Sinister: Sitting on the Midland Mainline

[Robin Stout]

Hola amigos

	So it's a bit late to be talking about ATP, but hello to all the
Sinisterites I met there, whoever you were (half of you didn't seem
to know). You were all bonza with a capital B.

I think everything has been said about the music really. Did anyone else
read Fat Stewart Lee's review in the Times yesterday? I read it and
realised that I hadn't seen most of the bands he mentioned and he might as
well have been to a different festival to me. The Queen Vic wasn't
mentioned once.

The Camber Cafe should have a Belle and Sebastian record in their jukebox
next year, courtesy of me, so if the post post rock's making your knees
and your brain ache you could always go there and dance under the flashing
lights and sounds.
 
It's a good job I like trains because I've been on plenty last week. In
Nottingham on Friday Arantxa, Sarah, Big Stu and I went to see the Aislers
Set. They were pretty good. Maybe these guitar bands will catch on after
all. I asked one of them why they were called the Aislers Set and she
didn't know, but said it might have something to do with supermarket 
aisles. I found it very strange that she didn't know.


On the train back home I sat in front of a little boy and his
granddad. The little boy was very talkative and kept asking granddad about
Iceland.

"Granddad, are there volcanoes in Iceland?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Is there ice in Iceland?"
"Well sometimes, in the winter. Not all the time"
"Why is it called Iceland then?"
"Well sometimes there is ice there."
"How many people live in Iceland?"
"Oh, not many."
"How many's not many?" The little boy started kicking the back of my seat.
"About a million I should say"
"A million? That's loads!. Do people live on Jupiter?"
Granddad sighed. "No they don't. It's made out of gas, you see."
"Where do aliens live then?"
"Aliens only live in films. They're not real. Stop kicking the back of
that seat."
"How many countries beginning with "m" are there?"
"Oh, not very many"
"How many?"
Granddad sighed again. "Well, Malta. That's one"
"Is there just one?"
"Morocco, that's two."
"How many people live in Morocco?"
"I don't know."
"How many people live in South America?"

Poor granddad. He was really being too factual for his own good. Standing
by the door listening to his walkman through ear sized headphones was a
man who looked like an albino. I tried to get a look at his eyes without
him noticing me, but it was impossible. I think Struan should write a song
about an albino boy. It must be a pretty strange life to have, with people
staring at you sideways the whole time.

When I was younger, immersion heaters were much more important, and hot
water was always running out. Pigeons kept falling down the chimney and
getting stuck behind the mock fire effect fireplace. These things don't
happen any more and I don't know why. Less baths and less pigeons I
suppose.

Jonathan and David? Middle Distance Runner as a B-side?
I'm very excited.

Robin x

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