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Sinister: affectations
by ian 24 Aug '03

24 Aug '03

okay, there's a continuation of the twee discussion at the top of this post. if you're bored pantless of that by now (i wish i really COULD bore the pants off people, it'd be a great trick, but anyway, i'm going off the subject) just go to the bottom, where there's a nice b&s song rip-offy type thing. ------------ this may be a shorter post (queue collective sigh of relief) than normal because my arms are hurting from spending the afternoon being very un-twee and a bit macho and cutting branches off trees. not in a random, bad way you understand. in a nice way, so that the sun shines on the other plants a bit more and allows them to grow. there's a metaphor there somewhere, but i can't be arsed to drag it out. there have been some wise words here recently, notably from robin, edda (hi edda) and idles. some wise words, and some misunderstandings. idleberry and robin, whilst you're correct in saying that, to some, tweeness is an affectation it is equally true that to others it is not. the reason that element of belle and sebastian (and i'm not going to suggest for a moment that its their entirety. if the band weren't multi-faceted, they wouldn't appeal to such a wide range of people) appeals to some of us is that it reflects something we feel inside ourselves. yes, some people may be chasing the twee stereotype (and i maintain that there are worse ones to chase) but to others of us, the 't' factor (as we probably won't call it ever again) connects with something fundamental and pre-existent inside ourselves. we don't have twee tendencies because we listen to belle and sebastian but we may find that one of the reasons we like belle and sebastian is that they can, at times, be a bit twee. 'the boy with naivety succeeds at the final moment i cried i always cry at endings' one of my favourite lines and, to my mind, more than a little t-w-e-e. of course you're correct that a lot of it comes down to how you define the word - you may have noticed, for example, that i don't see twee in QUITE the same way as certain others on this list (now, where did i put that paddle?). robin sees tweeness as something shallow, whereas i believe it can be (but is not always) more fundamental than that. and if i seemed to suggest that sinister was entirely twee, then i should not have done so. clearly, that was incorrect. however, to deny that the element is there is equally incorrect: there are those of us who identify with that word, and to whom it reflects something we feel within ourselves. and, when we came here and discovered it here, it was rather a lovely thing to find. so, to be told that what we're feeling within is, in actual fact, an affectation - or some deluded aspiration - comes as something of a shock. after all.. if this is an affectation, what else is? maybe the whole gay thing was a lie too, and i should be out shagging birds (as i believe the terminology goes) as we speak. really... please don't tell me what i do and don't feel within. not unless you happen to be one of the voices in my head. (oh my god, you aren't, are you? did i imagine you all?) but, you're right... , tweeness can at times be an affectation. as can anything. whenever you view the present through what came before it, you don't see the moment for what it is. your view is distorted by previous events, by 'experience', by prejudice and by a pre-conceived idea of what 'you' might be. if you spend too much time building up a 'you', based on ideas of what that should look, feel and think like, you forget that inside there there's a vibrant, sentient being, capable of responding to any moment with freshness and spontaneity, capable of being so much more than you've ever been before as long as you don't go dumping the past or any ideas of what 'should' be on top of it. everything we cling to is affectation. let it go, and become what you are, right now. but that's easier said than done, innit? it may be daft to become attached to a word, but then, that word can offer a lot of comfort. for now, though, maybe its time to let it go. twe e e e e e e e e e e e THUD there. i am no longer twee. i am simply me. ooh, that sounds like a poem. of a sort. and, with that in mind, here's an affectation that i prepared earlier: (OKAY EVERYBODY THAT SKIM-READ THE TOP BIT, THANKS FOR NOT INSTANTLY PRESSING DELETE. HERE'S THE POINT WHERE YOU MIGHT WANT TO START READING AGAIN). you know the tune - tigermilk, track two.. monday morning wake up knowing that you've got to go to work though last night you drank ten pints and acted like a total jerk do you want to be a builder, wear some pants that show your arse? stand on scaffolding, and leer and shout at women as they pass? and you tell them you'll no longer be a queer one any more wearing white and drinking alcopops has become such a bore your obsession gets you known all round the scene for being strange and they laugh and bitch about you when they think you're out of range in the queue for lunch, you change your mind an indie kid you'll be so you throw out all the kylie and you buy an nme and in there you find opinions and you claim them as your own but you keep that barry white tape 'for the irony alone' you're confused, you're being used and you're trying to be something good, something new and if it all seems hopeless now well just be thankful you aint twee-ee monday morning wake up knowing that you've got to go to work so you ditch the denim flares and fumble for a tie and shirt do you love the corporation? cause they sure as fuck love you just as long as you're of use to them, and after that you're screwed tell a mailing list that something doesn't feel so very right and at times it seems existence is a dull and weary fight they'll stick up for you, perhaps, if they see something good inside so you live life by computer - it seems somewhere safe to hide at the end of it, you age, perhaps the layers drop away or perhaps you build identity to help you through the day do you live life for the moment, do you scrabble to pretend? does the answer to that question change the way the story ends? you've been used, you're confused are you me? are you you? write a song, i'll sing along not for a reason, just because, i think that it might be fun to do. -------------- yeah... words, music, definitions... its all so... false...man i think it might have been lester bangs (although, equally, it might have been lorraine kelly) who said that writing about music was like dancing about architecture. and i know that it was edda that said: *I'll admit that telling people that I *listen to indie is more of an statement than a fact, cause I know that even *though they would tell me the same, they are too listening to "crazy in *love" and shaking there booty. Or at least here... I don't know how it is *with you guys.... and she's right. and, somewhere underneath the 'hello kitty' notepaper i never owned, i'm pretty sure there's a destiny's child cover of frank lloyd wright's greatest hits. and i'm just dying to get my groove on. until next time, my dears, all i have to say to you is do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do no, that wasn't it but it'll do xx ian that wasn't a short mail at all, was it? +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: Tweemore Stein
by idleberry 24 Aug '03

