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Sinister: I wanna be ignorant on my own
by a.s.t.r.i.d＠nme.com 19 Feb '03

19 Feb '03

Dearest Sinister, This is a tribute to thou. Ive come to realize what Ive always known, but yet kept quiet with. I really love sinister. I do. I know its supposed to be this place where cool people hang and all, and I dont think that it is meant for sixteen year old girls to love it. But I do. Youre all so wonderful and funny. Just when Im about to give up on everything and go hide under my duvet for the rest of my life, only coming out once in a while to get more chocolate, you cheer me up again and its all so lovely. Im not trying to kiss some twee arses here, this is just how I feel. Ah. I hope you dont think Im too pathetic. But yesterday, after a horrendously bad hair day (that really ruins my entire day, I know its superficial, but when my hair is really bad I feel really bad too. Not that I care much about it usually, but, er, yes. I dont know. Its just how it is), I came home. I was hoping for a letter from Miss Alex in Australia. But no, just boring mail for my mum. But then I went into the kitchen, and there, on the table, there it was! A lovely little parcel, with nice little stickers on it! For me! Hurrah! It contained a nice letter, a GREAT mixtape and Miss Alexs zine Unintentionally Lo-Fi. It totally made my day! Hurrah again for Miss Alex! Shes the queen of Indie Cool. Yay for her! Today, I am at home again. Im wearing my black cords and my pink baseball-shirt or what the hell theyre called. Its nice, because the main part on it is pastel pink with deep pink stars, and the sleeves are just deep pink. I feel sort of pretty, except that I look like Id been hiding in a closet for 300 years or something. Shall we say I look tired. Ok. I love this Swedish cereal called Kalaspuffar. Thats like, er, PartyPuffs in English. Its such a god name for cereal. At least the Swedish version. PartyPuffs sounds like something that has to do with drugs. Maybe youve got something similar. But still, it is Gods creation. Sugary, good as snacks and actual cereal. YUM. Im looking at the box right now, therefore I felt the need to tell you. Does anyone else have a fascination for daytime television? I love it. First, theres the sort of stuff like Days of Our Lives, ah, how wonderfully crap! Always someone possessed by the devil, or you think that youre watching a normal conversation between two of the lousy actors, until you see the supposed-to-be red scary eyes in the tree or something. Always really weird supernatural things. But I cant stand watching more than a minute of it, though. Because it truly is awful. Then theres stuff like Full House, Blossom and Step by Step. AH. So cheesy, and not even funny. And in Step by Step, theres the Pervs also known as the Parents who are always talking about sex. They sort of scare me, because they keep talking about nurse outfits and stuff like that. Eeeeew! Leave me out of it you devil family! Dawsons Creek has to get its space in this post too. Dawson and his family is my favourite thing to hate about the series. Really, have you ever seen anyone with such an asymmetric face? Its been bugging me since it started here, when I was twelve. Hes weirdly ugly, as if thats his excuse for being sensitive or something, and then he had this freaky dad, who thank God died. The dad was the worst part. Always, especially in the beginning, a typical conversation between them would go like this: The dad enters Dawsons room. Dad: Hello Dawson, what are you doing? Dawson: Oh, Im just editing my new movie. Dad: You know, son, making love to a woman is something special. Like me and your mother, for example, we made love on the living room table yesterday. But a woman is something special Dawson. Always be gentle to her [insert cliché talk] Dawson: Wow, thanks for your great advice dad! Ok. Im not even going to start on this one. But what the hell?! Father and son talking, not even slightly bothered, about sex? Dawson not being disturbed by the fact that his dad tells him that he and his mother has sex? ON THE GOD DAMN LIVING ROOM TABLE? Last week, I brought up the topic of the fact that parents have sex and how you really dont want to think about that, amongst my friends, which resulted in us all laughing panicky screaming AHHHH MENTAL PICTURES MENTAL PICTURES MENTAL PICTURES!. Oh, when browsing through old posts, I found this from a post by Toy Stephen: Perhaps you're Astrid and you've been dancing with the Belles Your star so lovely, that your age they cannot tell Your obsessions get you known throughout Sinister for being strange Crushing Bobby, and whispering him 'Jag älskar dig.' Thats very funny and very sweet. It was from the post called sexpecations, and that was like a verse of it. Im impressed with the Swedish though! But dear sinister, am I known throughout sinister for being strange..? Oh. Well, take care all of you, I love you all. (Ah, cheesy.) Sorry for this v. long post. Handclaps and tambourines and love Astrid x --------------------------------------------------- Who would you rather be - Ted Danson or Kevin Costner? Fab: Who the fuck is Ted Dancer? Ted Danson. Fab: Oh, Danson. Nick: I think Ted Danson wears a toupee. ______________________________________________________________ For up-to-the-minute music news, reviews and specials visit http://www.nme.com Get free e-mail (anyname(a)nme.com) now at http://www.nmemail.com The sender of this e-mail is NOT an employee or associate of NME, nme.com or any other IPC magazine. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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: Look at me, I'm still on TV...
by Gardiner, Stuart 19 Feb '03

