After sitting here for quite a while now, mostly shaking my head in disbelief as some people find it appropriate to tear each other apart, I just want to say one or two things as well. What the hell, eh? Everyone has an opinion... Just please keep in mind that I am now only speaking for myself. I love music. It makes me feel good. Sometimes it makes me yearn for days long-gone. Sometimes it evokes old and painful memories, and my mood evolves into a state of minor melancholy or pure kitschy sentimentality. But music is good. It is powerful. I love Belle and Sebastian's music. As with many people on this list, B&S often remind me of sunny afternoons - often reproduced a bit in the late 90s at Sinister picnics or by Tim Hopkins-lookalikes at Bowlie's bars - when things seemed just a bit less complicated and drab. Belle and Sebastian are anything but chart-breakers here in Holland. Most people listen to completely different music; some of them have taste (in my eyes), some of them don't. Surely it can't be a coincidence that the Vengaboys are from Holland. I have many friends who listen to - shall we call it this? - 'crap' music. I still love them dearly. I indulge their poor taste and have found myself at parties and gatherings serenaded by the bloody Spice Girls. Alright, so shit happens... They're still my friends. Even if I don't repect their personal, individual taste, I still respect them as a person. We on this list - at least most of us - like B&S music. Otherwise we probably wouldn't have joined up in the first place, regardless of what things mutate into. But Christ! - Grow up, some of you! There is more to life than music. I often find myself lurking here when talk is of bands I have never heard of, much less never will. Sometimes it makes me feel stupid; sometimes I couldn't care less. Sometimes - in hours of need - music plays a bigger role in my life; sometimes I've had it with music altogether. I wasn't able to come to Bowlie, but was still more than happy to hear that other people had a lovely time. I have just started my own mailing list (http://www.popjourno.com). I'm not doing this to start arguments with people. I'm not doing this for me wgo, to be an all powerfull list mummy. I'm doing it because I feel passionate about certain things, and I would love to share my experiences with other people who might think similarly. I might not agree with someone's tastes. I might not like certain people. When Paul set up Sinister, I doubt very much that he wanted it to turn into a battleground for certain people's unchangeable viewpoints. I can't speak for him, but I am certain that he also wanted to provide a forum for people to come together, get to know one another, and share good and bad times in their lives, with - as a common point - appreciation of a certain type of music. Well, I'm rambling, but what I want to say is that Sinister is much like TV. If you don't like the channel, switch it. Unsubscribe. Do whatever you have to do. Whatver makes you feel better. I won't blame you for it. It's your choice. But - please, can we just act like adults, which most of us are? I mean, I could sit here, spouting off about how I saw Morrissey at a gig a while back, and he was fat and bald. What's the point? Am I going to deny other people's memories and fondness of a particular artist or deride their own viewpoint? A while back, due to my extreme shyness, I often found myself hiding behind a facade of cynicism and often sarcasm. i was never good at sports, and this was my way of showing people how bloody clever I could be. I grew up. It doesn't work. It doesn't. Think about it. Sorry for the rambling here and for the kindergarten-type of lecturing, but even I - as a lurker of sorts - have had enough at the moment. I'll probably regret writing this very very soon, so I'll hit 'send' now and suffer the consequences. Thanks for listening, Alex http://www.popjourno.com +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the reborn Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". WWW: http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "jelly-filled danishes" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+