24 Aug '03

"what is your definition of emo, twee, and or any other hip music category that you might be able to help me define. all i know is weezer is emo, b&s is twee, and modest mouse is indie. what is used to define these placements, and is there a hierarchy?" The Concise and Blunt Idleberry Dictionary, 2003 Edition, Sinister Publications Ltd. emo: (adjective)(1) lazy method of defining music according to its beat, tone, pitch, vocals, and choice of musical instruments. Used by people who don't actually like music enough to listen to it properly. (2) Stereotype of person or people who listen to a particular band or bands, judged on basic observations of appearance, attitude, and behaviour. twee: (adjective) (1)lazy method of defining music according to its beat, tone, pitch, vocals, and choice of musical instruments. Used by people who don't actually like music enough to listen to it properly. (2) Stereotype of person or people who listen to a particular band or bands, judged on basic observations of appearance, attitude, and behaviour. indie: (adjective) lazy method of defining music according to its beat, tone, pitch, vocals, and choice of musical instruments. Used by people who don't actually like music enough to listen to it properly. (2) Stereotype of person or people who listen to a particular band or bands, judged on basic observations of appearance, attitude, and behaviour. Hope that helps clear things up, Tamara. Personally, I think anyone who aspires to being twee/ emo/ indie is socially inept. If you have an issue with being yourself and instead feel the need for a label or category to belive you fit in somewhere in society, then there isn�t much hope left. You may as well just pop on some concrete flippers and take a long swim now. Seriously. What is the point at all if you can�t just be yourself and feel the need to be something, to dress, to act and to behave a certain way just to feel part of anything? Come on! Its only music. Why feel the need to be a certain way to impress people who like the same music as you? Isn't that what you'd be doing, afterall? Trying to fit in, trying to impress people so you feel somehow part of a movement? It doesn�t work. Unless you�re into the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I think it works in that case. Is sinister twee? Bollocks it is. Quick cross-section of sinister pos(t)ers:Ken Chu; Mark Casarotto; Carsmile Steve; Matt Henderson; Laura Llew; Mrs Bapps (nee fruitloop); Hobart Ian; Robin Stout... YOU. Personally, I wouldn�t have the balls to ever approach one of them and seriously accuse them of being twee. So to do it to sinister as a whole isn�t exactly wise either. I think its a pretty bloody ignorant statement for anyone to suggest that sinister, as a whole, is twee. Paisley: why didn't you just privately mail casarotto instead of getting all "ooh! you're nothing more than a big bad bully boy!" all over my inbox? Why did I need to see that? Was it somehow significant to my life as well? I think not. Maybe I'm alone in that thought, maybe this alone is slightly hypocritical and I should have just mailed you myself, but fuck it, I've got more stuff to say in this post than just getting all hyper-PC about the twee issue.... And so I continue.... I've just returned from a long weekend with the boyfriend at his house. A nice weekend, involving ridiculous amounts of booze, watching Teachers on DVD, and coming home to find my brother had tidied my room for me. Bonus. Incidentally: while watching the box, I noticed B&S were played as background music on Fame Academy yesterday. Bet they are going to enjoy some ker-ching as a result, in royalties. Boy with the Arab Strap if you must know, and I was only watching cos my boyfriend was watching it and I made him sit through a Halley Mills film earlier in the day. That�s not twee by the way � that�s doing it cos there was fuck all else on telly. Love, Idles (I'm relieved to see that a discussion of tweeness is going on here - makes a change to those mid-atlantic picnic posts, no offence to the posters of those, just get it over and done with already, and enjoy your cake and stop making me wish I was there. How do you have a picnic in the middle of the sea, I wonder?) ===== http://groups.yahoo.com/group/corduroysmoke/ starting playground gossip and passing notes __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: deflowered
by Edda Yrr Einarsdottir 24 Aug '03

