My dears: LIST BIFFO I got a little bee in my bonnet about this argument that a few of us had just recently, and wrote a big rant about it. I then decided not to post it, because that would have been a Bad Thing. The only trouble is that almost posting has left me with a feeling not entirely unlike when you’re just at the point of sneezing, and somehow manage not to. Which isn’t very nice. Hence this, which I hope isn’t too blatantly just the product of an itchy ‘send’ button. I promise I’ll go back to not posting very much, really. As for the actual unpleasantness itself, it would perhaps be best if each of you imagines that I’ve eloquently expressed complete agreement with your own particular point of view. There. I’d also like to specifically concur with whoever it was that said that everyone was just trying to get the last word on the subject. I certainly am, and I’m going to have it too. ‘Porpoise’. SINISTER = THE SHIT There’s been a lot of talk about the list itself lately, and how much it means to people, the charms of various celebrity listees, and so on. It’s certainly added a much needed dimension to my day-to-day in recent times, and I’ve gushed at you all before on this subject at some length. I’d therefore like to suggest that someone more technologically literate than myself sets up a fan list for sinister, where we can discuss matters of pressing importance such as the size of Ken’s arse, and whether Julie tours the West Coast often enough, or whether she should come to Australia, Japan and Iceland first. Dimitra said a whole lot of lovely things about the list, very nicely indeed, and described her trip, which sounded like an absolute dream. Possibly even a slightly dirty one. I’ll take my hat off to her, and hope that one of these days I’ll be fortunate enough to have a similar experience. For one thing, I’ve not been in any sinister underwear other than my own, and I can’t help but feel somewhat short-changed. EXCLUSIVE!!! Belle and Sebastian are definitely touring Australia very soon indeed. Actually, that’s a complete lie; I’ve got no reason to believe they will. But if they do, I dearly hope that the far-flung Australian sinister massive will get together for a picnic. Or should that be a barbie? Of course, each and every one of the rest of you would be more than welcome around to mine, should you see fit to grace our fair shores with your august presence. Personally, I’d be as happy as a clam to get out to whichever city or cities they decide to play, based on what I’ve heard from you all about the recent shows. I’ll see you there, and I’ll even compliment you on your shoes and buy you a drink as well. WHAT’S YOURS? Someone rather astutely observed on #sinister recently that sinister listees are particularly fierce and dedicated advocates of their favourite drinks. I know I’ve made mention of g&t a time or two, I dare say that there aren’t too many places where you’d hear the word ‘ribena’ bandied about quite so freely, and I seem to remember some bloke saying something about red bull and vodka once. I thoroughly approve. It’s a good thing to have a strong opinion about, and the first step in really getting to know yourself. I’ve no time for fickle, drink-hopping sorts, and they seem to be mercifully thin on the ground in these parts. SOME THINGS THAT PEOPLE SAID Lindsey Baker said: “if the girl is laughing at what you said or agreeing with you and just reaches out to touch your arm for further emphasis -- bam. you're in.” Thanks very much for this handy pulling hint. I jotted this down next to all the other stuff that I know about girls as soon as I read it. Much appreciated. I’ll have the back of that postage stamp covered in no time, at this rate. Brier Random said: "Is there anyone else out there who adds the phrase "On the tube" after "When we're on stage..." when singing along?" I’ll have to meekly raise my hand to this one. This always catches me out when I’m warbling away in my own inimitable style. Thankfully, I only really expose the next-door neighbour to this, as my ability to actually sing anything remotely approaching the correct tune is limited at best, and only attempted in the solitude of my little room. The predictable slamming shut of next-door’s window (that shares a courtyard with my bedroom window) probably has relatively little to do with the fact that I’m singing the words from a different version of the song. Robin Stout said: "Firstly, I've been wondering whether many people like "Fold Your Hands..." very much because I do and I have a feeling that creeps onto my forehead sometimes that most people don't. I like it more than TBWTAS, even though some of its songs aren't so great.” Well, I like FYHCYWLAP quite a lot too, compared to the universe; it has some genuinely great songs on it, but I think it’s the weakest thing that the band’s done. Every other Belle and Sebastian record can safely be put into the little tray, and the play button can be pressed – when the music stops, it can then be taken out, and that’s all there is to it. Simple. There are some great songs and some good ones on all the other records, and a few that are not terrific, but only compared to the rest of the band’s output. I never really feel the need to skip anything, unless there’s a specific song for which I’m looking to indulge a hankering. Beyond the Sunrise, though, is bad compared to the universe, and needs to be skipped, I’m sorry. The problem with this is that it’s the thin end of the wedge; if you’re going to skip track 3, you may as well skip track 8. And if you’re skipping those two, then 7 and 10 don’t seem quite so indispensable, if you’re not really in the mood for them. This way of listening to records suits me just fine with lesser bands, but it’s a shame when I put this record on that I even have to worry about such things as track numbers. The album just falls into pieces when you start doing this, and it just ain’t right. Robin Stout also said: “I think Belle and Sebastian's music has a spiritual element to it that is not explicit but is pretty profound. <snip> Could Struan write these songs without knowing his own spirituality? I don't know. But I think it is a big part of that something that sits in-between the words of the songs that we can't put our fingers on." Now, I’m not a very spiritual sort of chap myself, but there does seem to be something to this. This music often reminds me, just when I need it, that there’s more going on in the world than simply the hubbub that seemingly surrounds us. It’s a simple thing: the wry smile it somehow manages to sneak onto my face, as I’m dashing along with headphones on, late for something important and stressful, with six other things on my mind. It’s a stubborn little flower growing in the cracked pavement of a busy street, motionlessly striking against the bustling grey around it. Alright, that’ll do. Stay refreshingly lemon-scented. Bulk love, -Stankin. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ 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 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+