Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Jingle Jangle Man and Steam Engine Governor

Listening to FCD from the Guardian.

Next CD will be Dear Catastrophe Waitress by Belle and Sebastian.

Isn't it strange how getting some small thing done and out of the way can make the whole day seem like it has achieved something. In the mad Catch-22 world that is big business these days, it appears that five minutes success can outweigh whole days of fruitless effort. Many small successes have made life here very happy and when this upbeat ambience is backed with music from Zero 7 and Death in Vegas, all is right and well with the world.

Like I am still 12, I want to tell everyone about the music that I like but tastes are so different that I haven't bothered since I was .. er .. 12. The only time I ever managed to get a positive reaction to my enthusing about something was when my dad said he was quite impressed with the Kodo drumming (unfortunately this was the musical interlude on the Wogan TV chat show). My dad has taken British reserve to something like the level of Hugh Laurie's character Mr Palmer in Sense and Sensibility. Of course it is sad that I can only refer to a well known actor in a big film rather than the character from the book which I have not read despite pressings from my wife (and in future years my daughter as well no doubt).

All this excitement seems to be bubbling along in the background. Normally it is at this point that the control rods drop in and I start to look for problems on the horizon. However, presently all this seems to be below some sort of emotional parapet. I can say 'he happy' to myself which sounds like some hippy-drippy self-confidence exercise but so many times people say cheer up it might never happen (and to someone who is down that is really annoying) but when you ARE happy and smiling, they all begin to wonder whether it is all front and that underneath the tranquil waters the melancholic paddles are beating away like always. Well they are not. It may be obvious but I worry sometimes that analysing all this makes depression more likely but at the moment we are back to where I started this entry, with small successes outweighing the long periods of bad stuff.

And Belle and Sebastian are helping so much. Underneath all that jangly guitar pop, there resides the originals - the boy and his dog - with the theme tune I can still hum and the gentle action, which was in fact so gentle as to, be more like inaction. I am probably misremembering but it seemed like BAS was just aforesaid boy and dog wandering round some central European village.

Searching for info about Belle and Sebastian (Dog and boy - not band) I have found from TV Cream that Andrew Collins has the second volume of his memoirs out. So two things for imminent purchase. What more could you want - and for me the weekend starts here.

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