Sinister: To twee, or not to twee?

[Robin Stout]

Hello again

	On the subject of being twee, or not, I think the problem is 
one of who's labelling who. Concepts such as romance and 
sensitivity have had their insides torn out by sentimentality, Ally 
McBeal and his'n'hers dressing gowns. I'm unable to say that 
someone is 'genuine', even if they're the most authentic person I've 
met, without the spectre of Bob Hoskins, the honest guv'nor, 
jumping into my head and making me feel uneasy about saying it. I 
think most honest emotions or qualites like these are undermined 
by the fact that too often they're pretended.
	So that makes twee a funny word, because from what I can 
gather it is defined to mean "sickly sentimental", but people use it 
as a mark of authenticity. Someone may label you twee as an insult, 
because you're rubbish at PE and you like rabbits, but you're quite 
proud of these things so you think, if these things are twee, then 
that's what I am and it'as okay. It's sort of like being called a queer, 
or a nigger I suppose. It depends on who's labelling who.
	Mind you, I don't think labels of any sort are a great idea. If 
you want to be known by a label, you may as well be a tin of beans. 
I think most people who like Belle and Sebastian know what they 
like about them, without calling it tweeness. I've met a few random 
people by wearing my B+S t-shirt, who've come up to me in the 
street and said not "Hey, you're twee! That's great", but just said 
"Hey! Belle and Sebastian!". That's all it takes really.
	I think if someone asked me if B+S were twee, I'd say they 
write sad, pretty songs with lots of words, but no, they're not twee.

Sorry for being a little long-winded. It's funny how the list sometimes 
becomes all earnest and full of issues like it is now when most of 
the time it's full of random nonsense. If I was writing this last week it 
would be full of bums and titties and that incident with the goldfish 
and the "novelty" shorts. But never mind.

	 I really fancy eating a sausage. Right now! Bye!

Robin x
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