Sinister: Rock Island Line

[Peter Miller]

Well, those two girls on the cover of the new album certainly look like
nutters to me. They're from Iceland, aren't they? They're holding books
called "I Fought in a War" which set me to thinking - has Iceland ever been
involved in a war? I saw the album yesterday, but I didn't buy it. I chose
to buy "Super Breaks Volume 2" instead, attracted by the prospect of
listening to "Heaven and Hell is on Earth" by 20th Century Steel Band. Had I
known that Mr Chris gets a credit, things would have been different. Perhaps
Mr Chris is the mystery growler on "Beyond the Sunrise"?

When bands cancel tours due to exhaustion, it usually means either TOO MUCH
JUNKIE BUSINESS or POOR TICKET SALES. However, in this case, I think we
should give Stu D the benefit of the doubt. Bear in mind that he has been
touring America with his highly demanding wife. She's probably been nagging
him non-stop, "Oh go on Stuart, write another song about ME! I know, you
could write one about how it's really hot and I need some Robinson's Barley
Water with icecubes in it but I'm too tired to get it for myself and so you
go and get it for me because you love me so much, don't you... DON'T YOU?
You could call it "Summer Sooskie" and we could release it as an A side
instead of a B side like those ungrateful bastards in B&S and maybe we could
do one for Spring where I'm covered in frogspawn and one for Autumn where
I'm buried in scrunchy leaves and it would be like the Four Seasons by Nigel
Kennedy only about me, me, ME!" Who wouldn't be exhausted after that? Mind
you, he's not going to get much of a rest by not touring, is he? Poor bloke.

But seriously, I don't think he hates the fans. I once wrote to him about
how to buy Looper t-shirts (obvioulsy this was before I'd heard the music)
and he wrote back calling me an "old menace". I don't know what brought that
on, I'm sure, but I thought it was quite nice anyway.

Carsmile Steve released the bats by asking about bands who steadfastly
refuse to release singles off albums. Well Steve, the Buzzcocks steadfastly
refused to release singles off their albums, but their record company
steadfastly did it anyway. Led Zep also refused to release singles off their
albums until quite recently, despite an offer from Simon Bates to personally
make them the Christmas number one circa 1991. I think they released singles
in America though. I'm sure there are thousands of others. Over to Big Dave,
the list's only known UK skiffle boom survivor...

Peter


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 +-+  "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students"  +-+
 +-+  "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list"  +-+
 +-+       "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper        +-+
 +-+   "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000   +-+
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 +-+           Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000           +-+
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