Vote for your Top Ten Scottish singles and albums at
Trees and Flowers (by Strawberry Switchblade) got my top vote for single; My top albums include Lyceum (The Orchids) and If You're Feeling Sinister (Belle and Sebastian).
I like getting lost in a wall of sound, then grabbing hold of the strings and following them to their point of origin or to the end, or both, and sometimes just letting myself get tangled within them....the bass providing the soul and heart, often reminding me of my own and that of the world's; horns providing strength to sustain and to weep, to charge and to celebrate; percussion providing texture and kinesis and forcing movement against will; vocalists instruments in their own rights, adding all manner of possible dimensions as well as the words that capture and express what is human. Winds....mmm....sometimes a piccolo or sax....well....I guess with the right apperture....okay, I know.... have you heard the oboe cry in "Trees and Flowers" by Strawberry Switchblade?!?!?
In Sum: Music, movies, music, musicians, art, art shows, people who love music and introduce me to music they love, collecting rad art I can't afford, home improvements. Example of the latter two:
I occasionaly paint or draw, but not as often (or as visually palatable, haha) as I'd like:
Other general interests: Laughing, being irreverent, making light of this crazy world but loving it just the same, bantering, observing, contemplating, sharing, querying, puzzling, nuzzling, guzzling.
Music
You set the scene, Mr. Arthur Lee. Peace...and LOVE!
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I love Belle And Sebastian... a lot! i've seen them 19 times now? Seriously, I lost count. It's right about there. Belle and Sebastian with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, at the Hollywood Bowl, was THE BEST SHOW EVER!!! Videos up above.... Also...I saw them in the UK, in London and Sheffield. Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Berkeley, LA, Indio (@ Coachella twice) repeat shows in a few of the above cities.
Radiohead is the other band I have seen obsessively; their show in Manchester was the second best show I've ever seen, beat only by aforementioned B&S and L.A. Philharmonic in the Hollywood Hills! Ah, Radiohead in Manchester...Jet lag and a pint of Strong Bow....that led to a state of semi-consciousness and I was floating in and out with Collin's bass guitar....It was a lovely altered state!
And the entire MEN arena singing Karma Police....ah, memories.
But that's only 2 bands. I do tend to get a bit autistic and perseverate on my favorites, but am very eclectic and love going to lots of shows. I'm not great on musicology but then again, I don't have to be....surround yourself with music lovers.
Other beloved groups: Air, Stereolab, Kings of Convenience, Calexico, Black Heart Procession, Dandy Warhols, My Morning Jacket, Polyphonic Spree, Blur, Sufjan Stevens, Chameleons (UK), Pale Saints, Grandaddy, Flaming Lips (below, Wayne Coyne as Bubble Boy at Coachella 2004, what a talent and hotty)
Hollywood Bowl show was A BLAST! Zero 7, Modesty Blaise, Jesus and Mary Chain, Eggstone, Fruit Bats, Aimee Mann, Elliott Smith, all sorts of 80s music, most Classic Rock (60s/70s), Pink Floyd, Simon and Garfunkle, Cat Stevens, Supertramp (they all laughed at me when I said I'd one day see them reunited and live, but I did I tell you!!!!), Kansas, Styx, Judy Collins, James Taylor, Crosby/Stills/et al (recent reunion show at The Hollywood Bowl, with all 4 of 'em....WOW!), Carole King.
Recently trying to reclaim music I somehow managed to miss out on and/or forgot about/ignored/put aside until recently:
THE ORCHIDS!!!! Buzzcocks, Strawberry Switchblade, Voice of the Beehive, The Servants, Eyeless in Gaza, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, XTC, Josef K, Felt, The Chills, The Sea Urchins, The Incredible Blondes, The Pooh Sticks, post-punk pop, mostly UK/C86, too many to list....ah, to be in Glasgow again, cold Bailey's or pint of Strongbow in hand....AND OF COURSE, ORANGE JUICE, led by the most inspiring of Scots, Mr. Edwyn Collins!
....and The Go-Betweens. Rest in peace, Grant....what's sure to be a great and loving tribute will be put out soon by
I love all sorts of movies, including gory horror and weepy 'chic flicks.' I'm perfectly happy watching either South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut or an French art-house English-subtitled film about children languishing and dying in the countryside due to war and famine. I dig ensemble pieces, since the human condition is complicated and multi-faceted, but intertwined and often locked. Robert Altman is a favored director; may he rest in peace. Werner Herzog walks on water. Merchant-Ivory will never be the same again. Imagine is not as cheesy as people think it is. I'll miss Mustafa Akkad; he took a huge chance and the horror genre would be a completely different landscape without him. RIP. Miramax didn't get too Disneyfied, after all....all those fears 10ish years ago for nothing; who knew?
