You know all this Indie stuff that has been mentioned recently really bugs me. Why do people feel the need to pigeon hole themselves into categories according to the music they like? It's mad really, you don't see old ladies hanging around in groups because of the television programmes they watch, you know the Eastenders posse at one side of the post office dissing the Coronation Street massive on the other side on pension day, or certainly not where I live anyway. Kevin Hyde wrote: "there are people around where I go to school who call themselves indie, but they're really just punk kids who pretend. I think Belle and Sebastian fans (the ones who REALLY like them- you know who you are) are a sub-species of indie kids" No offence mate, but I think that's a lot of shite. Firstly, who defines that someone is "punk" and someone else is "indie" and why can you not be both if you want? Some things in life are inevitable as a result of genetics, taste in music is not, to the best of my knowledge, one of these. Secondly, who decides what criteria are required to be a member of either tribe? Is there a book out there instructing kids what clothes they must wear according to the music they listen to? Thirdly, why do you care what music other people listen to anyway? Listen to what you like, nobody can stop you, but leave other people to listen to what they want and have the opinions they want, it's none of your business. As for B&S fans, what difference does it make whether you are a fan who likes them a little bit or a fan who likes them a lot, surely you're still a fan? This kind of music snobbery is disgusting. Surely if you find somebody who likes the same kind of music you should be happy, not immediately want to belittle them for not being a real fan or because they like other bands as well that you might not. I am a fan of B&S, I wouldn't say I was their greatest fan but I like them, just like I like a lot of other bands and other kinds of music, probably bands which rule me out of your so-called "sub-species". There's a lot of good music out there, music which doesn't always fit with what you might percieve as your taste but which nonetheless you might like if you took the time to listen rather than let your narrowminded prejudices prevent you from listening. David White www.belleandsebastian.freeserve.co.uk +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the 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 +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+