i don't often emerge blinking out of luckerdom, but the debate over whether listening to obscure music makes you a 'better' person with a more valid opinion has got me stirring. i never got into music before 1994, not even kylie and jason like everyone else, but at the age of 13 i launched in and became that most irritating type of music fan - a teenage indie snob. how i came out of that period with any friends at all is a miracle - or just proof that music isn't always that important. the extremely confused point that i think that i am trying to make ( i still don't have it sorted in my head, and i've been debating it against myself for three years), is that music is enjoyed on an individual basis, and no-one should EVER be laughed at, humiliated, or worse of all, dismissed, for the music they listen to. yes, go ahead and try to introduce people to bands that you love, god knows i've tried to convert people to b&s (recent conversation with placebo obsessed mate: hey, rachel, would you make me a tape? me: yeah, definitely. friend: but don't keep sneaking that shit happy clappy(!) band on like you always do.), and disagreement is healthy. but i don't see why i should be put down for owning albums by five and ant and dec, or for rating the charlatans way, way over radiohead (something that's hard to do while living in oxford). i'm ashamed of my time as a sneering, cynical music snob. all i can say in my defence is that i was very insecure back then and desperate to feel better than my peers through a 'superior' record collection. which, looking back, was in itself, a joke. 1994 saw the explosion of britpop so i have everything heavy stereo ever released, and an awful lot of stuff by shed seven. but y'know, they do have nostalgia value, some great choruses, and i'm well chuffed about gem joining oasis... ahh, i feel much better after that rant, though i'm sure none of you out there do. i'm sorry. anyway, since i'm here, i'd like to share some cheerful news. i listened to the stone roses for the first time in nearly two years last night (well, bar druckenly dancing to 'fools gold' in various cowley road pubs), and fuck me were they breathtakingly brilliant. the shivers were already creeping down my spine by the time ian was whispering that he wanted to be adored, and i had to remind myself to breathe in 'made of stone'. it was even better than hearing them for the first time, the forgotton familiarality heightening the experience. i'm hoping that the same thing will happen with b&s; i haven't played anything by them for over a month as gorky's, death in vegas's 'the contino sessions' and the new charlatans album have been fighting over my stereo. poor stuart, but absence is definitely making the heart grow even fonder it'll burst soon, and then i won't even be able to lurk!). and i have been getting my fix from the guardian column....ooh stuart, i'll play scrabble with you anyday! oh well, my time is up, i'm wilting in the bright lights of the list, so i'll slither, not bleat, my way back to lurkerdom. see you all in another 6 months, lots of love rachel xx +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+