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lprovenEven in midwinter, life returns, slowly. I'm going out rather more often, sometimes dragged by prior obligations, but it's doing me good. As is staying off alcohol; it's been nearly 6wk now and I've lost about 12kg so far. I am well pleased. I also find I rather enjoy being clear-headed as I make my way home and not having a hangover the following day. But I need some new vices: don't drink any more, don't smoke, don't take caffeine; don't do very much of anything. Answers on a postcard to the usual address.
This has been a week of gigs; three at the Astoria between Mon & Sun. Tuesday was the Alabama 3, a bizarre act who are wonderful live.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
reverendjim and pingopark were there and various others WANOLJ. A smaller crowd than most years, though. Joined them for a brief fizzy water (at £2.10; I am starting to understand the objections of the likes of pdcawley and ffutures to being ripped-off in pubs), as I'd missed a press party due to actually working for a change, then into the gig. I wasn't really in the mood but I'd said yes to a ticket long before, but I did enjoy it. They do a weird hybrid of bluegrass country and trance dance and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Wednesday was the ZZ9 pub meet and ah-hoc committee meeting, my first as Prez. It was also enlivened by the unexpected but welcome attendance of Camilla the Cute Homeopath, who appeared to strongly approve of my being "on the wagon". Which was nice. Join ZZ9! You know you want to!
Thursday was Skeptics in the Pub and a fascinating rigorous statistical meta-analysis of studies into the effectiveness of astrology - arriving at the somewhat predictable conclusion that its results are indistinguishable from random noise. Camilla was all prepared to refute this and defend astrology, but was unable to answer the barrage of figures. I enjoyed it but it was rather technical if one had no background in stats whatsoever.
Friday evening I met up with Francis WINOLJ for the annual NMA Yule gig. We were out drinking before hand (more fizzy water), briefly joined bypmcmurray, and thus missed more than half an hour at the start of the set, which commenced early so the venue could be cleared for G-A-Y afterwards. And by 9pm they'd sold out of cloakroom tickets, so I had to stand guard over our stuff while Frank went off and bounced around happily. I got shoved over a few times by various half-blind pillocks, but more people either helped or made disapproving comments; the atmosphere of camaraderie at an NMA gig is like that at few other events. Probably my favourite live band of all time. This was followed by more drinking; I'm getting quite used to staying out with lots of drunk people and being the only sober one now, and I find I don't mind it at all. I don't miss getting drunk a jot; I just miss beer. I ♥ ale. [Sigh]
Saturday I was triple-booked for Yule parties:chorleycakes's do in Streatham, Howard WINOLJ in Chiswick and Ben'n'Heather WANOLJ in Blackheath. And it was pouring with rain and I couldn't get a taxi for ages. So I cycled and got very wet indeed. Left party #1 at a bit after 10, made party #2 a bit after 11, greeted & nattered with various old friends and a few new ones 'til about half 2, then decided that party #3 really wasn't going to happen - even tho' a mate was taking a taxi to Deptford so a short cycle ride would have got me there for a bit after 3am. I've arrived at B&H dos after that before now, but there isn't a lot of point, really... So I joined the people-carrier minicab going to Croydon and got delivered to the end of my road for a fiver. Splendid.
Oh yes... I gathered from Xfm as I got home that Babyshambles had been playing the Astoria that night - only they didn't, 'cos Doherty was too munted and didn't show up. Nonetheless the venue kept everyone there waiting 'til 2am when the bar shut, at which point, they suddenly announced that the gig was off. What lovely professional management. And what an utter non-surprise about PD.
I fear his cult of personality is reinforcing him in his bad behaviour, but then, assparktastic points out on chat from Canada, while some of the true fans are now starting to boycott him until he cleans himself up, they're just being replaced by vultures and ghouls, coming along to watch him destroy himself - and he's in no state to notice the difference. Someone or something had better intervene to save that boy or he is toast.
