Sinister: Excuse me darlin', can we have the bill please?

[The Hodottir]

Hello there

Fear ye not, this is unlikely to become another email about the rubbishness 
of girls compared to boys - oh lordy, I'm still smarting from the backlash 
of that one: mostly came the "Tchuchhhuhuh! Speak for yourself, SISTER!" 
retorts I'd expected. Sorry ladies.  T'was a bad point well made, I thought. 
In think.

As it happens, I'm not emailing as one of the old-school listees. Despite 
being thoroughly Sinister since the Pot Noodle Days, I've never really been 
one of the gang.  I did come to a couple of London picnics, mind.  I even 
hooked up another couple of Sinisters (now very happily and sinfully living 
in Bristol - where everyone who's too nice to live in London goes). Yup.  
But as a glamourous 50s film star might have said, "I've been to paradise, 
but I ain't never been to 'Tigermilking'". Not yet, that is.

For some reason, perhaps to be explained (I'm not sure how strong my 
evidence is), the new album has sparked a strange sense of panic and fear in 
me.  Folks, I think this might be the end of an era.  The end of an era when 
Belle & Sebastian was a comfort to life's misfits. When it was 
pant-wettingly rare and exciting to hear a B&S song on the radio.  My Dear 
Catastrophe Sinisters, I think we're about to be invaded.

***Dramatic pause in email, not really for purposes of drama, but to enjoy 
'Ex-con' by Smog on Xfm***

Drama over, in fact Xfm (For international listees - Xfm is London's main 
indie radio station), was the straw that broke this paranoid camel's back. I 
was in the bath, happily spongeing away to Linkin Park (or whatever) when I 
first heard 'Step into my office..' and nearly choked on the soap. Exhibit 
A: if Xfm are playing B&S, something is afoot. Then, the following week, 
cheeky aped-faced comic DJ Jimmy Carr claims they're his 'favourite band'. 
THEN the band are featured with an article in the station's magazine, 
closely followed by a 90 minute special play-out of the new album. As you 
can imagine, I've gone into complete neurosis by this point. "GERROFF, 
THEY'RE MIIIIIIINE!", I screeched quite silently in my own head, followed by 
some frantic hoovering (it was Sunday).

Is anyone else feeling this?  I stayed up and listened to the album play-out 
cum [sic] interview, and to be honest I was underwhelmed, but as has been 
said, it takes time to love any B&S album, so I'm none too worried.  I mean, 
I *hated* TWATTYBUS when it came out (these days I just hate the GRATUITOUS 
use of it's tracks on TV - Teachers is fine, great even, but in Wife Swap it 
was purely vulgar - imagine the spoken end of 'Boy with the Arab Strap' 
played TWICE IN SUCCESSION to illustrate two different 'family moments'. 
Euyuch!

No, I'm sure I'll grow to love the album as though it were my own, but I 
genuinely think our blessed days of fan-dom are over. From now on, it'll be 
pub conversations like [whine] "But I liked them yeeeears ago!" - sob.  I 
can't bear it.  But I guess as the Wonderboy Murdoch [allegedly] said in 
aforementioned magazine, every music-maker reaches a point where they want 
to be the one who's influencing the kids.  It's fair enough I suppose, 
although why he can't just go on influencing the cant-give-it-up grown-ups 
I'll never know. I only hope the kids know what they're getting into. Like 
when I was a kid who didn't appreciate sweetcorn, I hope someone pulls them 
up and reminds them that kids all over the world are being starved of 
decent, inspiring tunes. 'Don't know they're born.

And so, talking of over-boiled vegetables, I'm brought to The Astoria - 
London's stickiest venue.  What ARE the band thinking?? But of *course* I'm 
going. The friday, naturally, for t'is date night. Did CarsmileSteve claim 
B&S play their worst gigs in London?  I beg to differ - doesn't the date 
29.06.01 mean ANYTHING to you?  RAH rocked.  Not that I'm biased.. :oD

By way of caution, me, Joe and Flo are gonna hit the Bath Pavilion - clearly 
the most refined choice, says I.

And I has says enough.

Seriously though, if it all goes public, let's protest. I'll bring a water 
pistol, you bring the bath bombs.

Miss Ho xxx

_________________________________________________________________


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