Sinister: Phil Lynott, Seymour Stein, Sinister, the GNP, and Ethan

[Ethan Gold]

Dear Sinister,

I have been gazing silently on your lovely and mulitvaried countenance for
too long.  You have floated quietly into multiple email addresses and
desktops and laptops over a few years.  I wondered if or when I would ever
actually post something myself, and finally another insomniac evening has me
listening to the new record as the sun comes up in Los Angeles and feeling
giddy enough to type to a thousand geeky phantoms in the wires.

I almost chimed in during the mad 'twee' debate just to say 'stop the
madness' but the debate was so deliciously geeky I didn't want to break its
groove.  Stuart seemed to psychically respond to it in his own liner notes
two months later with his remark about talking with a friend about favorite
words: "Whatever, you can bet the conversation did nothing to contribute to
the GNP of the Glasgow area," which I thought was great.  Twee debaters take
heed: you also did magnificently little for global economics, which is
great.  Actually, so far that moment in the liner story is my favorite on
the record, oh well.

But I do like the record.  And no, I'm not one of those johnny-come-lately
yanks somebody posted about who likes "Legal Man" best.  I was actually a
dropout for a while.  Kind of got lost in TBWTAS and it went downhill from
there.  I'd gotten in with IYFSinister through a friend who was trying to
explain to me the meaning of the word "twee" (no kidding).  My worldview
shifted, and I got gentler.  I went backwards from there to Tigermilk.  Then
came the gradual decline, and I got lost in the mishmash of the dreaded
Other Songwriters In the Band in the next records, although I did like
"Seymour Stein".  I don't know if y'all know the music business stories
about that guy: Seymour was not your average a&r man.  He's a legend, not
only for signing huge people for several decades, but also for seducing one
young boy in each of the bands he signed.  So the mocking send-off Stevie
(right?) gives him is pretty hilarious.  And it softened the damage that
democratization did to B&S.

Anyway, IYFS is still my favorite, yes, that and Tigermilk are like gentle
rain patting on your roof when you're inside on a grey day, and what can be
better than that.  So far on "Catastrophe" I like "Piazza", and not only cuz
it's all about my foggy hometown San Francisco.  The rest of the record is
still percolating.  The 'My Shepherd' references start to come on a little
thick in "If You Find Yourself Caught in Love" and "Roy Harper" (oy).  But I
have to say I think "I'm a Cuckoo" is great.  It's like sprinkling flowers
all over Phil Lynott's grave.  For those of you who never rocked, that song
is basically Thin Lizzy, but in fairer tones.  The guitars chords change on
the 'and' just like "The Boys are Back in Town" and the twin 3rds guitar
lines were THE Thin Lizzy trademark, so the Thin Lizzy-o rhyme is just
perfect, and not a forced rhyme as some have claimed.  Anyway, that song
makes me happy this morning. I feel like the heroin is leaving Phil Lynott's
body forever and he's coming back to life and dancing.

'Big ups' as they say in my town to the other shy former silent partners who
made me less bashful by recently coming out of the woodwork, or the
wainscotting, as the case may be.
(claddie, ann, mike, etc.)  And hello to all you regulars.

Wish it were dreary and raining,

Ethan


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