Sunday was meant to be a quiet day with an evening in the pub down in Croydon, but a last-minute phonecall saw me summoned to the West End. Someone had backed out of the Hawkwind gig. I'd been asked on Saturday if I was going and replied in the negative. I saw 'em a few years back at the Royal Festival Hall withtamaranth and they were well past their prime then; some good stuff, but not a tight set and far too long and overly self-indulgent. But I allowed myself to be talked into it.
Oh dear. I wish I hadn't. I wish I'd not gone to the last one, in a way, because then my memories of seeing them for the first time, at Conspiracy in Brighton - Worldcon '87 - would have been unpolluted. I enjoyed that gig hugely. I don't often find myself yawning during gigs, but I was last night. The psychedelic stage backdrop and lights now look sad and old and faded; the band - and I'm not sure if anyone from the original lineup is left; like Jefferson Airplane (AIUI) they're a My Grandfather's Axe of bands - are not terribly tight or together at all. The dancers weren't bad but it felt very grafted-on, especially the couple in fluorescent fairy costumes - I mean, I've seen better at Planet Angel.
Even "new" material like a moderately upbeat number about videogames was based around some terrible 80s 8-bit game soundtrack with visuals lifted from "Galaxian" and others only a tad more recent. It's all so dated. They're enthusiastic and so are those members of the crowd that appear to know what day - nay, century - it is, but it's too tired. At least 2 or 3 songs were about cannabis, too, illustrated with morphing visuals of leaves. I mean, oh dear...
Music for stoners. If you're not, nor even drunk, it's fairly dull. The encore was a bit more like it, with (I believe) the lead guitarist from Dumpy's Rusty Nuts joining the band on stage and some traces of actual RAWK detected. But it was too little, too late. That's £20 I won't see again and even being in the pub watching other people drink real ale would have been better.
The most expensive gig of the week, and the weakest - and saliently the one I didn't actually choose to go to. There's hope for me yet.
In other news of more interest to all you John Peel-loving indie kids, Organ magazine is having a clearout of its unwanted CDs. It's given away several boxes containing 1-200 singles, demos and albums by obscure indie bands so far, but it has 300 or more CDs to go and it doesn't want to just throw them away. Acquire an instant obscure record collection! Impress your friends! Contact Sean Organ at OrganArt ASAP! Sean at organart demon co uk.
This has been a week of gigs; three at the Astoria between Mon & Sun. Tuesday was the Alabama 3, a bizarre act who are wonderful live.
reverendjim and pingopark were there and various others WANOLJ. A smaller crowd than most years, though. Joined them for a brief fizzy water (at £2.10; I am starting to understand the objections of the likes of pdcawley and ffutures to being ripped-off in pubs), as I'd missed a press party due to actually working for a change, then into the gig. I wasn't really in the mood but I'd said yes to a ticket long before, but I did enjoy it. They do a weird hybrid of bluegrass country and trance dance and I cannot recommend them highly enough.Wednesday was the ZZ9 pub meet and ah-hoc committee meeting, my first as Prez. It was also enlivened by the unexpected but welcome attendance of Camilla the Cute Homeopath, who appeared to strongly approve of my being "on the wagon". Which was nice. Join ZZ9! You know you want to!
Thursday was Skeptics in the Pub and a fascinating rigorous statistical meta-analysis of studies into the effectiveness of astrology - arriving at the somewhat predictable conclusion that its results are indistinguishable from random noise. Camilla was all prepared to refute this and defend astrology, but was unable to answer the barrage of figures. I enjoyed it but it was rather technical if one had no background in stats whatsoever.
