Sinister: Ramble with 22 percent B and S content

[Ruth McCurry]

Hi everyone

Traffic chaos round Covent Garden right now, as there's some kind of
student march going on. They've got huge drums and everything, like a south
american football crowd. They seem to be protesting about tuition fees. I
think there should be a minimum age of 25 for university entrance. That way
you might actually know if you really want to go or not. If most people got
jobs (or whatever) between the ages of 18 and 25, I bet they'd be a lot
more sorted at the end of it. Oh dear, I have a feeling this isn't going to
be a terribly popular point of view. Everyone I knew at university (in
Newcastle) had no real desire to study - we were just wasting precious
time. Fun, yeah, but a waste of time. Towards the end, I taught groups of
first-year students English Lit, and none of them gave a monkey's about
reading the books or thinking. We used to end up talking about Neighbours.
Perhaps this is a reflection of my appalling teaching skills.

Anyway, moving on to the point.

This is a very dull question, but there's some interesting shit around it. 

What is the best concert/gig/commercial rock-oriented event you've ever
been to?

The thing is, I really like plays and drama, but I have never ever seen a
piece of theatre that has made me feel amazing. Whereas I've seen loads of
mediocre bands who have, somehow, made me scream, cry, jump up and down
like a supergrass video, and so on. It's always odd bands like the Paris
Angels that stand out in my memory. And the Waterboys at Oxford Apollo in
1989: absolutely bloody incredible. They were really on to something for a
while there. 

I saw the smiths three times, and I long to say that they knocked my little
black socks off, but they didn't. I was too excited to enjoy them. That
sucks, doesn't it? I think the best concerts always involve some form of
euphoria. Paris Angels did (drug-related, maybe) and the Waterboys in a
(god I hate this word) spiritual way.

Which leads me to B and S. I must have seen five or six hundred bands over
the last fifteen years, but nothing remotely comparable to our hero/ines.
How can this be explained? Are there any other people on the list around
the age of 30 who feel the same? Jon.g and bethey are only fifteen: do you
understand quite how unique this band are? Even though they shamble around
on stage like a bunch of fools, the end result astonishes me every time.

I'm going to have a lie down. You need an afternoon nap at my age.

Lots of love, apologies if this seems aimless.

DAVID
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.             Listen, this is pish, I think I'll leave
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