24 Aug '03

Hello sinister, I think it's time, I think I have to be deflowered, step into the unknown and send out my first mail since I entered the society of the "sinisters". For about a month I've been reading some of your mail and to be honest I was a little intimidated, as people intend to get when they are standing in front of a group of people, who are destined to judge by their standers and that even hard. Either they are going to think that you're a bit of cliché, stereotyped or even worse trying to be really indie when in fact you aren't at all. So I thought I would just introduce myself with sincerity, it might not be a interesting mail and it is most definitely not a funny one, but it is a first one. My name is edda, and I'm from Iceland, I'm 20 years old and just graduated from pre college and I am about to start my B.S in engineering, but I am going to become and architect. hehe this is just like a profile, anyways I work at a store/café called Te & Kaffi, so I either make coffee or grind it, ask me about any kind of coffee or tea and I'll tell you all about it. I also do modeling now and then. I love photographing and designing clothes. I've traveled a bit, was an exchange student for 6 months in the States, went to English school in England and worked for sometime in France. I think that's it, ooh and I don't have a boyfriend. I actually just read Ian's "twee idol" mail, and it got me thinking about how I answer questions about my taste in music, normally I just tell people that I like indie, jazz/blues, folk and usually name a few artists like Low, Will Oldham, B & S, american analog set, tom waits.... when in fact my stereo's has been broken for some time so I haven't been listening at all to my cd's for a while. So I've just been listening to music when I go out, and when I go out I love to dance so I listen to all the pop that's out there and old school rap is also pretty high in my play list, so in fact these days I should say that I'm listening to beyoncé, justin and the roots, but what will people then think of me? I'll admit that telling people that I listen to indie is more of an statement than a fact, cause I know that even though they would tell me the same, they are too listening to "crazy in love" and shaking there booty. Or at least here... I don't know how it is with you guys.... edda xxxx _________________________________________________________________ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: and there's more!
by Ben Apps 24 Aug '03

24 Aug '03

Oops! In between Dirty Dream #2 and Travelling Light we heard Step into My Office Baby and Dylan in the Movies. right sorry bye :-/ _________________________________________________________________ On the move? Get Hotmail on your mobile phone http://www.msn.co.uk/msnmobile +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: we all danced on whirling stages in our busby Berkeley dreams
by Ben Apps 24 Aug '03