Friday evening I met up with Francis WINOLJ for the annual NMA Yule gig. We were out drinking before hand (more fizzy water), briefly joined by
pmcmurray, and thus missed more than half an hour at the start of the set, which commenced early so the venue could be cleared for G-A-Y afterwards. And by 9pm they'd sold out of cloakroom tickets, so I had to stand guard over our stuff while Frank went off and bounced around happily. I got shoved over a few times by various half-blind pillocks, but more people either helped or made disapproving comments; the atmosphere of camaraderie at an NMA gig is like that at few other events. Probably my favourite live band of all time. This was followed by more drinking; I'm getting quite used to staying out with lots of drunk people and being the only sober one now, and I find I don't mind it at all. I don't miss getting drunk a jot; I just miss beer. I ♥ ale. [Sigh]Saturday I was triple-booked for Yule parties:
chorleycakes's do in Streatham, Howard WINOLJ in Chiswick and Ben'n'Heather WANOLJ in Blackheath. And it was pouring with rain and I couldn't get a taxi for ages. So I cycled and got very wet indeed. Left party #1 at a bit after 10, made party #2 a bit after 11, greeted & nattered with various old friends and a few new ones 'til about half 2, then decided that party #3 really wasn't going to happen - even tho' a mate was taking a taxi to Deptford so a short cycle ride would have got me there for a bit after 3am. I've arrived at B&H dos after that before now, but there isn't a lot of point, really... So I joined the people-carrier minicab going to Croydon and got delivered to the end of my road for a fiver. Splendid.Oh yes... I gathered from Xfm as I got home that Babyshambles had been playing the Astoria that night - only they didn't, 'cos Doherty was too munted and didn't show up. Nonetheless the venue kept everyone there waiting 'til 2am when the bar shut, at which point, they suddenly announced that the gig was off. What lovely professional management. And what an utter non-surprise about PD.
I fear his cult of personality is reinforcing him in his bad behaviour, but then, as
sparktastic points out on chat from Canada, while some of the true fans are now starting to boycott him until he cleans himself up, they're just being replaced by vultures and ghouls, coming along to watch him destroy himself - and he's in no state to notice the difference. Someone or something had better intervene to save that boy or he is toast.Sunday was meant to be a quiet day with an evening in the pub down in Croydon, but a last-minute phonecall saw me summoned to the West End. Someone had backed out of the Hawkwind gig. I'd been asked on Saturday if I was going and replied in the negative. I saw 'em a few years back at the Royal Festival Hall with
tamaranth and they were well past their prime then; some good stuff, but not a tight set and far too long and overly self-indulgent. But I allowed myself to be talked into it.Oh dear. I wish I hadn't. I wish I'd not gone to the last one, in a way, because then my memories of seeing them for the first time, at Conspiracy in Brighton - Worldcon '87 - would have been unpolluted. I enjoyed that gig hugely. I don't often find myself yawning during gigs, but I was last night. The psychedelic stage backdrop and lights now look sad and old and faded; the band - and I'm not sure if anyone from the original lineup is left; like Jefferson Airplane (AIUI) they're a My Grandfather's Axe of bands - are not terribly tight or together at all. The dancers weren't bad but it felt very grafted-on, especially the couple in fluorescent fairy costumes - I mean, I've seen better at Planet Angel.
Even "new" material like a moderately upbeat number about videogames was based around some terrible 80s 8-bit game soundtrack with visuals lifted from "Galaxian" and others only a tad more recent. It's all so dated. They're enthusiastic and so are those members of the crowd that appear to know what day - nay, century - it is, but it's too tired. At least 2 or 3 songs were about cannabis, too, illustrated with morphing visuals of leaves. I mean, oh dear...
Music for stoners. If you're not, nor even drunk, it's fairly dull. The encore was a bit more like it, with (I believe) the lead guitarist from Dumpy's Rusty Nuts joining the band on stage and some traces of actual RAWK detected. But it was too little, too late. That's £20 I won't see again and even being in the pub watching other people drink real ale would have been better.
The most expensive gig of the week, and the weakest - and saliently the one I didn't actually choose to go to. There's hope for me yet.
In other news of more interest to all you John Peel-loving indie kids, Organ magazine is having a clearout of its unwanted CDs. It's given away several boxes containing 1-200 singles, demos and albums by obscure indie bands so far, but it has 300 or more CDs to go and it doesn't want to just throw them away. Acquire an instant obscure record collection! Impress your friend
