UK Watercooler 32: Fall Into The Meaning Gap

(reminisces about the happy days when a 2 1/2 page review in "The Mix" (rip) would net 350 quid)

send tom d

in drag

2 1/2 pages? Dude, it's 200 words.

Would I feel happier about music journalism if I were getting paid? Dunno. Probably not. Well, if it were proper money, like £350, then maybe. But as it is, it's just something I keep doing because people keep asking me to do it, but not something I ever *wanted* to do, and not something I particularly *enjoy* doing.

The only point to carry on is to get free tickets to gigs. But I don't even enjoy going to gigs that much any more. I'm old and my back hurts if I stand up for too long.

And I didn't even bring my sketchbook. I suppose I could buy another at Paperchase because I'm about to run out of room in my current one soon.

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/dri000/i012/i01282zo58z.jpg The lost funkadelic album.

I suddenly realised the other night, I owe tissp a fiver from I think years back, for an EP I bought off him.

200 words I would expect to get at least 30 quid for, probably I'm out of date. I think a box-in I wrote for "sound on sound", hang on, the couple of paras I wrote at the end of this:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1995_articles/sep95/rolandvp330.html

404 words sez M$ word, that netted me a oner. I really, really miss writing for these magazines, as you can imagine. I didn't realise how long ago it was either :-/

For free, it would have to be a band that I really liked, that I wanted to get more publicity.

Your own?

No, that would be unethical.

I don't think I've ever been paid...? I could be wrong on that, though. I have never done it for money, I guess is the point. I've written about bands because I care about the music, passionately... or because I was asked to. Mainly because, well, this is a horrible, stupid reason. Because I wanted to be part of something. It's not quite as simple as "all my friends were doing it." But I wanted to be a part of that group. And now I'm realising that was a totally false goal. First, because it's just peer pressure in sheep's clothing. And secondly because, well, trying and failing to be a part of a group (and I'm pathologically incapable of belonging) is actually more isolating and depressing.

When I wrote my first SoS article, I'd have probably done it for free, I was so thrilled at appearing in it. When the magazine hit the shelves though, I discovered that theyd hacked 1,000 words out of it, someone on the magazine I knew told me to make room for an advert. I was well pissed off, especially as the article was pretty incoherent as a result. The money made me feel a bit better, when I got the cheque. After that, I must admit it was always "for the money", though reviewing synthesisers and effect processors is obv. different to reviewing bands.

The absolute worst thing was "The Mix" - they dropped all contributors who were not "professionals within the audio industry" or something (so, naturally, I got the hoof) - unfortunately, most of these"professionals", the might have been goot at recording and mixing and all that, but they couldn't write for shit, the quality of the magazine dropped noticeably, and it folded in about a year. They (future) paid VERY well, so I was pissed off loads.

probably they were better at handing in copy without any typoes, though, eh?

Don't get a techie to do a writer's job. In that case, you need another writer to turn technie know-how into cogent English. It's amazing how many people don't seem to realise this.

I cannot find the bloody questions that go with the data for this db.

:-(

lol
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/160/4758680.jpg

Cogent? Do I mean coherent? I don't even know what I mean.

Sod it, I want pizza. Where is the nearest La Porcetta? In the EEZOHAD, I bet. :-(

the where?

Yup, it's in the EEZOHAD but if it makes you feel better I've been living deep in EEZOHAD territory for three months and NO SIGHTINGS. It might just be safe...

It's like a foreign language

this looks entertaining

Anyone think of any other fun making music on the bus type things?

A banjolele?

http://shinymedia.headshift.com/images/tech_digest/images/wasp_t12.JPG

*FOR JAPAN ONLY

wah!

£23 is not bad. Who's in Japan around here? Momus to thread!

That looks horrible! Nintendo music on the bus? Kill, kill, kill.

I hate bloody Corsica Studios, it's now official. I don't care if it's near my home, it's overcrowded and uncomfortable and the shows run on too late.

Silver Apples were (was?) very very good, but all on all it was such a horrible experience I wish I'd stayed at home.

I was going to say "I can't even remember" the last gig I went to, but I can...

It was at our local mall, outside, end of summer. Various bands, all playing in the big sandpit. Went on till quite late, kids enjoyed it, great time, lots of steps for the whole auidence to sit, roman amphitheatre style.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/MarkGrout/sandpit.jpg

.. and, funnily enough, we had a bucket!

Looks like a Gong gig, circa 1972

Playing in a giant sandpit? What an awesome idea!

The Corsica Studios is just really badly set up. A long, narrow railway arch with a bottleneck right in the middle of it so everyone just gets trapped where they are. Utterly awful when there are too many people in the room.