24 Aug '03

Well, we didn't *all* do it, but about 30 people did, including sinister's own Ian Rivamonte who even gave Stevie a peck on the cheek! Stuart asked for about 6 dancers but the security got a bit overwhelmed. Beans won the award for the worst joke of the night pretending he thought Stuart asked for "6 Dans on stage." I wrote down the set list on the back of a crumpled ATM receipt. Here's what I wrote: FTS EXPEC DD#2 TRAV LIGHT WOMAN'S REALM LORD ANTHONY IYFYCIL SCOO B-D IDL NE1 THE MODEL GMAFHID JON DAV JATDOH TWATTYBUS ROY WALKER STCA Encore: SLY AND THE F S ME AND THE MAJOR So I hope that make's some sense! I didn't know the Sly and the Family Stone song. Hmm, what else? Stuart said it was the best place he'd ever played, he also sang it was the best sex she ever had. At the time of the show the San Francisco treasure hunt had not been won yet. Stuart asked if the clues were too hard or if everyone was just dense! Solomon and Deborah, the treasure troopers were called in stage and received medals for their stirling work. There was some band called Bright Eyes on first - whoever they are :-p The singer reminded me of Justine Frischmann, he reminded Rachel of Tommy Gnosis. It was a really good show! The playing was tight, the sound rich, Sturat was chatty and the set a perfect blend of old and new. If you find yourself caught in love is a Stomper! Oh, and we were treated to the full extended version of Scooby Driver. There was a good length article in the San Fransisco Weekly with a (p)review of Dear Catastrophe Waitress here: http://www.sfweekly.com/issues/2003-08-20/garrett.html/1/index.html On to L.A. then. See some of you at the picnic. More reporting back to follow. ttfn Bapps _________________________________________________________________ On the move? Get Hotmail on your mobile phone http://www.msn.co.uk/msnmobile +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Re: Sinister: twee idol
by ian 23 Aug '03

