Sinister: Toxteth Riots (slight return)

[Mark Casarotto]

Hang on a tick - what race war? I could have sworn I'd been paying
attention, but to me the lack of black artists in everybody's favourite
lists is no more than a symptom of people either not having had enough
opportunities to encounter diverse kinds of music, or pure and simple
personal taste.

And, with the exception of half of the Dream section of TBWTAS, Belle
and Sebastian's music doesn't have a lot in common with music
traditionally made by black people (it's not easy to categorise this
without sounding racist). Yes, there are going to be exceptions, but on
the whole it's not too dangerous a generalisation to make. When I was
thinking who my favourite bands were, they pretty much turned out to be
honkies too - I could have included Public Enemy, Diamond D, Jurassic 5,
god knows how many funk bands of the 60s and 70s, De La Soul, Lee Perry,
etc. etc., but none of the above have had the effect on me that, say,
Throwing Muses (black bassist!) or Madder Rose have. 

When I see the slightest bit of racist ideology rear its ugly head on
the list, I'll be the first to shoot it down. Perhaps I'm being
blinkered, and there's a sinister (sic) white supremacist undercurrent,
but I don't think so.

Looking back on your letter, Peter, I think I may be taking it a bit too
seriously. Apologies to those of you who think I'm right up my own arse,
but I still think it's a valid point to make. It's a bit sad the whole
race thing had to come up at all, really.

Anyway, pomposity over for now. I'm on the verge of booking the Pioneer
Hotel in NY, which is almost suspiciously cheap - let's hope it's just
the time of year. Which reminds me, what's the weather going to be like?
Oh dear, I'm not at all prepared...

See you on Saturday, I hope...
Mark
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