I think maybe I should stop going to gigs, fullstop. I don't enjoy them unless I have a place to sit down. I was actually in physical agony before Silver Apples even came on, and I'd spent half the night sitting on the floor (hard concrete).

One of the support bands was point blank awful. The other guy was good, if a bit theatrical, but I really wasn't in the mood for him, he went on WAAAAAYYY too long, totally overstayed his welcome. And he was making the walls and floor shake with his sub-bass. There were times I physically felt like throwing up. In that situation, it was vastly unpleasant.

I am so sick of being asked to do impossible things at work. They want to filter on about a million things on one report, instead of having different reports for each thing. AFTER making me do a report which had subreports for each of the things that they are filtering by.

::beats head against desk::

But at least I am busy today, and I have brought music. So far no one has objected.

HA HA HA HA.

The nerve of them!

My former employer just rang me, telling me that I had a rate roll off due (erm, three months ago, actually!) and asking if I wanted to do review my mortgage with them.

I told them "Seeing as how Charcol made me redundant two weeks before Christmas, I am not interested in ever doing business with them again, thank you very much."

Bastards. Trying to make money off me!

Is Gmail down for anyone else?

Don't use Gmail.

I got some spam off Matt DC this morning! Or, rather, the head-hunting company he works for.

My head hurts this morning and I feeling quite tired coz I went to see Jesus and Mary Chain last night at the Roundhouse. Truly, truly great. We were quite near the front too, which is a first for me there...coming up from Oxford means the previous two gigs I've attended at the Roundhouse (Jarvis Cocker and Sonic Youth) I've been near the back - OK a circle can't have a back, but you know what I mean, near the perimeter of the circle & a long way from the stage!

Yesterday morning I went for an interview at a web hosting company in Abingdon. Have you ever been to Abingdon, Kate? I think you'd like it. It is one of the candidates for the oldest town in England. Funnily enough as I was leaving the company's offices, the sun was shining and I was feeling quite chipper about how it went and I was walking along past a babbling brook and thinking "I bet Kate would like this town" and then I looked up and the first building I saw was....the Quaker meeting house!

They have an excellent Morris Team. I think John Spiers learnt his melodeon chops in it.

had some really nice and inexpensive Thai food in the restaurant over the road from the Roundhouse too. and went to the Enterprise afterwards - a pub described by my mate Colin as "both seedy and scene-ey".

Abingdon Priory, amirite?

nothing much left of that now. even the gateway that appears to have survived was actually rebuilt from the rubble of the original, as a cursory examination of its patchwork stonework will reveal....

support last night for the JAMC came from a Dublin band called The Brothers Movement. No world beaters, which prolly means they'll be all over the telly in a coupla months time, and one of the guitarists had either a fake moustache or the fakest looking real moustache I've ever seen.

(he also looked too young to grow one)

Ha ha, The Brothers Movement = Mainline. The mustache is real. That would be Danda, he's s sweetie. Haven't seen them since the namechange/lineup.

Abingdon... I may have been there as a child on a walk with my Godfather. Perhaps we should make a rolling walk there soon! Sounds nice if it is historical.

I've never been to the Roundhouse. I'm glad to hear the Mary Chain are keeping up the good work - saw them last November, and it was brilliant, but didn't really feel the need to see them again.

Have just been to lunch with Emsk and am now full of curry.

bah to you and your fancy civilisation with its lunches.

How about curry in Sarf London next Wednesday? For dinner, obviously, as I shall be here during the day.

Depends on where exactly I am, I might be in Newbury.

Bah! Well, maybe another night, but depends on rehearsal. I just know that Wednesdays will never be a rehearsal night because our drummer goes to Samuri School (don't ask) on Wednesdays.

But anyway, good luck getting the new job, Mark! I think looking up and seeing the Quaker Meeting House was definitely a Sign.

our drummer goes to Samuri School (don't ask)

But I must, I must

good luck getting the new job

cheers. they just seemed so....nice.

going from an office of 250+ to an office of 8 would be weird tho.

It's a class where they teach you how to be a Samuri. Martial Arts, Swordplay and advanced Insulting Your Opponent's Honour. (You think I'm kidding about that last part, eh?)

If the people are nice, small offices are *so* much better.

and advanced Insulting Your Opponent's Honour

Zing Fu?

I think it's just kind of calling people names in Japanese. Japanese in a French accent is actually hilarious.

Oh. I just got that. Groan.

Oh, great. My boss has just fucked off on holiday AGAIN until next Tuesday. Has gone without answer the question I asked him. The developers have fucked the database again and the copy I grabbed before it went down is flawed.

I swear to god, this is the most frustrating assignment I've ever been on. I have no idea what I'm doing here, or how I'm supposed to get on with my job.