Sinister: Tami and Stan, a cautionary tale

[Charlotte Leaud]

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:

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


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