23 Aug '03

err.... just a quick clarification. i panicked after i'd sent this, because, given the subsequent spin put on mark's words, the comment at the bottom about paddles, and suitable substitutes seems in very poor taste. it wasn't a joke about rape in any way sense or form. i wouldn't do that, and from the (admittedly limited) amount i know about mark there's no way he'd do that either. but i'll let him speak for himself. mine was a clumsy attempt at flirtation. all my attempts at flirtation are clumsy. i'll stick to self-abuse xx ian -----Original Message----- From: ian <hobart(a)dimensionflip.fsnet.co.uk> To: sinister(a)missprint.org <sinister(a)missprint.org> Date: 23 August 2003 21:13 Subject: Sinister: twee idol >the sun shines weakly, on a humdrum town. a thousand thousand identical >roofs warm slightly to its touch while those in the buildings beneath stare >into the street, wondering why things aren't right yet, after all this time. >after everything. > >further into the town, a larger building - somewhere full of people. full >of young people, many of them pretty. not a nightclub. not that soulless. > >or, perhaps, more soulless still: > >'but why haven't you picked me?' > >'we don't think you're right for this' > >'but can't you see how marvellous i am? can't you SEE i'm going to be >FAMOUS and RICH and HAPPY?' > >'that's nice. next' > >one by one, up troop the hopefuls, all willing to give everything they have. >all knowing that this time, this will be that breakthrough, this will be the >one. full of self-belief, they're completely aware that they're something >special, more >special than any of the others. >the judges smile, and offer opinion, looking firm bodies up and down and >doing mental bank-balance calculations. >they'll use you up, and they'll throw you away, and you're asking them to do >it, because that's your dream. > >i can hear this happening in the room nextdoor. the blue light from the box >fills the room and entrances my partner, who is doubtless watching the >screen for pretty boys. i can't be around it. i can't hear it. partly >because it makes me so very sad, and partly because i'm scared i'll end up >watching it too, getting pulled in by it, laughing at the people who can't >sing, in the same way that everyone else laughs. like people laugh at me >because i try to sing because, let's face it, anyone who dares put their >head over the >parapet deserves everything they get, don't they? > >watching it hurts me. i feel like i'm betraying something important in >myself. it feels like i'm being unfaithful to my spirit, and yet i could >still go and sit there, and let it fill me. > >------------------------- >that's the modern world. that's fame and fortune, its a cruel game and >we're all chasing it. maybe we'd all be on that television, given half a >chance, being loud, being 'interesting', trying to be noticed. > >thank goodness our heroes are different. thank goodness we like different >things, which makes us better than the rest of the world. thank goodness we >aren't taken in by the likes of that. oh... but don't some of them look >pretty? > >i hide in here, with my computer. i want to put on kathryn williams >records, or, better still, leonard cohen albums. i want to listen to >scottish indie, and pretend i'm so far away from any of that. any of that >idol worship. any of that addiction to fame. i won't think about my 'buffy >the vampire slayer' box sets, or about those early episodes when xander >looked so beautifully toned. and we won't talk about the porn. > >no... i'm better than that. i value people for what they are, not as >commodities and - >god, he looks nice in a tight top. > > >no, no NO.. i don't think like that. i'll find that book on >meditation...now where >was it? oh yes... right here, under the tv guide. > >perhaps i'll pick up my copy of 'if you're feeling sinister' and >conveniently ignore the fact that, just maybe, being famous is something >belle and sebastian wouldn't mind all that much, either, wouldn't mind being >adored by the people listening at home, by the people watching on the telly, >by the people listening at home. > >oh, there's a layer of irony in those lyrics, but its defensive irony. its >the irony >of someone who is aware that they're partly charmed by what they're trying >to stand away from. > >--------------------- > >i like the fact that we're different here, that we're not like the rest of >the world, that we're so gorgeously twee that we never think about bel ami >boys, or sex-toys, or holding someone closely to you as they--- > >no... i never think about that. i'm far too fluffy. > >far too fluffy...fluffy... >fluffer...fluff...buff...butt...hmm...butt...hmm... > >no, where was i? > > >okay, i'll come clean --- > >i wasn't singing 'i'm a little tea pot' to my pussy cat. > >you see, being twee doesn't render you senseless to the world around you. >it doesn't make you a better person, although it may, if done sincerely, >make you a kinder one. it doesn't stop you being a human being. it doesn't >even, really, get rid of that part of you that wants to watch simon cowell >spout his destructive, self-glorifying crap in the name of building up his >own celebrity status at the expense of other, more fragile beings. >because, let's face it, its poor television but its compulsive, if you allow >yourself to become a part of it. > > >sometimes, i wish it did. time away from the world around you is a good >thing. time away from the crassness is great. if tweeness is your retreat, >then i'd like to join you for a cup of tea. herbal, naturally. with one of >those nice biscuits with a cow on it. > >if being kind, and sensitive, and soft, and perhaps a little precious is >your way of facing the world, then good luck to you. you're going to need >it. its a hard world, too hard. full of pop-idol people who know they're >better than everyone else (that isn't a dig at anyone around these parts, >incase there's any paranoid vibes floating round) and, when a hard thing and >a soft thing collide, its easy to guess what might crumple. > >no, we can't hide from the world completely. we need it. we're raised in >it, and we've absorbed some of its ideals. the need for recognition, >affection... maybe even s--e--x. > > and guess what kids? its true, perhaps, that there are >people out there who won't shag you. probably quite a lot of them. > >it might be because you're a girl, it might be because you're a boy, it >might be because of the colour of your skin, or tone of your voice. it >might be because of those clothes - don't you know that crew cuts and >trainers are out again? it might be because they're celibate, or bored, or >they want something deeper from life. it might be because you're too hard, >it might be because you're affected. it might be because you're too >sensitive. > >it might be because you're twee. >a shame being soft doesn't stop you wanting to get laid. doesn't take away >the disappointment of not getting what you want. doesn't heal those wounds >any more quickly. doesn't get you a boyfriend, or a girlfriend. > >not straight away, anyway. > >but you know what? if you come to terms with that, if you stop trying to be >hard, if you show your sensitive heart to the world then amongst all those >people queuing up to stick knives in it, there might be someone you weren't >expecting. someone else with a sensitive heart, someone else who wants to >feel safe, and warm, and needs someone who will handle them with care - the >care that only comes of knowing how it feels to be easily bruised. > >it won't stop you hurting them, of course. it won't take away the pictures >of naked men and women that titillate. it won't stop sex selling >everything. it won't protect you from the cruelty that passes for saturday >night entertainment these days. all of which, together, make staying >together and making each other happy a terribly difficult task. > >but, you know what? it isn't a bad place to start. > >and, sometimes, when that soft thing crumples, it forms a wondefully new >shape. something strange, and unexpected, and never seen before. something >really original. its never the hammer that's the work of art, always the >sculpture. always the new shape, formed from something more malleable, less >easy to define. > >so be twee. or be hard. be whatever you are. and don't be ashamed. and >don't worry about not getting laid. you'll get used to it, as i'm sure you >are already. that's life. >life is cruel. >you don't have to be. > >and i'd tell amy linton that her music is twee, gladly. although i wouldn't >just throw out the word. i'd explain to her what that meant to me, and how >special and important it was, and maybe, just maybe, she'd understand. > >i'm blowing you kisses and waving a wand. and i'm sticking a big kiss, >particularly, on the head of mr. casarotto who, i'm sure, would never stick >a paddle up someone's arse. not really. (you've got something that would >work so much better than that, dear). > >and maybe i'll catch the end of pop idol. it IS compulsive television. > >xx >ian > > > >+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ > +---+ 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 +-+ > +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ > +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ > +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ >+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ > +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: and what do you think i saw when i opened the door? Badgers! Eating my pork pie!
by robin stout 23 Aug '03

