I really envy the people on this list who can think of something interesting or funny to write almost every day. But anyway, I'm German, I'm not supposed to be funny or interesting. I leave that to the Brits.
Bloody hell, I didn't know cultural stereotyping could inflict such deep wounds on a nation's psyche. Crikey. I hope you're all proud of yourselves. My sister went out with a hilarious German once. Unfortunately, his humour seemed to be inextricably linked to wanton destruction of property and gratuituous insulting of my dad. He was funny, but he had to go. Sudden thought - perhaps you were being sardonic. If only you had used Northy's clever ~ then there would be no room for confusion. [Historical Note for newcomers: Northy is a late lamented member of the list who had many wise things to say, amongst them the suggestion that we should laugh at the homeless and use ~ to signify sarcastic overtones. We will not see his like again. Another suddeen thought: what if he's a back and a lurker. Not actually IN The Lurkers, you understand.]
I have 2 questions:
One is mainly for the British people: Will there be a TV show about Bowlie? And if so, can someone send me a copy? A tape of B & S' performance would be highly appreciated too and rewarded with lots of money, free sex or whatever takes your fancy. ;-)
Ah.. you spotted the cameras. Isn't Duglas out of the BMX Bandits doing a documentary on the band (I think that's what he said in the R1 Bowlie diary that was broadcast on Monday)? Perhaps footage will find its way into there.
The other question is to everyone who's English is better then mine: What does "flying low" mean???
I'm going to spoil everyone's fun by telling you the real answer. It means not having done the fly on your trousers up. That's a zip/button kind of fly. Not an insect kind of fly. Maybe Straun tried to make amends but caught himself in the zip and that's why he got angry and smashed his guitar. It's a more plausible theory than the the Times reviewer came up with (see below): The Times April 30 1999 Sorry, chums Belle and Sebastian Dublin Venerable indie pop messiahs or execrable anti-rock pariahs? Belle and Sebastian compel and repel in equal measures. But they were among friends at the Olympia, transformed into a thousand-strong church of happily lost souls who believe this Glasgow-based octet to be the apotheosis of the indie aesthetic and, in the afterglow of their successful Bowlie Weekender at Camber Sands, living proof that every underdog does ultimately have its day. But the performance was not so much liturgical as just plain lethargic. Belle and Sebastian have always preferred to maintain a self-effacing anonymity rather than kowtow to the cult of personality. But the fact is that there were eight musicians pottering before us who collectively have the stage presence of a cardboard box. And as the gig limped slowly on, one could palpably feel their self-mythologising mystique drain away, leaving us with what? A bunch of carefully crafted, literate pop songs that can be pleasingly wry and witty but also selfconsciously clever. It's all rather bloodless and, there's no getting away from it, sexless. The telling moment came near the end, when someone shouted a request for the Sex Pistols' Anarchy in the UK. Alive to the inherent criticism in such a barbed remark, Stuart Murdoch (main songwriter and singer) kicked over his mic stand and smashed his electric guitar on the floor of the stage. Brilliant, I thought: an ironic comment on the jaded histrionics of punk rock and an acknowledgement of his band's minuscule rock credentials. But then Murdoch ruined it: he apologised. That's the problem with Belle and Sebastian: their suffocating, strangulating politeness. NICK KELLY 'Alive to the inherent criticism in such a barbed remark' indeed. Nick xxx ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.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" +-+ +-+ "nambling pambling rice pudding & crochet holiday camp +-+ +-+ gangwanking whimsy-thon" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+