Also, the kind of articles we had to write at MM don't archive too well, because they *were* disposable, and they were written with that in mind. Our primary objective had to be taking on the concerns of our readers, which were often minute concerns indeed. The bigger issues everyone remembers us talking about (most of which stemmed from an acknowledgement that pop is, for all its immaturity and its many sins, bigger and better than us, and to train a healthy pop response - that is, to meet pop on its own terms - it's first necessary to make our minds a little less lazy and squalid than they usually are) were only raised as either a counter-argument to whatever bilge the indie world was pumping out at the time (to shame and chill these people in the shadow), or as backup and context when plugging some new wonder. We weren't allowed to write stand-alone thinkpieces, and our word-counts were kept low-ish (2,500-3,000 words for a cover story). We had it easy compared to the trussed seals of latter-day music magazines, with their feature templates and wasteful sidebars, but we had nothing like the freedom - in terms of content as well as length - enjoyed by writers for, say, Creem or NME in the 1970s, or Melody Maker itself in the late 80s. I liked this discipline in a way, because writing for a weekly and being forced to follow trends, albeit with a take-the-piss option, makes one feel quite alive, quite useful, as though one lived in Japan or something, and as I said earlier, I was 22 or something at the time. A good age to be in charge of a weekly feed of very-contemporary, constantly- shifting opinions, perhaps a bad age to be allowed to write 6,000 unedited words that are supposed to go down in history.
A few months after that S*M*A*S*H interview was published, I ran into one of them in a bar in London. I anticipated a row, but instead he complimented me on the article, and said, oddly, that "we sat down and talked about it and we decided you'd raised some good points. It had quite an influence on us". A month later I heard their new single, a dancey, poppy remix of one of the album tracks, with a video that looked a little like the video to "Groove Is In The Heart". About three weeks after that, they split up.
― Taylor Parkes, Monday, 14 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
The point about relative freedom to actually talk at length and how you didn't have that is very well taken, though. At the same time, it seems the limits can at least help you focus your points of view -- the end manifesto may be abrupt, but you state an ideal and swiftly back it up with useful reference points. Knowing me, even after editing I'd still need three times as much space doing a comparable approach.
And so they actually did try out your approach at the end? Hmm...
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Robin Carmody, Monday, 14 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
Thanks for posting that, anyway. I'm trying to collect specific features I don't own anymore, and that one was proving tricky.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Jay Marriott, Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mark, Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 1 September 2003 14:50 (twenty years ago) link
― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Monday, 1 September 2003 17:00 (twenty years ago) link
― Michael B, Monday, 1 September 2003 17:19 (twenty years ago) link
― dave q, Monday, 1 September 2003 17:50 (twenty years ago) link
― flowersdie (flowersdie), Friday, 5 September 2003 11:29 (twenty years ago) link
― vu, Tuesday, 21 October 2003 23:15 (twenty years ago) link
― paulhw (paulhw), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 23:51 (twenty years ago) link
― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 00:02 (twenty years ago) link
― adaml (adaml), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 00:47 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 01:32 (twenty years ago) link
― Lynskey (Lynskey), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 01:40 (twenty years ago) link
― adaml (adaml), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 02:25 (twenty years ago) link
Sat 28 February 2004S*M*A*S*H and THE SLAMMERS play Hitchin Club 85. Doors open at 7.45pm.
http://vu.morrissey-solo.com/smash/index.htm
― vu, Friday, 12 December 2003 00:22 (twenty years ago) link
― cozen (Cozen), Sunday, 22 February 2004 14:21 (twenty years ago) link
― nathalie (nathalie), Sunday, 22 February 2004 14:29 (twenty years ago) link
Smash are back and thats all that matters.
Micky Sheehan
― Micky Sheehan, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 21:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 21:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 21:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 21:39 (nineteen years ago) link
A novel way to ingratiate yourself with ILM posters.
Smash were trying to make 'Cunt' a positive word with all that Germaine Greer quoting after all.
― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Wednesday, 15 September 2004 12:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― stelfox, Wednesday, 15 September 2004 13:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― briania (briania), Wednesday, 15 September 2004 13:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― Leon Czolgosz (Nicole), Wednesday, 15 September 2004 15:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― Leon Czolgosz (Nicole), Wednesday, 15 September 2004 15:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― Taylor Parkes (Taylor Parkes), Thursday, 30 September 2004 01:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 30 September 2004 02:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 30 September 2004 08:14 (nineteen years ago) link
peace to de and the boyz
― moon, Monday, 14 November 2005 15:46 (eighteen years ago) link
http://weheartmusic.vox.com/library/audio/6a00cd970e4cda4cd500d09e841abfbe2b.html
― max r, Wednesday, 10 October 2007 21:19 (sixteen years ago) link
Taylor Parkes' "J'accuse"/bitchslap of Tim Lovejoy in the latest When Saturday Comes is probably the best magazine article I've read in five years.
― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 13:17 (sixteen years ago) link
"'Lovejoy On Football' is part autobiography, part witless musing, and one more triumph for the crass stupidity rapidly replacing culture in this country. Hopelessly banal and nauseautingly self-assured, smirkingly unfunny, it's a £300 T-shirt, a piss-you-off ringtone, a YouTube clip of someone drinking their mate's vomit. Its smugness is a corollary of its vacuity. I hope it makes you sick."
― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 13:20 (sixteen years ago) link
Anyone got the Bis article mentioned upthread?
― Raw Patrick, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 13:28 (sixteen years ago) link
Anyone who has an online journal is a cunt. Its as simple as that.
http://www.myspace.com/mickysheehan
S*M*A*S*H released a new album last month.
― onimo, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 13:38 (sixteen years ago) link
i wondered who taylor wrote for now.
he is a total fucking hero.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 14:00 (sixteen years ago) link
yo ithappens, you should hire him for real.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 14:26 (sixteen years ago) link
One member of Smash used to own a very twee shop near where I live. They're playing here soon, supporting some band called Goldblade - should I see them?
― the next grozart, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 14:49 (sixteen years ago) link
Goldblade is John Robb's band, yes?
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 14:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Smash the blue.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 14:52 (sixteen years ago) link
Yes
― Boxing Kangaroo, Tuesday, 18 December 2007 18:38 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/145/29/
Here's the Tim Lovejoy article referenced upthread.
Also - original zing crew members. You know that fat, suicidal, bi-polar chick with the dyed hair we know? No, not that one, the other one. Apparently she rolls with TP now. Small world.
― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 28 May 2008 10:19 (sixteen years ago) link
I actually read all of Taylor Parkes stuff on that site after you pointed it out to me, despite knowing nothing about football.
I'd still like to read the Bis article.
― Raw Patrick, Wednesday, 28 May 2008 10:55 (sixteen years ago) link
-- That one guy that hit it and quit it, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 15:26 (6 months ago) Bookmark Link
mfkn real talk
― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 28 May 2008 10:57 (sixteen years ago) link
This thread is the top result for Taylor Parkes Bis.
The only Bis related Parkes piece I could find, a review of Luscious Jackson: http://lusciousjackson.net/articles/moist.html
― Raw Patrick, Wednesday, 28 May 2008 11:00 (sixteen years ago) link
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/295538_572930506052023_165387974_n.jpg
― pssstttt, Hey you (dog latin), Wednesday, 27 March 2013 13:05 (eleven years ago) link