19 Feb '03

OK, I'm back for some more Reporting Back. They should turn this into some sort of "Making of the DVD" thing, it's long enough... Chapter 4: Friday morning - with Chris and Sarah. The first interview of day 2 was a double-header, speaking to Sarah and Chris in the conservatory at the back of a bar in Glasgow's West End, just down the road from the old Grosvenor Café. (It was actually really nice for me to se all these places for the first time, since I'd not been to Glasgow before). The four of us were seated round a table in the back; it seemed the best way of getting me in the same frame as the others, I'm way too tall to do interviews standing up... This was the one I enjoyed most; it was more like a chat than an interview. As always, most of the talk revolved around the band's history and future. The way they all talked about the Brazil concerts really made me wish I'd been there... We were starting to repeat questions from the day before, but the answers were still interesting. We talked about their hopes for the new album. We talked about Northern Soul. We talked about how they had all changed over the years (apparently Mick's ever-changing hairdo is the most noticeable thing!). We talked about Chris and his bucket (he doesn't drink quite as much at gigs these days...). The time went really quickly actually, it was over before we knew it; I could happily have sat there chatting all day. Oh, the hardships of being a media whore. Chapter 5: Friday early afternoon - with Stevie. After a lunch-break, we must have spent a good quarter of an hour waiting patiently for Stevie to turn up while he was standing on the opposite corner of the road junction waiting for us. Having finally realised that we were standing less than ten metres from his car, we started getting set up for the interview. For this one, Stevie was going to drive us around Glasgow, while the two reporters Sarah & I sat in the back of his car asking questions; with Jim filming us all from the front seat and Blair directing from next to us in the back. Personally I found it harder to have a conversation, partly because Stevie had to concentrate on driving (even if we were just going up and down a quiet street down by the docks for most of the time!) but more because we couldn't really see his face except a bit in the rear-view mirror; having said that, Blair thought it was the interview which worked best, and he knows what he's talking about far more than I do! Now, Stevie loves his music. He likes nothing more than playing a gig. His repertoire is responsible for most of the cover versions done at gigs. As the band's resident axe-wielder, he seems to prefer the more up-tempo numbers to play; and he was as bemused as anyone about being labelled 'twee'. Of course, there were the usual questions about the band's history and future, since that was the main point of the interviews; again, Stevie thought the future of the band was rosier now than it had been for a few years. And no, he's not planning on leaving the band and going solo just yet... Having made it safely back without crashing (despite Stevie turning round to answer questions from time to time...), we piled out of the car, got the life back in our legs (well I did at least - it's not easy being tall and sitting behind another tall person in the car for an hour!) and headed off to pick up the remaining two band members. Chapter 6: Friday late afternoon - with Mick and Bob. It had been a gorgeous day in Glasgow. Bright and sunny, and hardly a cloud in the sky. So what better place to do the final interview than in Kelvingrove Park? Well, somewhere warm would have been a nice start, but still... Sitting round a picnic bench, huddling up in our coats, hands cradling a polystyrene cup of tea, the four of us looked more like homeless people than anything else. When you see the footage, you'll be able to tell how far through the interview it was by how red my ears are at the time. We managed to fit all the usual subjects into the interview before it was decided to call a halt because Bobby's teeth could be heard chattering in the microphone. And to think, Katrina had decided to go back to the office instead of hanging around for the afternoon to watch... Aside from asking about the same stuff as in the other interviews, it was interesting to hear how Mick and Bobby found it joining the band halfway through, so-to-speak. Mick talked about having to change his attitude from being the bloke who came into the studio and cheered things up, to being someone expected to give input into the decisions. Bob talked about the process being made easier because he had known the entire band for five years beforehand. Once we had enough footage, we returned to the car to defrost, and then headed off to the pub. Chapter 7: Friday early evening. Filming done, time to relax. First up, a few drinks with Mick, Bobby, Blair, Jim, and Katrina who rejoined us (and is still convinced I'm an alcoholic, can't imagine why...). I'll leave it to you to guess which person at the table had just purchased the best of Toto on CD, because it's really not that interesting. The conversation went from credible alternative music (well, Kylie Minogue and Tatu to be honest) to the politics of the anti-war march to the wonderful sport of korfball. Only about half an hour late, we decided to make a move to get to the restaurant for a meal. The dining party consisted of me and Sarah, Stuart M, Katrina, Jim and Blair (despite his other half cooking a Valentine's meal for him back home... Hope he didn't get into trouble...). We were the only people in the restaurant not there as a couple, either long-term couples or the blatantly-obvious first date going on on one of the tables. So it was only natural that the conversation was mostly about relationships; it sounded more like a group therapy session at times! There was a bit of chat about music, and Camera Obscura in particular; and a bit more about the peace demo (incidentally, on Saturday night I finally found someone who thinks we should be going to war with Iraq - it's taken me several months...). I wish I could have joined Stuart, Katrina and the others on the march, but sadly I had to be back in Nottingham on Saturday afternoon. Oh, and incidentally, the food was delicious. Chapter 8: Friday evening - at the Camera Obscura gig. So, four of us piled into a taxi to head round to Stuart's Church Hall to see the show. After a discussion on the way there about which karaoke songs each of us had sung / would want to sing, and a quick stop in the off-licence, we arrived just in time to see the first act, a man whose name I've forgotten but who sounded eerily like Elvis Costello (which is no bad thing). Lucy has already given a round-up of who was there (I never met half of you, but still...); I'll just say that the atmosphere was really friendly and everyone had a good time. Camera Obscura themselves played mostly good new songs, with a couple of classics thrown in for good measure. And just when I was crying out for them to let rip with an up-tempo number, they did at the end, and people literally started dancing in the aisles. They've got a lot better since last time I saw them a couple of years ago (which obviously is all thanks to the addition of Carey on the keyboards). Once the gig was over, we stayed behind for a little while chatting with the various members of B&S who were present (most of them!). (At this point I should apologise to Katrina for making her wait while I chatted to Sarah for a minute or two!) Anyway, it was time to go, so I said my goodbyes, and Stuart drove us back to our hotel, where I was asleep within seconds of lying down. I had to come back on Saturday morning, which was a real shame; everyone was so nice and friendly and I could have talked to them for hours more. The band aren't superstars, they're just normal, lovely people who happen to be a lot more talented than me. I can't think of any way they could have been more welcoming, open and friendly. So huge thanks to the band, the director and cameraman, to Katrina, to the person who came round with room service while we were interviewing Stuart for not kicking us out of the hotel... I'm already looking forward to how it will all turn out; it's going to be good (especially since most bits won't have me in them). In the meantime, it's been a fun experience that I'll never forget. Big Stu +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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: Groove Analyser
by robin stout 18 Feb '03

