happen. It rarely does. Someone should write a song about it. Maybe I should write a song about it. No, that would probably be a bad idea. It would never live up to expectations. It would never live up to Expectations. YOU'VE HAD A HARD DISK FOR ME FROM THE START Today, in a fit of anal-retentiveness worthy of SteadyMike (in a good way, of course), I had the notion to list all of my records in a database on my shiny pooter. After inputing 7 Go-Betweens records I got bored and started writing this (see how I shift my boredom onto you?), since I realised that it would probably take about as long as my other recent notion, namely to drink a pint in every single pub/bar/cafe in Glasgow. Ailsa (you remember? No? Oh well...) says we should do it for her hen night. I may well still get round to doing both. As Calumn Shearer once said whilst driving down a side-street with parked cars on either side at 60mph; "I like a challenge". We were in pursuit of a bus. It's a short story. SHE DROVE ME DOWN....TAXI TO WOKING....THEY DON'T COME WITH NAMES ON I thought my luck was in this year, after receiving my first Valentines card in 22 trips around the sun and then getting in to the last Strange Fruit (officially the biggest club upstairs at the Garage has ever had etc) without having to queue in the rain. These may be small things to you, but remember what I said before about details? However, I then find out that when I'm in London next week, Robert Forster is playing a solo gig here in sunny Glasgow. Luckily much of his solo stuff isn't great, but just to see the man again...has-been old hat indeed... However, I will be going to Strange Fruit (officially blah blah etc) again to see The Lollies and some unknown band who Stuart Murdoch is apparently working with called Camera Obscura. Saturday 10th. Upstairs at the Garage. London. You heard about it here last. Oh, and if they ever get round to making a video, I'll be the one with my head up Carey Lander's arse. I may charge a nominal fee to anyone who wishes to stand in for me. I saw a van the other day with 'Struan Rental' on the side; but don't get too excited girls, you can't (as of yet) rent out your favourite pixie-faced musical supremo for a spot of the other. It was just a car/van/minibus hire service. To be honest, I was as disappointed as you are. Let's see what else has been happening while I've been away: IF I WAS A PINEAPPLE YOU'D BE A MANGO Ms Elise mused: >i suppose a nice sensitive boy is what i want... To which Pinefox replied: >Oh! There must be some kids out there on >sinister now for you. But Pinefox, surely YOU are a sensitive boy? Aren't you? Janitoria: >No one writes songs or books about people who have hurried sex at carwashes. You've obviously never heard of the work of Mr Jamie Holman. Get thee to a record shop. Vilkas: >I know two things about the Go-Betweens other than 'You should >hear them, you'd love'em' is on Molly Ringwald's notebook in sixteen > >candles. >Her character had it written big across her notebook. Is this for real? I only have a vague memory of the celluloid in question. Molly Ringwald and The G-Bs seem at once almost the most unlikely and most perfect partnership. Or do they? Maybe I should pay more attention to this stuff. Rachel: >the go-betweens. if i had to justify my love, it wouldn't be love You See? Also: "How can we explain the things we love?" - Dawson Leary, Dawson's Creek, tonight. Christiaan: >I like Ree because she has a HOT ASS Don't say it too loud, or everyone will want one. They already do? Oh. CATCH HER ON THE FLY There was an article today in the Glasgow Herald about Greg Hemphill, the new Glasgow uni rector, with a picture of him and his wife. Strangely, her name is Julie and she bears a suspicious resemblance to her New York Sinister namesake. Collaborating with the enemy, eh? Didn't that used to be a hanging offence? No wonder they won't play DDR with you. *Cyberglam cries Heelan Coooo *Cyberglam giggles Anyway, Genevieve may take some consolation in the fact that he's sort of Canadian (Born here, moved there when he was 3, moved back here at 18) and that he says "I'm prepared for [the hard work]. I wouldn't have taken it on if I didn't intend doing it properly". Still, I do worry about the state we're getting to a man who makes his money by repeating the phrase "Gonnae no dae that" over and over is held in higher regard than the writer of probably the greatest ever Scottish novel. Oh, and some poxy pop star. But that's just my view, disregard at your leisure. I am glad I didn't have to look at a photo of Karen Dunbar's nostrils today instead, though. Carsmile Steve mentioned a band I should go and see in Glasgow, but I've only just read his post. Perhaps if I go along tonight they'll still be there. Did you tell them I'd be coming? Can you believe I added in these words myself? I don't play golf. Goodbye. Alasdair xx _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

1 0