Nick Dastoor/BSHO/GB wrote:
Then yesterday, on XFM's weekly singles review show attention somehow drifted to Belle And Sebastian. One of the reviewers, NME's Steve Sutherland said he liked some of their records but "Didn't really understand them". He challenged the other two to tell him "What they were about" or something, which they couldn't. And I wondered what he was on about. Actually, I'm very pleased to hear that boring old Steve Sutherland is so bemused by them. I mean I don't know what it was that he was expecting to understand about them, and I don't think I'd have much success 'explaining' them (or any band I like for that matter). Would anyone else on the list be able to tell someone like him what Belle and Sebastian 'are about'?
Aha, Steve's at it again. Irritating the shit out of me, that is. He only impinges on my life every couple of years or so, but each time without he's making some smart-arse self- congratulatory macho-posturing point or other. The final straw was when he was still writing for the Melody Maker and he insisted on having pops at Tom Waits for no apparent reason e.g. an article about Perry Farrell which basically said Perry was the real deal and Tom was a charlatan 'cos he hadn't lived the music he wrote.. Like a) why Tom Waits ? He wasn't in the news at the time, has no connection with Farrel other than nationality. Just seemed like some personal vendetta which should have found it's outlet somewhere else b) er, Ruby's Arms. It's a song. By Tom Waits. I'm sure Mr. Sutherland wouldn't get this song either. But it makes me cry. Perry Farrell made groundbreaking records with Jane's Addiction which have sat on my record shelf unplayed for umpteen years. And then went on to form the execrable Porno for Pyros. Steve Sutherland is to journalism what Lenny Kravitz is to music. Bother yourself with neither. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- . This message was brought to you by the Sinister mailing list. . To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". . For subscribing, unsubscribing and other list information please see . http://www.majordomo.net/sinister . For questions about how the list works mail owner-sinister@majordomo.net . We're all happy bunnies humming happy bunny tunes. Aren't we? -----------------------------------------------------------------------