tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80096778072785067682024-03-13T00:46:33.381+00:00Great MenC-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-67403747469298425072013-01-17T12:36:00.002+00:002013-01-17T16:43:26.571+00:00Sunday Assembly and being a personal Athiest<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many atheist writers and thinkers that I enjoy. Dawkins sheer passion and clarity of thought is inspiring and reading Hitchens makes me wish I was smarter and more charming. However, I can always guarantee that Alom Shaha will always make me reconsider what I think about being and becoming an atheist.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently, he has been attending a Humanist Sunday Assembly and has been regularly <a href="https://twitter.com/alomshaha" target="_blank">tweeting</a> his experience. <a href="http://rationalist.org.uk/4015/why-we-need-humanist-churches" target="_blank">Blogging</a> on the rationalist website Alom describes why he enjoyed it and why he thought it was a good idea. His blog feels like it suggests these assemblies can be a rallying point for a kind of humanist congregation. The BHA asked for people’s reactions and I provided my tuppence worth, which wasn’t as negative as some but was a bit knee jerk. As I said, I always enjoy Alom’s writing as it makes me think about what I think so I’d like to expand a little on my tweet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My gut instinct is that I don’t like Sunday Assemblies. I recall that those first times that I started not –believing (or at least thinking about whether or not what I was being told in church was true) happened precisely there, when I was in Church. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At home, nose pressed to a book or among those 14 hours a day I seemed to spend on a bike the idea of faith or God hardly crossed my mind. On Sunday however, I thought about it a lot. Initially, it was the boredom and repetition of church that started me wondering if this was a good idea. Totally un-engaged, I probably day-dreamed as a young child and railed against it as an older one. The droning ceremony seemed to belie the glory that I was supposed to feel. Looking around at the “flock” mindlessly (or so it seemed to me) re-canting the same prayer and Hymns each week made me question do they really believe this?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I couldn’t see why people I knew in the “real” world would dress and act so differently just because they were talking to God. The idea that he needed a special place or sacrament to understand his creation’s wants and needs seemed absurd. I have friends who while religious, felt the same way and now have prayer meetings in their home; I just didn’t stop questioning and couldn’t believe any longer. So the idea of sitting in a big room with people in their Sunday best (and church was always a social event with all the pretentions that entails) singing along to Imagine by John Lennon immediately transports me back to those days of boredom.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alternatively, the most recent years where I started to take my non-belief seriously have been the most intellectually and spiritually rewarding. I adore the informality of the various associations, opinions and online groups for atheists provide – the complete lack of mantra and ceremony is what made it so attractive. There isn’t any particular way that you should be an atheist. Finding your niche in (or indeed outside) any atheist group was easy and encouraged. In fact I’m not certain I enjoy describing my atheist experience as being organised – based as it is on catching up with friends and discussing “Hitch” in amongst the films, football and family. My soul has been far more nourished during a chat and a biscuit at a friend’s living room than ever it was in communal worship. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m reminded of an early chapter in Susan Cain’s book on <a href="http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/" target="_blank">Introversion</a> “Quiet” where she describes meeting an Evangelical Christian who feels guilty as he cannot whip himself into the requisite fervour of his particular strand of faith. He longs for a quiet place to contemplate his relationship with his maker. Likewise, I take deep solace in the wonder of the everyday. As the Feminists of the 60’s & 70’s demanded that the “Personal is Political” I feel the same about my relationship with the universe. It’s personal. I initially rejected religion because it tried to format that relationship. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alom rightly identifies that we are a tribal animal and a communal experience is best when it is genuinely shared. I do greatly enjoy collective activities. Without a regular trip to watch terrible football a group of old school friends and I wouldn’t have an excuse to meet and the habit of doing this is a joy. I’m also aware that football has its own rituals and I don’t baulk at being on the terrace at 3 o’clock on a Saturday singing the same songs as last week. So why do I feel that a Sunday Assembly would be different? I suspect that it might be context. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Sunday Assembly just feels “churchy” and reminds me of all the things I left behind along with my belief. The ape-ing of religious service feels a bit contrived and I wonder if these people would gather together for a sing song in any other situation (although that is probably a positive reason for having these assemblies). Ultimately, it doesn’t appeal to the inner teen rebel that I’m desperately trying to nurture as I slip into middle age. The setup of the Assembly, the choice of songs…it isn’t very…cool.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What it does demonstrate though is how open atheists/ humanists/whatever you are can be. With no dogma, if you are an individual who needs a collective ceremony to share how you think, wonderful. If you are a wall flower who prefers to meet like-minded creatures virtually that’s wonderful too. If you are misery, who'd rather sit at home and listen to your choice of Music - thats OK to, we'll meet you later for a pint.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not a student of religion but suspect that religious groups early in their formation were similar until the codification of their rules. I am aware of bloody consequences from all the arguments they have had about whose rules were best. I don’t believe that Sunday Assemblies are in any way likely to invoke a heretical witch-hunt, but we must make sure we never allow one person to tell another - this is how you be an atheist…</span><br />
<br />R-Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10325971171719425452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-39712940073405679842012-12-18T06:11:00.001+00:002012-12-18T06:11:25.458+00:00Collider: Paraguay ZeroAnd so our journey through Collider ends where the Great Men story began: our first ever track.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3672717112/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=61fbff/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/paraguay-zero-2">Paraguay Zero by Great Men</a></iframe>
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.9411531311925501"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CW</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b> </b>-<span style="font-weight: normal;"> I’m not interested in football, so when the World Cup approached in 2006 and I realised I’d lose my friends, housemates and living room for the summer, I took action for the positive and decided that when football left me under siege in my room I would have the duration of the match to write, record and mix a track. This project, which has also spanned the 2008 Rugby World Cup and 2010 Football World Cup, is called “Widdleman VS The World Cup”. The very first one I did was “England 1 Paraguay 0”, which a couple of years later became the first song Regan and I would learn to play together.</span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>R-Man</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - 1st thing ever. Debuted in my living room to 3 people who I think were honestly expecting us to be pointless noise. We sure showed them...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CW</b> - For other Widdleman Vs The World Cup victories, check out our Live in London EP, or Shazam session videos, for a couple of tracks that came out of the 2010 World Cup: <a href="http://youtu.be/HVvrKj1SuUM" target="_blank">Spectators at an Execution</a> (England 0 0 Algeria) and <a href="http://youtu.be/-W9v4RpcdTE" target="_blank">Messerschmitt</a> (bits of Uruguay 2 3 Netherlands and Germany 0 1 Spain).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-74115104184285939732012-12-17T05:57:00.000+00:002012-12-18T06:14:29.072+00:00Collider: No Fear Of Humans<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3613109330/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=36f1fc/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/no-fear-of-humans-3">No Fear of Humans by Great Men</a></iframe>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9411531311925501"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CW</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The heavy riff and guitar solo in this one originally came from a track I did in my room in Lincoln Hall at the University of Nottingham, called ‘Night of the Badger’. It was inspired by a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hereford/worcs/3023369.stm" target="_blank">news story about a badger</a> going on a rampage and attacking people; one witness said the badger had “no fear of humans at all”. The commanding bass line is all R-Man, and the post-rock second half was born from jamming in Regan’s living room back in the early days when I used to use his Akai Headrush (long since retired). </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R-Man </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">– Heavy, Heavy, Heavy– I remember a friend of ours who was a big fan of Zero 7 telling me the quiet bit in this was their favourite bit. I felt a bit sick. The logistics of getting the manual switches for the drum machine right always turned Chris into some form of nodding tap dancer...and...now!</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CW - </b>He said <i>Tap</i> dancer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-91287424330633020932012-12-16T12:11:00.002+00:002012-12-18T06:18:05.565+00:00Collider: Number 6<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=766669151/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=3dfdff/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/number-6-3">Number 6 by Great Men</a></iframe>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9411531311925501"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CW</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wrote the original version of this in 2008, with a whammy bar, slap bass, and samples from superlative 60’s TV series The Prisoner (hence the name). Recording this was great fun; I got a little silly on the solo and looked up to find Benn creased over laughing, which only encouraged me to get sillier (and try not to fall apart whilst recording)!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R-Man</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> – This is a classic example of Chris’ dream of a percussive funk classic being ruined/improved (delete as applicable) by my smearing a kilo of sleaze all over the bass track…</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CW</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Some years after writing this song, I also watched the recent Battlestar Galactica series. This song hence has no relation to the Number 6 Cylon, and is all about Patrick McGoohan. The Prisoner is a tremendous piece of work that still reverberates through TV now. And the theme tune is one of all my all time favourites.</span></b><br />
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<br />C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-79849096018644916212012-12-15T11:22:00.000+00:002012-12-18T06:17:50.376+00:00Collider: Lady Cakes<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=739377948/size=venti/bgcol=000000/linkcol=86fdf9/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/lady-cakes-2">Lady Cakes by Great Men</a></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Track 1 of Collider is Lady Cakes. Here's what Mr Regars and I have to say about it:</span><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9411531311925501"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CW -</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think this might be the finest song we’ve written together. In terms of recycled material, only my clean guitar part comes from a previous composition, everything else was written in the spare room at Regan’s house. I’m especially fond of the guitar solo in this. A friend of mine said the first time he saw us live that when we hit the unison riff in this track, he nearly fell over.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R-Man -</span><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It’s not until I’ve tried to explain it that I realise quite how complicated this track is. It’s doing about 5 different things but always driving. I couldn’t begin to remember how it came about- the pieces just happened while we were at the height of our powers</span><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It’s something I’m immensely proud of.</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some time between the recording and the release of Collider, we did a live session for Shazam and Lady Cakes was the only album track we included; here's the video:</span><br />
