Sinister: "Yes, blimey, fuck NME!"

[Katy Dutton]

Oooh, NME.  They make me so mad.  I stopped buy it about 2 years ago because 
I got so sick of all the categorisation and bitchiness that seemed to be 
about.  But I've just raced down to the papershop and bought it, for the 
simple reason that Struan graced the cover.  And the inside.  And - shock, 
horror - there was even an interview.  Bluddy grate!

But you all know the story.  You've all read it, of course you have.  So, 
perhaps this is a little petty (please don't hold it against me), I couldn't 
resist in rising to the Angst challenge: "Come on Belle and Sebastian fands, 
we're expecting you".  Here follows a wee, unedited as yet, letter:

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Oh ho.  Imagine my delight when I was confronted, for possibly the first 
time ever, with the glorious Stuart Murdoch on the cover of a magazine.  And 
not just any old magazine, oh no – the NME.  The bloody NME, Belle and 
Sebastian’s self-styled arch-enemy.  You lost the football – big deal.  You 
don’t like the video – big deal.  Sour grapes?
You see, I wouldn’t be writing in if the article had been well written.  But 
it seems as though ol’ Swells sat down after his phone call to Stuart 
Murdoch and read his thesaurus in an attempt to mask the absolute lack of 
content or credible critical comment in his planned article.
Although it was highly appreciated by the ‘scary’ Sinister List (yes, I’m 
bloody glad we scare you).  It made a nice addition to the list footer, 
complementing “pasty-faced vegan geeks…and we LOST!” (remember that?).
What perhaps irritated me the most was the aforementioned lack of anything 
remotely valuable, astutely critical or coherent.  I don’t care if you slate 
B&S – you always have, as will a lot of others.  But please – don’t insult 
your readership by deducing that, just because they “get together to make 
music and the music should speak for itself”, they are elitist, petulant, 
perverse etc etc.  “Why bother being in a band in the first place?” you ask. 
  Well, think about it.  If  not to make music, it’s for the wrong reasons.  
Belle and Sebastian’s lack of posturing was a result of the simple desire to 
make music and, correct me if I’m wrong, has been turned around by the likes 
of yourselves to be viewed as a publicity exercise in itself. Do you think 
we really want to see them do something “as corny as entertainment”?  Face 
it, they’re a band you can’t lump in with your usual categories (Grandaddy 
ring any bells, Abstract Unknown Boy?), and I think that reveals your 
failings rather than theirs.

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I'm scared.  NME might indulge in a spot of Sinister-bashing (or 
Katy-bashing?).  Sod it.  I'm going to send it, even if it makes me look 
like a serious, petty, obsessive, 'scary' fool.  And it took me more than 15 
minutes to write.

Perhaps the NME should take a leaf out of Honey's book, and make sure that 
their journos spend more than 15 minutes writing their articles.

Okay...rant over (phew).  Just a few wee notes on other things:

1.  Legal Man - the video.  A little disappointing, but Struan does look 
extremely cute.
2.  Picnics.  Not been to one yet :(  That's what you get for living in 
Nottingham I suppose :(
3.  Errr...I'll get back to you on number three.  When I recall what it was.

Lots of love,

Katy x

"Trying, in vain, to think of witty comments for eighteen years"


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