18 Feb '03

Hallo :) (i'm making a mixtape, so please bear with the interruptions) I won't mention the w a r because I am scared of arguments. I do think, though, that the relevance of those seven dancing dwarves Belle and Sebastian to their Sinister mailing list has always been more of a thematic one than one measurable in "content". In fact, I was reading Stuart's Diary today, and he was talking about something else, but I think he sums it up nicely: << I was into Orange Juice and had a passion for them that went beyond simply liking the music. Something about the 'idea' of them. >> The idea. That's the thing. (hold on, i'll just change the cd. pause. eject. that's right) As an example of tangential content, I was going to write a post without any reference to the band at all but it seems I can't help myself. I have to say how much I'm enjoying reading Stuart's Diary. I think that if Stuart was to make an appearance on Sinister wrapped up in disguise like an old washer woman and wrote something about his Youth Club or scrabble and we were none the wiser as to who he was, what he'd be writing is the sort of stuff i'd want to read. I think that, ignoring who he is or why he's famous, the diary's pretty good reading. This is brilliant: << When I'm about to die I'm going to go to a swamp so that I will topple in when the time comes. In 50000 years when they dig me up, pretty well preserved, the scientists will have to work out what sort of life I lead from my bone structure and teeth, and what not. Maybe I'll be clutching a Felt record or something to give them a clue. Well, they'll look at my foot and say 'This man broke a bone and it's healed funny.' And they'll look at the Felt record, analysing the grooves with a Groove Analyser and they'll say 'He was obviously in an indie band and one day the pressure got too much, and he booted a wall.' And they wouldn't be far from the truth, those crazy scientists. >> Thanks to our own Stuart too, for some excellent reporting back. I look forward to the next installment. I once interviewed a friend of mine in a bath while I played a piano in my smoking jacket. I played "Paint Your Wagon". It was for a school project and we were almost expelled for "not taking it seriously". I also ran about in my pants. Nothin' wrong with that. (click. clunk. mmm, My Lighthouse. fantastic!) I spent the weekend in Kidderminster - Twinned with Husum. No giraffes had escaped from the zoo this weekend but there was still fun to be had. I saw a smattering of snowdrops on the peak of the roundabout, I saw the ribs of the old carpet factories as they were picked apart by cranes, and I wondered about the statue of the Reverend Richard Baxter which looks greyly over his flock. The town's most overlooked hero, licked into second place by Sir Rowland Hill inventor of the postage stamp, Baxter was a nonconformist with ambitions to poke a stick in the eye of the King of England and unite the churches behind the Lord's Prayer, the Gospel, a love of sherry and a good knees up. Now he's just a statue at the side of a roundabout, overlooked by the Biggest Sainsburys in the Midlands. I still think of you, Reverend. You may remember last time I was in a bookshop in Kidderminster I saw a whole shelf of "Kidderminster - A History" positioned in the Horror section. Well, on Saturday in the same bookshop I saw a book called "The Strangest Pubs in Britain!" which features such wonders as a pub with a tree in it and a pub which is home to The Oldest Bee in the World! HOW STRANGE!!!!!! Even better than the Unnatural Tree and Ungodly Bee, however, was the poster advertising it which was packed full of "celebrity endorsements", such as: "It sounds fun" - Patrick Moore and "Best wishes for the success of your book" - Prince William Wow! I think they have a bestseller on their hands!! (la la la la! they've never seen your sentimental siiide!) Enough of this. Great to see some old faces showing up again. I'm a little worried about Eric and the tear gas, though. Hope he's okay. r o b i n x x x ps: Chris Field, sorry for being so slow to reply. It takes a while sometimes to get the old bean in gear. I will write to you soon about a Kidderminster Picnic OH MY GOD CAN IT BE?!!? [ by express delivery : http://www.superatomic.co.uk/blog ] _________________________________________________________________ Use MSN Messenger to send music and pics to your friends http://messenger.msn.co.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 +-+ +-+ "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: Help!
by jvic＠ig.com.br 18 Feb '03

