Oooh, NME. They make me so mad. I stopped buy it about 2 years ago because I got so sick of all the categorisation and bitchiness that seemed to be about. But I've just raced down to the papershop and bought it, for the simple reason that Struan graced the cover. And the inside. And - shock, horror - there was even an interview. Bluddy grate! But you all know the story. You've all read it, of course you have. So, perhaps this is a little petty (please don't hold it against me), I couldn't resist in rising to the Angst challenge: "Come on Belle and Sebastian fands, we're expecting you". Here follows a wee, unedited as yet, letter: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh ho. Imagine my delight when I was confronted, for possibly the first time ever, with the glorious Stuart Murdoch on the cover of a magazine. And not just any old magazine, oh no – the NME. The bloody NME, Belle and Sebastian’s self-styled arch-enemy. You lost the football – big deal. You don’t like the video – big deal. Sour grapes? You see, I wouldn’t be writing in if the article had been well written. But it seems as though ol’ Swells sat down after his phone call to Stuart Murdoch and read his thesaurus in an attempt to mask the absolute lack of content or credible critical comment in his planned article. Although it was highly appreciated by the ‘scary’ Sinister List (yes, I’m bloody glad we scare you). It made a nice addition to the list footer, complementing “pasty-faced vegan geeks…and we LOST!” (remember that?). What perhaps irritated me the most was the aforementioned lack of anything remotely valuable, astutely critical or coherent. I don’t care if you slate B&S – you always have, as will a lot of others. But please – don’t insult your readership by deducing that, just because they “get together to make music and the music should speak for itself”, they are elitist, petulant, perverse etc etc. “Why bother being in a band in the first place?” you ask. Well, think about it. If not to make music, it’s for the wrong reasons. Belle and Sebastian’s lack of posturing was a result of the simple desire to make music and, correct me if I’m wrong, has been turned around by the likes of yourselves to be viewed as a publicity exercise in itself. Do you think we really want to see them do something “as corny as entertainment”? Face it, they’re a band you can’t lump in with your usual categories (Grandaddy ring any bells, Abstract Unknown Boy?), and I think that reveals your failings rather than theirs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm scared. NME might indulge in a spot of Sinister-bashing (or Katy-bashing?). Sod it. I'm going to send it, even if it makes me look like a serious, petty, obsessive, 'scary' fool. And it took me more than 15 minutes to write. Perhaps the NME should take a leaf out of Honey's book, and make sure that their journos spend more than 15 minutes writing their articles. Okay...rant over (phew). Just a few wee notes on other things: 1. Legal Man - the video. A little disappointing, but Struan does look extremely cute. 2. Picnics. Not been to one yet :( That's what you get for living in Nottingham I suppose :( 3. Errr...I'll get back to you on number three. When I recall what it was. Lots of love, Katy x "Trying, in vain, to think of witty comments for eighteen years" ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+