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<br />C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-89390778578007762542012-10-17T13:07:00.000+01:002012-10-17T13:07:53.112+01:00Collider: MSP<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=2311766553/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=57fdff/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/msp-3">MSP by Great Men</a></iframe>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6268372409977019"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CW says<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;"> -</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The riff that comes in halfway through the track is one that I wrote in my university room sometime in 2002/2003. 6 or 7 years later I played it in Regan’s living room and he told me it sounded like Manic Street Preachers. I was abhorred; as a former teenage metaller I had catalogued the Manics (based on ‘Design For Life’ and ‘If You Tolerate This...’) under “wuss music”. After being thrust a copy of their Holy Bible album, I was forced to recant any previous opinions: Holy Bible is now one of my all time top albums. MSP is also the airport code for Minneapolis-St Paul.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R-Man - </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">THAT riff is a super pop hook, and sure fire million seller. We’re just a bland vocal and a dodgy haircut away from never having to work again.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a moment after the intro where we had a choice of which guitar track to use...if you listen carefully you can hear some string buzz on the one we chose. A little organic garnish on a bed of machine mash!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CW - </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh yeah, since I’ve not mentioned the dweebery yet, the guitars on the whole album are my Gibson SG Special and Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster (the ‘Black Lodge’ Tele with my custom paint job, but before we rewired it I think), basically just into a Rat into a Vox AC30. For pretty much the whole album there’s just one track of each guitar, playing the same thing, however Benn decided to mix it!</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-14033966548251429392012-09-26T10:58:00.001+01:002012-09-26T10:58:32.459+01:00Collider: RiotsThis week you get not only myself and R-man's liner notes for the track Riots, but also a brand new exclusive video from award winning directors the Turrell Brothers!<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3819779836/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4ff3f0/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/riots-2">RIOTS by Great Men</a></iframe>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.37258631852455437"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C-bomb</span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - This has its roots in a track of mine called Hot Riots, but is rawer and heavier. I really love the interplay between the guitar and bass in the middle section, it’s one of our most beautiful bits as a duo I think. Benn and Regan did the first mix of this without me and to my surprise and delight they’d gone for a “space bass” sound in the mid-section (a hallmark of my solo work that is usually shot down well before it makes it onto a GM track!).</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R-Man</span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> – </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The unmistakable sound of small arms fire; this highlights the mixture of inspiration and mundane practicatility that goes into creating a GM track. We used to listen to a lot of Thelonius Monk who was famous for a stop/start technique with really heavy percussive attack. Riots reminds me of this, but i think its sound actually lies in my sloppy playing. When I was a kid I listened to and learned to play along to Reggae and Dub and so in Chris’ ears I was coming in “late” (or “right” as I was concerned) I recall having to really exaggerate the on beat in songs to get out of the habit, with this as prime example. The middle section is pure Jah Wobble of course... </span></span></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X5PqsbqSFG0" width="400"></iframe>C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-21848551739587215122012-09-22T12:07:00.000+01:002012-09-22T12:07:22.840+01:00Collider: Hot MeatContinuing our meandering journey through Collider, here's some insider info on Track 5, Hot Meat.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3586575480/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=5cf5ff/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/hot-meat-3">Hot Meat! by Great Men</a></iframe>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6305738219525665"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CW says</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">- This is a descendant of a track I did a few years ago called OHM In A Storm. For the first guitar “solo” I had the idea of rigging up a Marshall cab as an extension to the Vox AC30 we were using throughout, and boxing me in between the two on my knees so I could get a bit silly with feedback without disturbing the mics on the Vox. We called it the Feedback Den, and an early favourite title for the album (from me anyway) was Postcards From The Feedback Den, until the Manic Street Preachers pipped us to the post with Postcards From A Young Man. Here's a photo of the action...</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R-Man -</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Ridiculous name, stupid solo. I Laugh my head off every time I hear it remembering C-Bomb scrabbling around on the floor like some shredding mole-man. </span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.47468077950179577" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The name was cheerfully stolen from the starter of a curry we had while breaking from the writing sessions this came from. We tend to end live shows with this, by which point I’m reduced to shouting “ Hot Meat Hot Meat Hot Meat!” like a crazed restaurant owner/ bordello pimp.</span></b>C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-70836256761588780612012-09-17T12:59:00.000+01:002012-09-17T12:59:37.581+01:00Poison City WeekenderI just got back from a fantastic weekend in Melbourne, watching the cream of Australian punk bands playing across 3 days. So many shows and so many beers, unfortunately some of the details are a bit hazy, but here's what I recall:<br />
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Hopping on a plane straight from work on Friday, thanks to the miracle of human flight we got to the Tote Hotel in time to catch <b>Grim Fandango</b>, who were solid with some nice guitar interplay. Being 2 British beer drinkers it took most of GF's set for us to recover from the shock of an $11 pint! That pretty much pays for a night out in some pubs back home. Unfazed, we soldiered on, surrounded by our bearded brethren (I'm pretty sure I only saw 1 clean shaven guy the whole weekend!). Up next were my highlight of the night, <b>I Exist</b>. With 4 guitarists on stage, plus bassist, singer and drummer, it initially looked like there'd been a mix up with the scheduling and 2 bands were setting up at the same time. The singer looked like Wayne Campbell and sounded like Phil Anselmo, and the riffing had a heavy Pantera groove; all delivered with a tongue in cheek ("this song's about 500 women; it's called 1000 Boobs") - I had a massive grin on my face for the duration.<br />
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I think <b>Luca Brasi</b> are probably the first Tasmanian band I've seen, and I was not disappointed.'Nuff 'spec to the guitarist for sporting a Queen t-shirt. Rounding out the night after them was <b>Extortion</b>, playing the "fast, heavy, short" brand of anarcho-thrash pioneered by Napalm Death back in the day. I suspect they were scheduled last as the organisers knew it would be too much for some audience members, but I loved it and stayed for the duration.<br />
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Recovering from the Itchy Green Pants ale and the [well deserved] kebab, Saturday saw us roll up to the Old Bar in Fitzroy for some chilled out acoustic acts, and the first of many Mountain Goat beers. <b>Wil Wagner</b> roused the crowd with acoustic renditions of his Smith St Band anthems, but for me the highlight of the acoustic troubadours was <b>Lincoln Le Fevre</b>, another Tasmanian I believe and maintaining the success rate for the island state.<br />
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After a jazz apple cider followed by a successful trip to the Little Creatures flagship pub, we headed across town to the Corner in Richmond in time to see <b>Restorations</b> for the second Saturday in a row, having caught them at the Annandale in Sydney the previous week. A top notch US touring band; highly recommended. Inevitably it was now time for the ubiquitous Jamie Hay to make an appearance onstage, with the final ever gig for <b>A Death in the Family</b>, yet another solid act. Headlining the night was US "big name" <b>Rival Schools</b>, who were very good but I felt the pacing was a little off, RS being a little more considered and laid back after the high energy punk rock of the preceding bands. The Corner is a great venue but my advice to you is this: don't bother trying to get in a taxi; it's open warfare between arrogant cabbies and drunks down in Richmond. We eventually walked home and saw a possum weeing out of a tree.<br />
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Sunday's festivities took place in what, to a Melbourne noob like me, felt like the middle of nowhere, in a surprisingly large pub/venue called The Reverence in Footscray. We eventually found the 2nd, larger, stage concealed in a separate building out back, through an unassuming doorway, reminiscent of the "people training to be in a James Bond film" scene from Wayne's World. We were just in time for <b>Milhouse</b>, whose more dynamic and angular approach set them apart as another highlight for me. The camaraderie of the scene was evident, with Wil Wagner jumping onstage a couple of times to shout some extra vocals and exchange sweaty man hugs with the bass player. Back over at the front stage, <b>Lincoln Le Fevre</b> was making his second appearance, this time with a band backing him. Impressively he managed to pull off 2 distinct sets over the weekend that each felt perfectly arranged, rather than simply the same approach with different instrumentation.<br />
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Finally on the acoustic stage was old [but surprisingly young] favourite <b>Jen Buxton</b>, with the inevitable and welcome <b>Jamie Hay</b> appearance. I felt the set lost its way a little with too many lineup changes onstage - all great performers and songs, but why not give them their own, longer sets instead of a last dash potpourri? Our crew were unanimous in enjoying Jen and Jamie's duets as a highlight of the weekend. Finally, back in the sweaty secret room out back, the weekend closed off with a triumphant set from the <b>Smith Street Band</b>, probably on their way to being Australia's next biggest punk idols. The crowd-surfing was endless, the HULK SMASH shirt ripping from Wil Wagner was probably a trifle unnecessary, Jamie Hay inevitably made an appearance, and through it all the venue's glass collectors tenaciously gathered every empty vessel as if they were being paid by the glass.<br />
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All in all an excellent weekend, with not a bad band in sight, and wonderfully not a single idiot in sight either (I'm going to give a bye to the people who jumped in our booked cab in front of us. I only hope they've not continued to assume our identities.) It was also a great way to see more of a fairly unfamiliar city. Thanks to the bands (and sorry for the ones I forgot to mention here, but not a single bad one!) and the folk at Poison City Records for making it happen: a triumph!<br />
