Home
Angst of an aging problem child. [entries|friends|calendar]
e_to_the_ipi

[ userinfo | livejournal userinfo ]
[ calendar | livejournal calendar ]

You only have to do it once. And never again. [03 Jul 2009|07:30pm]
[ music | Leonard Cohen - The Future ]

Argh... it's been quite a while.

June's been a good month - St Andrews, new fitness regime, cycling, the thumb incident, Waiting for Godot, Phonogram, Rank-Gradient, bouncy castle, Vettel winning, current unbearable heat, etc. - backdated entries to follow.

Of note: yesterday, I agreed to do a triathlon within the next 11 months. Shortly after, I discovered how long they are. (And I've been swiming about once in the last 5 years, which was playing with my 2 and 4 year old cousins. This shall be worked on. This should, with luck, be fun.

It's a year since I graduated. The most striking thing, as always, is how much has changed, and how little I've done. Life, as always, feels crazy and fragmented, and I can't believe where I am, really. Or can, depending on how cynical I am. Still incredibly lacking in self-belief, still falling apart fair amounts. In a long-distance relationship, but not by design. (Actually, tricky at present. Gf getting on to me about medication, in opposition to usual order.) But I have many friends. And some of them are with me.

Anyway, as always, after a couple of hours sleep, I'm off, with a stack of comics, novels by Pynchon, Mike Carey and Calvino and textbooks to get an overnight bus to Glasgow, and Kathryn's going to take me to her friend's B&B at a beach in Argyll for the weekend. Life's pretty good.

post comment

She's the kind of girl who tells you she's bipolar just to make you trust her [30 May 2009|09:00am]
[ music | Black Box Recorder - Facts of Life. ]

Scotland. Great. Wonderful. Not London. Very much appreciated.

Night bus up and down may end up being foolish in retrospect, but it's cheap.

Last week I played with little cousins in Glasgow, before heading to Ayr to see Kathryn. The Scottish Agricultural College is quite different from London, and the change of scenery was a huge relief. We saw the new Star Trek, and I had decent Fish and Chips for the first time in a long white. Both events were hugely exciting.

Home was good; I missed Bilbo, our dog who died a month back, but amazingly my mother seems to be recovering from the chronic fatigue/ME which made her lose her job and need to spend every afternoon asleep for the last two and a half years. And seemed like early onset dementia. Which is pretty amazing, as I thought I'd lost her.

Been in St Andrews since Wednesday. Aikman's, my favourite bar and a key home place closed the day I arrived. This is tragic, and have been mourning it greatly since.

Climbing yesterday was good. The main thing I've learned while here is that I need to get my act together, focus more and be distracted less.

1 comment|post comment

Did they tell you/ You should grow up/ When you wanted/ to Dream [20 May 2009|03:12am]
[ music | Metric - Twilight Galaxy ]

Just back from an excellent Metric gig in Electric Ballroom, Camden.

It was amazing - Emily Haines is gorgeous, which I'd not quite grasped before seeing her like this. And I was blown away by how great they are live - one would think her ... (ghostly? Ethereal?) Unique voice might not sound great live, but it did. To the extent that on Help I'm Alive, their second song of the evening, the most instantly catchy from their new (third/fourth) album, I started to wonder if she might be miming. Before realising that she isn't, and her voice is just that utterly beautiful naturally. And the sound system was set up so that the vocals were really clear over the music, which seems unusual. It was the last date of the tour, so the band didn't hold back.

The set was loaded with songs from the new album (which, incidentally, is streaming for free on their Myspace - no catches, no registration, just go to the site). I'd listened to it a few times before tonight. I hadn't realised how good the album is until now. [And they made me almost take a song called 'Stadium Love' seriously. After hearing the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band version, that's hugely impressive.] They played a few less of their classics than I would've liked - but Dead Disco and Monster Hospital were both great (the former had a very nice solo in its intro, and the crowd singing the first line of the latter was great fun), Empty, my personal favourite was great, although putting five minutes of talking into the bridge was an ... interesting choice. Live It Out, which they closed with, was brilliant, though - they called it "Our Freebird" and played a version which was closer to being acoustic (roughly this arrangement, except with an electric guitar. And a rhythm section coming in partway through. But listening to both arrangements is worthwhile and a little mind-blowing.) It would've been nice to hear Combat Baby, Succexy, Poster of a Girl or some other older songs, but it was one of the best gigs I've been to.

