I'm all for Tami and Stan. Perhaps some people are offended by them because they hit a little too close to home? Goodness knows I used to be a bit

our Tami, thinking a boy in an Another Sunny Day shirt would be the

Hello List I^Òm a new subscriber, but not new to your funny little ways. I^Òve been going through the archives out of curiosity. Anyway, I finally went out and got myself a computer for home and now I can join in the fun. I^Òm Charlotte, I live in London, and I^Òve been a Belle and Sebastian fan for a while now. I wish this didn^Òt sound like ^Ómy name^Òs Charlotte and I^Òm an alcoholic^Ô. Petula wrote: like ultimate

boyfriend. But "popboys" are usually not what they seem...they're either (from my experience):

a) selfish mama's boys whose idea of a date is record shopping

b) so into the "scene" that they ignore you at shows to talk to so-and-so from some fanzine or band, leaving you to sell their crappy fanzine at your table while you mind the coats and rucksacks

c) they can only kiss with the lights out and "mood" music, i.e. Field Mice

This made me laugh and wince in painful recognition. I met a few ^Ósensitive stans^Ô when I was younger, and when all the other boys are football lads, you think the one in the geeky glasses with the duffle bag is the answer to your prayers. He likes the same music as you, he^Òll follow you round like a devoted puppy, and make you tapes with immaculate covers, listing all the dates and the record labels that the records came out on. But after a while when you decide to make him a tape or you find a record that you like that wasn^Òt made by four identikit boys with guitars and an (optional) girl singer with a bob, and it didn^Òt come out in a polythene sleeve, he won^Òt want to know, cos he^Òs convinced that he^Òs right, because he^Òs the boy. He^Òll laugh at you if you admit to the merest liking for something in the charts, or patronisingly correct you if you get the title of the third Felt LP wrong. And when you go out to some indie show and you meet your friends, he^Òll sulk and say you^Òre flirting. Or he^Òll run off cos he^Òs seen his friend who^Òs got a record on some old indie label that he hasn^Òt got and he^Òll ignore you all night. That is if he goes out at all, normally he^Òs at home putting his records in alphabetical order. If you^Òre good, he might even let you do a half page in his fanzine, but woe betide you if you write better than him. Slowly you see what an uptight little boy he is, he^Òs only sensitive about himself, he takes himself far too seriously, can^Òt laugh when someone teases him even nicely about his taste, because he thinks he^Òs better, and you^Òre his pupil and his trophy girlfriend. You^Òll row, and he always has to have the last word, sometimes quite nastily and he won^Òt understand why you^Òre upset. But then you finish with him, and you realise you didn^Òt need him at all. He won^Òt learn, of course, but you will. That^Òs all, I^Òll try to be more light hearted in my next post. Love Charlotte xxx ______________________________________________________ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". For list archives and searching, list rules, FAQ, poor jokes etc, see http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +---+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" +---+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+