Yeah. Eden’s on point as ever. Marcello too of course, cos he’s thinking of hanging up his spurs too.
The surprising thing about Blissblog of course is that transcends the problems of being written by a pro. K-Punk, notably, is THIS close to being a pro — he’s a media lecturer, writing about media and cultural theory — but he is NOT, in and of himself as presented within the blog, a pro. Matt is, famously, NOT PAID TO DO ANY OF THIS SHIT (would that he were) but by god, if he doesn’t get a publishing contract from SOMEONE to write about music within the next 18 months then I’ll eat my shoes. Even so, only by post-rationalising from an imaginary future can one say he’s a pro. Marcello is of course a pro as we all know but at least half the time he triumphantly transcends his professionalism. If you’re motivated to write by feelings of grief, it’s hard to be anything other than authentic.
BTW Marcello, all writing is limited by experience, and life is always there for the living, and if writing suffers as a result of living, well good on yer. And on the second question, since your love for Laura was and is real, you cannot cannibalise it; real love is impregnable in this regard. But writing so inspired cannot be commemorative only; it must by its very nature be redemptive, a rebirth of the soul. You may not want to continue blogging, but you should rest easy when considering the ethics of widowhood. And, while wishing to tread carefully here, it strikes me that the current hiatus in blogging is, perhaps, a product of that blogging’s motivation: grief. TWANBOC certainly, and partially Woebot, CoM, and partially Naked Maja, and certainly Dubversion, and me, a little bit — all of us had a bit or a lot of grief in us to push us on our way. Maybe some feelings are getting laid to rest. But I digress.
Now, before anyone gets offended, I have no problem with the pros playing in the blogging sandpit. Just as long as they know that blogging is not about them. Delightful though it is to read the inner reflections of the print professionals — and Stelfox makes the world a better place, no doubt about that — I still would not look to them to generate heat as well as light. Can any of them light the blue touch paper in the manner of heronbone? No.
‘course, he’s fucked off to New Zealand.
Any bright sparks out there wanting to make a name for yourself — now’s your chance.