meet 'n' greet

I met some of the fans of this blog on Friday night at the terriffic (naturally) Flywheel show at the Old Bar. They told me the main appeal of this place was the incredibly mundanity, or did they say dreariness? of my life as relayed here. Well, of course, all the exciting bits are controversial, and I have learnt long ago not to put controversial personal details into writing, lest they fall into the wrong hands, which they invariably do. Nevertheless it did occur to me that perhaps I should make stuff up more.

However, what follows is true and exciting: I finally got round to playing a couple of singles I bought for almost nothing on eBay a few months ago. One was the Marcus Hook Roll Band's 'Louisiana Lady' (1973) which on first listening is really shitty. I had high hopes for MHRB (and for all I know their one and only yet completely unavailable album is amazing) but this is just Vanda and Young at their worst. Of course V&Y at their worst are still hypothetically better than most, but having been exposed to V&Y at their best (almost all Easybeats, 'Falling in Love Again', William Shakespeare's two megasingles, some JPY, etc) one naturally has higher expectations when dropping needle. I was not pleased. And the b-side was worse. Good news however was the other record I played, Skaldowie's 'Du Hast Mich Lieb'/'So Viele Zuege Kommen' on the Amiga label. Ich hast loved the one other Skaldowie record I own, an album from the late 60s with them all in hockey outfits on the front. This is a German language (obviously) single they must have done maybe in 1971. 'Du Hast...' is OK but 'So Viele...' is brilliant, a driving organ dirgey thing a little reminiscent of some Monkees single I can't recall (for a second I thought perhaps it was a cover of that song) with a great melodic chorus twist. Very impressed by this. Grey Tapes beware (we already do a Skaldowie song, the very different '0.20 AM'). Must buy some of the Skaldowie CDs I've seen on the net; most of them are twofers.

I can barely bear to read the newspapers these days, the news is so disappointing and depressing. This is an absolute dark age. I feel like Howard et al are deliberately trying to squeeze the life out of me, or at least waste my time (and many others') on earth with their incredible wrongdoing. I am uncertain what to do and in truth though I do intend every month to start attending ALP meetings (knowing that once I start I will never stop) I am slightly uncertain that even this will make me feel better, much less allow me to do any good. I suppose it might make me a little more aware of the intricacies of the ALP's malaise, though whether that'll cheer me up is... well, it's unlikely, isn't it. I'm trying to recall how I coped with 8 years of Fraser. I was perhaps more idealistic then.

Right now I'm listening to Scott 4 (the album, not that strange band from the late 90s), and I'm right into it. Brad gave me it for my birthday.

Millie has been sitting half way up the backyard all day. I don't know why. She came down last time I went out to bring in the washing. Usually she just hangs round the back door with Charlie on the offchance that someone will throw some food out there (which frankly does happen. It's a bit mediaeval round here in terms of scrap disposal).

Last night I read the final issue of Salty and Delicious from early '96. Guy put this one out just before I met Mia and got more involved in that world. There are interviews with Butterglory, Fong, Small World Experience and I think that's all. Interesting. I don't feel anything sentimental for that time in terms of music, but in fact I suppose that's really the time I first felt like I'd got a handle on playing music. Gig, Laura and I were practicing for what was to become Driving Past, and I was really pleased with my playing (I'd just come off the second Cannanes US tour, and I was comfortable with the drums as you always are after a longish tour of enforced musical activity). I was trying new stuff and the songs were really structured and sounding good. There were a lot of great bands around, I can't even really think of it as the distant past actually but of course it is. Sleepy Township had settled into their dynamic (though Alison, who was the key to their best period, hadn't joined yet). Michael and Paul were playing as Soapy Lovelace occasionally just before Michael went to the UK and did that Mike Nichols and his Excellency thing. Annoyingly the only other band I can think of from that time is Sandpit but I know that others will come to me in the next few hours. The second two thirds of '96 made it one of the best years of my life so far. The first third probably averages it out somewhat.