Monday, March 23, 2009

THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY


The internet is sucking out the romance from life.

The internet yields anonymity. If you're lonely and you want to rent a film, you now do it online. If you want to buy a book, you'll do it online, and even more so if you want to buy a book and you're cheap, you'll get it from Ebay or Amazon marketplace. So why do we even need to leave the house. There is now no reason to. You do it all online, and believe me I've done it all online.

By doing this you'll never meet the likeminded shy girl at the big blockbuster, or better yet the local video shop. The boy who reads like crazy but just got over a bad relationship. The girl who makes a funny quip about the album you're buying, not because she likes/dislikes (well not totally) your tastes but because she likes your face.

That's why all the records shops have closed down, because YOU don't want the hassle of going into town, because you don't want the cool rocksteady person behind the counter to snigger at you for buying the new Kings Of Leon album 6 months after it came out. Where the boy behind you is doing the same thing. You're both not that into music, but you are into the romantic notion of the independent record shop, the second hand book store, the market, the local bakers. 

Now I'm not saying the internet is the new television and getting Disposable Heroes of Hiphopritical by being a luddite saying that it feeds radiation (it doesn't) but we are missing some of the things we used to pride ourselves on. Humans communicate, connect and fall in love.

If you want to run through the pigeons in the park do it, because the girl/boy who went to the park to read Bukowski or Gore Vidal just might fall in love with you. Take off your earphones for one part of your journey. Smile at someone. Make their day, or let someone make yours. The next time you finish a book, go out and buy a tatty copy of something in a second hand book shop or a car boot fair. The one person who is thinking exactly the same thing as you, that you don't belong here, is looking for exactly the same thing. Romance.

I don't mean romance in a dinner and flowers way, more the romantic nature of life. The unknowing, the naivety, the unanswered questions. And if you are an internet dater, I have been, don't ask two many questions beforehand, before you meet. Meet, and ask the questions to their face. 





Sunday, March 22, 2009

THIS FEAR'S GOT A HOLD ON ME


I don't know what I'm doing part 3

I am currently writing an essay. This essay is meant to be 5000 words long and include lots of quotes to back up anything you say. I went to a special lecture to tell me how to write an essay as I haven't written an essay in 12 years, and even then it was only 1500 economics shit, just rehashing what you've been taught. I suppose all essays are just rehashing what you've been taught.

Anyway, having spent 2 hours being told how to write academically, I still have no clue. I have no clue whether what I've written is right, makes sense or carries an argument. Granted, I haven't read it back yet, but I'm a little afraid to. Who knows what I wrote. I wasn't drunk, but I feel it be a little Kerouac in its form.

Should it really matter how you write? I know punctuation and grammar is very important, and yes I am one of those people who corrects other people's grammar and NEVER uses text speak in texts, but some of the best books I've read have very bad punctuation. Would A Million Little Pieces have been as popular if it wasn't written that way? Regardless of the content and the fabrication story afterwards, one of the selling points was the style. And Kerouac too, but I can't back that up with any evidence as I can't find my copy. On The Road is the only book I've ever read twice, apart from Dangleboots when I was 9 and The Killing Joke. I just saw The Crow Road which is first on the list to join that prestigious group.

I'd like to think that when/if I become a teacher, I will not be a stickler for punctuation and grammar when writing fiction. Content comes first; anything which is wrong can be fixed by your editor.


 
Other thoughts:

1. Yesterday I finally saw footage of White Lies. As I suspected they are a young Editors. All monochrome clothes but without the kitsch of the Hives. I like it. Nice Ian Curtis fringes. I bet the fuzz from their black jumpers doesn't end up their white shirts. Or maybe it does.

2. I bet Terry Richardson could get any model to take their top off. God knows what he says to them.

3. Does it mean something, or not?

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

BRIAN HOWARD CLOUGH

I got this from some random girl's fashion blog. I seem to be surfing for girl's blogs these days in order to find something new about the way girls think. 

What are you wearing now? Dennis the Menace type long sleeved tee, jeans and slippers. I wasn't too keen on my outfit today.

What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? I am reading The Damned United by David Peace in an attempt to read it before seeing the film. I just finished The Wettest County In The World by Matt Bondurant last night. 

Do you nap a lot? Never, my teeth hurt if I sleep in the day.

Who was the last person you hugged? Edward. He started crying because I told him off. Far too precious that boy.

What’s your current obsession/addiction? Girls blogs, Tumblr, her, playing the two chords from Postcards From Italy on the ukulele.

Which item from your closet are you wearing most lately? The check shirts

What's for dinner? Sausages and tomatoes with balsamic

What was the last thing you bought? Lunch. Or The Damned United, new Beirut ep and Ryan Adams' Infinity Blues

What are you listening to right now? MCR, and not ashamed

If you could have any super power, what would it be? Mind reading, would be so useful

What is your favourite weather, and why? Sunny but not too hot. Shirt sleeve order.

