Chiao, I suppose I ought to introduce myself. My name is Earl Sheridan d'Orange III, and I live in a converted castle above a shop in Greenwich. The shop is called 'Interiors' and stocks the sort of high-class fibreglass reproduction fireplaces which are in such demand in a well-heeled neighbourhood like what this one is. I once saved a small child from drowning. It was nothing really, I just took my hand off the back of his head and let him finish his soup. Philanthropic, I guess you could call me. Yes. Many a time and oft I've espied a vagrant and, tossing him a Dime, bade him: 'Eat this, poor serf.' They are darlings, some of them, but oh! the smell. Pardon me, but if I left the house without my Tiffany's Eau d', I would feel practically naked. Being rich isn't all about limousines and getting blowjobs from Zara Phillips. (Incidently, it was I who requested she have her tongue pierced.) There's the responsibility, the heavy, crushing burden of superiority. One would hardly expect you to understand, but really, one must always behave with such... dignity. Honestly, it's a dreadful bore. How I long for the carefree life of the lower classes. The freedom to use prepositions to end sentences with. Navigating a push-chair through the double doors at 'Poundstretcher'. A cheery can of Special Brew and a park bench. The constant scrimping and saving. It gives one such... purpose. A far cry from those dreary cocktail parties and (I wince to say it) movie premieres. When I graduated from Eton, with a 2.2 in Applied Woodwork, I hardly would have believed I'd be where I am today. Indeed, as I said to the CEO on my first day at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter; 'Are you sure I'm qualified to be Financial Director?' He just smiled and carried on talking about my father. My photograph usually appears in Tatler. And I suppose that's what I love about Belle and Sebastian. I'm rich and you're all as poor as, well... as little church mice. And yet there is something in the soaring beauty of a song like 'Beyond The Sunrise' which unites us. Briefly, perhaps, for one must have one's standards, but in that moment we are almost... equal. Bonsoir, Earl Sheridan d'Orange III +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the undead Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "peculiarly deranged fanbase" "frighteningly named +-+ +-+ Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+