18 Feb '03

Yesterday i heard this song that was so *great*, but i don't know how it's called, and i don't know what band was playing it. So i was wondering if any of you could help me... the refrain goes like this: "All i can be, i can feel, i believe it's just right here..." (repeats over and over) I've tried searching at google, but no sucess. I'd appreciate any help, Thanx Victor. _________________________________________________________ Voce quer um iGMail protegido contra vírus e spams? Clique aqui: http://www.igmailseguro.ig.com.br +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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: when i woke up this morning, you were on my mind
by Christine Irene 18 Feb '03

18 Feb '03

So yesterday, whilst at Panera, I saw a gentleman who looked exactly like our very own Ken Chu! Imagine my surprise. To make things better, a very cute boy held the door open for me. It always strikes me when someone opens a door for me, as it seldom happens. I think it is customary for americans to just let the door close behind them with little regard for who may be behind them. Not me. I always open doors for people, help the elderly with their supermarket parcels, that sort of thing. I know that I really like it when someone does something nice for me, so I try to go by that whole golden rule thing. A relatively uneventful weekend. I slept until 2 pm on Sunday....I have NEVER slept that late. Granted, I went to bed round 5 am....I am still usually up by 830 am at the latest. I watched some movies, spent lots o' time on the phone. Like I said, nothing too eventful. Gavin Friday went to the Dublin premier of "Frida" with Andrea Corr. Grr. I am much cooler than Andrea Corr, he should have invited me. I guess I'll have to settle for listening to my newly obtained copy of "Shag Tobacco"...a bloody amazing album by the way. I highly recommend it to all of you. As for my stance on the "SINISTER WAR POSTS" I really don't mind them. Personally, I have mixed feelings on the whole thing. I shan't delve too deeply into politics as I know many of you dislike that, I do think that a US war with Iraq has been coming for ages. People can blame Bush if it makes them feel better, however this war was imminent. The fact that it didn't begin ages ago shocks me. I wouldn't say that I am pro-war by any means. However, what do you do with someone like Hussein? Someone who has no regard for the lives of his citizens, the rules and guidelines set by the UN, all of that stuff? I don't know. I really don't see any point in wars of any kind. It does seem to be the only language that many understand. Unfortunately those are the people who rule the world. Enough of that. Ya know what I have been thinking about a lot lately? How absolutely inadequate the US educational system is. I got an email from DV the other day and he was telling me about Bloody Friday. Until he said this, I had no idea of it. I seem to recall coming across it in a book, but a book I was reading for pleasure. I was in honours courses in school and we never ever learned about the English/Irish conflicts. We never learned anything about the kings and queens of england, back in the day when they did more than throw big ol'concerts. We never studied the Byzantine empire...or the Roman empire really. What a let down. Very often I find myself reading things I feel I should have learned in school. I also was fortunate in that, the school I went to had a lot of money. It is in an affluent area with lots of tax money as well as grants from the state and federal gov't. I can only imagine the education recieved by those in less fortunate schools. insane. This morning the eldest of my charges had to be picked up from school. She is having a gluntenous reaction it seems so we are having a TV day. Nothing too strenuaous. I made some very yummy smoothies and now am going to watch "Snoopy Come Home." "Men marry out of boredom. Women marry out of curiosity. They both end up disappointed." Oscar Wilde ~stine __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day http://shopping.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: Fun! Thrills! Romance!
by Eric Brasure 18 Feb '03