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<br />C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-33627229561817232812012-09-13T11:11:00.003+01:002012-09-13T11:11:58.859+01:00Collider: Ghost in the MachineIn the absence of a lovely paper booklet with loads of interesting stuff to pore over as you listen to the album, and because we love spilling words out in front of you, we're going to use this here blog to throw some extra commentary on the <a href="http://www.great-men.co.uk/" target="_blank">Collider</a> album. To mix things up we'll start with the closing track, Ghost in the Machine. If you haven't made it that far through the album yet, now is a perfect time to pop it on and listen while you read!<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3903094281/size=venti/bgcol=000000/linkcol=8ce5f2/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"><a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/ghost-in-the-machine-2">Ghost in the Machine by Great Men</a></iframe>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.47451812657527626"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CW, he say:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> This one grew from R-Man’s bass solo, in fact most of the parts in this one were from his fair hand. Counting enthusiasts will notice that the drums and bass are operating in two different time signatures for the first half of this track, and the guitar has a go on each. I have fond memories of the 2 of us in Regan’s back room practising this and concentrating intensely to make all 3 parts wind together at the right time. We’re idiots.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R-man:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> This is one of the most beautiful things I have ever been involved in. When we play this live there is a moment in the intro where the whole song hangs on the edge of feedback before crashing back into drums and riff. Its what I imagine that moment when you jump off a cliff might feel like: genuinely heart stopping. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The recording doesn’t quite catch it but the smoothness of the whole track more than makes up for it. If there is an archetypal Great Men sound this is it for me. It sounds complicated and angular but actually Ghost is pretty damn whistle-able.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d like to claim that the title was inspired by Koestler and his take on Descartes’ Mind/ Body Dualism and the artwork certainly was...however the truth is that I really like the cover for The Police’s Album of the same name. It was suitably retro sci-fi in a Bladerunner sort of way, so we nicked it.</span></b><br />
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<br />C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-4105497567533759902012-09-06T14:11:00.000+01:002012-09-06T14:16:53.955+01:00Collider<div>
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After much anticipation, Great Men are delighted to announce that earlier this week we released our debut album Collider!</div>
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You can download it for free on our brand new website, what R-man crafted himself from rocks and earth: <a href="http://www.great-men.co.uk/">www.great-men.co.uk</a></div>
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We recorded the album in London with Mr MCG of Ulterior, who kindly contributed chrome production, huge snares, cyborg pterodactyls and man screams. We then shipped it off to Amsterdam for Mr Zlaya (producer of Sonic Youth amongst many others) to master. Big thanks also to Mr GWM, bourbon drinker and nonsense-tolerator, for designing the graphics.</div>
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We're tremendously proud of Collider and would love to hear what you think. If you do find something you like, please tell your friends!</div>
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Enjoy Collider with our compliments,</div>
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Chris and Reegs</div>
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C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-13343145082638648432012-08-20T22:49:00.000+01:002012-08-23T20:52:53.751+01:00Fascinated by Faith, Repulsed by Religion<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I may have gotten soft in my old age but recent <a href="http://gr8men.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/there-is-no-god-only-bosses.html" target="_blank">experience</a> has given me pause for thought. While naturally inclined to the Richard Dawkins copyrighted “fire and brimstone” branch of atheism, I have begun to wonder if there could be a better approach, something a little more inclusive, a little more human. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am fascinated by faith and always enjoy speaking to those who "get" it precisely because I don't. Where it "feels" true to them in their soul I feel a gloriously empty space - the fact there is no god seems as obvious and natural to me as the fact praying is useful does to them. I can't imagine that we could ever come to a compromise position and I have long passed trying to de-convert the godly. But c</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ould the Atheist movement (whatever that is) be a place more welcoming to the waverers? As most Atheists I meet are both warm and lovely this seemed sensible. I enjoyed the idea of some-one who might still have faith but can no longer follow the diktat of their religion could find a place where they could stretch their spiritual </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">legs without ridicule. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I agree, by the way with </span><a href="http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/a-plea-for-spirituality" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Sam Harris</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> on using that word. There is a clear distinction between those of private deist faith and a fundamentalist psychopath and so it would be stupid to lump all of those with faith in the same box. After all some of my best friends are Christians...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ultimately though, I guess I enjoyed the mischievous idea of sticking a friendly 2 fingers at the pious and saying “see we’re even better at being nice then you are”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So resolute in my softening approach to those with faith, I hoped to engage and enjoy the world of <i>faith</i> in a more cheerful and cheering way. The world of <i>religion</i> responded with some of the most stupid, ignorant, bigoted, evil, motivated by God nastiness it had available.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While reeling, confused by the notion that 3 girls are being sent to a penal colony for <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19297373" target="_blank">“hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”</a> or more accurately “dancing in a church”, I was appalled by the news of a young girl in Pakistan. The idea that she should face any censure let alone <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/19/pakistan-christian-tensions-quran-burning-allegations" target="_blank">the death penalty</a> for maybe burning some pieces of paper literally makes a beggar of belief.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Patriarch Kirill can spit against every notion of moral modernity and be smugly protected by blasphemy laws. A Pakistani Mob can burn people from their homes in a rampage of ethnic cleansing and be applauded for upholding the values of their faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But we might say (if we were being faintly post-colonial polite racist) these places are poor, they are not educated, there will be many local issues that have contributed; we don’t understand enough to judge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, in that case we wouldn’t have the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland playing <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/don-t-mention-gay-marriage-cardinal-keith-o-brien-in-snub-to-alex-salmond-1-2477563" target="_blank">“I’m taking my ball back and you can’t play”</a> over gay Marriage. Or for that instance Todd Atkin a Missouri Republican Who recently had to invent <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/08/20/todd_akin_s_legitimate_rape_comment_not_a_misstatement_but_a_worldview_.html?wpisrc=slate_river" target="_blank">new definitions of rape</a> in order to square the circle of his religious belief and the constitutional right of a woman to control her own body. I am left wondering which semester of his Divinity Masters Degree did he learn about half rape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both these guys have every benefit that being a white, educated male born in the west during the second half of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century can bring. Neither is stupid, nor I would presume evil, but both have been pushed into behaving abhorrently by an out-dated doctrine they cannot shake and feel compelled to follow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So sorry god(s), I will keep trying to show understanding to your flock and I do realise that having faith doesn't mean a person will be an automaton of your capricious will. But while your rules and sacred texts provide cover and inspiration for the taking of political prisoners, ethnic cleansing, homo-phobia and misogyny I will reserve the right to be as dis-respectful about you and those rules as I wish. And I will apologise to those nice faithful friends who I might upset, but the flip side of your coin is too unpleasant for me to ignore... </span><o:p></o:p></div>
R-Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10325971171719425452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-34221903116673266162012-08-09T01:46:00.001+01:002012-08-09T01:52:11.882+01:00Things I Learned On My Summer Vacation<span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently spent a couple of weeks cruising around the good old US of A. I didn't want to bore you or myself with a full recap, but here a few morsels of observation from my travels, for what it's worth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Las Vegas</b> is a silly, silly place. No matter how many times you've seen it on TV, in films, on the internet, the reality is they've got a ruddy great pyramid shining a light into space so bright you can see it 40 miles away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In <b>Minneapolis </b>I went to see Banner Pilot at the legendary Triple Rock Social Club. The first of 4 bands came on at 9:30; Minneapolis rockers do it late!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Wisconsin</b>'s<b> </b>billboards are divided evenly between pro-life sentiment and cheese curds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In <b>Chicago </b>I checked into an unplanned bed and breakfast and my host recognised the tour my Primus t-shirt was from. Then I ate 3 different types of ribs. That's the kind of town Chicago is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Toledo </b>is a bit of a ghost town, with much of the industry gone; a "mini-Detroit" as my host put it. However its Old West End has some super-friendly locals and bars serving, and in some cases brewing, great beer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in <b>Cleveland </b>will easily entertain you for 4 hours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In <b>Buffalo </b>there is a very distinct racial segregation, weird and sad to see in this day and age. I had good times at a free show at the harbour though, where music and booze united everyone. I've not been to Baltimore but Buffalo felt like The Wire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw Foxy Shazam playing a small show in <b>Asbury Park, New Jersey</b>. If you get chance to see them, do it: you will thank me. Unfortunately Asbury Park itself was less Boss and more Jersey Shore; by which I mean a sub-par British seaside town full of idiots.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In <b>New York</b> I went to Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn to see the great things being done at Willie Mae Rock Camp, teaching girls to rock. Then I hung out in Manhattan, where a passing Deadhead clocked my Zappa t-shirt and gig wristband and became convinced I was a member of Roger Waters' band (in town for his 'The Wall' shows).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Los Angeles</b> is a huge, sprawling metropolis, comprised almost entirely of motorways, which themselves are comprised entirely of traffic jams.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A final thought: living in England I have heard countless people criticise American beer. I am here to confirm that those people are ignorant and wrong - and have probably never ventured further than a Bud Light; the equivalent of judging the UK on Carling or Australia on Fosters. In almost 3 weeks I had plenty of beers and never a bad one. There's a great microbrewery scene going down in the US right now.</span></div>C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-34967071206537557502012-07-16T21:55:00.001+01:002012-07-16T23:08:44.913+01:00There is no God only Bosses<br />
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There’s been quite a hiatus from Chris and I recently (well
the last 5 months) which is frankly appalling.
