Post-Politics

Posted on by Alasdair

I’m buried in Simon Reynolds “Rip It Up And Start Again” at the moment.  It’s a history of the post-punk movement from (about) 78-84, and it’s very good.  By “very good”, what I mean is “it’s making me think”.

Some of what follows will almost certainly be blinding obvious.  I’m thinking, and frankly, there’s not a lot of functioning grey matter in here to do that with.  I need to start with the obvious, or I just go round in lots of little circles.

Post-punk, the internet, art movements, politics and enfranchisement

“Well, you bit off more than you could chew the first day you met me.”

Posted on by Alasdair

The lyric is from The Dropkick Murphys’ “The Dirty Glass”.  There are days when I really feel that it could describe my relationship with creativity.  That it could very easily be whatever passes for my “muse” talking to me.

[This is really quite long, and is basically self-indulgent/important introspection and self-examination.  Although to give myself due credit, I’m not actually whining about anything – it’s not something I remotely need to whine about, just figure out a bit better.  Skip it if you’re busy, or not remotely interested in listening to me work through a few thoughts on my relationship with creativity.]

You’ve been warned.

The weekend and beyond

Posted on by Alasdair

Firstly: Anything exciting happening this weekend? Make me an offer…

Secondly: Plans for things in the rest of the month, so I don’t forget.

21st: Contemplating the SEOne third birthday do. Have a nagging feeling that I’ve already said I’ll do something on the 21st, though. Anyone care to remind me what?
27th: Shakespeare, with gothbabe et al.
29th: Alabama 3, with kookymojito. Turns out they’ve got MacGowan and The Popes supporting, which is ace.

No, I Really Will Shut Up About This Camera Soon, Honest.

Posted on by Alasdair

So the first photo that I know for damn sure my other camera couldn’t have managed has just gone up on electricana.  It’s not anything earth-shattering – just a little exercise in light-bleaching, but I like it.

But more importantly, I have a question for those of you that I spend time around.  Up to now, I’ve largely restriced myself to taking photos of things, rather than people.  But now, I have a camera that’s rather better able to cope with things like being indoors, and I would like to start taking more photos of people.  At some point, yes, I’ll probably get around to trying to arrange actual proper shoot type-things with anyone that’s interested, but for now, what I want to work on is just catching people as naturally as possible (and yes, I accept that people will instintively pose a bit when there’s a camera about), and generally being the irritating bastard at the party who won’t stop taking photos – I really don’t have much feel for getting people’s “best side”, so I figure I’d better develop that a bit before I move on to wasting anyone in particular’s time.

But I know a lot of people don’t like be photographed, and particularly, don’t like having photos of them put on line.  (God knows, I’m one of them, hence the hiding behind the camera myself.)  And while I’m happy to give assurances that no-one will see anything I think is less than a vision of pure loveliness, and will never make anything available to the general public without the specific consent of the parties in the photo, I do want to put them on-line in some manner – I don’t like working for an audience of none.  So I figure the least I can do is give everyone that I’m likely to photograph a chance to weigh in with what they’d prefer.

My current plan is to create yet another photojournal, one specificially for photos of my friends, and friends lock it so that only people I actually know will see it, thus saving me from feeling like I have to get permission for every photo – they won’t be completely public, after all.  If there are ever any photos of people I want to put on electricana, I will ask specific permission for that, unless you tell me I don’t need to.

I hope that was all slightly clearer than mud.

So, a poll.  Please, if you think I’m likely to be pointing a camera your way at any point, tick the appropriate boxes.

Update On Everything

Posted on by Alasdair

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve had three or four people chastise me for not updating this thing enough, and generally not saying very much about what’s going on in my life.

