Morrissey

Ivory Fishbone has a theory that Morrissey ruined a whole generation of men. Personally I never thought he looked that strong – to weak to call for the butler in the morning methinks. Thanks to Chris Addison for that joke. I digress before I even start. An innocuous facebook post about a Smiths lyric lead to about 20 replies mostly from men of a “certain” age. I think she was most upset because they were her generation of men. I was a big fan of the early Smiths, luckily the rest of my cohorts were not. I was inoculated from Morrissey mania by constant abuse. Psychological torture by your mates for all the right reasons. I might have been a little to old to buy into the whole concept. Also, at the time, a little too southern and much too northern to buy into his kitchen sink drama. The thing about the Smiths for me, is the lack of recognition Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke get. They were a subtle and powerful rhythm section. I suspect with out them not as many people would have heard of the whiny Manc and his mate with the oddly tuned jangly guitar. Let's hear it for those who stand at the back they add more than you will ever ever know.

Lime Lizard

You really need to push yourself... For a while I've known I can produce songs in my sleep, in a coma... whatever... It's the practicalities of getting these things to the wider world is the problem, our problem. So I've spent the afternoon, trying to check out the Computer Music and Sound on Sound Soundcloud accounts. It just aint worked. It will sort it's self out eventually, but this afternoon, I had a plan and it just has not worked. Well bits of it have, blog a week thats the idea.... So where and why, lets move to the past. The Transformers sent a letter to RAW Records because we didn't realise you needed to send some music. Shoot! Sent some tapes to record labels but didn't realise at the time they needed to sound like U2. The Bollnas Wolverines are sending the noise into the eather with a bit of innocence, which by now the cynical members should know better of. I'm pleased I can still believe in my own innocence, It's the power of Rock and Roll.. The power of stupidity. Whatever...
Lime Lizard, embrace your past. Shoot! had an interview in the long forotten but rather wonderful fanzine. My remaining copy has been nibbled my mice. Metaphor. Analogy. Syllogism. You choose...

Keep on keeping on....

Spent quite a lot of time recently with Stewart Lee and Richard Herring, not physically, although I have met both of them and they both very pleasant.* With their work, both their new books, “How I escaped my certain fate” and “How not to grow up”. AIOTM and Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, and old episodes of Fist of Fun. I'm even more convinced now they are working one of the most complex double acts of all time. I know they haven't actually worked together for over ten years. But each ones current work – although sometimes seemingly at polar opposites of the comedy spectrum, is informed and affected by the work of the other. And... We seem to be in a bit of a period of looking back, there is a new facebook page for our old band Shoot!, being looked after by drum and guitar god Gary Smith. I'm a big fan of looking back, not to sit there weeping, but to check out the good ideas and the mistakes. In most cases so I can do them all again. And again. “I'm like a shark me, need to keep moving forwards” only seems to be muttered by scary looking blokes with lots of cheap gold jewelry in even worse looking pubs. You know it will end in tears, and blood.
Bollnas Wolverines have a facebook page as well now. I had another listen to #2 this morning and it is rather good, we must get round to finishing it. Or I might suggest to Neil G we just put it out into the aether as it is and call it “Unfinished”. “Unfinished”, “Abandoned”. I knew I'd get it all to tie together...
* That's a bit disingenuous, considering Lee and Herring's styles of humor these days – I've met them both; one dissected me with his scalpel like wit, and the other bummed me with a chair leg.