Sinister: January's little joke

[Alasdair Cook]

Discoveries recently: Cake, by The Trashcan Sinatras, which is a lovely 
album, makes me want to dance crazy tears, whatever that could mean, as many 
of the best often do. Having been told of their greatness for ages by Ailsa 
(see archives: 'soapbox') and more recently The King Of Partick (see Peter 
Hook fanclub membership #1009), I finally, truly, believe it.

Napster (well, not that recently, just since I got home internet a few 
months ago). It's good isn't it, getting music and not having to pay for it. 
Like being given tapes and cds for free, which has been happening 
occasionally lately as well.  Anyway, listening to The Negatives (NYC, 1998) 
do Jennifer She Said so wonderfully reminded me of that festival thingy I 
went to last year (CS, 2000). Many things seem to. Smiles as ba ba dada da 
da comes around. Chalet booked for this year. Wonderful.

For 22 years now I've been mostly unmusical. There was my wizard recorder 
playing in primary school (oh, you heard about it?), and I (in)famously sing 
like a girl (a bad girl, obviously), but that's been about it. Anyway, now 
I'm sort of learning to play the guitar, only I don't actually have a 'axe' 
(is that correct terminology?) so I can only practice at friends' houses, 
but it's a start. Without an end, most probably, but the best things are 
usually open-ended.

I should be playing "chords", apparently. At the moment I'm having only 
limited success. 'A House Is Not A Motel' is perhaps the easiest thing I 
have found so far, which is handy, it being a great song.

Could anyone give me the "chords" to any of the Go-Betweens songs, 
preferably those without bar "chords", since I can't play those yet. There 
don't seem to be any on the modern interweb. I know I'm being boring, I 
apologise. Thank you.

Some people said some things (they always do, and I'm still glad for it). I 
shall attempt to recount some things which they said. Typed.

Here's The Pinefox. I still know of no others. Though even if I did know of 
others, I wouldn't know of others.

>Welthorpe was once, I recall, interested in - was it? - Edward Gorey, who 
>is also commemorated some way or other >somewhere over there. Not the same, 
>of course, as S&G's 'Richard >Corey'.

Fine things to be interested in. But spare a thought for Jackanory. At a 
pinch, ...Morning Glory. Or even Tobermory. I always thought the Wombles 
were common, until I found out it was just where they lived. Tobermory? No, 
Wimbledon. John Fashanu? No, but he made that clay sculpture over there...

Nick Dastoor took us through the various methods of defrosting fridges. 
Nick, you sound like a good person to live with, I think I might move in 
with you for a week or so, say around the beginning of Febuary. Would that 
be OK?

The Mousy fellow also said:
>you can guarantee
>that half of us will say something along the lines of 'well it might >not 
>be my
>favourite album of theirs, but it's still better than anything else 
> >around'.
>This is a sure sign that we've become REM fans.

Hey, some of us already are!

Le Renard de Pines (encore):

>Folk in New York have heard of la Welthorpe, by the way. But they can't 
> >put a face to the name. Can you?

I could, but that's what the photographs are for. However, even those aren't 
sufficient, damn it, I mean they're all the same; eyes skyward, 
little-girl-lost. It's time for something new, so lets run a competition to 
find a new pose for Welthorpe. Answers on a post-it note, just stick them to 
Nick's fridge.

Pinefox also told us not to remember Kingmaker; and we had, until he went 
and mentioned them. Oh no!

On an unrelated note, I thought it was common knowledge that Struan and 
Isobel used to go out with each other, so why is everyone so surprised to 
discover they actually had sex? Isn't that normal boyfriend-girlfriend 
behaviour, or have I got it wrong?

Look, it's Iain Hatcher:
>My cycloptic colleague Ian with one I Ian Nicolson very kindly sent me >a 
>package with all the Go-Betweens' albums nestled within.

What a nice boy that Nicholson chap is. Can one be a 'boy' and a 'chap' at 
the same time? And he looks a bit like Nick Cave as well. Iain, be sure to 
get them wrapped in cotton wool straight away, there's a good lad. You are 
the luckiest man of the week. Can one be a 'lad' and....oh, forget it...

Andrew Churchman was very kind and typed out the lyrics to Hurley's Having 
Dreams. However, being as anal as I am, when your own ears hear certain 
mistakes, they must be corrected. So I'll try to. This might not be right 
either though.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here she comes in the April sun in her dungarees
And she's up for fun.
Smiling like she's a crazy girl and she makes a
Face like she owns the place, and she does.
We indulge ourselves in creating a neck of beauty
And circumstance.   Not to mention her bold intention
To keep the band and she's only 17.

Now she's 8 months pregnant, in a dress she's so elegant.
Does a handstand maybe, though it's not good for the
baby.
Oh, Hurley's having dreams, little Hurley's having
dreams, and
He kicks and then he screams, and I can't get to
sleep.  Oh Hurley I could weep!

Hurley dreams of the time when he was a horse in
Czechoslovakia.
Hurley dear you're a human being, have your fun just
now but gonna have to deal.

She looks so fantastic, pale blue sun specs made of
plastic.  How she used to love me, her love goes on little Hurley.

Oh, Hurley's having dreams, little Hurley's having
dreams, and
He kicks and then he screams, and I can't get to
sleep.  Oh Hurley I could weep!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wake up, wake up, it's that summer feeling again! Soon, soon...

Alasdair xx

PS Forgot to say WELCOME BACK ARCHEL! YAY!













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