What time do you usually get up? 7.06 on college days, earlier or later depending on workload

What is your most challenging goal right now? The essays and her

If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? Chicago or somewhere in France

Favourite vacation spot? NYC I suppose but I've done it for a while now.

What is your favorite item of clothing? Tweed jacket

Favorite pair of shoes you keep going back to over and over, even though your closet is overflowing with a zillion others: Winter: Big Black Boots / Summer: Tatty white cons - this is a silly question as I only have 6 pairs of shoes

Name one thing you cannot live without: The music of Ryan Adams

What time is bed time? Enough time to read before sleep before 12. 

If you could wake up anywhere tomorrow morning, where would it be? With her 

God I'm obsessed.

Questions:

When did Mary Kate become a hipster icon?
Is this essay any good?
Who will I see from college regularly?
What's the difference between Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry?
Did Watchmen have some deep hidden meaning that I missed or was it just a story?
When will I write something interesting? In fact I might post my short story about the virtual funeral service. I just need to write it first.

Monday, March 16, 2009

LOOK AT THIS PHOTOGRAPH

Personally, I don't think I'm very photogenic. I'm not saying I'm hideously ugly, although I have thought I was pretty unattractive towards the opposite sex in the past, but I blame that on lack of confidence, lack of understanding of myself and lack of puberty, but it's difficult to take a photo of me where I look good unless it's a candid one of me looking pensive in black and white.

Exhibit A:

The top three are coloured and posed whereas in the bottom three they are monochrome (bar the middle one) and candid. This means one of two things; I can't smile well and I have terrible colouring.

What I'd really like is a photo session to produce 10 or so photos that make me look good. Or just a friend who takes good photos. Is that too much to ask?

I look at people's flickr and tumblr things and they've got all these great grainy or well lit photos of themselves. 

You probably think I'm so vain.....

Sunday, March 15, 2009

BLOG VS BLOG


I'm no luddite. I've got a shiny MacBook, a blog, a tumblr account and a twitter account. But what for? Having been on all of these for a while, here are my thoughts.

Blog: The type of people who have blogs don't really care who reads them and they put what they want up. This is usually a mixture of words and pictures, it will account lives so it can be difficult or nice to read. People will give opinions on things such as music, films and fashion, or even their own lives.

Tumblr: Where do I start? Tumblr accounts are either a series of uplifting messages photographed in an arty way, snippets of song lyrics from bands like The Academy Is..., Boys Like Girls or some other soft emo band, or porn. There seems to be absolutely no restriction (bar the illegal) on what you can post on tumblr, even music which is odd given copyright is such a grey area on the internet.

Twitter: This gives people an inflated sense of self worth as they feel as though they are friends with celebrities as they can reply to their posts. The celebrities will rarely respond.

But who am I to talk. I have a blog no one reads, go on tumblr to look at uplifting messages and arty porn and go to twitter to see what Trent Reznor and Pete Wentz are saying. 

Monday, March 09, 2009

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SO SAD?


I suppose you can tell my frame of mind when I'm referencing Ryan Adams lyrics in casual conversation. There was another band I quoted the other day, but I can't remember it.

1. When talking about someone's rocky relationship, I said, "What, what are the words they use when they know it's over? 'We need to talk' or 'I'm confused, maybe later you could come over.'"

2. When liking a girl from afar, I said, "I remember seeing you the other day but I don't remember saying goodbye. Alls I know is the sky went clear and babe I think I wanted to die."

The best line in that song is "For everyday of sun, I get a month of rain." 

Friday, March 06, 2009

SHE GAVE ME A PEN.....


A quick look at the papers.

Went to see Metallica and The Bronx this week. I always say after I see Metallica that it will be the last time I see Metallica. The show in September was a lot better to this one but probably only due to the seats we had. The show was great, but due to the sparsely populated area in front of us, the sound was a bit muddy. But they did play Turn The Page which I love.

The Bronx also wasn't quite as good as last time, again due to the last venue being tiny and this one being a bit bigger. The opening of Heart Attack American last time was so good - "You know what to do. I want the drinkers to drink, the moshers to moshers and the stage divers to get the fuck up!" But they play Six Days A Week this time.

Look, El Bronx. And hear how good Matt Caughthran's voice is....



I thought screamo was dead, but then I heard Chiodos.

Yes, I am home on a Friday night but a Friday without her isn't a night to be out right now. Two more Fridays to savour. However, I may be in danger of being ostracized soon. See below.

I love YOU, but I'm not that keen on YOU at the moment. 

I finally fucking finished The Count Of Monte Cristo. That's probably why I went out so much this week. Wait and Hope.

Couple of new blogs I like. One and two.

Thanks Mark for today. Quoting Dazed & Confused has never been so fun.

Spin has a question which is - What comes after Radiohead on your ipod? Although they changed it this month to what comes after The Shins on your ipod which isn't so accessible. A: Rage Against The Machine and The Shirelles respectively.