18 Feb '03

Dearest Sinister, I've been listening to a lot of B&S recently; it's like visiting with an old friend. That feeling of immediately slipping back into a comfortable relationship after having been apart for so long is precious. Also, I like them. I haven't written in aaaages, but I decided to because my three-year Sini-anniversary is coming up soon. Where has the time gone? I remember when you were just a wee thing (actually, I don't) and now you're almost grown up, ready to go out into the big wide world. Brings a tear to my eye, really. 'Course, it could be the tear gas from the militia outside. What do we want? A police state! When do we want it? When the government tells us! Still, I suppose things could be worse. I could be in New York, where they apparently have 2 FEET of snow at the moment. Makes it hard for the troops to keep an eye on us. I was asked out for coffee today by a boy that has hair on the tip of his nose. We all need love though, and besides that, he's not bad-looking. Bad teeth too, but that's endearing in a sort of Britain-of-the-1950s sort of way. I'm not desperate, really. I have a £20 gift certificate to spend at amazon.co.uk. I need suggestions on what to buy... please send them my way. If I choose one, you won't get anything. Unless you're a cute guy. Then you might get a kiss on the cheek. Okay, women too. This was crap. You won't hear from me for five more months, so don't worry. Lurrrrve, Eric +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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: Re: Re: Sinister: Being Basil
by Das Mädchen mit der Schere. 18 Feb '03

18 Feb '03

Not that my opinion really matters, but I'll give it anyway: I'm all right with non-B&S related postings, provided that people aren't being vicious, which is hard to avoid when discussing politics. Passing comments, which can then be turned into debates OUTSIDE of the list, don't strike me as being a problem, but if we're going to have to read long posts about nothing but the war in the future, I'm registering my displeasure now. As Caitlin said, there are plenty of other places for that. There's always been a wide spectrum of what this list has been used for. B&S related stuff is always wonderful, but a lot of the "irrelevant" stuff is interesting, too. I love to see what else I have in common with the other Sinisters. And as anakin_sky pointed out, the band is never really forgotten. There's just not a lot to talk about right now. When Storytelling came out and Isobel left, the e-mails from this list were a nightmare to stay on top of for nearly two weeks. When something like that happens again, band-related postings will flood our inboxes. I'm not worried. Well, I've put my two cents in. Before I go, I'll ask a B&S related question to the entire list: What do you suppose the new album will sound like? Yes, I realize no one KNOWS, but make a guess. Personally, I think there will definitely be more Sarah vocals on it and probably more Stevie. I just hope his songs favor "Wandering Alone" as opposed "Chickfactor". The lower he sings, the better he sounds. Stuart, will of course write at least three fabulous songs which will become favorites with all the fans. This is a given. I feel a bit silly even writing it. On the other hand, nothing in life is guaranteed. -Holly -- __________________________________________________________ Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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: Content, Content, Content (too may days worth > so long...)
by jim taylor 18 Feb '03