The showmanship was great, generally - Haines seemed genuinely happy and grateful to be there, and pleased. In discussing Gimme Sympathy, she said that what our generation needs is "a hybrid of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. And we aspire to be that. Got nothing better to do." I'd love to see that. It won't happen, of course, but in an ideal world, they'd be U2 sized. Without, you know, actually being U2.

[Oh, and Jamie McKelvie of Phonogram, one of my favourite comic artists ever, who I met a couple of weeks ago was there. And said on twitter that he thought he saw me there. Good night.] Now... I've got an insane heap of things to do before I leave on Thursday night, so I'd probably better try and grab a couple of hours sleep.

3 comments|post comment

Ready to be Heartbroken [18 May 2009|03:03am]
[ mood | confused ]
[ music | Blaqk Audio - Again, Again, And Again ]

[Not updated in a while. Backdated stuff will be up at some point.]

Kathryn, who's been in Ayr for a week, just found out she's not got the PhD she'd applied for for next year. Which is all big and confusing and scary, because she's now freaking out over the fact she's no idea where she's going to be next year...

I met up with Dave Miller yesterday, in my fourth trip south of the Thames this year. Was excellent. Had forgotten how well we get on. Also, speaking to someone of that sort of geekiness is good. He mentioned All Tomorrow's Parties.

Was discussing going to the winter one with Kathryn, and she casually mentioned she wasn't sure, as she might be going halfway around the world. I didn't really know what to say to that. Or what to think. I don't want to stop her going places, but I don't know how I could work with her doing a PhD in Canada or Oz/NZ. She wants to talk later. I'm not sure what I'm going to say.

I feel rather alone now, in a big city, when most of my friends are in Scotland. It's crazy to think that 18, 15 months ago, I would never have thought I'd be here. The future's big and scary...

2 comments|post comment

Update [17 Apr 2009|08:58pm]
[ music | Elvis Costello - Little Palaces ]

Just in from the postgraduate group theory conference in Manchester.

Was entirely social, more or less, though with ridiculously many talks. No one went to bed before 4 last night, I believe.

All in all, it was an excellent time.

More detail on this and others, including current status of Kathryn* to be entered and backdated later.

I currently have a Kiwi Nova Scotian who I unxpectedly dragged back from Manchester, and am putting up for the night to entertain, and despite not getting more than two hours sleep last night, am heading to Camden with him and Kathryn for a 50's rockabilly evening.

More news as events warrant!

*Edit: to be precise, Kathryn's got a her summer project of her Enviromental Technology Masters at a bird place in Scotland, so is moving to Ayrshire, and out of here in about 3 weeks. This makes both of us very sad.

I love her heaps, and she's my best friend here, so it'll be really hard, but at least I'll have more excuse to visit Scotland come summer. And I might be able to work on my PhD at last.

Right, Kathryn's more ready and Shannon (aforementioned Kiwi Nova Scotian of Egyptian heritage I met in Manchester and brought home. MALE Kiwi Nova Scotian of ... etc, before you get the wrong idea) are nearly ready to head out. To be continued. (Why do I work best as a hyper stream of conciousness bouncing to blurt stuff out on en route to something else. Probably the ADHD...)

1 comment|post comment

You gonna look out for me, Sgt. Carver? You mean it? You gonna look out for me? You promise? [01 Apr 2009|04:22pm]
[ mood | calm ]
[ music | Fleetwood Mac - The Chain ]

New F1 season started on Sunday.

This year, there have been many rule changes, and after two seasons where it's been a wide open contest where any good driver (in a Ferrari or McLaren) can win it, going right to the wire.

Now all the teams are equal. Except for the formerly-soon-to-be-defunct Brawn GP, who are in a league of their own, and look to be set to run away from the rest of the field. Which is incredibly close.

Now, Jenson Button, who, for so many years I've called "The Tim Henman of F1", who can "never win a race", and "doesn't count" has won his debut Grand Prix. This season looks to be very very interesting - the racing is incredibly close, and with the differing technology and tyre levels, unpredictable. It's very good.

WAtched first race with Ally. He, Stewart and I made some predictions for the seasons. Might post them soon. And it's back on the BBC, with what is scientifically as near a perfect presenting team as possible.

Currently failing to work partially due to giving up ADHD meds, as Kathryn doesn't like how they make me at times. Which might be stupid, but it does bother me sometimes and... well, trying to see how I am for a week or so can't hurt, right? Off to conference dinner in Wadham College.