At least Chris has the excuse of living in Australia and therefore now
addicted to manly activities such as sport, casual misogyny and eating meat. I have no such excuse and so thought I’d best
put things right with a little catch-up. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Last Tuesday I attended a book launch, organised by the
British Humanist Association for the Young Atheists Handbook by <a href="http://alomshaha.com/" target="_blank">Alom Shaha</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall, I found the night a little odd as the <a href="http://www.conwayhall.org.uk/1/Home" target="_blank">venue</a> reminded
me of a Methodist church as did some of the details of the décor and details
replete with lectern and choir… I guess that when the association was formed
all public meetings were quasi-religious and looked like this. Old habits die
hard in the Secular world too… <o:p></o:p></div>
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The evening itself was lots of fun with a free bar (you don’t
get that on a Sunday in St Johns) and lovely canapés. Of the guest speakers I had heard of two: <a href="http://robinince.com/" target="_blank">RobinInce</a> of the infinite monkey cage fame who talked too fast, which was a theme
for most of them if I’m honest and <a href="http://acgrayling.com/" target="_blank">AC Grayling</a> who slowed it all down. When I
grow up I want to have a lion’s mane of hair just like Mr Grayling… it was
magnificent. He also had the best line of the night suggesting that “Militant” Atheists
makes about as much sense as “Militant” Stamp Collectors… Look at me! NOT
Collecting stamps…Militantly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The obvious star of the show was Alom, who was clearly giddy
and running on the kind of adrenaline I normally only see in skittish grooms. However his talk (speech? What the hell do
you call it?) did hold together and was full of the warm, humble charm that
makes the actual book such a pleasure to read. Towards the end, Alom became deeply
passionate about the hope he has for Bangladeshi women to be able to free themselves
from the some-times horrible lives they find within their religion. I also suspect he might regret promising to
make the entire audience dhal…especially as I’ll be at the front of the queue
with my largest bowl!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The book is an antidote to Hitchens and Dawkins or if like
me you don’t think these guys need an antidote a far warmer and more personal
account of losing God. Instead of a
reference manual that the title suggests this is just Alom Shaha sharing some
key memories and thoughts on how he ended up as an Atheist and what it means to
him. Alom has previously criticised Atheism
in the UK as too white and too middle class as I| am probably both of those I am
largely ignorant of what might be peculiar to Muslims or in particular Bangladeshis. So I was hoping and expecting for his journey
to be quite different to mine and for me to learn more about his (ex)faith
through how he lost it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While this was certainly the case – I didn’t realise that
the Koran, being written in Arabic was indecipherable to the vast majority of
those who hope to use it – I was struck by how similar some of the experiences
were, especially the moments of clarity that he seemed have with his own mind…
the fact that it seemed perfectly natural that there was no God. No epiphany, No big Bang, just No! Its almost as if we're all the same species with the same wants needs and desires irrespective of what God our parents prayed to.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alom is a Science teacher and had dreams of being a
scientist proper so it was a surprise that Science did not inform his decision. That decision was made long before he
discovered the joy of understanding how the world actually is though
investigation. A discovery that was hindered, not helped by the science
teaching at school. Like many of us
it seems that his Science teachers were crap or cared little for their subject and so unable to pass on <span style="background-color: white;">the “magic” of it all<b>*</b></span><span style="background-color: white;">. Sadly most of us are saddled with an (at best) average education but in
my case family made up the difference in the arts…It is a shame that science is
seen as so specialist that its off the menu at family dinner tables. I hope people like Alom can bring their readability
and smile to popularising this subject.</span><br />
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The Chapter about being labelled a “Coconut” was very timely
as with-out it I wouldn’t have realised how unpleasant being called “white on
the inside” might be or the significance of the idiot <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/16/rio-ferndinand-choc-ice-twitter-racism-police_n_1677331.html?utm_hp_ref=uk" target="_blank">Rio Ferdinand</a>’s comments
about his former team mate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think my favourite image in the book is when Alom shares
his first experience of eating bacon. We
all know how <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LoWVkSyC0o" target="_blank">Heaven Hates Ham</a> and this first glorious taste of prohibited porcine
pleasure brings to the first page the fun and homely sense that courses
throughout the book. The Bacon Incident
highlights how trivial religion is (do you really think <i>he</i> cares what’s in your sandwich?) but because the simple act of
having left over breakfast was such a bold step it also demonstrates how
powerful and insidious religion still is in the 21<sup>st</sup> Century. This
act got me thinking so if you know any Jewish or Muslim friends who are
wavering or perhaps haven’t been brave enough yet …send them round to mine for
a sausage sarnie and a chat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, having finished the book and feeling confident that
there is no super-natural deity I went to see Springsteen…On Woodie Guthrie’s
100<sup>th</sup> Birthday<o:p></o:p><br />
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* Please take note of a correcting tweet I received from Alom. Sadly one of his teachers Mr Clarke died the year he finished School. <br />
<br />
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link" data-user-id="92733167" href="https://twitter.com/alomshaha" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" style="background-color: white; color: #0084b4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Alom Shaha</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span></span><span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; direction: ltr; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; unicode-bidi: embed;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">alomshaha</b></span></a><br />
<div class="js-tweet-text" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<a class=" twitter-atreply pretty-link" data-screen-name="MrRegars" href="https://twitter.com/MrRegars" rel="nofollow" style="color: #0084b4; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #66b5d2; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="color: inherit; font-weight: normal;">MrRegars</b></a> thanks for writing about book and launch. Have to point out that some of my science teachers were truly brilliant & inspirational</div>
</div>R-Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10325971171719425452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-12652328114083539112012-02-27T06:36:00.001+00:002012-02-27T06:36:10.908+00:00Soundwave Sydney 2012Unusually for a Sunday, I was up at 9am this week for my first big Australian festival. As opposed to English festivals, which tend to be over long weekends in one place, with people camping over, the Aussie festival norm is a one-dayer that tours around the country. This doesn't mean the bill is a light one though: 97 bands were spread over 7/13 stages (depending how you count - most "stages" are actually paired up to enable rapid switchovers between bands, a definite plus point).<div>
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Getting into the festival had a few downsides; the queue was vast and I'm sorry to say that we had to cheekily jump it or we would have missed Royal Republic, who were the whole reason we'd arrived so early! More gates guys, come on! This is especially important on a one-day festival, where everybody is arriving on that day rather than already being there camping. Then to make matters worse, it seems the security protocol extends beyond the usual glass bottles, booze and weapons rules: I had to surrender the 3 sausage sandwiches I'd brought with me, and my friend's toilet paper was also confiscated. No time to grieve though, we grabbed a map and headed for <b>Royal Republic</b>'s stage.</div>
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The map was another slight issue - it neglected to point out the several buildings that housed or blocked several stages. We managed to find our way into the deserted warehouse hosting Stage 5 just a minute before the Royal boys came on. They rocked as hard as ever, although we did worry about singer Adam's increasing skinniness... the boy needs to learn as I did about Dagwood Dogs, the ultimate in Australian festival cuisine: essentially a battered sausage on a stick. I had 2.</div>
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After Royal Republic we popped over to see London's <b>Smoking Hearts</b>, who were up against it with only 4 people in the audience ever having heard of them before, but they won the crowd over and topped the set off by the whole band bar drummer clearing the barrier and playing in the audience. Then it was time to check out the main stages, which were inside a stadium. Here's where Soundwave chalks another point up against the UK festivals: seats, both comfortable and enabling a better view of proceedings.</div>
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The first band we saw on the main stage was <b>Steel Panther</b>. I was dubious about these guys for some time as they appeared to be mocking the sort of music I love, but I've seen them a few times now and think they're one of the most talented bands out there. Kind of wish they'd ditch the "comedy" aspect though as it still undermines the rockingness of the tunes and the sweet playing a little. Next up was <b>Lostprophets</b>, the Welsh soundtrack to many a Nottingham Rock City club night. Unfortunately the singer was struggling to keep his voice as the set wore on, and they win my prize for "worst onstage moment of the day" with the grating "lalalala" singalong... I've still got a bit of a headache left from that.</div>
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I caught <b>Alter Bridge</b> in London a couple of months ago (filming their DVD actually) and their performance in Sydney was strong but Mark Tremonti is still suffering from the inclination to cover all of his [probably impressive] guitar playing with such a ludicrous amount of wah-wah that he might as well be a terrible guitarist. Since I'd seen Alter Bridge recently, and in a better venue, I agreed to miss the end of their set to go and watch <b>You Me At Six</b>, who apparently are big news with the kidz these days. I thought they were pretty weak - like if you were 14 and hadn't heard bands before and these guys were in the year above you at school you'd be impressed. But I'm 28 and grumpy. I became grumpier still when word hit that Slash had joined Alter Bridge onstage. Despite my most valiant efforts to run back to see him, the band had finished before I got there. NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!! <a href="http://gr8men.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/download-2010.html" target="_blank">At least I've seen him before.</a></div>
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When I was 12 and just starting to learn guitar, the first song I learned to play in a band was Machinehead by <b>Bush</b> (I can still remember my friend talking me through how to play the opening riff: up 2 frets, up 1 fret, up 2 frets). I even had one of their UK tour t-shirts that a friend got me as I was too young to go along. Fast forward a decade and a half and I was finally seeing them live, and better yet: they opened with Machinehead! Overall the band seemed to be lacking a little magic, but Gavin Rossdale pulled out all the stops, heading down to the barriers, rocking out on his knees, and - obviously been hitting the gym in recent years - looking quite like Steven Seagal.</div>
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Following Bush and sounding great were <b>Bad Religion</b>. I didn't bother braving the crowds to get too close as I had tickets to see them later in the week headling their own show, or "Sidewave". Another interesting byproduct of the Australian touring festival is that the festival dates typically occur on weekend days, giving bands the week off in between to do press and play their own smaller gigs. This is a great way of giving more to the fans, and presumably easing the financial strain of travelling thousands of miles to play a gig.</div>
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Another teenage favourite whose live appearances have until now eluded me are <b>Limp Bizkit</b>. When they played Sydney 11 years ago a girl named Jessica was tragically killed in the crowd, and Fred Durst took the opportunity to honour her this year with a touching speech and giant banner, pitched just right. <a href="http://fred60.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Fred's juice diet</a> didn't come up. Reflecting on Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland's infamous affection for costumes, it occurred to me that he is now essentially expendable - you could just put someone else a similar size in a costume and face paint and nobody would know. Like Kevin Kline in Dave.</div>