23 Aug '03

I was at a party last night and had an argument with a girl about drum and bass. I think I told her it was rubbish. I said, snootily and rather too loudly, that I'd always preferred hi-hat and treble. I said, waving my beer bottle in the air, that I like drums, I like bass, I like trumpets, I like guitars and handclaps and songs about tigers. She said I didn't understand and it's about more than just drums and bass. I said it was a stupid name then, and all labels were silly because the best bands should defy expectations. She called me something offensive. It might have been "you twat". It probably was. Today with a headache and not a penny in my pockets I sat inside watching telly. And I figured that last night I had been a bit of a twat. I'd overstepped the mark. I think my views on whether it is good or bad to be considered twee follow similar lines of thought to that argument about drum and bass. I don't think that labels ever really fit what they're applied to. And people always have different opinions on what they mean. People ask me what music I like and I find it difficult to reply. I could say 'indie' I suppose, but people would form the wrong impressions. My problem with 'twee' is that it's an affectation. I like to hear songs about love and loneliness, girlfriends who run off with postmen, freckles, tigers and sex on the carpet. I don't think a word as shallow as twee really sums that up. If you want to put your hair in pigtails, go on. It makes you look cute, but it's not why I love you. I think what I'm most embarrassed about in my argument with that girl is that I was accusing her of being narrowminded but I was being narrowminded myself. I mean, she can dance to shite music if she wants to, but it's not like she's sticking pins in hampsters. I'll tell myself that because she says she doesn't listen to song lyrics that makes her shallow, but that doesn't have to be true. That's the problem with labels: they make us focus on the wrapper and not what's inside. Last night someone called me a four-letter word beginning with 't'. I hope that's the last time. :: :: :: A taxi driver parked his taxi at the end of my street because smoke was coming from the engine. He had his radio turned up really loud and I couldn't concentrate on my book. He flipped up the bonnet and stood holding his chin in one hand with the other on his hip. A song called 'Stay Loose' came on the radio. I can't remember who it was by but I rather liked it. robin x ps: the aislers set kick ass. they blow me away. there isn't a word in the dictionary to sum that up. pps: put your wand away ian. always getting it out at the smallest excuse ;) _________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch with absent friends - get MSN Messenger http://www.msn.co.uk/messenger +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: twee idol
by ian 23 Aug '03