Lately my life seems to get closer and closer to the plot of some bizarre dream that I half remember. It's all good.

post comment

Woke up, got out of bed. Dragged a comb across my head. [28 Mar 2009|04:54am]
(Backdated: written about 5 am on the morning of Monday 30th.)

After pulling an all-nighter marking Wednesday night, my head hurt quite a lot and I didn't manage to get any work done, so I went to bed around 8 o'clock. I think Friday morning was possible the most bizarre way I have ever woken up.

Kathryn, who'd been out at a party woke me up by whispering in my ear "Can I join you?", having broken into my flat, put on pyjamas and got ready for bed. Sometimes my girlfriend really rather disturbs me.

Marked the other 30 papers. Went into work, found two classes cancelled and tried to work. Discovered Kathryn had drawn a picture of me as a superhero, which is really cool, while failing to revise.

Returned, failed to pack and fell asleep. Woke up at 4 am, again, for the third time in a row, pointedly avoided watching qualifying, and packed to Cheltenham to watch it with Ally.
post comment

In this time of introspection, on the eve of my election, I say to my reflection, god spare me more [25 Mar 2009|11:11pm]
[ mood | accomplished ]
[ music | The Long Blondes - Lust in the Movies ]

Apparently, I can mark 40 tests in one all-nighter, despite getting in from work at 9, and spending a reasonable amount of time being sickeningly couply with Kathryn.

Now, off to the gym, before a supervisor's meeting I'm utterly unprepared for, then to Cheltenham and OXford at the weekend/for the week. Should be good to see Ally and Nicholas again, though I saw them 4 weeks ago and last week, respectively.

Off, as per usual, to my usual London commute, seeing statements from Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, and magazines saying "Britain has lost its brightest star" wrt Jade Goody's death of cancer, to meet my girlfriend with a masters in Biochem from Oxford at the gym. Amazing how unbelievable this would've been 15 months or so ago. And there's a black president of the US. This really is an alternate future.

post comment

We're going where the air is free [17 Feb 2009|10:24pm]
[ music | The Divine Comedy - National Express ]

Ah. Home from St Andrews. Huh. London is now my home. I'd not really realised how much this is the case now.

The visit there was fantastic: it's been one of those rare times when I've been looking forward to something a lot, and not disappointed with how it was.

I arrived around 5 on Friday night, dragged Stewart out of Ladbroke's, and, via, KFB, headed down to 166 Lamond Drive, James (Fidler), Owain and Tom's flat, one of my favourite places in the world. I spent a lot of weekend crashing there last year, and lived on the sofa for a good bit of the summer. Their sofa, incidentally, is about the comfiest I've ever found - it's about the only non-bed bit of furniture I've ever repeatedly accidentally fallen asleep on.

After having a delicious curry with James and Owain, I headed to Aikmans, which might always be partially my local. I had a great moment last summer when I realised that I'd got more than 12 Aikmans staff as my friends on facebook. Regardless, it is very nice to have a bar where, genuinely, everybody knows your name. But also contains a lot of very crazy people who often lead to interesting conversations - I still treasure that schizophrenic South African caddy who was talking to Ally and I after (or was it before?) graduation.

One more enjoyable even spent in the corner of the Cellar bar, this time with Stewart, [info]danii_ellie, Arthur, many of his academic kids, along with Alison and James Hyde, who have got together and do make a really nice couple. One of Arthur's academic progeny present was Iona Ross, who I've known since she was 1, and I was 4 or 5, as she was the best friend of Karoline Bruno, little sister to Graham, one of my best friends. We talked about how scary it is that Karry and Beth, my little sister, are now both engaged, at the age of 20. Anish turned up, to my great delight - I'd not seen him for two years, as he took a JYA last year. It turns out he lives very close to where I'm staying, and is planning to move back there for law school for the next two years. While he's very amoral, over-opinionated, arrogant and kinda racist ("I can get away with being racist because I'm brown"), he's a fun guy, and really is a mate.

I headed back to the flat and found Tom with a really nice girl he'd just met, who had a boyfriend, and all that jazz, who left before too long, and he was beginning to obsess over. I headed to the lounge, she left, before too long, and we discussed, probably too loud for 3 am, comics, life, girls, and all that jazz. Non-jazz music more than jazz music, though. This did annoy James, who was leaving at 5 am that morning to go ice-climbing...

