***THE BELLE & SEBASTIAN MOVIE*** Not last night, but the night before that, I dreamt about "The Belle & Sebastian" movie. It was a strange and startlingly realistic dream. I went to see a movie in an old theatre, and got to sit next to Isobel for the first half of the film. (She went out to buy popcorn and sat next to someone else when she came back in .... sigh) Anyway, it featured someone who looked a lot like Phil Daniels circa "Quadrophenia", who seemed to spend most of the film walking up and down hills, dressed in a big anorak (yes ... ANORAK!) with a fur trimmed hood. Isobel was in the film too, playing a character which (seemed) to be pretty much what I expected Isobel to be like. Stuart was also in the film, dressed in a white short sleeved shirt and a skinny black tie, and played some slightly dodgy crime boss or something. (Don't think "new wave" - think "book-keeper circa 1955") Actually .... the film was a little disappointing as it meandered a bit ... leaving me with the oh-so-clichd "thank God it was only a dream" reaction when I awoke. ***CARDIE*** Today I will buy myself an acrylic zip-up cardie. (No doubt people won't be able to work out why the hell I'm wearing it .... which will reinforce in the midset of the people I work with that I am some sort of sullen axe-murderer) ***NME/PRIMAL SCREAM/STUART MURDOCH*** Don't listen to the NME. A word from the wise. I remember reading the NME when I was 17 and thinking it was the be all and end all of what was cool. It was a good way to find out about new bands ... but after a few years I got so sick of their "build 'em up .... tear 'em down" philosophy I stopped reading it all together. Although of course i will buy the one with Stuart on the cover. I can think of lots of great bands who got so much hype at one point in their career (Gene, Geneva, Ultrasound ...) who can't get arrested. People may disagree with me, but I think Geneva's "Weather Underground" is one of the finest albums this year, nd apaort from a few grudgingly good reviews, there has been NOTHING about it in the UK rock press. Whereas two years ago they were media darlings. I can almost GUARANTEE that the new Belle & Sebastian album .... no matter how brilliant ... will get a fair few bad reviews, just because it is no doubt time for the scheduled backlash. And look at the about turn on Travis?? Remember how "The Man Who" got really bad reviews from most magazine, but ended up album of the year in lots of the same magazines polls. Anyway .... this was going to be about Primal Scream. Much as I do like 'XTRMNTR' (not a patch on "Sonic Flower Groove" though) I was a little annoyed that on an 11 track album there were only 6 new songs. Of couse, 'Swastica Eyes' is on the album twice, and both vrsions were also released on the single. 'MVB Akestra' had been released previously, as had 'Insect Royalty'. (And you don't see B&S putting "Slow Graffiti" on the new album, do you?) So, much as Bobby likes to talk the talk, I would debat whether "the kids" got a good deal of the new album. Whereas our beloved B&S are unlikely to offer ANY album tracks as single, and similarly would be unlikely to put pointless remixes on the b-sides of singles. ***THE SMITHS*** It's nice to see that a few people on the list are getting into The Smiths. I got REALLY into The Smiths when I was 17, in 1992, and quite frankly, they completely changed my life. I bought "If You're Feeling Sinister" I '97 based solely on the sleeve, which reminded me of a Smiths 7". And B&S were the first band since The Smiths to have such an all-consuming effect on me. Anyway ... another piece of advice ... don't get sucked into the myth that The Smiths were the *only* decent guitar band of the '80s. B&S fans should find something to enjoy in the music of The Pale Fountains, The Go-Betweens, Orange Juice, early Aztec Camera, Felt (of course) Josef K etc. (And if anyone is actually interested in hearing any of these bands I'm happy to rustle up a mix tape for you ... one priviso that all 1200 don't ask for one ... not that anyone is likely to care.) ***THE MODERN LOVERS*** I was out to dinner with my lovely, but non-pop loving fiance Vanessa last night, and I was telling her about The Modern Lovers. I was siting "Pablo Picasso" as a brilliant example of rhyming "asshole" with "Pablo Picasso". Of couse, as luck would have it, I said "asshole" a little too loudly just at the point where everyone else in the restaurant decided to be quiet for a second. And then this guy started giving me funny looks, and I thought I had offended him, and that he was going to get up and punch me for profaining in a public place. He came over to me and said "are you talking about Jonathan Richman?" and we talked about pop for the next half an hour. Great when that happens. ***JARROD SAN ANGEL*** Jarrod - I hope that the last few days fracas hasn't put you off the list, and I hope you don't think we're all bastards. Welcome ..... anyway, and hope things go smoothly from hereon in. (Oh, and you have impeccable taste in music by the way .....) ***THE FILMS OF HAL HARTLEY*** There is a fantastic film festival on in Auckland at the moment ... and I'm lovin' it. Last night I saw Hal Hartley's "The Book Of Life" for the second time, which was brilliant - It's a pre-millenium affair about Chrsit and Satan having it out in Soho bar. As a Christian myself (and please don't mock me for it .....) I found it a far more sympathetic portrayal of Jesus than anything you're likely to hear in Church on any given Sunday morning.Go and see it - all of you! ***LUKE HAINES*** Anyone taken by recent Black Box Recorder songs should, at great haste, check out The Auteurs - espacially "New Wave" and "Now I'm A Cowboy". The man is a genuis. ***THE END*** On hindsight this has gone on far too long, but it just means I won't have to post again for a fortnight now ...... Take care everyone, Lawrence Mikkelsen http://www.akn.quik.co.nz/mikelsen/aboutme +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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. 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