23 Aug '03

the sun shines weakly, on a humdrum town. a thousand thousand identical roofs warm slightly to its touch while those in the buildings beneath stare into the street, wondering why things aren't right yet, after all this time. after everything. further into the town, a larger building - somewhere full of people. full of young people, many of them pretty. not a nightclub. not that soulless. or, perhaps, more soulless still: 'but why haven't you picked me?' 'we don't think you're right for this' 'but can't you see how marvellous i am? can't you SEE i'm going to be FAMOUS and RICH and HAPPY?' 'that's nice. next' one by one, up troop the hopefuls, all willing to give everything they have. all knowing that this time, this will be that breakthrough, this will be the one. full of self-belief, they're completely aware that they're something special, more special than any of the others. the judges smile, and offer opinion, looking firm bodies up and down and doing mental bank-balance calculations. they'll use you up, and they'll throw you away, and you're asking them to do it, because that's your dream. i can hear this happening in the room nextdoor. the blue light from the box fills the room and entrances my partner, who is doubtless watching the screen for pretty boys. i can't be around it. i can't hear it. partly because it makes me so very sad, and partly because i'm scared i'll end up watching it too, getting pulled in by it, laughing at the people who can't sing, in the same way that everyone else laughs. like people laugh at me because i try to sing because, let's face it, anyone who dares put their head over the parapet deserves everything they get, don't they? watching it hurts me. i feel like i'm betraying something important in myself. it feels like i'm being unfaithful to my spirit, and yet i could still go and sit there, and let it fill me. ------------------------- that's the modern world. that's fame and fortune, its a cruel game and we're all chasing it. maybe we'd all be on that television, given half a chance, being loud, being 'interesting', trying to be noticed. thank goodness our heroes are different. thank goodness we like different things, which makes us better than the rest of the world. thank goodness we aren't taken in by the likes of that. oh... but don't some of them look pretty? i hide in here, with my computer. i want to put on kathryn williams records, or, better still, leonard cohen albums. i want to listen to scottish indie, and pretend i'm so far away from any of that. any of that idol worship. any of that addiction to fame. i won't think about my 'buffy the vampire slayer' box sets, or about those early episodes when xander looked so beautifully toned. and we won't talk about the porn. no... i'm better than that. i value people for what they are, not as commodities and - god, he looks nice in a tight top. no, no NO.. i don't think like that. i'll find that book on meditation...now where was it? oh yes... right here, under the tv guide. perhaps i'll pick up my copy of 'if you're feeling sinister' and conveniently ignore the fact that, just maybe, being famous is something belle and sebastian wouldn't mind all that much, either, wouldn't mind being adored by the people listening at home, by the people watching on the telly, by the people listening at home. oh, there's a layer of irony in those lyrics, but its defensive irony. its the irony of someone who is aware that they're partly charmed by what they're trying to stand away from. --------------------- i like the fact that we're different here, that we're not like the rest of the world, that we're so gorgeously twee that we never think about bel ami boys, or sex-toys, or holding someone closely to you as they--- no... i never think about that. i'm far too fluffy. far too fluffy...fluffy... fluffer...fluff...buff...butt...hmm...butt...hmm... no, where was i? okay, i'll come clean --- i wasn't singing 'i'm a little tea pot' to my pussy cat. you see, being twee doesn't render you senseless to the world around you. it doesn't make you a better person, although it may, if done sincerely, make you a kinder one. it doesn't stop you being a human being. it doesn't even, really, get rid of that part of you that wants to watch simon cowell spout his destructive, self-glorifying crap in the name of building up his own celebrity status at the expense of other, more fragile beings. because, let's face it, its poor television but its compulsive, if you allow yourself to become a part of it. sometimes, i wish it did. time away from the world around you is a good thing. time away from the crassness is great. if tweeness is your retreat, then i'd like to join you for a cup of tea. herbal, naturally. with one of those nice biscuits with a cow on it. if being kind, and sensitive, and soft, and perhaps a little precious is your way of facing the world, then good luck to you. you're going to need it. its a hard world, too hard. full of pop-idol people who know they're better than everyone else (that isn't a dig at anyone around these parts, incase there's any paranoid vibes floating round) and, when a hard thing and a soft thing collide, its easy to guess what might crumple. no, we can't hide from the world completely. we need it. we're raised in it, and we've absorbed some of its ideals. the need for recognition, affection... maybe even s--e--x. and guess what kids? its true, perhaps, that there are people out there who won't shag you. probably quite a lot of them. it might be because you're a girl, it might be because you're a boy, it might be because of the colour of your skin, or tone of your voice. it might be because of those clothes - don't you know that crew cuts and trainers are out again? it might be because they're celibate, or bored, or they want something deeper from life. it might be because you're too hard, it might be because you're affected. it might be because you're too sensitive. it might be because you're twee. a shame being soft doesn't stop you wanting to get laid. doesn't take away the disappointment of not getting what you want. doesn't heal those wounds any more quickly. doesn't get you a boyfriend, or a girlfriend. not straight away, anyway. but you know what? if you come to terms with that, if you stop trying to be hard, if you show your sensitive heart to the world then amongst all those people queuing up to stick knives in it, there might be someone you weren't expecting. someone else with a sensitive heart, someone else who wants to feel safe, and warm, and needs someone who will handle them with care - the care that only comes of knowing how it feels to be easily bruised. it won't stop you hurting them, of course. it won't take away the pictures of naked men and women that titillate. it won't stop sex selling everything. it won't protect you from the cruelty that passes for saturday night entertainment these days. all of which, together, make staying together and making each other happy a terribly difficult task. but, you know what? it isn't a bad place to start. and, sometimes, when that soft thing crumples, it forms a wondefully new shape. something strange, and unexpected, and never seen before. something really original. its never the hammer that's the work of art, always the sculpture. always the new shape, formed from something more malleable, less easy to define. so be twee. or be hard. be whatever you are. and don't be ashamed. and don't worry about not getting laid. you'll get used to it, as i'm sure you are already. that's life. life is cruel. you don't have to be. and i'd tell amy linton that her music is twee, gladly. although i wouldn't just throw out the word. i'd explain to her what that meant to me, and how special and important it was, and maybe, just maybe, she'd understand. i'm blowing you kisses and waving a wand. and i'm sticking a big kiss, particularly, on the head of mr. casarotto who, i'm sure, would never stick a paddle up someone's arse. not really. (you've got something that would work so much better than that, dear). and maybe i'll catch the end of pop idol. it IS compulsive television. xx ian +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: mince
by m. paisley 23 Aug '03

