Sinister: Content, Content, Content (too may days worth > so long...)

[jim taylor]

***** Early Tuesday:

This has been lurking in my 'drafts' folder so long, its grown and is now in
reverse-chronological order. If i didn't worry so much, it might have been a
few shorter mails, rather than one big one.

No 50 year old quotes this time.
I'll quote myself at the bottom instead (2003).
I'll avoid the almost tearful self-indulgent rant that i have an urge to
splurge. (mmm an urge to splurge, i like that). Not that i hesitate to share
my personal issues, far from it, i'd more likely be accused of being *too*
open by friends or colleagues. It's just that as others have suggested,
sometimes there are MORE important things than my ego-centric life. I
half-seriously considered being a human shield this evening for a
split-second. If i felt i didn't have a job that's of use to society, or a
future more significant role when i complete my training, i might well have
felt it the right thing to do, and gone to Baghdad. But that's very very
very easy to say. It's harder to acknowledge that that would have been an
easy way of getting myself out of a rut i've found myself in.


-------------
***** Sunday:

2nd attempt at sending the Time Out article B&S mention (at the bottom).

I wrote this fri night/sat morning pre-UKdemo, and then thought long and
hard about sending it. And then left it. And thought some more. Ta for the
off list emails. (let's keep 'em there). I'm glad I haven't come to the
conclusion i need to sensor myself in my expression of life experience as
amongst the many things i am, a belle and sebastian fan, and all that that
entails.

If  you feel this (or any) post is out of place, please let me/whoever know
{off list}, but I feel comfortable by the nature of the responses I've
had....

I'll only add i read with interest Mr P.Fox's experience of the day. We
certainly don't 'give good demo' compared to the Italians or French, but to
have a hardcore of activists who might make more of an organised racket
diluted by a million plus, well, this is i suppose the entire point. It
makes me think what it is to be British. What is my 'national character'? An
unhelpful generalising stereotype, but interesting none the less. I'm also
stimulated to reflect on my own grammatical laziness in email. what does
that reflect?

I flicked past a minute or two of stuff about the politicisation of fans
by the Manic Street Preachers on TV the other day. It provoked me to wonder
if B&S influence people in that way at all.

I noted that Caitlin's suggestion implies that members of the band are
'deluded' for going on a demo. As was said to me yesterday, you don't have
to agree with a band politically (or how to express/act on any common
feeling). But it does interest me, this idea: when do you start/stop being
'into' someone/something for an 'extra-curricular' reason.  It reminds me of
hearing a US public radio recording of billy bragg doing the 'march of the
covert battalions', acknowledging some of the crowd's sing-a-long would be
dripping with irony.
BB also noting that's what irony does. Drip, that is.

Unfortunately Sinister meet ups in London were limited by the sheer
logistics of getting anywhere, which was at least a very good reason.
(+ there were less people to tut at me & Stefano wandering off for a break
in the pub mid march. i guess maybe it was colder in Glasgee, but brrrrrr it
"was a bit chilly around the old turntables" as Jimmy Saville allegedly once
stated.) (who am i quoting?)

I've just deleted an explanation about why i said what i said. It's
obvious/repetitive.

---

***** FRI / SAT

It's good to hear of sinister/B&S posses -  including the band - getting
together for demonstrations in different countries & continents.

I won't repeat my take on what is appropriate (political) list content
http://www.missprint.org/sinister/mhonarc/200209/msg00076.html , though
I'd correct an earlier statement, and say B&S's politics *is* one of the
reasons I'm a fan. It provokes me to re-consider what it is that draws me to
this band, beyond the music. Why i'm on this list, what is it about B&S that
draws a thoughtful type of fan?

the fact that they  have:

                  Belle & Sebastian say "Not In Our Name Mr. Blair!"

on the bands news page is something I'm happily comfortable in having come
to expect.

I find it fascinating, the inextricable link between the expressions of
successful intelligent honest bands/musical movements and poltico-ethical
awareness, whether it be Billie Holiday's 'Strange Fruit', non-fashion punk,
The Smith's 'Meat is Murder', the Clash or Billy Bragg choosing not to make
big bucks and sell  their records at a fixed low price,  etc etc.
Artists sometimes express things others don't, provoke others into thinking,
and have the sometimes have the media (as in medium-s) to express themselves
effectively, as well as access to/influence upon the media.

I've also been thinking again of the uniqueness of the B&S/Sinister
community, and the trust between us, that for example meant not a 2nd
thought to phone calls between strangers yesterday arranging to meet up for
what Dean suggested he shouldn't refer to as a demo-nic (!) as that sounds,
rather...sinister?!.

There's a thing on Radio 4 at the moment about the spirituality of  'walking
for peace' internally and externally, and the great traditions of this
across cultures, ideologies and religions. The fact that I'll be spending
today meeting folk from every race, religion, social and political
background (as well as new to me sinister faces!) is exciting to me, and is
a part of my life I'm proud of.

I'm just really sorry it takes world-threatening events to force me to make
the time to be pro-active and post to sinister (and more significantly I
apologise for my verbosity in saying what I did). I suppose it reflects the
things that draw us together as community, on various levels.

Yesterdays UN events to me make today even more important. I'd like not to
be paying so much attention to the news everyday, for it to dominate my
thoughts less, and for my energies to be devoted towards nurturing inner
peace, as my take on the world requires us all to do a little more of this.
I'd like to have got in from work and thought of putting on a record rather
than the news, but, I suppose this is a reality for all of our lives.

ah well. do something pretty + all that.

jim x


--------

FRI (very early)

Time Out London
Feb 12-19 2003

Brit young things

As the record industry gets set for another night of slurred speeches and
showbiz scandal at the Brits, we asked some former participants: 'How was it
for you?'

"....At least people had heard of Stereo MC's. "Nobody had a clue who we
were," laughs Mick Cooke of Scottish indie darlings Belle And Sebastian, who
won Best  Newcomer in 1999. The tabloids (which repeatedly described the
band as a duo) got uptight that an 'unknown' had beaten Steps in the public
email vote. "People said it was a scam, but there was nothing to stop people
from multiple voting. It's just  that Steps' fans probably couldn't use
computers". Outraged, the Sun held a revote on a premium phone line and
Steps were presented with an award when, inevitably, they won. Meanwhile,
B&S had to get used to the media spotlight. Frontman Stuart Murdoch opened
his door two days after the ceremony to find journalists camped outside. "We
were gonna chuck it in the river at one point," remembers Cooke. "All the
papers were saying we'd cheated and we were like 'Aw fuck, it doesn't mean
that much to us.' But they quickly realised we weren't much of a story and
ignored us just like before."
    Cooke was one of just two B&S members who went to the ceremony (the
tickets cost £400), and he's glad he had the experience. "It was quite
enjoyable while it lasted, but it was good to go back to normal again. I
think if you couldn't turn that off, it would be pretty hellish."


jim

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-------
"I find it a time of interest, when one picks up a pen and the words just
spill out. They were clearly looking for an outlet, their chance to see the
world, to breathe, perhaps feels their eyes stung by harsh light, yet are
delivered without doubt."




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