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February 2017

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Sinister: Stuart, Peacock and Ian Rankin (some 2015 Edinburgh book festival content, with lots of waffle on top)
by Niko Ovenden 16 Feb '17

16 Feb '17

Sinister! I'm resending an email I wrote back in the winter of 2015, which never seemed to make it through one of the honey-nets and to you, dear readers. I've moved to my account adding the O at the end of my name (who was that Nik Ovenden guy? He is from so long ago, like so many years, he is literally another person, or at least another email account), and hopefully am out of the nursery and thought this might still be of interest, albeit belatedly. If this one gets snagged too I'll get the hint and fade quietly into the night :) How last century to email, too, but in a nice quaint fashion since it's for you lovelies. Some promised content! Of a sort. Not much. Here we go...Stuart David was at the 2015 Edinburgh book festival! Promoting his book "In the all night cafe". It's about B&S, don't you know. Apparently the subline 'A memoir of Belle and Sebastian's formative year' was editorial licence, as it's about 18 months. Poesy. By now you'll all have read it, right? Right? The event was interesting, in a curate's egg fashion; the soundboard fellow clearly didn't know much about B&S, all the tracks he was playing on the lead-in were after Stuart D had left the band. Ah well. Neither did the fellow next to me though, since when I mentioned this to him he looked bemused too. He wasn't wearing an upside down badge, so I knew that much. Soundboard fellow did at least let us hear an early Stuart David (pre B&S) demo, with some fellow called 'London' noodling with an acoustic guitar all over the top of the vocals. Now I'm wondering, and kicking myself for not asking, whether the early B&S Demo "London Has Let Me Down Again" was actually about Struan being stood up by an early guitarist, rather than an ode to the dirty city. Gah! I may never know. Unless another B&S band member does a Bookfest show soon...although to be fair Hay-on-Wye is my nearest book fest now I've been forced to abandon Scotland for the relative ruralia of Ely and Cambridgeshire (teary emoticon). Back on topic, Niko! Ian Rankin chaired the event, not very well I'd say: it was pretty clear he wasn't a superfan, he had to be reminded which album "Seymour Stein" was off (I mentally yelled 'TWATTYBUS! TWATTYBUS, you scruffily dressed buffoon!' Well, maybe not buffoon, I wonder if I've ever mentally called anyone that. But I did yell TWATTYBUS in my head). Ian Rankin also hadn't ever listened closely to the lyrics, as Stuart D patiently pointed out it was about Stevie *not* having met him. Really, only the Peacock Johnson connection had anything of resonance with Ian [for the non Rebus aficionados out there, he appeared in a Rankin novel, as part of a 'win a charity auction and your name appears in my book'. Stuart D bid on Peacock's behalf, clever man the both of them.] Stuart David was patient, witty, and kind. Also it was great hearing him talk. I mean, I've heard him talk a lot. That's his music shtick, after all. But great voice. Very soothing. Nice early stories, and I bought the book, but not for me - it went to Lawrence, who needed a new book to cheer him up from all the NZ flag referendum malarkey at the time. Remember when referenda/elections were about what now seem like trivial stuff? Ah well. Focus, me! These journeys back into more halcyon times...Stuart and Ian talked briefly about Looper, who I never got to see live (they cancelled Bristol in 2000, alas!). No chance of any live shows soon, either. Stuart talked extensively about Struan's chronic fatigue and the impact it had on forming the band back in the 90s; he (Stuart)'s now suffering the same. Poor guy. Sinister weren't hat-tipped in the talk but Rankin referred obliquely to the 'forum chatter' in getting the Tigermilk word out in the mid-late 90s. That's you folks! I thank you too, of course, as I only joined in '99 thanks to my own belle of the time, Viks, who probably don't get these these days. No doubt she still cool, if the family is anything to go by; her sister did her PhD in Edinburgh and did the zombie game 2.8hrs later on the same evening as me. Now that's cool. Cool cool cool. The book fest, right? Sheesh, Niko. I got to ask one question to Stuart during the wash-up: since I was at the time slave to higher education (both in terms of the MSc I finished the same day as originally sending this email, about the said 2.8 hours later, because writing about zombies was in vogue...and I also had a previous paper-and-people-pushing job at the Uni, now a dim memory), I asked about the Scottish FE College mergers doing away with Stow, and whether the effect would be damaging on Scottish music. I mean, Glasgow Kelvin kept Electric Honey and all, but no 'study at stow' :( Stuart's answer was that he didn't think any A&R types would have the freedom the early Electric Honey and Jeepster synergies had, and had a general sense of bemusement about how to release and/or publish in the modern era. Me, I do neither, but I can see how it'd be confusing. Anyway, any hidden Sinistereenies in the crowd, frantically casting their minds back, that was me. Hello now, if not then. Hello from a horrible dystopian future hellscape. Stuart did the obligatory signings afterwards. Guessed Ian was really not a superfan as he just said 'cheers' and scarpered. Ah well, we all know B&S are better than Rebus. I was second in line as I bought my book before the event, and Stuart was kind enough to sign the book to Lawrence, and he also signed my olde copy of Nalda Said - 17 years old?!, plus a couple of my LPs. I'm lucky enough to have an EH Tigermilk, also from 17 years ago, which he signed in the only area of white space on the back (on the right), and he signed my copy of the Geometrid too. I was at a loss, surrounded by B&S records at home, but thought those two would do. We chatted briefly about Sinister, he was very nice about list mummy Honey; we talked about CFS/ME and so on...I was laid low with something of that ilk a couple of times, 1997 and 2000/1, but have been lucky since. Stuart mused maybe there was something about B&S and/or Sinister...but I wouldn't trade you away for all the wellness in the world. This list has been so good to me. Mostly putting up with my rambling. Anyway, that's awful long. The Pope's probably been to the bookfest, Paul McCartney certainly, but that's all the content I can muster. Hope you're all well, on your phones and your iPads, and I wish you all the best, till the next time the list Kraken awakes. Anyone coming to Ely/Cambridge, feel free to look me up, as I have been forcibly familially relocated from Edinburgh and am so much closer to the dirty South! This bleak future would be cheered up by showing some Sinister peeps around my tiny new city-home and to spin some twee vinyl. Living the dream. Or dreaming of a life without referenda, elections and hellscapes. I guess B&S can still do that, even in quieter list times... Lots of love, Niko xxx

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