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I'll try not to spam you. But it is nice to blog again. "Enjoy"!

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Masahisa Fukase

- From Window

1973

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RIP Sid

I’m not sure what prompted me to write this actual post, as opposed to my usual techniques of: Leaving a post in Drafts forever Do nothing Many people I have admired and looked up to have passed away. Many people I have strongly considered writing an RIP post about. Chris Cornell, Prince… more recently, Fred Willard and Mark Lanegan. So why Sid? I don’t know. He was certainly inspiring to me…

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Jesus. Imagine seeing this, in a shop! Just stunning.

Very evocative photo, too. What must the social climate have been like...

Howlin’ Wolf performing at a grocery store in West Memphis, Arkansas, 1951. Photo Ernest Withers.

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I'm going to use Tumblr the way it should be used - a way of documenting thoughts and ideas that aren't fully fledged enough for a traditional blog post.

So I read Less Than Zero, the #1985 debut novel from Bret Easton Ellis, known mainly for writing American Psycho.

Yes, I should have read it when I was 18. Such immature reading tastes etc. But you do things when you do them, don't you. I am fine with it. Plus, I'm not sure what a 40-something bloke should be reading.

I love California, especially the dark side. And this novel infamously embodies that. If you don't know the book, it's about Clay, who returns home to LA for Christmas on a break from university. He sees people - friends and non-friends - in a story awash with drugs, parties, ennui, nihilism (or is it really just apathy) and MTV.

What happens? Well,I assumed there was a murder, but there isn't. He just has an increasingly bleak time until he decides it's time to go back to school.

So there's no massive event. At least not that Clay is directly involved in. He sees the odd (very odd) VHS tape. Sees some people shooting up, and the results of people shooting up. He's involved in the hit and run of a hyena. But nothing earth shattering.

It's despite that, or perhaps because of it, that this book was a hit in the 80s. Seems just the documentation of wealthy Californian teens' existence was enough to shake the fiction loving audience of the time.

I loved it even now. Both as a document of a place and a time, and as a portent of what was to come: the public's fascination with aimless but beautiful LA youth. Hilton, the Kardashians, the Hills etc. And as those archetypes get older, both reflected in the likes of the Selling Sunset cast and I assume the people who now write and produce today's shows about aimlessly wealthy teens.

In 2010, Easton Ellis published Imperial Bedrooms, the sequel to Less Than Zero, the characters all growed up. I want to read it. But, given BEE's love of intertextuality, I need to read his other books first. And maybe those of Jay McInerney, Donna Tartt et al, Bret's peers and alleged partners in crime. I've a lot of reading ahead of me...

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I like this - thanks dude. I don't think I ever listened to this album in full.

Melody Maker, May 14th 1994

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Financial Times: The men trading their Rolexes for plastic sports watches

This is an interesting article on #watches. The rich guy who says it has become crass to wear a diamond encrusted watch misses the point - it has always been crass; he's just become aware of that.

The other dudes who own nice watches but mainly wear smart- or sports-watches now. That's cool, but I feel like they're a bit late to the party. I did that in about 2016, then got bored of wearing an ugly watch every day, and went back to proper watches.

Expect this lot to do the same in a year or two.

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WrestleMania 39: night 1

That's right; I watched WrestleMania. I probably always will :'D

Well folks, I wrote about WrestleMania in 2020 when we were all stuck inside and I had more time on my hands; I then neglected to do so for the next two years. Maybe I’ll find the time to go back and write them up, putting in a historical date, pretending they were there all along. Back then, the idea of the two-night WrestleMania was to compensate the fans for their not being able to attend…

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You'd think I'd have listened to more music in February, but here we are. Thanks @tidal - I liked this feature. And nice work @carolineplz @rinasonline @inspiral_carpets @fuckedup #topofthepops #listening bunny https://www.instagram.com/p/CpPu7QcMEDW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Oohh @normanrecs you legends! I just bought the excellent @chatpileband LP and I get that signed card! Love it. Great band, great aliases. Thank you. https://www.instagram.com/p/CpGHu9Wsgf3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Sorry but I love this. No idea what it means, but it's super nice, great mix of tones, and it makes me feel quite peaceful.

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As I mentioned to the lad on his original post, it's interesting to see a contemporary view on what is now a cult classic album.

I've known Copper Blue for most of its life (and most of mine, shit...) but came to music magazines shortly after it was released. So yeah, good to see how people (Steve Lamacq no less!) reacted at the time.

Remember when rock music could be new and exciting? The review was pretty bang on, actually. Though he was a little charitable in not mentioning how similar "A Good Idea" was in sound to the Pixies, who were pretty fresh in people's minds at the time.

NME August 39, 1992

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I got a damn Steam Deck

(Or: I need to blog more) Using the Steam Deck as an actual computer! Today I got a Steam Deck. If you don’t know what that is, you can Google it. But in short, it’s a decent gaming PC in the form of the Nintendo Switch’s big brother. Made by Valve, the clever people behind the Half Life and Portal games, Steam gaming platform and an early example of employee-friendly working culture. You can…

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Started the holiday very well indeed at @ristorante_congusto (I think that's the right account). It was all delicious (including the wine and even the water!), but the parmigiana was the winner. I still can't get over the taste combinations in that one. Beautiful. (at Congusto Restaurant) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgsD7zms_Z6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Fun list. Some really good stuff there. But unless my eyes deceive me, check out the self delusion in leaving out Appetite for Destruction. NME lying to themselves!

NME records of the year 1987

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I'm going to finally write a full thing about Mark Lanegan, and what his music means to me at some point. But not today.

Suffice to say I love his music, especially that between 1996 and 2004. Before and after is fine, but that era is pure gold. Maybe a bit tarnished. Maybe even pyrite. But it's amazing nonetheless.

And he's dead. That's why I'm writing about him, right? And I'm still listening to his music every day, whether it's solo, with the Screaming Trees, or guesting with all and sundry.

He had pretty much the best voice ever, with lyrics pretty close to matching. He was pivotal to the two most important rock scenes in the last thirty years, those being grunge (the "#Seattle scene") and dessert rock (#california). But at his best, he was timeless.

Here's a #spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1LjKsccPY4qEsn3pjmwqQy?si=9ZTtWT1-TRST1LyCTj8TUA&utm_source=copy-link

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Quite pleased with this. Walking along the #river in #otley and I see this little character. 4x zoom on the #squirrel Loving the #pixel6pro (at Otley) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZXAf_DM68U/?utm_medium=tumblr