I saw Kill Bill in Paris. I don't speak French. And I spent part of my 2.5-day stay IN PARIS watching Kill Bill dubbed in French. 'nuf said.
Almodovar films are great, as are a slew of Spanish films by Alex de la Iglesia (Accion Mutante, El Crimen Ferpecto [sic], La Communidad, El Dia de la Bestia). Foreign dark comedies are the best.
TiVo's been broken, but when I remember to turn on the set at times the shows are actually on: Jon Stewart's Daily Show, Arrested Development (I miss it!)
South Park
House, Simpsons, Family Guy
Gilmore Girls (guilty pleasure, plus they have given props to Belle and Sebastian at least twice that I've caught), My Name is Earl, The Boondocks
Reno 911!!! (where did it go?!) The Office (BBC and US versions), Battlestar Galactica (It's got amazing writing! Really!!).
And the other must-see of late....
Books
The Onion!! HA!! .. (theonion.com) and hard copy, it's a must. If you haven't come across the articles on the Yo La Tengo concert killing the indie record store clerks, or the diagnosis of bipolar given to God (that's an older article, but you can do a search ..), then it makes sense that you don't yet understand why the world is as it is. I go through spurts, where I might read several books in a week then not pick up anything for a while. Usually mindless fun, not always; if it's not mindless or at the very least primarily of entertainment value, then someone respected must have recommended it.
A Prayer for Owen Meany is probably the most fun read I've ever had; it's the only book ever to make me literally laugh out loud in public, on a plane heading somewhere. Tend to love John Irving's writing; his wit is similar to my own in my head and how I speak sometimes. But his last book....the ending was disappointing. To Kill a Mockingbird is the most sentimental favorite, but I tend to think they put something in American flouridated water, since almost every American child at some point chooses that book as a favorite. Hmm.
Anything by Stephen King, except Tommyknockers which was extraordinarily lame. Leon Uris and Nelson de Mille are rad, too.
I'm mourning Ann Rice's refusal to continue writing the vampire books, though I don't do conferences or join fan clubs; I'm a closet fan. With a lifelong fascination of vampires. Or maybe just necks and biting. All those years of school....I fight against brainy literature and I need a plot. It's my self-diagnosed (and likely misdiagnosed) ADHD that keeps me from tolerating flowery prose, and I like my deep thinking to be interactional and relational, with others or with nature or with something beyond cardboard and paper.
Heroes
Huh, heroes. That's always been hard. Most people have some heroic qualities or moments, and I look for that in everyone. Still, if I HAD to name a hero I'll go with whom do I really respect and relate to: Jon Stewart, who is the rare one to tell it as it is without being an ass about it. And the fabulous correspondents, of course.
And not to get too serious and hokey now, but I guess mostly my heroes are the kids I've worked with over the years, who've all managed to be kids and have their little quirky personalities and funny sides and resiliency despite all sorts of crap. Would that we could all do that.
About me: Think Moonshadow (Cat Stevens), Imagine (John Lennon), You Set the Scene (Love), and the entire Orange Juice discography, with shades of Sarah Records and Creation and a punk soul. Mix it all up, throw in some gallows humor. That's more or less me. I'm observant, reflective, responsive, dependable, silly, kind, warm, sarcastic/borderline-sardonic, accepting, loving, witty, humorous, loyal, introverted, extroverted, independent, needy, relaxed, neurotic, empathic, accepting, confident, self-conscious, shy, friendly, inviting, sharing, patient, hopelessly romantic, cynical, trusting, ....I live in a world of paradoxes; sometimes I try to resolve them. Usually I take pleasure in being amused by them.
Nick Cave... dark and creepy. You're a bi-polar
genius, with equal passion for the most
degrading aspects of humanity, as well as the
beauty & wonder of God and Heaven.
thanks a lot Giselle! It's great to see you're still around. Our album is out today so we're pretty excited. If you want to hear it we just added the new version of Golden Make up on out page (I remember it was your favourite). Take care David
My Favorite Album of 2005: Sing Along with the Acid House Kings 