18 Feb '03

***** Early Tuesday: This has been lurking in my 'drafts' folder so long, its grown and is now in reverse-chronological order. If i didn't worry so much, it might have been a few shorter mails, rather than one big one. No 50 year old quotes this time. I'll quote myself at the bottom instead (2003). I'll avoid the almost tearful self-indulgent rant that i have an urge to splurge. (mmm an urge to splurge, i like that). Not that i hesitate to share my personal issues, far from it, i'd more likely be accused of being *too* open by friends or colleagues. It's just that as others have suggested, sometimes there are MORE important things than my ego-centric life. I half-seriously considered being a human shield this evening for a split-second. If i felt i didn't have a job that's of use to society, or a future more significant role when i complete my training, i might well have felt it the right thing to do, and gone to Baghdad. But that's very very very easy to say. It's harder to acknowledge that that would have been an easy way of getting myself out of a rut i've found myself in. ------------- ***** Sunday: 2nd attempt at sending the Time Out article B&S mention (at the bottom). I wrote this fri night/sat morning pre-UKdemo, and then thought long and hard about sending it. And then left it. And thought some more. Ta for the off list emails. (let's keep 'em there). I'm glad I haven't come to the conclusion i need to sensor myself in my expression of life experience as amongst the many things i am, a belle and sebastian fan, and all that that entails. If you feel this (or any) post is out of place, please let me/whoever know {off list}, but I feel comfortable by the nature of the responses I've had.... I'll only add i read with interest Mr P.Fox's experience of the day. We certainly don't 'give good demo' compared to the Italians or French, but to have a hardcore of activists who might make more of an organised racket diluted by a million plus, well, this is i suppose the entire point. It makes me think what it is to be British. What is my 'national character'? An unhelpful generalising stereotype, but interesting none the less. I'm also stimulated to reflect on my own grammatical laziness in email. what does that reflect? I flicked past a minute or two of stuff about the politicisation of fans by the Manic Street Preachers on TV the other day. It provoked me to wonder if B&S influence people in that way at all. I noted that Caitlin's suggestion implies that members of the band are 'deluded' for going on a demo. As was said to me yesterday, you don't have to agree with a band politically (or how to express/act on any common feeling). But it does interest me, this idea: when do you start/stop being 'into' someone/something for an 'extra-curricular' reason. It reminds me of hearing a US public radio recording of billy bragg doing the 'march of the covert battalions', acknowledging some of the crowd's sing-a-long would be dripping with irony. BB also noting that's what irony does. Drip, that is. Unfortunately Sinister meet ups in London were limited by the sheer logistics of getting anywhere, which was at least a very good reason. (+ there were less people to tut at me & Stefano wandering off for a break in the pub mid march. i guess maybe it was colder in Glasgee, but brrrrrr it "was a bit chilly around the old turntables" as Jimmy Saville allegedly once stated.) (who am i quoting?) I've just deleted an explanation about why i said what i said. It's obvious/repetitive. --- ***** FRI / SAT It's good to hear of sinister/B&S posses - including the band - getting together for demonstrations in different countries & continents. I won't repeat my take on what is appropriate (political) list content http://www.missprint.org/sinister/mhonarc/200209/msg00076.html , though I'd correct an earlier statement, and say B&S's politics *is* one of the reasons I'm a fan. It provokes me to re-consider what it is that draws me to this band, beyond the music. Why i'm on this list, what is it about B&S that draws a thoughtful type of fan? the fact that they have: Belle & Sebastian say "Not In Our Name Mr. Blair!" on the bands news page is something I'm happily comfortable in having come to expect. I find it fascinating, the inextricable link between the expressions of successful intelligent honest bands/musical movements and poltico-ethical awareness, whether it be Billie Holiday's 'Strange Fruit', non-fashion punk, The Smith's 'Meat is Murder', the Clash or Billy Bragg choosing not to make big bucks and sell their records at a fixed low price, etc etc. Artists sometimes express things others don't, provoke others into thinking, and have the sometimes have the media (as in medium-s) to express themselves effectively, as well as access to/influence upon the media. I've also been thinking again of the uniqueness of the B&S/Sinister community, and the trust between us, that for example meant not a 2nd thought to phone calls between strangers yesterday arranging to meet up for what Dean suggested he shouldn't refer to as a demo-nic (!) as that sounds, rather...sinister?!. There's a thing on Radio 4 at the moment about the spirituality of 'walking for peace' internally and externally, and the great traditions of this across cultures, ideologies and religions. The fact that I'll be spending today meeting folk from every race, religion, social and political background (as well as new to me sinister faces!) is exciting to me, and is a part of my life I'm proud of. I'm just really sorry it takes world-threatening events to force me to make the time to be pro-active and post to sinister (and more significantly I apologise for my verbosity in saying what I did). I suppose it reflects the things that draw us together as community, on various levels. Yesterdays UN events to me make today even more important. I'd like not to be paying so much attention to the news everyday, for it to dominate my thoughts less, and for my energies to be devoted towards nurturing inner peace, as my take on the world requires us all to do a little more of this. I'd like to have got in from work and thought of putting on a record rather than the news, but, I suppose this is a reality for all of our lives. ah well. do something pretty + all that. jim x -------- FRI (very early) Time Out London Feb 12-19 2003 Brit young things As the record industry gets set for another night of slurred speeches and showbiz scandal at the Brits, we asked some former participants: 'How was it for you?' "....At least people had heard of Stereo MC's. "Nobody had a clue who we were," laughs Mick Cooke of Scottish indie darlings Belle And Sebastian, who won Best Newcomer in 1999. The tabloids (which repeatedly described the band as a duo) got uptight that an 'unknown' had beaten Steps in the public email vote. "People said it was a scam, but there was nothing to stop people from multiple voting. It's just that Steps' fans probably couldn't use computers". Outraged, the Sun held a revote on a premium phone line and Steps were presented with an award when, inevitably, they won. Meanwhile, B&S had to get used to the media spotlight. Frontman Stuart Murdoch opened his door two days after the ceremony to find journalists camped outside. "We were gonna chuck it in the river at one point," remembers Cooke. "All the papers were saying we'd cheated and we were like 'Aw fuck, it doesn't mean that much to us.' But they quickly realised we weren't much of a story and ignored us just like before." Cooke was one of just two B&S members who went to the ceremony (the tickets cost £400), and he's glad he had the experience. "It was quite enjoyable while it lasted, but it was good to go back to normal again. I think if you couldn't turn that off, it would be pretty hellish." jim ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- "I find it a time of interest, when one picks up a pen and the words just spill out. They were clearly looking for an outlet, their chance to see the world, to breathe, perhaps feels their eyes stung by harsh light, yet are delivered without doubt." +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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: Mails discussing the list on the list
by Linda Kerr 17 Feb '03