The next morning, plans to see my sister Fiona in Dundee fell apart, and I began to really miss Kathryn. Going to St Andrews was great, and the fact that it was on Valentine's Day did give me the line "I'm so against the concept of disgusting couples on Valentine's Day that, now I've got a girlfriend, I'm spending it 500 miles away." I did really miss her though, and that, like most of my lines, isn't that true. The original plan was that she'd come with me, but money didn't work that way. So I bought her a present, wrote a postcard, watched the rugby and gave Gill her long overdue birthday present. At, or around this time, I also read Scott Pilgrim V5, which was good, if not as good as the preceding volume.

That night out was shorter lived. After I'd finally finished the Singapore Fried Rice from Gordon Brown's favourite restaurant (really), which I've been trying for almost a year now, I went out, but there were less people around. I had a good time, and told some random guys that this girl who I'd just met liked them, because she didn't grasp that I will do what people tell me to - fortunately they were German and I spoke fast. I went back to the flat, and found the balloon-filled lounge (long story - photos to follow) filled with Luke and Paddy, and three Americans I, and indeed, all the flat's residents, and had never met before. So we had an excellent night discussing philosophy and divinity, while idly batting a couple of balloons about. After the interlopers left, Tom, Owain and myself stayed up talking till 4 in the morning. It's been way too long since I've done that with friends. And the guys in that flat really are kinda brothers to me now, which is a little odd, since I didn't do much with them till last year.

Yesterday was great - Tony called, to say he was back in town, so I ended up meeting up with him in the cellar that evening, against expectations. That last night in St Andrews was great, as I said last post.

And this evening's spent in the arms of Kathryn. Life is very good. Just... need to get back to maths soon.

post comment

Home is where I want to be ... I guess I must be having fun [16 Feb 2009|01:00am]
[ mood | Awesome ]
[ music | Talking Heads - Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place) ]

This is the life. I'm sitting on my mate's sofa in St Andrews, listening to The Good, The Bad & The Queen, one of my favourite songs ever, watching James and Stewart playing Halo 3, at the culmination of one a brilliant weekend.

Four days ago, I told Kathryn I love her for the first time, a couple of days before going away for the weekend. Which does indeed include Valentine's Day. (The original plan was for her to come too. Money situations forced that to not happen, and she insisted I go. About twenty times.) [Rebellion (Lies) now. YES!]

On Thursday, I had a supervisor meeting, and fully discovered the power of the deadline in that I finally understood the proof he'd outlined a week previously, a couple of hours before the meeting. I also had a really good idea during our meeting, possibly the first I've really had while here (not that great, maybe, but I'm really kinda proud of it. A nice little proof idea). [Paranoid Android. I love it when shuffle gives a winning streak.]

I've had a great time this weekend, and seen just about everyone - culminating tonight when I managed to go drinking with Tony, who was away this weekend, so I'd not been expecting to see, which was a shame. Then Edwin, who'd also been away, and I'd not expected to see turned up. For the first time since October '07, he didn't say "You've shaved your beard off!". Also, Stewart, like a bad penny. Then Margot, a cute girl who's just my type and would drive me crazy who Torben'd meant to introduce me to all last year turned up, and a good time was had by all. [Combat Baby!]

Now, I must play Halo for a while with Stewart. TBC.

post comment

And you may ask yourself "Am I right or am I wrong?". And you may think to yourself "My god! What ha [03 Feb 2009|11:47pm]
[ mood | thankful ]
[ music | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Red Right Hand ]

I love climbing. Just back from a 50 minute tube journey from climbing. Feels so good. So tired. My climbing partners comprise Chris, a fellow PhD student, his schoolfriend Joe, and his workmate, at some special effects company, Ingrid. As with just about everyone I know in London, they're vastly older than me. The median age of those I social with these days seems to be about 25. But then, I always did the immature thing well. I'm so glad I've got back into climbing. It's one thing which actually helps me switch off and forget everything else. It's so pure, free and natural.

Accidentally slept 6-11 this morning, so was slightly compromised at work. On the plus side, I went to see Kathryn last night and tucked her in, after chatting for a while. She's still sick, but still going in, and somehow have come off seeming really sweet from that.

And I'm going to get a decent amount of sleep tonight.

post comment

He's a god, he's a man, he's a ghost, he's a guru... [02 Feb 2009|10:18pm]
[ mood | tired ]
[ music | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! ]

The advantage of living on this part of the Piccadilly line is that, since we connect Heathrow to Central London, the tube is always left running. Of course, the downside of this is that on days like today, when there's something like 3 inches of sitting snow, and the London transport network is crippled, I can still get in.

