Nice to see an abundance of Trash Can Sinatras lyrics in people's subject boxes these last few days. I would just like to warn everyone of a nervous disposition to think carefully before looking at Sarah's photo entitled "vickybeer" as it shows alarming amounts of my torso due to an ill-fitting dress and may cause the retraction of my list crush votes (kind of like jessica in reverse - show flesh first, get no votes). Incidentally, big Stu, if all voting is done anonymously and you don't know who is voting for who, how did you know that Warrender John had voted ten times for himself? Does that mean you can blackmail people as you *do* actually know who votes for who? I'm not ashamed of who I voted for, but the person who voted for me that I don't know who you were (but thank you anyway! Presumably NOT someone who met me at Bowlie where I was putting the Hopkins-a-like to shame with my drunken mumblings and quite possibly contributing to the Beamish Black running out early on Sunday), you may be worried to know that big Stu will take one look at Sarah's photo of me and laugh at you behind your back for the rest of your days :) I had a nice long spiel composed in my head about lyrics v music that I was going to insert here, but I can't really be bothered. It involved the Cocteau Twins, pre-"everything must go" Manics and how they affect me in different ways, and Belle and Sebastian are the best of both worlds, grabbing you both musically AND lyrically. And I think that about the lyrics I *don't* identify with as well, to be that accurately observational about so many things is the talent of a true poet/songwriter, as opposed to the actions of a talentless fool like me that thinks I can ramble on about things and convey even half of what I feel. I can't do it, and am not foolish enough to think that because I have suffered a bit I could write a song/book about it and make people see what it is I am trying to say. I don't know, or particularly care, if Stuart went through any or all of the experiences he writes of, all I know is he can express the shit I went through much better than I ever could. And it's nice to know that people understand it. Nick mentioned something about angst-ridden teenager stereotyping and I feel I may be drifting into that here by harping on about my rather unfortunate youth. I would like to mention at this point that I do NOT listen to mournful doom and gloom music, being a huge fan of C86/Postcard/Teenage Fanclub and other such jangly stuff. My record collection is not full of other people's angst, I merely find that certain B&S lyrics strike a familiar chord, but it is uplifting rather than painful to hear. I can't quite fathom out why, perhaps it's the detachment, and the realisation that people do get it. I can't really ever say "look at me, I'm miserable" and hope people understand or care, it's just not in my nature to seek comfort. It took a hell of a lot for me to admit this stuff here and I just did it because I thought that if people understood the feelings in the lyrics, they would understand that there are people out here who see themselves in that. I never did it for sympathy (but thanks to the people who mailed me privately, it meant a lot), I just meant it to be a throwaway thread about meaning in songs and how Struan's quite good at it. Arantxa and Robin both touched on the fact that feeling it doesn't mean you can, or indeed should, talk/write about it. So I shall close my own public correspondence on this matter there, though any of you who wrote to me privately about this should feel free to continue :) God, where did that come from? I notice I started that paragraph with the notion that I couldn't be bothered writing a lot. Sorry :) Oh, and by the way, Nick Dastoor is a fine upstanding human being and not sluttish in any way. Cute, too. Photographic evidence of cuteness will be forthcoming as soon as my mate's scanner gets fixed. Ailsa xx PS Apologies for being all regional here, but are any of you from the Highlands of Scotland/going there over the summer holidays? I am moving back up to my parents' house in Inverness for the summer in a month or so, and having not lived there for seven years don't know a single soul that I'm not related to (no jokes about being everyone being related anyway, please). It would be nice if I had someone to go out and have a pint with occasionally. Mail me PRIVATELY please! +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+