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Escaping from the main stadium, the next band I saw was <b>Strung Out</b>. Their set started with such appalling sound that the crowd started throwing missiles at the sound desk, who seemed completely oblivious to the fact that neither guitar was audible at all (amongst a myriad of other sound issues). It was the worst sound I've heard since... well, since Soundgarden at the Sydney Entertainment Centre last month - the southern hemisphere needs better sound engineers! When eventually the sound was sorted, I enjoyed Strung Out, as I did <b>I Am The Avalanche</b> afterwards. I'd checked out IATA online a few weeks back and found their recordings to be generic and uninspiring, but clearly they need a better producer as the live show better portrayed their grunt and character.</div>
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With the sun now sunk, it was headliner time. My first ever "proper" gig was <b>System Of A Down </b>at Rock City touring their first album, and over the years I've seen them a few times, growing into a bonafide festival headliner with aplomb. They always seem to be scheduled against other great bands though - last year I missed the first half of their Download set to watch Alice Cooper (well worth it), and this time I missed the second half of their set to go check out <b>Sisters of Mercy</b>, who didn't disappoint when I found them shrouded in smoke in a dark warehouse - exactly where Mr Eldritch belongs!</div>
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Overall, a beaut bonzer ripper festival experience, cheers Soundwave!</div>
</div>C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-90688754100353140432011-12-28T18:38:00.004+00:002011-12-28T18:51:09.852+00:00We Could Be Heroes<div>In amongst the Christmas Hoopla ( I rate amongst the top 5% on the Grich Scale and can never forgive dear Old Ebeneezer for going Soft on Santa in his dotage) there was some tragic news. </div><div>2 Pillars of Great Men cultural and spiritual influence died taking with them the promise of fresh insight into and amusment at what it is to be a Human and more specifically for me how to be a male one.</div><div>Christopher Hitchens and Vaclav Havel died within a day of each other both have deeply affected me through what they have written and how they lived their lives. Both men were political animals but with a big fat streak of the poet which made what they had to say more personal and able to stir the senses than any dry academic or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StAmmJXUlLc">career parliamentary nay-sayer</a>. Neither of them lived a vice free life and approached their polite hedonism with a relaxed glee.</div><div><br /></div><div>I first read about Havel at university, a semester studying socialist states and social revolutions invariably climaxed with the events of 1989. During the Reagan era cold war I grew up less than 20 miles from a US air base in East Anglia and I vividly recall have a very serious, matter of fact with my parents about what would happen should a nuclear war occur. It was an odd feeling as a 7-8 year old trying to understand that living so close to the base meant we would be lucky – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Wind_Blows_(film)">we would die instantly</a>. The Russians were evil, hated everything we held dear, were all powerful and would probably cause the end of the world. So it seemed so fantastic that just a decade later I was learning how some very ordinary people doing some very ordinary things had wrestled the ultimate boogey man of my childhood into submission.</div><div><br /></div><div>The velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia fascinated me because the ordinary people who caused it were artists. Playwrights, poets, novelists. Pennyless, abused, arrested and placed under complete scrutiny by the security services and media in their own country they fought back using the only weapon they had. Truth.</div><div>In his essay the <a href="http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/165havel.html">Power of the Powerless</a> Havel describes in a beautifull and unassuming way how dissent can bring down a post totalitarian regime. Not by mass demonstrations (although this would come later) but by the simple pleasure of living in truth. If you know that the regime is not working say so. If you know that state produced products are of poor quality don’t buy them. If you know the propagnda to be a lie – don’t repeat it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I didn’t read his plays until some years after… I’m not a theatrephile but was seeing a girl who was studying the performing arts so reading Havel allowed me to employ the Hitchian trick of “keeping two sets of books”. On the one hand I was being open minded and embracing something that she was passionate about while privately I was revelling in the dull dusty history that she pretended to find attractive in me.</div><div><br /></div><div>What struck me, particularly in the Vanek plays was that by using humour and absurd irony to merely point at and describe the idiocies of the powerful you could inform more people, more quickly about those idiocies. You could belittle the strong and empower the feeble with laughter provoking words or a barbed witticism far more easily than with hours of rhetoric. I began to become aware of the immense power and pleasure of words as art.</div><div><br /></div><div> It was this mixture of the profound and the purile that I found again in Hitchen’s writing as well as his television appearences in the US and more lately the set piece theatre (that word again) of the organised debates he was invloved in. My opinion of what he wrote seems a little flat when the internet is awash with eulogies from Salman Rushdie to Richard Dawkins – however the phrase “I couldn’t eat enough to vomit enough” is one that I have cheerfully stolen and will continue to use. It in essence contains the strength of feeling and Hitch’s preparedness to be rude when required as well as highlighting a fresh, playful use of language that he almost always provided. In his Letters to a Young Contrarian he describes and admires an american servicemen who “ratted” on the attrocities conducted by his brothers in arms during the vietnam war. A man who became hated and ostricised for living in truth.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why are they heroes? For what they’ve done I have to admire them. Havel simply wouldn’t let his art be silenced and learned how to use it to destroy his previous captors. Hitch can’t claim to have rescued a country from an evil despot but by being a leading light in the New Athiesm movment in the US he can say that he at least tried…</div><div><br /></div><div>Moreover they are my heroes in the way they did these things, it wasn’t what they thought but how they thought. A smile, anecdote and a drink was never far from them (Havel was a bohemian in every sense of the word) and both seemed determined to enjoy these things despite their failing health. While being an unashamed fan boy – their deaths by cancer and lung disease have only strengthened my resolve to not start smoking. However Hitch’s pieces in Vanity Fair describing his travels “from the country of the well across the stark frontier that marks off the land of malady”, never blinked when considering his own role in his untimely demise.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kind, witty and angry when required both have a little bit of oldschool gentleman rogue about them that I can’t help but find compelling. Not only have they done some trully amazing things they did it with a charm and intellect that I think I’ll struggle to replace. Which is what heroes should be: irreplaceable (especially for a man in his mid-thirties who should know better). </div><div><br /></div><div>While thinking about this I have been sharing my feelings on heroes with frends and have noticed a distinct gender shift. Men for the most part either have them or can cheerfully recall those thay had when they were younger. Childhood heroes were footballers, graduating to musicians, writers and historical figures later. A hero is the guy who did things you couldn’t, they guy you wanted to be like. Some-one to look upto – ape and admire like King Louie who wants to be like you-ooh.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of those women that had definite heroes the choices were unexpected. A friend told me with a little embarrasment but meant every word that she was little bit obsessed with Tina Turner and latterly Beyonce. I’m not sure what a nice white middle class english girl wanting to grow up to be a sexually aggressive black american women tells us – but it is certainly a statement.</div><div><br /></div><div>No-one mentioned the women that I expected, there were no Dianas, Thatchers or Marie Curie (who I recently learned is the only person to have won a Nobel Prize in both Physics and Chemistry) and so I realised that I was again applying my male fan boy criteria. </div><div> </div><div>Most of women I spoke to had a very different attitude for the most part their heroes were people that they knew – Grandparents who were so very kind or other reletives who had dealt with a tradegy. I swung wildly between being slightly underwhelmed to actually being deeply touched by the fact that all these heroes were incredibly real. Empathy with them and a feeling of “I hope I would act in that way when it happens to me” seemed more important than the blokey “if my life were amazing I’d be like you” . I must balance this by sharing perhaps the most moving wedding speech I’ve heard was when a friend who was acting as best man for his brother declared with no embarrasement what-soever that his big brother was his hero, so perhaps it not a gender thing afterall.</div><div><br /></div><div>I spent christmas with 4 generations of Mackenzie-Naughton women and was relegated along with my dad to fetching and carrying duties. Watching them clearly learn to admire what each had gone through in bringing children into the world while still doing all the practical caring for them I did wonder if there was something in having a hero you could actually talk to.</div><div><br /></div><div>While I’m waiting to meet mine though, I’ll be the monkey in the corner with a glass of Johnny Walker Black Label…</div>R-Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10325971171719425452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-2670796724393174162011-12-12T23:05:00.000+00:002011-12-12T23:05:36.004+00:00Zappadan: Being Frank<br />
In part 2 of my contribution to this year's Zappadan I thought I'd talk about, and play a few examples of, the times I've tackled Frank's music. Covering FZ is wrought with danger; how does one balance the musicality, the repertoire and the attitude? I've seen bands try and I've seen bands fail (Dweezil's Zappa Plays Zappa being a notable exception). I've tackled a few in my time, 3 of which are below for your listening pleasure. Sadly missing from the archives (frustratingly I know these are both recorded somewhere!) are a live version of My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama (stylistically somewhere between the Mothers version and the G3 version), and both electric and acoustic guitar renderings of What's New In Baltimore.<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F28511026&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=f40205">
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Something that always tickled me was that Frank's unique soloing style, of just playing whatever was on his mind, was incredibly honest, direct, personal and idiosyncratic. Or in other words, Frank was being frank. Inspired by this turn of phrase and by Zappa solos such as Watermelon In Easter Hay and Zoot Allures I've played about with a guitar solo vehicle called "Let Me Be Frank" a few times over the years. Here are two that made it to tape:<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F28511028&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=f40205">
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F28511028&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=f40205" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/christopherdwalls/widdleman-and-the-engine">Let Me Be The Revolution, Frank</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/christopherdwalls">chris-walls</a>
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Music is the best!C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-64783224502828402862011-12-06T22:39:00.001+00:002011-12-06T22:42:47.975+00:00Zappadan: Finding Frank<br />
One evening recently I was sitting in my living room in Holloway, North London, listening to some albums by my favourite artist Frank Zappa. I tweeted a passing comment to this effect and was surprised to generate some interest, including a notification that between December 4th (the day the present day composer stopped refusing to die) and December 21st (his birth), the internet would be celebrating Zappadan. For what it's worth then, I thought I'd share some of my personal Zappa experience.<br />