However, as A) I didn't have anything on in the department today, B) it's closed, C) I have my books here from some weekend reading, D) I live in a cold, damp, but fairly spacious flat some 6 odd miles from work, and E) I'm fairly certain I don't actually have much suitable footwear here, I decided to work from home.

It's been a good weekend - as any which started with 6 PhD students consuming a fiver's worth of pork scratchings must - although I'm missing Kathryn an insane amount, given I've been less than 300 metres away from her for most of the weekend. She's been ill, not wanting to see anyone and had a friend visiting, so I've not seen her for three whole days! That's a very long time, for us.

Now to watch Hot Fuzz with Nikos, who just found out that he got a ridiculously good studentship with stupidly high stipend for a PhD at Oxford next year: he's going to be in the country for three more years, which can't be bad. I still love that film way too much to be healthy. Life's good.

post comment

Hey little sister what have you done? [31 Jan 2009|05:06pm]
[ mood | surprised ]
[ music | Inspiral Carpets featuring Mark E. Smith - I Want You ]

At, or around this time, Jonny made the rational, well-thought out, democratic decision to get back on the Lucozade as soon as possible.

Everything seems to be going a little crazy right now. Bilbo, the family dog, who I love way too much, has got lung cancer and is dying, so when I got a missed call from home this morning, I assumed that it was bad news on that front. Except it wasn't.

It was my little 20 year old sister, Beth, calling to tell me that her boyfriend Pete, had just taken her home, apropros of nothing, and proposed. So my little sister is now engaged. Which is incredibly odd, and seems to be out of nowhere - they've been together two and a half years, and are very devout Christians, so it's hardly surprising. Nonetheless, she was in town visiting me just over a week ago and knew nothing of it.

We had a great time while she was here; we went to the Tate, Camden, Oxford Street, the London Algebra Colloquium (that was just me), the V&A and the Lion King, with Kathryn, in the evening. It's an amazing show, well worth seeing, if you get a chance. We overslept the last night she was here so we dashed across London, and I ended up buying her another ticket to Glasgow, which hurt a little. Aside from that, and a really disturbing nightmare on the first night she was there, it was a great time.

1 comment|post comment

I'm so tired of being lonely, I still have some love to give [18 Jan 2009|09:04am]
[ mood | accomplished ]
[ music | Travelling Wilburys - Margarita ]

Manchester was excellent, although it was very odd to have some genuine peers of mine call me "Jonathan". The talk, which I didn't really finish writing, apparently was OK, even though I felt like I was dying - I'm sure there was a full minute at the start when I said nothing. Still, being the first student speaker is a sure way to have the audience on your side.

On the return, I read Joseph Heller's Portrait of the Artist, As an Old Man, which was excellent. It's a book I've put off reading for some three years, as I couldn't, at the time, face not having another Heller novel to read. Interestingly, as I picked it up while Christmas shopping, it's actually incredibly relevant right now. Structurally, it seems like Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveller, which was a great birthday present from Nicholas, only from the writer's perspective. In addition, references to Pale Fire, along with another couple of novels I've read since arriving in London, it's very much in key with the postmodern stuff I seem to like these days. Very metafictional, and a great novel, really. Not as good as Catch-22, naturally, but that's sort of the point.

post comment

One day closer to death [10 Jan 2009|02:49pm]
[ mood | happy ]

Today I got up at 2, helped a friend home, and resolved to work and write the talk I'm supposed to give at a student conference on Monday, as well as generally work.

I have written nothing for my talk, got no more work done than half-way through calculating a polynomial I did in bed this morning. I have, however, started writing two sitcoms, with two different friends, gone to the shop to get some more healthy food and come back with a tub of ice cream (they had Mackies!) and decided to spend a heap of cash on some comic artwork.

This week I'm going to start being productive. But now, I've got to head over to Kathryn's.

[ADHD or chronic procrastination? You decide!]

1 comment|post comment

Jonny hearts Kathryn and Kathryn hearts Jonny. [09 Jan 2009|01:02pm]
[ music | Inspiral Carpets ft. Mark E Smith - I Want You ]

That is all.

post comment

My Year in Lists! [02 Jan 2009|08:12pm]
[ music | Elbow - Grounds For Divorce ]

2008 in review. )

4 comments|post comment

Happy New Year! [01 Jan 2009|06:50pm]
[ mood | excited ]
[ music | Los Campesinos! - My Year In Lists! ]

A Happy 2009 to all my friends!