17 Feb '03

Hi everyone Hmm. Not sure how to approach this one, except to say that messages to sinister which discuss what can and cannot be discussed on sinister are generally a bad idea, and can and do lead to list implosion. Whoosh. There are 1349 people on this list, and therefore some tolerance is required if the posts are not to your current taste. If you think that the list is being abused, the please mail me, and not the list. I can look into it (I try to read all the posts but sometimes don't) and deal with it then. It is really up to Honey ultimately to manage the list - it has to be - but we try to have a list which most people want and care about, and where people feel safe to post without feeling intimidated. Discussion of non-B&S related topics happens. God knows it happens. :) The list has always been about B&S, the fans and their lives. If you haven't looked at this part of the FAQ, please do, if you can.. http://www.missprint.org/sinister/faq.html#rules Excerpt: "Try and remember this: it's a list for Belle and Sebastian but more importantly about the lives of People Who Listen To Belle And Sebastian...The list goes right when it's lively, funny, interesting, touching, and sometimes even useful. The list goes wrong when people post irrelevancies, not-so-funny "clever" quips, or long discussions take place which would be more suited to another list (like discussions of the relative merits of a band unrelated to B&S). I may step in if we get a long long conversation about something interesting to only a tiny minority of the list(.)" As it was pointed out by Lucy, the situation in Iraq is something Stuart Murdoch has written about on his web site, and it is such a huge international issue I think it would be daft if we did not to talk about it, particularly as it affects our lives. Of course, as with everything, personal flaming is not allowed on the list and as long as discussions do not change the nature of the list, the posts which are funny, or intelligent, or thought-provoking are to be greatly welcomed. As I said, if you think things are getting out of hand in whatever way, let me know. The FAQ is there for guidance. Peace and all that. Linda xxx +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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: Look at me, I'm on TV...
by Gardiner, Stuart 17 Feb '03