23 Aug '03

No, you're right, "physically bully" doesn't hardly get the full intention of "anal rape" across. Pardon my initial phrasing, it was woefully imprecise. >Mark Casarotto <boyincorduroy(a)yahoo.com> >Sinister: Sometimes I still feel the bruise up my arse >I see Paulo Stinsoni stuck his twee oar in. Let me >give it a further push and a bit of a twist. Brings >tears to your eyes. _________________________________________________________________ It's fast, it's easy and it's free. Get MSN Messenger today! http://www.msn.co.uk/messenger +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: and you wonder why are we f*cked up as a race
by m. paisley 23 Aug '03

23 Aug '03

Excuse me, but did you just write about your desire to physically bully another list member? Over e-mail? >I see Paulo Stinsoni stuck his twee oar in. Let me >give it a further push and a bit of a twist. Brings >tears to your eyes. Sure looks like it to me. And you attacked him on a personal level as well... >Kids - Paulo's post was a bit of a parable. Being twee >= YOU DON'T GET LAID AND YOU END UP UNHAPPY. There's a >bit of a lesson in there, I think. What the hell. Paul shared a part of his experience, and I felt privileged to read it. I don't want a flame war (although that hostile e-mail looked like it could be a first step), but there's something wrong when one member feels threatened by another, just because one goes by a label that the other refuses. Paulo's post talked about twee musical groups in a very respectful way, and concerned his own life, on which he is the best authority. Mark's post responded not to the twee genre topic, but was just an attack on Paulo himself. It's the mentality of shaky self-image where being called a name like "twee" is like being called "gay" and the best way to prove that you're not is evidently to go find someone who does represent that quality and beat them up. Without their vigilant self-obsession about how aggressive and vicious they can make themselves, what do bullies have to write about? - paisley _________________________________________________________________ Get Hotmail on your mobile phone http://www.msn.co.uk/msnmobile +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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