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I don't remember the first time I heard of Frank, but I do remember the first time I heard him. Through my early teens (and to this day) I was a big fan of Primus. Reading interviews online, a recurring theme was guitarist Larry LaLonde's love of Frank Zappa. I remember one interview in particular where Ler said something like "every time I play guitar, I'm trying to sound like Frank". Well I loved Ler's unique style and this just piqued my interest. As a young guitar player I was also getting into Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare, and discovered that Vai started his career as "stunt guitarist" for FZ. I picked up the G3 video where Vai, Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson team up for a cover of Frank's "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama". My favourite band of all time (and I'd argue also the greatest band of all time) was and is Queen, and I read an old interview where Brian May said he was a fan of Frank's. Basically through my early teens Frank's name was becoming increasingly unavoidable, although his music was notably elusive in the public domain.<br />
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In September 1999, when I was 15, I went on a week's work experience with a Leicester producer and music called Steve Nutter. Hi Steve! Steve's girlfriend, it turned out, was a massive Zappa fan (pretty much the only type of Zappa fan you'll find), and after hearing me play guitar she insisted (as we Zappaphiles tend to do) that I should check out Frank. So that Friday afternoon we sat down in Steve's living room and put on the Sheik Yerbouti album. My overriding memory of that moment was that I had never (and still haven't) heard anything like it: thick feedback guitar, lush layers of vocals, complex band performances and bluntly eloquent lyrics.<br />
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My next encounter with Frank would be around 5 months later, my 16th birthday in February 2000, after a few months of bewildered browsing in the variable and extensive Frank Zappa sections in Leicestershire's record shops. My friend Seth asked what I'd like for my birthday and I asked for the Cheap Thrills CD you could pick up for £2.99. Seth delivered the goods (thanks dude!) and with my friends gathered round in my living room I slipped it into the stereo. Spoken word opener "I Could Be A Star Now" built my anticipation before the 1988 live version of Catholic Girls blew my mind: unfathomable time signature guitars and horn section stabs trading places with obscene crooned jazz.<br />
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I was hooked.<br />
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<br />C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-42088897794076489242011-11-30T11:05:00.001+00:002011-12-01T21:27:26.163+00:00missybeemer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPpdgNuPwciudMmWBQ8_jXQC20mO1eWkTAp9Zi339kbG95yDHVijQggDge_raS7YMZ1Kj-7XqMD094Wmz5OhJkkB08I5vKDNhXMIFBA3rv53bicJEHqelQ7dAGMRKlQfAikWMm5ObKn3R/s1600/feedback.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPpdgNuPwciudMmWBQ8_jXQC20mO1eWkTAp9Zi339kbG95yDHVijQggDge_raS7YMZ1Kj-7XqMD094Wmz5OhJkkB08I5vKDNhXMIFBA3rv53bicJEHqelQ7dAGMRKlQfAikWMm5ObKn3R/s640/feedback.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's blog is the story of the above slice of nonsense from Berkshire-based eBay idiot missybeemer (real name withheld due to decency she doesn't deserve).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Regular readers will know that R-Man and I are no strangers to buying, selling, repairing and indeed rocking used guitars. Sometime in early 2010 I picked up this (my second) Hondo II Les Paul, made in Japan in the 1970s. It arrived grimy and semi-functional, par for the course in such an endeavour. A new set of pickups, strings, and a bit of time with the soldering iron and a damp cloth and a sweet guitar was ready to rock.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2011 it became my main gigging guitar, here I am playing it in gigs in July 2011 (just 4 months before it was deemed "in horrible condition"):</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIyuf87d0Lj_ihS177JGJvtJPlaG9d6_XB2xrgGCObvPWDs2qRu7rmM0s97cJr5QY-zO6BvYzgiWWZ7ODDKHR4N5pbWgSiRrfpc1VnPDBBMft1MH3CrHQkmHbc4iHb2x2Xf1rztYn8mud/s1600/les+paul+july+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIyuf87d0Lj_ihS177JGJvtJPlaG9d6_XB2xrgGCObvPWDs2qRu7rmM0s97cJr5QY-zO6BvYzgiWWZ7ODDKHR4N5pbWgSiRrfpc1VnPDBBMft1MH3CrHQkmHbc4iHb2x2Xf1rztYn8mud/s320/les+paul+july+2.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks horrible doesn't it?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Chris, I hear you ask, isn't it possible that the "completely worn frets" made it unplayable and sound terrible? Well it's a fair question, as clearly in all my years of guitar playing I have absolutely no concept of what a playable guitar feels like, and with the ample collection of guitars I have to choose from I opted for this clearly worn-out plank from the 1970s instead of my 2010 Telecaster or 2009 Gibson SG out of complete ignorance. Let's listen to a live recording of me playing it in October 2011, just a month before missybeemer passed her questionable judgement:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3074326684/size=venti/bgcol=000000/linkcol=a80009/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/hot-meat"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Hot Meat by Great Men&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll let y'all be the judge on whether that guitar works.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So anyway, due to my impending move to faraway lands, lamentably I had to cut down the guitar collection; I'd rather they went to be played and loved by someone else than sit in a storage room somewhere. Which is where our friend missybeemer comes in, winning the auction on eBay for a bargain price of £127:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">missybeemer:</span></b></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hi, is it OK to send my own courier to collect the guitar? It would save me a long drive.</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Please let me know the collection address if OK.</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Regards</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">yours truly:</span></b></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yep that's fine - the address is [GM HEADQUARTERS LONDON] - Wednesday or Thursday evening is best for me, or over the weekend?</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Will you be sending cash with your courier?</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Also if you're interested I have a hard case for Les Pauls which I'm going to sell too?</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">missybeemer:</span></b></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hi. I can send the money via PayPal before the guitar is collected. I have a case but could you wrap it in some cardboard so it gets here in one piece?</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Regards</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">yours truly:</span></b></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hi, No problem - I'll pop it in a padded gig bag for protection if that's ok with you.</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">cheers</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">missybeemer:</span></b></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanks but without some tough protection on the outside (cardboard) it will most likely get damaged in transit. </span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Let me know if you can get hold of some cardboard. Just want to avoid potential problems.</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I hope this is OK.</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Regards</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">yours truly:</span></b></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have some cardboard here, no problem</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Notice here dear reader that I'm offering protection appropriate to a guitar. Notice also that resident fusspot missybeemer is footing none of the bill for the "Packaging" part of P&P.</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">missybeemer:</span></b></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Any chance for a weekday between 9am and 5pm? I think these are the hours they work. Possible to collect from the work address or something??</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">yours truly:</span></b></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It'll be quite awkward as I'll have to lug it in its cardboarded glory on the tube, if they can do 9am I can wait at home for them and get to work late though?</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">missybeemer:</span></b></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">well, I cant really specify the time but they can collest from a 'safe place' if there is any. would that work?</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">yours truly:</span></b></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'd rather not leave it lying around anywhere! I'll take it to work - let me know the day</span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So 20 minutes of walking and 20 minutes of tubing later, with a guitar sized cardboard box under my arm:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>missybeemer:</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Hello. The guitar has just arrived. Unfortunately it's a wreck and I am not talking about transit damage because there isn't any.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>There are problems you have not described in your listing like taped cavity at the back, pretty much ended frets, various cracks and damages to the finish of the guitar. </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Basically I can't imagine playing this guitar even if I decided to clean it which I am not prepared to do. There is some jam left on the neck pickup...</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I hope we can resolve this without much trouble. Please have it back and refund.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Best regards.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Permit me, friend, to refer you to the photos and recording at the top of this blog.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>yours truly:</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Hi,</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Sorry to hear you're not satisfied with the guitar. Let me address your points:</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>taped cavity - sorry, honest mistake not mentioning this; there was no backplate on the guitar when I got it so I covered in card and taped down to protect the wiring. It didn't</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>even occur to me to mention it as being on the back I never see it!</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>frets - I find no problem with these frets whatsoever? I have been playing this guitar live, in rehearsals, and on record for the best part of 2 years and never had any problem </i></span><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">anywhere on the neck</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>finish - this guitar is over 30 years old; I wouldn't describe any of the finish as "damage" - it's worn as you'd expect any guitar to be that's been played for 3 decades!</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>jam on the neck pickup - I don't even know what you mean?</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>So other than the taped cavity, which I do apologise for, and doesn't affect the playability, sound, or look of the guitar at all (being on the back), everything else you've </i></span><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">described is what I would describe as well within fair wear and tear for a guitar of this age; I was pretty clear in the description that it's from the 70s. </i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>If you really feel however that it isn't for you, then I'll accept it back; I've sold a lot of my guitar and amp collection lately and am keen that they all go somewhere where</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>they'll be played and loved. If you'll organise shipping back to my office (the address I shipped from) then I'll sort you a refund out on PayPal.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">JAM ON THE PICKUP?! Weird because I normally only smear honey and maple syrup on my guitars.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>missybeemer:</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Hi, thanks for replying. I will send the guitar back asap. I would appreciate if you could cover the postage as it feels unfair to pay the delivery again just because the guitar </i></span><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">turned out to be misdescribed. </i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Despite the disappointment I am happy to leave you positive feedback once we have all this sorted.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Paying the postage will also work out for you money wise as we can mutually withdraw the sale and you will be refunded £12 of ebay fees.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Please confirm you are happy to cover the return postage (£10) and we'll take it from there.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Best regards.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>yours truly:</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>hi</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I've never had to do a refund before, do you know if PayPal also refund their fees? If not then I'm out of pocket - if so then how about going halves on the postage? I don't</i></span><br />