My 2008 ended with an 8 hour train journey to London, where by some incredible coincidence, I'd been sat next to lecturer/professor of pure mathematics from Aberdeen. Having the chance to speak to someone who's not exactly in my discipline, and not at any institute I am or have been or hope to be affliated with in near future was very useful: I was able to casually ask him a couple of really stupid questions I've had lately, which was fortunate.

I got into Kings X, dashed back to South Ealing to dump stuff and shower before heading to Old Street to a party of a friend of Kathryn, with her, along with her Italian ex, who's been staying with her for a week, (yes, I know) and an old school friend who's just starting his PhD at Imperial.

Things got kinda complicated for a while with respect to Max, the ex, and Kathryn, who was wanting to kiss me at New Year. All ultimately resolved, the party was excellent, featured Wii, ecentric covers, untunable guitars, and a lot of tequila all over the place.

It was a great night, and a marked change from my last 4 New Years, spent revising in my parents house, with the whole family gone.

2008 was great, let's hope 2009 stays as fine.

This year I resolve to

1) Do my usual sit-up regime at least until half way through April, as usual.
2) Cut out Lucozade for a couple of months at least.
3) Stay clean shaven for at least the first couple of months of the year. [Due to beards really really suiting me, according to most, I've not really had a chance to try being clean-shaven for ages.]
4) Work more better.
5) Go to comedy clubs.
6) See friends more.
7) Like myself

post comment

My tortuous relationship with style [31 Oct 2008|10:26am]
[ mood | optimistic ]
[ music | Battles - Tonto (Four Tet remix) ]

Due to a horrible misunderstanding of the phrase "dress up for halloween", along with a possibly greater misunderstanding of the concept of "dressing up" I was preparing to leave the flat for the office in a shirt, suit jacket, grey fedora and jeans when the phone buzzed. Late, I realise, but after two days of being in the office for 7:30, I felt justified going in late.

It was the postie with my two Amazon parcels of trainers. For those who haven't realised, Amazon is an excellent place for those who, like myself, hate shoe-shopping, to buy shoes.

Furthermore demonstrating my excellent and idiosyncratic sense in style, I opened each package, removed one shoe from each, put them on and am now immediately leaving.

(I've been wearing drastically mismatched converse for a little over 8 months now. It takes people on average between 2 weeks and 2 months to notice this.)

post comment

The important things in life: Phonogram. [29 Oct 2008|11:10am]
[ mood | happy ]
[ music | The Long Blondes - You Could Have Both ]

I really really don't rave enough about Phonogram on this. Phonogram is this comic from imae that, well, I love a bit too much. What's it about?

“Music is Magic.

You know this already. You’ve known this from the first time a record sent a divine shiver down your spine or when a band changed the way you dressed forever. How does something that’s just noises arranged in sequence do that? No-one knows. It’s just… magic.

Everyone knows that. It’s just that some realise that it’s more than metaphor.“

The people in question are the Phonomancers, these urban-pop-obssessive magicians who channel and exploit this magic to achieve their desires. The DJ parasitizing from his retro-club’s crowd to achieve immortality. The girl rewriting her personality with a mix-tape. The boy selling out what a Goddess trapped in plastic told him to get an easy lay. And so on, through memory kingdoms, Faustian pop-pacts and a general avalanche of concepts.

Pop music is magic: Phonogram

That’s all the text. The subtext of Phonogram is that it’s all real. The magic isn’t just posture, but an expression of my theories of how Pop music works. The metaphysics of its world are what I believe. Another standard way of me describing Phonogram is “Imagine Promethea if Moore cared more about the yeah-yeah-yeahs in Martha Reeves and the Vandella’s “Heatwave” than the deified sock-puppet he keeps in the bathroom”. It’s true . It’s music-journalism by other means, with its elements constructed not just because they look good or seem cool to us – which they do – but because they describe what music does to people.


(from here)

Anyway, the cover to the third issue of the upcoming second series is out, and looks like this

[Click for source, and to see a bigger version].

I love it way too much to be helpful, and have done for ... well, two and a half years now. Still one of my favourite things ever, of which I'm probably too big a fan. Which is disturbing, as the first issue wasn't out then. It's affected my taste in music a lot over that time too. This is the reason why I've actually heard of the Long Blondes, who are excellent.

But anyway. This makes me ridiculously pleased.

I think I've now established I can't work with a computer, without medication. Getting to work now...

post comment

navigation
[ viewing | most recent entries ]
[ go | earlier ]

Advertisement