Day: January 26, 2004

::::……::::…:::::::::…..: “4 fox sightings in the last 2 weeks.”

You’d think living minutes from the Peak district that I would see loads of foxes around. But I don’t. Apparently it’s because there’s SO much green space and food around, the foxes simply don’t have to show themselves. They can move around for at least half the day in total camoflage and get everything they need. Both Tescos and Sainsburys are next to the railway line, so foxes can just stroll in from the peaks or from their pad in town, nick whatever leftovers they want (there’s loads of takeaways backing onto the railway line, thinking about it), and then piss off back to the country.

silverdollarcircle: “just heard an east connection track [on musketeers + lady fury’s show on 99.3 Flashback FM, 10-12 tuesdays] which has the same intro as dj scud’s ‘kill or be killed’- the jamaican gangster from some flim i used to know the name of but have forgotten going ‘y’understand, i murder people for fun…'”

It’s the Don Donna speech. I can’t remember which JA film it’s from… country man? Don’t think it’s Babylon, don’t think it’s Harder they come, though it might be… My fave use of this is on Headtop’s The Don Donnna, which is a fabulous garage record, still gets played today.

cloud23.net | jim fitzsimons | On not joining: “This far, and no further… and just cos TOPY’s (as one example) this far is a good deal further than the Church of England’s this far, doesn’t mean much when you’re talking about the infinite potential of the human imagination.”

(Shrugs)… well, what do you expect Jim? I can’t really comment on the specifics of TOPY (whoever they are / were) but all organisations are built on compromise and it’s naive to expect otherwise. And if your yardstick is “the infinite potential of the human imagination”… well, you’re going to be disappointed by anyone and anything, not to mention EVERYone and EVERYthing. “The infinite potential of the human imagination” only exists in one’s head. The minute you step out into language, let alone into building a functioning group of people, you’ve collapsed the “infinite potential” into a small box.

“I guess i’m just trying to say that you shouldn’t ever accept limitations imposed upon you by those who claim occult wisdom.”

Eh? Well of course! You need to go into these things with your eyes open and not expect perfection. Gurus are useful and sometimes very exciting, but all of ’em have limited worldviews and relevance.

GUTTERBREAKZ: “(Shakedown) The Whole Thing’ just tears through my senses with it’s harsh drum sound, squalling Coltrane-on-smack sax line and overpowering web of grainy digital found-sounds coming at you from every angle. “

Yeah, it wasn’t so much universally reviled as ignored when it came out. I got given a promo copy — they must have been desperate. It sounds exhausted, which I suspect they were by then. In fact it reminds me of grime’s knackered post-garage plonking.

GUTTERBREAKZ: “Suicide, Cabs, TG, Chrome, The Normal, ACR, Human League, Joy Division, Wire, Devo”

Now, not being of the Wire persuasion*, other than a cursory look at the pictures when I’m at Uncarved Towers, I have no idea what our Jon has stuck on the tape. But if it was me, it wopuld go something like:

TG: Heathen Earth — a bit chosen at random
Suicide — a short excerpt of Che with some echo on it, mixed into Frankie Teardrop
Joy Division — Digital
The Normal — Warm Letherette — spun back after two minutes, then into the Grace Jones version
Human League — Being Boiled — the big, punding version, not the original — then into the dub of Hard Times
ACR — Waterline
Wire — Map Reference
Devo — Satisfaction

Actually you’d probably have to do one section of dance music and one section of post-rock. Joy Division would probably go in the dance music section. Yes that’s an ideological point.

* Was it the Wire? Or was it Mojo? All these magazines I look at before picking up Country Lift, the journal of rural elevator installation firms…

BTW I’m beginning to think maybe I was into Arthur Russell all along, though I am probably still mixing him up with George Russell, whose “Livingstone I Presume” was the ultimate in evil big band doomcore, at the time.

GUTTERBREAKZ: “BOYS & GIRLS…HERE’S THE ROAD WARRIOR…..”

Does one great David Essex cover maketh a career?

Umm, yes I suppose it does actually.

blissblog: “Why only the other day I had to listen to ‘Fat Man’ by Southern Death Cult: truly atrocious”

No doubt. But at a party in a church hall in Brentwood in 1983 or whenever it was, it was an exciting relief.