<i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">feel the guitar was misdescribed, though I appreciate you were expecting something different - also I went to the time and trouble of packaging it and lugging it across London </i><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">to be picked up, and have lost the opportunity of having it relisted or bought by someone else this week (and time is of the essence to me as I'm leaving the country in a month </i><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">hence the sales!)</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I may not get chance to reply again today, but will be on my emails over the weekend,</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>cheers</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>missybeemer:</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Hi, yes PayPal will refund your fees and I can also make ebay return the £12 by cancelling the transaction. Cover the postage and you have the fees back, the good feedback and a </i></span><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">good chance of selling again as the new buyers would not be put off.</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>You could actually go to interparcel.com and book the courier for £6.99 +VAT if that's eastier. I'm in most of the time so any day is good for collection.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Regards</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On reflection I was really being too nice here. But then that night I went to see Stewart Lee at the Leicester Square Theatre and he reignited the anger and indignance that was lacking in my attitude.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>yours truly:</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Hi,</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I've had a think about this overnight and whilst I will let you have a refund if you want, I'm really not happy with incurring any further costs to this; the guitar is in</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>excellent working order and has no physical defects that are inconsistent with its age, all of which was clear from the listing. You'll not get a better instrument for the</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>bargain price you paid! There's 6 and a half minutes of evidence here that the guitar is eminently playable: <a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/hot-meat">http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/track/hot-meat</a></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>If you still want to send it back, please ship to my work address and I'll refund when I receive it,</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>cheers</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>missybeemer:</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Hi, no worries. My offer was designed to save me money, save you money and conserve your 100% feedback score. Your offer will cost us both extra and clearly is not a win win </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>situation but if this is how you want it then so be it. I will sen it back on Monday.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Regards</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>yours truly:</b></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Ok I will process the cancellation/refund when it arrives back.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>It sounds like you're threatening to give me negative feedback because I won't pay for the postage - you should be aware that this falls under Ebay's "feedback extortion" policy </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/feedback-extortion.html" target="_blank">http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/feedback-extortion.html </a>- there's no need for this to turn ugly; I'm being gracious in allowing you a refund, which I'm not obliged to do, </i></span><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">to my own inconvenience and opportunity cost.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After missybeemer gave me negative feedback I reported the above to eBay and they agreed.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>missybeemer:</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Well I think I am being gracious by not opening a claim and not reporting this to ebay. I can take the photos of the guitar and let the ebay team confront them with your d</i></span><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">escription.</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>As an established seller/buyer I have a direct access to the ebay support team. </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>To be hones I could just run this through them and not even address you directly. I hope this shows that I am trying to resolve this in possible easy going manner.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The feedback system is in place to allow users express their opinion about each transaction. </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>If I sold an item that is not as described I would apologise and cover all associated costs, but thats just me.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I will not allow this to turn ugly. If you wish I will cover my costs and you will cover yours. Simple as that. I was only trying to be helpful.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Regards</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I need to buy a new dictionary, my definition of "helpful" is somewhat archaic it seems.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>yours truly:</b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I think covering our own costs is the only way of doing it, as we seem to be at an impasse of opinion. I've apologised for the oversight on the back cavity (which I don't</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>believe counts as a "significant" issue), and because of this and the fact I want people to be happy with their purchases , I've agreed to do a refund to my own disadvantage.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I maintain that the guitar is as described (unless something's happened to it since I handed over the package); I've evidenced that it's perfectly playable, and the description </i></span><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">is quite clear that it is over 30 years old and Used ("The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended."). As a guitar player </i><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and collector of some years my advice to you in the future is to go into a shop and buy a brand new instrument (for several times the price) if you want something that doesn't </i><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">have signs of wear and tear (signs that it's been played and loved!).</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Have a good weekend</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>missybeemer:</b></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Hello. THe refund has just arrived. You have not refunded the postage which set me back almost £20 and yet you are requesting the seller's fees to be refunded.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I am sorry but I made my position clear from the very beginning. </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I will refuse the request and leave appropriate feedback.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Best regards.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>yours truly:</b></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Hi,</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Glad the refund has arrived. I refunded you the full amount of the transaction, and as per our previous emails we agreed to cover our own costs. The seller's fees are a </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>transaction between myself and eBay; you're bearing no cost from them, in fact they now represent money that eBay has made from me for NOT selling this item.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>As I made clear myself, the guitar was not misdescribed and hence I have no obligation, legally or morally, to refund you the postage - this is the cost you bear for exercising </i></span><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">what has effectively been a long distance "try before you buy". Indeed you are unable or unwilling to refund me the cost of packaging, admin, carrying the guitar across London </i><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">twice and the time lost in reselling this item (note had you not bid it would have sold for only £2 less to someone else, who in all likelihood would not have completely askew</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>expectations of what a quality vintage guitar for £125 would be). I was under no obligation to issue refunds but do so out of respect for other people and love for my</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>instruments. Unfortunately the grief I've had from you means I will probably change this outlook in the future. Congratulations, in a simple mouse click whose ramifications</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>affect you in absolutely no way, you have dealt another blow against civil society.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Finally, thanks for everything: I believe the most valuable commodity today is not gold, nor platinum, nor oil, nor data, nor Higgs bosons. The most valuable commodity is </i></span><i style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">anecdotes, and you've provided me with anecdotal value that will see me through trips to the pub, office chit-chat, and a healthy blog entry.</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Cheers</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there we have it friends. Sellers beware.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a footnote in case you suspect I may actually just be a complete lying bastard peddling dodgy guitar equipment, here's some of my other recent feedback for guitars and guitar paraphernalia (our good friend missybeemer has good feedback sure, but it's all for selling car parts...) :</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixrY-YLRCP8jmt5qoVnvVmkC0Til27D3JHB6nHLHTDrV1zPY5JcJtgAV6i0bXRxUGYZDxfVMqNXPVo8Wd26s3YgP2SFPxSKvdL5pxgmd581D0SU_JeFEvLbRA2F2JdHP4hwRo7OgYpzj6/s1600/feedback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixrY-YLRCP8jmt5qoVnvVmkC0Til27D3JHB6nHLHTDrV1zPY5JcJtgAV6i0bXRxUGYZDxfVMqNXPVo8Wd26s3YgP2SFPxSKvdL5pxgmd581D0SU_JeFEvLbRA2F2JdHP4hwRo7OgYpzj6/s640/feedback.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Final note: after this big waste of time I now have to go and store it after all as my time to resell has expired. At least it means some time in the future I'll be enjoying strapping it on once again.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Congratulations for reading this far!</span>C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-55200037358502980042011-11-07T21:00:00.000+00:002011-11-07T21:00:34.387+00:00DualityLet's cut to the chase: Great Men are going to be playing 2 shows in London this month and you and all your friends should come for the following reasons:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>These will be our last shows for quite some time.</li>
<li>We're going to play a completely different set list at each show, covering our entire back catalogue between them.</li>
<li>You can submit requests for which songs you'd like to hear at each show.</li>
<li>At the gigs we'll be selling the last of our <a href="http://greatmen.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Springsteen VS Stallone t-shirts</a> at the bargain basement, holiday season friendly price of £5 each! </li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
Here's the lowdown:<br />
<br />
On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=253492264699372" target="_blank">Thursday November 24th</a> we've been invited by the excellent Motherhood to play at their EP launch at the George Orwell on Essex Road (near Islington and Dalston).<br />
<br />
On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=181437391940757" target="_blank">Wednesday November 30th</a> we're playing at Camden Rock in, err, Camden.<br />
<br />
On Thursday December 1st we burrow into our warrens and commence hibernation. <br />
<br />
Submit setlist requests on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Gr8Men" target="_blank">Facebook</a> events linked above, or on <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/Great_Men" target="_blank">Twitter @Great_Men</a>.<br />
<br />
See you soon: bring friends, buy a t-shirt!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-79735465938528360832011-10-20T22:36:00.000+01:002011-10-20T22:38:26.738+01:00LoutallicaHaving grown up a big Metallica fan, and also enjoying a choice bit of Lou Reed (Transformer, Velvet Underground), I was bewildered when they announced their collaboration on the Lulu album. When one track was previewed (The View) I was pretty disappointed; it sounded pretty much exactly what you'd expect and fear it to.<br />
<br />
But today when they put the whole album up streaming, I popped my headphones on and got stuck in. And you know what, I enjoyed listening to it. And since the rest of the world seems to be jumping immediately on the "this is terrible" bandwagon, I thought I'd stand up (actually I'm sitting down) and give a different view. I'm not evangelising, it isn't my favourite album ever, but I think it deserves a listen and not a narrow-minded rejection.