This is really because nothing much is going on.  I get up, I go to work, which ranges between the tedious and the quite-a-lot-of-fun, I come home.  Uniquely among Londoners, I still enjoy my commute.  Sometimes I exercise.  Sometimes I play computer games.  I watch The West Wing and CSI.  Once in a blue moon, I remember that I live with some of my favourite people, and spend a bit of time in the living room with them.  I read books.  At weekends, I either go out and have a splendid time, or I stay in and rest.  I do less of the latter than I probably should.  I engage in Chronic Nerdism every other weekend, but I balance it by y’know, being ungodly cool at all other times[1], and by gigging and clubbing and going to Cultural Things as and when I notice that there are some.  This is my life.  I like it a lot.

In short, I have fallen into a very comfortable rut.  Of course, having admitted to that in public means that something is going to happen fairly soon to disrupt it.  I hope it’s a good something.

But anyway – that’s why I haven’t updated about exciting events in my life very much.  I’m having a good time, but it’s really not very much out of the ordinary, because, well, I lead a nice life, every last one of my friends is a marvellous human being (even those that don’t believe it – as in all things, I am right, so hush), and well, I have no massive Angst or Pane, and I am not pissed off at the world very much.  Therefore, my LJ has largely become a means for me to organise Things To Do, in order to perpetuate this cycle of Having Lots Of Fun.

In other news, I have my bedroom window open, and the neighbours are playing some Queen best of quite loudly.  I think this calls for some sort of response.  I think perhaps quite a lot of The Fall.

[1]  Shut up.  It’s my delusion and it makes me happy.  I see no reason to change it.

Don’t Ever Let Me Down

Posted on by Alasdair

Tom Waits blows me away with his music on more levels than anyone else. The Tansads will forever be my favourite band, the soundtrack to a teenage summer when I could have taken on the world – my own personal Teenage Kicks.

But I don’t think I know a better live act than Flogging Molly.

That’s the fifth time I’ve seen them in a little under three years. And this time round, Bridget Regan was sadly, unable to play fiddle owing to injury (although she came on to play tin whistle a few times, so that was good – see previous comments about all female fiddle players being nigh-unbearably attractive), and the fiddle part was played by Bob Schmidt on banjo, which I like, but it just doesn’t grab me in the same way as a good, fast, fiddle sound does. So, with one of the most important parts of their music missing, I was, to be honest, set for a bit of a let-down. Still, one gig out of five not being up there, it’s hardly cause for complaint, is it?

They took the roof off the place.

I’ve seen bands play bigger gigs. I’ve been to gigs where the audience roared along with every word. I’ve seen gigs I never thought I’d get to see. There is still nothing on earth like the feeling in the crowd at a Flogging Molly gig. I’ve never seen a band keep so much of the crowd moving, with so much energy, for as long as they manage, ever damn time. Never seen anyone forge that connection with audience – a sense that that really, there is no divide between performers and audience – everyone present is there with the common goal of having a wild old time.

I could talk about the songs they played, but I don’t think it’d mean anything to more than half a dozen of you. Tonight wasn’t the best Flogging Molly gig I’ve ever seen (for those keeping score, that was the one I saw with both wmute and _fionnuala_ about 18 months ago), but I still don’t know if any other act I’ve seen has topped it for the sheer electric joy of a live gig. If you haven’t seen them live, you are missing out.

I May Be Some Time.

Posted on by Alasdair

I got another new toy today.  (Yes, I know there is a new one coming.  Previews what I have seen suggest it will not be a huge upgrade, and I got a bit knocked off the price precisely because there is a new one coming.)

I think it is safe to say that after an hour or two of playing with it (really not doing much besides getting used to the basics of controlling it), that I am completely fucking delighted with it.  I think I can finally stop butting my head against “but my camera just won’t do X”.  Or course, I first have to learn to make this one do what I want, so I will now be forced to spend many, many weekends playing with it, and really getting to grips with all these exciting new manual settings.  So you’ll all have to excuse me for a while.  Pretend I’ve started a new relationship, and am in that “can’t spend enough time in each other’s company” stage.  It’s probably more or less accurate, although there are less fluids involved…