STEVE ALBINI

It's weird doing a list. Like there's no Specials on there but I fucking love the Specials. How did I make a list of 20 songs and not put "Monkey Man" on there? There's no instrumental music, no Sandy Nelson, no Shadowy Men, no Link Wray, all of which bring a smile to my face.

— steve albini (@electricalWSOP) September 4, 2023

Weird that he’s still on Twitter, I assumed he left

I think he's also on Bluesky, don't know if there's a difference between what he posts in either place, or his interactions.

Yeah, that’s where I encountered him. He seems pretty active there

(Josh, what’s yr Bluesky handle?)

500 Miles?????!!! LOL!

right?! maybe in the United States people perceive it differently, but yes, LOL!!

A bit like the musical equivalent of Braveheart - though not quite that awful.

That's incredible. What a fucking nerd

500 fucking miles. What a cunt lol

could kind of imagine 500 Miles produced in the same quiet/loud way as The Pixies' Gigantic

it's a good song

I'm gonny be disagreeing with you on that one, sorry, yin.

it’s a great song

brimstead gets it

two names i never expected to add to my list of history's greatest monsters but there you go

It's not that it's bad (it is bad) but that after all of his huffing and puffing on the 'hard' stuff for decades...it's one hell of a choice.

Maybe Steve had a hot cold night out in Ayr one time and the robust vocalisations of the Reid twins forevermore remind him of that special experience? What I really want to know is whether he liked the song in his Big Black days.

Auchtermuchty, to be precise.

Typical of the Proclaimers to come from a place with the most Scottish name ever.

... and the hometown of Jimmy Shand to boot! You couldn't make it up.

There are a lot of songs that are good songs that I don't want to hear and don't begrudge anyone else digging.

Thought the proper title was “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”

Maybe he was thinking of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” (and only likes half of it)

Once in the late 80s/early 90s a friend and I were walking by The Bottom Line and there was a huge line around the block to get in. We asked who was playing and they told us in what I assumed at the time were Irish accents but of course might have been Scottish “The Proclaimers!” I’m not sure if we even knew who that was at the time. My friend said to me “James Redd, from the size of that line I was sure it was going to be The Rolling Stones playing a secret show or something like that.”

I would queue 500 blocks

Alongside 500 Jocks.

Think the proclaimers are basically fine, but appreciate that if I were Scottish I would most likely find them unbearable

no true scotsman (could possibly dislike them)

is how i break it down to an extent

wonder how harry lauder would go down in 2023, guessing "poorly"

tbf too the Proclaimers twins are prob the biggest selling musicians who also somewhat resemble Steve Albini, facially

Birmingham City fans sing Harry Lauder at every game ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(Josh, what’s yr Bluesky handle?)

@joshinop I don't think there will be much excitement on there from me, but it's always nice to connect!

Proclaimers, Buddy Holly brings to mind the DLR quote "The reason the critics all like Elvis Costello better than me is because they all look like Elvis Costello."

500 miles is a great song. I liked it, then I made fun of it and now I’ve gone back around to liking it.

dlr
elvis costello
even the proclaimers
but esp buddy holly

alex, the question is "who are artists better than steve albini?"

Hmm. “500 Miles” sounding pretty good on this listen. Maybe I will try it at karaoke as a way to work on my comedy IRN-BRU accent.

Xpost Sorry, it was people Rivers Cuomo thinks he looks like.

lol

if you live in scotland 500 miles is akin to freebird or somesusch, although i'd take freebird over it in a second.

Do people yell out out “500 Miles!” at every gig by every band in Scotland?

of course.

Every band in Scotland plays it.

Then a haggis walks backwards on the stage while a kilted piper plays

wpm

I prefer “500/20 Miles” myself

500 Miles is brilliant and it's still not one of my favourite Proclaimers songs : )

FWIW I'm pleasantly surprised by his Specials love - I unconsciously (and unfairly) assumed Jamaican or JA-derived music would be off his remit somehow - but then I remembered didn't he also dig UB40 in the early 80s?

Which is the best Proclaimers song in your opinion?

Probably it's There's a Touch. Though I cannot conceive of it being up ilx's alley at all. Followed by Throw the 'R' Away.

What can I say, their Best Of MVs DVD was foundational stuff for me so it's partly a nostalgia thing but I never 'outgrow' such attractions. I'm quite happy to give some, if not all of the love that Folk Festival pop needs here.

Throw The 'R' Away for me

Based on his taste and his no-no list, I bet Steve is the ultimate "Cabaret Voltaire personally betrayed me after Red Mecca" guy