If you've not heard it, <a href="http://www.loureedmetallica.com/listen-to-lulu.php">head over here and check it out</a>.<br />
<br />
The impression I got after the first track was Lou Reed leaving behind the pop tunes we know he's capable of and turning to a sort of Beefheart-lite. Then three tracks in I realised what was foremost in my mind as a reference point, which I was unable to shake off for the remainder of the album, was the excellent <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOVygoQajEw&feature=related">God In Three Persons by The Residents</a>.<br />
<br />
Musically I've heard a lot of criticism about the lack of great riffs etc - fair enough, but that's not really what this album is about. In fact on headphones I enjoyed some nice textural interplay between the two guitars. I don't expect Metallica to still be angry thrashers 30 years and a bazillion dollars into their career, I'm pleased to hear them trying their hand at something different instead of trying to jump on bandwagons (St Anger) or attempting to recreate former glories (Death Magnetic). I'm all for musicians making music, you don't have to enjoy it as long as they do (I've always said Great Men songs are written for an audience of 2... we're astoundingly successful with that).<br />
<br />
So I've rambled a while and in conclusion: if you want classic Metallica dig out Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets or the black album. If you want classic Lou Reed put on Transformer. If you're willing to step outside your preconceptions, this album deserves a listen. Many Metallica fans won't like it. Many Lou Reed fans won't like it. People who never cared for either might find something to interest them in these artists. I probably won't buy the album, I might never even listen to it again, but I'm glad I gave it the time of day.C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-90188425970292823782011-10-14T13:41:00.002+01:002011-10-14T13:44:36.259+01:00Words with CupidWhat, another blog post so soon after the last?! Verily!<br />
<br />
I wanted to tip y'all off to an exclusive, insightful, and possibly life-changing interview that Mr Coloquix conducted with us.<a href="http://coloquixrants.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/hot-meat-an-interview-with-great-men/"> It's right here on his blog.</a> It's the only place to go to find the answers to questions like:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Which 80s child star is Regan's arch-nemesis?</li>
<li>Which be-bop legend are we most similar to?</li>
<li>What is a truth machine?</li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0QP4pdfK7w">Who are the Brain Police?</a> (maybe not that one)</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br />
I'll keep it brief, but don't forget to tell all your friends to <a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/">go and download Tart Hoof</a>, the new Great Men live EP, for free:</div>
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<iframe width="300" height="410" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 410px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1485291631/size=grande3/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=931b1f/transparent=true/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/album/tart-hoof">Tart Hoof by Great Men</a></iframe>C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-81690982471117031162011-10-10T20:22:00.000+01:002011-10-10T20:23:56.854+01:00Tart HoofHOLD ON TIGHT! I have much to tell you.<br />
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We played a gig in London last week and with lightning quick, even haphazard, speed, and with little regard to the guitar malfunctions within, we've put out a download-only 6 track EP called <a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/album/tart-hoof"><b>Tart Hoof</b>.</a> You can even <a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/album/tart-hoof">have it for absolutely free.</a><br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1485291631/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/transparent=true/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: inherit; text-align: center; width: 400px;" width="400">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://greatmen.bandcamp.com/album/tart-hoof"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Tart Hoof by Great Men&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe>
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Our next appearance will be at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=268308459870576">Dashwoodstock 2011 in Thamesmead on Saturday October 22nd</a>, at the totally rock and roll time of 4:30pm. Apparently loads of films were shot there, like Clockwork Orange and Harry Potter And The Den Of Feedback. When I say "next appearance" I really mean "next live gig" because, neither of us being invisible, we appear constantly.<br />
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Looking forward to November, we're playing at Camden Rock (not a real rock) on the 30th, details to follow closer to the time. We might also be joining our new friends Motherhood for their EP launch sometime.<br />
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In my ongoing quest to be a man who owns less guitars (ongoing parallel to my quest to be a man), my 1989 Fender Stratocaster, made in Japan with a humbucker and a Floyd Rose, and rewired by an idiot (hello!), is up on <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180735501762">eBay. Get yourself a treat.</a><br />
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Regular readers will know that I love a photo of us out and about eating. Here we are in Ed's Diner:<br />
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See you soon!C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-74744620793831197472011-09-25T13:25:00.000+01:002011-09-25T13:25:10.913+01:00Rocktober 2011Wow is it already a year since our triumphant triumvirate of our Camden show with Ginkinta and Monsters in the Attic, our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GreatMenOfficial">Shazam session</a>, and our blood, beer and flames glory in Nottingham with Ulterior?<br />
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This October might not be quite so adrenalised, but we are playing in central London on <b>Wednesday October 5th</b> at The Comedy courtesy of Dead or Alive Promotions. We're aiming to record the gig so if it comes out okay and we don't have any massive disasters I'll put some stuff up for download soon. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=266141770068985">There's a Facebook event here.</a><br />
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It's been quiet here recently as I've been over in Sydney and R-man has been realising his dream of adventure on the high seas by borrowing a narrowboat. I tend to check in on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Great_Men">Twitter </a>when possible so do <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Great_Men">come and say hello</a> to us there.<br />
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See you on the 5th!<br />
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<br />C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8009677807278506768.post-26227826505701946842011-09-04T20:36:00.015+01:002011-09-04T21:31:20.554+01:00The City, The City, The High Castle and Rufus T FireflyAs threatened following R-Man's extensive coverage of <i>How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered The World</i> by Francis Wheen last week, here are the last 3 books I've read, all of which I'd recommend to you:<div>
<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEqBFvr5FEI_qTLxCqIVx2omOILt2yYePerHe0evfj4ywQLnZ2MJwgbtM5w9Ren9n4KeIX-dlJVMkEoJ46VZlJbVuiZwDHczj2ICsUvHdaLKHgPgf2ppbr3PINMG0wrpsRyWQTyew2yOx/s1600/9780330534192-01.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEqBFvr5FEI_qTLxCqIVx2omOILt2yYePerHe0evfj4ywQLnZ2MJwgbtM5w9Ren9n4KeIX-dlJVMkEoJ46VZlJbVuiZwDHczj2ICsUvHdaLKHgPgf2ppbr3PINMG0wrpsRyWQTyew2yOx/s400/9780330534192-01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648594797653583538" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold; ">The City & The City </i><b>by China Mieville</b></div><div>I read a brief synopsis of this at the British Library's Science Fiction exhibit this summer, and having also heard rave reviews of Mieville's <i>Kraken </i>(now sitting on my "to read" pile). This is a essentially a great slice of noir with a novel (pun intended) spin: it's set in two cities which occupy the same geographical space, but whose citizens must ignore (or "unsee") their topographic neighbours. The punishment for acknowledging, let alone breaching the border between the cities is to be at the mercy of an unseen force that strikes terror into the populace. If that's not enough of an intriguing concept to draw you in I don't know what is. I loved it and can't wait to see what ideas Mieville has come up with in his other work.</div><div>
<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6btRX9QpJK8neDNfl2PmgIV-9blGUH5sNL-nxxMRf9VNRNR1Ox9s4WKtfGi0vDk4AJaVf7u9EQ5X5yKtX0uD4IyMdROhF-iOhAt_aPwrorYQeusmweUoum5xZBE3HqMD9c7uHXUOF5c-8/s1600/51drqxEAIjL.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 197px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6btRX9QpJK8neDNfl2PmgIV-9blGUH5sNL-nxxMRf9VNRNR1Ox9s4WKtfGi0vDk4AJaVf7u9EQ5X5yKtX0uD4IyMdROhF-iOhAt_aPwrorYQeusmweUoum5xZBE3HqMD9c7uHXUOF5c-8/s400/51drqxEAIjL.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648600530124771490" /></a><div><b><i>Hello, I Must Be Going: Groucho and His Friends</i> by Charlotte Chandler</b></div><div>Long time followers of the blog will know I'm a big Marx Brothers fan. Since my Dad sat us down in front of a video of Duck Soup as a child I've been sold. Over the years I've read various books about the brothers, including both Groucho and Harpo's autobiographies. Whereas they tend to focus on the early years (well, the first 50 or so years of their lives, through vaudeville and the classic movies), this book finds the author living with Groucho during the 1970s, in his 80's. It's a fascinating view of a super-celebrity coming to terms with old age whilst still entertaining, and often outwitting, an eclectic circle of celebrities, artists and performers including then-young bucks Bill Cosby and Jack Nicholson. As well as a fascinating biography, this book, by the very nature of its subject, reduced me to mirth constantly. It also taught me a thing or two about how to live and age, and saddened me that some great stories are now lost forever; on several occasions it's mentioned how Chico lived the most interesting and unbelievable life, but never committed it to paper. Interestingly it's also noted by several that the funniest brother in real life was Zeppo. All these moments lost in time like tears in rain...</div><div>
<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVpa_EiAyMIrj59Xu6whU1V_9UeHchjOZvG2xV9I9ma6CPC4wETxdO09OEN1GLWzA3woUumNcWVOcJknSWQzxJP4eUD-qSIS0LUDhea2GSoEuGoF1kw09F1rt1hwxr51GfljKCPIjmJXM/s1600/pkd-high_castle-penguinclassics.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVpa_EiAyMIrj59Xu6whU1V_9UeHchjOZvG2xV9I9ma6CPC4wETxdO09OEN1GLWzA3woUumNcWVOcJknSWQzxJP4eUD-qSIS0LUDhea2GSoEuGoF1kw09F1rt1hwxr51GfljKCPIjmJXM/s320/pkd-high_castle-penguinclassics.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648603465696679298" /></a><div><b><i>The Man In The High Castle</i> by Philip K Dick</b></div><div>A Scanner Darkly, Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report. Philip K Dick has made an indelible impression on science fiction both written on screen. Amongst the many of his works which haven't [yet] been put on film, possibly the most lauded is this one. I read a great piece by Dick once in which he defined science fiction, as opposed to fantasy, as being set in a world like our own but with one significant difference, and exploring the consequences of that difference. The premise of <i>The Man In The High Castle</i> is a simple one: the Nazis won World War 2. Dick explores the social and political ramifications of such a world, whilst also finding time to pit western and eastern philosophy against each other and trick you into thinking you're not reading science fiction at all...</div><div>
<br /></div><div>If anyone wants to swap me for a recommendation of your own, drop us a line!</div>C-Bombhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00559245844451570098noreply@blogger.com0