17 Feb '03

[This message edited on request from the author and Banchory Management] Well, as some of you may be aware, I spent two days last week in the company of a certain band. Sorry if anyone's jealous, I just got lucky... Anyway, here's some mammoth Reporting Back for you! Chapter 1: Thursday morning, 13th February. Way too early in the morning. The flight Katrina booked me onto left East Midlands airport at ten past seven. So I'm half asleep when I get to Glasgow and am introduced to Blair, who is producing the DVD. Still, it could be worse - Sarah's had no sleep at all on an overnight flight from New York. So we're both delighted to be filmed walking across the airport car park, and interviewed about our history of B&S fandom on the drive into town (well, once we've managed to find our way out of the car park at least). After coming out with some vaguely coherent answers, we get to the hotel in the middle of the city. Of course, it's still too early to get into our rooms, so a healthy (?) breakfast is called for, while we talk about what the next couple of days has in store; the first surprise comes when we are told that Stuart M wants to be interviewed in the bath... Our cameraman, Jim, and director, Blair, go out to film some background shots of the city, and Sarah & I head upstairs to relax. At about this time I start to feel a bit embarrassed about having under three pages of questions written down as preparation, whilst Sarah has printed off copies of every interview the band have done EVER. At lunchtime, Katrina turns up at the hotel, and we all go to get some sandwiches. Time to get down to business. We drive round to the band's rehearsal room, where Mick, Richard and Chris are trying out all sorts of technical stuff which I don't understand to get the demos of their new songs finished. We leave them to it. An hour or so late, Richard is finally finished and ready to be our first interviewee. Chapter 2: Thursday early afternoon - with Richard. The first interview is to take place in the front room of Blair's flat. The lights and cameras are set up, the three of us are miked up, and Katrina makes the tea. Well, it got her out of the office for the day, she may as well make herself useful. I won't bore you with all the technical details of filming an interview, suffice to say that Richard clearly knew what he was doing, and Sarah & I didn't have a clue. So we just did what we were told and let them get on with it. Richard is Mr Chatshow. Very comfortable being interviewed, and very good at it - we just asked an inane question and he's talk for a couple of minutes answering. He talked about his favourite B&S material (Tigermilk, because of the innocence and the way it was recorded in just 5 days) and his least favourite (If You're Feeling Sinister, because the sound wasn't what they wanted). He talked about the new material, and how optimistic he is about it. The band are taking a couple of weeks off now, before going down to Oxfordshire to start recording the new album. Earlier in the week they'd spent a day recording demos of the new songs, and apparently they're sounding great. Other answers were as expected (he enjoyed the night out at the Brits, he loves playing gigs, etc). Oh, and once the filming was over, he admitted off-camera that he does gurn on stage, mainly because he's trying to remember what comes next in the song. Overall, Richard was very friendly and chatty, and generally a ridiculously nice bloke. And his catchphrase seems to be "I'm only the drummer"... Chapter 3: Thursday late afternoon - with Stuart. One interview done, and we're already about two hours behind schedule. So we're in a bit of a rush to pick Stuart up from his house, drive him to our hotel, do the interview and get him back in time for his football game in the evening. And yes, he wants to be interviewed in the bath. The nicest bathroom available was in my hotel room, so we all piled in there to get set up. Lights, cameras, a TV monitor and lots of wires were installed in the bathroom, and we left Stuart to get ready. Sarah & I sat on the side of the bath behind him; our cameraman Jim filmed the three of us in the bathroom mirror, Blair was sat on the shelf monitoring the sound, and Katrina was also perched on the shelf filming with the small camera. So you can imagine how cramped it was. Of course, about ten minutes into the interview, room service turned up with some food and drinks for us all; with all the wires and talk of Stuart taking his clothes off that was coming out of the bathroom, we're sure she thought we were making a porn flick. Once we'd got our composure back, be got back to the questions, until Stuart had finished shaving. During the interview, Stuart was very open, he answered fully every question we put at him. He came across as very intelligent, articulate and thoughtful - - there may not have been a master-plan involved in the band's progress, but you can be sure each individual stage was thought through. He also thinks Tigermilk is his favourite B&S work, and he also mentioned Jonathan David as being a favourite; and he firmly believes the best is yet to come - they haven't yet made the album they're capable of. Maybe the new album will be the one, who knows? He wasn't happy with the sound of the IYFS album, and he told me later that he'd even considered re-recording some of it, but decided not to as it was a record of a time. In common with Richard and (as we later found out) pretty much everyone in the band, his favourite B&S experience was the gigs they played in Brazil, for the atmosphere, the size of the crowd, the travel, and the memories. The band all believe that the Latin countries are wonderful for playing gigs in, they all enjoy going to Spain to play as well. He's certainly happy that they're more organised now; part of the reason was that when playing to bigger crowds they felt they owed the fans a good show. There were tough times in the band for a couple of years, but they are much better now. I know there's people out there who see a band that has lost a couple of members, left their record label and not released much recently, and think the band are nearing the end of the line; well from talking to the band members and Stuart in particular, I'm certain now that their future is looking better than ever. Certainly he took the lead in getting the band together in the first place, pursuing people for weeks to persuade them to join. One thing where he doesn't take control is in the cover versions the band play on stage - he genuinely respects Stevie in particular for being able to play and sing so many songs, when Stuart can't even remember the words to ones he wrote himself. We could easily have spent a lot longer interviewing Stuart, he always had plenty to say. There wasn't time to talk about his faith, or to ask about the meanings of any of his songs (except for that "The Boy With The Arab Strap" and "Loneliness Of the Middle-Distance Runner" amongst others are about life in the band). Everything we asked he would answer fully and deeply. He comes across very much as a normal person, but thoughtful and fascinating to talk to. Chapter 3 and a half: Thursday evening. It was already 8pm by the time Stuart left my hotel room to get to his football game, which was quite a bit later than he said he had to be there - which just shows how accommodating he was. Having taken all the equipment down to the car, Sarah, Katrina and me went down to the hotel bar for a couple of pints and chat about everything from the band to international politics. Then a takeaway pizza, and off to catch up on a bit of sleep. Other little tit-bits of information that you may or may not be interested in: Ten minutes or so before each gig, Stuart likes to get the whole band together for a little talk. The pre-show ritual also seems to involve every band member going to the toilet. Not only is Stuart a vegetarian, but he also hasn't drunk alcohol for a year or so. No wonder he's in such good shape. In an attempt to prove that the band aren't twee, we asked Stuart to describe the band's most rock and roll moment. So he told us the story of when Stuart David tried to throw a CD player out of his hotel window. Unfortunately the window wouldn't open far enough so he didn't manage it. Aaah, bless. OK, that's enough for Day 1. I'll be back tomorrow with the second half! Big Stu +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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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